In 2001, Kathleen Peterson’s body was found at the foot of a staircase in her home. The Missing Pieces looks at the nagging questions surrounding her death, dissecting a frantic 911 call, a potentially killer owl, and a blood-soaked stairwell. -The Staircase, Investigation Discovery
Tonight’s episode of “48 Hours: NCIS” takes you inside the real-life investigation of a 19-year-old Marine wife who vanished in the desert. “The Marine’s Wife” uncovers the story of Erin Corwin and her disappearance. – CBS News (June 12, 2018)
Marine Corps spouse Erin Corwin, 19, was reported missing on June 29, 2014 by her husband who was stationed at Camp Pendleton near Twentynine Palms in California. After an extensive investigation and search, Erin’s body was found in an abandoned mine shaft on August 16th, 2014. During the investigation, authorities learned that Erin was having an affair with another Marine. This Marine was identified as Christopher Lee, 29, who was arrested in Alaska after Erin’s body was recovered from the mine shaft. Christopher admitted that he killed Erin but said it was because he became angry after she confessed to molesting his daughter.
The prosecution theorized he killed her to silence her and hide the pregnancy from his wife. He tricked her into believing that he was going to propose to her and instead he approached Erin from behind and strangled her for at least five minutes with a garrote made up of two pieces of rebar and a cord. After Lee was satisfied Erin was dead, he dragged her body to a mine shaft in the desert and pushed her in head first. Christopher Lee was found guilty of first-degree murder by civilian authorities and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Christopher Lee, U.S. Marine Corps, and Erin Corwin
Editor’s Note: If you would like to watch the full episode of ‘The Marine’s Wife,’ please visit the CBS All Access website, visit the 48 Hours website, or download the 48 Hours app on your iPad. The most recent episodes are unlocked on the 48 Hours website and app. If you would like to watch past episodes on the 48 Hours app, it cost’s $4.99 a year. There’s programming dating back to 2005 on the 48 Hours app, including some classics, to feed your true crime addiction.
In the News:
Investigators are searching for the beautiful, pregnant wife of a U.S. marine corporal who was last seen over a week ago. 19-year-old Erin Corwin was reportedly last seen leaving her Twentynine Palms, CA home around 7 a.m. on June 28 to go to nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband of a year and a half Jonathan reported her missing the next day. Days after she disappeared, Erin’s mother Lore Heavilin found out that her daughter was about 3 months pregnant. -HLN (July 7, 2014)
An eyewitness spoke out Wednesday, describing the last time he saw the pregnant Marine wife who’s been missing for more than two weeks.Michael Beasley said he saw Erin Corwin get into a red car with another man and drive away. He added that it didn’t appear she was being forced into the car in any way.Corwin was last seen on June 28 leaving a home she shares with her husband, headed to Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing a day later when she never returned. -HLN (July 16, 2014)
According to a new search warrant affidavit released this week, homicide detectives now believe that — on the day she vanished — missing Marine wife Erin Corwin went on a day trip with a neighbor and ex-Marine whom she was romantically involved with. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
New police documents reveal Erin Corwin was having an affair with her married neighbor and told her friend the two were spending the day together when she went missing. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Erin Corwin was last seen leaving her home on June 28, and was reportedly heading to Joshua Tree National Park. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Following the discovery of Erin Corwin’s remains, friends and family father to honor her memory and begin healing. -WATE 6 On Your Side (September 19, 2014)
Part 1: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 2: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 3: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Dateline (NBC):
When the 19-year old wife of a Marine vanishes without a trace in the California desert, investigators launch a massive search. They soon uncover a secret love triangle and a mystery with multiple suspects. Andrea Canning reports. -Dateline NBC (December 1, 2016)
The search for a young missing military wife takes NCIS agents into the dark world of master and slave role playing where they uncover the dual life of a Marine sergeant. -A Date with Evil, 48 Hours NCIS
Tonight’s episode of “48 Hours: NCIS” takes you inside the real-life investigation into a missing Marine wife. “A Date with Evil” follows an agent as he pursues the truth behind her disappearance. -48 Hours NCIS
Brittany Kilgore
Brittany Killgore, a civilian married to a man serving in the US Marine Corps, was initially reported missing on April 14, 2012 but was later found dead near Lake Skinner in California in 2012. Her husband was deployed at the time she went missing. They were stationed at Camp Pendleton and Brittany was in the process of getting a divorce and moving out of her home. On her last night at Camp Pendleton, another Marine named Sgt Louis Perez, offered to not only help her move but asked her to go out one last time before she left. Brittany was acquaintances with Perez, his live in girlfriend Dorothy Maraglino, and another woman named Jessica Lopez, who also lived at the residence of Maraglino.
After a lengthy investigation by civilian police in San Diego, it was determined that Louis Perez lured Brittany and eventually took her to his home where he and his girlfriend (Maraglino) lived. Perez, Maraglino, and Jessica Lopez all engaged in what is referred to as BDSM and they decided that Brittany would join them whether she wanted to or not. In the course of sexually abusing and torturing Brittany, Louis Perez strangled her to death. Maraglino and Perez decided that Jessica Lopez needed to take the fall for her death and they coerced Jessica into not only admitting to the murder but also to take her own life. She was found near death in a hotel room after a failed suicide attempt. In 2015, Perez, Maraglino, and Lopez were all sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to watch the full episode of ‘A Date with Evil,’ please visit the CBS All Access website, visit the 48 Hours website, or download the 48 Hours app for iPad. The most recent episodes are unlocked on the 48 Hours website and app. If you would like to watch past episodes on the 48 Hours app, it cost’s $4.99 a year. There’s programming dating back to 2005 on the 48 Hours app, including some classics, to feed your true crime addiction.
Sheriff’s detectives determining if body found near Lake Skinner east of Temecula is that of missing Brittany Dawn Killgore. -The Press-Enterprise (August 17, 2012)
A friend of a military wife whose body was found near Lake Skinner in southwest Riverside County last year testified Monday that the victim texted the word “help” soon after leaving on a dinner cruise with a Marine sergeant, who is charged with murdering the 22-year-old woman. -ABC 10 News (March 11, 2013)
Testimony detailing bondage, abduction and comments about “getting rid of people” was heard during a hearing for three people accused of killing a Marine wife. -ABC 10 News (March 12, 2013)
A Camp Pendleton Marine and two women were ordered Monday to stand trial on murder, torture and other charges stemming from in the death of a military wife from Fallbrook, who authorities say was killed after being kidnapped and forced to participate in a bondage and sadomasochistic sex ring. -ABC 10 News (March 18, 2013)
Dorothy Maraglino requested that charges be dropped in the death of Brittany Killgore. -ABC 10 News (May 4, 2015)
Her three accused killers are scheduled to stand trial for Brittany Killgore’s murder next month. -ABC 10 News (August 13, 2015)
Opening statements are scheduled Monday in the trial of three people accused in the torture-murder of a 22-year-old Fallbrook woman — the estranged wife of a U.S. Marine — who investigators said was the victim of a sex and bondage game that turned deadly. -ABC 10 News (September 14, 2015)
A jury convicted a trio in the murder of military wife, Brittany Killgore. -ABC 10 News (October 21, 2015)
Three people who were part of a so-called “master-slave sex cult” were convicted of torturing and murdering Brittany Killgore, according to reports. -Inside Edition (October 22, 2015)
Two of three people convicted of murdering a 22-year-old military wife from Fallbrook were sentenced on November 19, 2015. The third will be sentenced at a later date. The jury found Louis Ray Perez, Dorothy Maraglino and Jessica Lynn Lopez guilty of 1st degree murder in the April 13, 2012, death of Brittany Killgore. The defendants were also found guilty of the special circumstance of kidnapping Killgore. -Law and Crime Network (November 19, 2015)
Sentencing for Jessica Lopez in Killgore murder trial. -Law and Crime Network (January 8, 2016)
When the battered corpse of a young woman turns up on the outskirts of Fallbrook, California, detectives unravel a secret world where dominance, sadomasochism, and manipulation reign. -Murder Among Friends, Investigation Discovery (June 8, 2016)
Brittany Killgore’s mother’s first thought is always, “Brittany should have been here. Watch episodes of In Ice Cold Blood, only on Oxygen. -Oxygen Media (April 12, 2018)
Army Reservist Sgt. Christina Schoenecker, 26, died of a non-combat related incident on February 19, 2018 in Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Schoenecker was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 89th Sustainment Brigade, 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Wichita, Kansas. Sgt. Schoenecker’s home of record is listed as Arlington, Kansas. According to Honor the Fallen at Military Times, Sgt. Schoenecker enlisted in the military in May 2009 and served as a human resources specialist. At the time of the press release, the incident was under investigation which is typical with any non combat death but an official cause of death has not been determined or publicized by authorities. The site Popular Military shared that a source close to them in Iraq in an unofficial report believed it was a suicide. This could not be confirmed in other media reports.
In the News:
The body of U.S. Army Sergeant Christina Marie Schoenecker is escorted from the Hutchinson Airport to Elliot Mortuary by the Patriot Guard, Hutchinson Police and the Hutchinson Fire Departments. SGT Schoenecker died February 19, 2018, from a non-combat related incident, in Baghdad, Iraq at the age of 26. She will be buried in her hometown of Arlington, Kansas, Monday, March 5, 2018. -The Hutchinson News (March 2, 2018)
U.S. Army Sergeant Christina Marie Schoenecker was buried at Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Kansas on Monday, March 5, 2018. SGT Schoenecker died February 19, 2018, from a non-combat related incident, in Baghdad, Iraq at the age of 26. -The Hutchinson News (March 5, 2018)
Apple Valley in California’s Mojave Desert is the perfect place to hide a secret. When the body of an unidentified Jane Doe is discovered there in 1994, it takes almost two decades to bring a twisted tale of love, jealousy, and a horrible crime to light. -Who Killed Jane Doe, Investigation Discovery
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. Download the ID Go app and binge away. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.
A startling development in the case of Jovita Collazo, the Southern California Filipina who went missing in 1992. -TFCBalitangAmerica
Army Pvt. Nicole Burnham reported a sexual assault at Camp Casey in Korea on September 15, 2017. Four days later, she requested an expedited victim’s transfer (EVT) asking for reassignment back to the United States. Nicole’s Commander approved the request a few days later but it would be 82 days before the transfer occurred. In the meantime, Nicole Burnham shared the same barracks with her attacker. And there was no evidence to suggest the Army even addressed the fact that Nicole shared the same barracks as her attacker until an incident occurred three weeks later when he allegedly jumped out in front of her in an attempt to scare her. It was at this time, the Commander separated the two and put them in different barracks. In the weeks that followed, Nicole suffered verbal harassment and cyberbullying from within the ranks. She received comments from soldiers and their wives over social media calling her a “slut” and “deserving of rape.” Investigators claimed Nicole did not report the harassment to the Chain of Command but in a sworn statement a fellow soldier said most of the leadership was aware of the harassment yet turned a blind eye.
Nicole Burnham Justification for Expedited Transfer (photo: KSTP-TV)
In October 2017, a tearful Nicole told her supervisor she couldn’t “take it” anymore and the supervisor believed she was eluding to suicidal ideation. She was referred to the Officer in Charge (OIC) who then handed her off to the Chaplain for counseling. But according to the A.R. 15-6 investigation, it doesn’t appear leadership in the Chain of Command was aware of what the supervisor believed was suicidal ideation. Nicole reported a sexual assault on September 15, 2017 and experienced three months of retaliation before Army leadership finally transferred her on December 12, 2017. In addition, KSTP reports Army leadership at Camp Casey failed to inform Fort Carson that Nicole was a victim of sexual assault (and harassment, bullying, & cyberbullying). Nicole should have been offered mental health care and compassion. Don Christiansen of Protect Our Defenders said in a statement that the Chain of Command was without a doubt responsible for the failures in Nicole’s case that ultimately lead to her ending her life. Nicole’s death triggered two investigations, one into the allegation of sexual assault that allegedly included Nicole being attacked by multiple men at Camp Casey and the other into the cyberbullying. Of course, the Army declined to comment until the investigation was completed. According to the family, Nicole’s main attacker was courtmartialed and agreed to a plea deal that forced him to leave the Army with a less than honorable discharge. The outcome of the cyberbullying investigation of military personnel and military spouses is unknown.
“It’s inconceivable that they let her languish in Korea. After all these failures, we had this tragic ending to her life.” -Don Christiansen, Protect Our Defenders (January 13, 2020)
Editor’s Note: The military wives who lived on a federal base overseas do not fall under the jurisdiction of the military Chain of Command. Civilians living on base fall under the federal jurisdiction of the FBI who at this point are reluctant to investigate anything but murder. The federal government uses a crisis oriented approach with military personnel and crimes on military bases as opposed to a homicide prevention approach. And in the case of reservations, there has been no justice for missing and murdered Native Americans.
AR 15-6 Timeline of Events for Nicole Burnham (Source: KSTP-TV)
As a result of Nicole’s tragic and untimely death and the KSTP-TV investigation, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota pushed the Army to take action and make changes to the expedited victims transfer policy. The pair asked the Army to track the time it takes to transfer victims of sex assault to another military base, citing the ‘unfortunate delays’ in the transfer of Pvt. Nicole Burnham. In response, the Secretary of the Army directed staff to update policies regarding the treatment of victims of sexual assault who request an off-base transfer. He asked that the Army update policies to mirror the timelines in the Department of Defense (DoD) policy. According to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, DoD policy states an EVT should occur within 30 days and Esper said the Army’s policies will now reflect that timeline. Nicole’s mother, Stacey Burnham, said 30 days is too long. She also said, “I cannot imagine being a victim, having your EVT approved but knowing you may still be there for another 30 days.” Stacey Burnham has called for more significant changes in the wake of her daughter’s death suggesting the timeline should be condensed even further. She runs a public Facebook page called Pooters Peeps in honor of her daughter.
Letter from Amy Klobuchar & Tom Emmer to the Secretary of the Army (photo: KSTP-TV)
Sources: KSTP-TV, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Stacey Burnham
In the News:
A 21-year-old Fort Carson soldier who died after being found unresponsive on post last Friday was honored with a dignified transfer. -KOAA 5 (February 2, 2018)
Retweet on Twitter in honor of Pvt. Nicole Burnham.
Photos of Nicole Burnham:
Nicole Burnham (photo: Pooters Peeps)Pvt. Nicole Burnham, U.S. Army (Image: Alex Wentz)
A woman’s body is found in a tent bag in the Kentucky woods. A thousand miles away, a family searches for a missing mother of three. Both cases go unsolved for decades, until a man’s obsession and a family’s determination converge, uncovering the truth. -Who Killed Jane Doe?, Investigation Discovery
Who Killed Jane Doe? featured the story of ‘The Tent Girl’ on Investigation Discovery in January 2018. On May 17, 1968, a man walking in the woods in Georgetown, Kentucky discovered a body wrapped in a tent. He reported the finding to authorities who determined that the body was that of a female she didn’t have a nam. This Jane Doe was dubbed ‘The Tent Girl’ in the media because the authorities attempted to find out who she was. She had been murdered and they wanted to find her family. The Tent Girl was buried in a local cemetery in an attempt to honor this girl who didn’t have a name. ‘Who Killed Jane Doe?’ began the episode by explaining that in the early sixties, Barbara Ann ‘Bobbie’ Hackmann of Lexington, Kentucky met George ‘Earl’ Taylor when she was a teenager. He was a single father from Florida who claimed his wife left him to be with another man and he needed a babysitter. Bobbie babysat Earl’s daughter Bonnie while he worked for the Carnival.
Although Earl Taylor was five years older than Bobbie Hackmann, the pair fell in love and decided to get married. Because Earl worked for the Carnival, they moved constantly but in 1964 they settled for an apartment in Miami, Florida. Bobbie and Earl had children of their own and Bobbie’s sister moved to Florida to be closer to her. Then one day, Bobbie told her sister she needed to leave town quickly and asked her for some money. Bobbie told her sister the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) was in town and they were looking for Earl because he went Absent without Leave (AWOL) from the military; Earl did not want to go back in. She told her sister they were moving to Texas. Nobody ever heard from Bobbie Taylor again. When Bobbie’s sister finally caught up with Earl, Bobbie wasn’t with him and he told her that she ran off with another man. Once again Earl’s significant other left their children and ran off with another man. Earl would not tell Bobbie’s sister where Bobbie’s kids were. Bobbie’s family filed an official missing person’s report.
Todd Matthews and Bobbie’s family were both obsessed with finding the same person but they didn’t know it. Todd was looking for the identity of a Jane Doe dubbed ‘The Tent Girl’ and Bobbie’s family was obsessed with finding their missing family member Bobbie Taylor. With the invent of the internet, it helped both Bobbie’s family and Todd Matthews get in touch with one another to compare notes. Todd e-mailed Bobbie’s family to tell them about ‘The Tent Girl’ because he believed the Jane Doe in Kentucky was the missing girl Bobbie Hackmann Taylor. Bobbie’s family contacted the police in Kentucky to find out if their Jane Doe was Bobbie. The authorities found enough similarities between the composite drawing and the real photos that they exhumed The Tent Girl’s remains. After DNA testing, The Tent Girl was indeed a match to Barbara Hackmann. The family finally found their missing Bobbie. Bobbie’s children were relieved to know their mother didn’t walk away from them but devastated that she was found and had been murdered.
Earl’s daughter Bonnie described a night on December 6, 1967 where she was awakened by a struggle in Bobbie and Earl’s bedroom. But, she didn’t want to get in trouble so she fell back asleep. When seven year old Bonnie woke up in the morning, Bobbie was gone. The family suspects that Earl murdered Bobbie and then disposed of her body in the woods. He most likely used tents from the Carnivals he worked at to wrap her body. When Bonnie asked Earl where Bobbie was, she never got an answer from him. When Bonnie returned home from school that same day, Earl had packed up the car and informed the children they were moving. When Bonnie asked about Bobbie again, Earl said “she’ll catch up with us later.” Bonnie said this was the last time she saw or heard from Bobbie. When Bobbie was finally identified via DNA in 1998, authorities couldn’t question Earl because he died of cancer 10 years earlier. Bobbie’s family decided to leave Bobbie in the same plot because she had been part of that community for over thirty years. They cared about ‘The Tent Girl’ and the case is still an open investigation.
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. Download the ID Go app and binge away. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.
The Tent Girl
Tent Girl | 18 News
The Eerie Case Of Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor (Jane Doe Identified After 30 Years) -CreepyNews
Costa Mesa, California is beautiful place to live, but it comes at a cost. The murder of a young girl and the disappearance of a former Army soldier leads investigators down a dark path into the mind of an unassuming killer. -Final Curtain, Unusual Suspects: Deadly Intent (S9,E5)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
