Oh, my God. Haufler had bruises on his back and elbows, according to his attorney. By boat, the spot lies some five miles from her home, in a wide bend above the Wallace Dam. The FBI, who has assisted the Putnam County Sheriffs Office in the investigation, launched an intensified search, placing Shirley Dermonds photo on digital billboards throughout the area, but received no information. "If there was an enemy out there, (it) would have taken place a lot sooner than that.". Hes always taken care of people.. Because gunshot residue was found on Russell's collar,[5] Sills believes he was decapitated after having been shot in the head in an attempt to prevent police from finding the bullet,[6] and that the perpetrator(s) went to the Dermonds' home intending to obtain money, despite the fact that nothing in the home was stolen.[5]. Because he lacks any ties to the area, Haufler was denied bond and returned to the Greene County jail. We feel that theres a very strong likelihood that it was done by more than one person. So, if somebody does know something they have the responsibility of coming forward, even if its just a shred of information. A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. Some have suggested professional hit men as the culprits. But Brad is confident in Sills ability to solve the only two homicides of his career that have gone cold. An autopsy found that she had died from either two or three deep wounds to the head from a blunt object. 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. The new details came as the alleged killer, Chad Haufler was denied bond in Greene County, where hes been incarcerated since last Tuesday. (Provided), Brad Dermond looks at years' worth of memories with his parents, Shirley and Russell Dermond. 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 Dermonds went on to move into Great Waters Reynolds at Lake Oconee, a gated community located about twelve miles northeast of Eatonton. 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. 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. But what led the two men to fight in the first place? Babys dad is charged with murder, Whats coming to Middle Georgia? The neighbors who alerted the authorities about Russ death live about a mile from the Dermond place. The headless body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond was on the floor surrounded by towels. Hes probably the nicest person I met in my entire life, said neighbor Mark OConnell, calling Haufler an honorable man.. Leads have, at times, looked promising. Almost eight years after Russell Dermond was found dead, the Putnam County sheriff said there's new evidence to consider. The couple was supposed to attend a Kentucky Derby party that weekend, but never showed. The unsolved double murder on Lake Oconee is one of the most unusual and horrifying in Georgia crime annals. Three days passed with no excuse, no apology, and no signs of activity at the Dermond home. Weighed down by a pair of 30-pound concrete blocks, her corpse bloated and surfaced facedown in 46 feet of water. He told Wilfon that hes cautiously optimistic about new evidence in the case cellphone data provided by the FBI. WebRussell, 88, was found decapitated inside his garage on May 6, 2014, and two fishermen discovered 87-year-old Shirleys body 10 days later in Lake Oconee, about five miles And theres more than one person involved in this, Lake Oconee double murder probe turns to NY for clues, Person of interest identified in murder, beheading of elderly couple, Mystery man emerges in year-old Ga. beheading case, 5 years later, sheriff still agonizes over brutal cold case murders, Timeline of 2 Murders: How the Killings of Russell and Shirley Dermond Unfolded, The Murders of Elderly Georgia Couple Russell and Shirley Dermond: A Beheading and No Leads. However, this eventually led nowhere, and over time the leads gradually declined in frequency. It had been weighed down with concrete blocks but surfaced in about 90 feet of water, tangled in treetops just below the surface. 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. 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. They have led investigators to other parts of Georgia and out of state. At this point, maybes are about all the sheriff and his investigators have when it comes to potential culprits. Another neighborhood woman described the circumstances of the case as horrible., Were sad, said the woman, 74. 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. Subscribers and Viewers! The Rev. Henry spent most of his years as a homicide detective at agencies in Gwinnett County. In recent months, the eldest of the Dermonds surviving three children, Keith Dermond, who lives in Florida, recalled how his parents moved to the lake in the late 1990s to get away from the hustle and bustle of Atlanta., They made some great friends and loved when family visited, Keith Dermond, 56, said in February, adding that he hadnt heard from the sheriff or anyone in months.. Brad, who still talks to his golfing buddy nearly every day, has dreams about his dad as well. Sills said Shirley Dermond was struck more than once and was dead when she was dropped in the lake. He recalls one tipster, though, who was convinced that the killer is an al-Qaida or Islamic State operative. When you start involving more and more people, it increases the chances of information being shared. Russell Dermonds head has never been found. His killer remains in prison, and people on the slayings periphery -- relatives, friends and others -- appear to have played no role in his parents deaths. They hope deputies are able to find their parents' killers. Murder or self-defense? Heres a look at new, renovated stores and restaurants, Burger King brings back fan-favorite sandwich but not for long. Earlier this summer, Haufler invited Dimos to his home in Ocala, Florida. If you want to support the channel and participate in future LIVE shows and other perks, click on the link and join Patreon! David W. Key Sr. of Lake Oconee Community Church, where the Dermonds were members, says shock and despair linger. The 88-year-old Russell Dermond, a World War II veteran, is believed to have been shot in the head and was beheaded afterward. I am currently trying to obtain data of a highly technical nature that I believe will be fruitful. At what point would you just have that sinking feeling, this is it? he said. The cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the head. In fact, the grandchildren would go to Lake Oconee for summer camp and spend time with Shirley and Russell every year. 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. They were lovely people from all I know. Investigators believe they were searching for multiple suspects and the motive was robbery, but nothing appears to have been taken. Oldest son Chad is now a sheriffs deputy in Florida. Married nearly 64 years, the couple did everything togetherincluding taking their last breaths. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents are assisting by analyzing the new evidence, the sheriff said. It would appear that there was a struggle and dad was trying to be protective of mom, Brad surmised. Sills said this case has baffled him more than any other murder in his career. The case remains as much a mystery today and is it did when the crimes first happened. Russell and Shirley Dermond were supposed to attend a Kentucky Derby Party on May 3, 2014, at a neighbors home. 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. It was wooded and very private. 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. Aside from Sills, Henry knows more about the Dermond case than anyone. It's difficult for their son to fathom their last moments alive. This story was originally published May 2, 2015, 8:37 PM. Please rate, subscribe, and share if you enjoy our work. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. 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. 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. The FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit has provided Sills with a broad description of the culprit. But after some neighbors went over to their home searching for them, they were nowhere to be found. Haufler will return to court in two weeks for a preliminary hearing. Russell Joseph Russ Dermond, 88, had last been seen on May 2, the day before that years Kentucky Derby. Shed gone to her duplicate bridge club meeting in Eatonton the Thursday before her death. 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. Investigators said a professional would know that would not work. They could have come by boat., As for the number of assailants involved, Sills said, If one person did this, he spent the weekend. Support by joining KMH+ and by checking out our merch shop! The guard shack lies a shade under two miles from the Dermond house. They have the responsibility of coming forward., We may not like how long it takes, but it will be solved, Brad said with optimism. Heres a look at new, renovated stores and restaurants, Burger King brings back fan-favorite sandwich but not for long. Over a week later, Shirley's body was discovered floating in Lake Oconee, her body having been weighted down with concrete blocks. 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. 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. 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. Its still just as tough as day one. Hed do the same thing for anyone sitting in this room, said Matt Luttermoser, a friend since childhood. WebA few days ago, Howard Sills, Putnam Countys plain-spoken, sometimes-philosophical sheriff, rose from bed at 5:38 a.m., bedeviled yet again by crimes as confounding and 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 neighbors who made the 911 call did so on the Dermonds cordless phone. There is none. Now part of the challenge is that we live with unanswered questions.. Brad Dermond, center, with his parents at his wedding. 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.. Along with Shirley, he spoke with his son Brad over the phone later that day. Murdered, beheaded and dumped into a lake: Who wanted the Dermonds dead? Investigators said an elderly man was found beheaded in his home. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. She liked to read, play bridge, go to church. The Dermond mystery still generates its share of sometimes-kooky tips, which investigators dutifully check out. If you have a tip or story idea, email her at jnoll@11Alive.com or call, text at (404) 664-3634. 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. There's no way one person did this," he said. The professor claimed that a psycho love interest she had met online was responsible for killing the Dermonds. Russell's decapitated body was found on the floor of his two-car garage, lying in a small pool of blood. Psychopath: 5 years after grisly Lake Oconee murders, who killed the Dermonds and why? He was decapitated after he died, likely on May 3 or the day before. But he wakes up before it leads anywhere. His wife, who was not beheaded, died from blows to the skull, wounds possibly inflicted with something like a hammer, Sills said. I mean, just dead end after dead end.. 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. 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. Henry is 62, a slim, deep-voiced, Vidalia-born career cop. Its the horror that they must have gone through, from the beginning until it was finished thats whats difficult to overcome.. They had a huge retirement house overlooking a beautiful lake in Georgia. 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