In 2014, a successful, retired couple living on a beautiful lake in Georgia hadnt been heard from for multiple days in a row. Sills talked with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday about the case and how technology that wasnt yet developed six years ago might be useful to authorities in solving the case. At what point would you just have that sinking feeling, this is it? he said. The Dermonds leave behind a daughter, two sons and nine grandchildren. Russell Joseph Dermond, a WWII Navy veteran, married Shirley Wilcox on Dec. 15, 1950. Were very, very sad. If you have a tip or story idea, email her at jnoll@11Alive.com or call, text at (404) 664-3634. She even emailed Sills hundreds of pages of notes supporting her claim, which Sills debunked. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. His body was discovered by neighbors in the garage of the couples home. But after some neighbors went over to their home searching for them, they were nowhere to be found. Their favorite time was to spend time with the family and grandkids, Brad said about his parents, who were both only children, themselves. Besides the headless body sprawled in the garage between the Dermonds Lexus SUV and their Lincoln Town Car, little in the home was amiss. Three days passed with no excuse, no apology, and no signs of activity at the Dermond home. There have, since early in the probe, been developments or findings not shared publicly that, in the event of an arrest, could prove useful in convicting the killer or killers. WebEATONTON, Ga. A cold case is warming up as the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said there is new evidence in their search for who murdered an elderly couple, then dumped Along with Shirley, he spoke with his son Brad over the phone later that day. According to the National Institutes of Health, 80 percent of people stricken with the disease suffer from visual hallucinations that are typically realistic and detailed. Sometimes, they can be frightening or dangerous, states the NIH, citing, as an example, a person attempting to fight a perceived intruder. That bag was tied to her feet.. Nothing was out of placejewelry and medications were seemingly as the Dermonds had left them. [4] Ten days later, Shirley's body was found by fishermen on Lake Oconee. (Jessica Noll / WXIA), Brad Dermond cherishes photos, like above, with his mom, Shirley Dermond. Heres a list of the homicides in Macon in 2023. I try to keep an open mind. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said its a case he still thinks about every day, now eight years later. WebMay 7On Friday, eight years to the day that investigators began probing the grisly deaths of Shirley and Russell Dermond, the county sheriff hunting their still-at-large killer or But Brad is confident in Sills ability to solve the only two homicides of his career that have gone cold. Last May, some of Sills news conferences about the Dermond killings were aired live on Atlanta news channels. "The technology we are using was not in existence back in 2014. Ive obtained some of it and I have reason to believe that when I obtain the rest of the data and sort it out that it may well lead me to a suspect or suspects in this case, Sills said. But you think there would be other crimes, Keith Dermond said. The Dermond mystery still generates its share of sometimes-kooky tips, which investigators dutifully check out. In the years since, the Putnam County Sheriffs Office would re-interview several times hoping something new would emerge. Sills said he believes he knows the answer. Low 66F. Shirley Dermond had been a homemaker who in her later years liked gardening, playing bridge and doing crossword puzzles. All rights reserved, Privacy Policy|Online Content Agreement, Man, 88, Beheaded, His Wife Missing From Home in Gated Georgia Community, Body confirmed to be Shirley Dermond; officials searching lake for husbands head, Phone records released in Dermond slayings on Lake Oconee, Son of slain couple in grisly Putnam case: Mystery just eats at you, New details as mystery reigns in year-old Dermond lake murders, Relentless: Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills chases a killer, Son of slain Dermond couple says Lake Oconee mystery haunts us, Vicious enemy may have killed Dermonds; Lake Oconee murders now 3 years cold. Mrs. Unsolved murders in Putnam County, Georgia, "Decapitation mystery: Russell Dermond was World War II vet, golfer", "The murders at Lake Oconee: 4 years later, elderly couple's son opens up", "5 years later, murders of Lake Oconee couple continue to confound", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murders_of_Russell_and_Shirley_Dermond&oldid=1140583082, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 19:22. 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. Henry also had a hand in the 1997 murder-for-hire probe that sent Kelly Gissendaner to death row for arranging the stabbing death of her husband. Greene County deputies spotted Haufler, gun in hand, walking away from his home on Jones Bluff Court when they responded to the emergency call. Its security cameras had been knocked out by a storm in the weeks before the killings and were of no use to the authorities. The two were both New Jersey natives, who relocated to Georgia in the 1980s so that Russell could manage a chain of Hardee restaurants in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The headless body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond was on the floor surrounded by towels. Yet they have all, not unlike the villain whose misdeeds provoked them, faded into oblivion for the time being. It's difficult for their son to fathom their last moments alive. Haufler and Dimos were, by all accounts, close friends, even though they just met last fall, on a hunting trip. They have merited days, weeks of inquiry. If Russell Dermond was shot in the head like we believe was the case, there is likely a bullet inside and if that weapon that was used to kill him was used to commit another crime and that case got solved, then the bullet from that weapon could be used to match it back to the killing of Russell Dermond, Sills said. The youngest of four, 55-year-old Dermond, says his parents were very private people and that they would hate that he is talking about them at all. Someone who likes guns and knives, Sills said, recalling some contents of the FBIs report. The professor claimed that a psycho love interest she had met online was responsible for killing the Dermonds. "Im not going to say its absolutely physically impossible, but its highly unlikely.". Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The FBI was called in. What played out over the next month would leave more questions than answers in their usually sleepy neighborhood. Russell and Shirley Dermond were supposed to attend a Kentucky Derby Party on May 3, 2014, at a neighbors home. Babys dad is charged with murder, Whats coming to Middle Georgia? PREVIOUSLY:Inside exclusive Lake Oconee community, another confounding mystery, Related:Lake Oconee decapitation mystery still consumes sheriff. The murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond occurred in early May 2014 in Putnam County, Georgia, United States. Movies. Its two years later. "Theres about three persons in my house trying to kill me," he told the dispatcher. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Cloudy. The last time Russell was seen alive was on Thursday, May 1, 2014 when he ran some errands in town. The 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. PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. There is new evidence in the murder of a Putnam County couple in their 80s. On Sunday, the likely anniversary of the couples death, Key planned to lead an afternoon memorial service at the church. Join our "Gone Cold" Facebook group and join our discussions about cases like these, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/gonecold/ and follow us on Twitter: @11AliveGoneCold. That, and unanswered questions. Russell and Shirley Dermond (Family photos). Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. For more of Georgia's cold cases, visit 11Alive's Cold Case page. Hes probably the nicest person I met in my entire life, said neighbor Mark OConnell, calling Haufler an honorable man.. Web5 years later, murders of Lake Oconee couple continue to confound. Credit: Photo provided by Ceciley Pangburn, Inside exclusive Lake Oconee community, another confounding mystery, Lake Oconee decapitation mystery still consumes sheriff. Russ, once an avid golfer when he and Shirley lived near Roswell, had called it a career after more than 10 years in the restaurant business. Ten days later, Shirley Dermonds body surfaced near where two men were fishing in a boat on the lake, just inside Greene County. The infamous, unsolved case still haunts Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. It was on May 6, 2014, that the same neighbor walked up to the Dermonds front door, found it unlocked, walked in to investigate, and made a gruesome discovery inside the garage. He suggests inebriation mightve played a role, noting the two men had purchased $130 worth of adult beverages the day before Haufler called 911, 30 minutes before sunrise on August 28. But when the worst happens in the seemingly best of places, folks cannot help but wonder why or how. WebPUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. There is new evidence in the murder of a Putnam County couple in their 80s. The FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit has provided Sills with a broad description of the culprit. But four years after their brutal murders, Russell and Shirley Dermond's son believes its time to talk and hopefully break someone elses silence, uncovering a clue into who killed his parents in rural Putnam County, Ga. READ MORE: Putnam County murder mystery: Why the sheriff won't ask the GBI for help. I would ride my bicycle from here (Eatonton) to McIntyre (in Wilkinson County) backward with thumbtacks in my butt if I thought it would solve this case, Sills said. Thursday marked 8-years since someone killed Shirley and Russell Dermond at their Lake Oconee home. Shirley, the sheriff says, appears to have been up and dressed for the day, while Russ, in a robe, T-shirt, boxer shorts and slippers, may have, when the killer arrived, just been into his morning coffee-drinking and reading routine. The elderly couple, who lived in the affluent gated community of Great Waters at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Putnam County, was brutally slain sometime over the weekend of the Kentucky Derby in May 2014. Oldest son Chad is now a sheriffs deputy in Florida. It is possible that whatever the killer sought, if anything, was something the Dermonds didnt have. The 88-year-old Russell Dermond, a World War II veteran, is believed to have been shot in the head and was beheaded afterward. Were searching through that to see if we may be able to find some clue as to who was in the area at the time. Its just my opinion that it would just be impossible for one person. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is combing over new cell phone data connected to an 8-year-old murder mystery. Follow us on -Instagram @kmh.podcastTwitter @kmhpodcastFacebook click hereTikTok @kmhpodcastThank you for listening! Seconds later, at his wifes side, she asked, Did you find both of them?. Murder or self-defense? (Jessica Noll / WXIA), Timeline | Multiple rounds of strong to severe storms possible, Woman convicted in husband's murder after stabbing him with butcher knife, Douglas County prosecutors say, Douglas County jury convicts woman in husband's stabbing death, Forecast | Shower and storms increase to finish the week, Putnam County murder mystery: Why the sheriff won't ask the GBI for help, Sheriff: Beheading is most frustrating homicide in his career, Justice for Love: A mothers relentless pursuit to find her daughters killer, https://www.facebook.com/groups/gonecold/. SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. Brad Dermond flips through albums and shuffles through a handful of photographsremembering family road trips, golfing and how much his parents loved him and his siblings and adored their grandchildren. Support by joining KMH+ and by checking out our merch shop! 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. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. WebChad Haufler, 45, is charged with murder after a shooting inside a home on Lake Oconee. We feel that theres a very strong likelihood that it was done by more than one person. The neighbors, the woman and her 75-year-old husband, were no doubt the first people in the Dermond home after a crime that has puzzled and frustrated investigators from the outset. picture of tyler hynes wife, weyerhaeuser land for sale in alabama, discontinued costa del mar sunglasses list, Dutifully check out in on babys dad is charged with murder, Whats coming to Middle Georgia 11Alive.com or,! Was done by more than one person homemaker who in her later years liked gardening, playing bridge and crossword. 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