They were paid $139 per video on the dark web | True Crime Documentary 

They were paid $139 per video on the dark web | True Crime Documentary 

 

At 9 in the morning, a woman calls 911 and says her 8-year-old daughter is missing from their hotel room. She insists the door was locked with the latch. She says her child has never run away before. She says there is no way she could have just walked out. Police immediately launch a search. K nine units, helicopters, officers checking every single room, but there is nothing.

No trace, no cameras showing the girl leaving. As the hours pass, the story starts to fall apart. The statements don’t line up. The surveillance footage doesn’t back up a single word. And then the medical examiner’s report comes in. The girl had actually died 2 days before the call was made.

 This is no longer a search for a missing child. This is now a homicide investigation. Detectives uncover video footage showing the child being beaten over and over again. They find search history records a rented van and a route leading out of the city. And then the mother changes her story. She says she knows where the body is, a wooded area several dozen kilometers away.

 Police head out to the location and they find her wrapped in trash bags partially buried her body showing multiple fractures. And at that point, it becomes clear she was never missing. She had been in that room the entire time alive, only up to a certain moment, and the final hours of her life were captured on video. All right, guys.

 Let me grab your attention for just a second. I’m really curious where you’re all watching from. So, I’d love it if you could drop your city and what time it is for you right now in the comments. Thanks for sticking with me. Go. Go ahead and write it down below and I’ll keep going. 8-year-old Nicole Amari Hall lived in Gwynette County, Georgia.

 She always preferred to go by her middle name, Amari, and her grandmother described her as a child with the brightest smile and an incredible sense of joy. They loved cooking together playing dress up, and the kitchen was her favorite place. She absolutely adored her younger brother and sister and was always so gentle and caring with them.

 Amari lived with her brother Jakari and her six-year-old sister Zire along with their mother, 27-year-old Britney and Britney’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Celeste Owens. Britney and Celeste had been together for several years and had recently moved into the extended stay hotel hometown studios where they had been living for about 3 months and the children were being homeschooled.

On Sunday at 9:00 in the morning, a 911 call comes in from Britney Hall. She says Amari is missing. The last time she saw her was at the hotel sometime between midnight and 1:00 in the morning. She says she locked the hotel room door with the latch, but when she woke up, the door was slightly open and Amari was gone.

 Before calling 911, Britney says she searched the entire building. The 27-year-old tells the dispatcher that Amari has autism needs daily, medication, and has never left on her own before, but she’s still holding on to hope because her daughter is very smart. She keeps saying she’s really, really intelligent, that despite her autism, she understands what’s going on around her. She’s very observant.

Britney also explains that they don’t have any family nearby, so there’s nowhere Amari could have gone unless someone took her. When the dispatcher asks if Amari has ever run away before Britney says no, but admits they’ve been dealing with some behavioral challenges lately. So, she doesn’t completely rule it out.

 She also tells them that if Amari did leave the room, she probably wouldn’t have closed the door behind her because the latch makes noise and it would have woken everyone up. Right now, the desperate search continues to find 8-year-old Nicole Amari Hall, who vanished from this hometown studio hotel here in Peach Street Corners. Investigators say she’s been missing since early Sunday morning.

 Amari’s family tells us the 8-year-old is autistic and in need of daily medication, adding to the urgency of the search. >> I woke up yesterday morning, my daughter wasn’t here. The doors cracked. I went outside. I went to go around the whole place. I went twice. I did not see her. I called 911. >> Britney’s girlfriend, Celeste, said she couldn’t help.

 She explained that she had been out meeting with her sister and that night they were with their grandmother. She said she got back around 4:00 in the morning and went straight to bed, but then woke up to Britney screaming that Amari was gone. And just three hours after Amari was reported missing, her description and details were already everywhere across local media.

 Eight years old, African-Amean, about 4′ 10 in tall, weighing around 80 lb. She was last seen wearing a blue jacket with Tweety Bird on it along with a blue and white pajama set. She was also wearing glasses and rainbow sneakers that would light up when she walked. The search started in Britney and Celeste’s room, but quickly expanded to every single room in the hotel.

 Not long after that, K9 units arrived on scene, and helicopters began sweeping the area, covering a much wider range beyond the building. Meanwhile, nearby buildings and businesses were turning over their surveillance footage, and every available resource was focused on finding the 8-year-old girl after several hours of what had already become a largecale operation at 4:30 in the afternoon.

 Grenet police said they had no significant leads and at the same time saw no signs of an abduction. They also noted that Hall had only recently moved to the area, so she didn’t have many friends or relatives she could have gone to. Officers were canvasing the area, searching wooded sections, checking local businesses, trying to figure out where she could have gone, wherever she was.

 They said they were confident that with the public’s help along with police and available resources, they would be able to find her and give the family answers. At the 24-hour mark, detectives brought in the homicide unit. >> The reason we’re asking you all these questions and we’re trying to get specific every detail.

 It’s not because we’re like, what’s Celeste doing? It’s it’s because we’re trying to figure out at some point >> this child has gone missing and the best way for us to figure that out. Even if it seems does doesn’t make sense, like why are they asking this? What’s this have to do with that? We want to know every specific detail for for every moment that you went through in the last like 72 hours.

 We can put everything together and we can figure out, okay, so where’s the 8-year-old? What’s going on? But in order for us to build this crazy picture to be able to try to figure that out, we got to know everything. Um, how did the kids know you? Like did they call you Celeste? Do they call you mom number two? Like what? >> They call you dad. Okay.

 And what time was that when you got back yesterday? >> It was around I want to say cuz I came I came back before she went to the store and when she came back I left and then I got back around I want to say 4ish close to 5ish. I’m not sure. So when you got when you got back from grandma’s house, you said that was 4 5:00 pm.

>> No, 8 a.m. >> 5 a.m. Now when you get back around 4 or five, could did you notice that the kids were in their bed or >> I didn’t get Well, it’s like I didn’t think to notice that she would go. >> So you just you just wanted to go to bed. You weren’t really like checking or there. You just assume they were.

 And was Britney Britney was home when you did that when you got in? >> Okay. >> I was asleep and that’s when Britney woke me up and said, “Hey, you know, we got to find it. We got” and I’m like, “What what happened? What’s going on?” And then that’s when she went outside and started looking at. >> When when was the last time you actually saw Nicole? Saturday.

>> The last time I saw her was when before I left that previous before um Britney came back and before I left, that was the last time I >> So Britney gets back from BP as you’re leaving with your sister. You do see Nicole. If you see her there, you know she’s there. >> When I got back from the store, I didn’t know for sure.

 But before she left the store, she was there. But when I got back at early that morning, I didn’t look to see. >> No. Okay. So So before you left with your sister, >> that was the last time I saw her. When when you were when you were leaving to go with your sister grandma’s house, that’s when you saw her there. >> She never like any then even even if she wants to go outside, she’ll always ask both of us.

 She don’t just ask my parents, she’ll ask both of us. >> Do you know where Nicole is? >> No, I don’t. >> Did you take Nicole from the home? >> I did not take Nicole from >> Did anything happen with to Nicole within the last 24 hours that you’re aware of that caused her any type of injury? >> Is Nicole alive that you’re aware of? >> That I’m aware of.

>> Is she dead that you’re aware of? >> No. >> No. Okay. Do you have any reason to believe that she would not be okay other than That’s wondering outside. I assumed doors. >> Okay. Do you know anything about her whereabouts? >> No. I said the same thing we’ve been saying 20 times today. >> We’re going to step out for a second.

We’re going to go talk to Britney for a little bit and then we’ll get back to you. Okay. >> All right. Okay. >> Celeste said she believed Amari may have run out of the hotel, but that someone could have seen her and taken her. >> What? And with all what do you think happened with Nicole? I’m tell you from my personal experience.

 Two years ago when I got back with um Britney because we were together before but before she had kids and then we separated and then I we came back together. >> Um my one-on-one relationship with her was she was a a sweet child but the only thing was her behavioral problems. >> So So what do you think happened last night? >> What I think I think Mory probably got super mad.

 Like it could be a thousand reasons. I really don’t know what goes through I’m not the mother. >> Okay. >> So I really don’t know what goes through this girl’s mind. I’m still learning her and still getting her to accept, you know, me because she does realize it was just her and her mama. Now I came into the picture.

 So I don’t know if it’s probably was different for her like who is this person and trying to understand. >> Does she try to get it get into it with you when she gets upset? >> No, she just told me she just tells me leave me leave me alone. >> I’m like leave it alone. And then when she’s done probably an hour later, she’ll probably come back and be like I apologize.

 And I’m like you know it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay. So, what do you think happened to Larry? >> I really think she just God forbid, but I literally think that >> I really think that she just of course ran away, but I literally think that God forbid somebody snatched her up. >> We want to know where Nicole is. It’s not a if we find Nicole.

>> I want to know where Nicole. >> It’s a when we find Nicole, we’re going to find her. >> Yeah. >> If it’s within the next couple hours, within the next couple days, we’re going to find her. Okay. It’s just a matter of when. We know something happened. We know she’s somewhere. And I think that you know where she is.

 It’s just how you’re going. >> We got this is this is just what we got to do. We got to we got to talk. >> I’ve been in this predicament before where someone murdered my mother and they didn’t come at me like this when they sat me down. They just let me write everything and they just went off that. But it’s like it’s just I’m just being real with you. It’s how you come at me.

I think you did this. I think you know you just said it. I know. I think you know where she is. And it’s like if you think I know him, what are you trying to get me to say? >> At the 24hour mark, detectives brought in the homicide unit. Also breaking for you right now, the search continues for that missing 8-year-old girl in Gwet County who police say is in danger tonight.

 This is the second cold night that Amari Hall from Peach Tree Corners has been away from her home, away from her mother. John Sherik is live for us tonight from outside the mother’s extended stay hotel. John, >> Gwinet County police have suspended their search for Amari until daybreak. Although the investigation into her disappearance continues, >> Gwynet County Police conducting a grid search of these woods between the hotel where Amari lives with her mother and Peach Tree Industrial Boulevard.

>> We are working every lead and we are looking at every angle. >> Gwynet County Police Sergeant Jennifer Richter says the mother and Amari moved to the hotel a couple of months ago and have no relatives living nearby. Among the searchers, volunteers from Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue. Amari wears eyeglasses and may be wearing rainbow light up shoes.

 Winnette County police are saying that it is more urgent by the hour that someone find her soon and they’re hoping everyone involved in this investigation is hoping that someone will spot her soon and call 911. >> All right, John. Hoping for a safe, quick recovery. Thank you so much. >> Meanwhile, temperatures were dropping below freezing, making the search even more difficult.

 Sergeant Jennifer Richter with the county police said, “At this point, we are doing absolutely everything we can to get any kind of lead, we will circle back to anyone we need to speak with again and question every single person. But given how much time has already passed, the situation is becoming critical. It’s very concerning.

” But then everything changed very quickly. Investigators told the media that suspects in Amari’s disappearance had already been taken into custody and that they now believe they were no longer searching for a living child but for her body. And soon after that, another shocking update came in. >> So breaking, the mother of a missing child, arrested and charged, Britney Nicole Hall is in the Gwynet County Jail right now on multiple cruelty to children charges.

 Investigators say they’ve gone room to room enlisted the help of canines and a helicopter in their search. Still no Amari. They tell me they’ve combed through the surveillance video from the hotel and add they’ve found something concerning but are unwilling to release those details at this time in order to protect the investigation.

 As police work to uncover the truth, neighbors here at the Hometown Studio Hotel remain baffled at how this young girl seemed to vanish in plain sight. Nobody heard anything. Nobody heard anything, any commotion or anything. >> Eventually, Britney, unable to withstand the pressure from investigators, told a new version of events.

 She claimed that Celeste had killed her daughter and that she herself helped cover it up. And sadly, on the second day of the search, it was all over. I’m uh deeply sad to report to you that at 10:45 this morning uh the body of Amari Hall was discovered. Britney led investigators to the location, a wooded area near Stone Mountain freeway in Dalb County where they found Amari naked, partially buried in dirt and leaves.

 She had been wrapped in three trash bags tied with rope, but her small body was still visible through some of them. The site was about 15 miles from the hotel. Police Chief JD Mccclure said, “My heart goes out to Amari Hall’s family. We worked this case tirelessly and put in every possible effort.

 But sadly, this is not the outcome we hoped for. Amari had multiple skull and rib fractures, significant blunt force injuries, cuts on her hands, a ruptured liver, and internal bleeding. something had struck her body with enough force to compress her liver against her spine. The medical examiner also noted that Amari weighed only 54 lb, which is about 30 lb less than expected for her age.

 The experts described it as battered child syndrome. We compared statements that we had gotten from Britney Hall and also her partner Celeste Owen. We compared those statements with evidence that we gathered and recognized that those statements were indeed false. Our investigation transitioned from a missing person case to indeed a homicide case.

 Within the next several hours, we will charge Celeste Owen with felony murder in connection with the death of Amari Hall. Additionally, Britney Hall will be charged with concealing the death of another. We will continue to also investigate her role uh in this murder. >> Just a few hours after the search began, detectives started to realize that Britney and Celeste’s stories weren’t lining up.

 It started with confusion about Celeste’s whereabouts that morning. >> So, what was the first time Saturday that you left? >> The first time I can’t recall the time. >> Morning, afternoon, evening. >> The first time I left, I went to the store. It was morning. went to the store that day and then came back and then left again and then helped my sister out and then came back that morning before she went.

>> Now, when you left again to help your sister out, what time was that? >> Left again before it was I couldn’t really even tell you. >> After dinner, >> night time day I mean sun goes down at 5:00. >> Before that, it had to be night time. It the daylight was there. >> So, when you went to go help your sister, it was already night time.

>> I’m going on night. >> Going on night. So, after 5:00. Okay. It turned out that Celeste had not actually been with her grandmother and sister that night like she claimed when Amari supposedly disappeared. And investigators quickly learned that her family hadn’t even seen her for several months, making it a lie that was easy to verify.

>> And then when you get back? >> That Saturday morning. I mean, um, you talking about Friday? >> No, we’re still on Saturday. On Saturday, so we left. >> So Saturday morning, I came back. Sorry. I’m just >> Okay, so let’s just Sorry. Sorry. Just breathe. Okay. So hang out with Britney all morning on Sunday.

 You go to the store, you come back, and then you leave again when it’s not when it’s kind of dark to go help your sister and then you come back. When you get back often, >> sometimes I don’t wake up. Sometimes I just >> Well, I’m not talking about sometimes. I’m talking about just just yesterday. >> Just yesterday.

 Um came back around let me give you the specific time. >> Uh bad times. Um, I think the morning I want to say cuz I came back. It was evening. It was dark. I want to say 2:00 cuz I was in. They came back >> 2 a.m. came back. Yeah. 2 p.m. >> 2:00 p.m. cuz Saturday. Sorry. >> Let’s start over. We’re going to start. Britney told police that before calling 911, she had spent a long time frantically searching the building in the parking lot, but not a single camera captured any of that.

 At the same time, there was no footage showing Amari running out of the hotel or leaving with anyone, an 8-year-old girl simply never walked out of that room alive. So she wakes you up, she calls 911 as she’s waking you up, you said. And then she goes outside and and she went and checked the whole parking lot. >> So that that was one thing I wanted to touch on, too.

 So we’ve checked several cameras. There’s a camera for the hotel. There’s the car wash across the street. There’s a bachi. There’s another camera. We’ve checked all those cameras. We have people checking those cameras right now. They never saw her walking around that hotel. >> Really? This morning? >> Mhm.

 Now, did you see her go walking around? >> I only saw her go down the steps and go down the side. And by that time, she’s already on the phone when I move. Now, another thing I do have to ask is is on on the side that something else might have happened, did the is there any reason something else might happen? Like maybe more got hurt and there was an accident and we’re just afraid to talk about it. Something like that.

>> Sometimes she is like that. You’ll ask her what’s wrong. >> I mean, I’m talking like last night, did something happen to her to where she got hurt real bad and and we’re coming up with this story to try to to try to >> get away from that cuz we’re worried that like what the police find out, they’re going to think something else happened and we’re going to get in trouble like something like that.

Additional findings from the medical examiner showed that Amari had actually died 2 days before the 911 call. But it was one interview with her sister Zia, who was covered in bruises that gave investigators the key to everything. 2 days before the body was found, Celeste told Zir that Amari had gone to a place she called the Bad Kids Hospital.

 Is there any reason why Zier would say dad took her sister to the B girl hospital? >> To the Batirl hospital? Oh, she’s saying that because when Mory would act out, I’ll say, “Mory, listen. If you can’t listen to us, you’re going to go can’t say defects, can’t say none of that, none of that stuff.

” I said, “Mory, if you can’t play with your sisters or you can’t negotiate, you’re going to go to this place.” And normally when we say that, Moria act like for at least 3 hours. Did Why would Zire say that she saw you take Nicole last night? >> She saw me take She didn’t >> Why would she say that that that you took her last night and that she’s not coming back? >> I didn’t take her last night.

 I don’t know why she would say that. >> Okay. We’ve got a missing 8-year-old. If If a six-year-old says, “Hey, mom’s girlfriend took her and I just brushed that off, then I’m not doing a good job.” Okay. >> purposely I wouldn’t purposely take her out, then call you to say she’s and like I just said, it’s no nothing against you, nothing that I have against you or anything. We’ve got your phone.

 We got your girlfriend’s phone. We’re getting into those phones whether you guys like it or not. We’re getting search warrants. We’re going through them. We’re going to check location data. We’re going to check text messages whether they’re deleted or not. We’re check phone call records. We’re checking uh camera systems or vehicles, vehicle tags, locations.

 We’re going to talk to every single person you guys have even thought about talking to in the past 5 6 days. >> Okay. So, to go through your phone, what you want us to just get a search warrant then? >> You mind if we just look through it real quick? It’d be way faster. >> You have to have a prop calls first. I’m not a proposal.

 I would rather have a lawyer before you go to my home. >> Dozens of disturbing videos were found on Celeste’s phone showing both women repeatedly beating and abusing the children. Investigators also discovered her search history with queries like what to do when a child won’t listen, lakes nearby, how street drainage systems work, why children run away, how to report a missing person, and even access to a U-Haul customer account.

>> Okay. So, I just want to talk to you away from her separate meeting. >> All I’m saying is just to clear things. >> I am discombobulated. I cannot give you exact times. If you feel like I went at the BP that time, run the camera back to the BP where you saw me with this hat. You don’t approach people like that to try to get something out someone because you think so.

 Then why would a little girl this? Why would a little girl? I’m telling you everything that’s going on. And then when we come for help, you don’t really get help. That’s why a lot of people do things that just don’t call the cops and handle it their own way because it can flip just like what it did today.

 Like my dad always told me, anything could flip with cops. So, it just pisses me off because I’ve been out all day. I’ve been answering you respectfully all morning. Respectfully all morning. And I get here and I’m in the room that I never been in before that I seen on first 48 and being chastised with questions trying to make me I think you did it.

 Soon as he said that, it brought me to the court cuz if I did it, I damn sure wouldn’t be in that hotel. I’ll be going on the run because like I might as well take matters on my own my own hands or hire a private investigator like I wanted to do today. I said babe if they can’t actively find today when we get up on money we’re going to hire a private investigator to also help information I gave you the information the information she gave you when she woke up she was not there. That’s it.

 You can flip the bed. You guys check the bed 10 times. Go flip again. We give you permission to go in there >> if you guys asked us, but you guys kept coming in kept coming in which you know you got to have warn come in anyway, but we opened the door and let you come in. So, it’s like just have some respectful. It’s like come on, we wouldn’t be calling you for help if we would have just got away with it.

>> On November 19th, the day investigators believe Amari was killed, surveillance cameras captured Celeste renting a small U-Haul cargo van. By 8 in the evening, Celeste was already waiting for an Uber by tracking the van’s route. Along with cell phone pings, investigators were able to locate Amari’s body in Dalb County.

 And within hours, the full picture started to come together. According to investigators, Britney had previously talked about wanting to give Amari up for adoption. And even though Amari’s grandmother, Barbara, had repeatedly asked to take in and raise all three children, Britney refused.

 Neighbors said that while they hadn’t noticed anything suspicious, they almost never saw the children outside the hotel room. Everything felt extremely isolated. Police believe it was Celeste who delivered the fatal blow to Amari’s head while Britney helped cover up the crime. They placed her body in trash bags and then Celeste used the U-Haul van to transport and dispose of it.

>> But the guy said, “Soon as you step out the door, you couldn’t do that.” >> So, what stories are y’all? Search one for your phone. What do you mean you can’t do that? Proble 51%. We have probable cause all day. >> I just want our phone. So >> I know, but you’re not getting your phone.

 Well, you got to stay seated >> for what? >> Well, you’re not allowed to leave. >> How am I allowed to leave? >> Well, I’m telling you, you’re not allowed to leave. >> Why am I being detained? >> Yes, you are being detained. >> How? >> You’re getting charged for obstruction, giving false statements. You’re not allowed to leave. So, >> I’m getting charged for law statements.

>> You can sit down >> or I can have the office >> detained. >> Well, listen. I’m telling you, you are. So either you can sit down and relax. >> So we’re both being detained. >> You are being detained. >> I’m being detained because because someone didn’t see me. So now y’all want to know. >> People didn’t see you.

 Multiple people that honestly are in your corner. You can’t even say they’re a biased witness because they’re not helping you out. >> Celeste was charged with firstdegree murder, concealing a death, and seven counts of child cruelty. each charge reflecting a different aspect of what investigators say had been happening over an extended period of time.

Together, they formed a a complete and deeply disturbing picture of events where nothing appeared random, only a sequence of actions that ultimately led to a fatal outcome. Britney was charged with child cruelty, concealing the death of another person, and filing a prof. Although at this stage her charges seemed less severe than Celeste’s, they still pointed to serious violations and clear attempts to cover up what had happened.

 Taken together, these actions indicated involvement in events that had already turned tragic. Amari’s brother and sister were removed from the home by child protective services as an emergency measure to ensure their safety once the details of the case came to light. At the same time, members of law enforcement began collecting donations to support the children during this difficult period.

 And within one week, more than $3,500 had been raised, a sum that became a symbol of solidarity and a willingness to help in any way possible. During the first court appearance, both Britney and Celeste were told there would be no bond, meaning they would remain in custody while the case moved forward. The atmosphere in the courtroom was tense.

 Every movement and every word drew attention. Against that backdrop, Celeste’s behavior stood out even more. She appeared completely unconcerned with what was happening around her. and according to those present. At one point she was even laughing while signing documents, a reaction that sharply contrasted with the seriousness of the situation and what was being discussed in court, only deepening the overall sense of unease and disbelief about what had unfolded.

>> There is no bond today. >> Any other questions? >> Britney Hall faced a judge for the first time in a Gwynet County courtroom Wednesday. Quinnette police say the woman told them where they could find the body of her 8-year-old daughter after her arrest Monday night. >> There is no bond on the felonies have been denied.

 Says you’re a danger to the person. Only a superior court judge sitting in your case can grant a bond. Do you understand that? Do you know what that means for you? Means you’re going to be here for a while. Okay. >> Hall’s partner, 29-year-old Celeste Owens, also appeared in court. She’s charged with felony murder, making false statements, cruelty to children, and concealing a death.

 Both women asked for an attorney, a judge assigning each of them a public defender. The judge said a date has not yet been set for next appearances. Until then, both women will remain locked up. >> However, when detectives took a closer look at the additional evidence, including the videos found on Celeste’s phone statements from the other children and the medical examiner’s findings, the overall picture became even clearer, and at the same time, far more disturbing.

Each new piece didn’t contradict what they already had. It only reinforced it, forming a logical and consistent chain of events. In the end, prosecutors concluded that Britney not only knew about the abuse, but effectively allowed it and took part in it, which ultimately led to Amari’s death.

 That conclusion became the turning point in changing her legal status. Because of that, the charges against Britney were upgraded the most. Serious charge murder was added to the list and she was later formally charged with felony murder. Multiple counts of child cruelty, concealing a death, and providing false statements taken together.

 These charges reflected not just isolated actions, but an entire pattern of behavior that investigators say went on over a period of time and ended with fatal consequences. In the state of Georgia, the term felony murder has a specific legal meaning. It means a person can be found guilty of murder, even if they did not directly deliver the fatal blow as long as the death occurred during the commission of another serious crime they were involved in.

 And that legal principle became central to the case. At the same time, it came out that the family had been on the radar of social services for several years. However, none of the previous investigations were completed in a way that led to decisive intervention or produced results strong enough to act on a representative from the Department of Human Services said that checks involving Nicole Amari Hall in 2015 and 2017 did not confirm any abuse and a report received in 2021 also according to them showed no signs of abuse or neglect. Based on that

information, the agency did not have formal grounds to believe the children were in immediate danger. A decision that later took on a very different meaning in light of everything that came to be revealed. We are working closely with law enforcement to assist in the investigation and to ensure the safety of other children, a spokesperson said, emphasizing that after the full scope of the case came to light, all resources were focused on preventing anything like this from happening again.

>> Opening statements are currently underway for Celeste Owens, one of the two women accused of killing an 8-year-old and trying to cover up her death. Well, Owens and the child’s mother, Britney Hall, they were indicted back in 2022 for the death of Amari Hall. Hall’s trial will happen at a later date. >> 3 years after Amari’s murder, Celeste Owens, who never admitted guilt, finally went on trial.

 Over that time, the case had not faded. If anything, every detail had become more deeply ingrained in the memory of those connected to it. And once the proceedings began, it was clear this would be a complex and intense courtroom battle where every word mattered. At this stage, she was facing a long list of serious charges, including intentional murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, multiple counts of child cruelty, as well as concealing a death and making false statements to police.

Each charge on its own was extremely serious. But together they painted a broad and deeply troubling picture of what prosecutors say had been happening over a prolonged period. The cases against the two women were handled separately after Britney shifted all the blame onto Celeste, trying to distance herself from what happened and present herself in a different light.

 That move added even more tension because essentially each side was now trying to convince the court of its own version of events. Celeste’s defense attorney argued that she did not kill Amari and did not inflict the fatal injuries. His strategy focused on denying the core accusations and challenging how the evidence was being interpreted, aiming to create an alternative narrative despite the extensive body of evidence already presented in court.

>> Holds people accountable for the roles that they play in each of the crimes and she is responsible for the role that she played. They did this together. Their method was together. So it doesn’t matter who delivered the fatal blow because ladies and gentlemen, there was not one fatal blow. Every single blow was fatal to Marty.

Every single one you saw that you heard Dr. Downey say that. So remember because of the B batter child syndrome that he explained that we’ll talk about again a little later. Every single lobe matters. It doesn’t matter. Just like it doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger. It doesn’t matter who delivered the fatal blow. It could be Britney.

 It could be Celeste. It makes no difference. They are both guilty and today is her day. >> She also said they were forced to sleep directly on the cold floor with no blankets, no warmth, no basic comfort. The nights dragged on long and exhausting, and that constant feeling of cold and vulnerability became something they got used to.

 They were made to face the wall for hours in silence without moving with no way to distract themselves or escape. The pressure toys were not allowed, as if any sign of childhood was seen as something inappropriate and unwanted. She talked about other horrific things, too. details that were difficult even for the adults in the courtroom to hear because they were so disturbing and painful.

 And yet, despite everything she had been through, she remained composed. Her voice stayed calm, her movements controlled, and her words clear. There was an incredible inner strength in that child that stood in sharp contrast to what she had endured. She did not seem broken. Instead, she appeared steady and brave, as if she had been forced to grow up far too early.

 She was a remarkably strong child, speaking about things no child should ever have to experience. Amari’s grandmother, Barbara, whom Amari lovingly called Gigi, also testified in court. Her words were both sincere and deeply painful. She admitted she had no idea that physical abuse had been happening.

 Everything she learned came the same way everyone else did through the news, like an outsider rather than a close family member. And that realization was especially hard for her. There was a time when Amari and her siblings lived with Barbara during that period. They went to school and life seemed more stable and predictable according to her.

 the so-called behavioral issues Britney had mentioned were simply not true. She stated that clearly without hesitation, as if trying to restore the truth about her granddaughter. Amari was a kind, well-mannered, and intelligent child. She loved learning, enjoyed going to school. He was curious about the world and easily connected with others.

 There was nothing aggressive or defiant about her. On the contrary, she was calm, attentive, and the kind of child people speak about with warmth and pride. At the end of two, 20, the children returned to live with Britney. Barbara did not agree with that decision and did not hide her concerns, but she had no power to change it.

 She had to say goodbye to them, a moment she likely never forgot after that. All contact with the children was cut off, as if an invisible wall had suddenly appeared between them. She tried over and over again to call Britney, hoping just to hear the children’s voices to know they were okay. But those attempts went unanswered. Her calls were ignored.

Her messages led nowhere. And over time, the uncertainty only grew worse. She didn’t even know where they were living or what was happening to them. left in a constant state of worry with no information at all. >> Release you for the day. Um, with the reminded proviso, I know you guys want me to keep telling you this, but it’s very important that you not discuss this case, not research anything about this case, not watch any news or read any articles, um, and don’t let anyone discuss it with you. Does everybody

understand that? >> All right, very good. After a long and emotionally draining trial filled with painful testimony, complex evidence, and tense moments, the jury finally reached a verdict. It was the result of everything they had heard and seen. Every fact, every detail, every word spoken in that courtroom in the moments leading up to it.

 The tension was almost palpable. The jurors had to weigh everything from witness statements to physical evidence, from expert findings to conflicting accounts. It was a responsibility that required not just attention to detail, but a deep understanding of the consequences of their decision. When the verdict was read, it came out clear and final with no way to turn back.

 And in that decision was the full weight of the case. And the long path it took to reach that point, it marked the end of the legal process. But the emotional impact of everything that had been revealed stayed with everyone connected to the case. >> A woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars after a Gwynette County jury found her guilty in the beating death of an 8-year-old girl.

 In December 2024, Celeste Owens was found guilty on all counts, bringing a long and exhausting trial to its conclusion. A process that had examined extensive evidence, testimony, and details that gradually came together into one deeply disturbing picture of what had happened for those in the courtroom.

 It was a moment filled with tension that seemed to stretch on forever. And when the verdict was finally read, it didn’t come as a shock. It felt like the inevitable outcome of everything that had been presented. Each charge confirmed by the court reflected a different part of the case. And together, they formed a complete account of what took place.

 This wasn’t just a legal declaration of guilt. It was an official acknowledgement of the scale of the tragedy that had unfolded behind closed doors. In that moment, the courtroom fell silent, heavy with the weight of what had just been said. The verdict was clear and final, leaving behind a sense of closure to the process, but not to the pain this case left behind.

>> The court does hereby sentence you as follows. The count one, malice murder. You are hereby sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Counts seven merges with count three. Counts six merges into count three and count five merges count two. On the remaining counts, counts 8 through 18 and counts 19 and 21, the court does hereby sentence you to consecutive 235 years.

 So, life without parole plus 235 years. So in the end the sentence was uncompromising life in prison plus another 235 years. A number that almost sounds unreal but at the same time clearly reflects the scale of what was done and the level of responsibility the court found necessary. This decision left no room for doubt.

 The consequences of these actions were so severe that the punishment had to be as strict and final as possible. Judge Angela Duncan, who had presided over the case from beginning to end, addressed the courtroom at sentencing. The room was filled with a heavy silence, the kind where every word lands with weight. Her voice was controlled, but you could feel the gravity of everything she had heard and seen throughout the die. trial.

 She spoke not only as a judge, but as someone who had been forced to confront the details of this case, a story that leaves a lasting mark. Every sentence was measured without unnecessary emotion, yet carried a clear awareness of the scale of the tragedy behind the legal language. It was a moment when the legal process became something more, a final point in a story where justice as much as possible had been served.

 and at the same time a reminder that no verdict can ever bring back what was lost or erase the pain left behind by what happened. >> You will never see the light of day to perpetrate this type of behavior, cruelty, and evilness upon another person. >> 31-year-old Britney initially denied any guilt, rejecting involvement and trying to avoid responsibility.

But in September 2025, the situation changed. She entered a plea agreement and agreed to admit guilt, marking a major turning point in a case that had already drawn attention for its brutality and the details that shocked even experienced investigators. She pleaded guilty to felony murder along with 11 counts of child cruelty.

 And in addition, she faced charges for concealing her death and providing false statements which only reinforced the broader picture of ongoing abuse and attempts to cover it up. Taken together, these charges reflected not a single isolated incident, but a series of actions that ultimately led to a fatal outcome.

 In the end, the court sentenced her to life in prison, bringing the legal process to a close, where every detail, every testimony, and every piece of evidence had come together into one devastating and complete picture of what happened. Prosecutors did not hide their emotions when addressing the outcome. They said, “What we saw is something you can never forget.

 What we heard during this trial is something that can never be erased. This is the most horrific child related case I have ever seen. Their words came out heavy and deliberate as if each sentence carried its own weight echoing through the courtroom. It was clear that even for people who deal with violence. Every day this case stood apart because of how deeply disturbing it was.

 They added, “This mother failed to protect her children and instead became part of the abuse and it ended in tragedy. We continue to pray that her children can recover from what they went through and that this verdict can bring at least some sense of relief to them and their family.” In those words, there was not just a professional assessment, but a deeply human reaction, an attempt to find even a small measure of justice.

 In a situation where it can never be fully restored, Amari’s brother and sister are no longer in the care of social services, and according to available information, they are now living with Barbara in what is believed to be a safer and more stable environment. It marks a new chapter in their lives. After everything they endured, they survived.

 But the scars from that night, not only physical but deeply psychological, will stay with them forever. A reminder of something that can never be erased or forgotten. Amari’s grandmother said, “I will never get to see her play sports. I will never teach her how to drive. I won’t even see her go to prom. I won’t get to do the things grandmothers are supposed to do with their granddaughters.

 My heart is shattered into a million pieces and I haven’t been able to put them back together. >> This case is a painful and tragic reminder of just how vulnerable children can be, of the devastating and irreversible consequences of abuse and of how fragile childhood innocence really is. Something that can be taken away in a single moment.

 It is a story that makes you stop and think, leaving behind a heavy sense of unease and injustice that lingers long after Amari’s life was only just beginning. She had a future ahead of her, full of possibilities, dreams, and simple childhood joys, but that life was taken from her by the very people she should have been able to trust the most, the ones who were supposed to protect her, support her, and be her safe place.

 And that realization makes this story even more painful. Every child deserves safety, care, genuine love, and the chance to grow up in a world where they are protected, not harmed. Childhood should be a time of trust, warmth, and security, not fear or pain. Amari deserved a far better life than the one she was given.

 She deserved the chance to grow up, to have happy memories, and a future that could have been bright and full of hope. And she deserved a completely different ending, not one that was cut short so suddenly, and so tragically, leaving behind nothing but pain, unanswered questions, and a deep silence. The first hours after a child goes missing are critical.

 The police are already on scene. The mother says she put her daughter to bed and by morning she was gone. Mount Druit, Western Sydney. Little Kaisha vanished without a trace. The search begins. Forests, parks, volunteers. Every minute matters. But very quickly, something doesn’t add up. No one has seen this child for weeks.

 The last time was in early July. Yet, she’s only reported missing on August. First police check the her father his alibi holds and then the focus shifts to the people who were with her every single day. Her mother and her partner, they’re not searching. They don’t join the operation. Their behavior just feels off inside the apartment.

 Investigators find traces of blood in every room, but in the child’s room, there’s nothing. No toys, no belongings. Months later, an undercover officer sits across from the mother and she starts to talk. She says it was just one udah that the child fell, that she was still responding. And then she stopped breathing and instead of calling an ambulance, they did something else.

She looks at the officer and says, >> um, he poured gasoline over her and covered her with branches. >> And in that exact moment, it becomes clear this was never a disappearance. A call came into the trip0 emergency line from Mount Druit in Western Sydney. A little girl had gone missing. >> Hi, I’m I’ve just gotten up and went to the toilet and know that my front door was open and my daughter’s not here.

>> Just get the police on their way out there. Okay. How old is your daughter? >> She’s six. >> She’s six. >> Yes. >> Have you checked all the units? No, it looks like you’re just up. >> Okay. What’s your name? >> Christy. I’m my mom. >> Okay. Christy, what’s your last name? >> Abraham. >> What’s your daughter’s name? >> Kisha.

>> What is it? >> Kisha. Spell it. >> K I E K I E S H A. >> Yep. Okay. So, she, as far as you know, she would be in her pajamas or you don’t mind? >> She’s in her pajamas. Okay. So, what time would you have last seen her last night? >> I put her to bed at 9:30 to 10. >> And do you have any other family that live in the unit block? >> No.

>> Any neighbors that she would talk to? >> No. No. >> Just let the police know. We’ve got police. We’ve got everybody on their way out to see you. Okay. >> And she’s never done this. >> No. Like she gets up and plays like in the middle of the night. She looks at corner out window before we open. I don’t I don’t I don’t know.

>> Yeah. >> Okay. And you Is it just the two of you that live there? >> I’ve got a 2-year-old and a three week old baby. >> And are they still there? >> Yeah, they’re still here. >> They’re still there. >> Yes. And my the kids father, he here as well. >> He’s there as well. >> Looking for her. >> Okay. Now Christy, we have got everybody on their way out there.

>> So he’s out yelling the streets for us. >> Yeah, he’s gone looking for her. >> What’s his name? >> Robert. >> Robert? >> Yeah. Robert. >> Robert who? >> Smith. >> And you’ve looked in all the cupboards. >> Yeah, he’s not here. I looked everywhere. The call was made by Christy Abrahams, the mother of the missing child Kaisha.

 When police arrived on the scene, they understood they needed to act fast. They had to talk to as many people as possible to piece together a timeline of Kaisha’s last movements and quickly narrow down potential scenarios. Christy was no longer with Kaisha’s biological father, Chris Whippet. So, officers went to speak with him at around 10:45 in the morning.

 They talked to Chris, who said he had been at home with his mother and then left to go get a tattoo. Christiey’s best friend and neighbor, Allison Anderson, really wanted to help. She asked Christy if she had any suspects later. Allison recalled that Christy said this about Whip It. >> That [ __ ] drove past the house about a week ago and made a finger gun gesture at Rob while he was hanging out the laundry.

>> Allison told Christy she needed to report that to the police, but she refused. Rob was Christiey’s partner and she said he immediately started searching for Kaisha as soon as it became known that she was missing to get any leads and to find the girl in case she had simply wandered off and gotten lost.

 Police along with volunteers organized a largecale search. They combed through wooded areas, parks, and reserves hoping to find any trace that could lead them to the child. The operation quickly gained momentum and a special task force called Strikeforce Garrison was created. Police discovered that Kaisha hadn’t been attending school and no one had seen her since early July.

 The lead investigator, Detective Inspector Russell Oxford stated that she was last seen by close family members around July 7th. She was officially reported missing on August. First, those 3 weeks became critical in building the timeline of events. 2 days after the con call to emergency services, Christian Robert made a public appeal asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to come forward.

>> Anyone someone must know something, please come forward. How have the past 48 hours been for you and the rest of it? >> Can’t describe how it’s been. You don’t know. keep herself in my shoes. Just hope that she’s found as soon as possible. That’s what we mean. Safe and well. >> How hard is it for you in the long? >> It gets harder by the minute.

 She’s always happy, bubbly, you know, love playing, you know, just like any kid would. Bob, do you have any idea that anyone who you might know who may have taken Christie? Does the family obviously thought about long and hard about this? Does anyone have any idea? >> I have no idea. If I had any idea, we’d be there looking.

>> The police have expressed hope. Obviously, everyone is hopeful and that’s one thing you’ve got to uh hold on to. >> Definitely. beautiful. Anyone want to say that? Can I please call the police? We all love her and we all miss her. And if she can hear or say it, get to a phone or ring the police. We want her to come back safely.

>> Do anything in your power to please come back home. >> The local community was desperate to find Kaisha and bring her home. People held candlelight vigils and brought flowers and toys for the missing child. On August 30th, reports emerged that Kaisha’s father, Chris, was being questioned by police.

 He insisted that although he had been paying child support, he hadn’t seen Kaisha for several years and hadn’t had regular contact with her. Since separating from Christy, he categorically denied any involvement in her disappearance. Police said they had received new information claiming he had been seen near the house on Woodstock Avenue on the morning she went missing.

 However, Chris had spent the previous 3 weeks in the hospital. Due to complications related to diabetes, he had undergone major foot surgery. His mother, Liz, said, “I’m furious.” Adding that her son hadn’t received any updates about Kaisha’s case. It’s been 28 days and we have no idea what’s going on. The police aren’t telling us anything and then they show up here and make claims like that.

Still, there was something that raised concern for investigators. What at first looked like devastated parents, a mother and stepfather waiting for any news began to seem suspicious. Over time, Christian Robert’s behavior struck many as strange. Neither of them made any effort to join the search and despite her daughter being missing life for Christy seemed to be returning to normal.

 She was going to salons, getting her hair and nails done and shopping her appearances in the media only fueled more suspicion. >> It just makes you sick in the stomach. Can we start again? The couple insisted on their innocence and their friend and neighbor Allison Anderson stepped in as their spokesperson defending them against the rumors that were starting to spread.

 Allison released a statement on their behalf, saying the a family denies the recent allegations in the media and urges the public to provide any information that could help police find Kaisha, but please stop spreading baseless accusations. The family wants to be allowed to deal with this situation. in peace, she added. Put yourself in their place.

 You can’t even imagine what this is like right now. They need friends, support, and family. And not long after that, a new scandal began to unfold around Kaisha’s case. >> The mother of missing Sydney girl Kaisha Abrahams has accused a flea market of cashing in on her daughter’s name. But the organizers have hit back telling the mother what she should do.

The Kaiisha flea markets have been drawing a crowd at the Hebsham shops every Saturday for the past two months, but the organizer, Albert Lafael, hasn’t asked Kaisha’s mother or stepfather for permission to use her name. They say it’s in poor taste. >> I think he’s twisted and he’s sick in the head for using my daughter’s name.

>> Albert Lafael has no time for their complaint and is critical of them for not doing enough to find their six-year-old girl. Well, get off your ass and go look for your kid >> cuz uh we are trying our best to try and um uh find closure and and our community won’t heal until we find some results on coisha. >> Still holders pay a small fee to sell their toys and secondhand garage sale items for the morning.

 So far, they’ve raised $300 money they say will pay for a Christmas Day fate with Jumping Castle. But Christy Abrahams wants the market shut down, concerned that a bank account and a trust have not been set up. >> I think it’s a scam because it’s a high-profile case. Uh it should be shut down until there is a trust fund in place.

>> But despite her mother’s request that they no longer use Kaisha’s name out of respect for her, the organizers are vowing to run Kaisha’s flea market every Saturday until Christmas. He’s saying that this is all for a reason and it’s all for awareness and Caesaria and it’s for the kids, but where’s the money going? Where’s the proof? >> While the investigation was ongoing, Rob and Christy moved into a local motel.

Allison agreed to help them relocate to a new place in Kings Langley. When they entered the apartment, one of Kaisha’s sweaters was lying on the floor. Christy said the police had assured her there would be none of Kaisha’s belongings there. She kicked the sweater aside and started swearing when Allison went into Kaisha’s room.

 There was nothing inside, no belongings, no toys, a forensic team. Examined the apartment where they had been living with Kaisha and uncovered a disturbing detail. Traces of the missing child’s blood were found in every room. Christy Abrahams was then called in for questioning. Would there be any reason why there’d be more blood, not just in her unit, but throughout the unit? >> What are you trying to say? >> I’m just saying that when we forensically examined the unit, there’s a there’s a mount of curses blood throughout the unit >> and I’m just trying to

>> ask you how that would have got there. >> I don’t know. >> No. Okay. >> You’re talking about the Park Randy Woodstock. >> Yes. Right next door. >> Right next door. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, for Robert to end up in Westfield at Mount Druit, would that is that unusual? >> What do you mean? >> Well, Robert’s when he’s left your unit, he’s gone into Westfield, all the way to Westfield and looked inside Westfield.

>> He’s looked all the way where we walked down to Westfield. >> Yeah, but you don’t take it to the shops. >> I do like when I’ve been through a whole week of her life and she hasn’t left the >> So, what are you trying to say? >> No, what I’m trying to say is why did he end up down in Mount Drew shopping center? But look, he looked all the all around and to go to Mount Jord.

>> Yeah, but what I’m saying is that you don’t take her of shopping. Why would she go there? She’d never been there, has she? >> She has. Maybe not the the week that you’re talking about. Oh, you know what? This is over. Seriously, cuz what are you trying to get at? >> All right, I’ll move on.

 All I’m saying is I’m saying that Robert Why did he go to Westfield? That’s all I’m asking. It’s a simple >> Have a look. You would have seen You would have got the CT. >> That’s a It’s a I know it’s a long way from where you are. That’s all. >> We’re just trying to get to the bottom there. You’re very angry. us. >> We’re going to get to the bottom of what’s happened to her.

>> Yeah. And I hope you do because m I need to know. I >> think everybody needs to know. >> So, what are you trying to say? That we did something to her? >> I didn’t say that. >> Over the following weeks and months, the community kept holding on to the hope that she was still alive. But those hopes were soon shattered.

 On April 22nd, 2011, a major announcement was made. Two people had been taken into custody on suspicion of Kaisha’s murder. They were Christy Abrahams and Robert Smith. The arrest was the result of a complex and carefully planned undercover operation that had been running for months. An undercover officer got close to Christy.

 Hoping she would reveal what had really happened to Kaisha at the motel. The agent met with her and to gain her trust, he told her he needed to know the truth and that he could help get rid of the body. In the end, Christy Abrahams confessed >> to the bed like there’s a bit of timber and she watch she’s hit her head on that. >> Okay.

 And that’s when you say that you did what? You took her in the shower then? >> Yes. We’re trying to wake her up. I got the cold water and trying to wake her up and she wouldn’t >> the the suitcase. Now I need to know >> he buried he dug a hole and then we went there. He put her in there. >> Who was carrying Felicia? >> She was sweet. >> Right.

>> I don’t know. She just started making weird noises before it would go away and she didn’t. that in the morning she wouldn’t. >> She said that Kaisha had refused to put on her pajamas and in response Christy claimed she lightly nudged her with her foot which caused Kaisha to fall and hit her head on the bed.

 She described Kaisha’s body as being like jelly, but said the girl was still responsive when Christy asked her to squeeze her finger. She also said that when she checked on her the next morning, Kaisha was no longer breathing. but she didn’t call for medical help. Describing how they disposed of the body, she said, >> “He poured gasoline over her and covered her with branches.

” >> Smith and Abrahams led the undercover officer to the place where they had left the body, and that was where the search for Kaisha came to a tragic end. Her small body was found in bushes near Shalvi in western Sydney at 1:12 in the morning. Abrahams and Smith were arrested in a laneway near their home and were later formally charged.

>> I’m watching. >> Huh? >> I’m watching. >> Today, Kaisha would have turned seven. >> Today really has been a a display of so much grief and anger. Uh particularly here at this unit complex, which has become the focal point for so much of the community since Kaisha disappeared nine months ago.

 Now, um certainly tonight as a large crowd gathers behind me for what would have been a vigil to mark her 7th birthday, that gathering is taking on a very different tone, a lot more serious. And even though those remains that have been found in bushland, not very far from here at all, are yet to be identified.

 People already are starting to talk about planning for Kaisha’s funeral. Scal remains found scattered around the reserve, popular with trail bike riders. An autopsy will be carried out on Monday to determine whether the remains are those of Kaisha, who would have turned seven today. Smith’s father says he understands people’s anger, but wants to hear the evidence at court before making up his mind.

>> You’ve got to believe that your own son couldn’t have a part in this. So, yeah, that’s what I want to believe. >> Jim Tapow was like a stepgrandfather to Kaisha and played with her often. >> I miss her so much, too. It’s been very arduous and very long investigation and something that I’m proud of the efforts of the police that worked on this case and uh we had tremendous community support all along the way and I think uh it was simply the case that we never wanted to give up on this matter.

>> Today the couple chose not to appear on video link as the matter was heard at Paramea local court. Their lawyer told the court they were too distraught. >> So as you said a public outpouring of of emotion obviously started this morning and I no doubt it’ll continue. I’m hurting. I’m angry. I just want to cry.

But it’s Kaisha’s birthday. >> Tonight, the thoughts of friends and relatives of Kaisha Abrahams are firmly with the little girl as they once again hold vigil. Adrien Rashella, ABC News, Sydney. >> For the officers who had been monitoring the couple for months, it was a bitter ending to a tragic case on what would have been Kaisha’s birthday.

 A candlelight vigil was planned. Hundreds of people came to pay their respects. Many expressed anger and outrage over how everything had ended. One of the cards read, “Happy birthday, Kaisha. You deserved a better life here on Earth.” At 2:00 in the afternoon on Good Friday, police informed Kaisha’s grandmother, Liz, that Abrahams and Smith had been arrested.

 The devastating news shook Kaisha’s entire family and the local community the little girl they had been searching for, praying for, and holding in their hearts was gone. >> A community gives up hope for little Kaisha. >> It just breaks my heart. >> They’ve been praying for her for so long. An emotional community turned its anger on her mother and stepfather in helping.

Family friends who once supported the couple felt their sympathy had been abused and marched on Mount Druit Police Station. >> What’s in my heart is happiness for Kaisha, sadness, and a lot of mixed emotions. >> It was a more somber group that gathered at the shrine outside the unit where Kaisha went missing.

 The overwhelming show of support for her continued as they placed toys, balloons, and lit candles. The shrine has been in place since the little girl disappeared. A sign the community hadn’t given up hope. She’s loved in so many different ways by people that she never ever knew. >> Charged with murdering their six-year-old girl, Kaisha’s mother, Christy Abrahams and stepfather, Robert Smith, were taken to court this morning.

Left in no doubt about the community’s rage. >> In September 2011, a private funeral for Kaisha was held before the ceremony. Chris said, “I want Kaisha to leave this world knowing how deeply she was loved and to be laid to rest the way she deserves.” The family also asked everyone attending to wear purple, Kaisha’s favorite color, Abrahams and Smith requested permission to attend the funeral, but Chris said their request was denied.

 On September 28th, 2011, a public memorial was held in Kaisha’s honor. Hallelu. >> A choir of Kaisha’s cousins and friends said goodbye. >> It wouldn’t be fair to say you’re in a better place now because you deserve to be here enjoying your childhood growing into a woman and experiencing life. >> I pray that none of you would have to endure the suffering and the pain that we had to go through.

>> We never get over something like this. Somehow together we learned to cope. >> The girl’s grandmother was at the church. She didn’t speak, relying instead on family and friends to thank the public and police. >> She can be never stolen from our memories. She’s been stolen from us from earth, but not from our memories or our hearts.

>> Father Edward Douly says mourning for Kaisha Whippet has been huge and it’s time for healing in the family and the community. Leticia, ABC News, Mount Druit. Many questions still remained unanswered. One of them was how something like this could even happen. When the truth came out, it sparked a wave of outrage.

 Christiey’s childhood had been overshadowed by domestic violence. She wasn’t just a witness. She was also a victim of abuse from her father. Her mother suffered from epilepsy. And when Christy was 10 years old, she heard her mother having a seizure. She was home alone with her younger brother who was only three when she rushed to help her mother.

Tragically died during the episode. Her father refused to take custody of the children and after that Christy and her brother were placed in foster care and later moved through different group homes as a teenager. She was evaluated by a psychologist who concluded that due to intellectual impairments, she needed a family capable of providing proper emotional support by the age of 16.

 She was living in a girl’s shelter. At 19, she met Chris through his brother Matthew, and they quickly began a romantic relationship not long after Christy became pregnant. Early in the pregnancy, Chris caught her hitting her own stomach following an argument between them over time. Things seemed to settle somewhat and the pregnancy continued.

 On February 6th, 2003, she gave birth to their son, Aiden. Workers from community services visited their home and found nothing concerning except that Christy was feeding the baby one scoop of formula instead of two. After another argument, the police were called again. Chris said, “I’m Aiden’s father. His mother isn’t coping and she’s not taking her medication properly.

 She threw my belongings and my stereo off the balcony last night and then she threw a lit candle at me while she was holding Aiden. The wax went everywhere and nearly burned him. She hasn’t been sleeping at night because of Aiden, and she threatened to throw him off the balcony if he didn’t stop crying and let her sleep. I don’t know what to do.

Christy refused to open the door to the police officer. But after speaking with a social services worker, the officer believed that Aiden would be taken that same evening, but that didn’t happen. And just 6 weeks later, tragedy struck. Chris’s mother, Liz, saw her son riding up to the house on his bike, and the news he brought with him was horrifying.

Eden turned blue. He’s dead. He’s cold. Christy is in there screaming and screaming, “Mom, I found him.” He was lying face down. Liz immediately ran to the apartment and saw Christy holding Aiden and screaming that he was cold and that they needed another blanket. He was taken to the hospital, but there was nothing that could be done.

 Little Aiden had died. The autopsy found no signs of violence and the cause of death could not be determined. A little over a year later in April 2004, Christy gave birth to a second child, a girl named Kaisha. The arguments between them started again. She told Chris it was over and that he needed to leave for good.

 As he was packing his things, Christy followed him and they kept arguing. At that moment, Kaisha was only 15 months old and she began crawling toward her parents. Chris said that Christy suddenly rushed at Kaisha grabbed her by the neck, carried her into the living room and threw her onto the couch. Kaisha started crawling again and then Christy picked her up and bit her on the shoulder. The child screamed in pain.

Chris immediately called the police. Kaisha was taken to the hospital and Christy was convicted. She received a 12-month good behavior bond. At first, Chris was granted custody of Kaisha. However, the Department of Community Services later placed the child into foster care. On October 15th, 2006, Christy was arrested over outstanding warrants for driving without a license.

Just 2 months later, after completing anger management courses, Kaisha was returned to her. A year later, Christy was pregnant again with another daughter. During one hospital visit, a nurse noticed a bruise on Kaisha’s face and reported it the next day. A social worker spoke with the girl, but she couldn’t explain how she got the injury.

A cigarette burn mark was also found on her body. She said, “Mom, hit me here. Mom did this.” However, no further action was taken. Kaisha lived in constant fear, even when her mother simply raised her hand during a conversation. The girl would flinch. By that time, Christy was already in a new relationship with a man named Robert Smith.

 By June 2010, Christy was pregnant for the fourth time. She called her father, the man who had been the source of much of her suffering, and asked him to take Kaisha. >> I’m sick of her. I’m going to hurt her. I really will. I’ll kill her. >> This Chris’s mother didn’t even know that Kaisha had moved back in with Christy until the moment police suddenly showed up at her home.

 They told her the child was missing and immediately began a search. It was a shock for her, the kind of news that destroys any sense of control and leaves only fear and helplessness. Throughout Kaisha’s life, there had been repeated reports from relatives and neighbors about injuries on her body. People noticed bruises and signs of abuse.

 But despite how alarming those reports were, they never led to decisive action that could have changed her fate. Education workers also visited the home multiple times. The reason was obvious. Kaisha had only attended school four times in her entire life. And each time she showed up, teachers noticed bruises on her head and face.

 These details left little doubt. The child was in danger. Between January and July 2010, school attendance officers made seven visits to the home. Each time they knocked, waited, tried to reach someone, but the door stayed closed and no one answered. Those failed attempts only deepened the sense that something was wrong, but nothing was resolved after that.

 Christy was warned that legal action could be taken against her because of Kaisha’s absence from school. It was an official warning, another clear signal of how serious the situation was. Yet, it still didn’t change the course of events. Allison said she last saw the girl on July 11th at around 4:30 in the afternoon. It seemed like an ordinary moment at the time, but later it took on a tragic meaning.

 Kaisha was sitting in the car, silent and motionless while Christy stood nearby, smoking and not paying attention to her. Later, Allison recalled that Kaisha asked if she could get out of the car, and Christy replied, “No, you can’t just shut up and sit in the car. That was the last time I ever saw or heard her.” Those words became the final recorded memory, a brief moment that would stay forever.

 as a warning sign that no one fully understood. At the time when the initial investigation began, the behavior of Abrahams and Smith immediately raised suspicion. There was tension in the way they acted, uncertainty, and something more, something that didn’t match how people behave when they are genuinely searching for a missing child.

 Looking back at their public statements to the press, Liz said, “A, a lot of memories come back to me. I’ve seen this before with Aiden. That’s how I knew something wasn’t right. When Kaisha went missing, there were no real tears. I had seen it before. Her words sounded like a warning, like an echo of the past, repeating itself, almost the same way the investigation into Aiden’s death had never been carried out.

 But after Kaisha’s murder, one senior official said it probably should have been that became another painful realization, a missed opportunity after the arrests. Detective Inspector Russell Oxford said the case of Aiden’s death might be reopened. That decision brought up a new layer of questions and suspicions that had gone unanswered for years.

 After that, Abrahams and Smith began destroying any evidence that could link them to Kaisha’s death. Their actions were rushed but deliberate. An attempt to erase traces and hide the truth. They removed items from the house, threw away shoes, clothes, and even the SIM cards from their phones. Every object, every small detail could have been evidence.

and they tried to get rid of everything to create the impression that Kaisha was loved and cared for and that they still believed she might be alive. They started buying children’s toys and even a Tinkerbell poster as if they were preparing for her return. That manufactured image of care felt disturbing against the reality forensic pathologist doctor.

 Matthew Ward examined Kaisha’s remains and the findings were horrifying. She had fractured teeth and at least 10 separate injuries to her body and head. Her jaw was broken in two places. Injuries that pointed to extreme violence. Doctor Rod noted that such injuries are typically seen in children who have suffered prolonged and severe physical abuse.

 He emphasized that these injuries would have caused her constant and intense pain. Pain she was forced to endure after her death. Her mother and stepfather kept the girl’s body in a suitcase. A decision that felt cold, calculated, and completely devoid of humanity a few days later and buried it in a shallow grave.

 It was an act meant to completely destroy the evidence, an attempt to cover up the crime for good. They also threw away the hammer they used to dig the grave and burned the suitcase where they had kept her body. After that, they called a taxi and went home, returning to their normal lives as if nothing had happened.

 In late November 2012, another tragedy struck. Chris Kaisha’s father died. He was found by his mother. He had serious health issues, including diabetes, and was also struggling with addiction, which made his condition worse. He went to sleep and never woke up. His death became another tragic part of a story already filled with loss.

 Before the trial began, Allison Anderson visited Abraham’s in prison. It was a meeting filled with tension and questions that had gone unanswered for so long. She asked her former friend why she had lied during the investigation and forced people for months to wonder what had happened to Kaisha, why she allowed Hope to live while knowing the truth.

 And the first words Christy said were, “Did you see, Rob? What are you doing here?” Allison asked why Christy had used her and lied to her. And why if she couldn’t cope, she didn’t give Kaisha to a relative or let her take care of her. Then Allison shouted, >> “Rot in prison, you filthy child. Killer.

” After that, she took off her outer clothing, revealing a purple shirt that read a voice for Kaisha, the same one she wore during the trial. Allison said the only response Abrahams gave was, “Go to hell.” Christy also blew her a kiss, a gesture that felt completely out of place, cold and unsettling. In that moment, there was no remorse, no empathy, just a strange detachment that only made everyone watching even more furious. The reaction was immediate.

Allison couldn’t hold back anymore. Everything she had been carrying for so long finally broke loose. The guards had to step in and physically pull her away, taking her out of the area where she could see Christy. After that incident, she was banned from visiting the prison for life.

 It became another painful consequence, a final break from any chance of a personal confrontation or finding answers. After everything she had been through, she chose not to meet with Robert Smith. For her, it didn’t make sense. She believed that meeting him wouldn’t change anything and wouldn’t give her the answers she had been searching for for so long.

 In that decision, you could feel the exhaustion and the realization that some questions would never be answered. When the police van pulled up to the Sydney Supreme Court, the tension that had been building long before that moment finally burst out into the open. The public reaction was intense. People chased after the vehicle, shouting, yelling, trying to express their anger and pain in any way they could.

 In those voices, you could hear outrage, grief, and desperation. Emotions that could no longer be held back. The courtroom was packed. Every seat was taken. The air felt heavy, filled with anticipation and anxiety. People sat in silence or whispered to each other. But even those quiet sounds carried a sense of tension.

Everyone was waiting not just for the verdict, but for answers that might never come. Abrahams turned her back to the public and kept her eyes fixed only on the judge. She deliberately avoided any contact with those in the courtroom. No eye contact, no reaction. Her posture seemed closed off, detached, as if she was trying to shut herself off from everything happening around her.

 On the first day of the trial, Christy Abrahams pleaded guilty to the murder of her daughter after the prosecution rejected her earlier plea of manslaughter. That decision became a turning point in the case a brief but heavy admission behind which stood years of pain, denial, and attempts to avoid full responsibility.

 What we heard was startling. Abrahams admitted she’d given Kaisha a little nudge, then put her in the shower to wake her up, but without success put her to bed. The next morning, Kaisha was dead. But dental expert Alan Middleton disputes that version, telling the court the fractures to Kaisha’s teeth were caused by much more than a little nudge.

 In fact, he believes Kaisha was hit four to five times with forces from multiple directions, which left the six-year-old with fractures equivalent to an adult sporting injury. Inside the court, as Christy Abraham stood and said the word guilty, she was emotionless. Then, after the judge left the room, there was an eerie silence as everyone just stood watching as Christy Abrahams was led down to the cells.

Christy Abrahams was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in prison with a maximum term of 22 and a half years for murder and interfering with a corpse. It marked the culmination of a long and exhausting trial that left a deep impact on everyone who followed the case. When Justice Ian Harrison delivered the sentence, the courtroom fell into a tense, almost suffocating silence.

Christy showed no reaction. Her face remained completely blank with no sign of remorse or shock. At that same moment, voices broke out from the public gallery as the emotions people had been holding in finally spilled over, filling the room with pain, anger, and grief. The trust between a parent and a child is of the highest.

 Importance, Harrison said in a calm but firm voice. Abrahams caused Kaisha’s death by inflicting brutal and fatal injuries on a vulnerable and defenseless child in her care. A child who had every right to love, safety, and protection. The judge found that while she may not have had a direct intent to kill, her actions were deliberate and caused serious bodily harm that ultimately led to death.

 The ruling drew a clear line between intent and responsibility, a line that in this case was undeniable. At the same time, he noted that he could not determine beyond reasonable doubt who was responsible for other injuries Kaisha had suffered before her death. Those unanswered details left painful gaps in the case questions that were never fully resolved.

 The judge rejected Abraham’s version of events as unreliable, but also acknowledged that the available evidence could not fully and conclusively reconstruct what happened in those final moments. There remained a sense of an incomplete picture, fragments that would never fully come together. The court also took into account that Christy Abrahams had experienced abuse in her own childhood.

This did not excuse her actions, but it provided context to a down tragedy that had unfolded over years. The judge stated that Kaisha’s death was the result of intergenerational systemic failures, a cycle that repeated itself and ultimately led to disaster. The death of a child is a foreseeable and tragic outcome of preventable cyclical violence, he added, emphasizing the broader scope of the tragedy.

 The court also established beyond reasonable doubt that after the injuries were inflicted, Abrahams failed to provide proper medical care. This inaction became another sign of disregard for human life, an indifference that cost the child her chance to survive. Robert Smith was tried separately. On May 3rd, 2013, he was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison for manslaughter and for his role in covering up the crime.

His involvement added another dark layer to an already devastating case. Christy Abrahams became eligible for parole in 2027. For many, that date remains a painful reminder that even the harshest sentence cannot restore lost time or bring a life back for her former friend Allison Anderson.

 The sentence was not enough. Her words were sharp, emotional, and filled with pain. It’s horrifying to realize. She could walk free at 46. Does a difficult childhood and abuse give someone the right to take another life? She knew exactly what she was doing. That’s not an excuse. Kaisha was killed by a cold-blooded murderer.

 The impact of this case was deep and widespread. Many people felt betrayed, deceived, and broken. They truly believed Kaisha would be found alive and gave everything they could, including their time and hope to make that happen. It hit Allison Anderson especially hard. Even early in the investigation, she had her doubts, but she desperately tried to push them away, forcing herself to believe her friend could not have been involved in Kaisha’s disappearance.

 That internal struggle wore her down from the inside. Realizing she had been lied to all along, was devastating. It wasn’t just disappointment. It was the destruction of trust built over years. Allison herself had grown up in foster care and experienced abuse which made this story deeply personal for her. She saw in it not just the tragedy of another child but an echo of her own past.

 Later she became a qualified youth worker and began helping vulnerable children. So tragedies like this would never happen again. It became her way of giving meaning to her pain and turning it into something that could help others. Childhood is meant to be a time of innocence, joy, and discovery. A time when the world feels safe and the future feels open and bright.

 But for little Kaisha, it became a time of fear, pain, and constant suffering. A reality where there was no safety or peace. She should have grown up in a safe and loving environment free from violence with the chance to grow, dream, and live a full life. Like any other child, those who loved her made sure she would never be forgotten.

 Her name remains in people’s memory as a reminder of what indifference and violence can lead to. On Kaisha’s headstone, it read, >> “I’m just I’ve been staying out of the way of law enforcement all this time. I thought I was doing the best thing by him not coming down on law enforcement and I’ve just it’s been too many years of no action. Nothing’s been done.

 So, I’m tired of waiting.” Um, I had my the investigator over the case right now out of Scurry County, he told me one time, he said he doesn’t care if it takes 20 years to do this. And I do care if it takes 20 years. I don’t want the person that hurt my kid that doesn’t need to walk the street for 20 years. >> December 27th, 2010, Colorado City, Texas.

 13-year-old Haley Dunn wakes up in her mother’s house. At 5:30 in the morning, her mom’s boyfriend, Sha Atkins, walks out of the house. He heads to work in Snider. By 6:00 in the morning, he arrives there. He buys a drink. Then he turns in his work uniform and about 10 minutes later, he drives away. He says he had an argument with his boss and quit the job.

But later on, Cell Tower Records would show something very different. At that same time, Haley is home alone. Her mom, Billy Gene Dunn, leaves for her 12-hour shift. Before heading out, she stops by her daughter’s room. Haley is asleep in her bed. Everything looks completely normal.

 Then, around 2:00 in the afternoon, a short message is sent from the phone that was left at home for the kids. The text goes to one of Haley’s friends. What are you doing? >> Her friend never replies. Later that same day, Haley’s father, Clint Dunn, is waiting for her at his house across the street.

 She always came by, almost every day. Sometimes before school, sometimes after and sometimes just to say hi. But on December 27th, she never shows up. Around 3:00 in the afternoon, Shaun Atkins returns to Colorado City. He says he saw Haley at about 3:15. According to him, she walked over to her dad’s house, but cell phone data later shows that at that exact time, he was almost 40 miles away from the city.

 So, like, he simply didn’t have enough time to get back home. Haley’s brother, David, comes home around 4:00 in the afternoon. The door is locked. He knocks for a long time. No one answers, so he climbs into the house through a window. And in the hallway, he sees Sha standing there. David would later say that Sha looked confused, like a deer caught in headlights.

 That evening, Sha picks Billy up from work. When they get back home, Haley is already gone. Shawn tells Billy that Haley walked to her father’s place and planned to spend the night at a friend’s house, but Clint Dunn says that’s not true. Haley’s friend also says she never came over. The next day, Haley’s room looks like she never planned to go anywhere.

 All of her things are still there. Nothing is missing. The missing person report isn’t filed until December 28th. At first, police think it might just be a runaway case, but Haley is only 13 years old. She was a cheerleader. She played the saxophone. She also played volleyball, basketball, and softball. She loved school. And every single day, she would stop by her dad’s house across the street.

When the search begins, the whole town comes out to help. Clint Dunn checks trash dumpsters. He walks the streets, searches through alleys, but people start noticing something else. Haley’s mom’s boyfriend, Sha Atkins, isn’t helping with the search. He doesn’t hand out flyers. He doesn’t join the volunteers and he barely talks to investigators.

 4 days after the girl disappears, a New Year’s party takes place at the house where Billy and Sha live. At the very same time, her father is standing on his porch with binoculars, trying to spot any sign of his daughter. Little by little, investigators start checking the phones, bank activity, movement history, and with every new detail, Shaun Atkins story begins to fall apart.

 He lied about the job. His phone shows completely different routes. And when detectives ask him where Haley might be, he gives a short answer. Scurry County, the very same place where years later, human remains would be discovered. And when investigators ask him who the police should maybe be looking at, Sha gives an even shorter answer.

 Both of us. So, to really understand the details of this story, we need to start from the very beginning. 13-year-old Haley Dunn was from a small town called Colorado City in Texas. The town has a population of just under 4,000 people. It’s located in the western part of the state about 370 kilometers from Dallas.

 Colorado City is the administrative center of Mitchell County. In the middle of town, you’ll find the main government buildings, a few local stores, and small cafes where people like to gather. Because the population is so small, the atmosphere there is calm and slow paced. Not far from the town is Lake Colorado City, a popular place where locals go to relax, fish, or just spend some time outdoors.

 The region’s economy is mostly connected to energy, agriculture, and small local businesses. Roads link the town with other communities across West Texas. The infrastructure is simple, but it’s enough for everyday life and short trips around the region. Colorado City is the kind of place people visit when they want to see a small town with that classic West Texas feel.

 The neighborhood where Haley lived was a very tight-knit community. Her father, Clint, described Haley as a real little rascal, kind of a tomboy in personality, but at the same time, she loved shiny and beautiful things. Her mother, Billy Jean Dunn, said she would always remember Haley’s laughter, her big smile, and just how cheerful she was.

She was a bright and energetic teenager. Haley’s friends said she loved joking around and was never afraid to speak her mind. She was a cheerleader. She played the saxophone and she was also a talented and competitive athlete. She loved school, her friends, and her teachers. By the time Haley reached the 8th grade, she was already playing on the volleyball, basketball, and softball teams.

 Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old. After that, Haley and her older brother, David, moved in with their mother and her boyfriend, Sha Atkins, on Chestnut Street in Colorado City. Haley and her dad, Clint, were especially close. Clint lived literally across the street from them, and Haley stopped by his house every single day. Sometimes she would just run over before school to say hi.

 Other times, she would stay for dinner. She never missed a chance to spend time with him. Haley’s grandmother, Connie, later said that day the girl was in a really great mood. She was super excited about the gifts she had received that year, especially her brand new iPod. She spent most of Christmas Day and the day after Christmas with her dad.

 That evening, her brother David, who was 16 years old, went to a friend’s house to stay overnight. Haley stayed home and played video games late into the night. The next morning, December 27th, Sha left for work at 5:30 in the morning. About an hour later, Billy Jean also left for work to start her 12-hour shift.

 Before leaving, she said she looked in on Haley. The girl was fast asleep in her bed. Everything looked completely normal. Billy said Haley was supposed to spend the day at home by herself since both she and Sha were working. She assumed that once Haley woke up, she would probably just walk over to her father’s house like she usually did.

 Billy also left her cell phone at home so the kids could use it if they needed to. Shawn arrived at work in Snider around 6:00 in the morning. According to him, about 10 minutes after he got there, he had a serious argument with his boss and like quit the job right on the spot. After that, he drove to his mother’s house in Big Spring and later headed back toward Colorado City, arriving a little before 3:00 in the afternoon.

 Haley’s father, Clint, was used to seeing his daughter every single day. But on December 27th, Haley never knocked on his door, and he didn’t hear from her the entire day. Then, around 2:00 in the afternoon, a text message was sent from the phone that had been left at the house. The message was sent to one of Haley’s friends. >> What are you doing? >> That friend never replied.

 Later that same evening, Sha picked Billy up from work. Billy said that when she got home, she realized Haley wasn’t in the house. She asked Sha if he had seen her. He said that Haley had left the house on foot, walked over to her father’s place, and then supposedly planned to spend the night at her friend Mary Beth’s house.

But Clint later confirmed that this simply wasn’t true. >> That was my day and then I came home uh around I guess like 3:00. I got there and Haley was there watching TV in the living room and I went into me and Billy’s bedroom and she came in there and told me that she was going to her father’s house and that she was staying the night with a friend. And then she left.

 And then I was there by myself for maybe an hour at the most. And then David and a friend came over and I went to his room and they were playing video games and so forth. And Billy called me and told me that uh that her relief got there and that she’s going to get to leave a little early. So, I was up there at the hospital in uh Snyder around 6:00 to pick her up and then we came back and then we went to bed shortly after that.

>> And this whole time you were thinking Haley was at a friend’s house. >> Yes. >> About what time did she say she was leaving at? >> Uh what time Haley was leaving? >> Mhm. >> Uh I guess it was sometime in between 3:00 and 3:30 when she said she was leaving. It was like shortly after I got there. I’m not real sure about a time.

>> Does she normally call and check in every so often or is it normal to not hear from her for so long? >> Uh it’s pretty normal for her just to not call cuz she usually does that though cuz she does stay the night at a friend’s house. She’ll be back the next morning. >> The next morning came and went, but Haley still didn’t come home.

 Billy decided to call Mary Beth’s parents. They confirmed they hadn’t seen Haley at all and she definitely had not spent the night at their house. Nothing was missing from Haley’s room. In fact, the things someone would normally take if they planned to stay overnight somewhere were all still right where they belonged.

 Billy started going door to door, asking people if they had seen her daughter, but nobody knew anything. She later said she was scared. Maybe someone had driven by and abducted the girl while she was walking to the store. She also wondered if Haley might have been in a bad mood that day and just stormed out of the house, like slamming the door behind her.

 A missing person report was finally filed during the afternoon of December 28th. At first, investigators classified Haley’s disappearance as a runaway case, but a little later, the case was reclassified as a missing child investigation. That decision would later bring serious criticism toward the police. The community quickly came together to support the family and started actively helping with the search for Haley.

 The media also picked up the story very fast. Clint was absolutely devastated by his daughter’s disappearance. He spent every waking moment searching for her. He checked dumpsters, walked the streets and alleys, and looked anywhere he could possibly imagine. People later said they didn’t see the same level of concern from Billy and Sha.

 When the search began expanding into wider and more remote areas, reporters noted that Billy didn’t want to participate in those searches. Billy herself explained that she was willing to hand out flyers and talk to the media, but she couldn’t search in woods or open fields because it made her think that people were looking for her daughter’s body.

 Those searches in the more remote areas were also incredibly difficult for Clint. But Billy’s boyfriend Sha didn’t even hand out flyers, let alone join the searches. He mostly stayed away from both the search efforts and the investigation itself. Many people were questioned during the investigation.

 All registered sex offenders in the area were also checked, but each of them was quickly ruled out as a suspect. On Wednesday, December 29th, searches were carried out at the homes of Clint and Billy. And the very next day, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined the case.

 Search dogs were able to pick up Haley’s scent near her home. The trail led them to a nearby motel. However, motel staff said they didn’t remember seeing Haley, and she also didn’t appear on any of the surveillance cameras. All 24 rooms in the building were carefully searched, but no evidence was found that Haley had ever been there.

 Billy and Sha held a New Year’s Eve party on December 31st, just 4 days after Haley was reported missing. A lot of people were confused by the timing of that celebration. Billy later said she didn’t even realize it was New Year’s Eve and that friends and relatives had simply come over to support her. But Clint saw things very differently.

 He said that he was standing on his porch with binoculars searching for his daughter while at the same time watching Billy and Sha celebrating and partying. late into the night. I just don’t understand how someone can celebrate New Year’s when their daughter is missing. That should be the last thing on your mind when your child is gone.

 When the new year arrived, the close-knit community welcomed it with a heavy and somber mood. There was still no sign of Haley Dunn. No messages, no confirmed sightings, nothing. The long and exhausting search just kept going. Well, Lane and Victor were going into day nine in the search for Haley Dunn, and there’s still no sign of her.

 When I visited with the Dunn family this morning, I saw Texas Rangers scouring through Haley’s room. If we take a look over here, this is the window to her bedroom. Now, Texas Rangers, I’m told, have not found anything and no sign of foul play or any sign of her packing her bags and running away from home at this time.

 More than a week later, and still no sign of Haley. Her mother says it’s frustrating, but she remains hopeful. that I have to do nothing but hope that she left by herself and that she’s going to come back to me because if I don’t cling on to that hope, I don’t have anything. >> Now, local authorities tell me they’re following several tips at this time.

Several agencies have stepped in and the reward once again is $25,000 for tips that lead to Haley D. On January 4th, 2011, the Texas Rangers and the FBI joined the investigation into Haley’s disappearance. More than 100 billboards with Haley’s photo, and information about her were put up across Texas and even in other states.

 The case gained even more attention after Nancy Grace talked about it on her show and interviewed Billy Gene Dunn. That moment pushed the story to a whole new national level. ‘s case was on national television and Nancy Grace seemed to be a little hard on you. What was that like hearing her question Billy like that? >> Uh, I heard about it.

 I wasn’t there when Billy was getting interviewed by her. I was talking to the Texas Rangers, but I heard about it and it’s frustrating, you know, what she said about me and but it really doesn’t bother me cuz, you know, my main focus is just Haley cuz we just want her to come home safe. Does it hurt to think people would point fingers at you, a person who cares about her? >> Yeah, it hurts. It does.

>> Describe to me the relationship between you and Haley. >> Oh, it’s really really good relationship and you know, I love her all my heart and I believe she loves me with all her heart and we get along just fine. See, is there anything else um you want people to know about you and your relationship with the family at all? Cuz it seems like a lot of people are buzzing on the internet about it.

>> Yeah. As far as me, Haley, and Billy, and David, you know, we all get along just fine. And I would never do nothing to that little girl. I love her with all my heart, and I just wish for her safe return. The next day on January 5th, Billy asked Sha to leave the house. That actually wasn’t unusual because the two of them argued pretty often and then usually made up a few days later.

 But now, as the investigation started going deeper, new details about Haley’s home life began to surface. Reporters said that even though her life looked simple and carefree from the outside, behind closed doors, it was much more complicated and difficult for a 13-year-old girl and her brother. One journalist later said, “We were getting reports about a lot of alcohol, a lot of parties involving her mother.

” So, um, it really gave the impression that life at home might have been a little more complicated than what they were trying to show. Billy Jean Dunn and Sha Atkins had actually been on the police radar long before Haley disappeared. About 10 months before Haley was last seen, police received calls about a domestic dispute between Billy and Sha.

 Both of them had called the police to complain about each other. When officers arrived at the house, the couple was acting aggressive and constantly arguing. >> I really need to file a report on somebody. >> What exactly happened? I broke up with this guy a couple of days ago and and he’s telling me that he’s going to kill me and that it’s going to be remembered for a long time.

>> I got a situation on my hands. I have a ex-girlfriend. She’s taking me a whole bunch of anxiety pill that I take. So, I guess she got them from me. She said she like took a bunch of her pain pills, too. And she’s saying that she wants to die because she called to report on me, you know, for threats and stuff like that. So, she’s just upset about it.

She’s just, you know, not being herself right now. >> Threatening to kill her. >> Damn it. >> Billy gone. >> Oh god, he’s been going all day. All right, I’ll go up there. >> Not long after that, like had happened many times before, Billy and Sha made up and Sha moved back into the house. Billy herself said that Haley never really saw Sha as a stepfather or any kind of parental figure.

 According to her, they were more like friends than anything else. But people who were close to Haley told a very different story. They said the girl actually didn’t like Sha at all and was afraid of him. >> Things that Haley used to tell me about the man. >> What kind of things? >> She didn’t like him. She didn’t trust him. She was afraid of him.

>> I don’t want to be here right now. I’m going to be here with you cuz I don’t feel right with my stepdad. She also told her grandmother, Connie, that many nights she would see Sha’s shadow near the door of her bedroom. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, and she was really scared that he might walk into her room while she was sleeping.

Detectives later asked both Billy and Sha to take polygraph tests, but they both had to take the test again because during the first attempt, they were under the influence of drugs. Billy said those were just anxiety medications that had been prescribed by her doctor. Sha Atkins, meanwhile, walked out of the test at least two times.

 During a third attempt, he only completed the first stage. He claimed it felt like a witch hunt and said investigators were trying to force him to confess to something he didn’t do, but he still gave detectives one answer. When they asked him where he believed Haley might be, Sha said in Scurry County.

 And when investigators asked him who the police should be paying attention to, who he personally considered a suspect, he simply answered both of us. The test showed that those two answers were truthful. But he refused to explain anything further and then walked out again without completing the second stage of the test. The results of Billy’s second polygraph and the first stage of Sha’s test showed signs of deception on several questions.

>> Um, I want to thank everyone for coming this afternoon and giving me an opportunity to make a statement. First, I want to speak directly to Haley in case she’s listening. Um, wherever you are, Haley, I’m looking for you. Hundreds of people are looking for you. We all want you home safe. Um, I just want to see and touch your beautiful face. Um, I really love you.

 I desperately need you home. And, um, there’s not a minute goes by I’m not praying for you or crying, wishing you were in my living room. Um, I can’t handle not knowing where you are or if you’re safe. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on. And I’m very proud that God chose me to be your mother.

Next, I want to say if someone out there has Haley, please let her go. Just turn her loose, drop her off at a church, a school, police station, anywhere that she can get to a phone and call police or call her family. I’ve been flat out called a liar by some people. Others speculate on my possible involvement in Haley’s disappearance or wonder if I’m covering up for somebody.

Some people accuse me of withholding information and not cooperating with law enforcement. These things are not true, but I now feel that I have to defend myself from ridiculous accusations, slander, or defamation of character. Over the next few months, memorial gatherings and search efforts continued in Colorado City, but volunteers often had to pause the searches for several weeks because of extremely cold weather and freezing temperatures.

 After that, the Colorado City Police Department held a press conference. They announced that the investigation was now being treated as if Haley might have been taken against her will or possibly killed. Early in the investigation, detectives analyzed the cell phone records and bank activity of Sha Atkins and Billy Jean Dunn.

 They also looked into Sha’s previous workplace. And that’s when something important came up. It turned out that Sha had not actually been fired from his job. His supervisor told investigators that on December 27th at 6:00 in the morning, Sha arrived at work, bought a drink, turned in his uniform, and immediately quit. By 6:10, he had already left.

 Later, Sha admitted that he lied about being fired because he didn’t want to get into an argument with Billy Jean. Sha told detectives that after leaving Snyder, he drove straight to his mother’s house in Big Spring to use her computer and apply for unemployment benefits. But cell phone records showed that this story simply didn’t add up.

 Between 6:35 and 6:56 in the morning, Sha’s phone connected to a cell tower in Colorado City, which is almost 50 miles away from Big Spring. The data did show that he was in Big Spring, but only between 9:38 in the morning and 2:40 in the afternoon. Additional cell tower signals also showed that Sha was in the area of Scurry County that same day.

 Sha told police that after visiting his mother’s house, he returned to Colorado City around 3:00 in the afternoon and last saw Haley at about 3:15, right before she supposedly walked to her father’s house. But other cell phone data confirmed that Sha was still in Big Spring at 2:40 in the afternoon. That meant he would have had only about 20 minutes to travel 40 m, which is basically impossible.

 Haley’s brother, David, later said that when he came home on December 27th around 4:00 in the afternoon, he found the door locked. After knocking for a long time and trying to get inside, he eventually climbed into the house through a window. David saw Sha standing in the hallway looking confused, like a deer caught in headlights.

 In an official statement, Haley’s uncle later mentioned a conversation he had with Sha after the girl disappeared. The uncle said he couldn’t believe that someone would actually want to hurt a child. And Sha responded, “It’s like killing a deer.” Bank records later showed that after Sha picked Billy up from work at around 6:00 in the evening, the two of them stopped at two different ATMs.

 There, Billy withdrew a total of $140. At first, Billy told police the money was for groceries and gas, but later investigators discovered that the couple actually used that money to buy drugs. Because there were suspicions that Billy and Sha might have been using drugs inside the house where the children were living, detectives decided to take a much closer look at the home.

 During the search, investigators found something unusual. Billy and Sha had printed out hundreds of articles from the internet. All of those materials were about serial killers, sexual sadism, and murders involving family members. Billy later said that this was just their personal interest and that a lot of people are fascinated by true crime.

 On January 12th, 2011, it became known that Sha was officially being considered a person of interest in the case. He denied having anything to do with Haley’s disappearance. After that, David was removed from the home by child protective services. Then on February 24th, authorities made a shocking discovery.

 On a USB flash drive found in Billy’s house and also on a computer at Sha’s mother’s home, investigators discovered more than 100,000 images of child pornography. A laptop that had been stored at the police station was also taken into evidence. Haley’s father, Clint, later said that Sha’s stepfather came to the police station demanding that Sha’s laptop be returned.

And like unbelievably, it actually was returned to him. Despite these discoveries, no arrests were made. However, the materials were sent to a grand jury for review. Sheriff Tom later said, “In each of these situations, there was more than one person living in the house. So h we have to determine and confirm exactly who is responsible.

 On March 17th, 2011, law enforcement officers went to the house where Billy and Sha were living to speak with Sha. Billy told them he wasn’t there. But when officers entered the house with a warrant, they discovered that he was actually hiding inside. After that, Billy was arrested and charged with lying to the police.

 In June of 2011, Billy Gene Dunn received a suspended sentence 90 days in jail with the sentence postponed along with one year of probation for giving false information about Sha’s location. Billy served her probation more than 250 mi away in Travis County where she had moved together with Sha. Eventually, the couple separated in 2012 and went their own ways.

 Billy Gene later said that over time she began to believe Sha might actually be involved in her daughter’s disappearance, especially after it became known that not only local police, but also the FBI considered him a person of interest in the case. As time went on, the searches for Haley slowly began to fade.

 After each memorial gathering, new tips and theories would come in, but sooner or later, the investigation would hit another dead end. Another year passed and there was still no progress in Haley’s case. But on March the 16th, 2013, a hiker discovered human remains about 20 m from Colorado City near Lake JB Thomas in Scurry County. >> 2013, local authorities were notified of human remains located near Lake JB Thomas in southwest Scurry County.

 The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for DNA analysis. On April 26, 2013, the Scurry County District Attorney’s Office received written confirmation that the remains have been positively identified as those of Haley Dunn. >> Authorities never officially confirmed the exact cause of death.

 However, Clint later said that investigators told him the most likely cause was blunt force trauma to the head. A reward of $15,000 was announced for any information that would directly lead to the arrest of the person or people responsible for Haley Dunn’s murder. Sadly, the family had to wait a painful 4 years before they were finally able to bury Haley in January 2017.

>> Texas mother desperate to find her daughter’s killer is speaking out. It was 6 years ago when 13-year-old Haley Dunn went missing after leaving her father’s home in Colorado City. That’s west of Abalene. Her remains were found three years later, but her killer remains at large. Her mother, who is from Austin, says she has hope justice will be served.

>> I still want to believe every time they tell me that there’s going to be an arrest soon, I I keep that faith. In 2018, Clint Dunn told reporters that he believed either Sha attacked his daughter himself or his ex-wife, Billy Gan Dunn did it while Sha helped. “They’re both involved,” he said. At this point, that’s not even up for debate.

 Clint stayed in constant contact with the police again and again, trying to get answers. He called, sent messages, and asked investigators not to stop working on his daughter’s case. For him, this wasn’t just some old file sitting in an archive. This was the story of his child, and it deserved justice. With every call, he kept asking law enforcement to make an arrest and hold whoever was responsible accountable.

 His determination never faded. Even after years of waiting, but despite all those efforts, investigators still didn’t have enough evidence. And um that lack of solid proof remained the main obstacle preventing them from moving forward with an arrest and formal charges. >> I’m just I’ve been staying out of the way of law enforcement all this time.

 I thought I was doing the best thing by not coming down on law enforcement and I’ve just it’s been too many years of no action. Nothing’s been done. So I’m tired of waiting. Um, I had my the investigator over the case right now out of Scurry County, he told me one time, he said he doesn’t care if it takes 20 years to do this.

And I do care if it takes 20 years. I don’t want the person that hurt my kid that doesn’t need to walk the street for 20 years. >> You think that person is still out there somewhere? >> Yeah. I think he’s here in this town, Big Spring, Texas. You think he’s in Big Spring? >> Mhm. >> I know he was two months ago.

>> Do you have somebody in mind? >> Sean Atkins. >> Sean, you think it’s Sean Atkins, the only named suspect? >> Yep. And I think that Billy Jean knows something. She said too many lies. She’s avoided too much and she knows more than what she said. >> For years, Clint Dunn kept posting on social media about his daughter’s case, refusing to let it be forgotten.

 He wrote about Haley again and again, reminding people of her story and asking for help. Eventually, those posts caught the attention of an anonymous person. According to reports, that person remembered finding several items back in late spring or early summer of 2011. Later, it turned out those items had belonged to Haley Dunn.

 At the time, that person was just a regular high school student. They didn’t know anything about Haley, had never heard about her disappearance, and didn’t connect the items to any tragedy. To them, it simply looked like a random find that didn’t seem important. Because of that, they never contacted the authorities or reported the items to the police.

 At that moment, they had no reason to believe those things could be connected to a serious crime. Years went by. Then in 2019, that person happened to see one of Clint’s posts online about Haley. And h that’s when the memory of that old discovery suddenly came back. Only at that moment did they realize that what once seemed like something small might actually matter to the investigation.

 After that, the person reached out to Clint and told him about what they had found many years earlier. Exactly what those items were and where they were discovered has never been publicly revealed. Those details remain confidential. However, Clint later said the items had been found in an area that investigators had searched countless times during the early stages of the case.

 That made the information even more disturbing and honestly more mysterious. A private investigator named Erica Morse has been working closely with Clint ever since the day his daughter disappeared. Over the years, she became one of the people who refused to let the case fade away. Erica said that during that time, she managed to uncover certain pieces of evidence and had conversations with officials connected to the investigation.

According to her, after Haley’s remains were found, authorities mostly stayed silent. She claimed that law enforcement stopped returning her calls and wouldn’t say whether there had been any progress in the case. Information was extremely limited, which only made the uncertainty feel even heavier.

 Then, in October of 2019, Erica said she started receiving messages from women in West Texas and nearby areas. These women claimed they had been harassed online by a man who introduced himself as Casey. Erica knew that Casey was actually the middle name of Sha Atkins. So like that immediately caught her attention.

 She asked the women to send her the videos and photos the man had been sending them online. After reviewing the material, it became clear that the person in those images really was Sha. On October 28th, 2019, Erica accompanied one of the women he had allegedly been harassing to a police station.

 They went there to file an official report, but the officer who took the complaint refused to accept the report. Even worse, he accused the woman of making the story up. That decision caused serious outrage. After that, Erica wrote an open letter. In it, she warned that if Sha wasn’t arrested soon, there would almost certainly be more victims.

 Her words sounded like a warning, but at the time, they didn’t lead to any immediate action. More time passed. For another 2 years, the case showed no real movement. And then, finally, in 2021, the investigation took a serious turn. In May of 2021, Erica finally received a response from the district attorney of Mitchell County.

 She and Clint were invited to a private meeting. Erica later said that during that meeting, they were told, >> “We were assured that sometime in June, Haley’s killer would be arrested.” >> And then, more than 10 years after Haley Dunn was first reported missing, the case finally took an important step forward. Over those years, there had been so much painful waiting, so much uncertainty, and so many questions that seemed to have no answers.

 By that point, it had also been 7 years since her remains were found a heartbreaking confirmation that any hope for a different outcome was gone. But even after that, justice still remained out of reach for a long time. And only now, after all those years, after a long investigation and new developments in the case, an arrest finally happened.

>> Reaction from Colorado City tonight is emotional and also getting straight to the point. Sean Atkins is sitting in the Mitchell County Jail tonight, charged for the murder of 13-year-old Haley Dunn. She first went missing over 10 years ago. You know, this community, they have spent more than a decade searching.

 Searching for a young girl, searching for answers, searching really for justice. We are a step closer to that tonight. The arrest of Sean Atkins is what the community of Colorado City has been waiting on for a long time. >> District Attorney Ricky Thompson decided to reach out for help from the Texas Rangers Cold Case Unit.

 That’s a special division that works on investigations that have remained unsolved for many years. and Haley Dunn’s disappearance and death had sadly become one of those cases. After reviewing the case and consulting with investigators, the Texas Rangers continued working through the evidence. As part of that process, they went to court to request a warrant to collect a DNA sample from Sha.

 That step became a major development in a case that had gone so long without clear answers. On June 13th, 2021, the warrant was officially issued and that same day, Sha Casey Atkins was arrested. He was formally charged with the murder of Haley Dunn. That moment became a turning point in the case, which had been a painful wound for the family and the community for years.

 The news of the arrest spread quickly and brought strong emotions from people who had been following the story from the very beginning. Billy Dunn said, >> “I can’t say I’m really surprised by this news that it was Shawn. Of course, I wish I could believe it wasn’t him because um I stayed with him after she disappeared, after Haley went missing, but I’m not surprised.

 And I thank God that this person has been arrested and that he’ll answer for what he did here on this earth.” >> At the moment, Sha Atkins is being held on a bond set at $2 million. That’s the amount the court determined and it remains one of the key conditions for his detention while the case continues to move through the legal process.

 The decision reflects just how serious the charges against him are. As of July 2021, the case was still in the early stages of court proceedings. Despite the intense public attention and the high-profile nature of the case, Sha Atkins had not yet entered a plea neither guilty nor not guilty to the charges filed against him. So, his official position had not yet been stated, and the case continued moving through what can be a long and complicated legal process that will ultimately determine his fate.

 The KCBD Investigates team, the Mitchell County District Attorney’s Office, has released a single page from Shaun Atkins arrest warrant. He is the man police hold responsible for killing Haley Dunn in Colorado City. Big Spring Police arrested him last month, but we don’t know why. When KCBD requested the arrest warrant, we were sent to Mitchell County and the DA there refused, citing Texas law, claiming it blocked us from access to this public record since it involves the alleged abuse and death of a child.

So now, while we’re waiting on the attorney general to rule on this decision, in the meantime, it has been 10 days since our request for the entire arrest warrant and affidavit. We have only this part of the warrant so far ordering any law enforcement agent to arrest Shaun Atkins for the charge of murder out of Colorado City, but that does not shed any light on what led Mitchell County to that conclusion.

 So, our investigates team will keep pursuing your right to know about what police say led to the death of Haley Dunn. >> After Sha was arrested, private investigator Erica Morse publicly spoke about the role Haley’s father, Clint, played in the case. According to her, he was the driving force that kept the investigation from fading away.

Throughout all those years, Clint never stopped looking for answers. He kept reminding people about his daughter’s case, pushing for the investigation to continue and insisting that the truth eventually had to come out. Erica Moors said that his determination and persistence helped keep attention on the story even when the years slowly pushed it out of the headlines.

 She added that Clint became an example for parents everywhere who are fighting for justice for their children. An example of how a parents love and dedication can turn into the kind of force that keeps an investigation moving forward. Clint said, “Right now, there just aren’t words to describe how I feel. We’re going to let the evidence and the truth speak for themselves.

 Thank you to everyone who searched for Haley and to those who fought tirelessly to see an arrest made. I just hope that real justice will finally be served in the courtroom. This case still remains open and continues to move through the courts. The investigation and legal proceedings are ongoing and there are still many important decisions ahead.

For Haley Dunn’s family, it has been a long and exhausting journey filled with waiting, pain, and uncertainty. But even after all these years, they haven’t lost hope. Her loved ones believe that one day the truth will finally be spoken in a courtroom, and the people responsible will face the consequences they deserve.

The family hopes that someday this story will end with a fair and just verdict and that Haley Dunn’s name will finally receive what it deserves, justice. This