Key To Your Heart (Katelyn Markham)

Summary

Anatomy of Murder: Episode Summary – "Key To Your Heart (Katelyn Markham)"

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Key To Your Heart (Katelyn Markham)" of the podcast Anatomy of Murder, hosts Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi and Scott Weinberger delve deep into one of their most harrowing cold cases. Released on October 29, 2024, this episode meticulously dissects the tragic disappearance and eventual murder of 21-year-old Katelyn Markham, unraveling the layers of the victim, the crime, and the relentless investigation that spanned over a decade.

The Missing Person

The story begins on August 14, 2015, when John Carter makes an urgent 911 call to the Fairfield Police Department reporting that his fiancée, Katelyn Markham, is missing. Despite being only six hours since her disappearance, Carter’s panic is palpable:

“I know you're not supposed to report a missing person before 24 hours, but my fiancée is missing. I can't find her anywhere.” – [John Carter, 05:17]

Katelyn’s home showed no signs of forced entry or struggle. Her personal belongings, including her purse and car, were untouched, which immediately raised red flags for investigators.

The Investigation Begins

Investigators Paul Newton and Ali Weissman, integral to this case, share their backgrounds and motivations:

“When I was a kid, my uncle was wrongfully convicted of murder. So I knew I always wanted to do something with my life to prevent that from happening to someone else.” – [Paul Newton, 04:32]

Their initial investigation considered several angles, including Katelyn’s personal life and relationships. However, with no concrete leads, the case began to stagnate, and the community's hopes dwindled.

Discovery of the Body

Two years later, in April 2013, a gruesome discovery was made in Cedar Grove, Indiana – Katelyn’s remains were found in a junk pile. This shifted the case from a missing person to a homicide investigation.

“They knew within minutes it was Katelyn Marcum.” – [Anna Sega Nicolasi, 17:31]

Forensic evidence indicated that Katelyn had suffered sharp force wounds to her wrist, suggesting a possible struggle or dismemberment, but the exact cause of death remained elusive.

Stalled Investigation

Despite the grim discovery, the investigation hit a brick wall. While the community rallied with extensive search efforts and rewards, no substantial evidence emerged to identify a suspect. Speculation ran rampant, but without tangible proof, the case remained unsolved for years.

The Breakthrough

In 2020, a pivotal moment occurred when Paul Newton received an anonymous tip linking a local man, John Carter, to the crime. Despite initial skepticism, his persistent inquiry led him to re-examine the case details:

“This seems solvable. I know there are a few pieces missing, but this is a solvable case.” – [Anna Sega Nicolasi, 30:13]

Reinvigorated, Newton and Weissman reopened the investigation, meticulously re-interviewing witnesses and scrutinizing existing evidence. Their efforts began to paint a more coherent picture of Katelyn and John’s troubled relationship.

Indictment and Plea Deal

In February 2023, after extensive re-investigation, John Carter was brought in for questioning and subsequently took a polygraph test, which he failed:

“He tested negative 25. Besides his first and last name, he probably lied about everything else.” – [Anna Sega Nicolasi, 40:26]

Further evidence, including disturbing poems and writings discovered during a search of Carter’s mother’s home, solidified suspicions. These writings revealed a conflicted psyche, illustrating Carter’s internal battle:

“I slit your wrist with the key to your heart.” – [Paul Newton, 44:04]

Faced with mounting evidence, Carter was indicted by a grand jury in March 2023. However, just two weeks before the trial, a plea deal was offered and accepted:

“He has to walk into a Butler County common police court and say, I’m guilty.” – [Anna Sega Nicolasi, 46:14]

In June 2024, Carter pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, receiving a three-year sentence—far shorter than what many had anticipated.

Reflections and Conclusion

The resolution of Katelyn Markham’s case brought limited closure to her family, particularly her father, Dave Marcum. While the plea deal secured a conviction, the brevity of the sentence left lingering questions about justice fully served.

Investigators Newton and Weissman reflected on the profound impact of the case:

“A life was lost, a family forever changed.” – [Scott Weinberger, 49:17]

Despite the plea deal, their dedication underscored the relentless pursuit of truth and justice that the podcast Anatomy of Murder celebrates. The episode not only highlights the complexities of a ten-year investigation but also pays homage to the unwavering commitment of those who seek answers for victims and their families.

Notable Quotes

• John Carter on Missing Katelyn:
  “I know you're not supposed to report a missing person before 24 hours, but my fiancée is missing. I can't find her anywhere.” – [05:17]

• Paul Newton on Preventing Wrongful Convictions:
  “When I was a kid, my uncle was wrongfully convicted of murder. So I knew I always wanted to do something with my life to prevent that from happening to someone else.” – [04:32]

• Anna Sega Nicolasi on Investigation Breakthrough:
  “This seems solvable. I know there are a few pieces missing, but this is a solvable case.” – [30:13]

• Paul Newton on John's Writings:
  “I slit your wrist with the key to your heart.” – [44:04]

• Scott Weinberger on Emotional Impact:
  “A life was lost, a family forever changed.” – [49:17]

Conclusion

"Key To Your Heart (Katelyn Markham)" is a compelling installment of Anatomy of Murder that showcases the intricate dance between victimology, forensic evidence, and persistent investigative work. Through detailed storytelling and poignant reflections, Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi and Scott Weinberger honor Katelyn’s memory while shedding light on the arduous journey toward justice.

Transcript

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[Scott Weinberger]

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[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Reason why things happen the way they happen. There's a reason why that day I got a phone call from a girl who I was dealing with in another case. Maybe the stars or. But there was a reason why I got that phone call that day.

[Scott Weinberger]

I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former deputy Sheriff.

[Ali Weissman]

I'm Anna Sega Nicolasi, former New York City Homicide prosecutor and host of Investigation Discovery's True Conviction.

[Scott Weinberger]

And this is Anatomy of Murder.

[Ali Weissman]

There's something particularly haunting about a case where a person disappears without a trace, especially in a tight knit community. The lack of answers, the feeling of not knowing what happened. It leaves an open Wound. For the family and the community, Today's.

[Scott Weinberger]

Case is an example of that anguish. It's the story of a 21 year old woman who seemed to vanish into thin air one summer night in 2011. But what started as a missing person's case would evolve into something much darker. And it would take over a decade to get answers.

[Ali Weissman]

This investigation not only spans years, but crosses state lines and involves multiple law enforcement agencies. But it may never have been solved if not for the work of investigator Paul Newton and criminalist Ali Weissman. And because of that, we wanted you to hear what they both had to say. Here's Paul Newton, who, from the time he was a child, knew law enforcement would be his path.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

At the age of five, I always wanted to be a deputy sheriff. I never let go of that dream of wanting to be a Butler county deputy sheriff.

[Scott Weinberger]

He followed his dream and spent about 25 years as a deputy sheriff in Butler County, Ohio. And I could tell you from my own personal experience, it is an intense job that can quickly wear you down. Most are ready to retire after that many years on the force, but not Paul. After leaving his sheriff's position, he found.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

A new law enforcement home, a job opening. Come here at the prosecutor's office. I asked to interview for the job. He goes, I want you to do the same job here at the prosecutor's office as you did at the sheriff's office. I want you tracking bad guys down. I said, well, I can do that.

[Ali Weissman]

Ali Weissman had a very different and personal journey to the prosecutor's office.

[Paul Newton]

When I was a kid, my uncle was wrongfully convicted of murder. So I knew I always wanted to do something with my life to prevent that from happening to someone else.

[Scott Weinberger]

Allie started at the prosecutor's office as a victim's advocate, then a legal assistant, and now she's a criminalist. But her true passion has always been cold cases.

[Paul Newton]

I was super interested in cold cases. I actually spent about 200 hours of my free time researching all the local cold cases.

[Ali Weissman]

Paul and Allie are going to walk us through today's story, which ultimately became one of the biggest cold cases of both their careers. It started with a 911 call on August 14, 2015.

[John Carter]

Hi, my name is John Carter. I am calling. I know that you're not supposed to report a missing person after before 24 hours, but my fiance is missing. I can't find her anywhere.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

John Carter makes a 911 call to the Fairfield Police Department and states that he knows he's not supposed to make a phone call. For a missing person before 24 hours. But his fiance, Caitlin Markham, is missing.

[John Carter]

Okay, where did you see her last? I saw her at like 12 o'clock last night. She stays in a house by herself. So I'm just, I'm really nervous. Her car is still there.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The dispatcher has got him on the line. She's talking, she's asking questions, and he seems very frantic.

[John Carter]

I had been trying to get ahold of her and I decided to go by her house to see if she was okay. And her car was still there. She would be at work right now with her car, which is why I'm like really freaking out.

[Scott Weinberger]

This was around 8pm John said he last saw Kaitlin around midnight the night before. It hadn't yet been 24 hours and typically a little early for police to get involved.

[Ali Weissman]

But John seemed convinced that something was not right. And it is often loved ones, as we know, that have that best sense of when something is amiss. Caitlin was supposed to go to her job that morning at a local bridal shop, but she never showed up. John said he had texted her, but that she didn't respond and he had not heard from her all day. And that was very unlike Caitlin.

[Scott Weinberger]

So an officer went over to Kaitlin's house. Kaitlin was a 21 year old living by herself at a townhouse in Fairfield, Ohio. Fairfield is a nice upscale community just north of Cincinnati.

[Ali Weissman]

When the officer got to the townhouse, it didn't take much before she saw signs that something was not right.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The house was like as if someone was there and they were no longer there. So there's no force entering into the house. She did not see any type of blood. The house is not torn up. Nothing of Caitlin's is missing. I mean, the purse is there, her clothes are there, her shoes are there, the car is there, her car keys are there. So everything is there except for Caitlin and her phone.

[Ali Weissman]

So, Scott, we have a 21 year old young woman who seems to have just disappeared seemingly into thin air. From an investigator's perspective, let's just talk through some of the things that they may have been thinking.

[Scott Weinberger]

So clearly, age is a big factor here on law enforcement's approach. Of course, if we were talking about a child, the first approach would be completely different. But Caitlin was 21, so perhaps she just needed some time to work through some issues. And that of course, is not unheard of, especially with a younger person. But there is one thing that I'm sure investigators picked up on fairly quickly, and that is the Fact that Caitlin left all of her personal belongings.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I'm not sure about you, but I don't know a woman who leaves her purse behind. All her credit cards, her money, her keys were all in her purse.

[Ali Weissman]

The officer also found Caitlin's dog locked in Caitlin's bedroom, which, according to John, was also something Kaitlin would not have done.

[Scott Weinberger]

But if something had happened to Kaitlin, there were no obvious suspects. No one stood out as wanting to harm her.

[Paul Newton]

You know, it's a stereotypical thing to say, but she would light up a room. She was bubbly, outgoing. She was friends with just about everyone. Everyone we talked to loved Caitlin.

[Ali Weissman]

Caitlin came from a tight knit family. She had a younger sister and was also close with her dad, who lived in Cincinnati. And as we know, she was engaged to be married.

[Paul Newton]

John and Caitlin had been together for a total of six years. They never fought. There was never any problems.

[Ali Weissman]

It definitely would seem odd that someone with such a strong personal community, no history of social problems or familial issues, would just pick up and take off, you know, just be gone without a trace. So the officer that had gone over to her home called dispatch and asked them to now ping Kaitlyn's phone. That might help find her or give them some information about where she had been all day.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Come to find out from dispatch and the phone company that her phone had been off since 12:06, that early morning on the 14th, and that officer, she actually called her supervisor and said, hey, look, there's something wrong here. I need you to send me some detectives over to this townhouse. And she went as far as, hey, look, if you don't send somebody, I'm calling the lieutenant. And if the lieutenant doesn't send anybody, I'm calling the chief.

[Scott Weinberger]

Anastiga, this is a great example of how victimology is paying off in the first few moments of this investigation, meaning know your victim. And that officer was able to get enough information from the family to realize that this is the opposite of Caitlyn's normal behavior.

[Ali Weissman]

And, you know, gut instinct, no, it can't get you into handcuffs or get you into a courtroom, but it's absolutely appropriate and does play a role when it comes to investigators at least knowing when they should potentially move more quickly.

[Scott Weinberger]

Yeah, they call them hunches, anestiga, and I know that feeling. I've had them, and I've been right. And I've also been wrong. But being wrong is okay because normally things turn out to be okay. But when you're right, time is of the essence.

[Ali Weissman]

But it wasn't until about two days later, which also happened to be Caitlin's 22nd birthday, that local police took additional steps to try and find her.

[Scott Weinberger]

They launched a search, which would actually end up being the largest missing person search in Fairfield history.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

They called everybody out. They had the fire department, they had all their police officers, and they had a lot of her friends. Fairfield's kind of a close community, so when something like that comes out, they rally around each other. That's one of the reasons why that Sacred Heart festival is so big. Cause it's, like, the focal point of the community. Everybody in Fairfield goes to it.

[Ali Weissman]

The Sacred Heart Festival, which was a yearly event, it was going on up the street from Caitlin's townhouse on the same night she disappeared.

[Scott Weinberger]

That may make you think that either Caitlin went to the festival, did something happen to her at the event, or on her way there or back, or you also may wonder who else is at the festival. So I think that's gotta be on the police radar as they're starting their search.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

They had, you know, coordinated searches through the whole area. I mean, they did a fantastic search.

[Paul Newton]

I can't even tell you how many people came out to search. There were hundreds, if not thousands. They were searching, you know, from the time the sun came up to the time the sun went down.

[Ali Weissman]

Allie was just 14 years old at the time and living locally. She remembers the search well because she actually took part in it with her aunt.

[Paul Newton]

So my aunt and I, on our own, went out looking for her in a couple places. And of course, you know, never found.

[Ali Weissman]

Anything, of course, because unfortunately, the search didn't lead to Katelyn or any answers.

[Scott Weinberger]

Investigators also checked Caitlin's credit card records and bank accounts, and still nothing basically revealed this.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

She's there one minute, she's gone the next. That's bottom line.

[Ali Weissman]

At that point, without any strong leads or physical evidence, investigators were hoping that someone might come forward with information. And they did get a lot of calls.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Fairfield was getting a lot of tips coming in, people calling in information. They had a couple boxes of. I called them, Elvis sightings. People who were like psychics and things of that nature. But you still got a take that information down. You never know what might break the case.

[Scott Weinberger]

This is the blessing and the curse of high profile cases. You get a lot of leads coming in, but you don't want to go down the wrong rabbit hole and waste precious time. And on the other hand, you don't want to ignore that one detail that could lead you to the truth. It can be overwhelming, but they all need to be checked.

[Ali Weissman]

So they looked, investigated and checked, but nothing led to Caitlin or moved the investigation forward. Eventually, the search for Caitlin slowed down as investigators basically landed at a brick wall.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

If something credible would come in, they would look into it, but they were not getting much. You know, as everything else time passes and people going about their lives, yeah, Caitlin's still missing, but the tips are not coming in like they were in the beginning.

[Ali Weissman]

Some people in the community assumed the worst had happened. Others chose to believe that Caitlin had just picked up and left, started a new life somewhere for reasons that only she would be able to explain.

[Scott Weinberger]

But a few months later, any hopes that Caitlin had left for a better life would be shattered when a couple searching through a junk pile for scrap metal stumbled upon a grisly scene with Robinhood Gold. You don't need a silver spoon to eat up the financial Favors of the 1% Robin Hood Gold allows others to get the rates and perks usually reserved for the high society. Now the resourceful individual with Robin Hood Gold can earn the very liberal rate of 4.5% percent APY on uninvested cash, received unlimited 1% deposit bonuses, and be rewarded with a handsome 3% retirement boost on an IRA account. Robinhood Gold provides the privileges of the high net worth of any net worth. These generous benefits are now available for only $5 a month. The new gold standard is here with Robinhood Gold. Sign [e-mail] Gold terms apply for product specific disclosures. Visit Robinhood.com Gold investing involves risk rate may change. Gold Membership is offered by Robinhood Gold llc. One of the most trusted language learning programs out there is Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone has been an expert in language learning for 30 years. With millions of users, a lifetime membership option and 25 languages offered from French to Korean to Dutch. You learn to speak, listen and think in the language through an intuitive process. Learn on the go with Rosetta Stone mobile app or at your desktop with convenient, flexible learning. From my own experience, I have seen the benefits from becoming more familiar with the language when I'm traveling, something as simple as understanding directions from the locals. But it goes much further than that. It can also help you stay safe, become even more aware of your surroundings, and if necessary, you can easily communicate with local officials and law enforcement. Don't put off learning that language. There's no better time than right now to get started. Our listeners can get results Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off visit rosettastone.com anatomy that's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% off at rosettastone.com Anatomy Today, in April of 2013 in Cedar Grove, Indiana, a couple was searching for scrap metal in a heap alongside a roadway when they made a horrific discovery.

[Ali Weissman]

In the pile were portions of a human skeleton wrapped in what looked like a tarp. There were also pieces of a skull.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

They see some bags, and one of the bags that they opened up, they found a human jawbone. So they knew right away someone had been dumped there.

[Ali Weissman]

Cedar Grove is just across the border from Fairfield, Ohio.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

They decided to call the Indiana state police and the local sheriff's office. And they responded. They knew within minutes it was Caitlin Marcum.

[Scott Weinberger]

For investigators, they now had the answer to what happened to Kaitlin, but they still didn't know why, how, or by who.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

It was ruled a homicide by the coroner, but they could not rule how it happened.

[Ali Weissman]

It was proving to be incredibly difficult to uncover what happened to Caitlin Marcum.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

There was no forcible blunt force trauma to the skull. There was no indication of bullet wounds or, and, or like knife wounds, you know, nothing like that other than on the wrist.

[Scott Weinberger]

A forensic anthropologist did find some markings on the bones of Kaitlin's wrist.

[Paul Newton]

On her left wrist, there were what he called sharp force wounds. He said that the wounds were more consistent with dismemberment marks.

[Scott Weinberger]

While defensive wounds were considered, the conclusion was the injury was more consistent with someone having attempted to dismember Caitlin's left hand.

[Ali Weissman]

While an important piece of information, it wasn't going to be the cause of death or get investigators much closer to who had caused the wounds. The medical examiner also thought that Katelyn's body had been stored somewhere else before being dumped in the location where her body was found. But none of that information pointed to a particular suspect.

[Scott Weinberger]

But one thing is now certain. This is no longer a missing person's case. This is a homicide. Which means the pressure to get to the bottom of what happened to Caitlin is even higher.

[Paul Newton]

There were multiple Facebook pages that came out of this. People posting, you know, their theories, their thoughts on it. They were pointing fingers at just about everyone. John was probably the biggest person.

[Scott Weinberger]

John Carter, Caitlin's fiance, the last person to have seen her alive, the one who first reported her missing to the police. Here again is part of his conversation with the 911 dispatcher after he placed the call.

[John Carter]

Where was she at midnight last night when you left? She was 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 bed. And, I mean, I've been with her for six years. She's not deceiving. You know, she doesn't. Okay. And you guys didn't have an argument or anything? Not at all.

[Ali Weissman]

According to John, on the evening of August 13th, which was the evening before he placed the panicked 911 call, he got off work early and went over to Caitlin's townhouse to see her.

[Scott Weinberger]

Kaitlin and John had been making plans to move out west.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

John's planning on trying to put a trailer hitch on his red Ford Focus so they can carry their belongings to Colorado.

[Scott Weinberger]

The night of August 13, John called a friend of Kaitlin's to ask for some advice about setting up a trailer hitch on his car.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

So this guy, he shows up to Caitlin's house and they talk about putting a trailer hitch on the. On the car and other things they got going on. They're watching TV and they all admittedly smoke a little marijuana.

[Ali Weissman]

Around 10:45, the friend left to go to a party. A little while later, John also left, heading to a different party. He said Caitlin had been scheduled to work the next morning, so she wasn't going out.

[Scott Weinberger]

John told the 911 dispatcher that he had left Caitlin's house around midnight. And as far as going to a party, that was confirmed. Four or five witnesses remember seeing John at that party.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Around 1:30, John leaves to go back home. He watches three episodes of White Collar. He openly admits he's watching some porn that night and decides to go to bed. That's John's night that night.

[Scott Weinberger]

As we all know, people closest to the victim, be it the boyfriend, the husband, or in this case, the fiance, they're always first to be looked at.

[Ali Weissman]

And here, beyond that, basic suspicion, the friend of Caitlin's who had gone to her home that night to talk about the trailer hitch, he had told police that Caitlin had seemed, in his words, off that night. She was not her normal bubbly self.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Well, this friend had mentioned to the police department that when he showed up at night, something was wrong with Caitlin. Caitlin's not talking, which was highly unusual because her and him were close friends. They worked together. He hadn't seen him in a couple of months. So for her not to be happy to see him, he said something was wrong that night.

[Scott Weinberger]

The dispatcher who took the call from John also thought something seemed off. The way John spoke seemed a little over the top, and it really wasn't Lining up.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The dispatcher made a phone call to the responding officer, and she goes, there's something wrong here. The words, she's missing. It's one thing to say, this person should be here. I can't find them. I can't locate them. But for someone to go, well, she's missing, that's going from 0 to 10.

[Ali Weissman]

So investigators were a bit skeptical about John's story from the beginning, but his computer history backed up the timeline for that night about leaving the party where he'd been seen by those several people and then going home to watch television before going to bed.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

His timeframe of what happened that night, him being at Caitlin's, him being at the party, and his computer history is pretty consistent.

[Ali Weissman]

So while John wasn't ruled out, he also didn't rise above anyone else on the potential suspect list.

[Scott Weinberger]

And actually, it was John who first mentioned a theory about what might have happened, which included a pool of suspects. Here's more of that 911 call.

[John Carter]

And the sacred heart festival is going on right up the street, and there's a lot of questionable people there.

[Scott Weinberger]

Remember the night Caitlin disappeared? The sacred heart festival was taking place about a half a mile from Caitlin's home.

[Ali Weissman]

And admittedly, with any big public event like that, you just don't know who might be in the crowd. But that's also a pretty broad, general theory and not easy to follow, especially after so many years. So the police kept going down their list of potential suspects and then began.

[Scott Weinberger]

Looking at another local man who worked at a gas station which was located very close to Kaitlin's home.

[Paul Newton]

At one point, he was arrested on sex charges. He worked very close to where Kaitlin lived. But there was a woman who came forward that said, you know, I go into that gas station all the time. I went in there on that night to get snacks and drinks for myself and my kids because we were going to the Sacred Heart festival, and I saw him working that night.

[Ali Weissman]

In other words, the man had a solid alibi. So investigators checked him off the list.

[Scott Weinberger]

As part of checking all the boxes. Caitlin's father was looked at thoroughly as part of the investigation, but police were able to rule him out as well.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

He's got a pretty solid alibi. He was at his girlfriend's that night.

[Scott Weinberger]

Years passed and no answers came, but the reward kept getting higher. At one point, an anonymous donor gave 25,000 towards the reward for information about Kaitlin's death, bringing the total to $100,000. But the case continued to run cold.

[Ali Weissman]

And this is one of those cases that you just know that the frustration was palpable for all concerned. We've got this body of a woman who would have just turned 22, who's now been dumped on the side of the road. They know it's a homicide. They've got lots of tips and lots of potential maybes and question marks, but that's it. You know, it's a lot of theory, Scott, but really not much evidence.

[Scott Weinberger]

And not only does it leave the family and community in fear, but in the shadows, there's a killer out there living as if nothing happened, believing that they may have escaped justice. And with each passing day, that terrifying thought lingered.

[Ali Weissman]

And while, of course, we don't know any sort of motive because we don't know the who, whoever it was out there, they might be in a position now to str again. But, you know, for this investigation, at times, it just felt for all that it would be the end of the story. It would be one of those unanswered cases until more than 10 years after Caitlin's death. Paul got a call out of the blue that would breathe new life into the case.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

And I get a phone call from somebody who I dealt with in the past. She goes, I got some information for you. I said, what do you have? She goes, well, it's reference to Caitlin Martin. And he said he got into a fight with this girl and they were doing drugs together and he killed the girl. He needed the van to dump the body.

[Scott Weinberger]

It was a shocking story. Most shocking of all, the guy used the name of the girl he claimed to have killed.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The name that was given at night was Caitlin Marcum. This guy had killed K. Markham.

[Ali Weissman]

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[Ali Weissman]

In 2020, Paul Newton was an investigator with the Butler County, Ohio Prosecutor's office. He'd received a phone call from a source who had information on the Caitlin Markham case. The caller said that years earlier, her mom and her mother's boyfriend had been approached by a man at a bar asking to use their van to dispose of a body, the body of 21 year old Caitlin.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I knew nothing about this case. I truthfully didn't.

[Scott Weinberger]

It was that phone call that injected Paul into this case. As soon as he heard the story, he shared the information with his boss who told him to go talk to that man, the one who supposedly had been approached to use his van. Paul hopped on a plane, tracked the man down, and asked that man about the incident and who it was that had approached him at the bar.

[Ali Weissman]

The man denied the exchange and said that it had never happened. It turned out that the story was a false lead and rumors, as we know, can start circulating, especially in a case like this that a community and people have been talking about for years. But even though this story was a red herring, it got the wheels turning in Paul's head. And on the plane ride home, he read over the police reports.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I'm kind of writing things down and I'm going through it as we're on the airplane and I'm like, this seems solvable. I know there's a few pieces missing, but this is a solvable case.

[Scott Weinberger]

When he got back, he circled back around with his boss and they talked through the case and the pieces that Paul thought could be put together in potentially a prosecutable case. Paul was given the green light to reopen the investigation and see what he could develop.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I'll be completely honest with you, I was overwhelmed. We got this case file from Fairfield. It was, I have to say this, there's no way of putting around it. It was an absolute mess.

[Ali Weissman]

In a case like this that drags out over many years, it is easy for things to get out of hand. You get so many tips and details can just start to slip through the cracks and unfortunately get lost in the mix if you're not careful. These big case files can definitely become a bit of a black hole.

[Scott Weinberger]

Paul asked the chief assistant prosecutor for additional assistance with the investigation.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I can't do this. There's parts of this case file that we can't even open up. He goes, I can't do it. And I was like, well, how would you feel if we bring Allie in on it? I said, I know she's got an interest in this and I think she'd be perfect for it. He goes, well, go get her.

[Paul Newton]

It's 4:28. I'm supposed to leave at 4:30. And Paul comes to my desk and he said, you have a minute? And I was like, yeah. And he's like, follow me.

[Ali Weissman]

Allie was a legal assistant in the prosecutor's office at the time. More importantly, as Paul already knew, she spent her free time researching local cold cases.

[Paul Newton]

So he walked back to the chief prosecutor's office and he tells me to have a seat. And he closes the door. And if you saw Paul. Paul is over 6 foot.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

He.

[Paul Newton]

He is very well built and he is a very scary man. And he's standing in front of the door with his arms crossed. And I thought I was getting fired, but the prosecutor looked at me and said, paul's told me that you let him know that if you ever needed help to reach out to you. I said, yes. And he's like, well, Paul needs help.

[Scott Weinberger]

Paul and Ali got to work in different ways. They each brought a fresh perspective to the investigation. And new eyes on an old case sometimes can catch things that other people missed. Their first order of business was to re interview the key witnesses.

[Ali Weissman]

They revisited the physical evidence, looking for any clues that may have been overlooked.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I spent probably six months, better part of six months, trying to find out where the tarp cum that she was wrapped up in. And we thought maybe it was unique in some aspect, but it wasn't.

[Scott Weinberger]

It's not uncommon for the most thorough investigations to lead to some dead ends. You just don't know which avenue you may unexpectedly turn up something important.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Where the body is found is en route to John Carter's father's farm.

[Ali Weissman]

Katelyn's body, remember, had been discovered in a junk pile just across the state border in neighboring Indiana on Big Cedar Road, a road that led directly to a farm belonging to John Carter's father.

[Scott Weinberger]

That alone doesn't necessarily point the finger at John. You'd have to consider anyone who might have known about the farm, his father, any friends who had gone out there. But there were other reasons to look more closely at John Carter. As Paul and Allie re interviewed Caitlin's friends, they started to get a very different picture of John and Kaitlin's relationship.

[Paul Newton]

One of Caitlin's closest friends, Caitlin, had confided in her that she wasn't happy with John anymore. She wasn't happy with what he was doing with his life. She wasn't attracted to him anymore.

[Ali Weissman]

Another friend told them that Caitlin had expressed doubts about her engagement, but that she'd felt stuck in the relationship, that she'd been with John for too long to break up with him. So even though Caitlin and John's imminent plans were to move to Colorado, that same friend said that Caitlin wasn't sure about even going with him there.

[Paul Newton]

Caitlyn had expressed to her that she was very upset about John spending money that they don't have. You know, they're supposed to be saving for this trip to Colorado. And John had just blown a hundred dollars on raffle tickets.

[Scott Weinberger]

Caitlin was studying for an art degree. She had big dreams. And it sounded like John was spending his time, let's just say less aspirational, short of any real focus or goals.

[Paul Newton]

Caitlin was doing things with her life. She was gonna go places, and John wasn't.

[Ali Weissman]

Another witness came forward with information that added to the picture of John and Caitlin's relationship in the days leading up to her disappearance and death. This time, a more unexpected witness, the manager of a nearby credit union, John's.

[Paul Newton]

Mom, Karen and Caitlin went to GE Credit Union to apply for a credit card for Caitlin. And as they're talking, you know, Karen looked at Caitlin and, you know, she was joking and everything, and she said, if I co sign on this credit card for you, you have to take My son with you to Colorado. And, you know, Karen laughed at it. The lady at the bank laughed at it, but Caitlin didn't laugh. Caitlin was very serious.

[Scott Weinberger]

When Paul heard the story, he asked the woman from the bank why this moment struck her as so significant.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

She goes, I fill out credit card applications every day for young people. Most young kids can't wait to get that piece of plastic, that credit card. But she goes, caitlin was the exact opposite. This credit card was not her idea.

[Ali Weissman]

To add to that, records showed that just two days before Caitlin disappeared, she had gone back to that same credit union, this time on her own, and asked to have her application canceled. So, you know, Scott, hearing about these different scenarios, you know, this woman who is not happy maybe feels stuck in the relationship. How does that factor in into what investigators need to do or can do with this information?

[Scott Weinberger]

Well, I mean, the information just raises a big red flag for sure. A mere coincidence or something more troubling? I mean, this is a significant piece of intel. Who in Caitlin's family, who in her circle of friends, could give investigators the truest picture of where the relationship Anestyga may have been heading?

[Ali Weissman]

And again, too, though, you know, just on the flip side, and to be fair, lots of people feel stuck in relationships. Lots of people end relationships, and obviously no harm comes to them. And the other partner doesn't even consider that. But again, where something has happened to the other partner, and they didn't know these things before, certainly her fiance didn't provide these details to the police. These are pieces that can start to form the basis of what might end up being a circumstantial case. And that's exactly how Paul and Ali viewed it. You know, they started to feel more and more confident that these pieces were being formed into a picture that they had now a main suspect in their sights. But they weren't sure that they had enough to bring him to justice. So Paul sat down with one of the chief assistant prosecutors in the office to talk about the case. And the prosecutor then remembered one detail of the initial investigation that had always bothered him. The two boys.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

When Katelyn's body was found in 2013, two boys come forward. They had been to the Sicker Heart Festival that night, and they come home, and the one kid staying with overnight with the other kid, and they decide, you know what? Let's go to a party.

[Scott Weinberger]

Around 1:30am they snuck out of the house and headed to a nearby street to wait for a friend to pick them up, which is the same street that John Carter lived on. And as they stood out there, a.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Car had approached them and they said the headlights go out. So they think right away, okay, we're going to get busted. It's Fairfield Police Department.

[Ali Weissman]

But it was not a police car. It was a red Ford Focus, the exact type of car that John Carter drove.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Well, they see the red Ford Focus pull into the driveway of John Carter's house. Someone gets out of the car and goes into the house. They said they were in there between five and 15 minutes. The person comes back out, gets back into the Red 4 Focus.

[Scott Weinberger]

The car drove away into the night, headed right in the direction of Caitlin Marcum's townhouse.

[Ali Weissman]

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[Scott Weinberger]

During the interview with Carter, they asked if he'd be willing to take a polygraph test. He agreed.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

The results, he didn't fail it. He tanked it. You know how it goes from zero to positive three, you're being truthful. Zero to negative three, you're being deceitful. He tested negative 25. Besides his first and last name, he probably lied about everything else.

[Scott Weinberger]

While not admissible in court, as we've said many times before, a good polygraph exam can be a great investigative tool.

[Ali Weissman]

And whether the exam's results were accurate or not, we can't say but they'd already caught John in a number of lies. For example, he insisted that he'd sent Caitlin a text saying good morning the day after she disappeared. But phone records showed no sign of that message. In fact, to the contrary, phone records show that John's phone became inactive just after midnight on the night of her disappearance, and Caitlin's went dark just two minutes later.

[Scott Weinberger]

Another incredibly haunting piece of information came to light from Caitlin's next door neighbor. The night Caitlin went missing, she said, she and her husband were celebrating their anniversary.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

They went to Olive Garden. Then they come home and spent the rest of the evening at the house. Around 9:30, they get home, the husband goes, hey, look, do you care if I run over to the Sacred Heart Festival? And the wife goes, no, go ahead. I'm tired. I'm going to stay here at the house. Sometime after that, the young lady who's sitting at her house, she has her laptop, she's watching tv, she dozes off, and she's awoken by a loud thud. And then she hears the female screaming coming from Katelyn's townhouse yell, stop it. Stop it. Then another thud. Then she doesn't hear anything else.

[Ali Weissman]

The neighbor had been interviewed by the police during the search for Caitlin, but she had not come forward with this.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Story because she said, and I quote, I don't want to think that I heard Caitlin being murdered, you know, as.

[Scott Weinberger]

I find it so heartbreaking that someone may have heard Caitlin's final moments. And obviously, it's clearly unfortunate that the neighbor couldn't come forward sooner with that information because that may have gotten police to take Caitlin's disappearance more seriously.

[Ali Weissman]

And it perhaps may have led police to look more seriously at John Carter, too, because that description, the sudden heated argument, a thud, and then silence that is sounding more like either an attack or a domestic dispute that turned deadly.

[Scott Weinberger]

After John failed the polygraph, Paul decided it was time to execute a search Warrant.

[Ali Weissman]

So on February 17, now 2023, the police searched John's mother's home, where he had been living at the time of Caitlin's death. And there they found a trove of poems and writings that John had written after Caitlin's death. And when Allie read the poem, she felt like she was getting a glimpse into John's deeply troubled psyche.

[Paul Newton]

I definitely, you know, thought that he was battling with some inner demons. If you read the poems, it definitely sounds as if, you know, there's two people talking within one person.

[Scott Weinberger]

Written words like, deep down, I love her. You want to kill her, but I love her. She must die. I can't kill her. Yes, you can. Conflicted Annette Seeger for sure.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

When I interviewed John that last time in February, John told me in the interview that he writes what he knows. So if he writes what he knows and he's writing these poems, that's some pretty dark poems.

[Ali Weissman]

They also found some distance, disturbing pieces of writing on the back of the door in Carter's room.

[Paul Newton]

A verbatim. It says, I slit your wrist with the key to your heart. From what the anthropologist told us, Caitlin's left wrist was cut. So that one was very telling to me because it was consistent with what ended up happening to Caitlin.

[Scott Weinberger]

The forensic anthropologist found evidence of cuts on Caitlin's left wrist. To Allie, it was as if Carter was grappling with the truth of what he had done to Caitlin through his poems.

[Ali Weissman]

And with all of this now, new evidence, Paul and the team at the prosecutor's office decided that they did have enough now to press charges. So in March of 2023, 12 years after Caitlin had disappeared and had been found murdered, the case was taken to the grand jury.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

It was monumental, because we were bringing everybody in and presenting a case that some people thought it would never happen. And being a part of that is kind of scary. It truly is. You're presenting all your information, you have to 12 people in the grand jury, and you're not quite sure how this is going to come out.

[Ali Weissman]

And look, when you have been building a case like this, you know, that has had this very long investigative period for sometimes years like here, and it's time to finally get in, in front of the grand jury. It is stressful, obviously, to say the least, because you don't want to fail the victim and their family. Family. Now that you have the opportunity, at least the hope, to move forward with the case.

[Scott Weinberger]

The grand jury returned an indictment charging John Carter with two counts of murder, each carrying a potential sentence of 15 years to life. They began to gear up for trial.

[Paul Newton]

We had 88 witnesses subpoenaed, and I had one binder at minimum per witness. With everything that they would testify to and he examined, we may show them we were ready to go.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

Ready to go.

[Ali Weissman]

And then just two weeks before the trial was set to begin, they got unexpected news. Carter had been offered a plea deal by the prosecutor, and he had accepted.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

I was totally against the plea bargain. I wanted to go to trial. I wanted everything to come out.

[Ali Weissman]

The prosecutor felt that this plea offer was the best move overall.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

He says, paul, if we go to trial and he's found Guilty. He never at any time has to say, yes, I did this. He has to walk into a Butler county common police court, walk up to the judge in front of God and everybody and go, I'm guilty. He caused the death of Caitlin Marcum, and he has to say that in open court.

[Scott Weinberger]

In June of 2024, after years of denials and lies, John Carter walked into a Butler county courtroom and pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter for what he did to Kaitlin Marcum. Carter claimed that Kaitlin died accidentally during a misdemeanor assault. He received a sentence of three years, the maximum possible. With this deal, thinking back to the.

[Ali Weissman]

Beginning of this case, how for so long the family was left without answers, knowing almost nothing about what had happened to Caitlin, you do have to wonder, was there any sense of resolution for her family and especially her father, Dave Marcum?

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

He doesn't get resolved. I told Dave this the first time I met him. I said, dave, I can't give you closure. You're not going to get closure in this case. It's not going to happen. No matter what happens, at the end of the day, you have lost your daughter. I can't give you closure. But what I'm going to try to give you, and give Kaitlyn, too, is her day in court.

[Ali Weissman]

Paul and Allie may always feel that Carter didn't receive the full measure of justice that he deserved, but they should absolutely feel proud of what they achieved. The answers they gave to Kaitlin's family about who it was that criminally took.

[Scott Weinberger]

Her life, based on the evidence, this is what they believe happened that night.

[Paul Newton]

So Kaitlin leaves work and she goes home. John comes over, and John invites, you know, a friend to talk about Colorado, or the friend that was over, you know, says, like, Caitlin wasn't acting like her normal bubbly self. Something was going on. He leaves, and I think, you know, maybe there was an argument that started over Colorado or the way Caitlyn had been feeling about John. And it escalated and John snapped, unfortunately, you know, even though the neighbor didn't want to believe it, I believe she heard Caitlyn's last moments, you know, just based on the fact that, you know, there's no blunt force trauma, there's no signs of bullet wounds. There's no signs of, you know, knife mark except for the wrist. I believe she was most likely strangled or suffocated. And afterwards, John panicked. He went to the party to establish an alibi, and he moved the body later that night.

[Ali Weissman]

One of the only mysteries left In Allie's mind was the significance of the cut marks on Caitlin's left wrist.

[Paul Newton]

Did he do it as a sign, like he had wrote on the door, Isolate your arrest with the key to your heart? Was it supposed to be something meaningful like that? Was it that he tried to dismember her and then realized it was too difficult? Was it something else? It's really hard to say.

[Scott Weinberger]

One thing that is absolutely certain is that this case had a real profound effect on both Ali and Paul.

[Anna Sega Nicolasi]

There was a reason why I got that phone call. There's a reason why things happen the way they happen. They just don't happen. There's a reason why that day I got a phone call from. From a girl who I was dealing with in another case. Maybe the stars, or maybe it was just, it's Caitlin's time. But there was a reason why I got that phone call that day.

[Scott Weinberger]

For investigators and prosecutors, when a homicide case is finally solved, there is a sense of closure. But as you reflect, you're reminded of the sacrifices, the countless hours, sleepless nights, focusing on every single detail. When that hard work pays off, there is a brief moment of relief where you can breathe a little easier. But even in those moments of triumph, there is an underlying sorrow. You can't escape the reality of what brought you here in the first place. A life was lost, A family forever changed. While they may find some measure of peace, they will never truly be whole again.

[Ali Weissman]

Caitlin Markham was murdered brutally, and there were no answers for her family for over a decade. The years that were given as part of the plea are surprising and likely disappointing to many. Without having the file and without having spoken with the prosecutors, we can only speculate, and I have to believe that it had to do with what prosecutors saw as the strength of their evidence and the uncertainty whether they would be able to prevail at trial. And while not a lot of years to be sure, the plea at least gave some finality to the process and ensured that Carter would admit he was the one that had taken Caitlin's life, giving her family that much, at least. But something Caitlin got for sure was two investigators who made it their mission to get answers for her family. And that's exactly what all families deserve. We thought that we would end today's episode with Allie's reflection on where she believes Caitlin would be if she was still alive today.

[Paul Newton]

I truly believe Caitlin would be doing something with her art. I think she would have had a family and been married and, you know, living a really good and happy life. She deserved that. I think that's the hardest thing about this case for me was when I first heard about it, I was 14. You know, I was younger than she was. And now with it being solved, I'm older than she was ever able to be. And I look at where I was at that age and how much life I've lived in those few short years since I was 21, and how much I've accomplished that she was never able to accomplish. And I'm sure you know this, you dig into these cases and you get to know these people on different levels and you feel like you knew them. And going through all this was very difficult. You know, I would often talk to Caitlin at night. I work a second job, and on my way there, I drive down Big Cedar Road because that's the route it takes me. And every time I pass where Caitlin's remains were found, I turn my radio off and I just talk to her. And I feel like I knew her. And I wish I could have known her.

[Ali Weissman]

Tune in next week for another new episode of Anatomy of Murder.

[Scott Weinberger]

Anatomy of Murder is an audio Chuck.

[Ali Weissman]

Original produced and created by Weinberger Media and Frisetti Media.

[Scott Weinberger]

Ashley Flowers is executive producer.

[Ali Weissman]

This episode was written and produced by Tess Ryan, researched by Kate Cooper, edited by Ali Sirwa and Phil John Grande. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?

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