The Murder of Sara Burke

 

Sara Burke was only 19 years-old when she was brutally murdered on May 3rd, 2011. She lived in Bremerton, Washington at the time of her death. On that tragic evening, police were called after a young woman was found with a single stab wound to the neck on the 800 block of Warren Avenue. Shortly before Sara was found, witnesses heard two people arguing and subsequent screaming.

Investigators have been unable to establish a motive for Sara's murder. In fact, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that her murder was completely random. In 2013, police announced that they had a "specific person of interest"--but this person has never been publicly identified and no arrests have been made in Sara's case. Now that years have passed, it is unclear if investigators are still looking into this person of interest. 

Investigators have also looked into the possibility that Sara's case was connected to other cases of stabbings in the Bremerton area. About a month and a half after Sara's death, a 50 year-old man survived a knife attack by an unknown assailant on Burwell Street. Seven months later, a woman named Melody Brannon was found brutally stabbed to death inside her home on High Avenue. After these attacks, many began to worry that there was a serial killer in Bremerton. While this possibility has not been ruled out, investigators have since announced that they do not believe Sara and Melody were killed by the same person. 

Sara's murder remains unsolved. If you have any information that could lead to her killer, please contact Bremerton Police Department's General Investigations Unit at (360) 473-5228.

The Murder of Aseal Iysheh

 

The evening of June 11th, 2020 began as a regular Thursday night for Aseal Isyheh. The 24 year-old was seen at a BJ's Food Mart in Knoxville, Tennessee around 9PM that evening. Around 9:15, while at the store, Aseal sent a text message to her sister saying that she was hungry. Nothing seemed unusual about that text exchange. However, mere minutes later, Aseal was dead. She had been shot to death in the store's parking lot.  

Around 9:30 PM, Knoxville PD responded to a call about the shooting. Once they arrived at the BJ's Food Mart, they found the gruesome scene in the parking lot. Aseal had suffered from numerous gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead on the scene. There were reportedly numerous witnesses who saw the shooting, but many had fled before police arrived. The shooter also fled the scene and has still not been caught. 

Throughout the investigation, it was revealed that Aseal had allegedly been assaulted in the same parking lot just weeks before her death. She told police that her assailant was a 44 year-old man she was dating at the time. Police have not revealed this man's name, but they did reveal that he was in jail on the evening of Aseal's death. As a result, he has been ruled out as Aseal's killer--however it is unclear if investigators believe he might have somehow been involved in another way.

Although investigators have not formally identified a suspect, they did state that Aseal was shot by a man. Through some witnesses, investigators learned that Aseal and the man had gotten into an argument before she was subsequently shot. There were many other witnesses on the scene who have yet to come forward with information. 

There is a monetary reward for anyone with information that leads to Aseal's killer. The reward has been raised numerous times in hopes of providing incentive for a witness to speak up. At this time, the reward is $20,000. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please call the Knoxville police department's crime hotline at 865-215-7212.

Fundraiser Friday: April 9th, 2021

This week's Fundraiser Friday features cases of two women who vanished under suspicious circumstances. Both women are mothers who are unlikely to leave their children behind voluntarily. The families of both women are raising money to pay for private investigators. Please share their stories and consider donating.

Graciela Garcia

Graciela Garcia has been missing since November 2019. The 49 year-old woman was last seen in Hermiston, Oregon. On the evening of November 8th, 2019, Graciela had dinner plans with her 14 year-old son, who was staying at his father's home. Graciela's son was surprised when his stepfather--Graciela's husband--showed up with food instead. Graciela's husband explained that she had already gone to bed. Graciela was never seen or heard from again.

It's uncharacteristic of Graciela to drop out of sight. She was sharing custody of her teenage son with her ex-husband. Her daughters are now grown, but she regularly kept in touch with them as well. Graciela's daughter reported her missing on November 11th, 2019. So far, no persons of interest or suspects have been named. Graciela's family is raising money for a private investigator, and her daughter is also selling items on Etsy to raise money as well. [fundraiser link] [Etsy link] [more info on this case]

Crystal Fry

Crystal Fry has been missing since late 2020. Before vanishing, the 31 year-old young mother was living in Baltimore, Maryland with her boyfriend/father of her two youngest children. Crystal's family members have not heard from her since November 11th, 2020. 

That day, Crystal called her mother, Teresa Silverman, and told her that the previous three days had been the worst of her life. She explained that somebody had broken into her home by kicking in the front door, so she was staying with the father of her oldest child until it could be fixed. Crystal also told Teresa that she was scared for her life. The two then made plans to meet up the following day so they could talk more about the break-in. Crystal never showed up as planned, and her family has not heard from her again. 

There have been very few updates on Crystal's case, but her mother has hired a private investigator. The family is raising money to continue to pay for the investigation. [fundraiser link] [more info on this case]

The Disappearance of Cory Schroeder

 

Cory Schroeder vanished in Benton, Arkansas on May 21st, 2019. He disappeared just one day before his 45th birthday. Before Cory vanished, he posted "Going to be leaving Facebook in a few days.. Going on a new adventure," on his Facebook page. It's unclear what he was referencing in this post, and he has not been active on Facebook again.  Cory went missing the following day. 

News reports state that Cory vanished after a friend dropped him off at the Avilla grocery store in Benton. He was reportedly wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and carrying a red and black backpack at the time. Most news reports about Cory's disappearance say that he was never seen or heard from again after that, and very few other details are provided. However, Cory's family members have shared a few more details on a Facebook page dedicated to spreading awareness on his disappearance. 

In response to a post inquiring about the day Cory vanished, Cory's sister wrote that he was dropped off at Huckaby's on Highway 35 and then either got a ride or walked to another friend's place on Cottonwood. From there, Cory's sister explained that she was told Cory left that house on foot at some later point. The person who said he left on foot is reportedly incarcerated on unrelated charges at this time. It's unclear if this person is considered a person of interest in Cory's disappearance.

Cory is described as 6'8" tall and approximately 235 pounds. Many have questioned how someone of his size can simply vanish without a trace. Cory's loved ones believe that someone in Benton community knows what happened, and they are hoping someone will come forward soon. 

The Saline County Sheriff's Office is investigating Cory's disappearance. If you have any information that could lead to his whereabouts, please go here to submit an anonymous tip. 

Fundraiser Friday: April 2, 2021

This week's Fundraiser Friday features cases of two indigenous women. There is speculation that both women were murder victims, but both of their cases remain unsolved. These women are just two of the many Native women who go missing and/or are murdered. These cases often go cold and receive far less attention in the media. Please share these stories and consider donating. 

The Disappearance of Caitlin Potts

Caitlin Potts has been missing since February 22nd, 2016. The young mother was 27 years-old at the time of her disappearance. Caitlin was last seen in Enderby, British Columbia on the day she vanished. She has never been seen or heard from again. Caitlin vanished in the midst of a volatile relationship with a man named Jason Hnatiuk. He has been convicted of assaulting Caitlin during an altercation that occurred during August 2014. Despite this, Jason denies involvement in Caitlin's disappearance and also denies ever being in a serious relationship with her. 

Investigators believe that Caitlin was murdered. Still, no arrests have been made in her case, and she remains missing today. Caitlin's loved ones have grown increasingly frustrated with local authorities due to lack of progress in her case. They hope to hire a private investigator to help aide their search. [fundraiser link] [more info on this case]

The Disappearance & Death of Kaysera Stops Pretty Places

Kaysera Stops Pretty Places was only 18 years old when she was found deceased in Hardin, Montana on August 29th, 2019. The young girl was a member of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne tribal communities and she lived with her grandmother. Kaysera was last seen by her family members on August 24th, 2019. She was reported missing on August 27th. 

Two days later, a passerby spotted human remains in the backyard of a Hardin home. The remains were later identified as Kaysera. Unfortunately, the discovery of her remains has led to more questions than answers. Authorities have described Kaysera's case as suspicious, but medical examiners were unable to determine an exact cause or manner of death. Her autopsy reportedly did not turn up any evidence of injury or disease. To this day, it is unclear how Kaysera ended up in the backyard where she was found. 

Kaysera's family members believe she was murdered. They are raising reward money in hopes that someone with information about her case will have an incentive to come forward. [fundraiser link] [more info on this case]

The Disappearance of Breasia Terrell

Breasia Terrell has been missing since July 10th, 2020. The 10 year-old girl vanished while spending the night at the home of 47 year-old Henry Earl Dinkins, in Davenport, Illinois. Breasia's mother Aishia Lankford last heard from her around 9pm on July 9th, when Breasia sent a text to say goodnight. Reports state that Breasia was seen for the last time a few hours later. Aishia reported her missing on the evening of July 10th after she never returned home.

Dinkins is considered a person of interest in Breasia's disappearance. He is the father of of Breasia's half brother, and he is also a registered sex offender. Breasia reportedly tagged along with her half brother during a visit to Dinkins' home on the day before her disappearance. According to Aishia, Breasia had never spent the night at his apartment before--but was enjoying her time with her brother and wanted to stay the night. Although Aishia was aware that Dinkins is a registered sex offender, she was initially not worried about Breasia spending the night at his home because she was with her brother and she had known Dinkins her whole life. However, when Breasia never returned from Dinkins' house, suspicions against him began to build.

Police searched Dinkins' apartment shortly after Breasia was reported missing. During the search, he was arrested for violating sex offender requirements. He remains in jail for those charges today, but he has not been charged with anything related to Breasia's disappearance. Dinkins maintains that he does not know of her whereabouts. 

On July 15th, 2020, an Amber alert was issued for Breasia. Authorities also announced that they were searching for anyone with information about Dinkins' whereabouts between the hours of 10pm on July 9th and 12pm on July 10th. Still, months have passed and authorities reportedly do not have any updates in the case.

Henry Earl Dinkins

There is a $3500 reward in place for anyone with information that could lead to Breasia's whereabouts. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please go here to submit an anonymous tip. 

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UPDATE (April 2021): Breasia's body has been found. 

The remains were found on March 22nd by a group of fishermen at a pond in DeWitt--located approximately 20 miles away from Davenport. On March 31st, 2021, authorities confirmed that the remains were positively identified as that of Breasia Terrell. Breasia's death is being investigated as a homicide, but so far, no arrests have been made.

Rest in peace, Breasia. 

The Disappearance of Parris Hopson

 

Parris Hopson has been missing since December 25th, 2019. The 26 year-old vanished in the midst of a family Christmas celebration in Massillon, Ohio. She has never been seen or heard from again. 

Prior to her disappearance, Parris lived in Columbus, Ohio with her mother. During the 2019 holiday season, Parris' family was still struggling with the loss of Parris' brother, Perry Hopson Jr. During 2017, Perry was involved in a fatal car accident after another driver hit him in a head-on collision. He was on life support for months before passing away in April 2018. The driver who hit Perry fled the scene after the accident and still remains unidentified to this day. Before vanishing, Parris had reportedly been spending a lot of time trying to identify and locate the other driver. 

On Christmas Day 2019, Parris and her mother traveled from Columbus to Massillon to celebrate the holiday at Parris' grandmother's house. According to family members, Parris was behaving unusually during the gathering. She reportedly appeared quite anxious and was seen pacing back and forth. Around 2:30 PM, Parris told her relatives that she was going to take a walk to clear her head. Her family members thought that she would only be gone for a short amount of time, but she never returned. 

It's believed that Parris was headed towards Shriver Park on Third Street. A neighbor reportedly saw Parris walking shortly after she left her grandmother's house. Parris stopped to wish the neighbor a merry Christmas before continuing towards the park. After hours passed without any sign of Parris, her relatives discovered that she had left her cell phone charging in her car. There were no messages on her phone that identicated she was going to run away OR meet up with anyone. In fact, she sent her final outgoing text message to her church pastor to ask if there were any services that evening. 

Once Parris was reported missing, investigators questioned her relatives about Parris' mental health. Her loved ones stated that she might have been depressed and/or anxious at the time of her disappearance, but she was not making any indications that she planned to harm herself. Parris does not have a history of serious mental health issues, nor does she have a history of using drugs. Her cousin stated that Parris was dating a man who was trying to alienate her from her family and friends, but it is unclear if this man played a role in her disappearance. It is also unclear if Parris' investigation into her brother's death played a role as well. 

Parris remains missing today. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please use this form to submit an anonymous tip.