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. The 26-year-old is the sixth woman to go missing in the small city of Chillicothe, Ohio, in just over a year. Three of the six women were found dead in local waterways. Four women, including Claytor, have been found dead in the area . Ernest 'Dollar Bill' Moore, 39, turned himself into police after a . I decided that I would help.. Eight days later, searchers found Himelrick's body in the Scioto River, about a mile south of Higby Bridge. "It's very hard. "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. Beasley ultimately reached out to Bais, not knowing authorities had been in touch, which allowed them to trace his location based on cell towers. 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. They also fielded information reported overheard by inmates in the jail including one claiming Jeremi had told him he knew what happened to his wife but that the same would happen to him if he told. He alleged she may have been given a hot shot and he mentioned a dealer who may have supplied the drugs, but he hadnt witnessed anything. 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. In 2000, Falls moved to Henderson, Nevada, where for the next eight years he worked as a security guard at Hoover Dam. CLEVELAND, Ohio Anthony Sowell, the infamous Cleveland serial killer who committed one of the most shocking series of crimes in the city's history, died Monday afternoon at an Ohio. On April 19th, 1990, the half-nude body of a woman was discovered behind a truck stop on Interstate 70 in Licking County, Ohio. 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. [3] Seven months later he abducted 20-year-old Kenyon College student Emily Murray. And Rebecca Cade, 31, found bludgeoned and stabbed to death, hanging by a sleeve on a fence in October 2015. For the Ashland County murders, Grate was sentenced to death. She was a kind person who people took advantage of, said her mother, Diana Willett. "We still don't know anything," Jessica Sayre said. Three were found chopped to bits. In May 2015, more information came in from someone who claimed to hear details of what happened to Tameka and Charlotte from someone who overheard someone else talking. 24 min listen. Since Charlotte Trego was last heard from on May 3, 2014, there have been 3,458 people across the United States who have gone missing and haven't been located, according to, Previous coverage of the "missing women" cases, man convicted of rape and attempted rapes involving seven women, Jury convicts McCrary in Claytor murder case, Jury finds Donnie Cochenour Jr. not guilty of murder, Federal judge sentences 'Dollar Bill' to over 13 years in drug case, 'Gone' reveals details of missing women investigation, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Investigators have since said that he may be connected to the unsolved deaths and disappearances in Chillicothe. Now She's Accused of Murdering Patient, Man Suspected of Dismembering Missing Calif. Woman Googled 'How to Be a Serial Killer,' Remains at Large: Cops, Respiratory Therapist Pleads Not Guilty to Murdering Patient at Missouri Hospital 20 Years Ago, How a Woman's Plot to Frame Boyfriend for Murder Let a Serial Killer Continue His Spree, Prominent Political Donor Ed Buck Sentenced to 30 Years for Causing the Fatal Overdoses of 2 Men, An Ohio High School Forensics Class Joins the Hunt for a Young Mother's Killer, On Atlanta Spa Shooting Anniversary, a Renewed Focus to End Anti-Asian Violence, Miami Real Estate Agent Labeled a Suspected Serial Killer Following Attacks on Homeless Men: Police. But for now, Moore has no answers. Moore is now working to help solve the mystery of the missing and murdered women of Chillicothe, Ohio. Tonight marks the beginning of Investigation Discovery's. In little over a year, at least six women have disappeared from the town of only. Over the course of 14 months, between the spring of 2014 and the summer of 2015, several women disappeared from the area around Chillicothe, Ohio. He claimed hed heard Charlotte also was in Paint Creek. In 2014, four women vanish from Chillicothe, Ohio. 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). READ NEXT: Amie Harwicks Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. When two are later found dead, fears of a serial killer mount when a fifth woman goes missing in 2015. The man, who grew up in Bainbridge and pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, died of a drug overdose in 2017. He has not been named a suspect in any of the other cases. Lone Survivor of 1984 Colorado Hammer Killer Attack Misses the Family He Stole: 'Inside I Cry Every Day', She Saw Her Family Murdered by a Hammer-Wielding Stranger When She Was 3. Speaking to the press last month about the Chillicothe cases, Ross County Sheriff George Lavender said authorities are considering the possibility that a serial killer could be responsible for some of the deaths. . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. These cases being open haunt you, Lavender said. It worked. I grabbed the gun and shot behind me. In 2008, Falls was charged with sexually harassing a colleague, after which he was forced to quit. Richard Beasley is known as the Craigslist Killer. We have a pretty young police force here. The distrust deepened as other women were reported missing including Charlotte Trego, 27, who some said may have been with Tameka and was last heard from by her mother on May 3, 2014. People were not going to call to say we have someone overdosed here … You can spin a story any way you want, but not all the circumstances are the same in these cases, Washburn said. Police recently announced a crackdown on drugs and prostitution in areas the women frequented. We wanted to break down those barriers and get inside those barriers to see what we could find out, Lavender said. Ross County Authorities say Stephanie Jo Evans was dumped in the Scioto River in Chillicothe, Ohio, 15 years ago. He was. We repeatedly checked that area (Bainbridge) numerous times, Lavender said. about 1 year ago #chillicothe, #chillicothesix, #ohio, #serialkiller, #sexworkers, #unitedstates, #unsolved 0 Comments Sign in to leave a message Investigators said they later found axes, a shovel, handcuffs, cleaning supplies and other items in Falls' vehicle. As of Wednesday morning, police have not established a connection between the john killed in Charleston and the Chillicothe cases, but they have not ruled out the possibly that such a connection exists. Tameka Lynch, a 30-year-old mother of three, disappeared a couple of weeks later. Beasley's trial followed and that same year he received the death sentence. Megan Lancaster, the mother of a 10-year-old boy, was last seen in Portsmouth on April 3, 2013. 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. Beasley would prey on middle-aged men who were in need of work through a Craiglist job advertisement offering them $300 a week in pay and housing in a two-bedroom trailer. 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. She says the media has a tendency to focus on the perpetrator and not the victims. No one has said theres a serial killer. The Craigslist Killer episode will air at 10pm EST only on A&E. Six women have disappeared or been found dead there in the past 14 months. [2] Only after his death did police discover evidence possibly tying Falls to other crimes. Police recently announced a crackdown on drugs and prostitution in areas the women frequented. The Swamp Murders episode chronicling the brutal murder is titled, "Rocky Waters." There was nothing conclusive with it, no direct knowledge of the case.. The Chillicothe Gazette reported earlier on Monday that the woman's death has been deemed a homicide, but now there are more details coming to light in this tragic case. 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. Please enter valid email address to continue. - A documentary that looks at the investigation into six Chillicothe-area women who went missing or died since May 2014 has announced an air date. And a pregnant Shasta Himelrick, 20, who was reported missing in December 2014 and found drowned the next month, her death ruled a suicide. CHILLICOTHE, Ohio Nestled in the hills of Ohio's Scioto Valley, this rural town is unaccustomed to the widespread fear that has grown steadily as women have disappeared in the past year.. 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. If there was no PORT, Narcan or amnesty, the number of cases of missing women would be double, Washburn said. Everybody in this room put their heart and soul in this investigation for the last five years.. In September 2015, the task force said they believe Ernest "Dollar Bill" Moore could have information in the cases of the six women. A lot of time you could go interview someone and theyd be higher than a kite.. "When you start ruling things out, you overlook stuff, and we don't want to overlook anything," the sheriff said. Here is how the new, improved scam would . The murders took place in Akron, Ohio where Beasley resided. Twenty-six-year-old Tiffany Sayre was last seen alive in Chillicothe on May 11, 2015. On Wednesday, police identified the body as that of Rebecca Cade, a 31-year-old resident of Chillicothe, Ohio. 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. Nearby, investigators found two other bodies, one of whom was Ralph Geiger, a man who Beasley had not only killed but had assumed his identity. Authorities have yet to locate her. Tameka Lynch, 30. Last Saturday, her body was found in a drainage pipe, tied up with duct tape and wrapped in a white blanket. Charleston Gazette-Mail | Police believe man killed Saturday could be connected to Ohio slayings, W.Va. shooting could have impact in Chillicothe cases. . A mother of two children, ages 5 and 14, Boggs remains missing. Three days later, police took a report from a woman who said she was assaulted behind Liberty Tax Service by a man who said Im gonna kill you like I did the other girl and theyll never find her. The mans car, including a hatchet found inside, was processed for DNA and fingerprints but nothing was found connecting Tameka or Charlotte to the car. Officials have said that police are also investigating whether 45-year-old Neal Falls may be connected to the disappearances or deaths of nine women in three states - Ohio, Illinois and Nevada, CBS News reported. Richard Beasley and Brogan Rafferty stood trial in 2013 for the murders of Ralph Geiger, David Pauley, and Timothy Kern. 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. 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. She had been hanging out earlier in the evening with men at a Chillicothe motel that has a reputation as a site for prostitution. The unsolved disappearances have residents of Chillicothe, population 22,000, terrified and fearing . She had cocaine, amphetamine, morphine, Dilaudid and alcohol in her system at the time of death, according to the autopsy report. 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. The victim grabbed his handgun and shot him once July 18, police said. Other tips seemed to center around the same group of people in the Bainbridge area mostly from people whod overheard other people talking about yet other people. Authorities said Falls, of Springfield, Oregon, rented a room in Henderson, Nevada, from 2000 until 2008. Convicted Serial Killer Shawn Grate was arrested after a kidnapping victim escaped her bindings and called 911. Most of his friends and acquaintances spoke very positively of him.[5]. Amie Harwicks Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Some engaged in sex work to support their habit. She wanted to tell her story, says Moore. I face so much stigma daily, she says. Four women have died in Chillicothe under suspicious circumstances and two others remain missing. She had been beaten to death, and all of her jewelry and several pieces of her clothing were missing. They were already dead, he wrote to a reporter. We're just really hoping they catch the person.". 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. His legal team has appealed the death sentence in the Ohio Supreme Court, so a stay has been placed on his initial execution date, which was to be carried out in 2018. [2] He was released in 1997 and later married a woman named Kathryn. The coroner has ruled the manner and cause of death a homicide. Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a suspect. July 27, 2015 / 11:57 AM Alleged Serial Killer in Custody After Woman's 911 Call Shawn Grate, 40, is expected to appear in court on murder and kidnapping charges after the unidentified victim called 911 to lead Ohio . 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. [13] McKnight is awaiting execution at Chillicothe Correctional Institution.[10]. She had been at an unknown East Water Street home at 1 a.m. May 17. "[2] Falls died at the scene,[6] shot by Saul in the head, killing him instantly. Davis made it to a home where he called 911 and directed them to find his hat which might lead them to more clues. . There are not too many veterans. At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son. Rafferty was offered a deal to get parole when he was middle-aged if he provided information on Beasley, but he refused. The southern Ohio deaths and disappearances 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. He also told police hed heard Charlotte hadlast been picked up by a Blackrun Road man in a black extended cab pickup truck with gold trim. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. According to the episode description, As Christina Hildreth helped Shawn Grate clean up his first crime scene, she didnt realize what she was doing. Anyone with information should call the Chillicothe Police Department at 740-773-1191, or call the Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers at 740-773-TIPS. Police Say Three Women's Cases Could Be Connected Serial Killer Who Lured Victims on Dating Apps Is Caught Through Sting Operation, Sentenced. Two were never seen or heard from again. After Tameka was found, law enforcement conducted searches by land, air, and water using various tools including trained dogs, horses, kayaks, air boats, ATVs, helicopters, and the FBIs ground-penetrating radar. [2], In 1992, McKnight, then 15, shot and killed a man in Columbus, Ohio. Four of the women eventually turned up dead. In a further search of their property, they found Murray's decomposed body in McKnight's trailer. After finishing his training, his fingerprints were entered in a national database in 1998. Police were able to trace the Craigslist advertisements to a home in Akron, Ohio where Joe Bais rented a floor out to Beasley under Geiger's name. She told the dispatcher that shed been tied up, but she was calling from her kidnappers phone after managing to escape. Himelrick was last seen by her family on Christmas Day 2014. She was into drugs and may have turned to prostitution to support her habit, said her mother, Yvonne Boggs. Beasley has continuously maintained his innocence and remains at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Ohio. "Geographically, the cities are fairly close," Cooper said, adding: "He has not been connected to the Chillicothe cases.". before he attacked her. An online petition and Facebook page call for the closing of the motel Sayre had visited. Sayre disappeared after Himelrick, prompting widespread searches by friends, family members and concerned citizens. 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. In 2015, McKnight volunteered for execution, saying he wanted to die for his crimes. He spent his childhood and formative years living in various cities around Oregon. The bodies of four have been found: May 24, 2014. She was pregnant and had traces of painkillers and cocaine in her system. [7] When police officers searched the inside of his car, they allegedly found a machete, axes, knives, a shovel, a sledgehammer, bleach, plastic trash bags, bulletproof vests, clean white socks, and underwear. [6][12], Possible victims of Neal Falls include:[13], List of serial killers in the United States, "Was Springfield man Neal Falls a serial killer? "It is believed that McCrary and the other guy might open up once their cases go to court," McGill said. Himelrick was last seen by her family on Christmas Day 2014. 42-year-old Suzanne Taylor and her daughters Taylor, 21, and Kylie Pifer, 18, were found brutally murdered inside their North Royalton . Shasta Himelrick, a 20-year-old expectant mother, disappeared after Lemons. "I still feel like everyone is on edge because there is still someone or a few someone's out there that did this to these poor girls.". Those searches were ongoing on May 29, 2015, when the body of 38-year-old Timberly Claytor was found alongside a vacant building off Trego Creek Road in Massieville, a small town located about five miles south of Chillicothe. Charlotte Trego, 27, and Wanda Lemons, 37, have been missing since May and November 2014 respectively. Of those, 1,277 are women and include both Charlotte Trego and Wanda Lemons. Police in Chillicothe, Ohio, a two-hour. She was found dead three weeks later, in a creek roughly 20 miles downstream from where it passes through Chillicothe. 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. I don't know what happened. For example, in June 2014 police were given the names of a couple who may have dumped Tamekas body into Paint Creek. McKnight also worked at the restaurant, and left work minutes after Murray left. [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. Four prostitutes, all of whom advertised online, went missing during the eight years Falls resided there, cops said. More: Jury convicts McCrary in Claytor murder case, More: Jury finds Donnie Cochenour Jr. not guilty of murder. Faye supported the farm by working in a factory, and later, being a motel maid. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, Serena Williams stepmom's debts continue to spiral amid crumbling home battle, 'Glaring error' left 'habitual liar' Alex Murdaugh 'boxed in' during trial, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life after disgraced lawyer guilty of murder, Murdaugh sentenced to LIFE in prison after being found guilty of double murder, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP. Due to uncertainty over how Julious was killed, prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty for his murder. [9], At the end of the trial, after less than an hour of deliberating, McKnight was convicted of all charges: murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, receiving stolen property, and complicity. It remains unclear if Sayre made it back to the hotel. YouTube/WKYC Channel 3 Portsmouth is a city located about 45 miles south of Chillicothe. But Lt. Steve Cooper said the possibility is being looked into because women were the victims in both places and because of proximity - less than a two-hour drive from Charleston. Some even think cases in other nearby areas, including the 2013 disappearance of 26-year-old Megan Lancaster, could be connected. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to killing Dana Nicole Lowrey in Louisiana. The body of Shasta Himelrick, last seen on surveillance video leaving a gas station early on the morning of December 26, was found in the Scioto River January 2. The murders took place in. Family of some of the women have publicly voiced concerns that the deaths and disappearances could be the work of a serial killer. Please hurry.. When the man arrived to meet Beasley, the two rode together to survey the area where the man was intended to be working. Police also said that because the women ran in the same circles, someone knows the fuller story. Wake up to the day's most important news. Shastas case was closed due to the suicide ruling a ruling her family disputes. Wed run down the lead until it was done. / CBS/AP. Another home also was searched at this time. He was arrested and convicted under a juvenile court and sentenced to serve a short sentence at the Circleville Youth Center. A convicted serial killer sentenced to death in the murders of 11 women, whose bodies he hid in and around his Mount Pleasant home, died Monday at Ohio's Chillicothe Correctional Institution. After gunning down the violent client, the sex worker was taken to a hospital with broken vertebrae, strangulation marks, a shoulder injury and additional physical trauma. There were also two corpses on the premises, which filled the house with an awful stench. Just their bodies were flopping wherever it can flop but their minds were already dead! 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. Executions take place at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. And Tiffany Sayre, 26, reported missing in May 2015 and found dead the next month in Highland County, her death ruled a homicide. Six missing and deceased women in Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe Police The southern Ohio deaths and disappearances spurred the creation of a task force including Chillicothe police and. 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. The ex-nurse allegedly killed her patient David Wesley Harper, 37, by "administering unprescribed pharmaceuticals to him" at Hendrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. The murderer's reign of terror started in April 1971, and over the next 17 months, he abducted and killed six young African-American girls and left their bodies near large roads with plenty of traffic. NBC4 has learned that three missing women in central Ohio went to the same drug rehab center in the southern part of the state. Tonight on Investigation Discovery, an episode of 'Evil Lives Here' that revolves around convicted serial killer Shawn Grate will air. Lynch was scared of water and wouldn't willingly have gone anywhere near a river, said her mother. Charlotte Trego, a young mother of two, was the first to. Now it's the place where women go missing and wash up dead. Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com Falls was shot dead last month after he attacked a sex worker in West Virginia. Between 2006 and 2016, he killed Stacey Stanley, Elizabeth Griffith, Candice Cunningham, Rebekah Leicy, and Dana Nicole Lowrey. 27 min listen. No concrete answers have come out of the investigation, but Washburn said much of the information they did get lent itself toward people dumping people after an overdose because they were scared to call for help. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. While some family members' perceptions are that the community in general is insensitive to their pain, some locals attribute it to an underbelly of fear. Governor Jon Husted put it simply, "We are now creating jobs faster than we can find people to fill them." . The unimaginable tragedy forever changed the lives of the victims' families and thrust the small city into the national spotlight.