A 5-year-old girl, Xaqueline Bynum, died from carbon monoxide poisoning after her parents improperly heated their home with coal, leading to inadequate ventilation. Her parents, Music Adame and Matthew Bynum, face multiple child abuse charges. Adame’s trial is scheduled for January 2026, while Bynum’s is set for March 2026. A lawsuit alleges the Children, Youth And Families Department failed to address prior neglect concerns.
In March 2024, 13-year-old Madison Soto's disappearance and murder in Kissimmee, Florida, led her mother to suspect her boyfriend. Her husband, Stephan Sterns, is also a suspect in the case.
In Shasta County, California, Jessica Bradford, 23, was convicted of first-degree murder after an infant found dead in a utility closet at a school she worked at. The baby, named Lilly, survived only four days before dying 48 days after birth. Bradford received a 25-year-to-life sentence.
In April 2020, Kate Richard, a Navy member in Alaska, discovered her 5-month-old daughter, Scarlett, unresponsive in her crib. She was interrogated over the infant’s death, initially convicted of manslaughter in 2022, served two years, then had her conviction overturned by an appellate court.
On October 16, 2016, 17-year-old Kaytlin Root was found dead in St. Joseph, Missouri, after being stabbed, strangled, and having her throat slashed. Amanda Bennett and Sebastian Dowell, both teenagers, lured her to a park using Facebook messages. Both pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, receiving life sentences with parole eligibility in 2042 under Missouri law.
On October 25, 2017, a shooting in Columbus, Ohio, left 45-year-old Sean Boyd dead during a botched robbery attempt. Investigators identified Chazz Holman and Tariq Teasley as suspects. Holman pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a 3-10 year sentence plus 3 years for a firearm specification. Teasley, present at the scene, faced lesser charges and no jail time.
In 2017, LaSherria Hastings was accused of stabbing her estranged husband, Randale Stewart, in Lubbock, Texas. She pleaded guilty in 2022 to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, receiving a 10-year prison sentence. The victim's family criticized the sentence, expressing concerns about her release.
In 2022, 21-year-old Grace Jennings was murdered in a Santa Fe garage by Kiara McCulley and Isaac Apodaca. McCulley pleaded guilty in 2025 to murder and conspiracy, testifying against Apodaca, who rejected a plea deal and faces murder charges. His trial remains pending.
Miles Bryant, a Doraville police officer, was convicted of multiple charges related to the 2024 disappearance and death of 16-year-old Susana Morales. Evidence included his phone location data, abandoning his weapon at the crime scene, and falsely reporting it stolen. He received a life sentence with no parole.
In 2010, officer Ray McCann was interrogated regarding the 2007 disappearance of 11-year-old Jodi Parrack, who went missing in November and was found murdered in a local cemetery. His department suspects his involvement in her death.
Between 1990 and 1993, several "ladies of the night" in St. Louis and surrounding areas were murdered and found packaged in containers like trash cans or mattresses, earning Gary Muehlberg the nickname "the Package" killer. After 32 years without closure, advanced DNA technology linked him to the crimes. Muehlberg, already serving a life sentence, received additional life terms in 2023 for four of the victims.
Jerry Lane Hinshaw Jr. was arrested in 2019 for the February 2019 homicide of 17-year-old Marquise “lil red” Smith in a Jacksonville cemetery. A confidential source’s audio revealed Hinshaw knew the victim and admitted the killing followed a drug theft. A co-involved witness, shot in the leg, delayed medical care to avoid linking him to the crime. Hinshaw pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2022, receiving a 30-year prison sentence.