WLWT Investigates: Vanished at 21. The disappearance and death of Katelyn Markham
More than a decade after a young woman in Fairfield, Ohio, disappeared, her fiance has admitted his guilt in her death.
This new 30-minute special from the WLWT 5 Investigative Team digs into this true crime mystery outside of Cincinnati.
In the summer of 2011, a few days before her 22nd birthday, Katelyn Markham disappeared. She was reported missing by her fiance, John Carter. For years, Carter claimed to be innocent. “WLWT Investigates: Vanished at 21” takes viewers inside the case, with archive footage and new interviews, this special digs into how Katelyn’s disappearance rocked the community. WLWT 5’s investigative reporters walk viewers through the decade-long quest to find her killer.
The disappearance of Katelyn Markham
In 2013, her remains were found by someone searching for scrap metal. On the 2nd anniversary of her disappearance, the coroner ruled her death a homicide.
Katelyn’s father, Dave Markham, connected with families of other young men and women that had been murdered in the Fairfield area.
- Chelsea Johnson, age 15
- Joey Oakley, age 19
- Damien Taylor, age 29
- De’Asia Sima, age 20
- Laney Gwinner, age 23
In 2014, the Fairfield police had six unsolved homicides on their hands.
In 2016, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation. Detective Joe Nerlinger and Sgt. Rob Whitlock reviewed the case and narrowed down the suspects to 1 person – John Carter. But they still did not have direct evidence linking him to the murder of Katelyn Markham.
Interest in the case faded until 2018 when another body was found in a field in Liberty Township. 23-year-old Ellie Weik, lived near where Katelyn had been reported missing and looked similar to Katelyn. Michael Strouse was arrested and charged with Ellie’s murder. Strouse was an old acquaintance of Carter. Still, there was no arrest in Katelyn’s death.
It would be another five years until Dave Markham would see Carter charged in the death and disappearance of his daughter. The WLWT 5 News team interviews J. Ryan Green, a private investigator who looked at the case in 2015 and then later produced a podcast, “Gone at 21: Katelyn Markham’s Death Investigation,” in 2017 and 2018.
You can find the entire special, “WLWT Investigates: Vanished at 21,” in the True Crime Stories section of the Very Local app.
If you are interested in learning more about Katelyn Makham’s case, check out this article from WLWT for a detailed look at the timeline of the investigation.
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