Its the horror that they must have gone through, from the beginning until it was finished thats whats difficult to overcome.. 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. Murder or self-defense? 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. (FOX 5). Sills has chased down leads across the country, but still nothing to solve the case. Friends of the couple grew concerned. But what led the two men to fight in the first place? Submitted photo In 2014, Russell and Shirley Dermond were the victims of a brutal Lake Oconee murder that shocked the country. Sills issued a statement saying investigators are using new technology to analyze phones: "Just last week I received some data, primarily cell phone data, that we have been waiting on for some time. So the neighbors, a few days later, went to check on them. And when the crime scene, in all likelihood, was a $769,000 lake house. The case remains as much a mystery today and is it did when the crimes first happened. Meanwhile, his 87-year-old wife, Shirley Dermond, was nowhere to be found. "What we need more than anything is for someone to call us and tell us who is responsible for this savagery," he said Friday. A lot of what we talked about concerning technology was about what is available today that wasn't available primarily then.. They werent gaudy, they werent pretentious. New Details On The Unsolved Murder Of The Georgia Couple, Somebody knows. Looking at all the couples, they would have been the last you would have picked out, Key said. (FOX 5). Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. He told Wilfon that hes cautiously optimistic about new evidence in the case cellphone data provided by the FBI. Potential evidence was gathered. Five years ago in 2016, one of the couples sons, Keith Dermond, who lived in Florida, told The Telegraph that he hadnt given up hope his parents killer might someday be caught. His head was never found. Almost eight years after Russell Dermond was found dead, the Putnam County sheriff said there's new evidence to consider. Henry is 62, a slim, deep-voiced, Vidalia-born career cop. They dont know the case theyre making, the defense lawyer said. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. We talked about some technological stuff that were working on right now.. 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. The new details came as the alleged killer, Chad Haufler was denied bond in Greene County, where hes been incarcerated since last Tuesday. The veteran sheriff said some of the evidence, including two towels found around the corpse of Russell Dermond, had been of value to them. Autopsies revealed that the Dermonds, whod been married for 68 years, died of head wounds, but exactly how or what they were killed with is unknown. WebCome Wednesday, a year will have passed since that emergency call, since the frantic womans husband found the decapitated body of their 88-year-old friend, Russell J. Sills said he believes he knows the answer. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. Might the slayings be the work of burglars the Dermonds walked in on? WebCheck out this great listen on Audible.com. Not long ago, Sills was at a restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when a woman walked up and asked, Are you a police officer?, Yes, maam, he replied before emphasizing where. On a recent afternoon, Putnam sheriffs Detective Dave Henry was in Sills office. They went on to have four children and nine grandchildren. 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. But, he is convinced more than one person was involved. Jessica Noll is a multimedia journalist, who focuses on in-depth, investigative crime/justice reports for 11Alive's digital platforms. Russell and Shirley Dermond (Family photos). To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-4397. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. After several years in the fast food industry, in which Russell owned several Hardees restaurants in Atlanta, he retired in 1994. For seven years, the killings of Russell and Shirley Dermond at Lake Oconee have gone unsolved, the motive unknown and the culprit or culprits uncaught in a bizarre double slaying that has remained as baffling as it was heinous. He was decapitated after he died, likely on May 3 or the day before. Theres such a thing of Gods wrath. Deputies followed hundreds of leads and possible motives, but they didnt lead anywhere conclusive. Among this self-described band of brothers, there is no doubt about Hauflers innocence. WebIMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. 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 Dermonds eldest son, Mark, was killed while attempting to purchase crack cocaine in Atlanta. Brad, who still talks to his golfing buddy nearly every day, has dreams about his dad as well. She has been bludgeoned to death and her body had been The concern of it may have diminished in the public, because time, of course, erodes all things., I travel all over the United States of America and the first thing (people) ask me no matter where I go is about the Dermond killings, he said. If you have a tip or story idea, email her at jnoll@11Alive.com or call, text at (404) 664-3634. Greene County deputies spotted Haufler, gun in hand, walking away from his home on Jones Bluff Court when they responded to the emergency call. 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. Their killer, a stranger whod abducted them at a park south of Atlanta, was sentenced to life without parole. They have the responsibility of coming forward., We may not like how long it takes, but it will be solved, Brad said with optimism. He has reached out to the FBI to help comb through that evidence. Ten days later, Shirley Dermonds body surfaced near where two men were fishing in a boat on the lake, just inside Greene County. Naturally, the shifting narratives aroused suspicions. It is not certain how Russ Dermond was killed, just that whatever caused his death was a traumatic head injury. 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. Psychopath: 5 years after grisly Lake Oconee murders, who killed the Dermonds and why? She's digging for answers for the still-grieving families who long for them, and for the victims who have never found their justice. Anyone with information is asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, at (706) 485-8557. After growing concerned, a neighbor checked in on the Dermonds on Tuesday, May 6. The murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond occurred in early May 2014 in Putnam County, Georgia, United States. How their killer or killers arrived is anyones guess. I got some data just last week, Sills said. Weighed down by a pair of 30-pound concrete blocks, her corpse bloated and surfaced facedown in 46 feet of water. Sills did not offer other details about the cell phone data, or if it belonged to anyone from the small, rural community where the couple was found dead. Babys dad is charged with murder, Whats coming to Middle Georgia? Sills said he could not elaborate on what was discussed with FBI agents from the Macon field office, however. She has been bludgeoned to death and her body had been weighted down with cinder blocks. Investigators said an elderly man was found beheaded in his home. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Ten days later, a pair of fishermen found Shirley, 87, dead near a Lake Oconee dam about five miles from their Eatonton lakefront home. Babys dad is charged with murder, Whats coming to Middle Georgia? The Dermonds went on to move into Great Waters Reynolds at Lake Oconee, a gated community located about twelve miles northeast of Eatonton. They spent their days playing golf, writing, going on walks, and spending time with their friends and family. Unless somebody comes forward and gives them a clue, what else do they have to go on? Youngest son Blake is set to follow in his dads footsteps as a firefighter in Marion County. Leads have, at times, looked promising. [1] When police were unable to locate Shirley inside the house, they initially suspected that she had been kidnapped. Everybodys got their own theory on what happened -- and a lot of them are possible., Anything that is halfway sane is a very plausible theory, Henry said, at this point.. Yet they have all, not unlike the villain whose misdeeds provoked them, faded into oblivion for the time being. WebBy Joe Kovac Jr. Heres a list of the homicides in Macon in 2023. Tangled within his blood, they found strands of Shirleys hair. Both were very religious, and Shirley was an avid writer, artist and crossword puzzle enthusiast. In the years since, the Putnam County Sheriffs Office would re-interview several times hoping something new would emerge. It just always ends up with a big question mark, he 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. Russ Dermond. She even emailed Sills hundreds of pages of notes supporting her claim, which Sills debunked. Oldest son Chad is now a sheriffs deputy in Florida. Among locals who didnt even know the slain couple, an uneasiness set in. I mean, just dead end after dead end.. Their favorite time was to spend time with the family and grandkids, Brad said about his parents, who were both only children, themselves. But when the worst happens in the seemingly best of places, folks cannot help but wonder why or how. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast. OConnell told the judge hed be willing to put up his home to cover Hauflers bond. The Dermonds leave behind a daughter, two sons and nine grandchildren. There's no way one person did this," he said. Sills believes that Dermond was decapitated after he was murdered in an attempt to hide evidence, such as a gunshot wound and bullet. If theres somebody whos going to get this thing solved, its going to be him.. 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. Along with Shirley, he spoke with his son Brad over the phone later that day. From the street or the water, even in early spring, seeing anything distressing happening inside would have been all but impossible. He said, Russell comes to him in his dreams, offering him clues about his death. He said he also believes that when Shirley Dermonds body was tossed into the lake, the killers could easily have thrown Russell Dermonds head into the lake at the same time. And despite some new revelations Tuesday at a bond hearing for suspect Chad Haufler, the prosecution is keeping tight-lipped about why they believe the retired firefighter intended to kill a man in the basement of the $1.9 million home purchased just one month earlier. 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. When asked if some of the technology was the way to go at this time, since other ideas have been exhausted, Sills quickly replied. Investigators said they believe the towels were put down around the decapitated body to keep the blood from seeping out under the garage door. Sheriff Sills said his office received new data, some of it cell phone data. For every theory about the shooting death of an Ohio man by his friend inside the exclusive Reynolds Lake Oconee community, significant holes remain. But a possible lead unearthed in recent months by Putnam County sheriffs investigators working in conjunction with the FBI has detectives somewhat optimistic about a chance to finally zero in on a suspect. They have led investigators to other parts of Georgia and out of state. [I] almost couldnt even decipher what he was talking about, he said. Together, they had three sons and a daughterand eventually, they would dote on nine grandchildren too. Before that, he spent most of his working years as an executive for a New York-area clock company. REAL LIFE In fact, the grandchildren would go to Lake Oconee for summer camp and spend time with Shirley and Russell every year. EATONTON, Ga. A cold case is warming up as the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said there is new evidence in their search for whomurdered an elderly couple, then dumped one of their body's into a rural Georgia lake. Search continues for person who decapitated elderly man at Lake Oconee home Richard Elliot reports. It may have shattered any kind of false security that weve had, Key, 52, said last week. 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. Russell was a thoughtful businessman, disciplinarian and Brads favorite golfing partner, according to their son. [3] The neighbor found the door unlocked and entered the house. (Jessica Noll / WXIA), Held up by push pins, the Dermonds' unsolved murder poster is faded, but remains on the Putnam County Sheriff's bulletin board as soon as you walk inside. Search continues for person who decapitated elderly man at Lake Oconee home, WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta facebook feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta twitter feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta instagram feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta youtube feed(Opens a new window), UGA star charged in connection to crash that killed teammate, staffer, UGA football staffer had blood alcohol level twice the legal limit before crash that killed 2, 9 elementary school students sickened by unknown substance at metro Atlanta school, 16-year-old reported missing found dead at Gwinnett home, police say, TIMELINE: Investigation into crash that killed UGA football player, recruiting staff member. A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. But he was also realistic. Before joining Sills staff in 2012, he helped train police investigators in Iraq. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Follow her on Twitter @JNJournalist and like her on Facebook to keep up with her latest work. There is none. The decapitated body of Russell Dermond (age Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Shed gone to her duplicate bridge club meeting in Eatonton the Thursday before her death. Theyll say, They never came up with nothing on that murder, did they? Ill say, Well, youre looking at they. Marc Dimos will be laid to rest Thursday in Ohio. But he did receive one earlier this week that hes looking into. Because he lacks any ties to the area, Haufler was denied bond and returned to the Greene County jail. Crews searched for several days with no luck. Menu. 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. There was a problem saving your notification. Nor any suspects. They were lovely people from all I know. Its impossible.. Each of the Dermonds surviving children were interviewed by deputies about the case. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. But the memories are bittersweet, because that is all that remains. Investigators said a professional would know that would not work. The two-story Dermond home, a four-bedroom, four-bath, 3,500-square-footer in a wooded cul-de-sac overlooking a cove, is now on the market. 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. The unsolved double murder on Lake Oconee is one of the most unusual and horrifying in Georgia crime annals. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As the year progressed, the trail leading to those responsible grew cold. Her body was found by fishermen on Lake Oconee, weighed down with two 30-pound concrete blocks tied to her. Key recalls the Dermonds being in church the weekend before they died, and how so much time has passed since. It had been weighed down with concrete blocks but surfaced in about 90 feet of water, tangled in treetops just below the surface. Movies. Investigators do not believe the two incidents are connected. Neither his head nor his wife, Shirley (age 87), could be located in the house. 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