research based

Kendra Battelo has been missing since July 2022. The then-24-year-old was last seen in Enid, Oklahoma. Kendra was last heard from during the early-morning hours of July 7th. Reports state she left the home where she was staying on West Randolph and never returned. Since then, Kendra's loved ones have been searching from answers.

Kendra was in a tumultuous relationship with a man named Colby Sheppard at the time of her disappearance. The couple had been off-and-on for several years, during which there were several reported instances of domestic violence. Both had accused the other of being physically abusive. In fact, Sheppard was facing domestic assault charges in which Kendra was the victim prior to her disappearance. The charges were dropped after Kendra vanished, as she was unable to testify against him. 

Family members and loved ones of Kendra have long believed that Sheppard is responsible for Kendra's disappearance. He has never been publicly named as a suspect in the case, as police claim they not been able to find any concrete evidence pointing to his involvement. However, this has not stopped the local speculation about Sheppard, especially amongst Kendra's family. 

Nearly a year and a half after Kendra's disappearance, Sheppard himself vanished. The last confirmed sighting of him occurred on December 27th, 2023, at a Pizza Hut in Enid. Sheppard's family members reported him missing on January 4th, 2024. Months later, in August 2024, Sheppard's remains were found in a storm cellar of a local home. An autopsy confirmed that he had been beaten to death.

Shortly after Sheppard's body was found, four people were arrested in connection to his murder. Amongst those four people is Victor Battelo - Kendra's uncle. Authorities believe that Sheppard was lured to his death in retaliation for Kendra's disappearance. Court documents state that "authorities believe Victor may be the mastermind behind the incident and that he told a witness he had to kill Sheppard because of what he did to Kendra."

The charges against Victor Battelo and the others are currently pending. Several questions about Kendra's disappearance remain unanswered, and Sheppard's death has led to even more questions. If Sheppard was, in fact, responsible for Kendra's disappearance, did he take information about her whereabouts to the grave? If not, is the person responsible still out there? Perhaps the simplest but heart wrenching question that remains unanswered is: Where is Kendra Battelo?

Roxanne Paltauf has been missing since July 7th, 2006. The then-18-year-old was last seen at a Budget Inn motel, located along interstate 35 in Austin, Texas. Roxanne had been spending the days leading up to her disappearance at the motel with her boyfriend Louis Walls (30). Roxanne’s family and friends did not approve of Louis and Louis’s mother did not approve of Roxanne, so the couple rarely ever spent time at each other’s homes. Roxanne originally planned to return to her family’s home the day she vanished, however she decided at the last minute to spend another night at the motel with Louis. She planned to go shopping with her mother and sister the following day, and she assured both of them that she would still be there. Unfortunately, Roxanne never showed up the following day and has never been seen or heard from again. 

Roxanne’s mother and sister were initially not concerned when she did not show up for their shopping trip. They figured that she’d gotten caught up in her plans with Louis and that she would get in touch later. Roxanne’s mother did receive a phone call from Roxanne’s phone later that afternoon, but when she answered the phone, Louis was on the other line. He told Roxanne’s mother that he hadn’t seen Roxanne since the previous evening. He then went on to explain that Roxanne angrily left their hotel room around 8:30pm after they got into an argument. She apparently only took her identification card with her when she left—all of her personal items such as her shoes, wallet, and cell phone were left behind. Louis claimed that he tried to chase after Roxanne when she left, but then ended up going back to their motel room after she told him to leave her alone.

Roxanne’s family members immediately reported her missing after getting off the phone with Louis. However, by the time the police were involved, Louis had already checked out of the motel. He had taken all of Roxanne’s personal items with him, so any potential crime scene in the motel was significantly compromised. Louis did finally return Roxanne’s cell phone to her family almost a week after her disappearance. During the time Roxanne’s phone was in Louis’ possession, over 300 calls were made on it; many of them to Louis’ ex-girlfriend. This seemed quite suspicious to Roxanne’s family, and Louis’ history with previous girlfriends did not favor him either. Two of his previous girlfriends had taken restraining orders against him for threatening them. Prior to her disappearance, Roxanne herself had told her friends and family members that Louis had threatened her and punched her in the face. Despite all of this, Louis has not been charged with anything related to Roxanne’s disappearance.

Roxanne’s mother said that she still never received any of Roxanne’s other personal items from Louis. Oddly enough, Roxanne’s personal identification card was found in the possession of another man named Geoffrey Moore on July 13th, 2006–six days after Roxanne’s disappearance. Her ID was found in his wallet after Geoffrey was arrested for attempting to rape an exotic dancer at a location near the Budget Inn where Roxanne was last seen. Investigators spoke to Geoffrey about Roxanne after his arrest, but it is still unclear how exactly Roxanne’s ID came into his possession. The attempted rape charges against Geoffrey were eventually dropped, and he has never been charged with anything related to Roxanne’s disappearance either.

Elisa Johnson was only 26 years-old when she was found murdered inside her apartment on July 6th, 2013. The young woman lived with her 3 year-old in Grand Prairie, Texas prior to her untimely death. On the day afternoon Elisa was found, police were called to the apartment complex after it was reported that a young toddler was wandering around the parking lot alone. That young child ended up being Elisa’s daughter. The little girl was able to lead police officers to her mother’s apartment. Once police entered the home, they found Elisa’s body.

Ashley Summers was only 14 years-old when she went missing on July 6th, 2007. She was last seen at a pool party at her great uncle Keith’s residence on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio.

Before her disappearance, Ashley was very close with her family. Her grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles were living nearby, and it was common for her to bounce around from relative to relative for overnight stays. For this reason, it was two days before anyone realized that Ashley was missing–her mother thought that she was at her great uncle’s house, her great uncle thought she was at her aunt’s house, etc. During the summer of 2007, Ashley was staying with relatives more frequently because she was often at odds with her mother. Ashley apparently had a 16 year-old boyfriend who her mother did not approve of. To the same effect, Ashley was not fond of her mother’s live-in boyfriend either. One day, Ashley came home with a tattoo of her boyfriend’s name on her arm. When her mother found out, an intense argument ensued and she ultimately decided to move in with her great uncle Kevin.

However, shortly before her disappearance, Ashley and her great uncle Kevin were apparently not getting along either. The day before the pool party, Kevin found Ashley gossiping about her family members on her phone. Out of anger, he snatched the phone from Ashley and broke it. The following day, Ashley walked two miles from Kevin’s house to Keith’s house for the pool party. According to relatives who saw her there, Ashley stayed at the party for about 3 or 4 hours before she left to walk to her aunt Christina’s house, who lived just a few blocks away. She never arrived and has not been seen since leaving that party over 10 years ago.

Due to the clashes that Ashley had with her mother and great uncle, police initially thought she was a runaway.  About a month after her disappearance, Ashley’s mother got a very quick call saying “it’s me mom, I’m okay.” That call was never traced, and Ashley’s mother is not 100% sure that it came from Ashley.

After years went by without any trace of Ashley, she was eventually reclassified as an endangered missing child. Around this time, police were beginning to question if there was a serial offender in the area. Ashley disappeared very close to West Lorain Avenue–the same street from where Amanda Berry disappeared in 2003, and Gina DeJesus in 2004. When those two girls, along with Michelle Knight, were eventually rescued from Ariel Castro’s home on Seymour Avenue in 2013, there was speculation that Castro may have been involved in Ashley’s disappearance as well. However, while investigating Castro’s case, investigators were ultimately unable to find evidence of any other victims.

Tamra Jewel Keepness was only five years-old when she vanished from her family’s Regina, Saskatchewan home on July 6th, 2004. Tamra and her family members are First Nations, and the neighborhood they lived in prior to Tamra’s disappearance was known for having First Nations residents. The neighborhood was a well-known area for prostitution as well, and unfortunately many residents struggled with poverty and/or addiction. In July 2004, Tamra was an innocent child who was blissfully unaware of the dangers in her neighborhood. She loved to play outside and had a habit of leaving the house without telling anyone. While it seems plausible that this lead to her disappearance, authorities wondered if the reason for Tamra’s disappearance could be found within her own home.

After Tamra was reported missing, authorities learned that a violent incident occurred in her home just hours before she vanished. On the evening of July 5th, 2004, Tamra was at home with her mother Lorena, her mother’s boyfriend Dean, and her five siblings. At some point, an argument broke out between Lorena and Dean, causing Dean to storm out of the house. Shortly after leaving, he ran into their friend Russell, who was also an occasional resident at their house. Dean and Russell decided to go out for drinks while Lorena stayed home with the children. A little bit later, Lorena sent the children to bed and left her oldest child in charge while she went to have drinks at a friends house located a block away. Around midnight, Russell returned to the home without Dean. He allegedly saw all of the children sleeping in the living room at that time. Russell stayed at the residence for the next 3 hours, during which Dean returned at some point as well. Russell stated that before he left the residence, Dean beat him up so badly he was forced to get stitches at a hospital. Russell walked to the hospital, while Dean went to spend the night at his aunt’s house. It is unknown what the two men were fighting about, but they both have stated that their fight was not about Tamra.

Lorena returned home shortly after the fight. The doors to the home were locked and she was forced to enter through a window. She stated that she thought she saw her 10 year-old daughter, Summer, and Tamra’s twin sister, five year-old Tannis, sleeping in the living room. Lorena passed out shortly thereafter. When she woke up hours later, she asked her 8 year-old son Rayne if he had seen Tamra. Rayne told his mother that he slept on the floor, up against the mattress that Tamra fell asleep on the previous night. He said he felt Tamra get out of bed at some point that morning, but nobody had actually seen her since the previous evening. The family searched for her for about an hour and a half before calling the police and reporting Tamra missing.

Authorities have conducted several interviews and have followed thousands of tips since Tamra’s disappearance, but have not announced any suspects in the case. The most recent tip came about in 2014, when a Reddit user posted a hand-drawn map of Muscowpetung (pictured above) with the words: “Location of Tamra Keepness, check the wells.” The Reddit user later wrote that the map belonged to their grandmother, but had come from a great-aunt who had visited an inmate in Alberta. It is unclear who exactly drew the map. Investigators searched 21 wells around Muscowpetung but found nothing.

Lopaz Richardson has been missing since July of 2021. The then-32-year-old lived in Rosenberg, Texas at the time of his disappearance. Lopaz vanished under incredibly suspicious circumstances, and the mystery of what happened to him still remains unsolved.

The last time any of Lopaz's loved ones saw him was on July 5th, 2021. That evening, Lopaz dropped his daughter off at her mother's home in Spring, Texas. Two days later, Lopaz spoke with relatives on the phone. After that, he seemingly vanished into thin air. He has never been seen or heard from again. 

Lopaz's ex-wife reported him missing on July 8th. She was immediately concerned about his safety, as he had made some troubling statements before his disappearance. Lopaz reportedly told his ex-wife that someone was after him; he "disrespected the wrong person" and would not have a chance to apologize.

The day after Lopaz was reported missing, police in Howe, Texas were notified about a white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck that was spotted in a ravine near some train tracks. Days later, it was confirmed that the car was registered to Lopaz. It seemed odd that Lopaz's vehicle would be found in Howe - as it is an approximate 5-hour drive away from his home in Rosenberg. His loved ones are unable to think of any reason for him to travel to that location. It also seemed unlikely that Lopaz would voluntarily abandon his car in such a spot. 

Despite all of this, Lopaz's ex-wife said she was told by police that there was no evidence of foul play at the scene, nor were any items of interest found inside the truck. However, inventory was not taken on the truck until over a month later. It was then discovered that many items were inside the car - including a digital camera, a GoPro camera, and Lopaz's wallet, which contained his driver's license and credit card. Additionally, a more thorough search of the scene where the car was found turned up a pair of Lopaz's shoes - which had been stuck in the mud.

These findings appear to be the last known physical trace of Lopaz. Even so, it's unclear if Lopaz himself is the one who drove his truck to that location. There are many unanswered questions regarding his disappearance as well. To this day, no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly announced. However, there were several things going on in Lopaz's life that have led to a few theories. 

Krishonda ‘Shonda’ Townsend vanished at the age of 19 on July 5th, 2010. The young woman vanished after attending a 4th of July celebration in Mineral Wells, Texas. Shonda left the celebration around 11:00 PM after agreeing to drive a friend home. Once Shonda arrived at her friend’s house, she decided to go inside for a brief bit of time. While there, Shonda used a computer to log on to Facebook. She then posted a status updated stating “I got this”. According to the friend, Shonda left shortly thereafter. It appears that Shonda had every intention of driving back to her home in Perrin, Texas—where she lived with her two-year-old son and her mother. In fact, Shonda’s mother received a text from Shonda’s phone around 12:10 AM that stated she was on her way home. Unfortunately, she never made it there and was never seen alive again.

Two days later, Shonda’s car was found abandoned in Mineral Wells. The stereo had been ripped out. Many of Shonda’s personal belongings remained inside of the vehicle. At this point, the worries of Shonda’s safety intensified. Her family members did not believe she would ever willingly leave her son behind, nor would she willingly abandon her vehicle. For whatever reason, authorities did not process the vehicle for evidence at that time. Instead, they allowed Shonda’s family to take the car.

Throughout the investigation into Shonda’s disappearance, authorities learned that Shonda’s phone continued to ping until around 2:00 AM on the morning of July 5th. After that, all phone activity ceased. Investigators conducted both ground and aerial searches of the surrounding areas, but nothing of significance was found. Several people were interviewed as well, but no suspects were publicly identified.

Over a year later, in October 2011, Shonda’s skeletal remains were found in the southwest part of Mineral Wells. A man was walking along a fence line on a property for sale on Sand Hill Road when he spotted a human skull. Dental records would later confirm that the skull belonged to Shonda Townsend. Due to the decomposition of her remains, authorities were never able to establish a cause of death. However, they are investigating Shonda’s death as a homicide.

An article about Shonda’s death from 2021 states that police have conducted an extensive investigation that included several polygraphs, but they have not been able to identify a prime suspect. That same year, Shonda’s family members said that they received new information that could lead to a break in the case. They did not specify what information they learned, but they provided the information to authorities.

Brittany Tee has been missing since January 10th, 2023. The 35-year-old woman was last seen leaving her Brookfield, Massachusetts residence on foot around 8:30 PM that evening. She never returned and has never been seen or heard from again.

Brittany brought her wallet, phone, and iPad with her when she left her home on the evening of her disappearance. However, she left her car behind. Reports note that the vehicle was not running reliably, which is likely why she left on foot.

On January 12th, 2023, Brittany's mother sent a text message to Brittany's boyfriend, asking if she was okay since she had not answered any of her family member's calls or texts for the past two days, nor had she shown up to receive her monthly medical injection to treat her psoriasis. The boyfriend called Brittany's mother a short time later, saying that he had not seen her either; he thought she had been with them. Brittany's family subsequently reported her missing the following day.

Various reports about Brittany's case state that police have not found any evidence that foul play is responsible for her disappearance. However, Brittany's loved ones were immediately concerned for her safety when they were unable to contact her for several reasons. Additionally, various online speculation has contradicted some of the details in the reporting about Brittany's case. A closer look into these factors further deepen the mystery surrounding Brittany's disappearance. 

Erica Hunt vanished at the age of 20 on July 4th, 2016. The previous day, Erica attended an Independence Day celebration at her family’s home in Opelousas, Louisiana. The above photograph is from said celebration; this is one the last known images of Erica before her disappearance. Family members said Erica was acting normally at the celebration—she talked about applying for housing and seemed excited about her upcoming 21st birthday. They never predicted that this would be one of the last times they’d see Erica. The morning before she vanished, Erica visited her sister and brother-in-law’s house and asked for money to buy cigarettes. It is unknown if she left their home on foot or if somebody picked her up. Erica was later seen behind a local restaurant on Hirsch Alley sometime between 11:00 PM and 1:00 PM. After that, she was never seen or heard from again. Investigators immediately deemed Erica’s disappearance as suspicious. It was not believed that she voluntarily missing—she left a two-year-old daughter behind, which was very uncharacteristic of her. Erica’s family searched for her to no avail. Unfortunately, her case quickly went cold. Two years later, in 2018, authorities were searching for a missing boy in Evangeline Parish when another set of human remains were found. It took years to identify the remains, but on February 5th, 2021, the Louisiana State Police announced that the remains were that of Erica Hunt. They also announced that her death was a homicide.

Lelia Faulker vanished at the age of 29 on July 4th, 2016. Two days before her disappearance, Lelia broke up with her live-in boyfriend Blane Gralheer and then moved back in with her parents at their Troy, Alabama home. On the day Lelia vanished, she made a shocking allegation against Blane. She posted an update on her Facebook page stating that Blane is gay and was leaving her for another man. In addition to this, Lelia and Blane were reportedly fighting a lot about her drug use. While Lelia’s parents were aware that Lelia had a drug problem, they were still relieved that she decided to leave Blane as it was clear they were not getting along.

A few hours after Lelia made that Facebook post, her parents took her daughter to watch fireworks, while Lelia herself went out with some friends to celebrate the holiday. She never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. Lelia’s parents reported her missing three days later. Once the Pike County Sheriff’s Department began investigating her disappearance, they inevitably wanted to question Blane, as they quickly learned he was one of the last people to communicate with Lelia via Facebook messenger. Blane agreed to take a polygraph test, which he allegedly failed. He was later asked to take another polygraph, but he refused. Despite this, Lelia’s mother has stated that she does not believe that Blane harmed Lelia. However, Lelia’s mother does believe that somebody harmed Lelia, and that Blane knows a lot more than he’s saying.

There have been a few other rumors about what might’ve happened to Lelia as well. At some point, investigators received a tip that Lelia was targeted by a man who kidnapped and murdered her, and then torched her body in his truck. Investigators allegedly located the truck that was referred to in the tip, and it was burned up, but they were otherwise unable to find any other forensic link to Lelia in the vehicle. Other than a few other various tips, the investigation into Lelia’s disappearance has been heavily centered around Blane. Still, Blane has never been arrested or charged with anything related to Lelia’s case. He denies being involved in Lelia’s disappearance and he also denies that he left her for another man.

Christina Leonard was only 33 years-old when her life was brutally taken in July 2019. 

The young woman was a resident of Tuscon, Arizona. She was also five months pregnant at the time of her death. Christina and her loved ones were looking forward to the arrival of her baby girl. Unfortunately, both Christina and her unborn child were killed on July 3rd, 2019.

It was around 11:00 AM when a Pima County resident driving by the 4900 block of Cactus Wren Avenue spotted a woman lying on the ground. The resident called 911 and reported seeing "a woman that appeared to have collapsed." Police responded to the scene and found that the woman was actually deceased. 

Said woman was soon identified as Christina Leonard. Her body was found on the ground next to her vehicle. Christina had suffered obvious signs of trauma, and her death was subsequently classified as a murder. 

It was eventually determined that Christina was last heard from around 9:30 AM on the morning of the murder. By approximately 11:00 AM, her body was found. Christina was killed within that 90-minute timeframe, during which, according to investigators, "she may have traveled to meet someone."

Authorities have never revealed the exact cause of Christina's death. In 2022, Pima County Detective Lisa Johnson told reporters that they declined to disclose this information because it's "information only the suspect would know." However, Johnson did share that the investigators believe Christina knew her killer. 

Details about the investigation have otherwise been kept under wraps. While dozens of warrants have reportedly been served, detectives have not released any names of potential suspects or persons of interest. It's been noted that Christina was a private person, which has made her murder even more difficult to solve. As such, both investigators and Christina's family members have appealed to the public in hopes that someone with information that could solve the case will come forward. 

Lauren Astley and Nathaniel Fujita pictured together in 2010, prior to their April 2011 breakup.

Lauren and Nathaniel began dating when they were sophomores in high school. The two teens from Wayland, Massachusetts appeared to be a great match at first. Nathaniel was a football player and Lauren was described as the girl-next-door by her friends. The couple had many mutual friends and were part of a tight-knit social group. However, as time passed, Lauren began to go back-and-forth on her feelings for Nathaniel. According to her friends, Lauren would gush over Nathaniel one week, then vent her frustrations over him the next week. She would tell them things such as, “Nate’s so cute. He was so cute and fun last night,” or to the other extreme, she would say “He was so boring, he was on his phone the whole time, I’m so annoyed, I’m over it.” Lauren and Nathaniel began to fight frequently, and they would go through cycles of breaking up and getting back together repeatedly throughout their relationship.

Lauren decided to end her relationship with Nathaniel for good on her 18th birthday–April 1st, 2011. She was ready to move forward with her life and was looking forward to going to college in the fall and meeting new people. Nathaniel, on the other hand, was not accepting of the break-up and many of his friends said he grew very depressed after their relationship ended. According to his childhood friend, Nathaniel was no longer looking forward to college, and nothing seemed to matter to him anymore. Lauren tried to remain friends with Nathaniel, and he was invited to the graduation party that Lauren and her friends threw in the beginning of summer 2011. Nathaniel was reportedly intoxicated at the party and got angry with Lauren when he saw her talking to other guys. He angrily approached her and tried to get her to talk to him, but she refused and asked him to leave her alone. Lauren’s mother, who was at the party, stated “[Lauren] came to me crying, and said, ‘He will not leave me alone. He’s harassing me, he doesn’t want me to dance with anybody.” Nathaniel’s rage continued to build and he ended up angrily punching one of the poles holding up the tent that the 150 partygoers were gathered under. The tent collapsed and Nathaniel was asked to leave the party.

As the summer continued, Nathaniel’s depression worsened. His family noticed that he stopped hanging out with his friends and began to drink heavily. Nathaniel’s mother was deeply concerned for her son–so much so that she showed up at Lauren’s work and asked her to talk to Nathaniel to try and figure out what was going on with him. Lauren agreed, and arranged to meet up with Nathaniel at his family’s home on the evening of July 3rd, 2011. She sent her final text message at 7:05pm that evening, it simply said “Here,” to indicate that she had arrived at Nathaniel’s house. Once inside the home, Nathaniel brought Lauren into the garage where he slit her throat and then strangled her with a bungee cord. He then drove Lauren’s car a quarter of a mile away to Town Beach and dumped her keys in a storm drain. Nathaniel then ran home, put Lauren’s body in his car, and then drove to a secluded marsh and dumped her in the water.

After Lauren’s family reported her missing, it didn’t take long for police to identify Nathaniel as a person of interest. When police went to his house for questioning, they took a look around and found bloodstains in the garage and a gym bag full of wet, bloody clothes. The next day, Lauren’s body was found in the marsh. The following morning, Nathaniel was arrested and charged with murder.

Megan Nichols (15) disappeared from her home in Fairfield, Illinois on July 3rd, 2014. That day, Megan and her mother Kathy Jo planned to run errands together, but Megan stayed back after claiming that she wasn’t feeling well. Kathy Jo said that when she returned from the errands later, Megan was gone. She left her phone in her bedroom—which had been completely reset—and a note for her mother that said, in part, “I love you, but I will never be happy here. Don’t look for me.” Police initially classified Megan as a runaway but changed her status to endangered missing after extended time went by without any trace of Megan. Over the next those three years, there were many searches for Megan in Fairfield and many other surrounding areas that turned up nothing. 

Finally, on December 26th, 2017, remains were found in a wooded area in Wayne County, Illinois. A month later, those remains were confirmed to be Megan’s. Despite the original belief that Megan had runaway, it became clear at that point that she likely never left the Wayne County area. Details surrounding Megan’s death remained quite mysterious. Initially, authorities did not release any details on how Megan died or if foul play was involved. There was speculation about the 18-year-old she was dating at the time of her disappearance was involved, but it took years before that would finally be confirmed. Then, during October 2020, an arrest was made in Megan’s case. On October 6th, 2020, Brodey Murbarger, aged 24 at this point, was taken into custody and indicted on six counts: three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of home invasion, and one count of concealment of homicidal death. Shortly after his arrest, it was announced that prosecutors believed that Murbarger had suffocated and strangled Megan to death. Murbarger’s arrest was the first step towards justice for Megan and her loved ones. Throughout the court proceedings, the prosecution presented exactly what they believed happened to Megan - and how the investigation zeroed in on Murbarger as their suspect.

Terri Reyes (left) and Shunte Coleman (center) both vanished in Jacksonville, Texas during 2006. Terri, who was 38 years old at the time, vanished on May 21st, 2006. Shunte, who was 26, vanished about a month and a half later, on July 2nd, 2006. Both women had associations with a Jacksonville police officer named Larry Pugh (right).  In 2005, Pugh was indicted on five counts of violation of civil rights after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on duty. Additionally, numerous other women reported Pugh for sexual assault between 2005 and 2006. Both Terri and Shunte were scheduled to testify against Pugh in court. They both vanished while Pugh was out on bond while awaiting trial. 

After Shunte vanished, many began to speculate that her disappearance and Terri’s disappearance were connected to Pugh. At the time, police denied this and stated that there was “no evidence” that their disappearances were connected in any way. However, about a month after Shunte’s disappearance, in August 2006, Pugh was arrested yet again for assaulting another woman who was also scheduled to testify as a witness in his case. He later admitted to putting a belt around the woman’s neck and attempting to drag her to his van. The belt broke, and the woman was able to run to nearby friend’s house. Pugh was subsequently charged with retaliation against a witness.

On March 1st, 2007, Pugh was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the initial federal charges. Meanwhile, Terri and Shunte remained missing. A few months later, in June 2007, hunters found human remains in a wooded area in San Augustine County. Those remains were later identified as that of Terri Reyes. Her death was classified as homicide. 

Years later, in March 2014, another set of human remains were found in a wooded area of San Augustine County–not far from the spot where Terri’s remains were found. A few months later, forensic testing confirmed that the remains belonged to Shunte Coleman. Her death was also classified as a homicide. The murders of both Terri and Shunte have only one prime suspect to this day: Larry Pugh. 

Marquita Lenae Jones has been missing since 2011. The then-28-year-old woman was reportedly last seen "on or near West Street" in New Haven, Connecticut. A specific timeline surrounding Marquita's disappearance is unknown; however, her NamUs page states that "she was last seen by family in the summer of 2011." Most sources list July 1st, 2011 as the date that Marquita went missing.

According to a 2019 report, Marquita struggled with substance abuse at the time of her disappearance. That report also indicates that Marquita was homeless, but she may have been staying in the Hill neighborhood of New Haven at the time she vanished. Other than that, there are very few details available about her disappearance.

Various postings on social media about Marquita's disappearance indicate that she is loved and missed. In 2017, a Reddit user posted about Marquita's case in a true crime subreddit. Another user replied, "I knew marquita and her family very well , I heard through a close relative of hers she left CT to get out of trouble she was in with probation, but its been awhile now and family still hasnt heard from her she has a tendency to go with the crowd and I believe it got her missing I hope one day we can find out what really happened."

The information from this comment has not been confirmed, and it's unknown if detectives have even looked into this theory. In fact, it was reported in 2019 that Marquita's disappearance is amongst a few other cases of missing women in Connecticut that are not being actively investigated. Acting Police Chief Otoniel Reyes told reporters via email, "Although we are not actively working these cases, they are very much open, and we welcome an opportunity to remind the public about them in hopes it will spark new information."