Jamie knew her daughter's death wasn't a suicide. So, she set out to catch her killer.

This story includes descriptions of alleged domestic violence that may be distressing to some readers. 

In just one phone call, Jamie Dickerson's world shattered.

The loving mother was told that her daughter, April Holt, had been found unresponsive in her Antioch, Tennessee home, and taken to hospital on life support.

"I get a call that my daughter isn't breathing," Dickerson told WKRN. "…I just knew."

April, a 29-year-old mother of two, had reportedly been discovered by her husband with a plastic bag taped over her head. The initial ruling? Suicide.

But when Jamie looked upon her daughter in hospital, she knew something was terribly wrong. People reports she saw bruises to April's neck and ankles, as well as broken blood vessels on her cheeks.

"This wasn't a suicide. It was foul play," Jamie alleged to the publication.

Despite her gut-wrenching certainty, police remained firm in their assessment. April's death was ruled a suicide due to suffocation.

Yet, Jamie, a mother who knew her daughter inside and out, couldn't accept that conclusion. She had seen first hand how her daughter had been a fighter, a loving mother, and an entrepreneur running her own lash studio in Nashville.

"I knew my baby," Jamie said. "But they didn't believe me."

And so began Jamie's relentless, year-long journey to prove her daughter didn't take her own life.

A mother's intuition.

April's life had not been easy. In the months leading up to her death, she had been trying to leave her marriage to Donovan Holt, her husband of several years and the father of her youngest child.

According to Jamie, April had officially requested a divorce two weeks before her death. This time it was different, Jamie says, "April was serious."

"I knew that April was unhappy. She requested a divorce two weeks prior and, she was dead two weeks later," she told Fox17. "She had bruises on her wrists, her neck, her ankles, her thighs and none of it was taken as evidence."

In 2023, the Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide due to complications of suffocation. But having seen the state of her daughter's body, Jamie couldn't help but question the police's ruling.

"I had to keep calling for meetings with the DA and the police department," she says, claiming that police largely "disregarded" her questions.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, but Jamie was determined that her daughter's death wouldn't go unanswered.

"I said I'm not going to stop fighting, even when the case was closed," she told WKRN. "I know that she would be the one that's like, 'You did it mom, you did it.'"

The evidence that changed everything.

Jamie's determination only grew stronger as she delved deeper into her daughter's final days. She began to gather every piece of evidence she could, constantly pressing authorities to re-examine the case. But it wasn't until she turned to Nashville's Community Review Board, a police advisory committee, that a breakthrough occurred.

Four months after reaching out to the board, Jamie received a report that would alter the course of her investigation.

The report revealed a crucial detail, that the only fingerprints on the plastic bag and tape found around April's neck belonged to her husband, Donovan.

Still, Jamie claims that police said they didn't have enough evidence to convict him.

Eventually, Jamie sent a screenshot of the forensic report to her daughter's husband.

"I told him he had a choice," she says. "He could tell me what happened, or I was going to go to the cold case department."

It was then she had her breakthrough.

Donovan allegedly admitted to strangling April, in a conversation that Jamie was recording. She shared this with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and they began a new investigation.

Following the phone confession, police obtained an official confession from the man who admitted to "strangling his wife", per the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

He was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, on September 19, and has been indicted on charges of homicide, evidence tampering and false reporting. He'll face his arraignment in Tennessee on October 23.

Justice for April.

For Jamie, it was a bittersweet victory. She had to be April's voice, and she worked hard to be that. Now, she's working even harder for the two children she left behind, aged 7 and 12.

She's also hoping create Grieve With Me Community Centre, a support hub where families can find solace and healing after traumatic losses.

"After losing my daughter and seeing the far and few resources available for children and adults during their grief journey, I want to meet a need within the community," she wrote on the Go Fund Me page.

"A place to just sit and be, enjoy a cup of coffee, a place of grief resource classes, youth grief groups, grieving through art classes, and future grief camps."

Jamie has been active on the Centre's Facebook page, sharing April's story and photos of their family.

"This is the last family picture that we were able to take with our precious April in it," she wrote on one image, while in another she added, "This is my daughter April Holt who was murdered July 29, 2023. She left behind two amazing children. She is the fuel for me to open this grief center. PLEASE share a picture of the loved one you are grieving OR comment if you are just here to support."

"Here because when April went to be with the Lord, a piece of my heart went with her! I miss her so much! Also here to support you Jamie, I love you so much!" one friend commented.

"I want to keep April's light on," Jamie said. "I'm going to keep doing things that let her shine."

Feature Image: Grieve With Me Community Centre

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)– the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a national organisation that helps women, children and families move on after the devastation of domestic and family violence. Their mission is to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most. If you would like to support their mission you can donate here.