And I think when they reopened the case, they were just trying to prove Carl did it, not look for anybody else. When you put the timeline in this case Maureen, unless he was on a Learjet, that was impossible. A DNA match found through a genealogy website has led to an arrest in the killings of two teen girls nearly 20 years ago, Alabama authorities said. I did my grocery shopping and I'm in the milk section and there's a couple standing there talking about it. Heres what you need to know about Coley McCraney and the cold case murders of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett: Family PhotoJB Beasley and Tracie Haweltt. More recently, McCraney was listed on the Facebook page of H.O.G. Maureen Maher: You didn't tell anybody that she wasn't coming back? Online bankruptcy court records from the time are not available online. And they remained confident that Carl was their man. As prosecutors prepared for trial, Dawn Beasley's statement from 1990, not followed up on, caught prosecutor Jordan Davis' attention. You go to sleep crying, Carol Roberts said. A Dothan woman has been charged with assaulting a police officer, according to a Dothan Police Department news release. Michelle Sigona is the development producer. Jeff said he and Tracey had been wading in the river. A woman Davis contacted as a possible witness told Davis that that her husband, who she is no longer married to, killed Tracey Harris. So, we just kind of started with a long list And we just started trying to narrow it down. Alabama police have linked a suspect to the 1999 cold case murders of two 17-year-old girls using DNA and genetic genealogy. Dawn Beasley: I cannot imagine that she was cheating, with Jeff or anyone else. Carl and Tracey Harris with their daughter Carolyn. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Produced by Ruth Chenetz. Jordan Davis: They had a statement from Dawn and that was things that they had witnessed while living in the home together. But, she says, the fear of upending her own children's lives always stopped her. Police then brought the 45-year-old in for a DNA swab, the police chief added, and it matched the evidence collected at the crime scene. According to our research of Alabama and other state lists, there were 86 registered sex offenders living in Ozark, Alabama as of February 21, 2023. I'm about to get married, I'm pregnant This baby deserves a chance at a life with a loving family and a mom and a dad. According to media reports, the trial will be rescheduled for 2023. Barrentine was cleared after his DNA didnt match semen found on Beasleys body. we were very confident that we would be able to get a conviction in this case. He maintained his innocence, even after being told he failed the polygraph. A controversial, decades-old double murder case in the Wiregrass Region of Alabama took the latest in a series of bizarre turns on Thursday morning as a woman recanted claims ahead of a trucker and preacher's capital murder trial.. Coley McCraney, 48, stands accused of murdering 17-year-olds J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett after the two high school friends got lost on their way to a party in . INVESTIGATOR: Did Carl at any time tell you that you didn't have to worry about Tracey showing up again to the house? Carl Harris heard the news that he was a free man from his attorney. One of their purses was found in the front of the car with all of her cash and credit cards inside, leading police to believe that the motive was not a robbery, WDHN reported. That, however, changed with Jordan's insistence that she testify at Carl's murder trial. That's my ex-husband, Jeff Beasley. PRAYING FOR MY GOD LOVING,FAMILY 1ST,PEACEFUL MILITARY SERVING,HARD WORKING FATHER/HUSBANd/SON/UNCLE/COUSIN/ When they hadn't made it back by dawn, Roberts called police. That's 181.10% higher than the national rate of 366.7 per 100,000 people. It is not clear what happened with the ministry. Putting the case together was an arduous process -- one filled with continuances and delays. They had both been shot once in the head. A 45-year-old man has been arrested in the 1999 cold case rape and murder of two teen girls in Ozark, Alabama. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Dawn Beasley: The only thing I was ever afraid of was how they were going to respond, and they responded with support and love and understanding. Brendan Fraser fue uno de los ms ovacionados al recibir el galardn a Mejor actor en una pelcula. Coley McCraney is accused in the 1999 cold case rape and murder of JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in Alabama. 24 Hour Phone: (334) 774-2335. Maureen Maher: Has there ever been a time that Carl Harris said, "I want you to find out who killed Tracey?". McCraney was eventually ordered to pay $243 in back child support and $50 per month after that to catch up. Property Crime Rates In Ozark 619 Property Crimes 4,311.2 Property Crimes / 100k People 104.33% Above National Average Dawn Beasley: I would like to say that I did, but I didn't. My job is very stressful. Carolyn was just 4 years old when she lost her mom. She was terrified of water. The Alabama Attorney General's Cold Case Unit is assisting the Walker County Sheriff's Office in investigating the death of Eric Cates, whose body along with the body of his pet dog Gypsy were found in his burned truck behind an old school in the Empire community on the morning of Saturday, March 21st, 2015. Despite all the talk in town, Tracey never filed police reports about the alleged abuse. According to reports by WTVY, only 75 of the 250 potential jurors summoned actually showed up at the Dale County Courthouse on Monday. McCraney was initially married in 1992, but separated from his first wife in 1994 and later divorced. Everyone in town was talking about it. The autopsy revealed that Tracey had drowned, but also noted marks around her neck likely indicating strangulation. They also wanted Jeff to explain those bruises the autopsy noted on Tracey's neck -- marks authorities felt were consistent with strangulation. It took Jordan several calls to wrong phone numbers to find Dawn Beasley. Dawn Beasley: Maybe I do it on my deathbed. They found the name "Beasley" spray-painted in big letters. Because the credibility of the people that were going to testify they had no credibility, none whatsoever. Police accused Carl Harris of killing. Maureen Maher: Was there any relief for you after all this time? And there was the issue of why Tracey, known to be terrified of water, would voluntarily go in the river. Show All. Kirke Adams: I think the major thing was getting these witnesses together, which is what we did for the grand jury presentation And once you heard those people It was very clear that Carl was violent. And said she was telling Dawn. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Carl Harris's trial was put on hold. Carl Harris: No. "What happened?" Heart of Goal as a bishop and co-founder. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. After 13 years of marriage and four children, she and Jeff divorced. Carolyn Aznavour: Carl has not come forward and actually been truthful to me about the abuse. Through Gods grace and strength, weve come this far, and thats what Tracie would want us to do.. The break in the case came when investigators submitted DNA from the crime scene to Virgina-based Parabon Labs, Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker told ABC News. iDawn Beasley told police in 1990 that she had witnessed Carl abuse Tracey and that Carl threatened to kill Tracey in front of her. The murder of the two teenagers was the obvious . He's going to deny it. Maureen Maher: What did you see going on between Carl and Tracey? DNA leads to arrest in cold case murders of two Alabama girls. While Ozark police questioned Dawn, they never got a statement from Jeff, even though they both spent time together living with the Harrises. she texted me back and said that she was going to decline our invitation that she couldn't help us. The defense also offered up an alternate suspect: that friend police say Carl picked up the night Tracey disappeared named Bobby Herring. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. McCraney has worked for several trucking companies in Alabama over the past 20 years, according to the Dothan Eagle. MONTGOMERY Kenneth Glasgow, a Dothan pastor and founder of the Christian-based nonprofit The Ordinary People Society, pleaded guilty Friday . Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? David Harrison: There's absolutely no evidence at all that connects Carl Harris to this murder, none whatsoever. JEFF BEASLEY: She went down and didn't come back up. Walker said there is no evidence that McCraney knew the victims before the killings. Email Map. Were you abusive to Tracey? The newspaper quoted Tracies mother as saying at a vigil on the tenth anniversary of the murders that she prayed every day law enforcement would come up with answers. McCraney then returned home and has lived in Ozark and Dothan since, according to public records. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I wouldn't. Dawn Beasley: And every word of my statement was true. Carolyn had no interest in a relationship with her father, who she did not see while growing up. McCraney then failed to appear for the DNA test and failed to appear in response to a second DNA test ordered months later, according to the Eagle. Details of McCraneys military service were also not immediately available. Eugene's body was sent to Ashland, Ohio, where his father and some family resided. Dawn Beasley: It was extraordinary relief. Maybe I make an anonymous phone call. Of those, 17 were quickly excused for different reasons. But Carolyn, who traveled to Ozark for every single hearing, was convinced of her father's guilt. INVESTIGATOR: Everybody in the case who knew Tracey says she was scared of water. Unsolved Wiregrass murders still a mystery. Kirke Adams: It was certainly one of the first places that investigators were looking for Tracey. According to Al.com, investigators conducted more than 500 interviews, examined forensics and tested the DNA of 70 potential suspects. OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) - A woman who had accused Ozark police of covering up the murder of two teens to protect one of their own recanted those claims in explosive testimony on Thursday. Ozark is a town in Alabama with a population of 14,396. But no arrest was made, and the case went cold. Maybe I write a letter. Carolyn Aznavour: Yeah, I've always wanted to ask questions, but the way that everybody portrayed him to be, I didn't think that he would tell me the truth. A suspect to the 1999 cold case murders of two Alabama girls was their man what happened with ministry... -- one filled with continuances and delays of 70 potential suspects 1994 and later divorced started with a list. Carl picked up the night Tracey disappeared ozark, alabama murders Bobby Herring semen found on Beasleys body far, and thats Tracie... 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