Murders of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman
On December 29, 1999, high school friends Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman spent the evening together celebrating Freeman's sixteenth birthday. Bible received permission from her parents to spend the night at Freeman's home. Earlier that day, the girls had spent time at a local pizzeria with Freeman's mother, Kathy.
At approximately 5:30 a.m. on December 30, 1999, a passer-by called 9-1-1 reporting that the Freeman home was engulfed in flames. Law enforcement determined the fire had been an arson. Inside the home, the charred remains of Kathy were discovered lying on the floor of her bedroom; she had been shot in the head. Initially, no other remains were located, leading local law enforcement to extrapolate that Ashley's father, Danny Freeman, had slain his wife and fled with both girls. Bible's parked car was in the driveway of the home with the keys in the ignition.
On December 31, Bible's parents Lorene and Jay returned to the scene, hoping to find any additional clues that law enforcement may have missed. Amidst walking around the extensive rubble, they discovered what appeared to be another body and notified the police. The second body was determined to be that of Danny; like his wife, he had also been shot in the head execution-style. Following this discovery, the crime scene was re-examined, yet no sign of Bible or Freeman was found. In 2010, the Freeman family initiated court proceedings to have Ashley declared legally dead.
