True Crime Story Magazine

26/05/2025

Grant Hardin, 56, escaped from North Central Unit in Calico Rock, Ark., on Sunday, May 25. His whereabouts remain unknown.

26/05/2025

George Floyd's family reflected on his legacy and called again for police reform during a press conference to mark the five-year anniversary of Floyd’s death. The press conference took place outside the Houston, Texas, cemetery where Floyd is buried and followed a private memorial that was held there by the family.
https://abc13.com/post/16498381/

26/05/2025

James Lewis, the suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings, gave a final interview attempting to clear his name. But some still wonder if he was the mastermind behind the murders that triggered a nationwide panic and got away with it.

In a span of three days beginning Sept. 29, 1982, seven people — including a 12-year-old girl — who took cyanide-laced Tylenol in the Chicago area died, sparking a national recall of the product. The poisonings led to the adoption of tamper-proof packaging for over-the-counter medications.

Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, filmmakers of Netflix's true crime docuseries "Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders," told Fox News Digital there's a possibility there could be more victims.

25/05/2025

New Hampshire officials will hand over $2.25m to the mother of Harmony Montgomery, a five-year-old girl who was murdered by her father in 2019.

Her mother, Crystal Sorey, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state Division for Children, Youth and Families last year.

She claimed the agency failed to take action after several people reported concerns about her daughter’s welfare once the girl’s father, Adam Montgomery, 34, was given full custody in February 2019. Harmony had been placed in state custody earlier in her life and a judge determined she should live with her father, even though he had a violent criminal history.

New Hampshire officials will hand over $2.25m to the mother of Harmony Montgomery , a five-year-old girl who was murdered by her father in 2019 . Her mothe

25/05/2025

Three children and a woman have died after a house fire in north-west London, with a man arrested on suspicion of murder.

Officers were called to assist the London Fire Brigade (LFB) at the scene of the blaze at the home in Tillett Close, Stonebridge, at 1.22am on Saturday.

A 43-year-old woman, a girl aged 15, and two boys aged eight and four died at the scene, the Metropolitan Police said. The force had initially incorrectly reported that the children were all boys.

Three children and a woman have died after a house fire in north-west London , with a man arrested on suspicion of murder. Officers were called to assist t

24/05/2025

The Disappearance of Asha Degree

Written By: Enrique Melendez
Social Media Contributing Writer

February 13, 2000
Shelby, North Carolina

On a chilled, rainy Valentine's Day, 9-year-old Asha Degree vanished from a safe and loving home, leaving a family and community puzzled by her disappearance.

The day before

On February 13, 2000, the day before Asha disappeared, she spent quality time with her family. Asha, played a basketball game that day, which her team had lost. After the game. Asha and her family returned home and decided to watch a movie together, and after the movie, they went to bed.

Where’s Asha?

According to FBI reports, in the early morning of Valentine’s Day, between 2:30 AM and 4 AM, Asha had left her home. WCNC reported that the weather at the time was severe, with heavy rain and strong winds blanketing the area. According to Asha’s mother, Iquilla, at around 5:45 AM, she went to wake her children for school, discovering that her daughter was gone. She instinctively searched the house, but her daughter was nowhere to be found, and she called the police shortly after.

A quick response

Following the call to law enforcement, a massive search was initiated, which led to the discovery of 2 witnesses, a truck driver and a motorcyclist who stated that on February 14, around 3:45 AM, they saw a small girl matching Asha’s description “walking” on Highway 18 in Shelby. This discovery indicated that she was walking north. A witness told investigators that when they turned back, they saw her run into the wooden area.

This launched an extensive search by law enforcement, bringing in search dogs, aerial support, and countless volunteers focused on the area where she was last seen. However, the search dogs found no trail, and weather conditions made search efforts rigorous and challenging in the darkness.

A discovery

The investigation of Asha’s disappearance continues for over a year with a puzzling discovery.

On August 3, 2001, crucial evidence was discovered by a construction worker who found Asha’s book bag over twenty miles away from her home, buried near a logging road in Burke County.

The book bag had Asha’s name and home phone number on it as well as schoolwork, but investigations also found a New Kids on the Block concert t-shirt that did not belong to her. This unexpected discovery suggests foul play.

Later, in September 2017, investigators acquired information that Asha may have been seen getting into a dark green Ford Thunderbird or Lincoln. The vehicle matched a description that was given earlier in the investigation. In October 2018, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s office posted a video asking for information about the New Kids on the Block t-shirt and a library book that was linked to the case.

Recent developments

This case has made several breakthroughs in the last few years. On September 13, 2024, a raid was made by the FBI on a Cleveland County property. Sheriff Alan Norman stated that warrants were obtained based on physical evidence connected to Asha’s disappearance. During this raid, a green vehicle similar in appearance to the one mentioned before was towed off the property.

Just a few days later, according to FBI reports, on September 18, 2024, a chilling reveal of the warrants mentions that Asha was a “victim of homicide” and that her body may have been “concealed.” The report also revealed a crucial piece of evidence of a hair sample, which was in Asha’s bookbag in 2001, which led to a property on Cherryville Road.

A more recent development came on February 18, 2025, when warrants for the cellphone of Lizzie Foster, the daughter of a man whose property was searched in Cleveland County. The phone was taken by law enforcement, due to a man who told detectives that Lizzie made statements at a party claiming she” killed Asha Degree.”

On February 14, 2025, marked 25 years since Asha’s disappearance, the Cleveland County investigators released a video promising their commitment to the investigation.

It was not until April 4, 2025, that another search connected to the case was conducted on a property in Lincoln County by multiple agencies, including the FBI.

A reward for information on the case has increased over time. The reward is now $75,000, $20,000 from the Cleveland County sheriff’s office and its community, $50,000 from the FBI, and $5000 from the state Bureau of Investigation.

A family’s plea

It has been 2 decades since the disappearance of Asha Degree, but her parents, Iquilla and Harold Degree, have not lost hope. They have preserved their undying love, regularly participating in campaigns of awareness and speaking to the media.

Asha’s mother, Iquilla, stated on May 24, 2024, that she believes her daughter is still alive, and some family members maintain their belief that she was abducted and did not simply walk away from her home.

Each anniversary of Asha’s disappearance renews the painful ritual of the heartfelt plea for answers. Iquilla has expressed, “It’s a nightmare that you live with every day.”

The lingering questions

Despite the massive effort by law enforcement from multiple agencies, the emergence of clues over time that may point to her as a homicide victim, Asha remains missing. Her disappearance remains a mystery. A child walks out of her home on a stormy night, only to vanish without a trace.

The question remains: Did Asia leave her home willingly? Did someone pick her up on Highway 18? And why has no one come forward with any definitive answers to solve this case?

If you have information about the case that could help investigators solve it, you can call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at 704-484-4756.

Read more at: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article292626279.html =cpy

24/05/2025

Two teenagers are facing life behind bars after admitting the savage machete murder of a 14-year-old schoolboy as he sat on a bus in Woolwich.

The 16-year-old boys attacked Keylan Bokassa on the top deck of the 472 bus, moments after boarding the double-decker when it stopped in Woolwich Church Street.

Kelyan was stabbed 27 times with machetes and died at the scene, in an attack which sent shockwaves across London and provided another terrible example of the capital’s knife crime problem.

The teenagers pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murder of schoolboy on London double-decker

23/05/2025

A pet owner was booked and charged with aggravated animal cruelty after he allegedly “placed a dog in an oven” after getting into an argument with a family member over the puppy’s barking.

The suspect has been identified as James Williamson, 44, from Atmore, Alabama.

James Williamson, 44, from Atmore, Alabama, has been charged with animal cruelty for the alleged incident Escambia County Sheriff's Office A pet owner was

23/05/2025

A man has been charged with shooting and killing his adult stepson after what police called a domestic fight over the popular video game Fortnite.

Kelly Garcia, 43, and his wife, Adriane Daza, 48, were in their home in Davenport, Florida, on Wednesday evening with Daza’s son, Azareel Martinez, 26, and her two minor children, ages 9 and 11, respectively.

A man has been charged with shooting and killing his adult stepson in what police called a domestic fight over the popular video game Fortnite. The post S

22/05/2025

Two men have been jailed for life for launching a “pure evil” arson attack on a family home, killing a 26-year-old man and leaving his mother with life-changing injuries.

Daniel Tatters and Dale Francis were handed respective minimum terms of 34 and 36 years for the murder of Akashdeep Singh and three counts of attempted murder.

CCTV showed Daniel Tatters at the scene of a fatal fire in Plascom Road, East Park, Wolverhampton, in June last year (PA) PA Media Two men have been jailed

22/05/2025

The disappearance of Summer Wells

Written By: Enrique Melendez
Social Media Contributing Writer

July 15, 2021

Hawkins County, Tennessee

The sudden disappearance of 5-year-old Summer Wells leaves a mark on a community.

On that day, Summer, her mother Candace, and her grandfather had gone for a drive to Horse Pond after dropping off a prescription around 12:30 pm. They arrived at the pond 5 minutes later and stayed for about 15 minutes. The Wells family then returned to pick up the prescription, going on with their day.

Later that day, according to a statement from the family, they were near their home, and Summer was planting flowers with her grandmother and mother, around 3:09 pm. The family stated they had arrived home between 3:15 pm and 3:19 pm.

This timeline is crucial in this mysterious case, and her disappearance is more baffling moving forward.

The disappearance

Around 6:10 PM, Summer was last seen entering her home to go play in the basement. Just two minutes later, according to the family, around 6:12 PM, they discovered she was missing.

According to Summer’s mother, Candace Wells, her mother was fixing a knee brace, and then Summer was gone. According to reports, Summer’s father, Don Wells, called law enforcement around 6:26 PM.

The search

Following the call with law enforcement, officers arrive around 7 pm to a distraught family. A massive search was conducted on the ground and in the air using K9 units, helicopters, and drones to cover the vast area surrounding the home.

At around midnight on June 16, 2021, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), had issued an endangered child alert. This was later upgraded to an Amber Alert. 12 hours later, the TBI stated the reason was due to “new information and growing concern about the well-being of Sumner Wells.” This highlights that the area’s terrain proved to be more challenging in the search effort.

Though this massive search was initiated and an Amber Alert issued by the TBI, Summer’s whereabouts remain unknown.

A criticized family’s plea

Throughout June onward, Summer’s parents, Candace and Don, have stated their belief that their daughter may have been abducted. According to The Independent, Don mentioned a kidnapper from a nearby hill whom he assumed may have taken her. Don made an emotional statement to the public, “whoever has my daughter. I pray they haven’t harmed her, and they bring her back to us safe and sound.”

Fox News reported, TBI suspected a potential witness driving a “1990s Toyota pick-up truck with a full bed, ladder rack, and white buckets, that was seen near the family’s home around June 14 or 15.

On July 10, TBI spokesperson Leslie Earhart stated that nearly 840 tips were received, but she emphasized caution against rumors.
As the investigation continued, the family was impacted again when, on July 26, 2021, Don released a statement confirming that their sons were taken from them by the Department of Children’s Services.

The Wells family also faced criticism during this difficult time. In October 2021, Don commented on “haters” and clarified that he will focus on paying attention to the family supporters. During this time, Don was arrested on a DUI on October 30.

Following this, the TBI released a statement on December 15, 2021, on the state of the investigation: “At this time, there is no evidence that she was abducted however, all avenues continue to be explored.”

Active and ongoing

The developments and impact of this case continue, with Don Wells pleading guilty on February 7, 2022, for his DUI charge. On June 15, 2022, a vigil was held for Summer on the one-year anniversary of her disappearance. The TBI later released an FAQ sheet about the case, emphasizing the need for public help.

Furthermore, on February 21, 2023, the Summer Well Reward Fund, which raised over $40,000, was given to the Third Judicial District’s Children’s Advocacy Center. A Hawkins County judge made this decision after the Church Hill Rescue Squad, a nonprofit volunteer organization, requested intervention to resolve legal issues with the money.

The Church Hill Rescue Squad provides emergency services, including rescue operations and extractions, to the city of Church Hill and Hawkins County, which are funded by contributions from the Hawkins County government, fundraising events, and donations.

An effort to expand the ongoing search, on June 14, 2023, the TBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released an age-progressed photo of Summer at age 7.

Despite this massive effort and time, Summer Wells remains missing, leaving her family and a community in a timeless grief. Yet the questions remain.

How could a child vanish in such a short amount of time? Why has there not been any evidence to suggest foul play? These questions wander as the mystery remains the same.

18/05/2025

The disappearance of Kristin Smart (part 2)

Written By: Enrique Melendez
Social Media Contributing Writer

photo of Kristin’s family provided by The New York Times
After years of searching, and the case becoming cold, a new sheriff, a podcast, and a desperate family go beyond their limitations in locating new evidence, but is it enough to get the justice they are seeking?

An unwavering case

A new path towards discovery sparks hope in 2010 when San Luis Obispo’s newly elected sheriff, Ian Parkinson, stated that he would review the case. Six years later, in September 2016, they conducted a massive search of the area around Cal Poly. After four days, no new evidence was uncovered.

Kristin’s family, the Murphys, were still in the fight, but it wasn’t until September 2019 when Chris Lambert launched his podcast “Your Own Backyard” and the case reignited.

The podcast tells the story of Kristin Smart and the mystery of her disappearance. The podcast received attention, as other witnesses came forward about Paul’s reputation in school. Many witnesses were women who had contact with Paul, naming him a “molester,” a former classmate stated. They highlight his behavior more, as he was known as someone who would grope women.

The podcast came to the attention of the newly appointed sheriff, Ian Parkinson, who collaborated with Chris to discover new information that the first investigation missed. According to ABC, after Paul’s family moved out of their home, they put it up for rent. A few months later, the current tenants found a piece of jewelry by the driveway. They assumed it was an earring. Those tenants later told investigators that when they found it, there was a little red smudge mark like a fingerprint on the back of it.

To the surprise of the Smart family, they discovered that the earring was a piece of Kristin’s necklace, and to the investigator’s surprise, the billboard that the family released in 1997 had a picture of Kristin wearing that necklace.

As Chris’s podcast gathered more witnesses, he was later contacted by Mary Lassiter, who was the tenant who found the earring. Mary stated that a few months after she had moved in, she heard a beeping sound, so one night, she went outside looking for the sound in the flowerpots in the yard. She poked around awhile until the beeping stopped. Mary also stated that the beeping would occur at 4:20 AM.

This shocked the Smart family when they told investigators that Kristin was a lifeguard and that she would have her alarm set so she be able to arrive at work by 5 AM.

Years went by, and the case allowed law enforcement to search the home several times, but no new evidence came to light. Kristin’s sister, Lindsey, told CBS that her parents never gave up, “I think they’re, like, carrying boulders on their backs.”

In February 2021, a search warrant was approved to search the properties owned by Paul’s father, Ruben Flores. Authorities used cadaver dogs as well as ground penetrating radar and recovered items of interest that were not released to the public.

With enough evidence gathered following the recent revival, the case investigators acted immediately to apprehend Paul Flores.

Conclusion

ABC reported that on April 13, 2021, Paul Flores and his father, Ruben, were arrested at their Los Angeles home. Paul was charged with the murder of Kristin Smart, and his father was charged with helping him.

On April 14, Kristin’s parents released a statement after the arrest, stating,” It is impossible to put into words what this day means for our family,” praying this was the first step in finding their daughter. The family went through a long preliminary hearing, and on July 18, 2022, the trial of Paul and his father began.

During the trial, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow stated that he found that the impact of Kristin’s disappearance had a profound effect on the Smart family and the community spanning over 20 years.

The trial revealed evidence from the searches of Ruben’s properties, where they recovered DNA on plywood under the house that investigators disclosed to be human blood. This discovery was invaluable. They also discovered red fibers, which Mustang news reported, could have belonged to a pair of Kristin’s shoes she was wearing on the night she went missing.

A testimony from another witness of the party, Kendra Koed, testified that Paul tried to kiss Kristin several times until Kristin pushed him away. Prosecution used this to conclude that Paul may have sexually assaulted Kristin. Paul’s defense attorney, Robert Sanger, countered when accusations of sexual assault were made, stating, “even if you believe that you still can’t use it in this case because there’s no proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Paul r***d or attempted to r**e her.”

The trial proceeded for four months. Evidence, DNA, and witnesses were presented, and on October 18, 2022, after over 20 years, a verdict was found. Kristin’s family bundled together, shedding tears. Paul Flores was found guilty of the murder of Kristin Smart and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The case had been won in part. However, due to insufficient evidence, Paul’s father, Ruben, was acquitted of his charges.

After the verdict, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson stated he was “extremely pleased with the jury’s decision.”
The case of Kristin Smart did receive a victory from this verdict, but this does not take away the pain that the Smart family continues to bear. Due to the lack of new evidence in the following years, Kristin’s body has yet to be recovered.

In 2024, the smart family filed a civil lawsuit against Cal Poly for negligence and wrongful death of their loved one. The status of the lawsuit has yet to receive a definitive ruling as of 2025.