The Disappearance and Murder of Audreona Barnes

 

Audreona Barnes vanished in Cleveland, Ohio on July 30th, 2021. The 18-year-old had aspirations of joining the Army, and on the day of her disappearance, she met up with US Army Recruiters. After their meeting, the recruiters dropped Audreona off at her boyfriend’s apartment in Cleveland. Her family members expected her home that evening, but she never returned home. Audreona’s family members later reported her missing.

Throughout the investigation, police spoke with Audreona’s boyfriend Bennie Washington. Washington is over 20 years older than Audreona, and he was the last known person to have seen her before she vanished. Initially, police did not find any reason to suspect Washington, and it appears that his home was not searched.

Washington was evicted from his residence on March 11th, 2022. Six days later, 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. 

source:oxygen.com

After his arrest, police announced that they believed Washington shot and killed Audreona before hiding her body outside under the clothes to hasten decomposition. Audreona’s body had been there for months, but apparently no outsiders reported a foul smell or anything else suspicious.

This arrest was not the first time Washington has been in trouble with the law. In 2019, he was accused of raping a 3-year-old girl. In 2010, he reportedly shot and wounded a woman over a $40 cocaine debt. Washington was sentenced to 7 years for that shooting. 

In May of 2023, Washington went to trial for Audreona's murder. He was ultimately found guilty. Audreona's mother Akua Avegnon gave a victim impact statement during Washington's sentencing hearing. Avegnon called Washington out during her statement, saying that he feigned concern over Audreona's whereabouts while knowing she had already been murdered by him. Avegnon also stated that Audreona was pregnant with Washington's baby, and he also feigned concern over their unborn child. 

Washington was sentenced to 38 years in prison. He remains incarcerated today.

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Sources:
Cleveland 19 News
Law & Crime
New York Post
Oxygen

The Disappearance & Murder of Emmishae Kirby

Emmishae Kirby vanished in Houston, Texas on September 18th, 2020. The 28-year-old vanished just weeks after ending a relationship with her boyfriend, 29-year-old Javon Gilbert. Emmishae and Javon had been living together up until September 2020 - when Emmishae ended their relationship after Javon reportedly sexually assaulted her. 

Despite their breakup, Javon showed up to the apartment unannounced on numerous occasions after their breakup. On one occasion, he broke into the apartment armed with a knife. Once Emmishae was reported missing, Javon became an obvious person of interest. 

Javon was questioned by police, but reportedly gave police conflicting statements. However, he did confirm that Emmishae had broken up with him earlier that month due to the sexual assault accusation. Still, Javon was not immediately charged with anything related to Emmishae's disappearance.

On October 3rd, 2020, searchers found Emmishae's body near Bear Creek Pioneers Park in Harris County. An autopsy later confirmed that she had been strangled and shot to death. From that point forward, Emmishae's case was shifted into a murder investigation.

Detectives looked at surveillance footage from her apartment building to see if they could retrace her final steps before she vanished. The footage confirmed that Emmishae and Javon were together on September 18th. Earlier that day, the two were captured entering Emmishae's car together and leaving the parking lot. They reportedly went to a gas station and a restaurant before returning to Emmishae's apartment. Emmishae and Javon were then captured walking back inside the building.

Hours later, at 1:40 AM, Javon is seen carrying a "heavy object" to Emmishae's car. He then drives off in her car before returning an hour later. Javon was later captured making several trips back and forth between Emmishae's apartment and the dumpster, where he threw away several items, including her sofa. 

After months of investigating, police finally arrested Javon on January 20th, 2021. He was charged with both Emmishae's murder and tampering with evidence. However, this was far from Javon's first violent criminal charge.

In fact, he was charged in 2013 with arson after setting his ex-wife's house on fire while she was inside. The maximum penalty for this felony is life in prison, but Javon received a much lighter sentence. In 2015, he accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 8 years of deferred adjudication probation. 

As part of this deal, Javon would have this conviction erased from his record if he managed to stay out of trouble during the 8 years of probation. Since he ended up being arrested for Emmishae's murder while still on probation, it was clear that he had not complied with his end of the plea deal. As such, many hearings were held to revoke the adjudication probation. 

In April 2023, Javon was sentenced to life in prison for Emmishae's murder. Javon was looking at several years already for this charge alone, however, the judge ultimately sentenced him to life due to both this crime and the violation of his probation.

 After his sentencing, the Assistant District Attorney Mary McFaden told reporters, "A life sentence is the only punishment that makes sense because this man hurts women and will continue to hurt women. This ensures there will never be another day when he is not supervised."

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Sources:
ABC 13 Houston
Houston Chronicle
KHOU 11
Oxygen

The Disappearance and Murder of Desiree Thompson

Desiree Thompson (30) vanished under suspicious circumstances on January 7th, 2012. While she was missing, it was reported that Desiree last seen that evening after a frightening incident with her estranged ex-husband, Edward 'Face' Gibson III. There were reportedly several instances of domestic violence and encounters with the police throughout Desiree's relationship with Gibson. On the night of her disappearance, Gibson showed up at Desiree's home in California City, California unannounced. When Desiree answered the door, Gibson pointed a shotgun at her face. 

It appears that no shots were actually fired at that time, as Desiree was seen alive just a few hours after that incident. After that last sighting, she was never seen or heard from again.

Edward 'Face' Gibson III

Desiree is the niece of songwriter/producer Kenneth Howard Smith - who is most famously known for his work on Motown and D-Town Records. Smith reportedly used his numerous resources to help spread awareness about Desiree's disappearance, but unfortunately very few leads and clues turned up. Investigators also been searching for Gibson, who also vanished on the evening of Desiree's disappearance. 

It is believed that Gibson is on the run. He is wanted on charges of burglary, domestic violence, violating a court order, brandishing a firearm, and possessing a firearm as a felon. For years, Gibson also remained the only person of interest in Desiree's disappearance. 

However, over a decade later, the case would have an unexpected twist. A man named Jose William Lara (60) was arrested and charged with Desiree's murder. In the weeks and months that followed, the truth about what happened to Desiree was revealed.

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March 2022: A critical tip leads to remains and an arrest.

During March of 2022, 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. The remains were not immediately identified, but Lara was subsequently arrested and charged with Desiree’s murder.

Jose Lara in court. (source)

It took months, but in July 2022, the remains were finally confirmed to be that of Desiree Nicole Thompson. The news of Desiree’s death AND the arrest of Lara has come as a shock to Desiree’s loved ones. For years, many believed that Desiree’s ex-husband Edward Gibson III was responsible for her disappearance. However, according to court documents, Desiree was the victim of an unfortunate attack by a stranger.

Lara's confession to an informant.

The court documents also state that police learned about Lara's potential involvement in Desiree's case 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 on the evening of Desiree's murder. He reportedly told the informants that he was at a party that evening, but while there, he was assaulted by three individuals who told him he was not welcome. Lara then left the party but returned to a nearby area a short time later in search of the people who assaulted him. While waiting, he came across two individuals - one who matched Desiree's description.

Lara told the informants that he was angry about being assaulted and wanted to get revenge - and it did not matter who received it. 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. 

source: lawandcrime.com

The conviction.

Although Lara confessed to the informant, he pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. He went to trial in May of 2023. During court proceedings, the prosecutors presented the aforementioned evidence provided by the informant. The fact that Desiree's remains were found in Lara's previous backyard also helped the prosecution's case. 

The defense continued to argue that Desiree's ex-husband, Gibson, was the true murderer. However, the jury ultimately sided with the prosecution and found Lara guilty of Desiree's murder. He was later sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. 

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Sources:
23 ABC Bakersfield
Bakersfield Now
Charley Project
Family History Channel

The Disappearance and Murder of Kara Nichols

 

Kara Nichols vanished at the age of 19 on October 9th, 2012. The young woman was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During her early teen years, Kara began using drugs, and she struggled with addiction throughout high school. She graduated from a local alternative high school and then got a job as a waitress. Around the same time, Kara began to pursue a career in modeling as well. Unbeknownst to her parents, Kara had also been working as an escort since she was 17 years old. 

During the summer of 2012, Kara's parents moved to Chicago, Illinois. Kara initially moved with them but continued to struggle with drug addiction. She later decided to return to Colorado Springs and ended up moving into a house there with three male roommates. Kara also returned to her previous waitressing job and continued to pursue modeling. She created a Model Mayhem profile to help her network with more agencies and photographers.

It appeared that Kara was getting more and more work as a model. In fact, 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. 

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Kara is reported missing.

Over the following two days, Kara's brother attempted to contact her several times but was unable to get in touch. On October 12th, 2012, Kara's brother reported her missing--but police initially did not take the case seriously. Kara's brother was told that Kara is an adult and was free to remain out-of-touch. However, Kara's family members knew something was wrong--as it was uncharacteristic for her to not contact them. 

As weeks passed without any sign of Kara, the investigation finally began to progress. It was discovered that Kara's cell phone pinged one final time at 11:45 PM on the evening of her disappearance. The phone appeared to be traveling towards Denver.

Associates & sightings.

In November 2014, investigators announced that they wanted to talk to two brunette women who were seen with Kara on the evening of October 9th. It's believed that both women were associates of Kara's through the modeling/escorting business. 

One of the persons of interest (click to enlarge)

Over the years, there were numerous reported sightings of Kara. Some have reportedly seen her accompanied by a man in the area of Fillmore Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The witnesses stated that Kara appeared frightened of the man. Still, these sightings were never confirmed.

In May 2014, a recording was released of Deputy Sheriff Cliff Porter admitting that he had "cut corners in regards to the investigation" and did not look into certain pieces of evidence in the beginning of the case. Kara's family members grew continually frustrated by the lack of urgency in her case. They subsequently placed a monetary reward for anyone with information about her disappearance in hopes that it would encourage someone to come forward.

Broken silence.

In early 2022, a woman named Kristina Hollendorfer spoke to investigators and implicated her husband, Joel Hollendorfer, as the man responsible for Kara's disappearance.

Investigators interviewed Joel several times throughout their investigation into Kara's disappearance. Phone records showed that Kara and Joel had been in contact several times on the night she vanished. Joel told investigators that he had solicited Kara's escort services, but they never actually met up. 

Police also attempted to speak with Kristina several times throughout the investigation, but she was reportedly uncooperative. However, in 2022, she finally decided to break her silence. She then told investigators 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.

A conviction.

In June of 2023, Joel Hollendorfer was ultimately found guilty of manslaughter in the case of Kara Nichols. He was not found guilty in the second-degree murder charges, as it is believed that he accidentally killed Kara. However, the court is considering an enhanced sentencing for Hollendorfer, as he is labeled as a habitual offender who has violated his parole on several occasions. 
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Sources:
Arrest affidavit
Court TV
The Gazette
KOAA
Stories of the Unsolved

The Disappearance & Death of Paige Johnson

“GIRL. I need To Talk To You IMMEDIATELY!”

This message was the last known online communication from 17-year-old Paige Johnson, vanished on September 23rd, 2010. Paige posted this message on her sister Brittany’s (pictured above with Paige) Facebook page around midnight that night. Earlier that evening, she was last seen driving around Covington, Kentucky with 22-year-old Jacob Bumpass. Bumpass claims he dropped Paige off at 1:00 AM at 15th Street and Scott. She was never seen alive again.

Paige’s loved ones stated several times that it was very uncharacteristic for her to simply disappear. She left behind a two-year-old daughter. Paige also never indicated a desire to run away and stop communicating with her family and friends.

Over the years, many rumors spread on the web, speculating about what happened to Paige. There were two theories that seem to be the most prevalent: one is that Paige overdosed while taking drugs with Bumpass and he panicked and disposed of her body. The other is that Paige rejected Bumpass’ sexual advances and he snapped and killed her. Despite the rumors, Bumpass denied any involvement in her disappearance and authorities did not name him as a suspect for years—although they did state that he was uncooperative.

Nearly ten years later, Paige's remains were found. March 22nd, 2020, a woman called 911 after her husband reportedly found a burned human skull in a wooded area near East Fort State Park. Just days later, those remains were confirmed to be that of Paige Johnson.

Months later, on July 29th, 2020, Jacob Bumpass was indicted on charges related to Paige's disappearance.

The previous day, it was announced that Jacob was being charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. During a press conference, prosecutors stated that they simply do not have enough evidence to charge him with homicide, in part because Paige's cause of death has never been determined.

Nearly three years later, in July 2023, Jacob was found guilty of these charges. During the trial, prosecutors stated that Paige died while with Jacob during the early-morning hours of September 23rd, 2010. Jacob then left Paige's body unburied in a wooded area near State Route 276. 

Jacob still maintains his innocence and claims he does not know what happened to Paige. However, cell phone records indicate that he was in the area where Paige's body was found just hours after Paige was last seen by her loved ones. 

Paige's cause of death still remains unclear, so it is unknown if she was murdered or if she died under other circumstances. Jacob was later given the maximum sentence: 4 years in prison.

To this day, Paige's family members believe Jacob caused Paige's death. They hope he will one day face more charges in this case.

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Sources:
ABC 9 Cincinnati (2)
CBS News

The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Unique Harris

Unique Harris was 24 years old when she disappeared without a trace on October 9th, 2010. The previous evening, Unique and her two young sons were spending time with Unique's cousin, Tiffanee, and Tiffanee’s 9-year-old daughter, at Unique’s apartment in southeast Washington, DC. Tiffanee later returned to her home on the other side of town, but her daughter remained at Unique’s apartment for a sleepover. Unique watched a movie with the children before tucking them into bed.

Around 9 AM the next morning, Tiffanee received a phone call from her 9-year-old daughter, who was frightened because she and the other children were unable to find Unique. Tiffanee assumed Unique had simply run out to the corner store and told her daughter not to worry. She was unable to get a ride over to Unique’s apartment at the time, but she kept in touch with her daughter and Unique’s children via phone throughout the entire day. When she finally was able to get to Unique’s apartment, she found the children there alone with absolutely no sign of Unique anywhere. Various friends and family members had not heard from Unique at all that day either. 

Unique’s loved ones immediately began to fear that she stepped out for a quick errand and then was attacked or mugged. However, when the family searched Unique’s apartment, they found her prescription eyeglasses folded on her bed. Unique was nearly blind without her glasses, and it is unlikely that she would voluntarily leave home without them. After this discovery, Unique’s family called the police to report her missing.

When police arrived on the scene, it was discovered that Unique also left behind her purse, identification, and wallet. Oddly enough, the only items missing from her apartment were her cell phone and apartment keys. Additionally, there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry in the apartment, and the children said they did not see or hear anything unusual during the night. 

Unique’s final cell phone activity was a phone call at 3am; the phone has either died or been turned off since then. Naturally, police looked at Unique’s ex-boyfriend/father of her children as a potential suspect, but he passed a polygraph and was eventually ruled out. Police questioned Unique’s current boyfriend as well, and he was also ultimately cleared.

Unique had no history of drug abuse, nor did her loved ones known about any family/relationship issues at the time of her disappearance. Years went by without any updates in the case. A decade would pass before any break was publicly announced.

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An announcement on Facebook

As previously noted, years passed without any updates in Unique's case. Although nothing was publicly announced about a suspect until 2020, it appears that Unique's loved ones were notified about a suspect in 2018. That year, Unique's mother posted the following on Facebook:

“It is with my most heartbroken, deepest, & saddest regret, that I inform Unique’s most loving supporters, followers, partners, & donors of her demise. Unfortunately, this almost 8 yr. journey to find Unique ALIVE, has come to these findings in her Missing Person’s case investigation, that Unique’s more likely then not, DECEASED, & now I must memorialize my baby girl!📷😡📷😢📷💔God knows, I NEVER wanted to have to inform ALL of you, that have been remarkably loving through this ordeal of this news. My apologies for this NOT being a happier ending. I’ve been fighting so hard to bring you all good news in the end. However, it appears that I can not make that happen with the evidence we’ve compiled in Unique’s case. I hope ALL of Unique’s supporters KNOW, I did my very best to find her ALIVE, & bring her home to her sons, & all of us. I can’t give anymore specific details in the case right now, as I’m sure most, if not all of you KNOW, this war for Justice is not over, as far as the Judicial portion of Unique’s case goes, which must now take place in our court system. BUT I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW, all of your prayers, love, & support HAS NOT been in vain! Because WE GOT THE MURDERING MONGREL! Yes, we got ‘em! I want to thank you ALL with ALL my heart, & soul, because without Team Unique Harris’ selfless supporters, this WOULD NOT have been possible! I WILL keep you all posted as we move forward to make sure, this diabolical, deviant creature NEVER does this to another parent, & family! I also want to make if clear, that my advocacy, & speaking out/up for Missing/Abducted, Unresolved Homicide, Human/Sex Trafficking, etc. will STILL be an intricate part of my life! I WILL STILL FIGHT for our voiceless victims, & continue to speak to our babies in our communities, & prayerfully be a part of a POSITIVE uplifting solution to these God awful cases, that NONE OF US asked for, wanted, or deserve. I intend to make sure my child’s short 24 yr. life, that was so brutally taken away from her…WILL NOT be in vain! Much love & appreciation I’m sending your way!📷💌📷🙏P.S. Stay tuned in for further details, as the opportunities & information become available for me to share.”

At the time this post was created, there was no official word from mainstream media or police about what was written. Even though Unique's mother wrote that Unique was dead, and they knew who killed her, no arrests were made.

An arrest.

Finally, in December 2020, that all changed. On December 21st, it was announced that a man named Isaac Moye was arrested and charged with Unique's murder. At the time of his arrest, very few details were released about how the arrest came about. Police did reveal that they have questioned Isaac numerous times over the years. Additionally, Isaac was reportedly wearing a GPS monitor in October 2010, which confirmed that he was at Unique's house the evening that she disappeared.

A conviction.

In June 2023, Isaac was convicted of second-degree murder in Unique's case. During the court proceedings, more information about Isaac's relationship with Unique was revealed. Authorities revealed that Isaac met Unique shortly after she moved to DC in 2010. He quickly developed romantic feelings for her, which were unrequited.

Unique had a boyfriend who lived in Richmond, Virginia, and was not interested in pursuing a relationship with Isaac. On the evening of Unique's disappearance, Isaac's GPS monitor confirmed that he was at Unique's residence from 10:39 PM on October 9th until 7:20 AM on October 10th. During that time, Unique was in contact via text and call with her boyfriend several times throughout the night. Prosecutors alleged that Isaac was jealous of Unique's boyfriend. 

As Unique continued to talk to her boyfriend, prosecutor Vinet Bryant stated, "[Isaac] sat there, feeling ignored, feeling jilted." It is believed that from there, Isaac escalated into assaulting and murdering Unique. DNA from Isaac's semen was reportedly found on Unique's couch, leading authorities to believe that he sexually assaulted her before killing her and disposing of her body.

Despite the conviction, Unique's body has still not been found. Her family still hopes to one day find closure and give her a proper burial. 

The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Rochelle Stubblefield

 

Rochelle Stubblefield vanished in Whiting, Indiana on November 10th, 2015. The then-20-year-old was eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Rochelle was also a student at Calumet College of St. Joseph, where she was studying criminal justice. She was last seen after attending a school basketball game with friends. Rochelle left campus that evening and never returned home. Her loved ones have never seen or heard from her again. 

Police later found Rochelle's car abandoned in Gary. Nearby, police found her broken eyeglasses and shoes. Police also learned that Rochelle was dating a man named Derron Fuller, who was also the father of her unborn child. Ten days after Rochelle's disappearance, police received a tip from two of Fuller's cousins. They told investigators that Fuller admitted to choking and stabbing a woman in the temple who was eight months pregnant with his child. He also said he buried her body at an elementary school in Gary. Fuller's alleged motive was the pregnancy; as he reportedly told his cousins that he did not want to pay child support.

After speaking with Fuller's cousins, police inevitably wanted to question Fuller himself. They finally located him on November 23rd, 2015, in the company of another girlfriend. Fuller told detectives that he knew Rochelle, but they were not dating and he was not the father of her child. He claimed that he was unaware of Rochelle's whereabouts, but that she had spoken about going to Atlanta. 

Although he denied knowing Rochelle's location, detectives still had their suspicions about Fuller. Numerous searches were conducted in Gary, including at the elementary school where Fuller's cousins said Fuller had buried a woman. Unfortunately, the searches did not yield any results. Rochelle's case went cold after that, and years would pass before investigators would finally get a break in the case. 

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Finally, in summer 2019, investigators spoke with the other woman Fuller was dating during November 2015. The woman said that she picked Fuller up at Williams Elementary School in Gary on the day of Rochelle's disappearance. After they drove away, Fuller began throwing several of Rochelle's personal items out the window - in the same location where investigators found Rochelle's glasses and shoes. 

Fuller also told the woman that something happened to Rochelle and he was responsible. The former girlfriend explained that Fuller later told her that he choked Rochelle to death. Investigators had suspicions about Fuller from the beginning, and this information was a huge moving piece in finally being able to charge him in Rochelle's case. 

In July 2020, Derron Fuller was arrested and charged with murdering both Rochelle and her unborn child. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Derron Fuller

In April 2023, Fuller was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of obstruction of justice. In court, the prosecution argued that Fuller was the "only person with motive to kill [Rochelle] because he didn't want to be the father of her child." Additionally, Rochelle's found records revealed that she sent a text to her mother shortly before her disappearance, saying that she was going to meet up with Fuller to discuss the baby. 

Despite the numerous searches, Rochelle's remains have not been found. If you have any information that could help lead to her whereabouts, please contact the Lake County Sheriff's Department 219-755-3400.
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Sources:
Charley Project
People
WTHR