Police in Chillicothe, Ohio are investigating a potential serial killer after six women have gone missing or been found dead in suspicious circumstances in the last year and a half. On Wednesday, police identified the body as that of Rebecca Cade, a 31-year-old resident of Chillicothe, Ohio. Chillicothe, a city of about 22,000 people an hour south of Columbus, was the first state capital in the early 1800s. Two were never seen or heard from again. New episodes air every Friday at 10pm EST. Everybody in this room put their heart and soul in this investigation for the last five years.. Since 1995, Falls had been detained by the police for violating traffic rules in sixteen states, and his true scale of movement and activity remains unknown. Police recently announced a crackdown on drugs and prostitution in areas the women frequented. When two are later found dead, fears of a serial killer mount when a fifth woman goes missing in 2015. The tipster alleged shed heard Tameka was given a hot shot because she owed a dealer money which led to Charlotte freaking out. As a result, she alleged she heard Charlotte was given more heroin and was burned alive along the creek bank before being put in a bag and tossed in the creek. "Geographically, the cities are fairly close," Cooper said, adding: "He has not been connected to the Chillicothe cases.". They met at a restaurant and Beasley introduced himself as Jack and Rafferty, who he referred to as his nephew. Updated: 22:34, 18 Feb 2022 NOTORIOUS serial killer Richard Beasley was known as the Craigslist Killer in 2011 when he lured his victims through phony job listings. Ross County Coroner John Gabis stunned Himelrick's family and friends when he ruled her death a suicide. During the eight years he lived in Henderson, Nevada, from 2003 to 2007, four sex workers disappeared, three of whom were later found dismembered in California, Illinois, and Nevada. Falls had been stopped by police in over twenty states during his life but did not incur any serious criminal charges. One name noticeably absent from the Chillicothe police report was Ernest Dollar Bill Moore who is in prison on charges related to the detention and torture of a man. The following month her body, wrapped in a sheet, was discovered near a culvert in neighboring Highland County. Last year, a Missing Women's Task Force made up of officials from the Ross County Sheriff's Office, Chillicothe Police Department, FBI and Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation was formed to investigate the cases. Authorities have yet to locate her. At the same time, Falls began to spend most of his leisure time in the company of various sex workers and pimps. YouTube/WKYC Channel 3 Convicted Serial Killer Shawn Grate was arrested after a kidnapping victim escaped her bindings and called 911. Charlotte Trego, who would be 28, has been gone the longest, missing since her mother dropped her off at an apartment in Chillicothe in early May 2014. [8], Nevertheless, the trial began on October 1, 2002. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. ", Another local resident Beth Ann Caldwell said, "Many are fearful of even walking down the streets and allowing their children to go anywhere without constant supervision.. Washburn declined to release reports relating to the other open cases while Lavender declined releasing any of his departments investigative reports. Gregory B. McKnight (born November 14, 1976) is an American serial killer who murdered two people and buried their bodies on his property in Chillicothe, Ohio, between May and November 2000. Beasley's trial followed and that same year he received the death sentence. Another tip claimed Charlotte or Tameka had been hit in the head with a shovel and mentioned some of the same names from earlier tips. Moore, 36, was accused of committing "pure torture" against a Chillicothe man in July 2015. She had been talking to an unknown guy in a black truck the night of May 16. Stars Joe Berlinger Angela Clemente Steve Bongardt See production, box office & company info Watch on Prime Video Powered by. DETROIT (AP) The state of Michigan asked a judge Wednesday to release a man who has served nearly 21 years of a life sentence for the fatal shootings of two hunters, saying critical evidence about an Ohio serial killer's possible role was never shared before trial. On the Chillicothe Correctional Establishment, the horrible serial killer is at present serving a life sentence for his . Shasta Himelrick, a 20-year-old expectant mother, disappeared after Lemons. It was November 6, 2011, when Scott Davis, 48, responded to the job listing and met with Beasley and his young 16-year-old accomplice, Brogan Rafferty. Amie Harwicks Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Federal investigators, a missing persons task force and local police in West Virginia are looking into a possible link between the shooting death of a man killed by a prostitute over the weekend and a half-dozen unsolved murders and disappearances of women in Chillicothe, Ohio. . After being arrested, a grand jury indicted Grate on two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of two women and the kidnapping and sexual assaults of an unidentified woman in 2016. Is Richard Beasley featured in an A&E show? She began working at Hendrick in December 2001. chillicothegazette.com - CHILLICOTHE The Lt. In 2000, Falls moved to Henderson, Nevada, where for the next eight years he worked as a security guard at Hoover Dam. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Detectives across the country are re-examining cold cases after a possible serial killer went after a West Virginia woman. All the missing women, like Saul, advertised their activities on the Internet. Six women have vanished in the town of Chillicothe since May of last year and four of those have been found dead, authorities said. I heard three things: That she was mentally slow, that she had brown hair and her age. In a further search of their property, they found Murray's decomposed body in McKnight's trailer. Police also said that because the women ran in the same circles, someone knows the fuller story. Cooper said Friday that Falls likely attacked others before he beat and choked a woman he had met online. Police followed up on another similar claim involving a man who was arrested in Columbus for domestic violence. The indictment comes amid several high-profile disappearances and murders of women around Chillicothe in the last year and a half. However, this month, Washburn released his departments written report detailing their portion of the investigation into Tamekas disappearance and death. The case of suspected serial killer Shawn Grate went to a jury Monday after the prosecution gave its closing arguments and the defense waived their right to present one as they did at the start of the trial. Ross County, where Chillicothe is the county seat, has one of the higher drug overdose death rates in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 'Somebody just tossed her away like a piece of trash,' Robinson said. And a pregnant Shasta Himelrick, 20, who was reported missing in December 2014 and found drowned the next month, her death ruled a suicide. CINCINNATI -West Virginia police said Sunday they are sharing information about a slain suspected serial killer with authorities investigating suspicious deaths and missing women in southern Ohio. He was sentenced to life in prison for the Richland County murders, and for the murder of Lowrey, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 16 years, which was to be served consecutively with his other sentences. Law enforcement. He wrapped her body with a carpet and hid it in his trailer. Before police can fully investigate the fifth missing woman, another body is found. "I still put up flyers, but as soon as I put them up someone takes them down," Boggs told HuffPost. Tamekas investigation was challenging from the beginning as they fielded vague rumors passed along by her husband Jeremi Lynch who had reported her missing on May, 20, 2014, saying hed last seen her on May 16. The state took their minds. For the first night, the channel will air an episode ofEvil Lives Hereabout convicted serial killer Shawn Grate. Gregory B. McKnight (born November 14, 1976) is an American serial killer who murdered two people and buried their bodies on his property in Chillicothe, Ohio, between May and November 2000. I think talking about their loved ones, having people just hear who they are, helps them, she says. And Timberly Claytor, 38, found shot to death in May 2015, her body left in the weeds in Massieville. July 16, 2016, 6:01 AM If Steven Avery's story is best summed up as Making a Murderer, Investigation Discovery's true crime documentary series about a group of six Chillicothe, Ohio women who. 42-year-old Suzanne Taylor and her daughters Taylor, 21, and Kylie Pifer, 18, were found brutally murdered inside their North Royalton . Simply watch over a 688-acre patch of hilly farmland and feed a few cows. I could have easily turned to drugs, become addicted, Moore says. [11] In 2018, Falls was tested for involvement in the I-70 Killer murders, a series of killings in the Midwestern United States in the spring of 1992. The body of 26-year-old Tiffany Sayre, missing since early May, was found in neighboring Highland County June 27 not far from where Lynch's body was recovered. Lt. Steve Cooper, chief of detectives for the Charleston Police Department, said the unnamed woman who shot her Backpage.com client Saturday was acting in self-defense during a violent altercation that occurred at around 3.30pm on July 18 at 808 1/2 6th Street on Charleston's West Side. However, police investigations determined that all of them were alive and well; five of them were located across West Virginia and the sixth worked in San Diego. Four prostitutes, all of whom advertised online, went missing during the eight years Falls resided there, cops said. St. John, Missouri: . Shasta Himelrick, 20. [8] Six more vanished from Chillicothe, Ohio, a two-hour drive from Charleston. The Ohio prison inmates on the below list have been sentenced to death for convictions of Aggravated Murder. The most recent statewide data shows a record 983 Ohioans died of heroin-related overdoses in 2013. Craig, Alaska: The Unsolved Massacre on a Fishing Boat in 1982 by Every Town. Six women have been reported missing in the Chillicothe, Ohio, area in the past year. When the man arrived to meet Beasley, the two rode together to survey the area where the man was intended to be working. [12] In 2020, McKnight alleged racism during his trial and claimed white jurors had been heard making racial slurs. The bodies of four have been found: May 24, 2014. First published on July 27, 2015 / 11:57 AM. He took off running as his baseball cap flew off his head. ", "Neal Falls link investigated in 8 states", "Man killed by escort examined for possible serial killer ties", "Portrait of a Serial Killer: Online Perv Neal Falls, the suspected serial killer slain by an escort in West Virginia, may have had a very disturbing alter ego", "Police: Woman saved lives by shooting possible serial killer in the head", "Nevada police investigate Oregon man killed by Charleston woman", "Was Neal Falls killed by an escort responsible for the disappearances of women across the US? It's heartbreaking.". Someone with a fishing and hunting license that probably is a local resident thats in the Chillicothe area. Most of the dead women have been found near or in local rivers and creeks. I think when you look at the statistics during this time period, before we were carrying Narcan (naloxone),this was the height of the drug epidemic hitting the community. The three set off for the secluded wooded area and when Davis stepped in front of Beasley, he heard what sounded like a gun misfiring and was shot in the elbow. Others spent time behind bars on various charges. Diane Willett Shasta Himelrick, a 20-year-old expectant mother, disappeared after Lemons. Shastas case was closed due to the suicide ruling a ruling her family disputes. (Chillicothe Police Department) Residents of an Ohio town are living on edge amid fears a serial killer could be on the loose after the disappearance and deaths of multiple women. Part of HuffPost Crime. "Next month will be a year-and-a-half since I've seen my daughter," Lemons' mother, Diane Willett, told HuffPost. But I dont feel that when Im working with these families. [2], In 1992, McKnight, then 15, shot and killed a man in Columbus, Ohio. Anderson knew all of the women, aside from 37-year-old Wanda Lemons, who was last seen in Chillicothe on Nov. 3, 2014 -- six months to the day that Trego and Lynch were last seen. There were also two corpses on the premises, which filled the house with an awful stench. If there was no PORT, Narcan or amnesty, the number of cases of missing women would be double, Washburn said. Grate was captured by police after a woman managed to escape from him and call 911, according to People. Please hurry.. Beasley has continuously maintained his innocence and remains at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Ohio. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Bizarre moments in Alex Murdaugh double murder trial so far, Stolen car crashes into another car causing building to collapse, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles. "None of us think she killed herself," Himelrick's grandmother, Shirley Himelrick, told HuffPost. According to the autopsy report, Lynch's manner of death is listed as "undetermined circumstance." The 26-year-old is the sixth woman to go missing in the small city of Chillicothe, Ohio, in just over a year. Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels. . The man, who has not been identified by police, was shot and killed Saturday by a sex worker he had met on the ill-famed online classifieds site Bakcpage.com. Chillicothe Police Chief Keith Washburn and Ross County Sheriff George Lavender recently told the Gazette during a nearly two-hour interview theyve been doing everything they can to bring the cases to a conclusion. The seeds of distrust had been sown. Lt Cooper further elaborated that the man, who according to his driver's license and tags had traveled from Oregon, pulled a gun on the escort and threatened to kill her. "Chillicothe just doesn't feel safe anymore. He committed the killings two years after his release from prison for a 1992 murder he committed in Columbus, Ohio. Tameka Lynch, 30, was not put into the law enforcement system as a missing person when her husband reported her missing on May 20, 2014, and police publicly said on May 22, 2014, there was no reason to believe shes in any danger.. As women keep washing up dead, Ohio town fears serial killer on the loose The Sayre family via Washington Post Tiffany Sayre, 26, went missing May 11, 2015. Some even think cases in other nearby areas, including the 2013 disappearance of 26-year-old Megan Lancaster, could be connected. The deaths and disappearances have spurred the creation of a task force including Chillicothe police and the Ross County sheriff's office, the FBI, state investigators and other local law enforcement. The only thing I could think came close was the (John) Parsons escape (from the Ross County Jail in 2006)., More: Previous coverage of the "missing women" cases. Due to uncertainty over how Julious was killed, prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty for his murder. Despite the fact that no evidence was found of Falls' presence in Chillicothe, he is still considered a suspect. We made a strong presence on Second Street … There were drug circles we wanted to invade. Timberly Claytor, 38, was found shot to death in nearby Massieville May 29. Jennifer Anne Hall: 'Serial killer' nurse accused of killing 9 patients is charged with another murder. Police have said that they believe that at least some of the Chillicothe women were prostituting themselves out to fund their heroin addiction. Most of his friends and acquaintances spoke very positively of him.[5]. Pastor David McGill, who has helped the victims' families organize vigils and rallies, said authorities recently told him they are still following up on leads in the cases. Stanley and Griffith were found in Ashland County, and Leicy and Cunningham were killed in Richland County. Tonight marks the beginning of Investigation Discoverys Serial Killer week, where theyll dive into the cases surrounding serial killers each night. Robinson agrees with Sayre, but said even if she finds the answers she still has to face the fact her daughter isnt here. "We want to know what happened and what motivated this murderer to kill these girls and take them away from their families," Jessica Sayre, whose sister Tiffany Sayre was murdered, told The Huffington Post. Ross County Sheriffs Col. Hollis previously told the Gazette Charlotte and Wanda's DNA profiles are ran through the national database every 90 days. Eight days later, searchers found Himelrick's body in the Scioto River, about a mile south of Higby Bridge. Police in Chillicothe, Ohio, a two-hour. [11] He later recanted that statement. The chilling murders shook northeast Ohio back in June 2017. [10], McKnight arrived on Ohio's death row following his sentencing. Even though true at the time based on what police knew, it didnt matter when Tamekas body, clothed only in a pair of socks, was found in Paint Creek near Bainbridge by kayakers two days later. Then came Wanda Lemons, 37, who was last seen on Nov. 4, 2014, and seems to have vanished with even less of a trace than Charlotte, according to police. The report indicates those tips would be followed up by the sheriffs office. Authorities said the women had drug problems and some became prostitutes to feed their habit. Chillicothe police spokesman Bud Lytle told the paper they're checking whether Falls might have visited Chillicothe or had any connection to the area. When police executed a search warrant Monday on the shooting victims car, they discovered items described as 'suspicions by their very nature,' reported the Charleston Gazette.Officials provided no further details on the contents of the mans vehicle. Ive been kidnapped, the woman told the dispatcher on September 13, 2016. Rafferty was offered a deal to get parole when he was middle-aged if he provided information on Beasley, but he refused. He was born on September 24, 1969, in Eugene, Oregon, into an impoverished family with nine other children. They also found bones that matched those of Julious. Who Is Taking the Women of Chillicothe, Ohio? The changes are little solace, though, for those still desperately needing and wanting answers. Megan Lancaster, the mother of a 10-year-old boy, was last seen in Portsmouth on April 3, 2013. The jury sentenced him to death for the aggravated murder charge, life imprisonment for the murder charge, ten years for the kidnapping charge, eight years for the complicity charge, and .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1+12 years for receiving stolen property. The killer, Thomas James McCray, left her baby strapped in a car seat near a creek bed all night. My father targeted prostitutes and drug addicts, she says. According to Washburn, he decided against releasing Tiffanys report since her death was ruled a homicide in Highland County, and he didnt release those for Charlotte and Wanda because they remain missing. Authorities say the mother of five died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. On May 27, 2014, the investigator talked to the woman from the last tip who said Jeremi and Tameka had been at her East Fourth Street home the evening of May 16. Washburn said the prostitution stings they've done were primarily an attempt to gather information for the missing women cases. Authorities said Falls, of Springfield, Oregon, rented a room in Henderson, Nevada, from 2000 until 2008. Samuel Little has confessed to killing more than 90 women across the U.S., but not all have been confirmed. In January 2015, Neal found out that a woman with whom he was intimately involved was married, after which, in the same month, his mother died. The unimaginable tragedy forever changed the lives of the victims' families and thrust the small city into the national spotlight. And at least three of the women knew each other in passing from running in the same social circles where drug abuse was prominent. Chillicothe, Ohio: The Disappearances & Deaths of 6 Women within 14 Months by Every Town. She was found dead three weeks later, in a creek roughly 20 miles downstream from where it passes through Chillicothe. She was pregnant and had traces of painkillers and cocaine in her system. Officials have repeatedly reported they have checked into every one of them but mostly have remained mum on who they looked into save for a few high profile people, including a suspected serial killer and a Chillicothe man convicted of rape and attempted rapes involving seven women. Police recently announced a crackdown on drugs and prostitution in areas the women frequented. He brought her back to his house and shot her once in the head, killing her. [The police] don't really keep us updated, so it's not easy not knowing anything.". Murray worked at a restaurant near the campus. Tonight marks the beginning of Investigation Discovery's. Another Woman Missing From Small Town Turns Up Dead, FBI Joins Search For Missing Chillicothe Women, Timberly Claytor Found Dead Not Far From Where Women Vanished, 'These Girls Knew Each Other' And Now They're Gone. However, in 2020 Beasley went back to trial and was resentenced after a procedural error occurred when he was sentenced in 2013. Kathryn had worked at the Youth Center, but it is unknown how the two met.[2]. CBS News reported the West Virginia woman, who asked to be known only as "Heather," said Falls was armed with a gun when she answered the door and he asked her, "Live or die?" [6] Shortly before Gregory McKnight's trial, three locals trespassed on his former property and reportedly stole a few items. Lynch was the mother of three children, ages 6, 7 and 12. The caller reported overhearing the couples son making the claims to someone else. Three were found chopped to bits. The pain won't be any less.". They can be reached at 740-773-TIPS (8477) or at SouthernOhioCrimeStoppers.com. No one has said theres a serial killer. Four were later found dead, in some cases having shown signs that they were the victims of violence. And by helping the family members of the victims, shes finding her own catharsis. One by one, four of them have turned up dead in and around Chillicothe, Ohio, sending chilly rumors of a serial killer drifting through the city of 21,000 people. He specifically points to law enforcements decision to carry the overdose reversal drug naloxone and the prosecutors decision to have an overdose amnesty policy as coming about when they did because of the cases. The victim in that case, according to the Chillicothe Gazette, told police he was "punched, kicked, assaulted with a broom, possibly raped with the broom, burned with lighter fluid, silverware heated from the stove and boiling water.". He was born on September 24, 1969, in Eugene, Oregon, into an impoverished family with nine other children. It seemed like something evil had descended on Chillicothe and women were the target. It's also where he killed . Grieving relatives don't deny the victims were troubled, but say it's important to remember they were also mothers, sisters and daughters. Now She's Speaking Out, A Child Survived a Serial Killer and Now Tells Her Story on Season Premiere of 'People Magazine Investigates', Notorious 'Torso Killer' Indicted in 1968 Murder of N.Y. Dance Teacher Who Was Found Strangled in Her Car, Hospital Respiratory Therapist Denied Being Serial Killer in 2012. Just their bodies were flopping wherever it can flop but their minds were already dead! The Swamp Murders episode chronicling the brutal murder is titled, "Rocky Waters." Moores father is the notorious Happy Face Killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, who got his nickname for the smiley faces he allegedly drew on letters to police and the media, and is currently serving three life sentences for the strangulation deaths of eight women (he once claimed to have as many as 160 victims). Himelrick was last seen by her family on Christmas Day 2014. "It just amazes me, because we're a small community. CHILLICOTHE - Chillicothe wasn't without its problems when May began five years ago, but by month's end a fear developed, stirred by reports of adult women who'd gone missing. By Little recounted that in 1971 or 1972 he met an attractive 18- to 19-year-old transgender black woman in Miami, Florida. NOTORIOUS serial killer Richard Beasley was known as the Craigslist Killer in 2011 when he lured his victims through phony job listings.The murders to . The task of researching your ancestors and your family history may be centered on census records, marriage and death certificates, or other records kept by governments and religious institutions. The cast also includes Niecy Nash, Michael Learned, Khetphet Phagnasay, Karen Malina White, Brayden Maniago, Arye Gross and Shaun J. "There is nothing whatsoever that can tie him to the missing women in Chillicothe," said Lt. Michael E. Preston, spokesman for Ross County Sheriff's Office. CHILLICOTHE Chillicothe wasnt without its problems when May began five years ago, but by months end a fear developed, stirred by reports of adult women whod gone missing. In 2014, four women vanish from Chillicothe, Ohio. Between 2006 and 2016, he killed Stacey Stanley, Elizabeth Griffith, Candice Cunningham, Rebekah Leicy, and Dana Nicole Lowrey. Initially, Grates lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on all charges, pivoting to not guilty by reason of insanity after Grate confessed to the murders in a press interview. According to the episode description, As Christina Hildreth helped Shawn Grate clean up his first crime scene, she didnt realize what she was doing. Neal Falls, 45, could be connected to a string of murders that police are investigating in Ohio, Illinois and Nevada. "[2] Falls died at the scene,[6] shot by Saul in the head, killing him instantly. [7] Since the trial was due to occur in Vinton County, a small county with at the time less than 13,000 residents, Ohio judge Jeffrey Simmons briefly ruled out the death penalty in the trial due to Vinton County lacking enough money to guarantee McKnight a fair trial. Governor Jon Husted put it simply, "We are now creating jobs faster than we can find people to fill them." . Authorities in Ohio and West Virginia have brought the FBI on board to assist them with tracking the slain man's movements leading up to his death and delving into his background. Unmatched Confession: Miami, Florida, 1971 or 1972. At least six women have disappeared from the 21,000 person town of Chillicothe, Ohio about two hours from Charleston in a little over a year. and last updated 2:36 PM, Oct 14, 2015. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. On April 19th, 1990, the half-nude body of a woman was discovered behind a truck stop on Interstate 70 in Licking County, Ohio. "It's very hard.