The 25-year-old was kidnapped while jogging. The 25-year-old went for her run on Jackson County Road 41. He called me right after five and he says, “Have you seen Sydney?” And I said, “No.” An all handson search started for Sydney. We were just trying to find any kind of clue that we could. My heart just dropped.
Something just was not right. What did that feel like to me? It was a something felt odd. I walked back over to the group and I was like, “Something’s wrong.” They told me there’s a body discovered and the charges he’s facing. Is that the death penalty? Yes. Do you want him to face the death penalty? As of right now, I’m going to say yes.
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This story takes us to a tiny rural town called Grubs in Jackson County, Arkansas. It’s small, really small. Here you’ll find cozy little roads, wide open fields, and friendly locals who live at the pace of nature. This isn’t a place for loud adventures. It’s for anyone wanting to see real small town America.
Simple, unhurried, and genuine. Everyone knows everyone, and families have been living here for generations. With just over 300 people in town, there was this real sense of community and safety. Grubs was home to 25-year-old Sydney Southern Thurland. Born to Maggie and Dion, Sydney was the youngest of three kids.
Her two older brothers, Tyler and Sam, were always fiercely protective of her. They didn’t just see Sydney as their little sister. They felt responsible for her with their whole hearts. And Maggie often said that she and Sydney weren’t just close relatives. They were best friends, practically inseparable. They did everything together, talking about even the tiniest details, and could call each other multiple times a day just to hear that familiar voice.
Sydney was described as a bright, outgoing girl with that special, charming smile that could make any room feel warmer. She lived with her boyfriend, Alex, and they’d been together for four years. Together, they were building this calm, homey life full of simple joys. Sydney loved long walks with their dogs, who were basically like her kids.
She adored working out, shopping, cozy home vibes, and especially spending time with her little nieces, who affectionately called her aunt Sassy. That funny family nickname totally suited her. She really knew how to sprinkle a little extra brightness, energy, and playful mischief into every situation. Her best friend, Jordan, would say that no one knew their friends as deeply and thoughtfully as Sydney did.
It was like she always knew exactly what you needed, support, advice, or just someone quietly being there with you. Sydney had graduated from high school as an outstanding senior, and that wasn’t an exaggeration at all. In her yearbook, her quote read, “The purpose of life is to find your gift. The goal of life is to give it away.” And everyone who knew her said those words fit her perfectly.
They captured the very essence of who she was. Supportive, inspiring, compassionate. Those weren’t just traits. They perfectly fit her work as a nurse at Harris Medical Center. Sydney treated every patient like they were part of her own family. In the fall of 2020, she and her family had an amazing summer trip in Dest, Florida.
Lots of sun, the ocean, and a rare chance to finally just be together. They got back home on August 18th, exhausted, but happy. The next day, a clip from her Ring camera showed Sydney taking things out of her car. She was dressed in workout clothes. She’d just come back from a session at the gym with her trainer, trying to get back into her normal routine after vacation.
She unpacked her things slowly, putting everything in its place like she was organizing her thoughts and getting ready to return to work. Then she swung by Maggie’s house to drop off the mail that had piled up while they were in Florida. Sydney said she was heading home planning to bake brownies or cookies.
Something sweet and homey to bring back that everyday normal feeling. And if she had time, she planned to go for a run. It was just a regular day, normal, calm, a day that gave no hint of what was about to happen. Her mom reminded her not to overdo it. But workouts were an essential part of Sydney’s life, and she always stuck to her routine.
She exercised almost every day. It was her way of keeping her body in shape, clearing her mind, and maintaining her balance. Even after spending time at the gym, the thought of a run outdoors on this quiet sunny day to refresh her mind and have a little time alone was just too tempting to ignore. “I love you. Talk to you later,” she said in a calm but energetic voice as she stepped out the door, hardly feeling the weight of the ordinary day.
“I love you, too,” Maggie called back, trying to convey all the care and worry that always ran through her mind whenever she watched Sydney walk away. Sydney got back home, quickly checked her Apple Watch settings, made sure everything was ready for her run, and stepped outside. The sun was still high, the air was warm, and a gentle breeze carried the smell of freshly cut grass and the fields around her.
A UPS driver spotted her running through the state highway 18 area between Newport and Grubs sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon. He remembered her well because almost nothing ever happened on those roads. Hardly anyone stopped or passed by. There were just a few scattered houses and farms, creating this feeling of total quiet and isolation.
It really was a very rural area where time seemed to slow down, and everyday life flowed at its own slow, peaceful rhythm. A few hours passed and Alex, who had stayed home, started noticing some worrying signs. He hadn’t heard a single message from Sydney, and his chest tightened with anxiety. He called Maggie, hoping for any news at all, but she hadn’t heard anything either since Cydney left the house.
Sydney’s phone went straight to voicemail. Her Snapchats hadn’t been opened for hours, and not a single message had been read. There was no longer any doubt something had gone wrong. This wasn’t like her at all. Sydney would never want anyone worrying over her. His heart sank at the thought that she might be hurt somewhere, lying, injured, or even worse, that something far more frightening had happened.
It was a quiet, peaceful town where people barely locked their doors, and scary news was rare. So when darkness started to fall and the air grew colder, the police sprang into action immediately. The search ramped up on a massive scale and every minute felt critical. By 7:00 the next morning, Sydney’s family along with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas Department of Correction, the Arkansas State Police, the US Marshalss, the FBI, and three other local police departments were spread across the area, desperately
looking for any clue. During a brief break in the search, Maggie spoke with a well-known local farmer named Quake. He was just a few years older than Sydney and knew the area well. Quake said he had seen her running, and nothing had seemed suspicious. She was moving confidently, didn’t look hurt, and nobody was following her on foot or in a vehicle.
Everything had seemed normal, just an ordinary walk, but the sense of unease hanging in the air didn’t leave Maggie for even a moment. Law enforcement agencies now, and it continues. 25-year-old Sydney Sutherland was last seen jogging off Highway 18. Here’s her photograph. She was jogging between Newport and Grubs. Claire Chry has been in Jackson County all day.
She’s joining us now with the latest on the search efforts there. Claire, what do we know about the search? How’s it going? Has it turned up anything? Yeah, Bob. County Road 41 is the last place Sydney Sutherland was seen. She was This is actually a typical jogging route for her. Now it’s filled.
You can see filled with people driving up and down searching trying to bring her back home safe. From the sky to boots on the ground, law enforcement from across the county and even the state are exhausting every option to find 25-year-old Sydney Sutherland. We’re working every aspect that we can think of. According to Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas, Sutherland was last seen around 2:30 on this county road near her home.
She was on foot out walking and jogging. We received that information uh from a UPS driver this morning that saw her. Since then, no one has heard from her and no one knows what happened to her. We’re not ruling anything out. Lucas says she did have her phone and they’ve tried to track its last known location. With the phone pings that we’ve been getting from AT&T, plus the information from the people that said they saw her, it’s pretty much going to be in that general area.
And that’s where we’re concentrating the most right now. It’s not just police and sheriff deputies searching the fields for anything out of the ordinary where somebody might have turned around out in a field with a a truck or backed up in it. Uh weeds that are uh rolled over. White Brown is helping with the search efforts on his day off.
Is helping people when they need help. He says he can’t believe something like this happened in this small rural community. I was kind of shocked. Now he just hopes his and all the other volunteers efforts break some ground on Southerntherland’s disappearance. So this area behind me is actually the staging area for the search.
Sheriff Lucas says there are no solid leads at this time. So, we ask if you know anything or if you have seen her or even think that you have seen her to please call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Reporting live in Jackson County. Sydney had both her phone and her Apple Watch with her and every signal from her devices clearly marked her last known location just a short distance from the area where Quake and the UPS driver had seen her.
These tiny digital traces were the only threads that could point to her path. And with every passing hour, the tension grew. The next day, her phone was found on the ground. It was lying nearby, less than a quarter of a mile from her home, almost like a silent witness to the fact that something had gone terribly wrong. The phone wasn’t damaged.
No signs of a struggle, just a cold, quiet presence that made the feeling of helplessness even stronger. The next 24 hours dragged on just as painfully, filled with waiting and worry that pierced everyone involved in the search. By this point, about 300 volunteers had joined the search, combing fields, road edges, forests, and empty patches of the countryside.
But the harder they searched, the heavier the feeling in their chests grew, and the sickening anxiety seemed almost physical. Sydney was small, 5’3, and weighed just 103 lb. In this isolated area with its winding, nearly deserted roads, if someone had attacked her or pulled her into a vehicle, it could have happened in seconds.
Maggie, moving almost on her knees along the roads, tirelessly scanning every inch of the ground, finally found something, a tiny white bead. She immediately recognized it as from her daughter’s bracelet, a small, barely noticeable marker that screamed Sydney’s presence, and at the same time reminded her of the terrible unknown.
Those who couldn’t join the search in person organized vigils. All conversations, hopes, and prayers were focused on one thing, finding Sydney alive. Her disappearance had basically paralyzed the entire town. People who normally went about their everyday lives now couldn’t think about anything else. On Friday, August 21st, the search resumed first thing in the morning.
Police reported that they were working on a few leads, but the feeling of dread lingered every new hour. Every step along the quiet roads and fields only emphasized how urgent and critical the search was. The landscape, which had once seemed safe, now felt different. Every bush, every shadow could be hiding the answer to the terrifying question, where is Sydney? Thanks for joining us tonight at 10 o’clock, everybody. I’m Bob Clawson.
A suspect is in custody in the case of a missing jogger in Jackson County. The sheriff confirmed that a suspect had been arrested in connection with her disappearance. At that time, the person’s identity wasn’t being released, but he had already been taken to the Jackson County Jail. Later that same day, the missing person case shifted into a completely different kind of investigation.
Tonight, a heartbreaking ending for a search for a missing Jackson County woman. The Jackson County Sheriff confirming the body of 25-year-old Sydney Sutherland has been found. Sydney Sutherland’s body was found buried in a shallow pit in a field near the area where everyone had been searching. The medical examiner determined that her death was caused by multiple blunt force injuries.
Jackson County Sheriff David Lucas said that the Sydney case and the news of her being found dead affected him more deeply than any other case he had ever worked on. I do know the family, know them well. Um, I know Sydney. Uh, watched her grow up. U, she went to school with with my Two days later, investigators named their suspect.
It was none other than 28-year-old Quakeland, the same man who had told Maggie he saw Sydney running. He had also joined Facebook groups, participated in search parties, and even offered support to her family, going so far as to hug Maggie. Me anything? What did was Sydney doing? you know, did you see anything unusual? Did you meet anybody unusual? He goes, “No, she was just running.
” I [music] said, “You don’t have any you can tell me.” No, she just running. He just kind of gave me a little hug. He gave you a hug. Gave me a hug. What did that feel like in that moment? It was a something felt odd. I walked back over to the group and I was like, “Something’s wrong.” Maggie remembered that strange uneasy feeling she just couldn’t shake at the time.
It followed her everywhere in the quiet house, in Sydney’s room, in every corner of the yard. She felt it even when trying to go about her daily routines, like some invisible anxiety was warning her that something terrible was coming. Quake was a married local farmer. A third generation landowner managing roughly 6,000 acres. He had three stepchildren, and most people in the county either knew him or had at least heard of him, including Sydney’s family.
Back in 2016, his family even received the Jackson County Farm Family of the Year award, which made them extremely well-known locally. He had a reputation as a responsible and successful farmer, which made it all the harder to imagine him being involved in such a horrific crime. Authorities confirmed that Sydney and Quake knew each other.
They had once been Facebook friends, but it was never clear how close that connection really was. Quake actually drew the police’s attention when he showed up at the station, claiming he might have been the last person to see her alive. His words immediately raised suspicion, carrying this strange mix of forced confidence and underlying anxiety.
Both he and his father allowed detectives to search his pickup truck. The police immediately noticed blood stains on the tailgate, a small but critical piece of evidence. The first serious indication that things might be far worse than anyone could have imagined. Data from his phone showed he had been in the same area where Sydney’s phone was found, and her body was discovered just a short distance from his farm.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from cameras near his home. The recording showed him leaving in his pickup in the morning and returning with a noticeable dent in the bed. Every frame linked his vehicle to the crime scene, and the evidence painted a chilling picture that was hard to ignore.
Quake confessed to detectives that he had struck Sydney with his pickup. Then, according to him, fear of the consequences led him to do even more horrifying things. He claimed that he accidentally hit her because a cloud of dust had blocked his view. After that, according to him, he put her body in his truck, drove a short distance, then removed her clothes, and as he said, messed around with her before finally burying her.
He also told police that he had put the clothes Sydney was wearing during the incident into a laundry basket at his mother’s house. During the search, authorities indeed recovered a black t-shirt with light hair on it and a pair of black and pink shorts among other items. Small but critically important pieces of evidence that definitively tied him to the tragedy to the killing of Sydney Southerntherland.
28-year-old Quake Lou Ellen has now been arraigned on charges of capital murder, rape, and kidnapping. Those last two charges are new. Officials now say he not only killed Sutherland, but that he also abducted and assaulted her last Wednesday. Lwellyn has not entered a plea in his case. TB11 will continue updating the story online and on the air.
Quake was officially charged with murder, rape, kidnapping, and abuse of Sydney’s body. He insisted he was innocent, but a forensic psychiatric evaluation soon confirmed that he was sane and fully capable of standing trial. If found guilty, Quake could face the death penalty, the harshest punishment allowed by law.
That possibility loomed over him, highlighting just how horrific his actions were and the gravity of the crime. His wife, shocked and distraught, filed for divorce. Police confirmed that she had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to Sydney and had no idea what her husband was capable of. Her shock and grief were genuine.
No one could have anticipated the dark side of the person she had lived with for years. An anonymous source revealed that Quake had always been the one to watch. He had been repeatedly caught peeping into women’s windows while they were changing or showering. He even stalked much younger girls and according to the source, cruy abused animals.
These details painted the picture of a person with deeply disturbing behavior that had gone unnoticed or ignored for years. According to the Arkansas State Police, investigators concluded that Quake had been driving west on County Road 41 when he spotted Sydney. He sharply turned, deliberately hit her, kidnapped her, put her in the bed of his pickup, drove to a remote location, raped her, and buried her.
Each of these steps was cold, calculated, and brutally cruel actions that would shock even the most experienced detectives. At Sydney’s funeral, so many people came to say goodbye and support the family that the ceremony was streamed live so everyone could attend, even if they couldn’t be there in person. The grief that gripped the town was almost tangible.
candles, flowers, tears. It all created an atmosphere of deep pain and shared sorrow that brought together family, friends, and the entire community in one massive wave of mourning. Quake insisted that he hadn’t hit Sydney on purpose, but those were just his words. words that clashed with the version presented by investigators and prosecutors who saw the events in a very different light.
During a psychological evaluation to determine his sanity, he told specialists that he had tried to forget the murder and go back to a normal life. Going to work, acting as if nothing terrible had happened. According to him, he was just trying to justify himself, knowing he hadn’t killed her intentionally, and unconvincing in the face of evidence and testimony that pointed to deliberate and cruel actions.
Prosecutors discussed the possibility of a plea deal with Sydney’s family and the family agreed. As a result, the death penalty was taken off the table and charges of kidnapping and abuse of a corpse were dropped. The family wanted justice, but they also wanted to avoid additional trauma, drawn out trials, and endless appeals.
They just wanted to put this nightmare behind them as quickly as possible. Amy Lavven, Sydney’s boyfriend’s mom, expressed her feelings. I hope they don’t go for the death penalty. I just want him in the general population and sentenced to life. Let them do whatever they want with him in prison. My husband says the death penalty would be too easy for him.
I hate him. I know that’s a strong word. I’ve never hated anyone in my life. Maybe someday I’ll let it go for my own peace. But as long as I feel this hatred, evil wins, and I won’t let evil break me. I’ll never forgive. I’ll never forget. But for my own sake, I’ll have to let go of at least some of it.
Under the plea deal, Quake pleaded guilty to rape and murder. Maggie, Sydney’s mom, addressed him directly, asking him to look her in the eye as she spoke. She wasn’t yours to take. Those hands that hugged me are the same hands that killed her. True justice for Sydney, my daughter, would be having her here. What you took from us 48 days ago will never get back.
Did she fight? Did she cry? Did she call for her brothers? Was it worth it? It brings me some relief to know that from now on, you’re just a number with no name. Maggie’s words were cold and resolute, yet filled with pain and loss that would stay with her forever. She managed to express all the anger, despair, and grief that had built up over the year, conveying it in every word.
As a result of the trial, Quake was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His life became just a number in the justice system. Harsh, final, and with no escape from the consequences of his horrific actions. Any last words? Any regrets? Today, a judge agreed to a plea deal that will send the man accused of killing a Jackson County woman to prison for the rest of his life.
Today we have waited 408 days for Quake Lulean to be held accountable for my daughter’s senseless murder. Maggie Sutherland says she never has to worry about Quake Lulewell again in a deal made to spare his life. On Friday, Llewellyn plead guilty to capital murder and rape. A life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Llewellyn’s defense team tells me the death penalty could have been likely if it had gone to trial. Sydney’s family chose life to offer us that and I think that’s always the best way to go. The defense calls it a moment where Llewellyn owned up to his actions. Wanted to accept responsibility for what he had done. Tammy Watson, Llewellyn’s distant cousin, left court in tears.
I feel so sad for Sydney’s family. Watson says her heart is broken because Luwellyn’s parents lost their son today, too. Quake’s mother and father, they have been through so much. They are the ones that said, “Go in there and you tell them the truth.” Quake Llewellyn has answered for his horrendous actions.
Maggie can go home with the last word. That day, Sydney went for a run on a warm, sunny day along a road she’d known since childhood. Every turn, every stretch, every little pebble on that dirt path was familiar to her. She knew that trail so well that danger never even crossed her mind.
And if she told anyone she was going for a run, no one would have even batted an eye. It was just her usual routine, her time to herself to clear her head, feel the air, and listen to the sounds of nature around her. And yet, in literally a single moment, everything changed. One brief encounter with Cruel Chance shattered not only her life, but the lives of so many others, her family, her friends, everyone in that quiet little town where everyone knew each other.
The tragic chain of events started at the exact moment when happiness and routine met harsh reality. Even today, people hold runs, events, and other activities in Sydney’s honor, almost always in her favorite color, a soft bright pink that symbolizes her joy, energy, and boundless love for life. One of these events is called Finish for Sydney, and it takes place every year, bringing together family, friends, and the whole community.
Every step in those runs isn’t just about covering a distance. It’s a tribute, a way to say, “We haven’t forgotten. Your presence is always with us.” lacing up for Sydney Southerntherland and running to remember. I literally would just kind of replay over and over in my mind, you know, Sydney didn’t get to finish this. Danielle Wright grew up with Southerntherland in her family, and now she says she’s going the extra mile to honor the nurse who loved a lot more than just running.
It’s all a part of a social media challenge called Finish Sydney’s Run, going the distance and tagging others across the state to do the same. It does not have to end right here with her run. we can continue to do the things that that Sydney loved to do. Wright says with every step on this 8.19 mile run, she thinks of the friend who didn’t make it home from hers.
Her spirit is just soaring through every run, through every Facebook share. Um, her story is being told and people are wanting to know who is Sydney. So, Wright says she hopes others will run too, striving every day to be more like Sydney Southern. The overpass on Highway 67 near State Highway 167 in County Road 41, where Sydney ran that day, now carries the name Sydney Southerntherland Memorial Bridge.
That sign has become a symbol not just of tragedy, but of her light, her energy, which still lingers in that rural landscape. Every person driving across the bridge is reminded of a life that was far too short, yet full of joy, care, and love. The little bead that Maggie accidentally found on the ground during the search now hangs on a bracelet around her wrist.
A tiny, fragile, yet incredibly symbolic token. It’s a constant reminder that a piece of her daughter is always close, even when she’s not physically present. That small item has become a kind of bridge between the past and the present, between the pain of loss and the warmth of memories. The Southerntherland family created a foundation in her honor, ensuring Sydney’s memory continues to inspire others.
They also established a scholarship for future students at the University of Arkansas who choose a path in medical education. The very path Sydney loved herself, a path of helping and caring for people. These initiatives are living proof that her influence didn’t end with her short life. It continues inspiring and changing lives. Even today in that little town, you can still feel her presence just like before.
She remains in the quiet fields, the empty roads, in the laughter of those who knew her. She’s still here, but in a different form as a memory, a reminder that goodness and love can endure even after tragedy. Her friend Melanie said, “Sydney’s life was beautiful. She probably embodied everything the best version of a person could be, reminding us that Sydney left a mark not just on the hearts of her family and friends, but on the very space she once filled with her presence.
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