The Death of Chynelle "Pretty" Lockwood

 

Chynelle Lockwood was ready to embark on a new chapter in her life during the summer of 2017. At the time, the 19-year-old lived in a small village in Alaska called St. Michael. Chynelle, known as "Pretty" by her loved ones, had lived in that small village her whole life. She had just graduated from high school in May of 2017 and planned to move to Anchorage to study at University of Alaska in August. Unfortunately, before she was able to move on to this new phase in life, Chynelle's life was taken. 

Chynelle was last seen alive by her loved ones on July 10th, 2017. She had spent the early evening with her uncle; the two road ATVs together and then ate dinner. Afterwards, Chynelle told her uncle she was going for a walk along the beach - something she did almost every evening. This time, though, Chynelle never returned home. 

The following day, a body was found face down on the beach in St. Michael - located nearby Chynelle's family's home. Police in the village contacted the Alaska State Troopers, and the investigators began working together to piece together what had happened. The State Medical Examiner's officer soon determined that the body was that of Chynelle Lockwood. 

An investigation into Chynelle's death was immediately launched. Unfortunately, the case remains unsolved to this day. There are also many unanswered questions that have arisen throughout the investigation. These unanswered questions have led to several rumors and theories about Chynelle's case.

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Limited information, rumors and a pregnancy.

In the early stages of the investigation, it appears that very little was shared with the family and the public about Chynelle's death. In September 2017, Chynelle's mother told reporters that she still did not know if her daughter's death was being investigated as a homicide, suicide, or accident. The family did learn, however, that Chynelle had been pregnant - a fact they did not know prior to her death. 

Around the same time, social media rumors began to swirl about the case as well. According to a September 2017 article, "the names of a half-dozen young adults and teenagers from Stebbins, a village about 13 miles away, have been repeated in publicly shared social media posts as being the last people to see [Chynelle]." To this day, none of these individuals have ever been charged with anything related to Chynelle's death.

Years passed without any publicly confirmed information about Chynelle's death investigation. In 2019, family members stated that they believed Chynelle had been murdered; that she had been beaten and possibly strangled. While investigators never corroborated this, circulating social media rumors about Chynelle being murdered remained strong as well. 

A homicide with very little answers.

By 2021, the Alaska State Troopers finally confirmed that they have been investigating Chynelle's death as a homicide. They also stated that they turned the case over to prosecutors. However, no additional details were released at that time.

In 2023, a report on Chynelle's case stated that Chynelle's death was due to "drowning of undetermined etiology due to submersion in ocean water under unknown circumstances." It appears that this was confirmed years earlier via autopsy, but this was the first time that this statement had been made to the public. In the same report, it was stated that investigators generally consider Chynelle's death to be homicide, but the exact manner of her death has never been determined.

Unanswered questions and theories.

Although there a few more details available about Chynelle's case today than there were in 2017, there is still an abundance of unknown information. The lack of confirmed facts has left room for many rumors and theories to emerge. 

As noted above, several individuals were named in social media posts as the last people to have seen Chynelle before her death. There have been inevitable rumors of one or more of these individuals being responsible for Chynelle's death. There have also been rumors about drugs and/or alcohol playing a role. None of these rumors have been confirmed, nor has any person ever been publicly labeled as a person of interest or suspect.

Additionally, very little has been said about the fact that Chynelle was pregnant at the time of her death. Information about the child's father remains unknown. Due to the fact that her family was unaware that she was pregnant, it's safe to assume that she was not very far long at the time. It's unknown if anyone else knew that Chynelle was pregnant prior to her death, but if she did disclose her pregnancy to anyone, it's possible that this was a motive for her death.

It's worth noting again that none of these theories have been confirmed by investigators. Various rumors and theories have continued to arise on social media, but very little has been publicly confirmed about the investigation.

An ongoing epidemic of violence against indigenous women.

Chynelle's case is one of many cases involving a missing and/or murdered indigenous woman that remains unsolved. Violence towards indigenous women, and a lack of action to convict those responsible, has been a widespread issue amongst indigenous people throughout the country. In recent years, this has been more prevalent in Alaska. 

A 2024 report on this issue states that "Alaska Natives comprise only 20% of the state’s population, but Alaska Native women represent 54% of Alaska’s sexual assault victims. Compared to all other women in the U.S., Alaska Native women are ten times more likely to experience domestic violence." The information regarding these studies and statistics can be found here. 

An unsolved case. 

By 2025, Chynelle's case was listed as an unsolved homicide by the Alaska State Police. The case remains on that unsolved list to this day. Chynelle's loved ones have not given up their fight for answers. 

If you have any information that could help solve the case of Chynelle "Pretty" Lockwood, please contact the Alaska Bureau of Investigation (ABI) at 907-269-5611 or submit a tip online.

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Sources:

Alaska DPS
Alaska News Source
Anchorage Daily News
Justice of Chynelle Lockwood

NBC News

The Murder of Anna Scott

 

During the early-morning hours of February 3rd, 2022, police in Washoe County, Nevada received a call about a vehicle on fire in southbound shoulder area of Interstate 580. Officers responded to the scene and found the car burning about a mile north of the Galena Creek Bridge. Inside the vehicle, police found the body of a young woman. The medical examiner later identified the victim as Anna Scott of Reno, Nevada. She was just 23 years old. 

Anna's family members describe her as a loving mother who was dedicated to raising her young children. Anna was also a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and a beloved part of the community. Her loved ones are inevitably heartbroken by her death. Anna’s family last heard from her the night before she was found deceased. Anna's stepmother said that Anna was posting on social media on the evening of February 2nd but did not post at all the following day--which was unusual. 

Around the same time, Anna's stepmother heard news about a car being found on fire with a deceased female inside. Days later, the family learned that the female inside the vehicle was, in fact, Anna. She had died from a gunshot wound to the head. It appears that Anna's killer(s) then set her car on fire in attempt to destroy evidence.

source: rdj.com

In the days that followed Anna's death, authorities stated that they were trying to an establish a timeline leading up to the murder. On February 7th, the Washoe County Sheriff's office announced that they were "trying to piece together [Anna's] movements and contacts in the hours and days before her body was found."  

Anna's stepmother said that the family heard from a friend who saw Anna that night, but the interaction was "odd". In a report from March 2022, her stepmother was quoted saying, "[The friend] did say she had seen Anna that night and that she had left Anna alone with some people that she hadn’t mentioned to us, I don’t know if she mentioned it to the detectives, but to me that was odd. How are you just going to leave your friend alone?" 

Other than that, detectives remained tight-lipped for several years about the investigation into Anna's death. An April 2022 report on the case states that the sheriff's office did not respond to the reporter's request for updates. However, Anna's family members vowed to not let Anna be forgotten. They also have made efforts to raise awareness about the numerous other missing and murdered indigenous women whose cases also remain unsolved. More information about this nationwide issue can be found here.

A little over four years passed without any updates in Anna's case. Finally, in June 2026, an arrest was finally made; Delshay Astor was indicted on second-degree murder charges. The following month, the grand jury updated those charges to first-degree murder. Additionally, an accomplice, Joel Christy, was charged with accessory after the fact.

Prosecutors allege that Astor shot Anna to death before setting her car on fire. Christy then reportedly helped Astor avoid apprehension after the crime was committed. At this time, it has not been revealed how investigators tied the two men to Anna's murder. Their charges are currently pending. 

Delshay Astor

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Sources:
2 News

KOLO TV, 2, 3

People

RDJ,2

The Murder of Irasema Chavez

Irasema Chavez (33) was found brutally murdered inside her Arlington, Texas apartment on January 20th, 2012. Her murder remains unsolved to this day.

Irasema was fairly new to that area, and to the United States in general. She had grown up in Mexico but had recently relocated to Texas after she was inspired to move by her sister and brother-in-law, who already lived there. According to Irasema’s brother-in-law, Irasema had made a ton of new friends since she moved to the Arlington area, and she loved to go to dance clubs with them. Irasema had also recently come out to her family and friends as a lesbian shortly before her death.

On the night of January 19th, 2012, Irasema called her sister and asked her and her niece, who was visiting from Mexico, to come over. They declined, as Irasema’s sister did not want to drive over to her apartment that late at night. However, Irasema’s sister planned to drop her niece off at Irasema’s apartment the following day so the two could spend the day together. 

When that time came the next morning, Irasema’s sister dropped her niece off at Irasema’s apartment complex and waited until she got inside safely before she left. However, just a minute after Irasema’s niece entered her apartment, she came running back out, screaming for somebody to call the police. According to her, Irasema was dead. She had been murdered—stabbed over 100 times.

Surveillance footage from the previous night shows an unidentified person wearing a hood approaching Irasema’s door and knocking. The person is seen standing there for about a minute before the door opens and the person is let in. For several years, investigators considered this person to be a suspect.

source: YouTube

None of Irasema’s friends or family members recognized the suspect, however they believed that this person was known to Irasema, since she let them into her apartment. A clip of the surveillance footage can be viewed here.

Nearly 15 years passed without any updates in Irasema's case. Finally, in July 2026, it was announced that an arrest had been made. A 42-year-old woman named Mayra Velazquez was taken into custody on July 17th, 2026, and charged with capital murder by terror threat.

Reports state that new DNA technology linked Velazquez to Irasema's murder. Although it appears that the two women knew each other, investigators have not commented on their connection at this time. 

Velazquez remains behind bars as her charges are pending.

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Sources:
The Dallas Morning News
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, (2), (3)

People
Savage Watch

The Disappearance of Enrique Medel

 

Enrique Medel was only 14 years-old when he vanished on March 17th, 2011. The teenager lived with his mother in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the time of his disappearance. Enrique was last seen hanging out with friends near the corner of Zuni and Indiana Street SE. He never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. 

Reports indicate that Enrique "looked and acted" older than his age, and as a result, he was able to become acquainted with a group of friends who were years older than him. Enrique's mother was worried about this; she believed that he was "hanging around the wrong people." Since his mother was a single parent who worked nights, she was unable to supervise him as closely as she would have liked. 

Prior to his disappearance, Enrique had been expelled from his middle school for bringing a gun on school grounds. His mother weighed several options to keep him out of trouble, including signing him up for boxing lessons. She also considered sending Enrique to live with relatives in Missouri. Unfortunately, Enrique vanished before she was able to do so. 

As noted previously, Enrique was seen with friends near Zuni and Indiana Street on the evening of his disappearance. According to reports, his uncle saw him in that area and told him to go home. Enrique reportedly refused and said that he was going to spend the night with friends who lived nearby. What happened after that remains a mystery, as his family members have never seen or heard from him again.

Enrique was classified as a runaway upon being reported missing, although his mother stated that she did not believe he would leave on his own accord. It was later revealed that one of Enrique's friends, who was 18 years-old at the time, gave inconsistent statements about his disappearance. Said friend also was found to have several of Enrique's items in his possession, including a backpack and a rosary given to Enrique by his grandfather. However, nothing ever seemed to come from this lead. 

Over 15 years have passed, and Enrique still remains missing. He is also still classified as a runaway, even though it appears that no trace of him has ever been found. The Albuquerque Police Department has investigative agency over the case.

If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Enrique Medel, please contact authorities at (505) 768-2020.

Sources:

Charley Project
NamUs
NCMEC
The Polly Klaas Foundation

Similar cases:

• Other missing persons from New Mexico
• Missing persons from 2011

The Murder of Jade Benning and her unborn child

 

Jade Benning was only 24 years-old when her life was tragically taken on February 25th, 2023. The young woman had a bright future ahead of her prior to her untimely death. Jade was living in Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked as a chef and caterer. She was also expecting her first child; a little girl she planned to name Ivy.

According to friends and family, Jade was looking forward to becoming a mother. However, the father of Jade's child, Blaise Taylor, was not happy about the pregnancy. Jade and Blaise had met on a dating app in August 2022 and had only been dating for a few weeks at the time the baby was conceived. 

When Taylor learned that Jade was pregnant, he told her that he wanted her to get an abortion. At the time, Blaise worked as a professional scout for the Tennessee Titans and expressed that he was not ready to become a father. When Jade decided that she was not going to terminate the pregnancy, Blaise began to distance himself from their relationship. 

Jade was understandably hurt by Blaise's coldness, but she continued to move forward. She maintained excitement about having a baby, especially when she learned that she was having a girl. Jade was seemingly prepared to be a single mother, although she hoped Blaise would be a part of their daughter's life.

By February 2023, it appeared that Blaise was finally coming around. He told Jade that he was interested in rekindling their relationship. On the evening of February 25th, Jade and Blaise had a date night at Jade's residence, during which they painted canvases intended for the baby's room. Jade initially believed this date night would mark a new beginning for the couple and their growing family. However, just a few hours later, she would come to realize that this was not the case.

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The night of February 25th, 2023.

As noted above, the evening of February 25th, 2023, began on a positive note for Jade. Blaise came to her residence, where the two of them ate baked goods and painted canvases for the baby's room.

A couple of Jade's friends stopped by Jade's residence during the date night. One of them noticed that Jade had painted a fun and colorful canvas for her daughter's room, while Blaise had painted what appeared to be a black hole. Other than that, though, Jade's friends did not notice anything unusual or worrisome during their visits. 

A few hours later, the tide changed. One of the friends, Nijaiha Jackson, received a phone call from Jade - during which Jade sounded extremely distressed. Nijaiha stayed on the line as she listened to Jade speaking to Blaise. She heard Jade asking Blaise questions such as "What did you do? What did you put in my drink?". Jade also made the statements "I can't walk straight", "I knew my drink tasted funny", "Blaise, you're scaring me", and "You did this so something would happen to the baby."

Shortly before 9:40 PM, Blaise called 911 and said that Jade was having an allergic reaction to something. By time paramedics arrived, Jade was unconscious in her bed. CPR and other live-saving measures were attempted at the residence. Around the same time, Nijaiha rushed over to the home to see what had happened to Jade. The first responders noted that Nijaiha was extremely upset and worried about Jade, while Blaise did not seem nearly as frantic about the state of his girlfriend and their unborn child.

Jade was eventually transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where it was determined that she had a severe brain injury after suffering from cardiac arrest. By this point, she was in a coma and placed on life support.

The deaths.

On February 27th, 2023, while Jade was still on life support, it was determined that her unborn daughter, Ivy, had died at approximately five months gestation. Medical examiners noted that the baby died as a direct result of the medical emergency that Jade had experienced. The cardiac arrest that Jade had suffered from caused a lack of oxygenated blood to flow to her organs, including her brain, uterus and placenta. The baby unfortunately did not survive from the period of lost oxygen.

Jade stayed alive, but on life support, for the next several days. By March 6th, 2023, after she had still not regained consciousness, she was taken off life support and subsequently passed away. 

The investigation.

Following the deaths of Jade and her unborn child, investigators in Nashville were tasked with finding out what caused their demise. Over the following year, evidence was collected from toxicology reports, digital evidence, and witness statements. The evidence collected led investigators to believe that the deaths of Jade and her baby were not the result of a tragic unexpected medical emergency; something more sinister had occurred.

The toxicology report indicated that Jade had a high level of cocaine in her system. Investigators also learned via both digital evidence and witness statements that Blaise Taylor was not thrilled about Jade's pregnancy. Jade's friends and family were interviewed by detectives, and they also corroborated Blaise's disdain about the pregnancy. Additionally, Nijaiha Jackson told investigators about the disturbing phone call she had with Jade shortly before Jade went unconscious, during which Jade accused Blaise of putting something in her drink.

Investigators also learned that Jade's pregnancy was not the first unwanted pregnancy that Blaise Taylor had experienced. During 2017, he conceived a child with a woman he was dating named Apple Dennie. Apple revealed that Blaise wanted her to get an abortion, and she ultimately ended up terminating the pregnancy.

Apple also shared that, while she and Blaise were taking a break from their relationship, he got another woman pregnant. Blaise told Apple that he was upset about this woman's pregnancy. He asked Apple if she could obtain abortion pills so Blaise could "make her take them or put them into her drink." Apple refused and said that Blaise began researching online ways to induce abortion. Blaise also asked her what other things could be put in a drink to end the pregnancy.

The other woman ultimately ended up getting an abortion as well. Years passed before Blaise met Jade and conceived a child with her, but it appeared that he was still not ready to become a father at that time, either. The experiences that Blaise had with the other women showed a pattern that Blaise had been following regarding unwanted pregnancies. Blaise's desire to end the second woman's pregnancy by slipping something into her drink also raised eyebrows when it came to Jade's case - especially since Jade had accused him of putting something into her drink as well.

A year after Jade's death, in March 2024, a Davidson County grand jury indicted Blaise Taylor on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony murder. He was arrested in Utah and subsequently extradited back to Tennessee. The following month, a judge set Blaise's bond at $2.5 million. He ended up posting that bond and was released with supervision while he awaited trial. 

June 2026: the trial. 

Blaise Taylor's trial began in June 2026. During the trial, prosecutors described their belief that Blaise had put a large amount of cocaine into Jade's pink lemonade drink without Jade's knowledge. After drinking it, Jade began to feel ill and eventually collapsed into cardiac arrest and unconsciousness. As previously noted, both Jade and her unborn child died as a result. Prosecutors stated that Blaise's motive was to end Jade's pregnancy.

During the trial, Nijaiha Jackson testified about that final phone call she had with Jade. Apple Dennie testified about her pregnancy with Blaise, and the pregnancy with the other woman - including the piece about his desire to end her pregnancy by placing something into her drink. Testimony from digital evidence, toxicology reports, and medical experts was presented to the jury as well.

Blaise's defense team maintained his innocence. The defense argued about the credibility of some of the witness testimony. They also argued that Jade's death was caused by her own voluntary cocaine use. However, friends and family of Jade noted that they do not believe she would voluntarily use harmful substances while pregnant.

July 1st, 2026: the verdict.

After an approximate eight-day trial, the jury began deliberating. They ultimately returned the following verdicts:

• Guilty of the second-degree murder of Jade.
  Guilty of first-degree felony murder of Jade.
• Guilty of the first-degree murder of their unborn daughter.
• Guilty of the first-degree felony murder of their unborn daughter.

Blaise Taylor is now facing a mandatory life sentence under Tennessee law. His sentencing is scheduled for September 2026.

Sources:
Court TV
KARK
Nashville. gov 
New York Times
WSMV

Other similar cases:

• The Murder of Breana Rouhselang
• The Murder of India Kinamore
• The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Rochelle Stubblefield
• The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Morgan Martin
• Other resolved cases from 2023
• Other resolved cases from Tennessee

The Disappearance of Sara Graham

Sara Graham has been missing from Fairmont, North Carolina since February 4th, 2015. That morning, the then-18-year-old Sara borrowed her father’s car to drive to her job at Wal-Mart. She never arrived at work and has never been seen or heard from again.

The car Sara was driving was later found abandoned in an open field. There were no signs of a struggle near the vehicle. According to witnesses, the car was parked there as early as 6:45 AM, but the police did not arrive on the scene until around noon.

Prior to her disappearance, Sara had recently moved to North Carolina from Texas. She moved in with her father and stepmother, who both worked for the sheriff’s department. Her stepmother, Connie Graham, was fired shortly after her disappearance for reasons that have not been released to the public. 

Years passed without any updates in Sara's case. Investigators declined to publicly name any suspects or persons of interest in Sara’s case; however, many locals have shared their own theories on social media. One local rumor is that Sara’s stepbrother was in love/infatuated with Sara and that he killed her when she rejected his advances. This rumor was never confirmed, but over the years, suspicions remained strong about both Sara's stepmother and stepbrother(s). 

Over 11 years later, in June 2026, investigators finally announced a break in the case. Sara's stepmother Connie Graham was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Connie's sons, Bobby McLellan and Luke Locklear were arrested as well; they were charged with accessory after-the-fact, felony conspiracy and alter/steal/destroy criminal evidence. 

According to warrants, prosecutors believe that Connie killed Sara and then destroyed and altered evidence, such as Sara's bed and the flooring at the home, in order to cover up the crime. It's been alleged that Connie's two sons helped Connie cover up the crime as well. 

Connie and her two sons remain behind bars as their cases are pending. Sara's body has still not been found. If you have any information that could lead to the location of her remains, please submit a tip online.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Websleuths
WMBF News
WPDE, (2)

Other similar cases:

• Disappearances from 2015
• Disappearances from North Carolina

The Disappearance and Death of Kayla Sobczak

 

Kayla Sobczak was only 18 years-old when she was found deceased under suspicious circumstances on March 9th, 2025. The teen's family had reported her missing months earlier, during December 2024. Reports state that Kayla was last seen alive in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The last confirmed sighting of Kayla prior to her disappearance occurred on December 17th, 2024. She was reportedly in the area of 60th Street and 12th Avenue. Around 11:00 PM that evening, Kayla was seen getting into a charcoal grey sedan near the 6000 block of 12th. The car was driven by an unknown individual. Kayla never returned home, nor did she ever contact her loved ones again. Her family members reported her missing on December 23rd, 2024. 

After Kayla's missing persons' case was opened, the Kenosha Police Department reported that she was known to frequent Racine, Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois, and Waukegan, Illinois. The police department also reported that Kayla had a history of substance abuse and sex work. However, they declined to comment on whether they felt these things played a role in Kayla's disappearance. 

Months passed without any sign of Kayla. Then, on March 9th, 2025, a body was found in a break wall within Lake Michigan at Eichelman Park. Days later, it was confirmed that the body was that of Kayla Sobczak. When the news broke about her body being found, police stated that they were still investigating a cause and manner of death. This information remains unknown to the public to this day; it's unknown if detectives have made any progress on this part of the investigation.

Due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding Kayla's case, many have speculated that foul play is responsible for her disappearance and death. However, this has yet to be confirmed by law enforcement. Police have not shared any details about the investigation since Kayla's body was found. 

Kayla's case remains opened. If you have any information that could help provide answers about her disappearance and death, please contact Kenosha authorities at 262-605-5280. 

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Sources:
Disappeared Blog
Fox 32
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Spectrum News 1
WISN