Ohio man accused of killing fiancée who went missing weeks before graduating in 2011
03/24/2023 12:14 pm PDT
FAIRFIELD, Ohio (TCD) -- The Butler County Prosecutor has filed charges against a 34-year-old man in connection with the 2011 disappearance and death of his fiancée.
Katelyn Markham was last seen in her apartment in August 2011, and her fiancé, John Carter, reported her missing, WLWT-TV reports. A few years later, in April 2013, her remains were found at a dump site in Indiana, according to WXIX-TV.
When he called 911 to report Markham missing, Carter reportedly told the dispatcher they had plans to move to Colorado later that year.
WXIX reports Carter said on the phone, "We could have pushed the date back a year and it would not have mattered. I didn’t want to make her do anything she didn’t want to do, and she did not feel like she was being forced into anything."
He also said the move and their marriage was "entirely" up to Markham.
The Associated Press reports that her death was ruled a homicide, though her cause of death was not revealed.
The victim was reportedly just weeks shy of graduating from the Art Institute of Ohio –– Cincinnati with her graphics arts degree.
More than a decade after her disappearance, on Wednesday, March 22, Carter was arrested and booked into the Butler County Jail. He was charged with two counts of murder and remains in custody.
Markham’s father told WLWT, "To be hit with this wonderful news today really kind of knocked me over."
The victim’s father continued, "Everybody wanted justice for Katelyn, and it’s getting much much closer. Katelyn deserves this, and thank God for Butler County Prosecutor’s Office because they were bulldogs on this and when they picked it up a few years ago as a cold case, and yeah, I owe them a lot of thanks."
Prior to Carter’s arrest, WLWT reports that his friend Jonathan Palmerton was arrested in February and indicted for allegedly lying to the authorities during the investigation.
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