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Post by pat on May 16, 2019 13:12:53 GMT -5
I know some people who lived at Great Waters when this happened and they said that everybody who knew the Dermond couple thought they were odd because they would accept invitations to other people's houses, but never invited anyone to their house. When the Dermonds invited people to something, it was always held at the clubhouse. Before I deleted my Reddit account a couple of years ago, someone who lived in that community said the same thing that you're saying about the Dermonds, that they never invited anyone to their home, though they would go to other people's homes. Being Reddit, of course everyone ganged up on the person and harassed them so bad that they quit posting. When people make a point of keeping everyone out of their home, they're hiding something. In my opinion, if the sheriff could figure out what they were hiding, he could solve the murders.
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Post by jane on May 16, 2019 13:18:49 GMT -5
Before I deleted my Reddit account a couple of years ago, someone who lived in that community said the same thing that you're saying about the Dermonds, that they never invited anyone to their home, though they would go to other people's homes. Being Reddit, of course everyone ganged up on the person and hounded them so bad that they quit posting. When people make a point of keeping everyone out of their home, they're hiding something. In my opinion, if the sheriff could figure out what they were hiding, he could solve the murders. That's the reason if I'm searching for something, I skip all the Reddit hits. There will be maybe one person who has worthwhile information and what I call the "regulars" will attack them like rabid dogs.
I know this has been mentioned by others, but I can't help wondering if someone else was living in the house with that couple, either someone they were hiding, or someone who had moved in and was taking advantage of them.
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Post by LostLenore on May 16, 2019 17:37:59 GMT -5
Before I deleted my Reddit account a couple of years ago, someone who lived in that community said the same thing that you're saying about the Dermonds, that they never invited anyone to their home, though they would go to other people's homes. Being Reddit, of course everyone ganged up on the person and hounded them so bad that they quit posting. When people make a point of keeping everyone out of their home, they're hiding something. In my opinion, if the sheriff could figure out what they were hiding, he could solve the murders. The people I know said that two women who knew the Dermonds were out walking one day and decided to stop at the Dermond house to ask Shirley about something. It was extremely hot and when Shirley came to the door, they asked for some water and instead of inviting them in, she asked them to wait, shut the door and brought them two glasses of water. They thought it was very odd that she didn't even invite them into the foyer to cool off a minute while she got the water. After the murders, they said that the day they went to the house, they heard people talking inside when they rang the doorbell, but the husband wasn't home because he came into the driveway as they were leaving. I suppose it could have been one of their children or grandchildren in the house, but they said later that Shirley seemed out of sorts when she answered the door and made them feel like they were imposing on her.
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Post by jason on May 18, 2019 0:45:56 GMT -5
Before I deleted my Reddit account a couple of years ago, someone who lived in that community said the same thing that you're saying about the Dermonds, that they never invited anyone to their home, though they would go to other people's homes. Being Reddit, of course everyone ganged up on the person and hounded them so bad that they quit posting. When people make a point of keeping everyone out of their home, they're hiding something. In my opinion, if the sheriff could figure out what they were hiding, he could solve the murders. That's the reason if I'm searching for something, I skip all the Reddit hits. There will be maybe one person who has worthwhile information and what I call the "regulars" will attack them like rabid dogs.
I know this has been mentioned by others, but I can't help wondering if someone else was living in the house with that couple, either someone they were hiding, or someone who had moved in and was taking advantage of them. I agree there was something strange going on with those people. They had a son who was killed in a drug deal, so he knew dealers and others in the drug culture, though I'm sure the sheriff checked that angle.
I despise reddit. It's the dumping ground of the internet, where people who are such inveterate assholes they've been kicked off other sites end up. The moderators are just as bad, if not worse than the members. Once in a blue moon someone will post something interesting about a case, like this one, and immediately they're set upon by the resident assholes and get discouraged and never post again. Assholes have completely taken over r/unresolvedmysteries and r/serialkillers.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 1, 2020 16:35:00 GMT -5
New Technology Could Be Utilized in Dermond Murders, Killers May Have Taken Head as TrophyIt’s been more than six years since Russell and Shirley Dermond (above) were killed by persons unknown in their home in the Great Waters community northeast of Eatonton, Georgia, and authorities are no closer to solving the murders. Now, however, Sheriff Howard R. Sills has revealed new technology unavailable in 2014 may assist in the investigation.
In May, the sheriff met for around three hours with FBI agents to discuss such technology, indicating they examined several aspects of the case including the timeline. “We talked about some technological stuff that we’re working on right now,” Sills told reporters. He declined to elaborate on the specifics, but added, “We looked back over some of the crime scene photographs and talked about a lot of things during our meeting. A lot of what we talked about concerning technology was about what is available today that wasn’t available primarily then.”
Although he admitted the conversation wasn’t necessarily promising, he emphasized that “anything is a step forward at this point.” The case, he said, had baffled him more than any other in his extensive career in law enforcement. “I would ride my bicycle from here [Eatonton] to McIntyre [46 miles south] backward with thumbtacks in my butt if I thought it would solve this case,” the long-time sheriff quipped.
“Once I knew the backgrounds of Russell and Shirley Dermond, I have always thought that this was some sort of extortion,” Sills continued. “Mrs. Dermond might have been taken and held against her will until some sort of demand was made. And since that demand could not be satisfied, both she and her husband were killed. And now, that’s my gut feeling, and do I have any evidence to support that? No. But, I can’t find anyone who had an axe to grind with them and I can’t find any connections to any kind of criminal enterprise or other activity whatsoever.”
Sills is of the opinion there were two or more killers and the murders were planned, i.e., they weren’t random killings committed by someone driving through the gated community or traveling to the couple’s million-dollar home by boat. “Clearly, there was more than one person involved,” he insisted.
It is believed 88-year-old Russell Dermond, a veteran of World War II, was shot in the head before being decapitated. The elderly man’s head has never been found. Shirley Dermond, 87, was beaten to death and her body was discovered days later floating in one of the deepest parts of Lake Oconee six miles away. The killers had attempted to anchor her corpse with two 30-pound cinder blocks inside a nylon bag, which was tied to her feet.
Sills confirmed two towels near Russell Dermond’s headless corpse “belonged to the Dermonds,” but declined to discuss other evidence found at the scene. “I’ll just say that there was valuable evidence that we have yet to match up to anything,” he added.
Commenting on the decapitation, Sills said, “If Russell Dermond was shot in the head like we believe was the case, there is likely a bullet inside and if that weapon that was used to kill him was used to commit another crime and that case got solved, then the bullet from that weapon could be used to match it back to the killing of Russell Dermond. I think the head was taken and discarded to prevent evidence from being obtained from it.”
As he has on numerous occasions in the past, Sills again appealed to the public, asking that anyone with information concerning the case contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 485-8557.
Criminal Profile. Writing in Psychology Today, Dr. Dale Hartley believes the killers are male, with the dominant killer being in the 30-45 age group, and both are “gun and knife enthusiasts.” He bases the latter on the fact Dermond was apparently shot in the head and his head removed with a “clean cut,” i.e., he was decapitated by someone familiar with butchering large game animals.
He also recommends a “triangulation” process to include passing out fliers with details of the case and photos of the Dermonds and their home, as well as the creation of a dedicated tip line and reward for information leading to a conviction. Ideally, Hartley writes, “a task force would be created to receive, review, analyze and organize the information coming in via the triangulation process.”
Additionally, despite the sheriff’s contention Dermond’s head was removed to prevent ballistics testing, Hartley says he would not rule out the possibility the killers “took the head as a trophy.”Sources: Billy Hobbs, The Milledgeville Union-Recorder, May 16, 2020; Dale Hartley, Ph.D., MBA, Psychology Today, August 10, 2020; and Chelsea, WTLV, July 10, 2020.
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Post by aprillynn93 on Sept 1, 2020 17:48:05 GMT -5
The extortion theory sounds plausible.
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Post by pat on Sept 1, 2020 17:56:23 GMT -5
The extortion theory sounds plausible. I don't have a clue what happened, but I don't agree with the extortion theory. I've always thought that someone else was in that house with them. I don't know why or what they were doing, but finally something happened and it ended in murder.
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Post by Sam on Sept 1, 2020 19:27:00 GMT -5
I don't have a clue what happened, but I don't agree with the extortion theory. I've always thought that someone else was in that house with them. I don't know why or what they were doing, but finally something happened and it ended in murder. The sheriff must have a good reason for thinking it was some kind of extortion. But I also think there was something going on with those people that they didn't want anybody to know about.
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sunny
New Member
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Post by sunny on Nov 25, 2020 22:02:04 GMT -5
The extortion theory sounds plausible. I bet that either Dermond's head was used as proof he had been killed, or the killer kept it as a trophy.
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Post by Graveyardbride on May 6, 2021 10:54:55 GMT -5
Sheriff Announces Possible New Lead in Dermond Case
Sheriff Howard Sills has announced that a possible lead unearthed in recent months may identify a suspect. “I am currently trying to obtain data of a highly technical nature that I believe will be fruitful. ... I’ve obtained some of it and I have reason to believe that when I obtain the rest of the data and sort it out that it may well lead me to a suspect or suspects in this case,” he said.
Keith Dermond, son of Russell and Shirley Dermond, said he understands the sheriff has been working diligently to find out who murdered parents. “It’s very hard to catch somebody when you don’t even know their motive,” he explained. “You have no clue as to what you’re looking for. I always thought that, you know, maybe it was some kind of a serial killer kind of thing … just because of the weird things .... But the thing is, … a lot of the times serial killers are very hard to catch. They know what they’re doing. … But you think there would be other crimes.”
“I’m not exaggerating,” Sills added. “I think about this every day no matter where I am. ... The concern of it may have diminished in the public, because time, of course, erodes all things. I travel all over the United States of America and the first thing [people] ask me no matter where I go is about the Dermond killings. They’ll say, ‘They never came up with nothing on that murder, did they?’ I’ll say, ‘Well, you’re looking at they. And they ain’t give up yet.’”
Sources: Joe Kovac Jr., The Macon Telegraph, May 5, 2021; and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
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Post by jason on May 6, 2021 14:25:00 GMT -5
Sheriff Howard Sills has announced that a possible lead unearthed in recent months may identify a suspect. “I am currently trying to obtain data of a highly technical nature that I believe will be fruitful. ... I’ve obtained some of it and I have reason to believe that when I obtain the rest of the data and sort it out that it may well lead me to a suspect or suspects in this case,” he said. With all due respect, this isn't much of an update. Sills probably made the announcement because he's getting flak for not solving the case. Sills is really full of himself. I'll bet he's about as technically savvy as Old Wack Joe Biden, yet he wants people to believe he's capable of obtaining "data of a highly technical nature" without the assistance of anyone else. He never credits the people working for him by saying "we" when he's talking about solving the case, it's always I, I, I.
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Post by asixxdionysia on Sept 13, 2021 22:39:32 GMT -5
Anyone else wonder why her (whole) body and his head were hidden/disposed of but not his body? Why leave his body behind?
Also, is it possible that he was the intended target and she just happened to be there or walked in so they took her until they figured out what to do with her since she was a witness? I really feel like he was the main target here.
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Post by mereship on Jun 14, 2022 18:39:24 GMT -5
Ironically Sam, 'I also live in Appalachia <a rocks throw from the southern terminus of the AT>, and although not in law enforcement, retired from public safety; AFD'.. Thought seriously about scarfing you avatar<luv it>.. One other coincidence/parallel is that I live in a perceived secure gated community much like Reynolds Plantation Gate Water. Sam, I honor your opinion and agree with most of your statement; "when crimes are finally solved, a lot of times everyone is surprised by who did it, but this case is something more than just random violence". Especially the part about this crime being more than just random violence.. I began researching and investigating missing/murder cases/investigations in January 2008 searching for common denominators of investigations that are successful solved as opposed to those cases that grow cold. The catalyst for this decision was due to the tragic abduction of Meredith Hope Emerson; Blood Mtn Hiker, by a 61 year old sexual predator/serial killer; Gary M. Hilton, who held her captive for 4 days before killing and decapitating her. I witnessed them hidden in the Dawson Forest WMA woods near my newly built dream home on the 3rd day of her captivity. Thought they were only campers.. The Mystery on Blood Mountain, Part 1 www.nbcnews.com/watch/dateline/the-mystery-on-blood-mountain-part-1-317191235651
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 10, 2023 8:58:51 GMT -5
New DNA Evidence Could Finally Solve Dermond Murders
There’s a possibility new DNA evidence could solve the 2014 murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond, killed in their Lake Oconee home in May 2014. According to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sill, new DNA was discovered by a DNA lab called Orthram. “We continue to try new things. We had something. Whether that’s going to evolve into something else, I don’t know,” Sills said. “At this point in time, there has to be some more analysis done.”
While he’s hopeful the new DNA will lead to a break in the case, Sills explained that he’s not sure there’s enough DNA to run it through a national database for a match. “There has to be an additional test done to what’s been developed so far, and whether or not that is potentially enough to run it through CODIS.”
However, he added, there’s no evidence at present to ascertain if the DNA belongs to the killer, or killers. “We have some potential DNA that may or may not be identifiable,” Sills continued. In other words, the DNA could be that of one of the victims.
The sheriff also announced he has now received the long-awaited geo-fencing results. This is a method of identifying certain mobile devices that were active during a specific time period in a designated area. In the instant case, it consists of a period of time during which authorities believe the murders occurred, and includes an area of several acres that includes the Dermond home at 147 Carolyn Drive. “There’s nobody on there with any kind of alarming criminal history,” Sills confirmed. “And there’s nobody there, at least at this juncture, that I know has any connection to the Dermonds.”
Sources: WSB-TV, May 24, 2023, and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
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Post by catherine on Jun 10, 2023 23:33:04 GMT -5
Every year or so, this sheriff announces there's a "person of interest," or a "possible" new lead, or something similar, and nothing ever comes of it.
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