He Let Her ROT For 12 Years While “Searching” For Her | True Crime

Deep out in the woods, about 30 miles from her home, someone found black construction plastic. Inside were human bones, and the skull had been placed separately, tied up in a plastic bag.  It was Katelyn Markham. A 21-year-old artist who was just weeks away from graduating, moving to Colorado, getting married, starting a whole new life.

 But one August evening, she just vanished. Her car was still parked outside the house. Her dog was wandering around inside alone. And her phone call suddenly cut off right after midnight. Her fiance cried on the news, held her father at the funeral, helped search for answers. But for years, investigators kept coming back to the same question.

 What really happened that night after he walked out of her house? And why, when the truth finally started getting closer, did the verdict end up feeling almost as painful as the loss itself? This is a story about a disappearance that lasted 12 years, a fiance with way too many secrets, and a girl whose voice was taken before she ever got the chance to become the person she dreamed of being.

Guys, let me interrupt for just a second. I’m actually really curious where everybody’s watching from. So, tell me what city you’re watching this video from and what time it is for you right now. Thanks so much for hanging out with me. Drop it in the comments, and all right, let’s keep going. 21-year-old Katelyn Markham lived in Fairfield, Indiana, and people described her as creative, kind, and a little eccentric in the best way.

 She had loved art since childhood and studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Ohio in Cincinnati, while also working at a bridal shop. Katelyn had been with her fiance John Carter for 6 years, and the couple was planning a wedding and a move to Colorado. John also worked in the arts, teaching glass blowing after starting out as a pizza delivery driver at the studio where he later became an intern and eventually an instructor.

 By August 2011, Kaitlin was close to starting a new chapter in life. Her 22nd birthday, college graduation, wedding, and move were all just ahead of her. That’s why her sudden disappearance shocked everyone around her. Concern started growing when Kaitlin stopped answering calls and her phone went straight to voicemail.

 After a full day without hearing from her, John went to check on her at home. Her car was still parked outside even though she was supposed to be at work. Inside, nothing looked disturbed. No signs of forced entry or a struggle, but Kaitlin was gone. Her phone was missing, too. What really alarmed John was finding Kaitlin’s dog wandering around the house alone, >> [music] >> something she normally would never allow.

 At 8:00 on the evening of August 14th, John called 911. >> Hi, my name is John Partner. I am calling I I know you’re not supposed to report a missing person after before 24 hours, but my my fiance is missing. I I can’t find her anywhere. >> Okay, where did you see her last? >> Um I saw her at like 12:00 last night. She stays in a house by herself.

Um so she’s I’m just I’m really nervous. Her car is still there. >> Where was she at at midnight last night when you left? >> at her house. She was going to bed. She wasn’t going out to do anything. So she would she would have been in her in her bed. And I mean I’ve been with her for 6 years. She’s not deceiving, you know, she doesn’t >> Okay, and you guys didn’t have an argument or anything? >> Not at all.

The only thing that’s not there is her cell phone, which is positive, but she’s not answering it. So And then think her heart festival is going on right up the street and there’s a lot of questionable people there and it’s just kind [music] of I’m sorry. >> John told investigators the last time he saw Caitlyn was around midnight when he left her townhouse and walked home to his mother’s house just 5 minutes away.

According to him, they exchanged a few more texts afterward, but then Caitlyn suddenly stopped replying. She also never answered his message the next morning. When police met with John, they immediately noticed scratches on his neck. He claimed they were probably from his electric razor, though later admitted he wasn’t completely sure.

Still, he insisted there was nothing suspicious about them. John told detectives he had barely slept since realizing Caitlyn was missing and said he only wanted her to come home safe. Caitlyn’s father Dave and her younger sister Ally were equally confused. Dave described Caitlyn as positive, responsible, and focused on her future.

He said she always had a plan and would never simply disappear without telling anyone. After questioning John and examining the townhouse, detectives announced he was not considered a suspect at that stage of the investigation. With no clear signs of a crime scene, the case soon began moving in another direction.

>> Well, Lisa, you can see Fairfield police and fire have their mobile command center out here. About 100 people have gathered off Patterson Boulevard. They all received several of these with Caitlyn Markham’s picture and information. They’ve searched the woods, the streets, all looking for the 22-year-old. >> Caitlyn is the love of my life.

 I’ve been with her for 6 years. We’ve been engaged for a year. Today would be exactly a year. Um today’s also her birthday. >> Instead of celebrating Caitlyn Markham’s birthday, family, friends, and police are searching for the 22-year-old. >> Five more. >> They divided into groups and hit Fairfield streets by foot, by car, and even by ATV.

>> To just go unseen without telling anybody is extremely out of the ordinary. I just really would like to communicate that this is not um part of who Caitlyn is. >> Friends say Caitlyn is a responsible young woman, a student at the Art Institute of Cincinnati, [music] also an employee there.

 Caitlyn was last seen by her fiance, John Carter, Saturday night. He says he left her townhouse around 11:30. About an hour later, he received a text from her. >> Caitlyn sent me a picture of her, and that was the last message I got. >> When Caitlyn never showed up for her other job at David’s Bridal, people began to worry. >> I kept texting her, no response, no response. I call her, no response.

 I have nothing in mind. She would never just leave. She’s too pragmatic. She would never just take off and go somewhere. I’m terrified. I’m absolutely terrified. I I just want to find Caitlyn and and celebrate her birthday with her and go to Red Lobster like she was planning. That’s all I want to do. >> Police say there’s no evidence of foul play.

 Reporting live tonight in Fairfield, Karen Johnson, News 5. >> Gosh, her fiance sounds so desperate, Karen. Anything missing from Caitlyn’s home? >> Nope, just her and her cell phone, which police have not been able to trace. But one other thing I wanted to mention, that they believe she was last seen wearing a gray shirt, so that’s something people out here are also looking for, a gray shirt.

>> Caitlyn’s phone was never found. So, investigators analyzed her mobile records to trace her final hours. They discovered messages sent from her phone to John between 11:04 and 11:36 that night. Then, all activity suddenly stopped. At 12:06 in the morning, the phone either powered off, lost its SIM card, or died completely.

 After that, the digital trail vanished. Police also interviewed a manager at a GE Credit Union in Fairfield, who remembered Caitlyn visiting the bank with John’s mother about 3 weeks before she disappeared to apply for a credit card. During the visit, John’s mother joked she would only sign the paperwork if Caitlyn promised to take John with her to Colorado.

The manager laughed, but Kaitlin reportedly became quiet and uncomfortable, almost as if she felt pressured. In the end, the card was never opened. Another witness told police he spent the evening of August 13th with Kaitlin and John. They smoked marijuana and talked about the move to Colorado while Kaitlin worked on school assignments at her laptop.

 According to him, she seemed unusually quiet and emotionally distant. Around 10:45, the witness left, leaving Kaitlin alone with John. Investigators later determined this was the last confirmed time anyone saw her alive. The witness said he noticed nothing suspicious and later passed a polygraph test.

 Then police received one of their few real leads. During the night of August 13th into the 14th, two teenagers who had snuck out reported seeing two vehicles parked near Kaitlin’s house with their headlights off. >> Kaitlin Markham, the woman missing from Fairfield. >> 21-year-old Kaitlin Markham >> Family and friends are all searching for a missing 22-year-old >> Kaitlin was about to graduate in September.

>> in August of 2011. >> Volunteers spent days searching for Markham in the woods in and around her Fairfield home. >> unanswered questions about the disappearance >> Kaitlin’s disappearance quickly became national news and deeply shocked Fairfield, Indiana, a town of just over 40,000 people where violent crime was rare.

For many locals, something like this simply didn’t happen there. Across the city, people organized candlelight vigils, support rallies, and large volunteer searches. Flyers appeared everywhere while search teams combed through fields, wooded areas, parks, lakes, railroad tracks, and nearby counties looking for any clue.

The case only became more mysterious as time passed. The search grew so large that even a mounted search organization from Texas joined the effort. Investigators followed every lead they could find, no matter how small. Meanwhile, Kaitlin’s family regularly appeared in local news interviews, pleading for help and asking anyone with information to come forward.

Standing beside them through many of those interviews was her fiance, John, who also became one of the public faces of the search. >> I keep believing that if she is somewhere in the worst case scenario, that she fights her way out. I keep wanting to believe that because she’s strong. I know she’s strong. >> Despite that, many people still viewed John with suspicion.

In cases like this, the fiance is often the first person the public questions, especially when there are so few clues. The scratches on his neck, the fact he was the last known person to see Caitlyn alive, and the strange circumstances of her disappearance only added to those suspicions.

 Still, John repeatedly insisted he had nothing to do with what happened. In interviews, he said he loved Caitlyn, planned to marry her, and desperately wanted to find her. According to him, he was just as confused and devastated as everyone else following the case. >> Fairfield police didn’t take much when they searched Caitlyn’s fiance’s house.

Tonight, he says he gave consent. He’s doing whatever he can to help, even though he feels as if the entire community is pointing fingers and placing blame on him. >> I I really did not want this to get this far. I really wish that she would have been home by now, you know? I I didn’t I wish this could have been just a party for her being home instead of what it is, you know? >> People are going to say what they’re going to say. You can’t stop them.

>> 23-year-old John Carter may not be able to stop the comments, but he can certainly make sure that people know how he feels. >> I’m not going to acknowledge um the ridiculous things that people are saying because I know I mean, nobody’s going to know about me. They don’t know me, and uh I know me.

 I know that I would never hurt Caitlyn, ever, in a million years. >> Fairfield police have little evidence and no suspects. >> That’s pretty much it. There’s There’s nothing. And it’s horrific. >> Carter felt the animosity towards him when he was confronted while passing out flyers. >> I guess he didn’t know who I was and he was just like, “I heard the boyfriend did it.

” And just I was just like, “I’m I’m the boyfriend. I would never [music] do anything to hurt her.” >> Yeah, he >> And while the days without Caitlyn continue, he finds comfort in her cat Ramsey and her artwork. >> By the time Caitlyn’s 22nd birthday arrived, her family was still desperately searching for answers. Despite the growing concern, Fairfield police continued saying they had found no clear evidence of a violent crime.

Publicly, John spoke often about how much he missed Caitlyn and wanted her home. But behind the scenes, Caitlyn’s friends began describing a much darker relationship. One friend said Caitlyn had spent the last 6 months feeling trapped and unhappy. She was reportedly exhausted by John’s drug use, jealousy, and obsession with pornography, and had admitted she no longer felt attracted to him.

Friends also described John as possessive and controlling, sometimes becoming jealous over ordinary conversations Caitlyn had with other men. Caitlyn was also uncomfortable with how involved John’s mother was in their relationship, and reportedly believed the credit card situation was an attempt to keep them together.

As more people spoke to investigators, it became clear Caitlyn may have been seriously considering leaving him. Still, her family never believed she would disappear voluntarily. Caitlyn always turned to loved ones when struggling and would never simply cut off contact. One friend also recalled John referring to Caitlyn in the past tense only days after she vanished, which many found unsettling.

 In June 2012, investigators briefly examined another possible suspect, a 26-year-old neighbor linked to a separate sexual assault investigation. But his alibi checked out, and the case stalled once again. Nearly 2 years after Caitlyn disappeared, the investigation finally took a devastating turn. On April 7th, 2013, human bones wrapped in black construction plastic were discovered in a wooded area about 30 miles from her home.

Dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Katelyn Markham. >> Authorities have identified the remains of Katelyn Markham, the woman missing from Fairfield. Her remains were discovered Monday in Cedar Grove, Franklin County, Indiana on Big Cedar Road. >> Well, it’s certainly not the outcome anybody here in Fairfield was hoping for.

 And tonight, friends and family of Katelyn Markham know she won’t be coming home. >> Uh, I was just digging through this little area here, picking up some metal, and here uh found that jawbone right on the other side of that little tree right there, right between them two little trees. >> At his house, Hicks provided more details about his grizzly discovery.

 He described his call to police after he found Katelyn’s remains. >> I picked it up, and I said, “That’s not no animal.” And I hung it in a tree and went and called the cops, and uh you know, they sent us to the DNR. DNR says, “Well, what makes you so sure it’s a human jawbone?” And I said, “Well, it’s got all its teeth, and it’s shaped just like mine.

” >> Investigators soon made another disturbing discovery. Katelyn’s skull had been found separately from the rest of her remains inside a tied plastic bag. Forensic experts noticed there was almost no soft tissue or decomposition fluid inside, leading them to conclude the skull had not decomposed there naturally.

Instead, it appeared someone placed it in the bag later after the body had already significantly decomposed elsewhere. The bones hadn’t been buried, either. They seem to have simply been dumped in the wooded area and covered with debris. Experts also found injuries on Katelyn’s left wrist caused by a sharp object.

 One V-shaped wound had cut directly into the bone, showing she had suffered trauma from some kind of blade. But despite these findings, investigators still had little physical evidence explaining exactly what happened the night she disappeared. Although the exact cause of death could never be determined, forensic experts ultimately ruled Kaitlyn’s death a homicide.

 Her phone, however, was never found. After nearly 2 years of uncertainty, Kaitlyn’s family was finally able to hold a funeral. The service reflected her personality. The walls displayed her artwork, and mourners wore bright colors instead of black to celebrate her creativity and spirit. Many people spoke that day, including John. >> We would have had our marriage.

We would have had our honeymoon. We would have our kid. And we would have our life. And we would grow old together. >> Carter’s cousin says she considers herself lucky to have called Kaitlyn family. >> Whenever I think of her, I just think of the smile and this artwork and she was just a talkative human being.

She meant well to everybody. Everybody was a friend. >> Kaitlyn’s father, Dave, later said finding her remains at least gave the family some closure after years of uncertainty. But he also worried deeply about Kaitlyn’s younger sister, Ally, who was only 15 when she disappeared. Dave admitted that in his grief, he sometimes forgot Ally had lost one of the most important people in her life, too.

 The investigation became even more complicated after authorities realized Kaitlyn’s remains had been found in another state. Detectives believed her body had been moved after death, forcing agencies from two states to work together. By early 2015, the case had nearly stalled. The reward for information had grown to $75,000, but public attention was fading, and no one knew who killed Kaitlyn Markham.

Fearing the case would remain unsolved, Dave pushed for a full review, and the investigation was eventually transferred to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Dave also hired private investigator Jay Ryan Green, who interviewed more than a dozen people connected to Kaitlyn and John. Five took polygraph tests, and Green later said one suspect failed so badly it shocked even the examiner.

 At the same time, the documentary Taken Too Soon, the Katelyn Markham story, was released in hopes of generating new leads. Then, near the end of 2016, investigators announced they had identified a specific person of interest, >> [music] >> though they still lacked enough evidence for an arrest. Green independently focused on the same person.

 Years passed until, in 2023, more than 12 years after Katelyn vanished, the case finally took a major turn when police made their first arrest. >> Do you know if you’re wanted by anyone? I do know there is a warrant for you, but I’m not sure exactly what it’s for. So, they’ll be able to explain all that stuff to you when we get there. >> Jonathan Palmon was eventually arrested and charged with giving false statements to investigators.

 After the arrest, private investigator J. Ryan Green said the case finally seemed to be moving in the right direction. According to him, investigators now had enough evidence to secure search warrants, suggesting the investigation had become far more serious than the public realized. Green explained that Katelyn, John, and Jonathan all belonged to the same close friend group.

 Jonathan lived near Katelyn, and he and John were actually best friends. That connection suddenly made several details look far more suspicious. Investigators discovered that on the morning Katelyn was reported missing, the very first person John called after arriving at her house was Jonathan. Before Jonathan’s arrest, detectives searched two properties, the house where Jonathan lived in 2011 and the home where John had been living with his mother at the time of Katelyn’s disappearance.

 For many people following the case, it felt like investigators were finally focusing on the people closest to Katelyn the night she vanished. >> The man accused of lying during the course of Katelyn Markham’s death investigation will now face a judge tomorrow. >> In the meantime, we’re learning new details about his involvement in the case and when prosecutors say he actually committed perjury.

>> A new timeline starting to become public in the 12-year investigation into the disappearance and death of 21-year-old Katelyn Markham. According to the indictment, on April 21st, 2022, Homerton lied under oath. Court records show he was indicted almost 6 months later in October. The indictment remains sealed until now.

>> Jonathan and John Carter also knew Michael Strauss, the man later convicted of stalking and murdering Ellie White. After Strauss claimed Ellie might not have been his first victim, police examined him closely in Katelyn’s case, but eventually ruled him out. Still, investigators kept returning to one person again and again, John Carter.

After Katelyn’s remains were discovered, John largely disappeared from public attention. He later got married and became a father, while detectives quietly spent years building a circumstantial case against him. His statements kept changing and several details never fully matched up. Over time, Katelyn’s father Dave grew increasingly suspicious.

 The two vehicles teenagers reported seeing near Katelyn’s house that night were later identified as John’s car and another unknown vehicle. Investigators also discovered that both John’s and Katelyn’s phones stopped being active at nearly the exact same time. Messages between them had been deleted from John’s phone and some texts he claimed to have sent, including a good morning message, were never actually delivered.

 John took polygraph tests in 2011, 2014, and 2021. Each showed signs of deception. During the last test, he reacted especially strongly when asked whether he had disposed of Katelyn’s body on Big Cedar Road. When police searched his mother’s house, they found investigation files, Katelyn’s school papers, an SD card, poems about death and murder, and material similar to the plastic used to wrap Katelyn’s remains.

 The location where her body was found was also not far from the Carter family farm. Witnesses later described John as aggressive and one online video allegedly showed him screaming at his wife while holding their child. When detectives confronted him with the evidence, John dismissed it coldly as just circumstantial evidence, a response investigators found deeply unsettling.

After years of denial and public pleas for Katelyn to return home, suspicion surrounding John became impossible to ignore. And although the case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, investigators finally believed they had enough to bring it to prosecutors. >> They’re coming out the front. He’s in custody.

Greatly appreciate it. Happy to help. You want to walk, dude? Yeah. Forest Park. You got nothing else on you? That’s actually 119 for the car. You’ll go first. >> Breaking news right now out of Butler County, the fiance of Katelyn Markham is now in custody and charged in her murder. >> In March 2023, 36-year-old John Carter was arrested at his workplace and charged with two counts of murder connected to Katelyn’s death.

One charge accused him of intentionally causing her death around August 13th or 14th, 2011, while the second claimed she died during the commission or attempted commission of a violent felony. John was later released on a $1 million bond and ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor. Jonathan Palman was also released before trial.

 At his arraignment, John pleaded not guilty and the trial was scheduled for June 2024. Charges against Jonathan for allegedly lying to investigators were later dropped. Prosecutors prepared a major case involving more than 50 witnesses. By June 2024, the mystery surrounding Katelyn Markham’s disappearance and murder finally seemed close to being solved.

 Then, after more than 12 years of denying any involvement, John suddenly changed his story. >> Your honor, he did and Mr. Carter, if we may on his behalf, John Carter stipulates that he committed the offense of involuntary manslaughter consistent with Ohio Revised Code 2903.04B. Uh that is a felony of the third degree. Specifically, that on the date specified in the indictment, he did cause the death of Katelyn Markham by the commission of a misdemeanor in the city of Fairfield, Butler County, Ohio.

>> Dave later said hearing the news felt surreal, like he was outside his own body watching it all happen. Deep down, he had suspected something was wrong with John for years, even if he could never fully explain why. Part of him felt relief knowing his instincts may have been right all along. After more than a decade of uncertainty, the case was finally moving forward.

 But that relief quickly turned into anger. Dave couldn’t stop thinking about how John had spent 12 years living freely, seemingly believing he had escaped responsibility for whatever happened to Katelyn. For him, that was almost impossible to accept. >> We knew all along who it was. Just got to be able to grab and just proud.

>> An emotional day in Butler County Court this morning as John Carter pleads guilty admitting to causing the death of his fiance in 2011. >> For years, John had stood beside Katelyn’s family through everything. He attended her funeral, hugged Dave while they both cried, joined the searches, spoke to the media, and acted like someone desperately trying to help find the woman he loved.

 And all that time, according to investigators, he likely already knew exactly what had happened to her. That realization devastated Katelyn’s family even more than the arrest itself. At one point, John was asked whether he could at least explain how everything happened. But instead of giving answers, he quietly muttered only a few words. “I can’t.

” Later, one inmate claimed that John had privately confessed to him and described how Caitlyn was killed. But, um, John never admitted any of that in court, and investigators themselves never heard that version of events directly from him. So, despite the arrest and the years of investigation, many details surrounding Caitlyn’s final moments still remained uncertain.

>> He said before he knew it, he had her pinned down to the ground. He was on top of her, and he choked her. And then, um, after he choked her, he said he was panicking. And he said, um, he didn’t know what to do. He was going to call the cops. She didn’t want to call the cops. He said he made it look like it was a suicide with a razor, so he cut her wrist.

>> Even though everyone understood the sentence would probably end up being lighter than what people originally expected, nobody was prepared for just how minimal it actually turned out to be. For many people following the case, um, it felt almost impossible to process after everything that had happened over more than a decade, the disappearance, the discovery of Caitlyn’s remains, the years of denial, and the emotional devastation her family endured.

 There was this overwhelming sense that the punishment simply didn’t match the weight of what had been lost. >> I will impose the following sentence based upon the serious nature of this offense and the factors that have previously been indicated that anything short of the maximum sentence would demean the seriousness of the offender’s conduct and its impact upon the victim.

And therefore, we will impose a definite term of incarceration of 36 months. >> In the end, John Carter received only a 3-year prison sentence, the maximum allowed for involuntary manslaughter as a third-degree felony. After prison, he would also serve 3 years of supervised release. For Kaitlin’s family, the punishment felt painfully small compared to everything they had endured.

 One detective later described John as the first true psychopath he had ever interrogated despite spending years questioning murderers, rapists, and violent offenders. He said the conclusion hit him the moment John walked out of the interview room. Investigators also suspected John may not have acted alone, although they could never prove it, detectives believe someone may have helped hide Kaitlin’s body and possibly assisted in dismembering it.

 But even after finally learning who was responsible, Kaitlin’s family still never discovered exactly what happened that night. And most likely, they never will. >> That is why there’s no closure. I still do not know the whole story. And not that I would have believed him cuz he’s lied for 13 years, but he’s offered no explanation, hasn’t even tried.

And um I That just I don’t To me, that just shows his character. >> Do you think you’ll ever get an explanation? >> No. I don’t. And even if he writes a confession in prison, um he’s going to have to be more convincing than he’s been the past 13 years. >> Soon, John will walk out of prison and return to his life.

Even though the judge imposed the harshest sentence legally possible, many people still feel there was never real justice for Kaitlin. 14 years after she was last seen alive, friends and family gathered at a park near her home for an event called Butterflies for Kaitlin Markham. People planted trees, wore butterfly-themed clothing, and celebrated her love for art, color, and creativity.

 Dave later said the event reminded him he wasn’t grieving alone. He described Kaitlin as bright, joyful, friendly, and full of life. He also spoke about her love of butterflies, admitting there were moments after her death when a butterfly would suddenly appear near him, and he would quietly think, “Hey there, sweetheart.

” To him, Caitlyn was like a butterfly herself, vibrant and only beginning to grow into the person she was meant to become. Dave said there still isn’t a single day he doesn’t think about her. And he made it clear he does not consider 3 years in prison true justice, not for Caitlyn, not for her sister, nor for everyone who suffered alongside the family.

 He often wonders what kind of artist and person Caitlyn would have become. He believed she had real talent and could have done something extraordinary with her life. And sometimes, when he sees a beautiful piece of art, he still catches himself thinking, “That’s something Caitlyn should have created.”