Tag: Americas

MILLEN, Ga. (TCD) — Using genealogy technology, investigators recently identified a woman whose remains were found in a suitcase in 1988.

According to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), on Sunday, Feb. 14, 1988, the Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI’s assistance in a death investigation after discovering a victim encased in plastic and duct tape. The person had been left inside a large nylon suitcase in a dumpster. Investigators determined she died of asphyxiation and had been deceased for approximately four to seven days.

The GBI compared the victim’s fingerprints and dental records to missing people nationwide and created a forensic sketch for public release. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System initiated an investigation and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children used computer generation to create another sketch. Despite these efforts, the case went cold.

The victim became known as “Jane Millen Doe” and “Jenkins County Jane Doe,” according to Othram Inc.

Police resubmitted evidence to the GBI Crime Lab for further testing. Thanks to advancements in DNA technology, analysts successfully detected DNA on the submitted items, but the profiles did not meet the criteria for entry into the Combined DNA Index System Database.

In 2023, the GBI partnered with Othram, a Texas-based company that utilizes forensic-grade genome sequencing and DNA technology to solve cases. Scientists at Othram generated a profile of the victim using a DNA sample, which helped investigators locate potential relatives.

Using the new DNA profile, a genealogical search led investigators to identify the woman as Chong Un Kim, of Hinesville, Liberty County, Georgia. She was reportedly 26 years old at the time of her death and had moved to the United States from Korea in 1981.

Kim’s family was notified this month.

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ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) — Officials arrested a couple this week for allegedly assaulting a man, stealing his car, and throwing him into a river.

According to a news release from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the victim and Natalie Fonseca met on social media, and they arranged to go on a date. During the date, the victim and Fonseca allegedly went to her house, where she introduced him to her “uncle,” Nafis Reynolds.

The three reportedly drove to the victim’s home and continued what the Sheriff’s Office called an “unorthodox date” before leaving the house again.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, while they were on the road, “Fonseca and Nafis both hit the victim several times and told him he was going to die.”

The pair allegedly stole the victim’s shoes, phone, money, and car.

Fonseca and Reynolds reportedly “took turns cutting his throat before throwing him over the bridge rail and into Escambia River.”

Afterward, the couple fled the scene in the stolen car, but the vehicle was later spotted on West 98 after it had been set on fire.

The Sheriff’s Office said the male victim survived the cuts, “unbeknownst to our would-be killers,” as well as the fall from the bridge. He managed to swim to safety on the bank of the river and flagged down a deputy for help.

Escambia County detectives arrested Reynolds and Fonseca on charges of attempted murder, armed carjacking, armed robbery, and kidnapping. They were booked into the Escambia County Jail on Oct. 23.

According to records, Fonseca’s bond was set at $852,000, while Reynolds’ was set at $851,000.

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FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (TCD) — A 54-year-old former assisted living facility employee faces a murder charge for allegedly assaulting and killing an 88-year-old resident last month.

According to a news release from the Fuquay-Varina Police Department, on Sept. 24, officers responded to the Windsor Point Retirement Community on Broad Street to a report of an altercation. Police learned Cynthia Sellars, an employee at the facility, allegedly pushed resident Lillie Cooper onto the floor.

As a result of the assault, Cooper suffered critical injuries and was transported to WakeMed-Cary for medical treatment. According to an arrest warrant obtained by WNCN-TV, Cooper broke her left hip bone.

Sellars was initially charged with one count of assault on individuals with a disability.

Cooper eventually died from her wounds, and the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide due to assault.

Investigators reviewed the Medical Examiner’s report and consulted with the District Attorney’s Office. On Tuesday, Oct. 24, police said they obtained a felony warrant for Sellars on one count of murder. Officers booked her into the Johnston County Detention Center, and she remains held without bond.

Sellars was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, Oct. 25.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. (TCD) — A 30-year-old former Mayo Clinic resident was charged with murder this week for allegedly poisoning his wife over the summer amid marital struggles.

According to KAAL-TV, on Aug. 16, Betty Bowman went to the Mayo Clinic emergency room due to dehydration and diarrhea. She became sicker over the course of several days as her organs failed and her cardiac issues worsened. She died Aug. 20. In her obituary, her family listed her cause of death as a “sudden onset autoimmune and infectious illness.”

Investigators, however, now allege her husband, Connor Bowman, poisoned her with a gout medication even though she did not have the ailment, Minnesota Public Radio reports. Connor Bowman reportedly told doctors his wife most likely died from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, known as HLH.

According to Johns Hopkins Hospital, HLH occurs when white blood cells attack other blood cells, causing swelling of the spleen and liver. HLH is a rare disease, though it occurs more frequently in infants and young children than adults.

KAAL reports Betty Bowman did not have an HLH diagnosis in her chart.

Minnesota Public Radio reports Bowman allegedly tried to have his wife’s remains cremated as soon as possible and asked not to have an autopsy completed. Around the time of her death, the Bowmans were reportedly experiencing marital problems and thinking about divorcing. Connor Bowman was on his wife’s life insurance plan and would have received $500,000 following her death.

Rochester Police Department investigators learned Connor Bowman previously worked as a poison expert at the University of Kansas. He allegedly used his university-issued computer to look up colchicine, the gout medicine. KAAL reports Bowman often fielded calls for the university about poison, but he never consulted on any calls regarding colchicine.

According to KAAL, the Mayo Clinic released a statement regarding Bowman’s arrest, saying, “We are aware of the recent arrest of a former Mayo Clinic resident on charges unrelated to his Mayo Clinic responsibilities. The resident’s training at Mayo Clinic ended earlier this month.”

Olmsted County Jail records show Bowman was booked Oct. 20 on a charge of second-degree murder with intent — not premeditated.

According to her obituary, Betty was a pharmacist who loved traveling, her Corgi, Sir Crumpet II of Mayberry, and traveling.

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In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast: Donte Mills joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss Joran van der Sloot’s confession in Natalee Holloway’s slaying, an appeals court ruling in Alex Murdaugh’s favor, and a pending grand jury indictment for Alec Baldwin in the fatal “Rust” shooting.

Tweet your questions for future episodes to Joshua Ritter using the hashtag #TCDSidebar.

YouTube: Suspect confesses to murder of missing teen; Prosecutors recharge Alec Baldwin — TCD Sidebar

TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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GARDNER, Mass. (TCD) — Investigators are searching for a 33-year-old man they allege shot and killed his wife in their home over the weekend because she reportedly wanted to move away with their four children.

On Sunday, Oct. 22, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Gardner Police responded to a disturbance call at 42 Cherry St. and found 30-year-old Breanne Pennington deceased inside. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early identified the suspect as Aaron Pennington and said he was last known to be driving a white 2013 BMW 320. Early said Pennington is considered armed and dangerous.

Gardner Police went to the home after the couple’s four children went to a neighbor’s house for help. The children, who are reportedly 2, 5, 7, and 9 years old, are in DCF custody.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, Early announced a hunter found Pennington’s BMW in the woods and said investigators are treating the situation “like he is alive and would be somewhere in the woods.” Officials searched the surrounding area for Pennington but did not locate him.

Early said he might have come to the woods “sometime Sunday.”

According to court documents cited by the Gardner News, Breanne and Aaron Pennington had issues in their marriage “for quite some time,” and she reportedly wanted to relocate to Texas. The affidavit says Aaron Pennington deals with “mental issues and had threatened suicide” in the past.

Mass Live, which also cites court records, reports the four Pennington children ran to their neighbor’s house Sunday morning and were “scared because they could not find their father and their mother was in her bedroom crying.”

When police went inside the home, they found Breanne Pennington in her bed with “obvious signs of death from an apparent gunshot wound to the face.”

Pennington reportedly works for defense contractor Raytheon as a senior supervisor for manufacturing and operations. Pennington is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

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LAS VEGAS (TCD) — A 27-year-old woman was arrested last week after she reportedly ditched her date at a U2 concert, broke into his hotel room, and stole thousands of dollars from his safe.

According to an arrest report cited by KLAS-TV, on Oct. 15, a man in his 50s contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to report cash and casino chips had been stolen from him. The victim, who was not publicly identified, reportedly told police he met Hailey McNally on the dating site “Seeking Arrangement” about five weeks before the incident. He reportedly admitted to being a “sugar daddy” and that he agreed to pay McNally $2,500 in exchange for her spending the weekend with him at Caesars Palace.

KLAS reports McNally and the man met Friday, Oct. 13, and the two spent the evening at dinner and at the pool. McNally reportedly put the man to bed after he got drunk, then met up with him again the next morning. He allegedly handed her $400 for gambling, and she ended up winning over $3,000.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal, which also cites the report, says McNally asked the victim if she could put her purse in his safe, so he “verbally gave Hailey the combination number.”

The next night, the victim and McNally went to the U2 concert at the newly opened Sphere. She reportedly left during the show because she said she had to use the restroom. After McNally did not return for several minutes, the victim reportedly texted her, “Are you okay?”

McNally allegedly did not respond, so the victim went back to his hotel room and realized his $50,000 cash and $7,000 worth of gambling chips disappeared. He contacted police, who identified McNally as the suspect.

Las Vegas Metro Police reportedly located McNally on West Sahara Avenue and took her into custody Oct. 17. Police obtained a search warrant for her apartment and discovered $11,700 in cash and $5,200 in Caesars Palace casino chips.

Las Vegas court records show McNally is being charged with residential burglary and grand larceny over $25,000 but less than $100,000. She posted bond Oct. 18.

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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (TCD) — A 23-year-old mother faces murder and arson charges in connection with the stabbing death of her 6-year-old son.

On Thursday, Oct. 19, shortly before 8 a.m., the Gwinnett County Police and Fire departments responded to an apartment fire at 4900 Springs Lane in Peachtree Corners, where they could hear an alarm going off from a unit on the first level of the building. The initial call to dispatchers came from someone on a higher story in the complex.

Police said they entered the unit and found 6-year-old Jayveon Pruitt suffering from multiple stab wounds. The boy, who was the only occupant inside the apartment at the time, was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

At around 9:15 a.m., police located a shoeless female behind the building wearing only a single sock and wet clothes. Officers took the woman, A’zaria Burton, into custody in order to “determine her involvement in this criminal investigation.” Police said Burton lived in the apartment where the fire broke out.

Police booked Burton, Jayveon’s mother, into the Gwinnett County Jail on Friday, Oct. 20, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on charges of malice murder, felony murder, first-degree arson, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, possession of a knife during the commission of certain crimes, and first-degree cruelty to children.

Burton remains held without bond. Police said the motive is under investigation.

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ANDERSON, Calif. (TCD) — Police rescued eight children over the weekend who had reportedly been kidnapped from their foster homes in Arkansas and driven to Northern California with their biological mother, who no longer had custody of them.

According to the Anderson Police Department, just after midnight on Saturday, Oct. 21, a “concerned citizen” called 911 and asked officers to conduct a welfare check on a group of six children who were with a woman “displaying bizarre behavior.” Police went to the location the person provided and found the woman, Trista Fullerton, and the kids in a parking lot.

Police determined Fullerton, 36, was driving a Dodge pickup truck with Arkansas plates and learned she had a warrant for her arrest for allegedly abducting eight children. Anderson Police shared photos of the pickup truck, which was strewn with trash bags, empty bottles, pieces of food, and clothing. There also appeared to be furniture filed in the truck bed.

Officers took her into custody and learned the other two children were at a house in Cottonwood. Shasta County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted Anderson Police by going to the home and picking up the other two juveniles.

Anderson Police said the eight children were put into custody of Shasta County Children and Family Services until they could be reunited with their families. All eight were reported as abducted from Arkansas with protective custody warrants.

Police learned Fullerton is the biological mother of all eight children, but she no longer had custodial rights. All the victims were reportedly taken from their respective foster placements.

Fullerton was booked into the Shasta County Jail on a fugitive from justice warrant.

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