Starting when he moved in with his girlfriend, Scott Dunn also encountered more troubles because his girlfriend was hot-tempered, jealous, controlling, and flirtatious. Wanting to end the relationship with this terrifying woman, Scott decided to break up with her. Shortly after, he disappeared without a trace.
Mysterious Disappearance
Scott Dunn, 24, was a skilled auto mechanic. He had left his hometown of Philadelphia (USA) and came to the city of Lubbock, Texas in hopes of a chance to turn his life around. Here, he met a restaurant waitress named Leisha Hamilton. After dating for a while, Leisha agreed to become Scott’s girlfriend.
The two quickly rented an apartment to live together. However, it was from here that troubles frequently plagued Scott because Leisha was a hot-tempered woman.
On May 31, 1991, Leisha called Scott’s parents in the middle of the night. This was also the first time James Dunn – Scott’s father – knew that his son was living with this woman. Leisha said she had found their number on Scott’s phone bill and hurriedly contacted them because Scott had been missing for several days, which made her very worried. Leisha said Scott had disappeared without a trace, leaving only his car behind.
Scott’s boss also confirmed that he had not been to work since May 17, 1991, and was also unreachable.
James Dunn felt that something bad had happened to his son, so he quickly reported it to the police.
Suspicious Traces
Working with the police, Leisha said that on the afternoon of May 16, 1991, she drove to Scott’s workplace to pick him up. They had dinner and then Leisha went to work at the restaurant. When she returned to the apartment at midnight, she couldn’t find her boyfriend or reach him.
However, much data showed that the situation was not that simple.
Upon inspecting the couple’s apartment, the investigation team found that a part of the carpet under the sofa had been cut. When they lifted the bedroom carpet, they saw a few blood stains on the floor. By spraying luminol – a compound that glows in the dark upon contact with blood – they found more blood stains on the walls and ceiling. DNA test results from the blood stains matched Scott’s DNA from his hair, indicating it was his blood.
A few days before he went missing, Scott met a female friend. Working with the police, this woman said Scott had confided that his romantic relationship was quite tense because Leisha was hot-tempered, jealous, and controlling. Scott wanted to end the relationship but was afraid to break up because he was sure Leisha would go berserk. Before Scott disappeared, many people noticed that he looked exhausted.
Upon further investigation into Leisha, the police learned that this woman had a long list of lovers, not a few of whom were one-night stands. Leisha’s 5 children were from 5 different men.
The police continued to pursue leads from Leisha. This woman repeatedly insisted to the investigation team that Scott had most likely left her for another woman. She also revealed that Scott was often jealous of their neighbor, Timothy Smith.
When they went to Timothy’s apartment to gather information, the investigation team discovered more important clues.
Important Evidence
Upon inspecting the apartment where the victim Scott Dunn lived with his girlfriend Leisha Hamilton, the investigation team found blood stains on the floor. By spraying luminol, they discovered more blood stains on the walls and ceiling. DNA test results from the blood stains matched Scott’s DNA from his hair, indicating it was his blood.
According to experts’ estimates, Scott had lost nearly 1 liter of blood. With such a large blood loss, Scott Dunn was highly likely to have died.
Based on the analysis of the blood spatter patterns on the walls and ceiling, experts also concluded that the victim had received at least 4 blows at medium velocity from a hard object.
The police continued to pursue leads from Leisha. This woman repeatedly insisted to the investigation team that Scott had left her for another woman. She also revealed that Scott was often jealous of their neighbor, Timothy Smith.
When they went to Timothy’s apartment to gather information, the investigation team discovered more important clues. The police saw that he was packing up belongings to move to a new apartment. Timothy admitted to buying the new apartment with Leisha to live together but claimed no involvement in Scott’s disappearance.
In the apartment, the police found a roll of duct tape identical to the duct tape found under the carpet in Scott’s apartment, with countless fabric fibers and a strand of hair stuck to it. Analysis showed that the fabric fibers on the duct tape roll matched those from the carpet in Scott’s bedroom, and the hair on the duct tape was Scott’s.
Although Timothy was the prime suspect, the investigation team could not charge him due to Texas law which stipulates that someone can only be charged with murder if they have the victim’s body.
Hair Under the Carpet
The case was at a standstill for nearly a year until finally, the police discovered two more hairs on the duct tape strip under the carpet in Scott’s bedroom. Analysis showed one hair belonged to Leisha and the other to Timothy.
With the presumption that they had likely fallen out and stuck to the tape while wrapping up Scott’s body or cleaning up the crime scene, the police obtained a court order to arrest the couple.
Prosecutors alleged that on the night of May 16, 1991, Scott told Leisha he wanted to break up, enraging her to attack him. After Scott died, Leisha informed Timothy. The two then hid the body and cleaned up the scene.
In the 1997 trial, Leisha was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Timothy received 10 years of probation for failing to report the murder.
Until then, the couple adamantly refused to reveal where they hid the body. It wasn’t until May 2012, when workers digging to upgrade a street discovered a male skeleton wrapped in a carpet with duct tape.
The skeleton was fairly intact as it was wrapped in the carpet and buried in a dry area. Scott’s dental records showed the skeleton was him. The discovery location was just a few hundred meters from his shared apartment. Experts later determined Scott had suffered severe head trauma.
Scott’s parents said they now feel at peace being able to lay Scott’s remains in the empty grave prepared since 1991.
