Arrests Made in 2022

Many cases featured on True Case Files made progress this year. As previously noted, several cases were resolved. There were also numerous cases in which an arrest was finally made - which means these cases are now closer to being resolved as well. Below is a list of such cases - here's to hoping they finally conclude in 2023.

(Listed in order from time the crime occurred - recent to oldest):

The disappearance and murder of Audreona Barnes.

Audreona Barnes vanished in Cleveland, Ohio on July 30th, 2021. The then-18-year-old seemingly disappeared after being dropped off at the residence of her boyfriend, Bennie Washington. Audreona never returned to her family's home and was later reported missing.

Washington was initially questioned, but he denied any knowledge of Audreona's whereabouts. Then, in March 2022, Washington was evicted from his apartment. After his eviction, an employee from a cleaning company was sent to the residence. While clearing out the apartment’s balcony, the employee found the body of a female hidden under a pile of clothes. Police were called, and the body was eventually identified as that of Audreona Barnes. She died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Police then began looking for Washington. At some point, police spotted him in a nearby neighborhood, but he ran from the officers and was able to evade arrest. However, he was finally found on March 21, 2022, and charged with Audreona’s murder. He remains behind bars as the charges are pending.

[full case write-up]

The murder of Tiara Lott

Tiara Lott was only 22 years-old when she was found murdered in Buffalo, New York during February 2021. Tiara's boyfriend, Andre Whigham, was an immediate suspect in the case. Prior to her untimely death, Tiara's loved ones had noticed bruises on her body - leading them to believe that she was being abused by Whigham. Additionally, Tiara told several people that if something bad ever happened to her, Whigham was likely responsible.

After Tiara's body was found, Whigham seemingly went on the run. Police were unable to locate him for over a year. Then, during May 2022, Whigham turned himself in police. He was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The case is currently ongoing. 

[full case write-up]

The disappearance and presumed murder of Anesha Murnane

Anesha Murnane vanished under suspicious circumstances on October 17th, 2019. The 38-year-old woman lived at MainTree Apartments in Homer, Alaska at the time of her disappearance. MainTree is a supported living facility that provides housing to individuals with disabilities and beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Health Trust. Anesha was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was considered a dependent adult, but according to her family members, she was stabilized and doing well at the time she vanished.

On the day of her disappearance, Anesha left her residence shortly after noon to walk to a doctor's appointment. She never arrived and was never seen or heard from again. Anesha's family members immediately began to fear that she met with foul play.

Nearly 3 years later, an arrest was finally made. In May 2022, Kirby Calderwood (32) was charged with first degree murder, second degree murder, kidnapping, and tampering with physical evidence in relation to Anesha's case. Investigators closed in on Calderwood as their prime suspect after a tipster reported that Calderwood admitted to being responsible for Anesha’s disappearance. 

The tipster reportedly told authorities that on the day of Anesha’s disappearance, Calderwood said he prepped the crawlspace at an empty home before leaving in his car to search for a victim. At some point, he spotted Anesha and offered her a ride. She accepted, and Calderwood ended up bringing her to the empty home. Once there, Calderwood reportedly tortured Anesha before killing her and then disposing of her body in a dumpster.

Calderwood remains behind bars as the charges are pending. Anesha's body has still not been found.

[full case write-up]

The disappearance and murder of Kara Nichols

Kara Nichols disappeared at the age of 19 on October 9th, 2012. The then-19-year-old was living in Colorado Springs when she vanished. Kara worked as a model and escort. On the evening of her disappearance, Kara told her roommates that a friend was picking her up and driving her to a modeling job. Unfortunately, she never returned home and was never seen or heard from again. 

Over the years, there were several reported sightings of Kara, but authorities were unable to locate her themselves. Finally, nearly 10 years later, a woman named Kristina Hollendorfer spoke to investigators and implicated her husband, Joel, as Kara's killer. Kristina explained that Joel admitted to her that he "accidentally killed an escort he hired and buried her body on top of an old horse grave on his parent's property." On February 3rd, 2022, investigators searched said property and found human remains. Days later, it was confirmed that the remains belonged to Kara Nichols.

Joel Hollendorfer was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence shortly thereafter. His charges are pending while he remains behind bars in El Paso County. 

[full case write-up]

The disappearance and murder of Desiree Thompson

Desiree Thompson vanished in California City, California on January 7th, 2012. The then-30-year-old disappeared in the midst of a tumultuous relationship with her ex-husband, Edward Gibson III. There were reportedly several instances of domestic violence and encounters with the police throughout Desiree's relationship with Gibson - including one that occurred just hours before her disappearance. Due to this, Gibson quickly became the prime suspect after Desiree was reported missing.

Police inevitably wanted to question Gibson, but they were unable to find him. It is believed that he went on the run shortly after Desiree vanished. Many thought this was because he wanted to avoid charges related to Desiree's disappearance, but he also had several other active warrants on charges of burglary, domestic violence, violating a court order, brandishing a firearm, and possessing a firearm as a felon.

Years passed and Desiree remained missing. Gibson remained the only person of interest in the case. Then, in 2022, the case took an unexpected turn. During March, investigators received a tip that led them to a home in California City. A man named Jose William Lara, now 60, used to live in said residence. While there, investigators found blood splatters in the master bedroom and human remains in the backyard. Those remains were eventually identified as that of Desiree Thompson.

Police were led to Lara after they were contacted by an informant. The informant told police that Lara had described, in detail, how he murdered a woman matching Desiree's description and then buried the woman in the backyard of his old residence. Lara was reportedly angry that evening because he had been assaulted and kicked out of a party. He wanted to get revenge, and he picked a random victim. After leaving the party, he came across two individuals - one of them being Desiree.  He subsequently invited Desiree over to his house under the guise of drinking beers together. Lara said that once she was there, he bashed Desiree's head into a mini-fridge and then stabbed her to death. Later, he buried her in his backyard. 

Although Lara confessed to the informant, he has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. His case is currently pending. 

The murder of Anita Knutson

Anita Knutson (18) was brutally murdered inside her own apartment on June 3rd, 2007. Anita was a freshman at Minot State University in Minot, North Dakota at the time of her death. She lived with a roommate near campus. 

On June 4th, 2007, Anita’s father grew worried after learning she had not contacted any of her siblings or anyone else in her family for over a day. Her father was under the impression that her roommate had gone out of town for the weekend, so he decided to go directly to the apartment's manager. The manager let Anita's father into the apartment - where he stumbled upon a horrific scene: Anita was dead. She had been fatally stabbed in her own bedroom.

Years passed without any updates in the case. Then, in March of 2022, police finally announced that they had arrested a suspect: 34-year-old Nichole Rice.
Rice was Anita's roommate, who was originally believed to have been out-of-town when the murder occurred. At this time, a motive is unclear as the case is pending.

[full case write-up]

Resolved in 2022 - Part 2.

Below is a list of another set of cases that were resolved in 2022. Links to full case write-ups are provided. Part one of the resolved in 2022 series can be found here.

Megan Nichols.

During October of 2022, a jury convicted Brodey Murbarger (pictured right) of murdering Megan Nichols (left). Megan was 15 years-old when she vanished from her family's Fairfield, Illinois home on July 3rd, 2014. Prior to her disappearance, Megan was in a relationship with Brodey - who was 18 years-old at the time. Megan's parents did not approve of the relationship, so Megan was often secretive about seeing Brodey.

Megan left behind a note before vanishing, which indicated that she was running away. Text messages later revealed that Megan believed she and Brodey were going to run away together. However, she seemingly disappeared into thin air, while Brodey remained in town. This led to many suspicions against Brodey - but he denied any knowledge of Megan's whereabouts.

Over three years later, Megan's remains were found in a wooded area of Wayne County. An autopsy revealed she had been murdered. Many speculated that Brodey was responsible for Megan's death, but it took years for an arrest to finally be made. Finally, in October 2020, Brodey was charged with first-degree murder in relation to Megan's case. The prosecution believed that he suffocated and strangled Megan before burying her body.

Brodey pleaded not guilty, but the jury ultimately convicted him of the charges. Not only did his text messages to Megan incriminate him, but the evidence also revealed that Megan's blood was found in his truck. He faces life in prison.

[full case write-up]

Morgan Martin

After nearly 10 years, the family of Morgan Martin finally saw justice for the young girl, who was just 17 years-old when she vanished in July 2012. Morgan was also pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Jacobee Flowers, the presumed father of her unborn child, was finally convicted of Morgan's murder during 2022.

Flowers was 24 years-old at the time he fathered Morgan's child. Since Morgan was just a minor at the time, he was inevitably concerned about being charged with statutory rape - but he also did not want to pay child support. Flowers reportedly was already paying child support for other children, and he did not want to pay for an additional child. With all of this in mind, Flowers quickly became the prime suspect when Morgan vanished from her family's St. Petersburg, Florida home on July 25th, 2012. However, he denied involvement in Morgan's disappearance.

It took years, but Flowers was finally arrested and charged with Morgan's murder during 2016. In 2022, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to second degree murder. He was offered 25 years in exchange for the location of Morgan's body. Investigators went to Pike County to search for the remains, but they were never found. As such, Flowers was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

[full case write-up]

 

Brittanee Drexel

Brittanee Drexel's case was one of the biggest stories of 2022. Many people had been following her case since she vanished at the age of 17 during 2009. Brittanee vanished in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina while on spring break with friends. The teen's mother had forbidden her from taking this trip, but she snuck away anyway after telling her mom she was staying with a friend in their hometown of Rochester, New York.

Brittanee's family learned that she had taken the trip to Myrtle Beach after finding out that she was missing. A widespread search was conducted and sex offenders in the Myrtle Beach area were interviewed. One such offender was Raymond Moody, who became a person of interest early on into the case. Moody initially denied any involvement, and the case eventually went in a different direction.

In 2016, it was announced that the FBI believed Brittanee had been held hostage in a "stash house" for days following her disappearance before being killed. Investigators were adamant that this is what happened to Brittanee, and that they knew the parties responsible - but they did not make any arrests.

The case finally circled back to Moody in 2022, when an informant told investigators that his girlfriend, Angel Vause, might have information about Brittanee's disappearance. Vause cooperated with the investigation, and Moody himself also decided to confess. He admitted to raping Brittanee and then killing her to cover up his crime. Moody also led investigators to Brittanee's remains. The autopsy confirmed that she had been strangled.

During October 2022, Raymond Moody pleaded guilty to all charges. He was sentenced to life in prison.

[full case write-up] 

Brittany Zimmermann

Brittany Zimmerman was only 21 years-old when she was brutally murdered inside the home she shared with her fiancé on April 2nd, 2008. The University of Wisconsin-Madison student was murdered in the middle of the day, just blocks away from the Madison Police Department. When Brittany’s fiancé returned home to their apartment that afternoon, he found Brittany slain on the floor. She had been brutally stabbed and strangled to death. 

Though it appeared investigators had many leads at first, the case seemingly went cold after a few months. Years passed, but then, in 2016, investigators told Brittany’s parents that they found DNA evidence belonging to David Kahl--a man who was already behind bars for his 7th DWI charge. For whatever reason, though, Kahl was not charged with murder at that time.

Finally, in 2020, Kahl was charged with Brittany's murder. In October of 2022, he pleaded guilty to the charges. He admitted that he saw Brittany as she returned home from classes on the day of her murder. Kahl said that he was on drugs when he forced himself into her apartment and committed the murder. 

Kahl is expected to spend life in prison.

[full case write-up]

Amina and Sarah Said

Teenage sisters Amina Said (18) and Sarah Said (17) were murdered by their father Yaser Said on January 1st, 2008. The Saids are an Egyptian family, but Amina and Sarah grew up in Irving, Texas. It is believed that Yaser murdered his daughters because he felt they had dishonored their family by refusing to adhere to the traditional standards of their Egyptian culture.

Throughout the investigation into their murders, it was revealed that Yaser had been abusive towards both the girls and their mother throughout their lives. Amina, Sarah, and their mother attempted to run away in late 2007, but Yaser convinced them to return. It was on New Year's Day when Yaser lured the girls into his cab after telling them he was going to take them out for lunch. At some point while in the vehicle, Yaser shot both of his daughters and fled the scene. Both died from the gunshot wounds.

Yaser evaded police for over 12 years before he was finally captured. On August 26th, 2020, authorities tracked down Yaser Said in Justin, Texas. He was arrested and charged with capital murder for the deaths of his daughters. Amina and Sarah's brother was charged with aiding a fugitive. He was sentenced to 10 years for those charges.

In August 2022, Yaser went to trial. He testified in his own defense, saying that he was a victim of a smear campaign by the media. Jurors deliberated for about 3 hours before finding him guilty. He was given an automatic life sentence.

[full case write-up]

The Disappearance of Bethany Decker

Bethany Decker disappeared on January 29th, 2011. At the time of her disappearance, 21-year-old Bethany was leading a very busy life. She was married to Emile Decker, a member of the US Army. The two had one child together who lived with Bethany’s parents while Bethany was attending school at George Mason University full time and working as a waitress.

Bethany and Emile

Bethany also had a boyfriend—Ronald Roldan. Bethany and Ronald had grown close while Emile was deployed in Afghanistan. However, Bethany and Emile still maintained a romantic relationship when he was given leave from deployment. In fact, Bethany was five months pregnant in late January 2011, and the father of this child remains unclear today. 

Emile apparently knew about the pregnancy and the affair but was still willing to work things through with Bethany. In the weeks prior to her disappearance, Bethany and Emile took a trip to Hawaii together. Emile told police that he last saw Bethany on the morning of January 29th at his family’s home in Maryland before she went back to her apartment in Ashburn, Virginia. 

On February 2nd, Emile returned to Afghanistan and Bethany did not show up at the airport to send him off. Emile and his family and friends simply attributed this to their marital problems. Bethany’s family members stated that they did not hear from her during this time either, however they were used to not hearing from her for stretches at a time since she was so busy.

Over the next few weeks, Bethany’s friends began receiving Facebook messages from Bethany’s account. Bethany’s friends were immediately able to tell that the messages were not actually from Bethany. Her friends finally contacted her family on February 19th, 2011. Bethany’s grandmother then drove to her apartment to check on her. She found Bethany’s car in its usual spot, but it was parked at a “weird angle” and a tire was flat.

After knocks to her apartment door went unanswered, Bethany’s grandmother called Loudon County police and reported her missing. Once police began investigating, it was revealed that Bethany had not used her bank accounts or cell phone since January 29th, nor had she reported to work or attended her classes. At this point, the worries for Bethany's safety escalated.

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Initial suspicions about Ronald Roldan.

Police determined that the last person to see Bethany that day was Ronald—who told police that he went over to the apartment on that afternoon but left a few hours later and never heard from Bethany again after that.

Years passed, and there was no trace of Bethany, nor was there any record of her child being born. Bethany’s family has long suspected that Ronald had something to do with her disappearance. Her mother claims that Ronald was abusive towards Bethany, and that Bethany had planned to cut ties with him once and for all. 

Other charges against Roldan.

Ronald apparently also stopped cooperating with the police early on into the investigation. He eventually began another relationship with a woman named Vickey Willoughby, who also claimed that Ronald was violent and abusive. In 2014, Ronald was arrested for attacking and shooting Vickey 3 times, once in the head, during an altercation at Vickey’s North Carolina home.

Vickey lost one of her eyes as a result of her injuries. Ronald plead guilty in 2016 to two felony assault charges and was sentenced to six to eight years in prison.

Ronald Roldan mugshot

Abduction and Murder Charges.

After being sentenced for the felony assault charges, many were all but positive that he was involved in Bethany's disappearance. It took years, but finally in November of 2020, Ronald Roldan was charged with Bethany Decker's abduction.

The following month, he was charged with Bethany's murder, as well.

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A plea deal.

In November of 2022, Ronald accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In February of 2023, he was given a 40-year suspended sentence and has been ordered to spend 12.5 of those years in prison. 

Where is Bethany?

Despite the fact that Ronald admitted to murder, Bethany's body has still yet to be found. Her loved ones are still hoping to lay her to rest. 

Resolved in 2022 - Part 1.

 2022 is coming to an end!

Many cases featured on this page were finally resolved during this year. I've created a two-part list of these cases - below is part one. Links to the full case write-ups are provided. Stay tuned for part 2!

Jennifer Rothwell.

In April 2022, a Missouri jury convicted Beau Rothwell (right) of the first-degree murder of his pregnant wife, Jennifer (left). Jennifer vanished back in November of 2019, after making some troubling Google searches such as "what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant." Beau was reportedly upset over the pregnancy because he was having an affair with another woman, and he wanted to end his marriage to Jennifer so he could be with his new love interest.

After Jennifer was reported missing, the physical evidence quickly pointed to Beau as a suspect. Blood was found in his truck and in their home, which was later positively linked to Jennifer. Beau eventually led police to Jennifer's remains and was subsequently charged with her murder.

During his trial, Beau claimed that Jennifer's murder was an accident. He said that he " saw red" after Jennifer claimed that he was not the father of their child. However, the prosecution said that he knew he was the father, and he had told his mistress that he was going to leave Jennifer if she had a miscarriage. A paternity test later confirmed that Beau was, in fact, the father.

The jury ultimately sided with the prosecution and found Beau guilty. In July of 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison.

[full case write-up]

Kaytlynn Cargill

Kaytlynn Cargill was only 14 years-old when she was brutally beaten to death in June of 2017. The town of Bedford, Texas was shocked by the young girl's killing - and they were even more shocked when a 16-year-old named Jordin Roache was arrested and charged with her murder.

Kaytlynn and Jordin reportedly made plans to meet up on the afternoon of June 19th, 2017, so Kaytlynn could buy marijuana from Jordin to make dabs. The two teens met near Jordin's family's apartment complex before entering the building together. While inside, Jordin reportedly beat Kaytlynn to death with a hammer. He then disposed of her body in a dumpster. Kaytlynn's remains were later found in a local landfill.

An exact motive for Kaytlynn's murder remains unclear to this day, but it is believed that their planned marijuana exchange played a role. After Jordin was charged as an adult with Kaytlynn's murder, he underwent several mental health evaluations. Finally, in 2022, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to Kaytlynn's murder. As part of his plea deal, Jordin was sentenced to 10 years and prison and will receive credit for time already served. At this time, there is not an explanation for what lead to the seemingly short sentence for first degree murder. 

[full case write-up]

Sherri Papini

Sherri Papini first made headlines back in November 2016, when she seemingly vanished from her family's home in Redding, California. The then-34-year-old was reported missing by her husband, Keith Papini, after he returned home on the afternoon of November 2nd and noticed his wife was not home - nor had she picked up their two children from daycare. Sherri's cell phone was found on a trail near their home, leading many to fear that she had been abducted while jogging. 

Over the following weeks, many searches for Sherri were conducted - but no clues where found. Then, around 4:30 AM on November 24th, the California Highway Patrol received several 911 reporting that a disheveled woman was seen running alongside Interstate 5 in Yolo County--located approximately 145 miles away from the Papini home in Redding. An officer located the woman with a truck driver who had stopped to help her. The woman identified herself as Sherri Papini. She had bindings around both her ankles and one of her arms. Additionally, Sherri was covered in cuts and bruises, a large amount of her hair had been cut, and had lost a considerable amount of weight. 

Sherri told police that she was abducted by two Hispanic women and held captive in a bedroom in an unknown location. She said that the women physically abused her and at one point, they held her down to a coffee table and branded her. Police were able to confirm that Sherri did, in fact, have a brand on her body that was not there before she vanished. The brand had an indistinguishable symbol. 

Many had their questions about Sherri's story, but the police maintained that they believed her. Then, in 2020, the case unraveled when they matched DNA found on Sherri's clothing to an ex-boyfriend who lived in Costa Mesa. Police spoke to the ex, who confirmed that Sherri had actually been staying with him during the time she claimed to have been kidnapped. 

In March 2022, Sherri was arrested and charged with of making false statements to federal law enforcement officers and for mail fraud. She initially fought the charges, but in April 2022 she decided to plead guilty to all charges. Sherri was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison.

[full case write-up]

Anjelica 'AJ' Hadsell

The loved ones of Anjelica 'AJ' Hadsell were finally able to close a painful chapter in their lives during 2022 when Wesley Hadsell was finally convicted for AJ's murder. Wesley was AJ's adoptive father; both he and AJ's mother raised AJ in Norfolk, Virginia. After AJ left for college during the fall of 2014, her relationship with Wesley fell apart. AJ's mother had split from him, and AJ herself had decided to cut ties after learning Wesley was abusing drugs.

AJ vanished while home on spring break during March of 2015. Wesley quickly became a suspect, as he abruptly left work on the day of AJ's disappearance after telling coworkers that he was going to meet up with his daughter. After AJ was reported missing, Wesley engaged in many odd behaviors in an effort to deflect suspicion. 

In April 2015, investigators received an analysis report on Wesley's van’s GPS, which revealed that it had been driven to an abandoned home close to the North Carolina border on the day AJ vanished. The report states that the van remained on the property for about 20 minutes. On April 9th, 2015 detectives went to the property and found AJ’s body buried in a ditch behind the abandoned home. An autopsy later determined that she died from acute heroin poisoning and homicidal violence. Wesley was the prime suspect and he was finally charged with murder during 2018.

Wesley initially went to trial in February of 2020, however on the second day in court a mistrial was declared. The judge overseeing the case declared a mistrial after Wesley reportedly decided he did not want to keep an agreement that his defense team had made with the prosecution prior to the trial. His retrial began in January of 2022. This time around, the trial made it to the jury deliberations and Wesley was found guilty. He was sentenced to life plus 15 years in prison. 

[full case write-up]

....part two of "Resolved in 2022" will be coming later this week.

The Disappearance of Heather Elvis

20-year-old Heather Elvis disappeared after going on a first date with an old acquaintance from high school on the evening of December 17th, 2013. During the date, Heather sent the above picture on the right to her father, Terry Elvis, of her driving her date’s stick shift car. That was the last time Terry heard from his daughter. Later, during the early morning hours of December 18th, Heather returned her Myrtle Beach, SC apartment and briefly spoke to her best friend on the phone. Heather’s friends and loved ones have not seen or heard from her since.

The following evening, on December 19th, Heather’s car was found parked at Peachtree Landing on the Waccamaw River. The car was abandoned, and Heather’s family and friends were unable to get ahold of her after it was found. As a result, Heather was reported missing.

Peachtree Landing, where Heather's car was found

Early on into the investigation, it was revealed that Heather had been involved in a romantic affair with 38-year-old Sidney Moorer. Heather and Sidney met while she was working as a server at the Tilted Kilt. Sidney’s wife, 42-year-old Tammy Moorer, had apparently found out about the affair and had sent some threatening text messages to Heather weeks before her disappearance. 

Sidney and Tammy Moorer (source)

By December 2013, Heather was trying to move on from the affair. In fact, when Heather spoke to her best friend on the phone during the early hours of December 18th, she expressed that she was upset because Sidney was trying to contact her. After looking at phone records, investigators found that Sidney and Heather contacted/attempt to contact each other numerous times during the early morning hours of December 18th. It is believed that Sidney lured Heather into meeting him at Peachtree Lake that morning.

In February of 2014, both Sidney and Tammy were arrested for kidnapping and murdering Heather. They were also booked on charges of obstruction of justice in the case. It seemed like the Elvis family was on the road to getting justice for Heather - but many questions remained, and many twists unfolded as the case progressed.

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Dropped charges and a mistrial.

By March 2016, the murder charges against Sidney and Tammy were dropped. They were both still charged with Heather’s kidnapping. The obstruction of justice charge was dropped for Tammy but remained for Sidney. 

Sidney finally went to trial for Heather’s kidnapping in June 2016, but the jury was hung, and a mistrial was declared. In August of 2017, Sidney went to trial for the obstruction of justice charges in this case and was found guilty. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Meanwhile, the prosecution made plans to retry Sidney for kidnapping in the future.

Tammy's trial.

Tammy went to trial for kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap during the fall of 2018. On October 23rd, 2018, she was found guilty of all charges. At the trial, it was revealed that Tammy was irate over her husband's affair with Heather, especially after rumors began to circulate that Heather was pregnant in December 2013. In fact, just hours before Heather disappeared, Sidney and Tammy were seen buying a pregnancy test at a local Wal-Mart. 

Additionally, a family friend named Donald Demarino testified that he saw an image of Heather on Tammy’s phone at a family cookout that was held after Heather’s disappearance. Donald stated that in the image, it did not appear that Heather was able to walk or talk. He was allegedly so distraught by said image that he left the cookout after seeing it. 

Donald Demarino

The image in question was not shown, nor were any additional details given. However, this testimony and all the other evidence provided by the prosecution were enough to convince the jury to reach a guilty verdict in a little under 2 hours.

Tammy was sentenced to 30 years in prison for both charges. 

Sidney's retrial.

In September 2019, Sidney Moorer went to retrial for kidnapping charges. This time around, he was found guilty of the kidnapping of Heather Elvis. Sidney was given the same sentence as his wife - 30 years in prison.

Where is Heather?

Heather still remains missing to this day. It's widely believed that she was murdered by the Moorers. Both Sidney and Tammy continue to deny involvement in Heather's disappearance. 

The Disappearance of Lauren Elizabeth Thompson

32-year-old Lauren Colvin (also known as Lauren Elizabeth Thompson) has been missing since January 10th, 2019. The mother-of-three was last heard from that day after she called 911 around 2:30pm. Lauren told dispatchers that she was running through a wooded area of Panola County, Texas, and that somebody was chasing her. Dispatchers stayed on the phone with Lauren for over 20 minutes, and through phone pings the police were able to locate the area where the call was placed. Within minutes, police found Lauren’s car stuck in the mud on the side of the road near the Rock Hill community. However, they were unable to locate Lauren herself. 

Police were later able to identify some of the people Lauren was with prior to vanishing. Nobody has been publicly identified; however, police did state that a male friend was in the car with Lauren when she ran off the road and got her car stuck in mud. The male friend reportedly told Lauren that he was going to walk to his house to get another vehicle to help Lauren’s car get out of the mud. At that point, Lauren began sprinting off into the woods, where she later called 911. A massive search for Lauren was launched in that area, but searchers were unable to locate her. However, searchers did find a shoe that was later confirmed to belong to Lauren.

Investigators announced that at this time, they do not have any reason to believe foul play with involved in Lauren’s disappearance. However, they also stated that nobody has been ruled out yet either. Lauren’s family is holding out hope that she is still alive, and they are offering a $5000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to her safe return. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Panola County Sheriff’s Office at 903-693-0333.

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UPDATE (December 2022): Lauren's remains have been found.

During July of 2022, a work crew in Panola found human remains in a wooded area. It took months, but in December, it was confirmed that the remains belonged to Lauren. The investigation into her death is ongoing.

Rest in peace, Lauren. 

The Disappearance of Robin Best-Bey

 

Robin Best-Bey has been missing since February 2019. Shortly before vanishing, the 27-year-old woman traveled from Philadelphia to New Jersey to visit relatives. Robin was last seen leaving her aunt's home in Buena Borough to walk a short distance to Pantry 1 Food Mart. Robin never returned and has never been seen or heard from again.

There are many unknown details about Robin's case. In fact, the exact date of her disappearance appears to be unclear. Most reports state that she vanished at some point between February 10th, 2019, and February 17th, 2019. Despite this, Robin was not reported missing until December 2019 - several months after she was last seen. It is unknown why it took so long for a missing person's report to be filed.

It's been reported that Robin might have traveled to Miami Springs, Florida, in March of 2019. There are no additional details available about this, so it is unclear how this information came about. Since then, it appears that there have not been any updates in Robin's case.

Robin's disappearance remains unsolved. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Daily Voice
Uncovered
Websleuths

List Series: Cases with Dropped Charges

There are many murder and missing persons cases in which a suspect has been charged, but then the charges were later dropped. This may happen due to several reasons - whether it's due to faulty investigative work, lack of evidence, or new evidence that eliminates the suspect. In some cases, charges have been dropped during court proceedings due to unfair or illegal conduct either by a prosecutor, defense attorney and/or a juror. These cases are especially difficult for the victim's families, as it delays justice being served. 

Below is a list of 5 such cases with dropped charges. Do not let these cases be forgotten!

Nadia Kersh vanished in Homewood, Alabama on November 3rd, 2008. The then-21-year-old left her job around 1:00 PM that afternoon to pick up her one-year-old son from daycare. Nadia never arrived - which was an immediate red flag. 

The following day, Nadia's car was found abandoned in west Birmingham. Nadia herself remained missing - but police soon identified a person-of-interest: a man named Joacques Haywood. Nadia had dated Haywood at some point before her disappearance. He was the main focus of the investigation for over two years before he was finally charged with capital murder in relationship to Nadia's disappearance. 

Prosecutors decided to pursue these murder charges without a body. They believed that Haywood killed Nadia during a botched robbery. However, the charges did not stick. During the summer of 2011, a judge dropped the charges against Haywood. The judge stated that the prosecution had failed to test two pieces of evidence for DNA, and they also did not give Haywood his constitutional right to a speedy trial. The charges were dropped without prejudice, which gives the prosecution the option to recharge Haywood with murder if more evidence is discovered.

Unfortunately, it appears that no such evidence has been found. Nadia remains missing and there have been very few updates in her case since the charges against Haywood were dropped. The case remains unsolved.

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During April 2012, a man named Michael Johnson of Baltimore, Maryland was arrested and charged with the murder of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes. Phylicia had vanished from her half-sister's Baltimore apartment in late December 2010. Johnson, the ex-boyfriend of Phylicia's half-sister, was the last known person to have seen Phylicia alive. Nearly three months later, Phylicia's body was found in the Susquehanna River. An autopsy determined that she had died from asphyxiation. 

Johnson was the prime suspect in Phylicia's case from the jump. He told investigators that he went to Phylicia's half-sister's apartment the day Phylicia vanished to gather his belongings, as the two of them had recently broken up. Johnson claimed he saw Phylicia during this visit. However, when her sister later returned home from work, Phylicia was nowhere to be found. Many people suspected that Johnson harmed Phylicia - especially after neighbors told police that they saw him carrying a 35-gallon tub out of the apartment that afternoon. After Phylicia's body was found, the many theorized that Johnson killed Phylicia and transported her body to the Susquehanna River in that tub. 

Prosecutors built their case against Johnson based on that theory. During trial, a witness named James McCray testified that he saw Phylicia's dead body - and that Johnson asked for his help with disposing of her. Following this testimony, Johnson was convicted of murder. However, it was later revealed that McCray had a history of making false statements surrounding criminal cases. After the judge learned this, he overturned the conviction. 

Prosecutors would later attempt to bring Johnson's charges to court two additional times. A mistrial was declared during both proceedings. Finally, in 2015, a judge decided to drop the charges against Johnson. Unfortunately, this leaves Phylicia's case classified as unsolved today. Many still believe Johnson is responsible, and it is unclear if any other leads have been pursued. 

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On October 13th, 2011, an animal rescue group was attempting to rescue feral cats behind a Homeland Grocery Store in Bethany, Oklahoma when they spotted a black duffel bag. The bag reportedly had a foul odor that prompted the police to be called. Once there, detectives made a horrifying discovery: dismembered human remains were inside the bag. They appeared to belong to a young female. Several different body parts were wrapped in plastic bags within the duffel bag. It was clear that this young person had been brutally murdered. Days later, the remains were identified as 19-year-old Carina Saunders. 

Carina had vanished a few days prior to her body being found. She struggled with addiction at the time of her disappearance, and many theorized this might have played a role in her death. During 2012, a witness named Tia came forward claiming to have seen a video of Carina being tortured and murdered. Tia told police that she saw the video on a cell phone belonging to a man named Luis Ruiz. According to Tia, Ruiz and another man named Jimmy Massey are seen torturing Carina in the video. 

Another witness named Michelle also came forward. She said she, too, had seen the video of Carina being tortured and murdered. Michelle told police that she had been kidnapped by Ruiz and Massey, and they had forced her to watch the footage. Although investigators were still unable to locate said footage themselves, they still moved forward with the case. On July 5th, 2012, Ruiz and Massey were charged with Carina's murder.

Investigators repeatedly searched for the video footage to no avail. Then, one of the prosecution's star witnesses backtracked on her original statement. Tia later admitted that she had never actually seen the video but had heard of its existence. At that point, the prosecution did not have a strong enough case against Ruiz and Massey. The murder charges were subsequently dropped. 

New investigators have taken over Carina's case. New suspects have been looked into as well. Unfortunately, no arrests have been made and Carina's case is still classified as unsolved.

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Keiosha Felix has been missing since April 30th, 2012. The then-15-year-old was last seen at her aunt Patricia Andrus' home in Duson, Louisiana. She was initially classified as a runaway, as she had run away before in the past. Additionally, her cousin Portia Felix told authorities that she had seen Keiosha after her disappearance, and she was doing "just fine". However, three months later, Keiosha was reclassified as an endangered missing child.

Throughout the investigation, the Duson Police Department learned more information about Keiosha’s relationship with her aunt Patricia and Patricia’s boyfriend, Leon Wilkerson Jr. Prior to her disappearance, Keiosha allegedly told Patricia that Leon had sexually assaulted her. Patricia never reported this to the authorities, nor did she tell investigators about it after Keiosha went missing. In July 2012, Leon was arrested and charged with rape and second-degree kidnapping in connection with Keiosha’s disappearance. Patricia was arrested and charged with improper supervision of a minor and accessory to rape. Keiosha’s cousin Portia, who told investigators that she heard from Keiosha after her disappearance, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. In August 2012, Leon's brother Ronald Wilkerson was charged with kidnapping as well.

The case began to unravel about a month later. In September 2012, Duson PD’s Assistant Chief of Police, Lt. Gerald Credeur, was removed from the investigation and suspended from duty. Lt. Credeur was in charge of investigating Keiosha's case, but Chief of Police Frank Andrew accused him of mishandling it. Andrew told the Duson Board of Aldermen that Credeur illegally arrested two people for kidnapping, given false testimony and made an illegal search and seizure during the investigation. The Board of Alderman determined that Credeur did, in fact, make the searches and the arrests without probable cause and he was fired the following month. The charges against Leon and Ronald Wilkerson were dropped. The charges against Patricia and Portia were later dropped as well.

Investigators have chased other leads in Keiosha's case, but nothing has panned out. Keiosha remains missing today. Many still believe Wilkerson is responsible for her disappearance, but unfortunately the case remains unsolved.

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Curtisia 'Courtney' Smith was shot numerous times at point-blank range in Boynton Beach, Florida on April 5th, 2017. The 26-year-old died from her injuries 12 days later. On the day she was shot, Courtney met up with a group of people at Boynton Beach's Z Food and Meat Market on North Seacrest Boulevard. Courtney was waiting outside for pizza that she had ordered when a man with a covered face approached her and shot her several times in the legs, neck, and chest.

The market's surveillance cameras captured Courtney's murder.  The footage showed the shooter talking with a man, later identified as Roderick Taylor, just a few minutes before the shooting. The camera captured Taylor and the shooter fleeing the scene shortly afterward. Police arrested Taylor once they were able to positively identify him as one of the men in the footage. He was charged with second degree murder and possession of a firearm as a felon. 

Three days after Roderick Taylor's arrest, a 30-year-old man was arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection with Courtney's case. Three separate witnesses had reportedly told police that this man was the person who shot Courtney. However, less than 12 hours after his arrest, the charges were dropped. Police stated that they found evidence that ruled this man out as the shooter. 

Although those charges were dropped, Taylor's second-degree murder charges remained--until 2020, when he accepted a plea deal. Taylor ultimately pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in relation to Courtney's case, and he also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and tampering with evidence in relation to a different case. As part of the plea deal, Taylor also agreed to testify against any others potentially involved in Courtney's murder. Since he accepted the plea deal, the second-degree murder charges were dropped. 

Although Taylor agreed to testify against any others who might get charged in Courtney's case, it appears that Taylor has not offered any valuable information about these potential others. Either that, or police simply do not have enough evidence to arrest any potential others. To date, the only other person who has been arrested in the case was the man whose charges were dropped less than a day later.

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