Kelly Ann Prosser: The Case That Remained Unsolved For 38 Years

(Kelly Ann Prosser. Picture credit: findagrave.com)

The heartless murder of little 8 year old Kelly Ann Prosser in 1982 Columbus, Ohio deeply affected everyone in the local area as well as detectives working on the case. Kelly's heartbroken family were not alone in their grief as everyone joined them in their desperation to find her killer. All murder cases are horrific but the murder of an innocent young child just leaves an utter devastation which can never fully heal. 

Kelly was just walking home from school on the 20th of September 1982 when she was abducted. Her body was found two days later and an examination determined that the little girl had been viciously beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. 

The news of Kelly's death and the circumstances in which she was found shocked and horrified not only her family and the local community but the investigators working on her case. What made things even more difficult was that there was no clear indication of who the suspect was, this was back in the days where everything was done on paper, they didn't have the advanced DNA techniques that we have today. 

Usually in murder cases dating back to the early 1980s and before, it was not uncommon for evidence to be lost or accidentally tampered with but luckily in this case the police did an amazing job of preserving every little piece of evidence they had. 

Sadly though, the police didn't have much to go on and years became decades and any leads that may have come through always came to nothing but still they refused to give up. 

In 2020 some cold case detectives thought it would be a good idea to put together a podcast dedicated to Kelly Ann's case in the hope that it would maybe bring some new information to the case and help jog someone's memory. As well as the podcast (which was named 'The 5th Floor'), investigators had begun working with Advanced DNA (a genealogy company) using the evidence from the 1982 crime scene. It was remarkable that with using these new amazing forensic techniques that they were able to trace a possible suspect.

Unfortunately the suspect, a man by the name of Harold Warren Jarrell had apparently passed away at the age of 67 in Las Vegas. Not letting this fact deter them, the investigators obtained DNA samples from his living relatives and the confirmation was made, Harold Warren Jarrell was responsible for the murder of Kelly Ann Prosser.

(Harold Warren Jarrell. Picture credit: thedenverchannel)

As the amazing breakthrough only took place in 2020 we are yet to know about who Harold Warren Jarrell really was. We know that he was a monster but we don't know how he died and so far his DNA has not been traced to any other crime. What we do know is that Harold had been convicted in 1977 for abducting another 8 year old girl and that he was released just 8 months before Kelly Ann's death. He was also said to have worked odd jobs whilst also working at a local radio station in Columbus during the 1970s and 1980s.

Was he married? did he have children? Nobody knows, Maybe these details will be revealed at a later date.

It's hard to imagine what it must have been like for the family having to wait all of those years and then to find out that the person responsible is deceased. It's like it's only part closure but one can imagine it would be understandable if there was anger there considering this monster managed to evade justice and die before he could be held accountable for his sickening and evil actions. 

I have included the police press conference together with other news articles below that you may find informative. 

The family of Kelly Ann Prosser released a public statement upon hearing the news that the police had finally confirmed the identity of Kelly Ann's killer. 

''For over 38 years our family has spoken for the one who was silenced and who's young life was cut short...Kelly Ann Prosser. When Kelly Ann left for school the morning of September 20th 1982, we did not expect our time with her would abruptly end or that our future would change in every way imaginable. One moment we had this dazzling, mischievous 8 year old little girl, then suddenly all we had left were memories, photographs that will never age, a calendar marking a dreadful new ''holiday'', a grave and pieces of Kelly's life stored in a box''.

''Our family has spent many long years waiting on Kelly Ann's murder to be solved, but Kelly's family is not unique. Those who have suffered the murder of their loved one knows how devastating waiting for answers can be. Nor are we the only family who has laid awake at night hoping and praying that their missing child would return home safely''.

''Today is one of those bittersweet moments that has been a long time coming. Our family is blessed to have finally got an answer, after nearly four decades on who abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered our darling Kelly Ann''.

''While new technology, advanced investigative techniques and other factors have been an undeniable part of solving this homicide case. The real credit goes to all the state, federal and partnering law enforcement agencies who showed tenacity, dedication and tremendous team work in solving Kelly Ann's case. There are no words to express how deeply our gratitude extends to all of you''. 

''We would like to specially recognise the many Columbus Division police homicide detectives who have worked countless hours on this case trying to find Kelly's perpetrator to hold that individual accountable for her murder. Most recently this has been Detective Dana Croom, Sergeant Terry McDonnell and retired Detectives Ron Coster and James McCoskey. Officer Greg Colarich also contributed by developing a podcast about Kelly Ann's case. Gentlemen - thank you for never giving up. Thank you''. 

- Statement from Kelly Ann Prosser's family, 

The tireless efforts of investigators who never gave up in this case is extraordinary and we really are lucky in this day and age that we have these advanced forensic techniques which have also seen the likes of The Golden State Killer case being solved.

My heart goes out to Kelly Ann and her family and my utmost admiration for the people who worked so hard on this case.

Let us hope that we see more of these cold cases being solved to help bring some kind of closure to these families who are continuing to suffer and to finally catch and bring to justice the monsters who commit these crimes. 

I'm hoping that Netflix or Amazon pick up this story because this is a story that needs to be told. Kelly Ann should be celebrated for who she was and the people who gave their all for this case should stand up and be counted. 

RIP Kelly Ann x 

Further Reading & Sources:


Thank you for taking the time to read my latest case, see you in the next one x 
 

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''We Had A Little Argument'': The Gruesome Story of Glyn Dix, The Man Who Cut His Wife Into 16 Pieces | 18+ Graphic

(A young Glyn Dix. Picture credit: thesun)

This shocking and gruesome story will make your head spin. I'm surprised that this case is not well known due to the horrendous nature of it, it's a story that gets worse the more it goes on so please be prepared or click on to another one of my cases because things are about to get unbelievable in this post. 

I always try to bring you something different every week from serial killer cases to sudden and unexplained disappearances to unknown cases. You name it, I've probably covered a lot of it. I'm now over 80 cases on this blog and each one has been hours and days in the making so when I stumble across an unknown case like this, I want to share it with you and I've been doing my little detective work as always trying to find every piece of information I can. 

With this being a relatively unknown case it's been a struggle to find some pictures to go with this article, there's just a handful available and the majority are very blurry so please excuse the small amount of pictures in this post. I haven't been able to find anything about the subject's (Glyn Dix) past so all I am focusing on in this post is what I was able to find, what he did and the aftermath, I hope you still find this post informative.

Let's begin...

Gloucester is a city in England that has popped up a few times when it comes to murder, you may have heard of the city because of the serial killers Fred & Rose West or the murder of Dalton Powell. Well, we have another horrific story to add to the list and that is the story of Glyn Dix. 

Not much is known of his childhood but what we do know is that in his adulthood Glyn was very much a loner, odd in his behaviour and always distant with people. A lot of people who ever met him would later say that he made them feel uncomfortable. 

In the late 1970s Glyn was living in a flat which was owned by a married couple known as the Overburys and all seemed well until Glyn stopped paying his rent. Pia Overbury and her daughter would regularly go to Glyn's flat whilst her husband was at work to try and get some of the rent money but it was always a problem. Pia felt sorry for Glyn and would give him chances where other landlords wouldn't have done. Pia's daughter really disliked Glyn, she would later say that he made her feel uncomfortable and he had this evil look on his face sometimes. The little girl didn't mention anything about her feelings in regards to Glyn and being a young child at the time she probably wouldn't know what to say. 

Pia was a happily married woman with two beautiful daughters, she worked hard in a shop as well as being a landlord. Pia's daughter and her friends would often come into the shop at their school's lunchtime and have some lunch with Pia but on the 2nd of October 1979 Pia was not at work. Her daughter thought it was very strange for her mother not to be at work and that confusion soon turned to panic when Pia didn't return home that night. It was her other daughter's birthday and there was no way she would have missed that, she'd made so many plans. 

The family were frantic and the police were contacted straight away. Everyone was looking for Pia and two weeks later a lady who was walking in the woods with her dogs and children, noticed something ticking out of a pile of sticks and branches. On closer inspection the lady could see it was a woman's body. Feeling traumatized as anybody would in that situation, the lady gathered the children and the dog together and rushed home as fast as she could and informed the police. 

Pia was formally identified and a post-mortem took place which was a difficult task as her body was badly decomposed. Investigators were able to determine from the full examination of Pia's body that she had been tied to a tree, raped and shot in the head. 

Her family were devastated as you can imagine and a murder investigation begun starting with the police combing the area where Pia was found and questioning everyone she knew and had come into contact with her in the weeks leading up to her death. Glyn Dix was one of those individuals who were questioned.

Investigators were able to find Pia's handbag as well as an empty cartridge from a gun which was sent off to forensics for further examination. Glyn Dix was not happy at being questioned by police and his behaviour was raising eyebrows, especially as he tried to commit suicide when he got home. Glyn was rushed to hospital and the police were now looking to him as their prime suspect. Staff at the hospital realised that Glyn was not psychologically stable so once he was fully examined and treated they transferred him to a psychiatric hospital but he ended up having extreme behaviour there too. 

The results from the cartridge came back and investigators were able to trace more information that they hoped would lead them to Pia's killer. Two men were tracked down about the cartridge and the whereabouts of the gun and the two men told the police that they sold it to a man named Glyn Dix. Glyn immediately confessed to the police and took them to where the gun was located.

In 1980, Glyn was sentenced to life in prison and diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder. People who have this disorder tend to have extreme moods from high to low and like Schizophrenia, individuals can suffer from hallucinations, paranoia, depression and mania. 

During Glyn's sentence around 1997, he had befriended a young cellmate. The cellmate's name was Adam Denver and his mother Hazel would regularly visit him. Adam was only in prison for motoring offenses and Glyn told him that he had been framed for Pia Overbury's murder and the whole thing was a mistake. Glyn claimed to be an innocent man and was able to manipulate Adam into believing him. 

Adam and Glyn got on so well that Adam thought it would be a good idea to introduce Glyn to his mother Hazel. Glyn and Hazel became close and started writing to each other, within months the pair had fallen in love or at least, that's the way Hazel saw it. Hazel knew what Glyn was in prison for and when she told her brother about her relationship with a convicted murderer she seemed to be of the mind that he was an innocent man.

On the 5th of November 1999, Glyn was allowed out of prison on day release so that he could marry Hazel at a registry office. The couple seemed very happy together and Glyn seemed to be a hit with her family, although her brother had his reservations. Everybody thought that Glyn was a genuinely nice guy. 

(Glyn and Hazel in their wedding day: Picture credit: thesun)

The pair continued their marriage and Glyn was released from prison on a life licence in 2001 and immediately set up home with Hazel and grew close to her family. Glyn loved to paint and set about creating some murals in the house, one of which was Stonehenge. Glyn began planning and painting the mural on a wall in their bedroom, each session of painting would be carefully photographed as he kept a record of the progress. It was a huge mural and was going to take years to finish but Glyn was dedicated to it like he was on a mission. 

It's a wonder what Hazel thought about these strange paintings on the walls but at this point she was completely in love with him, the man she saw as her husband. For three years after he was released from prison the couple couldn't have been happier. Glyn and Hazel did everything together and her family warmed to him, he came across as such a nice man, would do anything to help anyone. What Hazel and her family didn't know was that behind the nice smiles and nice guy act was a sadistic monster just waiting to strike. 

Glyn had managed to keep the act up for three years, he was very patient but he had an evil plan for Hazel and and as soon as his murals were finished, especially the one he took years to paint of Stonehenge in the bedroom, the real him rose to the surface. 

The monster he always was emerged as if the monster in him was lying dormant all of that time. What he did to Pia Overbury all those years ago was sickening and utterly vile, nobody could imagine anything worse until the 19th of June 2004.

Hazel's son Adam and her daughter went to visit their mother and noticed that the gate at the back of the house was locked which was very unusual, Hazel never locked that gate. Thinking Hazel and Glyn were not at home they phoned them and were surprised when Glyn answered, he seemed his usual self and told them that they were at home and to come into the house.

[I just want to put a little reminder here to please be aware that the details that I'm about to share are quite disturbing] 

Adam and his sister walked into the house expecting their mother to come around the corner and offer them a cup of tea as she usually would, instead they were faced with a horrific sight, a scene that neither of them could ever have imagined in their worst nightmare.

There, right in front of them on the kitchen floor was the remains of their mother, bits of her organs and blood were all over the place. Glyn was stood naked covered in blood holding a knife which he had been using to stab the remains that he had already removed with a hacksaw. Hazel had been cut into 16 pieces. Glyn had viciously attacked Hazel with a knife, stabbing her to death before dismembering her, decapitating her, removing her heart, liver and kidneys. He also cut off two of her middle fingers so that her hand would have a permanent sign of the devil. 

There was candles all around the kitchen and the scene looked like something out of a devil worshipping horror movie. Glyn made no attempt to flee and the police arrived very quickly to the scene. Glyn told them: ''We had a little argument''. 

According to Glyn (who was calm, not phased in the slightest at what he had just done to his wife) he and Hazel had an argument over what to watch on TV, she wanted to watch wrestling, he wanted to watch football and apparently this was what set the whole thing off. But on closer examination by investigators and Hazel's family it was clear that this had all been premedtated, Glyn had been planning this for years and his murals were part of this sickening ritual. Glyn murdered his wife on the day of summer solstice, a date which is historical for sacrifices. The conclusion of his painting of Stonehenge (also said to have been a sacred ground for sacrifices thousands of years ago) in the bedroom which was just above the kitchen was all part of the evil plan. Members of Hazel's family also found bible passages in the house which were to do with the Antichrist and there was a photo of Glyn displaying a hand gesture which is commonly known as ''The Devil's Horns''. 

Glyn Dix without remorse plead guilty to the murder of his wife Hazel on the 16th of December 2005. He was sent to a secure psychiatric hospital where he spent the rest of his days. He was never to be granted parole and deemed one of the most dangerous men in Britain. 

Hazel's son Adam could not live with what had happened to his mother, he suffered from flashbacks to that horrible day that he walked into that house with his sister and witnessed that gruesome scene. He also felt an enormous amount of guilt for having trusted Glyn and for introducing him to his mother. Adam took Amphetamines because he was scared to sleep as the nightmares became too much. He sadly died from a broken heart at the age of 39.

More heartache for the family was to come when they found out that the monster who had destroyed their lives and took away their mother's life as well as being the cause of Adam's suffering, had actually died in the psychiatric hospital in 2014. The family found out about this SIX YEARS after his death.

Hazel's family were furious and felt that they'd been denied the closure that they so desperately needed. Authorities claimed that they did try to reach out to the family but that the address had been changed. 

There was a mixture of grief and anger for both Hazel and Pia's families. The fact that this monster was allowed back onto the streets to kill again. He was a very dangerous man with a history of serious psychological disorders, there was definitely a fault in the system that he was released and even the fact that he was allowed out of the prison on day release was utterly shocking.

For Pia's family it must have been horrendous to see that the man who had caused them so much pain, had now destroyed another family. 

As we know, Glyn had planned everything but one wonders if he ever did have love for Hazel in that cold heart of his or was he just using her to make himself look like a changed man in an attempt to get out of prison early? 

It's terrifying that he was able to keep up his facade for so long and planned and carried it all out step by step. 

I don't see justice being done here, he was a very sick individual and even though it was 1979 when he was supposed to have carried out his first murder, the red flags were all there. Did authorities not take a moment to stop and think about what the possible consequences would be to release this person? And why wasn't more done to protect Hazel? She was obviously a vulnerable woman who was just looking for love in the wrong place, should someone (with prior knowledge of his history) have warned her?

Glyn was on a full life licence when he moved in with Hazel after what he had done to Pia Overbury why were authorities not keeping an eye on the situation? 

The questions remain and for both of these families my heart goes out to them. Glyn Dix never faced proper justice, he died in a cosy psychiatric hospital whilst the families were unaware of his death and continued to live with the pain that he caused. 

I know this was a tough case to get through but I appreciate it if you have made it this far. 


RIP Hazel, Pia & Adam 


Further Reading & Sources:



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Bobby Joe Long | The Classified Ad Rapist | Serial Killer

(Bobby Joe Long. Right: a picture of him in his later years in prison. Left: Long at one of his earlier court appearances. Picture credit: trillmag)

When it comes to Serial Killers, I think it's safe to say that Bobby Joe Long had to be up there with the likes of Ted Bundy for being one of the most evilist, most twisted and most dangerous murderers America (or even the world) has ever seen. 

I have decided to cover this case this week as it's a request from one of my regular readers/patrons and it's been a case that I have wanted to include here on my blog for some time. Despite being just as sick and dangerous as the likes of Ted Bundy, for some reason Bobby Joe Long's campaign of terror seems to not get as much attention and I do try and include cases here that many people might not know that much about. 

As a regular reader of true crime and avid watcher of serial killer documentaries I always think that I know all about a certain case or murderer but when I actually go in and do my own research I seem to open up a whole can of worms and end up finding out a whole lot more than I knew before. 

I know that is what my readers are looking for, they want the truth, the facts of what actually happened in these cases and I try my best to deliver in as much of a sensitive manner as I can. 

Before I begin delving into the Bobby Joe Long case, I just want to remind you that you can find all of my content and social media links here and if you would like to buy me a coffee and help support my blog/content, you can do so here, Thank you so much. 

Just as I'm about to go on this little dark journey with you I have to remind you as I always do in my posts, some of the details shared are disturbing so please bare that in mind. 

Let's begin...

Anyone who's ever studied the behaviours and crimes of Bobby Joe Long has always asked the question ''was he born to be a killer?''. His childhood was a mess, a nightmare. He came into the world as Robert Joe Long on the 14th of October 1953 in Kenova, West Virginia and was said to have been a distant cousin of the infamous serial killer Henry Lee Lucas on his mother's side. 

He was born with a genetic condition which resulted in him having confusion over his gender. The condition caused him to have extra X chromosome and by the time he reached his teenage years he had developed breasts which caused a huge amount of self consciousness in him. He would later have surgery to remove the excess tissue (six pounds) from his chest after endless bullying from the other kids at school.

Long had suffered a number of head injuries in his childhood. He seemed to have the worst luck having first at the age of 5 being knocked unconscious when he fell off a swing and his eyelid was also caught on a stick. Not long after this he was in an accident involving his bike. Having been thrown off of the bicycle and landing headfirst into a car. He lost some teeth and had severe dizzy spells from the incident. Another time, just aged 7 he landed headfirst onto the ground after falling off of a pony.

As well as all of these incidences he and his mother had a very strange relationship which is usually a common occurrence with serial killers especially serial killers who murder or sexual assault women. Bobby was very clingy with his mother and would continue to sleep in her bed until the age of 13. He would later claim that his mother would bring various men home and he would be forced to hear and see all of the inappropriate things a child shouldn't see their parents doing. His mother denied this claim but they were both living in a single bedroom apartment at the time. He grew to resent his mother and these men. 

Bobby wasn't an assertive personality at this point and his mother as well as other girls his own age and older would tend to boss him around and he would just do as he was told. He struggled with his sense of masculinity. At the age of 13 he met a girl and this was the moment when he ceased sleeping in the same bed as his mother. 

In an attempt to toughen up a bit and learn to stand on his own two feet he later had a brief stint in the army but again he ended up having another incident which would involve yet another head injury and this time the lasting damage was different to what he'd experienced before. He ended up in the hospital and reportedly due to this head injury he suffered intense headaches and violent mood swings. Apparently the only thing that would calm him down and make him feel better was for his him to masturbate 5 times a day. This became an everyday occurrence and when he finally went home he continued to do this. 

I have read in the past that some people who have had a severe head injury can lose their sense of smell, taste or develop mood swings as a result. With the numerous head injuries that he sustained up until that point, it is a wonder what exact damage was done to his brain and was that the cause of what was to come later or was it his genetic condition or the environment he was brought up in?

Bobby married his long term girlfriend and they had two children but he turned out to be the husband from hell. His wife suffered horrendous abuse at his hands and one day when he was asleep she grabbed a gun and pointed it at him, he woke up and told her to shoot him but then mocked her saying that she didn't have the nerve. Luckily, his wife and the two children were able to get out of that situation alive and the pair were soon divorced. 

(Bobby Joe Long and his ex wife on their wedding day. Picture credit: mirror)

For Bobby Joe Long the 1980s were about to be a new chapter in his life, a hellish chapter that would unleash fear, torture, suffering and murder upon his unsuspecting victims. This was an individual (I'm not calling him a man, a real man would never do such things) who just seemed to go from bad to worse, he was a monster, a bad seed that just grew and grew. 

And as the sickness in him grew, so did his hatred of women. He would dwell on the embarrassing memories of seeing his mother with those men and he hated her. Nobody wants to think of their parents in a sexual manner and anyone who's accidentally walked in on their parents at a private moment, knows of the embarrassment that can bring and years later these memories can pop up again at a random moment and make you cringe but most of us only saw things like that once or twice. With Bobby it was a regular occurrence and so that hatred grew, he felt like she didn't care about him, that she cared about those men more. He felt humiliated and he wanted revenge, he wanted these feelings of shame and embarrassment to go away. On top of all of this he didn't feel like a man, his ex wife had found the courage to leave him and so he sought out sex workers and women he considered ''tramps''.

Whilst frequenting the red light districts, he came up with a sickening plan to target women in their own homes. He would read through the local classified ads to see who was selling second hand items and would claim to be interested in buying the item. One he was at the house he would check to see if the woman was alone, if her husband was there, he would say that he wasn't interested in the item and then he would leave. Other times if he knew a lady was on her own he would bound and rape the terrified woman in her own home. He was reported to have raped around 50 women.

In one such incident, he attacked a woman who's husband was at work. She had two children in the house with her at the time, one of whom was critically ill. She would later say that she had no idea why he let her live but thought that maybe he had seen her critically ill daughter and it had some kind of effect on him. This poor lady and her husband not only had to endure the trauma of what had happened with the horrific rape but also had to deal with the loss of their daughter just 9 months afterwards. 

These sickening acts were beginning to lose their appeal for Bobby and he knew he could't keep running around targeting women through the classified ads for risk of being caught. In 1981 he was convicted of rape but was cleared after he appealed. This began his taste for appeals and finding ways he could manipulate the system to delay things and try and get out of situations. This was the point that many families and survivors would later say that Bobby should have gotten psychological help and this may have prevented more of the horror to come. 

Bobby was back on the streets again and paying particular attention to the women he viewed as ''Tramps''. The women who danced as strippers in the clubs or who were sex workers. Instead of having a fright at being nearly put in jail it didn't seem to have an impact on him, he wanted more. He went on a sickening murder spree that lasted from May to November of 1984, some of his victims survived but some sadly died at his evil hands. He would target women, rape and torture them before either strangling them or cutting their throats. He would then dump the bodies and place them in undignified positions, naked with no respect or decency given to these poor women. Just treated them like trash, it was utterly heartless. It was the final act of humiliation and power for him knowing that these women would be found like that. 

In November of 1984, Bobby's murderous spree in the Tampa Bay area of Florida was to come to an end. 17 year old Lisa McVey had just finished her shift at work was making her way back home on her bike, Bobby spotted the young girl and dragged the frightened teenager off of her bike, placed a gun to her temple and told her to come with him or he would kill her. The next 26 hours Lisa was subjected to a horrendous ordeal of rape and torture. The terrified young girl tried her best to be strong but felt that she would never see her family again. Whilst Lisa was in his apartment she later said that he was going back and forth in behaviour, one minute he was gentle with her and the next he was terrifying. He made her get into the shower with him and she had the idea to leave her fingerprints on as much surfaces in his apartment as possible just incase he did kill her, she wanted evidence of her being there to be left behind.

She realised as time was going on that she could possibly talk this guy around, try and appeal to him, try and be his friend somehow in an attempt to make him let her go. She told him that he was a nice guy and that she'd wished she'd met him in another situation, she even offered to be his girlfriend. Lisa also told him a private detail about herself, she told him that she'd been sexually abused by her own father in the past. Hearing Lisa saying all of this had some kind of impact on him and he told her he was going to let her go. He dropped the terrified girl off at an oak tree and sped off. Luckily Lisa lived to tell the tale. 

Lisa went straight to the police and was able to give investigators a lot of information which was a huge help in catching him. Unfortunately just two days after Lisa's ordeal, Bobby's murderous rage struck again and he attacked and murdered 21 year old Kim Swann.

Eventually, the police tracked Bobby down and arrested him for the abduction and rape of Lisa McVey.  whilst in custody he confessed to being the Classified Ad Rapist and also to the murders of 8 women. In 1985 Bobby Joe Long was sentenced to death and given 28 life sentences. He was placed in Florida State Prison where he spent the next 35 years doing appeal after appeal in an attempt to prolong the execution or get it thrown out. The families of the victims and the survivors had to live with the knowledge that this individual was trying his best to manipulate the system. During his years in prison, Bobby Joe Long became familiar with the law and would try every trick in the book to disrupt things. 

Karma soon came back around even if it was 35 years later. The Governor of Florida signed Bobby Joe Long's death warrant in May of 2019, his official date of execution was on the 23rd of May 2019. Bobby must have been so shocked, he thought he was so clever and planned to spend the rest of his days behind bars and die of natural causes.

On the day of his death he was given a final meal which he requested. He had roast beef, bacon, french fries and soda at around 9:30am. His victims families and some of the survivors as well as members of the media were present to view Bobby Joe Long being strapped onto the table. He had no final words and witnesses said that he appeared to have died peacefully. He was pronounced dead at 6:55pm. His children and ex-wife (who took nothing to do with him) were not present at the execution but sent a message of sympathy to the victims and families. 

A few of the victims families and survivors gathered outside afterwards to speak to the media (I have included the full 30 minute video at the end of this post). Lisa McVey who was now a police officer herself, was present and gave a heartbreaking speech about her own ordeal and she also paid tribute to the victims calling them ''Angels''. 

(Lisa McVey Nolan pictured during her speech at the press conference after Bobby Joe Long's execution. Picture credit: cnn)

''I want to give credit to God first for saving my life 35 years ago. I'm going to dedicate in memory and honour the victims, our 10 angels who can't be here today to witness the execution of Bobby Joe Long. So in memory and honour of the victims: Artiss Wick, Ngeun Long, Michelle Denise Simms, Chanel Williams, Elizabeth Loudenback, Karen Dinsfriend, Vicky Elliott, Kimberly Hopps, Virginia Johnson and Kim Swann. I would like to take a moment to remember and honour the victims who never got the chance to be here to witness the execution of Bobby Joe Long. I would like to take a moment to remember the victims who were viciously attacked in their own homes at the hands of Bobby Joe Long. In the early hours of the 3rd of November 1984, I was snatched off of my bicycle and brutally attacked by Bobby Joe Long while riding home from work. Bobby Joe Long pressed a gun with the tip of it's cold barrel to my left temple before dragging me to his car. I vowed from that moment on to save my own life. Bobby Joe Long kidnapped me and held me hostage for the next 26 hours. I was brutally raped and tortured. I believed him when he said he would kill me if I ever tried to escape. I didn't think I would ever leave or see my family ever again. However, in the early hours of November 4th 1984, Bobby Joe Long released me. I promised myself I would never live as a victim. I would empower myself with strength and courage to overcome my life's tragedies. I made a lifetime commitment to educate people by speaking about how I survived my attack by a notorious serial killer and the abuse I endured as a child''.

Lisa then went on to say '' Bobby Joe Long, people often ask me what I would say to you if you were stood in front of me and here's my answer....Bobby Joe Long, thank you! Thank you for choosing me instead of another 17 year old little girl. The reason why I say thank you now is because I have forgiven you for what you have done to me. Had I not forgiven you, I might as well be in my own prison without walls.''

(The 10 angels: some of the women who lost their lives at the hands of Bobby Joe Long. As with all serial killer cases we can never be sure if all of the victims have been accounted for. Picture credit: mirror)

This was a hard case to cover and I thank you if you were able to make it all the way through to the end. I'm thinking about the victims, the families and the survivors of Bobby Joe Long. It's madness that he was able to get away with so much in the past and was able to manipulate the system to prolong his execution for as long as possible. To think of what all those survivors and families of victims had gone through, not only the ordeal itself but having the monster who caused them so much pain, being able to put in appeal after appeal to the point of where he sat on Death Row for 35 years.

I would like to pay my condolences to the known deceased victims of Bobby Joe Long and their families. My heart also goes out to the amazing survivors who stood side by side on the night of his execution and shared their stories and to the survivors who couldn't be there, I think about you all. 

Further Reading & Sources:



Thank you for checking out my latest post x 

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The Strange Disappearance Of Jodi Huisentruit

(Jodi Huisentruit. Picture credit: cbsnews)

The mysterious disappearance of the beautiful and talented American news anchor, Jodi Huisentruit is a story that has continued to send chills down the spine of anyone who reads the details of the case. Jodi was a popular lady and anyone who ever worked with her or knew her up to the point of her going missing have always said nothing but sweet things about her. 

As with a lot of the missing cases that I have covered, I never speak of people in the past tense even though a lot of time has passed since that person vanished. I always believe in these cases that you can never really know what will happened. I always believe in hope but I am realistic. There have been cases where people have been found alive and well years later. You never can tell. 

Before I begin going into Jodi's case, I just want to remind you that you can find all of my social media links here and if you would like to help support my work by giving a donation (that would be amazing, thank you) you can do so here 

If you like my weekly true crime posts, please subscribe (form is on the right side of my blog) to ensure that you never miss a post.

So let's get into the story...

Jodi Sue Huisentruit was born on the 5th of June 1968 in Long Prairie, Minnesota in the USA. From an early age it was clear that Jodi was destined for a bright future, she loved to have fun and socialise and loved sports especially golf. Golf was one of her passions and continued to be right up until her disappearance. Being the outgoing and very perceptive person that she was, it was no surprise that she would do well in college where (she studied mass communications and speech communications) she would successfully graduate with a bachelor's degree. 

Jodi was a hard worker and straight out of college she started working for an Airline. She was only working for the airline for a short period of time before she really found her calling which was working as a news anchor on TV. She was so excited and to her it was her dream job.

Although busy with her broadcasting career she never stopped her passion for golf. She would take part in regular tournaments and would play whenever she could. 

In 1995, all seemed to be going well in Jodi's life from the outside looking in. She had her dream job, some great friends, her passion for golf and a very proud family who praised her for all of her achievements. But something happened to 27 year old Jodi and to this day, nobody knows what. 

The day before she went missing she had been at a friend's house watching a video and everything seemed fine. The next day (27th of June 1995) Jodi was supposed to get up early to go to the TV studio like she always would but she accidentally slept in. Her producer called her on the phone and Jodi explained that she'd slept in but would be there as fast as she could. 

Her colleagues at the TV station noticed as the clock struck 6am that Jodi was still nowhere to be seen. She was 2 hours late which was highly unusual for her. Phone calls were made to her house but there was no answer. At 7am another member of the team had to fill in for Jodi. Her colleagues were so concerned about this unusual behaviour that they contacted the Police. 

When the police got to the parking lot outside of Jodi's apartment it was clear that something was not right. Her car was still parked in it's usual spot but there was items all strewn about the ground as if someone had been involved in some sort of struggle. All of the items were confirmed to be Jodi's. 

The police found a bent car key as if someone had come up behind Jodi as she was putting the key in her car and tried to drag her away. It's clear from the state of the scene that Jodi tried to put up a fight and the police found an unidentified hand print on her car. 

When investigators were taking statements from the neighbours it was reported by three people that they had heard a scream and some commotion at around the usual time that Jodi would be leaving for work. There was also mention of a white van that had been seen in the parking lot some time before she went missing but this was never confirmed. 

It's been over 25 years since that terrible morning and no trace of Jodi has ever been found. It is believe that she was abducted and dragged into a car that morning. Someone had to be watching. Someone had to have been keeping an eye on Jodi's routine. Jodi was late for work that morning so this person or persons must have been sat there waiting to pounce as soon as she got into the parking lot. 

Over the years since Jodi's disappearance no other lead has turned up, nobody has ever come forward with any information. Jodi's family were at their wits end and decided to consult psychics in an attempt to find Jodi but it didn't work out. 

After so many painful years of wondering, hoping, searching and praying, Jodi's family decided to legally declare Jodi deceased in May of 2001. 

The case remains open to this day. 

Like all of the unsolved cases that I cover, if any updates become apparent I will share them with you on this post. 

Further reading & Sources: 


I hope that someday Jodi's family and friends will find the answers they've spend all of these years looking for. 

Thank you for checking out my latest case, don't forget to subscribe if you would like to see more and I'll see you in the next post x 

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What Happened To Asha Degree?

(Asha Degree. Picture credit: missingkids.org)

This heartbreaking case has been a mystery for 21 years and still Asha Degree's parents are no closer to knowing what really happened to their little girl. Somebody out there knows something and they've left this poor family to grieve for this adorable girl and l imagine many sleepless nights have been had by all of those that knew Asha. The constant questions going over and over in their minds, is she still alive? Did somebody abduct her? I can imagine it must be torturous and too much to bare. It's always hard to lose a child to illness but to have a child stolen from you and you have no idea what happened to them, that is a wound that can never heal. 

I've been thinking a lot about Asha and her family these past few days of doing my research and when I first found out how long it had been since she disappeared, I was in shock. I didn't know about this case up until recently I'm sad to say but I felt it was important to share Asha's story. I am glad to see that various True Crime channels, blogs and podcasts have covered the case and helped raise awareness. 

I mentioned recently that I aim to write about more missing persons cases and my next two true crime posts are very much in that vein. In this post I want to talk about Asha, I hope it leads you to read more about the case or share whatever information posters or this blog post on your social media, there is that chance that somebody out there might see or hear something and be prompted to act and call the police with information.

Before I begin, I just want to remind you that all of my social media links are here, if you enjoy my weekly content and would like to make a donation, you can do so here, thank you. 


So let's begin....


Asha was born to Harold and Iquilla Degree on the 5th of August 1990 in Shelby, North Carolina, she also had an older brother that she was close to. Both of the Degree children were sporty and had a very sheltered upbringing, their parents were very careful not to have a computer in the house for fear that the children would become victims of online predators. Iquilla later said in an interview that she would often turn on the news to hear a report that someone from an online chatroom had abducted and murdered someone's child so she wouldn't allow a computer in the house. 

The Degree family were very close and the children spent a lot of time with their relatives. Both Asha and her brother had their own key to the family home. Harold and Iquilla were both hardworking parents and would often still be working when the kids finished school so they gave them both keys to let themselves into the house.

When both of the children would arrive home they would usually get started on their homework or fix some dinner for themselves. It probably sounds a little unusual to some people for children of the ages of nine and ten to be unsupervised in this manner but this is just how some families were back then and because of where they lived they didn't think there would be an issue. I know from my own personal experience I was often left to my own devices at at young age but I was very careful to make sure that I had a friend with me and would keep to public places, lock doors behind me, that sort of thing. 

As I mentioned before, both children were sporty and Asha was very bright and switched on for her age. She would take her participation in her school's basketball team very seriously and shortly before she went missing, she had felt a little disheartened that her team had lost their game. Reflecting back on this incident, her parents said that she was a little upset at the time, as was her team mates but she eventually perked up and cheered on her brother's match shortly afterwards.

The day after the basketball matches, the family attended church on the Sunday of the 13th of February 2000 as they usually did. There was no incidences or anything unusual with Asha going on. Everyone seemed fine and returned home as they normally would after their morning worship as a family. 

On the Sunday night the children went to bed around 8pm as was their usual routine. Asha (9) and her brother O'Bryant (10) both shared a bedroom. There was a powercut in the neighbourhood due to a car accident but the power came back on just shortly after midnight. Harold did a quick check on the kids to make sure they were both ok and asleep in their beds, which they were. At some point in the early hours of the morning, Asha's brother, O'Bryant later reported that he heard Asha stirring in her sleep but he didn't fully wake up himself, he just assumed she was turning in her bed. He couldn't see her as he was drifting in and out of sleep himself at this point but he does remember hearing her.

Around 2am, Harold checked on the kids again and found them both fast asleep in their beds, nothing untoward. 

As the clock approached 4am on the 14th of February 2000 (Valentine's Day which was also Harold and Iquilla's wedding anniversary), little nine year old Asha got up out of her bed, put some clothes (white t-shirt with white trousers) on and picked up a little rucksack she had packed previously with some clothing inside and other items. Nobody knows why but the little girl took off out into the street on a cold, rainy February morning. 

Several motorists saw the little image walking along the road in the pouring rain and wondered why a young child would be out there alone in that weather at that hour of the morning. A male motorist who was genuinely concerned decided to try and approach Asha to see what was going on and maybe help her get back safely to her family. The little girl saw the car coming nearer and remember what her parents always told her about staying away from strangers, she shot off into the wooded area next to the road and was out of sight. The man made a report to the police about what he'd seen when Asha was reported missing on the local news. 

This was the last known sighting of little Asha, she just went into those woods never to be seen again. 

Iquilla got up a few hours later on that same morning, ready to celebrate her anniversary with her husband and getting ready to sort the children out for the day ahead, getting a bath ready for them. When she opened the bedroom door to wake up the kids, Asha was nowhere to be found. The family frantically searched the other rooms in the house, the cars, the area outside, shouting her name out and woke up the neighbours but it was understandable in such a terrifying moment. This was a moment that Harold and Iquilla had always feared, had always done their best to avoid. They worked so hard and did everything they felt in their power to keep their children safe and now that had happened and they were beside themselves.

The police were contacted straight away and the family wasted no time searching for Asha. They'd seen the news reports in the past, they knew how these horrible abduction stories went, they knew it was a race against time to try and find her and hoped within hope that she'd just wandered off somewhere and would be found safe and well. 

I don't have children myself but I can imagine being a parent can be quite a frightening job at times, with all the dangers of the world and sometimes children having the tendency to wander off. I had a habit of doing this as a child and I caused mayhem when I was a toddler. There was an incident where I managed to get into the garden of my family home and climb over the gate. I wandered all the way down to a little lake. My parents, family and the police were looking for me and eventually my sister found me just as I was about to get into the water (I couldn't swim). Another time, I wandered out of school (my Dad lived nearby and I saw my brother out on his bike) and ran after my brother, all hell broke loose and the police called. There were a lot of incidents like this where I would wander off and I didn't really think about what I was doing but I knew to stay away from strangers. I was a strange child and it just got me thinking how scary it must be for a parent to have those moments. 

A thorough search of where Asha was last seen and surrounding areas was carried out, eventually they found a Mickey Mouse hair bow, a marker pen, a pencil and some candy wrappers (the candy wrappers were confirmed to be hers as her team mates had been given the same candy previously). These items were all confirmed to be Asha's but there was no trace of the little girl. Information posters were handed out and posted up everywhere, regular news reports were broadcasted and searches continued. The police had 300 leads but nothing substantial.


A week later, the search was ended as investigators felt that they'd covered every possible area and still came up with no proper clues, even the police dogs could not pick up a scent. The search seemed to be going nowhere. Even though the search was halted, the police insisted that the case was still ongoing and a reward was issued to the public for information relating to Asha's disappearance.

It was originally thought that Asha had chosen to run away because she had packed her bag beforehand but this theory has often been disputed, Some people believe that she was going to meet someone at the area she was last seen, others believe she was abducted and that was why the dogs couldn't pick up a scent during the search.

The Degree family did not give up searching for their daughter and did what they could to bring more attention to the case and appeal for information from the public. They appeared on various high profile TV shows including Oprah and Montel. 

A strange development in the case occurred a year after Asha went missing, the rucksack was found by a construction worker buried under some land in Burke county (26 miles north of Shelby). The bag was wrapped in plastic and the police did not reveal what the bag contained or any other details relating to it until the 20th anniversary of her disappearance. The police revealed to the public for the first time that the bag contained two items, a New Kids On The Block t-shirt and a Dr. Seuss book which were said to have not belonged to Asha but the book was from her school. 

In the years that followed, the police continued to follow up any leads but they all came to nothing including a possible remains site which they investigated but the bones were identified as being those of an animal. 


(Asha's parents, Harold & Iquilla have never given up hope that Asha will be found and they believe that she is still alive. Picture credit: hermoments)

Asha's family have never stopped looking for her and they set up a scholarship in her name, a billboard was set up near to where she was last seen and a reward of $25,000 plus an additional $20,000 has been set up for anyone who comes forward with information that will be of huge significance. 

The police announced in 2016 that a vehicle in the style of a 1970s Lincoln Continental Mark IV in the shade dark green was of some interest to them along with a Ford Thunderbird. 

Asha's family believe that her case has not been given proper media coverage because Asha is African American. I'm hoping that Netflix will contact the family at some point and arrange for a documentary to be made to help get Asha's story out there. The other sad factor about these types of cases which occurred a certain number of years ago is that sometimes (sadly but not deliberately) members of the public forget and it's not that they don't care, there's just so many of these heartbreaking stories happening around the world everyday, even happening as we speak. So I feel it's important never to give up and to never stop sharing Asha's story. 

Do I think she ran away? She was just nine years old and I'm not psychic but my guess was that she fancied going on a little adventure? It's hard for me to say but what we do know is that she planned to leave for whatever reason and she'd packed a bag beforehand.

Maybe she did want to run away and then realised she didn't want to go through with it but someone managed to get a hold of her? The theories go on an on about this case.

Another huge development on the case came recently in 2020 when an imprisoned convicted paedophile by the name of Marcus Mellon wrote to a local newspaper claiming to know what happened to Asha and where she is. This apparently all came about in November of 2020 and at the time of me writing this, it is May of 2021. The police are still looking into this man's claims so who knows what the outcome will be but this is where we currently are with this case. I will update when I hear any more news.

If you know of any information, however small, please contact: 704 484 4788 or 704 672 6100. 


Thinking of Asha and her family x


Further Reading & Sources:

- Asha Degree | FBI

- Asha Degree Article | The Star

- Asha Degree | Wikipedia

- Asha Degree | Reddit Discussion Thread

- Asha Degree | The Charley Project

- Asha Degree News Report | WBTV

- Asha Degree | FBI (Video)


Thank you for taking the time to read my latest case. Please subscribe to my blog to ensure you don't miss any of my true crime posts  x

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