Katelyn Markham case: A timeline of events

Katelyn Markham went missing from her Fairfield home in August 2011. She was a 22-year-old art student.

Until March 2023, there had never been an arrest made in connection to her death.

The following is a timeline of events in Katelyn Markham’s case.

Aug. 13, 2011: This is the date Katelyn Markham was last seen by anyone.

Aug. 14, 2011: Markham was reported missing from her Dorshire Drive, Fairfield home. Her fiancé, John Carter, called 911 to report her disappearance, which was treated as a missing person case by Fairfield police. She also did not show up for work at David’s Bridal near Tri-County Mall. Police and volunteers spent the months after looking for her after she vanished, leaving behind her purse, keys and her dog.

Credit: Greg Lynch

Credit: Greg Lynch

April 7, 2013: Markham’s skeletal remains were found in a remote wooded area in Cedar Grove, Ind. This is 30 minutes from Markham’s Fairfield home.

Aug. 13, 2013: Franklin County, Ind. Coroner Wanda Lee ruled Markham’s death a homicide. However, the exact cause of death could not be determined.

Credit: LOT TAN / STAFF

Credit: LOT TAN / STAFF

April 10, 2014: The Markham family was surprised to learn additional remains, believed to be Katelyn’s, were found in the same Cedar Grove, Ind. location.

2015: At the urging of Katelyn’s father, Dave Markham, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office put fresh eyes on the case. After months of investigation, sheriff’s detectives announced there was a suspect in the case but not enough information for a prosecution.

Credit: Greg Lynch

Credit: Greg Lynch

August 2016: A documentary about Markham’s death and case premiered. It is called “Taken Too Soon: The Katelyn Markham Story,” and there was a theater release at Showcase Cinema de Lux 18 in Springdale. The documentary, which is about 60 minutes long, is a narrative of the investigation that has included Fairfield Police, Indiana State Police, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and two private investigators.

June 2020: Katelyn Markham’s death case was featured on “Still A Mystery” on the Discovery ID network on cable television.

September 2022: Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser tells the Journal-News his office is investigating the Katelyn Markham case. “And hold my cards close to the vest,” Gmoser said.

Feb. 17, 2023: The first arrest in connection to Markham’s death was made by the Fairfield Police Dept. and investigators with the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office. Jonathan Palmerton, 35, was taken into custody when he showed up for work at a Fairfield restaurant. Palmerton is charged with perjury for allegedly lying in connection with the investigation. Palmerton was indicted by a grand jury and it was served on him at the same time the search warrants were being served.

What happened to the 22-year-old art student and how she died had remained a mystery, despite a $100,000 reward and the efforts of multiple police agencies, private detectives, television shows and a movie.

March 22, 2023: John Carter, Markham’s fiancé in 2011, arrested for murder. The grand jury indicted handed on March 13 was unsealed on March 23, a day after Carter was booked into the Butler county Jail accused of Markham’s slaying. Arraignment is pending.

March 27, 2023: Carter is arraigned for murder in Butler County Common Pleas Court, and was set up with a GPS monitoring system before being released, which was ordered by Judge Dan Haughey if bond was posted. As part of a bond hearing a week prior to arraignment, Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser revealed new details about the case, stating there is evidence of trauma to the victim’s body, and said it may have been moved. Defense attorney Chris Pagan entered a not guilty plea on Carter’s behalf and requested a “reasonable” bond with a 10 percent rule. Dave Markham and Ally Markham, Katelyn’s father and younger sister, sat in the front row of the courtroom. Many supporters present wore butterflies in remembrance of the free-spirited art student.

April 3, 2023: A $1 million surety bond is posted for Carter.

April 25, 2023: Unsealed search warrants in the Carter case outline the county prosecutor’s office investigation into the 2011 death of Katelyn Markham: It points to circumstantial evidence for the murder charge against the man who was her finance’, using computer data, cell phones and witness statements, but it does not give a cause death or proof she was killed. Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said the case is circumstantial, as are many, but that doesn’t mean the evidence, coupled with corroborating experts and witnesses, isn’t compelling. “Even a body is not necessary to have a conviction for murder,” Gmoser said. “Defendants are still proven guilty without a body. That’s not an impossible situation.” But it is rare, Gmoser said.

June 26, 2023: Prosecutors file a list of “documents and tangible evidence” in Carter’s case that includes 13 written statements; 63 individual interviews and/or polygraphs; tips from the public; phone records; work records; Facebook, Yahoo and Google records; dental records; vehicle records; property records; Fairfield Police, Forest Park Police, Indiana State Police, Butler County Sheriff’s Office and county prosecutor’s office reports; news media coverage, and interviews throughout the years investigation, specifically interviews with Carter. Prosecution evidence also includes 12 items from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, handwritten notes of Carter’s statements, jail calls, anthropology report, forensic entomology investigation report, Hamilton County crime lab report, Carter’s laptop, Carter’s cellphone, Markham’s laptop, a letter from Katelyn to her father, Dave Markham, and an email from Katelyn to Carter dated Aug. 13, 2011, and a package packing slip and photos of text messages from Karyn Winkler, Carter’s mother. Numerous photos are also listed, including photographs of a “ring” that is likely Katelyn’s engagement ring that was never found, photos of Murphy, Katelyn’s dog in 2011 found her residence, photos of “involved people,” photos of scratches, map photos, and “Strouse” photos. Numerous photos are also listed, including photographs of a “ring” that is likely Katelyn’s engagement ring that was never found, photos of Murphy, Katelyn’s dog in 2011 found her residence, photos of “involved people,” photos of scratches, map photos, and “Strouse” photos. Michael Strouse was convicted in 2019 of the death of 23-year-old Ellen “Ellie” Weik at his Liberty Twp. home. Within hours after Strouse’s arrest, Fairfield police, who initially investigated the Markham case, confirmed a meeting with the West Chester Police Dept., which investigated the Weik case. A photo also surfaced in 2019 of Strouse at a gathering picturing him with Markham and others. Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said the photos listed in discovery are part of the investigation by his office and others for any connection to Markham’s death.

July 11, 2023: Carter’s pre-trial conference scheduled for July 11, 2023 is moved to Sept. 12, 2023. Carter’s defense attorneys Chris Pagan and Lawrence Hawkins III left judge’s chambers an hour before the scheduled hearing. Carter was not present. When asked why it was continued, Pagan said, “the discovery is voluminous and we are working to see if it is correct.”

Aug. 1, 2023: Jonathan Palmerton, who was the first to be charged in connection with the county prosecutor’s office’s probe into 2011 death of Markham, is seeking to have sealed the record of the charge dismissed by the state three months ago. Palmerton was indicted for perjury in February as the cold case investigation came to light that eventually led to the arrest of Markham’s fiancé John Carter on the charge of murder.

Staff Writer Lauren Pack contributed to this report.

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