The Katelyn Markham Case: A Timeline
Nearly 13 years after he reported his fiancée missing, John Carter has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Katelyn Markham, a 21-year-old art student just weeks away from graduation. Here's a timeline of the case.
Aug. 13, 2011: Katelyn Markham was last seen on this date, a Saturday, just a few days shy of her 22nd birthday.
Aug. 14, 2011: Markham's fiancé, John Carter, reported her missing. He said he'd last seen Markham at nearly midnight when he left her alone in her Fairfield townhome. Carter said the two exchanged a few texts but by morning, Markham had quit responding.
Aug. 15, 2011: Markham failed to show up for her job at David's Bridal. That evening, Carter said he went by her house and saw her car and dog but she and her cellphone were missing. Police and volunteers launched search parties that worked on and off for months looking for her.
April 7, 2013: Skeletal remains were discovered near a creek in a wooded area in Cedar Grove, Indiana.
April 10, 2013: Officials confirmed that the Indiana remains were those of Markham. She'd been identified using dental-record comparisons. The cause of death was not discernible from the remains.
Aug. 13, 2013: The coroner for Franklin County, Indiana, Wanda Lee, ruled Markham's death a homicide, despite being unable to determine the cause of death.
Aug. 25, 2013: Markham's family held a visitation and funeral service at the Fairfield High School Auditorium.
April 2014: Fairfield Police told the Hamilton Journal-News that a new tip had come in from a "validated source." Soon after, additional remains belonging to Markham were discovered in the same Cedar Grove location.
2015: Dave Markham, Katelyn Markham's father, successfully lobbied the Butler County Sheriff's Office to reexamine the case. After months of investigation, the department announced they had a suspect in Markham's death but not enough evidence to move forward with the case.
August 2016: A documentary titled "Taken Too Soon: The Katelyn Markham Story" was shown at a Springdale movie theater in hopes of drumming up new leads.
January 2017: A private investigator hired to investigate Markham's case released his findings in a podcast titled "Gone at 21." In it, J. Ryan Green was critical of Fairfield and Butler County officials' slow work on the case.
June 2020: Markham's death was featured on "Still a Mystery" on the Discovery ID network.
Feb. 17, 2023: Butler County prosecutors announced the arrest of Jonathan Palmerton, then 35, in relation to the case. Palmerton was a friend of Carter's. He was charged with perjury for allegedly lying in connection with the investigation.
March 22, 2023: John Carter, Markham's fiancé, was arrested and charged with her murder. On March 13, a grand jury had indicted him. That indictment was unsealed 10 days later.
March 27, 2023: Carter was arraigned for murder in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
April 3, 2023: Carter posted his $1 million surety bond, allowing him to go home under GPS monitoring as he awaited trial in the case.
April 25, 2023: Officials unsealed search warrants that pointed to circumstantial evidence implicating Carter, including computer data, witness statements and cellphone records.
May 2, 2023: Butler County prosecutors dismissed perjury charges against Palmerton.
April 2024: Butler County prosecutors submitted another supplemental evidence list that included an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation evidence submission sheet, a lab report and the report for Markham's MacBook. They also submitted dozens of subpoenas for people expected to testify at the trial, which was scheduled to begin in June.
June 7, 2024: Weeks before his trial was set to begin, Carter admitted guilt in causing Markham's death. In exchange for his plea to involuntary manslaughter, the two murder charges he'd previously faced were dropped. Sentencing is set for July 18.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A timeline leading to John Carter's plea in Katelyn Markham slaying
