Cases with Major Updates in 2024

There are four cases featured on True Case Files that had major updates during 2024. Below is a list of those cases with a brief description. Links to full case write-ups are provided.

Jaylen Griffin: Remains found.

Name: Jaylen Griffin

Case update: Remains found after missing for 4 years.

Age at disappearance: 12

Missing on: August 4th, 2020

Remains found: April 2024

Location: Buffalo, NY

Jaylen Griffin vanished from his family's Buffalo, New York home on August 4th, 2020. The then-12-year-old left the home around 11:00 AM that day and never returned. Authorities initially treated Jaylen's disappearance as a runaway case, even as months passed without any sign of him. In April 2021, investigators told reporters that they did not believe that Jaylen had been abducted or taken against his will. After that, the case seemingly went cold.

Years later, in April 2024, a maintenance man working at a multi-unit house on 107 Sheffield Avenue found a body in the attic. That body was later identified as Jaylen Griffin. His death was labeled a homicide. 

The house where Jaylen was found is approximately five miles away from his home. Neighbors in that area told reporters that police had responded to that house "several times" over the years. At this time, police have not named any suspects or persons of interest in Jaylen's case.

Full story: The Disappearance and Murder of Jaylen Griffin.

Suzanne Morphew: Autopsy results revealed.

Name: Suzanne Morphew

Case update: Cause of death revealed.

Age at disappearance: 49

Missing on: May 10th, 2020

Remains found: September 2023

Location: Maysville and Moffat, CO.

Suzanne Morphew's case has been high-profile in not only the state of Colorado, but also the entire nation, since she was first reported missing on Mother's Day 2020. She vanished from her family's home in Maysville, Colorado. Many suspected Suzanne's husband, Barry Morphew, was responsible for her disappearance from the very beginning of the investigation. In fact, in May 2021, Barry was arrested and charged with Suzanne's murder; despite the fact that her remains had not yet been found.

In April 2022, the murder charges against Barry were dropped - citing a lack of evidence needed to move the case forward. However, the charges were dropped without prejudice, which means the prosecution can charge him again at a later date. At the time the charges were dropped, the prosecutors implied that they intended to do so in the future.

Over a year later, in September 2023, human remains were found in an area of Moffat in Saguache County. Days later, it was confirmed that those remains were that of Suzanne Morphew. She was found approximately 45 miles away from the Morphew family home.

In April 2024, authorities announced that Suzanne "died homicide by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine (BAM) intoxication." These findings cast even more suspicion on Barry, as BAM is often found in animal tranquilizers that Barry admitting to having and using at the home he shared with Suzanne. 

Despite these findings, Barry still remains a free man. At this time, he has not been re-charged with anything related to Suzanne's death. The investigation into her death continues.

Full story: The Disappearance and Murder of Suzanne Morphew.

Sebastian 'Ty' Husted: Remains found.

Name: Sebastian 'Ty' Husted

Case update: Remains found after missing for 6 years.

Age at disappearance: 18

Missing on: January 22nd, 2018

Remains found: April 2024

Location: Mercer County, MO

Sebastian 'Ty' Husted vanished at the age of 18 on January 22nd, 2018. He lived while his family in Centerville, Iowa at the time, but he vanished after reportedly traveling to Mercer County, Missouri. Ty had gotten a job at a hog farm in Mercer County, and on the day of his disappearance, he arranged for his coworker to give him a ride to the farm. 

After being driven there, Ty reportedly texted his brother and asked him to pick him up, as his coworker was acting strange and aggressive. His brother replied to ask for an address, but Ty never got back to him. He never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. Ty was reported missing two days later.

Police questioned Ty's coworker, but he was never publicly identified or labeled as a suspect. Several searches were conducted in and around the hog farm, but no sign of Ty was found. His disappearance soon faded into a cold case.

Over 6 years later, in April 2024, turkey hunters found human remains on a private property in northeast Mercer County. Days later, those remains were confirmed to be that of Sebastian Tyrese Husted. 

At this time, a cause/manner of death has not been revealed. It appears that the circumstances surrounding Ty’s death are still being investigated. Ty’s family is still hoping to find answers about what led to his disappearance and death. 

Full story: The Disappearance and Death of Sebastian 'Ty' Husted.

Brittany Robinson: Arrest made.

Name: Brittany Robinson

Case update: Arrest made.

Age at disappearance: 14

Missing on: June 14th, 2012

Arrest made: February 2024

Location: Mobile, AL

Brittany Robinson has been missing since June 14th, 2012. The then-14-year-old was last seen in Mobile, Alabama. On the day of her disappearance, Brittany was dropped off at the home of her father, Demetric Hooper, for what was supposed to be a two-day visit. However, Brittany never returned home and was later reported missing by her mother.

Hooper reportedly fled Mobile immediately following Brittany's disappearance. Months later, in September 2012, investigators tracked him down at a mental health facility in Arkansas. Hooper was then arrested and subsequently charged with custodial interference. He pleaded guilty to those charges in August 2014 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but he was released in 2016 after serving just two years.

Hooper denied both knowledge of Brittany's whereabouts and involvement in her disappearance. Years passed without any updates in the case. Then, in December 2023, Hooper was arrested on charges of burglary and assault with a dangerous weapon. While Hooper was behind bars on these unrelated charges, a grand jury reviewed Brittany's case as well. In February 2024, it was announced that the grand jury had decided to indict Hooper on murder charges in Brittany's case.

Despite the murder charges, Brittany's remains have still not been found. Hooper is facing the burglary and assault charges in Oklahoma but will be tried for Brittany's murder in Alabama. The case is still unfolding. 

Full story: The Disappearance of Brittany Robinson.

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Here's to hoping these cases continue to make more progress in 2025! 
A list of cases that were resolved in 2024 can be found here. 

The Disappearance and Murder of Breasia Terrell

Breasia Terrell went missing on July 10th, 2020. The 10-year-old girl vanished while spending the night at the home of the girlfriend of 47-year-old Henry Earl Dinkins, in Davenport, Illinois. Breasia's mother Aishia Lankford last heard from her around 9 PM 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 was immediately considered a person of interest in Breasia's disappearance. He is the father of Breasia's half-brother, and he is also a registered sex offender. Breasia reportedly tagged along with her half-brother during a visit with Dinkins on the day before her disappearance. According to Aishia, Breasia had never spent the night at this 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 girlfriend's 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' girlfriend's apartment shortly after Breasia was reported missing. During the search, he was arrested for violating sex offender requirements. He maintained that he had nothing to do with Breasia's disappearance and had no knowledge 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 passed without any public updates on the case.

Henry Earl Dinkins

In March 2021, Breasia's body was 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. Her death was labeled as a homicide.

About a month later, Henry Dinkins was arrested and charged with the first-degree kidnapping and murder of Breasia Terrell. It was then revealed that Breasia was shot to death. It was believed that her death was premeditated by Dinkins. 

In September 2023, a judge declared that Dinkins was guilty of both Breasia's kidnapping and murder. It is believed that he shot her to death after sexually assaulting her. In fact, during court proceedings, Breasia's half-brother testified that he witnessed Breasia getting shot. He also stated that Dinkins and his girlfriend left the apartment with Breasia during the night and returned without Breasia. 

Dinkins was later sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.

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Sources:
Court TV
The Gazette
NBC News
People

The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Tianna Phillips

Tianna Phillips has been missing since June 13th, 2018. The then-25-year-old woman was last seen in Berwick, Ohio. Tianna reportedly left her boyfriend's residence in Berwick at some point between 11:00 PM and 12:30 AM and never returned home. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Tianna left behind two young sons who are now in the care of a relative. It was quite uncharacteristic for her to be out-of-touch with her loved ones, and it was never believed that she went missing on her own accord. Tianna's social media presence completely stopped after her disappearance, but she was previously quite active on Facebook. 

In fact, just hours before she vanished, Tianna posted the following on her Facebook page: "FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW... ME AND SCOTT ARE NOT TOGETHER HE THREW ME OUT... WE ARE BROKE UP AND THATS HOW ITS GOING TO STAY...." 

Tianna's post from the day of her disappearance (source: Facebook)

After Tianna was reported missing, people began commenting on the Facebook post, asking if her ex-boyfriend Scott had been investigated. Some replied stating that Scott was cooperating with the investigation, but there were still some commenters who have questioned whether or not that was true. Other commenters on the post indicated that Tianna might have been avoiding her family. Her family denied this and believed she was harmed. 

Nearly three years later, an arrest would be made that would disprove not only the rumor that Tianna's ex was involved, but also the rumor that she was hiding from her family.

Harold Haulman III.

Almost three years after Tianna's disappearance, a man named Harold Haulman III was charged with Tianna's murder. It was then revealed that on the night of Tianna's disappearance, she told a friend that she had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend and that a man named Dave was going to pick her up. It's believed that "Dave" was actually Harold Haulman.

source

Harold's other charges: the murder of Erica Shultz.

Before being charged with Tianna's murder, Haulman had already been charged with the murder of 26-year-old Erica Shultz. Erica vanished in Michigan and was reported missing on December 6th, 2020. Cell phone records linked Erica to Haulman. The two had reportedly met on a dating app. 

Erika Shultz (source)

By late December 2020, Haulman decided to cooperate with the investigation into Erica's disappearance. He subsequently led them to Erica's remains in a wooded area off Hobbie Road. It's believed that this is the same location where Tianna was killed.

Haulman's connection to Tianna.

Tianna Phillips and Haulman also reportedly met on a dating app years earlier. Haulman was married, but his wife knew of their affair. Tianna herself had another boyfriend as well. However, at some point, Haulman learned that Tianna's boyfriend also knew about their affair. For whatever reason, this made him angry. 

On the evening Tianna's disappearance, Haulman took her to the spot off Hobbie Road under the guise of starting a bonfire. Instead, Haulman reportedly struck Tianna with a hammer several times, stabbed her, and slashed her throat. He then left her remains in the woods.

Haulman later confessed to his wife that he had killed Tianna. Months later, Haulman and his wife returned to the murder site to gather Tianna's remains, which they later placed in a dumpster. Her remains have still not been found.

Guilty plea and another case.

In September 2021, Haulman pleaded guilty to the murders of Erica Shultz and Tianna Phillips. Around that time, it was also revealed that Haulman confessed to murdering another young woman named Ashley Parlier, who vanished from Battle Creek, Michigan, in 2005. 

Ashley Parlier (source)

Haulman was linked to Ashley's disappearance after he was in custody for the other two murders. He reportedly asked investigators if they could combine all three cases in court because he did not want to go to trial. However, up until that point, investigators were only aware of Haulman's involvement in Erica and Tianna's cases - Ashley had not yet been brought up. As such, Haulman later confessed to murdering Ashley as well. 

Harold pleaded guilty to murdering both Erica and Tianna so he could avoid the death penalty. He was subsequently given two life sentences. He is still awaiting further court proceedings in Ashley's case. 

The remains of both Tianna and Ashley have still not been found. 

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Sources:
Charley Project
PA Home Page
WNEP

The Disappearance & Murder of Britney Tiger

Britney Tiger (26) vanished from her home in Ada, Oklahoma on February 11th, 2018. The mother-of-three was a newlywed at the time of her disappearance–she had just married her husband William Gomez five months prior. On the evening Britney vanished, her children were visiting their respective fathers. According to William, he and Britney took that opportunity to go to bed early and get a full night’s sleep. William would later tell police that he awoke around 3:30 in the morning and noticed that he was in bed alone. Britney was nowhere to be found, and she was never heard from again.

Britney was reported missing by one of her sisters a week later, on February 18th, 2018. Britney’s sister told police that she had not heard from Britney in over a week, and she asked for a welfare check to be done. Detectives went to Britney and William’s house and found William there alone. At that point, William told detectives that Britney “must have” left in the middle of the night, and she allegedly took a few hoodies and a bag of makeup with her. When asked why William did not call the police earlier, he said that it was not unusual for Britney to disappear for weeks at a time. However, Britney’s sisters dispute this. They also live in the Ada area, and they stated that Britney always stayed in touch with her family and had never left her children for a long period of time.

Britney’s sisters were also reportedly baffled by William’s behavior when Britney vanished. According to Britney’s oldest sister, William and Britney were very close and nobody noticed any red flags in their relationship. Once Britney disappeared, though, it seemed that William was not feeling any sense of urgency to find her. Unfortunately, about a month after her disappearance, Britney’s body was found in a wooded area 15 miles away from her home. Due to the decomposed state of her body, an autopsy was unable to determine a cause or manner of death. In March 2018, detectives told reporters they were investigating Britney’s death as a homicide. About a year later, detectives stated that they never officially classified Britney’s death as a homicide, and at this time “there is no current evidence that a crime has been committed.”

Britney’s family members are hoping to one day see justice in her case, which is still open. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Ada Police Department at 580-332-4466.

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UPDATE: An arrest has been made in Britney's case. 

Bodhi Chance Starns (25) was charged in March 2020 with unlawful disposal of a deceased corpse. Investigators have not commented on the connection between Starns and Britney, but they did say that the investigation is still ongoing. Britney's family members still believe that Britney was murdered.