87 yo Shirley Dermond Missing - Husband Found Beheaded in Their Georgia Home (Deceased)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.examiner.com/article/great-waters-investigation-latest-dermond-couple-s-home-released-to-family
Great Waters investigation latest: Dermond couple's home released to family
May 22, 2014

 
On May 22 the eldest son of the Dermond couple spoke with WSB TV via telephone, confirming to the news agency that the sheriff's office had turned the home back over to the family this week after an almost three-week search for clues following the slaying of his two parents Shirley and Russell Dermond in early May.

As one might expect, Keith Dermond commented on the mess the home was now in after law enforcement had searched it for clues and covered most of the interior with fingerprint dust. But he drew the line on commenting about the current investigation.

Crime scene processing, especially in a home where a homicide may have occurred, can require all kinds of materials and chemicals to be used to uncover blood a criminal attempted to clean up, fingerprints awaiting discovery, bullets shot through walls and footprints of dust left on carpeted floors. But if this processing isn't done, then the family may have no hope of a killer or killers being found, resulting in no justice for their murdered loved one.

So most people don't raise too much of a fuss about the return of their loved one's home in such a condition when it could help find their loved ones killer, especially if the family has homes of their own. And in the Reynolds Plantation couple's case, all three adult children live in other states, with none of them needing to immediately move back into the residence, since they never lived there in the first place. But now that the home was turned over to the family on Thursday, Keith Dermond says that the family is visiting their parent's home.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told Liz Fabian of the Macon Telegraph on May 22 that the person responsible for this crime "was a particularly brutal savage," considering their ability to decapitate an 88-year-old man and throw his 87-year-old wife into the lake.

Yet for all the savagery attributed to this killer or killers, the crime scene appears to reflect the work of someone methodical enough to take precautionary acts that would hinder any evidence to aid investigators in capturing him or her--or so they think.

Forensic capabilities in today's society include such cutting edge items as the electrostatic dust print collector, dental stone casting material, cyanoacrylate fuming, phenophthalein testing, leucocrystal violet, ninhydrin, fingerprint dusting powder (like Keith Dermond complained about) and much more, which the federal agency assisting in the case is very well versed in, evidenced by their FBI Handbook of Forensic Services.

And the National Criminal Profiles Examiner Radell Smith has seen these tools of the trade up close and personal, so she knows that as soon as law enforcement has a suspect in their scope, then the evidence collected will not be in vain, aiding them in the prosecution side of the criminal justice system at some point. And that includes all the fingerprints collected at the luxury waterfront home, which resulted in a lot of fingerprint dust left behind, as well as any obtained from Shirley or Russell Dermond's body, as prints can be taken from a corpse, too.

So while the crime scene processing of the home is now complete, the search of the lake isn't, but could be a contaminated crime scene if Memorial Day vacationers flock to the area, as one might expect them to do. Hopefully, however, that area will be restricted a little while longer, so DNR can continue their sector scan, which the Eatonton Messenger reports can take as much as 11 hours to cover a three-mile area. And until that search is complete--and it yields some potential evidence of Mr. Dermond's missing head--a dive team will not be called in to search the bottom of the lake.

Sheriff Sills feels that at this stage in his investigation into the double homicide, he has covered all the forensic ground that is possible, collecting all the crime scene evidence obtainable, in as much as can be collected when they have not been able to locate Mr. Dermond's head, and since no one is sure if the Dermond's were murdered at their home community property or the victims of foul play at another primary scene.

In addition, interviews have been ongoing with residents at the Great Waters Reynolds Plantation, to the tune of 215 on Sunday, with future interviews expected for remaining property owners not currently in residence, or who left that meeting early--or didn't show up at all.

Now Sheriff Sills feels that the murder case of Russell and Shirley Dermond need that one break that could tip the scales in his and his departments favor: someone to come forward with new reliable information. And for that he told The Telegraph that he is seeking to find more funding to raise the reward money, hoping it drives someone to confess what they know.

Most crimes are solved by somebody telling somebody something. Somebody knows about this, and we want them to call us and tell us," the sheriff said.
And the sheriff is correct when he says most crimes are solved by a tip to police, like when another offender turns in a partner in crime, or when the spouse, family members, friends, coworkers or neighbors of a criminal notice changes in their behavior (or become suspicious of their possible involvement) and report it to law enforcement. And then there are also the criminals who suddenly confess, or the most likely scenario, which involves an offender coming to the attention of police during a routine stop for a minor traffic violation, like expired vehicle tags, and such.

And there is also the possibility an offender will be arrested for some other crime, maybe for the first time, suddenly adding their fingerprints into the National Crime Information Center database, which would result in an AFIS hit (fingerprint match) and help close the investigation.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/son-murdered-putnam-co-couple-said-case-turned-ove/nf5r8/



Someone killed and beheaded 88-year-old Russell Dermond inside a lakefront home at Great Waters Reynolds Plantation. Deputies believe the same person murdered his wife, 87-year-old Shirley Dermond then dumped her body into Lake Oconee.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/hancock/2014/05/23/sills-dermond-home-returned-to-family/9483813/
Sills: Dermond killers came by boat
May 24, 2014

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills says he's turned the home of Russell and Shirley Dermond back to their family.

That means the home of the murdered couple is no longer an active crime scene.

Sills told 13WMAZ's Anita Oh that he turned the home over to the couple's three children Wednesday night. He said he'd meet with them Friday to return some belongings.

He also said the Dermonds' bodies have been released from the GBI crime lab, clearing the way for burial. Their family has said the funerals will be private.

Russell Dermond's decapitated body was found in the couple's lakefront home on May 6. Shirley Dermond's body was found in Lake Oconee, several miles from the home, on May 16.

Sills discussed the case in detail with Anita Oh, saying:

--Finding Shirley Dermond's body in the lake has convinced him that the couple's killers arrived at their home over the water: "Somebody came by boat for a fact."
And while Sills' investigators have scoured the Great Waters neighborhood for security cameras pointed toward the lake, they haven't found an image of the killers or anything else unusual.
--He also believes more than one person took part in the killings. "Could 1 person do it? Sure, but the circumstances and evidences lead me to believe it was a minimum of 2 people."

--There is "definitely no doubt about it" that Russell Dermond's head was cut off and Shirley's body dumped was to "conceal evidence, buy time and obstruct roadblocks in our investigation. Does it show depravity? Yes, but it was for self-preservation of whoever done it.."

--But despite the unusual angle of one victim being beheaded, he said, "This does not mean it's organized crime. There's no evidence of that. No Mafia or cartel..."

--His take on what kind of person killed the Dermonds: "A brutal evil savage of some sort."

--Sills says agents interviewed 215 people last weekend using a 29-question sheet with questions like "Were you home that weekend?" (May 2-4) and "Did you know the Dermonds?" He says they're continuing to interview people today.

Sills says DNR and sheriff's deputies will be on the water this holiday weekend, but not actively searching.

Having a large number of people out on the lake, and near the dam where Shirley Dermond was found could help authorities find more evidence on this busy boating weekend.

"Not to be graphic, but we are still looking for the head," he said.

He also said the Sheriff's Office and the FBI are discussing another reward. Previously, the FBI announced a $20,000 reward for any information leading to Shirley Dermond.

"I don't like to give rewards. People who are citizens of the state of Georgia and the United States of America ought to give information. They have a civic duty. They shouldn't have to be paid to do it. But I'm certainly not opposed to utilizing a reward if that's what it takes to solve this case," Sills said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/milledgeville/2014/06/03/sheriff-appeals-for-donations-for-reward-in-russell-dermond-shirley-dermond-murder-investigation/9924583/
Sheriff asks public to add to reward in Dermond case
June 3, 2014

A month after the unsolved murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond, the Putnam County sheriff says it may take "a significant monetary reward" to break the case.

Sheriff Howard Sills announced creation of a public reward fund and appealed for donations. He said Reynolds Plantation has pledged $30,000.

The FBI has already offered up to $20,000 for information about the murders.

Sills said his investigators have worked entirely on the case for 26 days, assisted by the FBI and scores of detectives from other counties.

But no major leads have been reported.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/news/crime/article/Reward-money-offered-in-death-of-Ga-couple-5526425.php
Reward money offered in death of Ga. couple
June 3, 2014

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said in a statement that the president of a Lake Oconee resort is offering $30,000 for information leading to the suspects involved in the death of 88-year-old Russell Dermond and his 87-year-old wife Shirley.
 
Sills says he's opened an account at the Lake Oconee branch of the Peoples Bank for a reward fund. Sills says he initially hesitated to offer reward money because it could've hindered the investigation.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/exclusive-sheriff-says-reynolds-plantation-couple-/ngDzD/
EXCLUSIVE: Sheriff says Reynolds Plantation couple killed with different weapons
June 4, 2014

 
Deputies say someone killed and beheaded 88-year-old Russell Dermond on May 2 at his home in Great Waters Reynolds Plantation.Fishermen discovered the body of 87-year-old Shirley Dermond two weeks later in Lake Oconee.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told Winne that he has evidence indicating the killer used two different weapons during last month’s slayings. Sills says physical evidence points to a strong likelihood that the Dermonds died in different ways and that the killer, or killers, used a different kind of weapon to kill 88-year-old Russell Dermond than to kill 87-year-old Shirley Dermond.
“I don’t believe they were killed with the same weapon, no,” said Sills. “I won’t elaborate on what the murder weapons were.”
Tuesday, the sheriff announced a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction in this case. He also said he expects that reward to grow rapidly, as he asked the community for donations. 
It was the first time in his four decades in law enforcement that Sills says he has offered this kind of reward. Sills said Tuesday the phone calls had dried up and they need the public’s help to find new information and leads. However, Sills says he, his investigators and the FBI have not come away from the Dermond’s home empty-handed.
“This is a very difficult case, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have forensic evidence. We’re running down leads today,” said Sills. “We’ve got fingerprints, we’ve got hairs, we’ve got fibers, we’ve got all matter of forensic evidence that we’ve collected from the house.”
Sills said they’ve also collected several other items of significance to the case that he can’t talk about.
 
Sills says he believes whoever killed the Dermonds left Russell Dermond’s headless body where it would be found, but never planned for Shirley Dermond’s remains to float to the surface of the lake and be discovered.
“I think it was a matter just to distract us, to concentrate our attention towards the whereabouts of Mrs. Dermond; whether we suspected her to be a suspect or we suspected that she had been abducted,” said Sills.

[MuffyBee]

http://onlineathens.com/sports/outdoors/2014-06-05/sportsmen-asked-clues-dermond-murder-lake-oconee
Sportsmen asked for clues on Dermond murder at Lake Oconee
June 5, 2014

Local law-enforcement teams are asking sportsmen and anglers to share any information that could help bring justice to a recent murder case on the banks of Lake Oconee in Putnam County.
The double murder of an elderly couple, Russell and Shirley Dermond, has gained national attention, and law-enforcement officials are still looking for clues to help solve the case. The murders took place some time between Friday, May 2 and Monday, May 5 at the couple’s home in Great Waters, a high-scale neighborhood off Wards Chapel Road.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is asking sportsmen and anglers who were in the area or on the lake May 2-5 to share any information that could lead to an arrest.
 
“Anyone in the Lake Oconee area during that time who observed anything suspicious on the water, on the bank, on the highways or at the boat ramps is urged to please contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office,” said Harry.

[Tamikosmom]

Murder of elderly Ga. couple baffling to authorities
June 13, 2014

EATONTON, Ga. - More than a month after the beheading of an elderly retiree and the slaying of his wife, law enforcement agents haven't been able to crack the case and it's a hot topic of conversation in the gated, lakeside Georgia town where violent crime is rare.

Concerned friends in early May found the headless body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond in the garage of his home on Lake Oconee. Eighty-seven-year-old Shirley Dermond was originally thought to have been abducted until her body was found a few weeks later in the lake. Russell Dermond's head has still not been found.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills says he thinks the Dermonds likely knew the person or people who attacked them.

<snipped>

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/still-no-answers-in-murder-of-elderly-georgia-couple/

[MuffyBee]

The reward is up to $55,000.00 now.

http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/2014/06/24/no-new-leads-in-dermond-murders/11327969/
Putnam Sheriff: No new leads in Dermond murders
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills says his department is still seeking information to help solve the murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond.
June 24, 2014

It has now been more than 6 weeks since 88-year-old Russell Dermond was found beheaded in the garage of his lakefront home in Putnam County.

After Dermond's body was found on May 7th, his wife, 87-year-old Shirley Dermond was missing for two weeks, prompting an extensive search on Lake Oconee. Her body was found on May 16th.

Since then, Putnam County Sheriff says tip calls have gone down from hundreds a week to just two or three. He says the case is still considered active.

"There is no reason for us to slow down on this investigation although as we follow up on leads and things don't pan out, that slows the investigation down.," Sills says.

Sills says they've narrowed the timeframe for the murders down to sometime between the afternoon of Friday May 2nd and Saturday May 3rd.

He says the only possible witness they have was a caller who says, from a distance, she saw a man on the Dermonds' property that Saturday afternoon. "And that's the closest thing we have, we don't have a car description, we don't have a person description," Sills says.

Sills says his department has done a thorough investigation into the Dermonds' background. He doesn't believe any of their immediate family committed the crime, but does think it would have to be someone they knew. Sills says the case is unlike other murders because of the unique circumstances.

"Most of the time, the victim, or at least somebody associated with the victim has some ties to some criminal activity. That, at this point in time in our investigation we have not found that," he says.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.macon.com/2014/07/04/3182871/phone-records-released-in-dermond.html
Phone records released in Dermond slayings on Lake Oconee
July 4, 2014

Two months after a Putnam County couple was slain on Lake Oconee, investigators are forging a new front in the investigation.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Russell and Shirley Dermond’s phone records have just been released to investigators.

Sills requested the records shortly after Russell Dermond’s decapitated body was found in his garage May 6. Shirley Dermond’s body was found in the lake May 16.

Both were killed by some sort of head injury, autopsies determined.

Now investigators are combing the phone logs in hopes of identifying a suspect in the killings.
 
On Tuesday, Sills called together a team of about 20 people for a briefing.

Representatives of the FBI, prosecutors, deputies from Jones and Putnam counties and a Gwinnett County analyst assisting in the case got together to evaluate actions already taken and to plan future moves.

“We have a lot of people who have been aggressively working the case,” the sheriff said.

The team scoured crime scene photographs to make sure nothing was missed in the early days of the investigation and to brainstorm the next steps.

Although the evidence pointed to the slayings happening around May 3, community interest runs high two months later.
 
Although an anonymous tip came in Wednesday, the phones have stopped ringing from those spouting wild theories and psychic clues.

Sills said they eliminated several suspects early on and are focusing on pulling strings of newer information, such as the phone records, to see if they can help unravel the case.

The sheriff wants to stress that the combined reward for information leading to an arrest now stands at $55,000.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/2014/07/02/a-fresh-start-in-investigation-into-dermond-murders/12038313/
A fresh start in investigation into Dermond murders
July 2, 2014

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