Reyna Dunlap’s family members became concerned when the influencer disappeared, and they were unable to reach her. Her sister, desperate for answers, even posted on TikTok in hopes of finding her. Weeks later, Reyna’s remains were later discovered in a vacant, cluttered house in Cleveland. What happened to Reyna?
Source: True Crime Daily
RUNNEMEDE, N.J. (TCN) — Officials have charged a 45-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 50-year-old girlfriend, who was found deceased in a wooded area late last year.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, on Dec. 22, 2024, the remains of Laura Hughes were found in a refrigerator in the Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County. Hughes’ body was wrapped in a sleeping bag secured with blue ratchet straps and covered with carpet, court documents reviewed by WPVI-TV say. Prosecutors did not say how she died.
The victim’s boyfriend, Christopher Blevins, was initially charged on Jan. 3 with second-degree desecration of human remains and third-degree hindering apprehension. Investigators searched Blevins’ apartment and reportedly discovered blue straps, a gun, and other pieces of evidence.
According to WPVI, police used a license plate reader and observed Belvins’ green Dodge Ram transporting a “refrigerator-shaped object” two separate days in July 2024. He allegedly fled the country afterward.
On Jan. 13, New Jersey State Police detectives learned Blevins had been arrested in San Diego. Prosecutors announced that on Jan. 29, he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Hughes’ death. He remains held in the San Diego County Jail on a fugitive hold but will be extradited back to New Jersey.
According to WPVI, another individual, John Tyrrell faces a charge of obstruction in the case because he wouldn’t turn over his cell phone. Tyrrell allegedly found Hughes’ body.
Hughes was reportedly a mother to two daughters, ages 18 and 13.
Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said, “While nothing can ever undo the pain of this tragic loss, we hope this outcome brings some measure of peace to her family and all who cared for her. This case is a powerful reminder that no challenge is too great when agencies unite with a shared mission—to stand for victims and their families, ensuring their voices are never forgotten.”
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland added, “The successful resolution of this case is a testament to the unwavering dedication and cooperation of all the investigative detectives involved.”
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Source: True Crime Daily
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) — A 61-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of fatally shooting his friend and telling authorities he believed the victim was an intruder.
According to an affidavit, in the early hours of Jan. 28, a neighbor called 911 and said John Hainlin told him he shot a person inside his home. The neighbor reportedly went inside the residence and found an unresponsive male. Hainlin also called law enforcement, reporting that he shot someone who broke into his house.
Officers from the New Port Richey and Port Richey Police departments responded to Hainlin’s home and located the victim in a recliner chair in the living room. According to WTVT-TV, family members identified the victim as 74-year-old Ross Coyle. He was transported to Bayonet Point Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
Hainlin reportedly told authorities he shot a stranger who he believed to be an intruder breaking in to his house. He also claimed he had a friend over earlier in the evening, but he said he called an Uber for his friend to return home because they had been drinking.
During an audio-recorded interview, court documents say Hainlin “appeared to be intoxicated” and had “slurred speech, red bloodshot glassy eyes, and the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath.”
According to the affidavit, Hainlin said during the interview that his friend came over, and they cooked food together and drank alcohol. Hainlin reportedly told authorities that after calling his friend an Uber, he went back inside and locked the door. After using the restroom, Hainlin claimed he saw an intruder. He allegedly told officials he grabbed his firearm from under his pillow and shot the suspected intruder from approximately 6 feet away before calling 911.
Investigators executed a search warrant and observed “no signs of forced entry” and noticed Hainlin did not have any active rideshare applications on his phone.
According to the affidavit, authorities believe Hainlin made “inaccurate statements” and that the victim he shot was his close friend who had come over for food and drinks.
Hainlin remains held in the Pasco County Corrections on a charge of murder.
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Source: True Crime Daily
FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (TCN) — A 29-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his role in the kidnapping, robbing, and fatal shooting of a 41-year-old woman over the sale of a pawned watch.
The Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that on Jan. 30, a judge sentenced Andres Torres Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection with the death of Michelle Smith. Torres pleaded guilty in October 2024 to first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, and conspiracy.
Prior to his trial, Torres was serving a two- to 10-year sentence for malicious assault of another inmate at the Southern Regional Jail. Torres’ co-defendant, Amanda Soultz, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to first-degree murder and is set to be sentenced on Feb. 11.
In January 2023, Torres and Soultz reportedly went from Indiana to Fayette County, where Soultz had previously resided. Prosecutors said Soultz knew Smith before the defendants’ arrival, and Torres pawned a watch to her for $50. Torres became upset after learning Smith had listed the watch for sale on Facebook.
On Feb. 16, 2023, Torres and Soultz went to Smith’s residence to get the watch, where she was kidnapped, robbed, and killed. According to the prosecuting attorney’s office, Soultz and Torres initially told police they had dinner and drinks with Smith on the night of Feb. 16. However, investigators obtained evidence from the scene, suggesting that this was not a “friendly gathering.”
Smith reportedly told the defendants she no longer had the watch, and Soultz and Torres then handcuffed the victim. Torres allegedly used his fists and a pistol to hit Smith. Prosecutors said Soultz and Torres went through Smith’s home and located the watch, causing Torres to become “even more enraged.” Torres then shot Smith in the head and “left her for dead.” Torres told authorities he shot the victim “because she ‘disrespected’ him.”
Smith’s adult son wasn’t able to reach his mother and went to check on her approximately 12 hours after the shooting and found her still alive with a gunshot wound to her head. Smith succumbed to her injury on March 31 and “was never able to speak about what had happened the night she was shot.”
According to the prosecuting attorney’s office, Soultz admitted she helped Torres but claimed he forced her, and she agreed “out of fear.”
Following the shooting, Soultz and Torres worked together to leave the area and evade arrest. They continued their relationship with jail calls after their arrests and even planned to get married. Prosecutors said Torres intended to take responsibility for their crimes “to allow Soultz to go free.”
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Source: True Crime Daily
Twenty-seven-year-old Ellen Greenberg was a beloved elementary school teacher who was adored by everyone who knew her. One wintry day, her fiancé discovered her dead on their apartment floor with a knife sticking out her heart and stab wounds all over her body. The pathologist initially ruled her death a homicide, then changed her manner of death to suicide. Ellen’s family insists she was murdered. What is the truth, and will there ever be justice for Ellen?
Source: True Crime Daily
DETROIT (TCN) — A 41-year-old mother faces charges after authorities found her young son buried in a shallow grave in her yard.
According to the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, on Jan. 6, officers responded to a home and found the remains of 9-year-old Zemar King after a landlord discovered a grave while working on the property. Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a press conference that the child’s foot was “sticking out of the ground.”
The child’s mother, Brandee Pierce, allegedly tied his hands and feet together, dug a hole in the yard, and “covered him with dirt.”
The medical examiner determined King died of smothering and compression to the neck.
The prosecuting attorney’s office alleges that on Oct. 24, 2024, Pierce fatally assaulted her son and then buried his body in the backyard. Pierce abandoned the rental home on Nov. 6, 2024, and fled to Georgia with her 3-year-old son.
According to the prosecuting attorney’s office, police in Atlanta investigated Pierce on Dec. 20, 2024, for an unrelated incident involving her 3-year-old son and notified the Detroit Police Department. Multiple law enforcement agencies looked into King’s death and arrested Pierce.
On Feb. 5, the prosecuting attorney’s office announced that Pierce faces charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of an individual. She is still in custody in Georgia and is awaiting extradition back to Detroit, Worthy said in a press conference.
The surviving child is reportedly in foster care.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said at the press conference, “This case is rather shocking. In my 27-year career, I don’t remember seeing anything like this.”
Worthy wrote in a press release, “I have been a prosecutor for a long time, and I often say that I have seen it all. The horrors of this child abuse case defy that. The alleged actions of this defendant are among the most callous I have seen and hope never to see again.”
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Source: True Crime Daily
OXFORD, Miss. (TCN) — Police announced that human remains discovered over the weekend were positively identified as those of a 20-year-old University of Mississippi student who disappeared in 2022.
Jimmie “Jay” Lee was last seen leaving campus just before 6 a.m. on July 8, 2022, wearing a silver robe, gold sleeping cap, and gray slippers. His car was found at an apartment complex the same day and towed to a local lot. The Oxford Police Department said investigators believe Lee was visiting someone at the building when he went missing.
About two weeks later, on July 22, 2022, Oxford Police arrested Sheldon Herrington Jr. on a charge of murder. The Mississippi Clarion Ledger reports Herrington and Lee had a romantic relationship, but Herrington allegedly wanted to keep it a secret. Surveillance video reportedly showed Herrington moving a shovel and wheelbarrow from his parents’ house into a moving truck.
Herrington went to trial in December 2024, but the jury failed to reach a decision, so the judge declared a mistrial. Oxford Police Chief Jeff McCutchen said at the time, “Our commitment, remains unshaken and our job is far from over. We have not stopped looking for Jay Lee since July 8, 2022, and we will not stop until we bring him home to his family.”
There was a break in the case Feb. 1 when hunters discovered human remains in Carroll County. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Oxford Police Department about the findings and the remains were brought to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for testing. The Oxford Police Department confirmed Wednesday, Feb. 5, that the remains were identified as Lee’s.
Mississippi Today reports investigators found a necklace that matched something Lee had been wearing in a video just days before he disappeared.
Lee’s sister reportedly wrote on social media, “Speaking for myself, I can say it does bring me some type of happiness knowing he’s not out there alone anymore.”
McCutchen said in the news release announcing Lee’s positive identification, “The Oxford Police Department made a commitment to finding Jay, no matter how long it took. This case has remained an active investigation since July 8, 2022. We are grateful to the Lee family and Jay’s friends for their help and support throughout this process. We hope this confirmation brings them even a small measure of comfort.”
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Source: True Crime Daily
AUBURNDALE, Fla. (TCN) — A jury recently found a teen not guilty of fatally stabbing his mother a year after he allegedly shot and killed his father in Oklahoma.
Seventeen-year-old Collin Griffith was charged with capital murder, kidnapping, and violation of a no-contact order in connection with the stabbing death of his mother. On Wednesday, Feb. 5, a jury found Griffith not guilty of first-degree murder and not guilty of kidnapping, WTVT-TV reports.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press conference that Griffith called law enforcement on Sept. 8, 2024, and said he and his mother “had a very long fight, and she fell on a knife, and she’s bleeding from the neck.” Deputies responded and met Griffith outside and observed blood on his body. He reportedly seemed “calm, cool, collected,” and “not upset.”
According to Judd, deputies found a 12-inch knife with an 8-inch blade at the scene. Although Collin Griffith said his mother, Catherine Griffith, fell on the knife, an autopsy showed the fatal incident was likely not accidental.
Witnesses reportedly saw Collin Griffith drag his mother into a mobile home, where she died.
Previously, on Feb. 14, 2023, Collin Griffith allegedly called officials in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, and said he shot his dad, Charles Griffith, in self-defense after he pulled a knife on him. He was charged with first-degree murder, but investigators could not rule out Collin Griffith’s self-defense claim, and the charges were dropped.
Griffith moved in with his mother in Charlotte County, Florida, in March 2023. Six months later, Griffith was Baker Acted, which is a temporary involuntary hold due to a mental health crisis. After being released from a hospital, Griffith allegedly told authorities, “I’ll kill myself or my mother by shooting or stabbing her.” He was Baker Acted again but released days later.
According to Judd, officials arrested Griffith in November 2023 after he allegedly pushed his mother to the ground and stomped on her because she “took his video game privileges away.” He claimed it was self-defense, but Griffith’s grandmother, who was present, did not corroborate the statement.
Collin Griffith reportedly got into a dispute with his mother on Sept. 6 at her house in Charlotte County, and he fled to his grandmother’s home in Auburndale, Polk County, but she wasn’t there. Catherine Griffith drove up to the grandmother’s house at 4:30 p.m. and they allegedly kept arguing. He called 911 two hours later to report that his mother fell on the knife.
Amy Thornhill, Griffith’s public defender, reportedly argued that the victim possibly attacked the defendant with the knife first. Thornhill also said there’s no evidence that Griffith held his mother in the house against her will, according to WTVT.
Griffith faced life in prison if convicted.
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Source: True Crime Daily
From Newsweek:
Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the Department of Justice allegedly failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The conservative activist group asked for records related to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office’s “requesting or receiving federal funds or other federal assistance” related to the investigation of Trump and other alleged coconspirators.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, in a statement: “President Trump truly needs to overhaul the Justice Department from top to bottom. It is a scandal that a federal court had to order the Justice Department to admit the truth that their objections to producing records about collusion with Fani Willis had no basis in reality,”The Department of Justice was directed to process Judicial Watch’s FOIA request. The parties were also ordered to meet on or before February 21 and report the discussion status to the court.
Read more here…
Source: Judicial Watch
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (TCN) — A judge ordered a 29-year-old woman to serve over two decades in prison for fatally shooting and dismembering a man, and letting a man who was wanted for killing his ex stay with her for several days.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Jan. 31 that Elizabeth Mascarelli was sentenced to 25 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 85% of her sentence, or about 21 years. She pleaded guilty in December to aggravated manslaughter for her role in the death of 56-year-old Kerry Rollason.
The discovery of Rollason’s remains began when law enforcement officers identified Johnston as the suspect in 25-year-old Gabriella Caroleo’s June 27, 2024, death. The Asbury Park Press reports a passerby stopped to helped Caroleo. As she was dying, she named Johnston as her killer. Police located Johnston at a home on Ravenwood Drive in Toms River on July 5, 2024, and a standoff ensued.
Three people at the home exited the residence, but Johnston, who was reportedly armed, and Mascarelli reportedly stayed inside. Negotiators tried to communicate with Johnston, but he reportedly did not cooperate. Mascarelli surrendered after several hours. Police used a drone to check on Johnston and saw he was deceased with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
While detectives continued investigating Caroleo’s death, they learned about a possible killing at the home in Toms River. They obtained a search warrant and found “numerous body parts in black bags along with additional evidence connected to the murder, including a hatchet.” Rollason reportedly owned the Ravenwood Drive home where his body parts had been found.
The medical examiner determined Rollason died from multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma.
Police arrested Mascarelli on July 15, 2024, on charges of hindering apprehension, desecration of human remains, being a certain person not to possess a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a defaced weapon. As the investigation continued, detectives determined Mascarelli “conspired with Johnston, and was, in fact, the individual responsible for Mr. Rollason’s death.”
Mascarelli and the three others who surrendered outside the home reportedly helped her dismember Rollason’s body and dispose of his remains. A grand jury returned an indictment in October on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hindering apprehension, desecration/disturbing human remains, and other counts.
According to the Asbury Park Press, Mascarelli and her co-conspirators went to McDonald’s after killing Rollason but before they dismembered him.
Mascarelli apologized to Rollason’s family at her sentencing hearing, saying, “Nothing can justify what happened that day.”
One of the prosecuting attorney’s said, “Frankly, the facts are the plot of a horror movie. One has to suspend themselves from reality to accept that something so gruesome, so horrific, inhumane, could happen right here in Toms River, in Ocean County, New Jersey.”
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Source: True Crime Daily