Saturday, August 28, 2021

The Disappearance of Aaliyah Ramirez

 


Aaliyah Ramirez has been missing since April 27th, 2021. The 14 year-old was last seen leaving her father's home in Syracuse, Indiana. Aaliyah was supposed to walk to the nearby school bus stop, but she never arrived. She was reported missing later that day, after her school called to notify her family about her absence. 

Aaliyah leaving her father's home

Aaliyah was reportedly struggling in her home life in the months leading up to her disappearance. According to various social media posts, Aaliyah's mother had kicked her out of the house a few months prior. After this, Aaliyah went to stay with her aunt. However, this was short lived--as Aaliyah's father went to court to petition for full custody. The judge granted her father's request, despite the fact that Aaliyah did not want to live with him. In fact, she wrote the judge a letter requesting to stay with her aunt. In the letter, Aaliyah wrote that she did not want to live with her mother OR father--as she faced abuse in both homes. Despite this, the judge still placed her with her father.

Part 1 of the Aaliyah's letter to the judge (click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
  
The judge's ruling also reportedly banned Aaliyah from having any contact with her boyfriend. It is unclear why her parents did not want her to contact him--as he lived in Florida and it was primarily a long distance relationship. Aaliyah met this boyfriend while staying with her grandmother in Palm Beach City. Aaliyah's grandmother allowed her to see the boyfriend, but her parents did not--which caused further rifts in her relationship with them. 

Investigators believe that Aaliyah is no longer in Indiana. It's speculated that Aaliyah had help getting out of the state, but authorities still believe she is in danger. Prior to vanishing, Aaliyah was a dancer at the Indiana Ballet Conservatory in Indianapolis. Many members of the dance community have been sharing her story hopes of spreading awareness about her disappearance. 

Aaliyah is described as 5'9" and approximately 138 lbs. If you have any information that could help locate her, please contact the Syracuse Police Department at 574-267-5667.
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UPDATE: Aaliyah has been found alive.

On August 27th, 2021, it was reported that Aaliyah has been located safely in Florida. At this time, it has not been confirmed if Aaliyah has been there this whole time,  however she does have relatives in the state. Many are now advocating for her to be placed in a more stable home. 

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

The Murder of Ally Kostial


Ally Kostial was a 21-year-old rising senior at Ole Miss when she was brutally murdered on July 20th, 2019. Shortly thereafter, a fellow student and Ally's on-again, off-again romantic partner Brandon Theesfeld (22) was arrested and charged with Ally's murder. Ally's body was found just hours after she was killed, at Buford's Ridge in Harmontown, Mississippi. She had been shot 8 times in the stomach.


It did not take investigators long to identify Brandon as a suspect. He was known to frequent Buford's Ridge with friends, as it was approximately 30 miles away from the Ole Miss campus in Oxford. According to various people Ole Miss students, Brandon was also well-known for being disrespectful towards women. Many of Ally's friends stated that Brandon had manipulated her and treated her poorly during their on-again, off-again relationship. However, Ally's friends explained that Ally always saw the good in him.

Police located and arrested Brandon two days after Ally's murder, on July 22nd, 2019. Cell phone and credit card records led police to a gas station in South Memphis, where they were able to catch up to him. Authorities initially remained quiet about the investigation into the murder, however many of Ally's friends revealed a potential motive: Ally was rumored to be pregnant with Brandon's child. Brandon was furious that Ally did not want to have an abortion. 

As the case unfolded, the harrowing story about the real events that led up to Ally's murder was revealed. 

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2021: Theesfeld accepts a plea deal.

In August 2021, it was reported that, after initially pleading not guilty, Brandon Theesfeld had decided to plead guilty to Ally's murder. Brandon made this decision after a deal was made to reduce his charge from capital murder to first-degree murder. The first-degree murder charge results in an automatic life sentence. 

August 27th, 2021: Theesfeld pleads guilty. 

Brandon Theesfeld pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in court on August 27th, 2021. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Ally and Brandon had a sexual relationship off-and-on throughout their time at University of Mississippi. As previously noted, Brandon was known to be disrespectful towards women, including Ally, but Ally was still interested in pursuing the relationship.

Ally Kostial and Brandon Theesfeld.

On April 12th, 2019, Ally reached out to Brandon to tell him that she thought she might be pregnant. A couple days later, she sent him a picture of an inconclusive pregnancy test. Over the next few months, Ally contacted Brandon several times and asked him to meet up with her - but he did not oblige. 

Finally, on July 12th, 2019, Brandon messaged Ally and said he did not want to meet up, but he did want her to get an abortion. Days later, on July 18th, Brandon messaged Ally again and said he had changed his mind and was willing to meet up. During the early morning hours of the 19th, Brandon picked Ally up from her residence in Oxford and drove her 40 miles away to Buford's Ridge at Sardis Lake. There, he shot her to death and then left her body behind. 

After pleading guilty in court, Brandon made the following statement: "I am sincerely sorry for the pain I've caused while taking Ally from you. My actions have forever changed your lives and my family's lives. I wish I could take it all back but I can't. There is no excuse for my actions, and I have asked God for forgiveness. I hope one day that you will find it in your heart to forgive me." 

Still, Brandon has not revealed a motive for the killing. There is inevitable speculation that he was motivated by Ally's alleged pregnancy - however, an autopsy confirmed that she was not actually pregnant at the time of her death.  

Brandon was sentenced to life in prison. 

Friday, August 6, 2021

The Murder of Tyler Hendrix


Cameron 'Tyler' Hendrix was tragically murdered at the age of 25 on July 12th, 2016. Tyler was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. He lived in the Westside at the time of his death. On the afternoon of July 12th, Tyler left his home to ride his bicycle around with his friends in the neighborhood. He unfortunately never made it back home. A passerby later found Tyler laying beside his bicycle near the Paradise Valley mobile home park. He had been shot multiple times. 

This was not Tyler's first experience with gun violence. In fact, he had been shot near his home in September 2012--about four years before his death. Tyler was shot in the midst of an attempted robbery by a man named Deion Torezz Robinson. The gunshot wound caused the left side of Tyler''s body to become paralyzed. However, Tyler was resilient in his rehabilitation and was able to regain partial movement. He eventually was able to get a job working for a construction company. The man who shot Tyler was later arrested and charged with attempted robbery and attempted murder in February 2013. 

Tyler became the victim of gun violence once again on that fateful day in July 2016. This time, the gunshot wounds were fatal and he was pronounced dead by the time paramedics arrived on the scene. Tyler's murder remains unsolved and it is unclear if investigators have any persons of interest. No suspects have been publicly named.

There is a monetary reward available for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of Tyler's killer. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please call (866) 845-TIPS.