Investigators said a professional would know that would not work. After several years in the fast food industry, in which Russell owned several Hardees restaurants in Atlanta, he retired in 1994. Especially when someone was decapitated, the whereabouts of his head unknown. Menu. Oldest son Chad is now a sheriffs deputy in Florida. But he wakes up before it leads anywhere. Meanwhile, his 87-year-old wife, Shirley Dermond, was nowhere to be found. An autopsy found that she had died from either two or three deep wounds to the head from a blunt object. Before that, he spent most of his working years as an executive for a New York-area clock company. Key recalls the Dermonds being in church the weekend before they died, and how so much time has passed since. The biggest roadblock is motive. Its still just as tough as day one. Sills, who has helped solve dozens of murder cases during his career, said he believes it was the intent of the killers that the body of 87-year-old Shirley Dermond would never resurface. But you think there would be other crimes, Keith Dermond said. He has passed up vacations, worked weekends and spent countless hours late at night trying to unearth a thread that leads to a suspect. Follow us on -Instagram @kmh.podcastTwitter @kmhpodcastFacebook click hereTikTok @kmhpodcastThank you for listening! Henry is 62, a slim, deep-voiced, Vidalia-born career cop. Perhaps, Sills says, but the usual things a burglar might steal -- televisions, jewelry, electronics -- were apparently not taken. GONE COLD | A lake with no leads: Who killed the Dermonds. Other friends testified theyd be willing to do the same. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Now part of the challenge is that we live with unanswered questions.. Heres a look at new, renovated stores and restaurants, Burger King brings back fan-favorite sandwich but not for long. There was terror in her voice the morning the murder mystery came to light. When Russells body was found in the couples garage, his finger had a severe wound, Sills said. Sills believes that Dermond was decapitated after he was murdered in an attempt to hide evidence, such as a gunshot wound and bullet. I cant imagine this happening.. Brad, who still talks to his golfing buddy nearly every day, has dreams about his dad as well. Sills, 59, professorial and occasionally profane, has explored all avenues, obvious and not so, including the circumstances surrounding the murder of the Dermonds eldest child, Mark C. Dermond. They never showed up. Investigators believe that there is no connection between this crime and the murder of Mark's parents. s 3,200-square-foot-home. Brad was at his sons baseball game when he got the worst call of his life. The couple was supposed to attend a Kentucky Derby party that weekend, but never showed. Another neighborhood woman described the circumstances of the case as horrible., Were sad, said the woman, 74. That bag was tied to her feet.. This story was originally published May 2, 2015, 8:37 PM. [1][3] In 2000, their oldest son Mark was murdered in Atlanta while attempting to purchase crack cocaine. Web703K views, 717 likes, 10 loves, 118 comments, 309 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from HLN: Whoever killed Russell & Shirley Dermond is still out there. Out at the Great Waters entrance, there is now a security gate, one of those arms that goes up and down when youre let in. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Crews searched for several days with no luck. He said, 'Grandpa had been murdered; grandma was missing.'. I always thought that, you know, maybe it was some kind of a serial killer kind of thing just because of the weird things that (the killer) did. She even emailed Sills hundreds of pages of notes supporting her claim, which Sills debunked. Progress, gradual as it may be, has been made. Both her and dad, total family people. I know damn well that Im the man responsible for this. The veteran sheriff said some of the evidence, including two towels found around the corpse of Russell Dermond, had been of value to them. The Sheriff Howard Sills, who is personally spearheading the probe, earlier this week declined to publicly divulge what evidentiary avenue was being pursued, but told The Telegraph that the effort could prove promising. WebLake Oconee murders revisited years later September 20, 2022, 12:40 AM It was May 2014 when the bodies of Russell Dermond, 88, and his wife Shirley, 87, were found Channel 2s Justin Wilfon learned that there is new evidence from the FBI that is giving investigators new hope in trying to solve the case. The 3,200-square-foot, $1 million home in Great Waters subdivision, lies just under 10 miles due south of Interstate 20 and a dozen or so miles northeast of downtown Eatonton. The FBI was called in. According to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, there were no signs of forced entry or indications of a struggle in the home. The murders of Russell Dermond, 88, and his wife, Shirley, 87, have They were lovely people from all I know. The couple were married for 68 years and had four children and nine grandchildren. Manslaughter shouldve been the highest charge they came up with.. Last May, some of Sills news conferences about the Dermond killings were aired live on Atlanta news channels. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But theres no way for us to search all of Lake Oconee to try to find the missing head. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office says 41-year-old Adam Robert Cabe, of Candler, turned himself in on Monday, Feb. 28, 2023, on a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. "If there was an enemy out there, (it) would have taken place a lot sooner than that.". Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Oh, my god.. "It's been eight years, I'm sorry," he said. The headless body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond was on the floor surrounded by towels. Its just my opinion that it would just be impossible for one person. Thursday marked 8-years since someone killed Shirley and Russell Dermond at their Lake Oconee home. Three days passed with no excuse, no apology, and no signs of activity at the Dermond home. Their killers have never been found. And now, thats my gut feeling, and do I have any evidence to support that no. Submitted photo In I am currently trying to obtain data of a highly technical nature that I believe will be fruitful. Investigators do not believe the two incidents are connected. WebThe Lake Oconee Murders (2020 Podcast Episode) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro It looks like we don't have any Cast and Crew for this title yet. The Dermond case has all but consumed him. He became the face of an unsolved crime that fascinated viewers and newspaper readers across the region. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. The couple moved to Eatonton, Ga., and built their million-dollar Reynolds Plantation's Great Waters home in a cul-de-sac, overlooking Lake Oconee. Its very raw, Brad Dermond said. Low 66F. But after some neighbors went over to their home searching for them, they were nowhere to be found. A lot of what we talked about concerning technology was about what is available today that wasn't available primarily then.. According to store and bank surveillance videos, obtained only by 11Alive, Russell transferred money from the drive-thru lane at the Lake Oconee branch of the Peoples Bank at 2:15 p.m. The sheriff told Wilfon that unfortunately, leads in the case have really slowed down. He was the lead investigator in the 1999 shooting deaths of a woman and her 2-year-old daughter whose bodies were found in the trunk of a burned-out car. On Sunday, the likely anniversary of the couples death, Key planned to lead an afternoon memorial service at the church. The 88-year-old Russell Dermond, a World War II veteran, is believed to have been shot in the head and was beheaded afterward. Weighed down by a pair of 30-pound concrete blocks, her corpse bloated and surfaced facedown in 46 feet of water. Murdered, beheaded and dumped into a lake: Who wanted the Dermonds dead? When you can get it, TikToker slathers parents kitchen in peanut butter months after doing the bathroom, Macon man enters plea in fatal shooting that happened during domestic dispute in 2020, Young man killed in shooting last week faced murder charges in 2020 slaying of Macon teen, Macon man, 20, found fatally wounded Saturday evening by Bibb County deputies, Two charged with aggravated assault after shooting that fatally wounded Macon teen, A 14-year-old Macon boy is among 8 people indicted on murder charges in fatal Bibb shootings, Georgia man in bank lobby blasts explicit music from phone and shouts I am God. WebBy Joe Kovac Jr. We met and talked about three hours today about this case, Sills told The Union-Recorder earlier this week. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. "The technology we are using was not in existence back in 2014. Russ, who would have turned 89 last June, was seen at the Publix grocery store near his house the Thursday of Shirleys bridge outing. Friends of the couple grew concerned. REAL LIFE Still others wonder if the slayings were a plot by religious zealots to embarrass the sheriff for sending Nuwaubian leader Dwight York to federal prison for life in a heralded case from a decade ago. That data was downloaded into a program the FBI has and they are assisting us in analyzing the data now. Heres a look at new, renovated stores and restaurants, Burger King brings back fan-favorite sandwich but not for long. Hauflers attorney, Manny Arora, has been equally circumspect, floating possible explanations for the fatal shooting of 51-year-old Marc Dimos but not yet settling on a fixed defense. Russell and Shirley Dermond were supposed to attend a Kentucky Derby Party on May 3, 2014, at a neighbors home. By boat, the spot lies some five miles from her home, in a wide bend above the Wallace Dam. Two dozen of Hauflers friends, most of them firefighters, made the drive up from central Florida to testify on his behalf Tuesday. After not hearing from the Dermonds for a few days, the friends went to the lakefront Dermond house that is nestled in a wooded cove on Carolyn Drive to check on the pair. [2], Russell was last seen alive on May 1, 2014, as he was running errands in Eatonton. And when the crime scene, in all likelihood, was a $769,000 lake house. Russell Dermond, 88, and his wife Shirley Dermond, 87, were brutally murdered in their gated community overlooking Lake Oconee, Georgia, in 2014, according to Fox Macon affiliate WGXA. A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. I dont want to create an impression that I have acquired some silver bullet, but this is yet another tool we are using trying to find out who perpetrated these heinous crimes. Both were active members of the Oconee Community Church. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. "Im not going to say its absolutely physically impossible, but its highly unlikely.". Their favorite time was to spend time with the family and grandkids, Brad said about his parents, who were both only children, themselves. FBI evidence giving investigators new hope in Lake Oconee murder case of elderly couple Thursday marked 8-years since someone killed Shirley and Russell Dermond at their Lake Oconee home. This week on Killin Missin Hidden, we try to delve into what could have happened to Russell and Shirley Dermond.SHOW NOTEShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Russell_and_Shirley_Dermond, https://www.williamsfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Russell-Dermond/#!/Obituary, https://www.williamsfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Shirley-Dermond/#!/Obituary, https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/investigations/gone-cold-the-murders-at-lake-oconee-4-years-later-elderly-couples-son-opens-up/67-549362307, https://www.unionrecorder.com/news/somebody-knows-and-there-s-more-than-one-person-involved/article_04992f3e-7198-11e9-acd7-d71d1b679da1.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Oconee, https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/years-later-murders-lake-oconee-couple-continue-confound/TozzJXuLvXXbu8f7zbWcPL/, https://medium.com/the-true-crime-times/the-macabre-murders-of-russell-and-shirley-dermond-322a46322706, https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/lake-oconee-double-murder-probe-turns-to-ny-for-clues/53946546, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/nyregion/lois-colley-murder-guilty.html, https://www.unionrecorder.com/news/new-technology-to-be-used-in-unsolved-murder-case/article_943dc312-971b-11ea-bcfa-875703a04928.html, https://www.lakeoconeenews.us/article/6-years-later. The notion of such an atrocity in an exclusive, golf course-ringed neighborhood struck at peoples deepest fears: If it happened there, is anywhere safe? Sills said they re-examined aspects of the case, as well as timelines to see whether some of the technology in place today might help going forward with the investigation. One person may have made the initial assault, or something like that, but somebody had some help at some juncture., He said one plausible theory, as he put it, is that the killings involve some sort of extortion or robbery-type thing by somebody the Dermonds at least initially knew.. A man, the sheriff said, well just leave it at that, was seen on the property during the period that the murders could have occurred., Also, he said recently, Im considering some new forensic testing of evidence we have.. Submitted photo In 2014, Russell and Shirley Dermond were the victims of a brutal Lake Oconee murder that shocked the country. WebOn May 16, two fishermen on Lake Oconee found her body near a dam, nearly five miles away from the house. Sills had not until earlier this year wanted it known that the blocks were what Shirley Dermonds killer had apparently used to anchor her to the lake floor. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The judge cited the 45-year-old ex-firefighters lack of ties to the community. WebThe Lake Oconee Murders (Podcast Episode 2020) photos, including production stills, premiere photos and other event photos, publicity photos, behind-the-scenes, and more. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. And, hes left at a loss all over againperplexed, because his parents, he said, had no dark side or secrets that would have resulted in their murders. On May 6, 2014, neighbors of Russell and Shirley Dermond, an elderly couple who lived for 15 years inside the Reynolds Great Waters gated community, home to some of the countys wealthiest citizens, called 911 to report a gruesome discovery. Clearly, there was more than a person involved, Sills said. The infamous, unsolved case still haunts Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. It's been eight years since homicide detectives were called to investigate the murder of Russell and Shirley Dermond. He fit right in with Hauflers large circle of friends, joining them on a deep-sea fishing excursion 120 miles off the Atlantic coast. I think about this (case) every day no matter where I am. The Dermonds were expected to attend a party for the 2014 Kentucky Derby the following weekend with their neighbors, who grew concerned when the couple did not show up. He was shot in the neck and torso 15 years ago while buying crack cocaine in downtown Atlanta the night of his 47th birthday. It was wooded and very private. And thats the information were looking for.. Ill just say that there was valuable evidence that we have yet to match up to anything.. Psychopath: 5 years after grisly Lake Oconee murders, who killed the Dermonds and why? Heres why, Study shows colorectal cancer showing up more in younger people, Atlanta neighbors want to reclaim and revitalize the Joyland neighborhood, Kemp administration deals blow to Buckhead cityhood push, Georgia Power proposes steep rate increase for customers - How it affects what you pay. It just always ends up with a big question mark, he said. In the sheriff's last update on the case, he said there were no fingerprints, foreign DNA or eye-witnesses. When you start involving more and more people, it increases the chances of information being shared. The decapitated body of Russell Dermond (age [1], Russell Joseph Dermond, a native of Hackensack, New Jersey, served in the United States Navy during World War II. 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