As 23-year-old Heather Teague lay sunbathing on a Kentucky beach, she had no idea of the danger that was very close by. And why would she? Even though the beach was remote and there was no one else in sight, it was still broad daylight.
At around 12.45pm, a "peeping tom" watching Heather from a distance with a telescope observed a man emerging from the woods behind the beach. The man was wearing jeans, no shirt, a wig, and had a mosquito netting over his face. The man pulled Heather into the woods by her hair and threatened her with a gun.
That was the last time anyone saw Heather Teague, 27 years ago on that sunny day on August 26, 1995.
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While the peeping tom waited for 45 minutes before calling the police - likely due to the nature of his witnessing the crime - he went on to cooperate fully with the investigation, giving a full statement and providing a description of the man he watched abduct Heather.
Authorities searched the beach and its surroundings, finding nothing but part of Heather's red plaid bathing suit.
A local farmer, who was videotaping crop damage on that day, happened to catch footage of the parking lot where Heather's car was parked. In the footage, a red Ford Bronco is next to Heather's car. Police believed the Ford Bronco could be the abductor's car.
Marvin "Ray" Dill, a resident of the same county where Heather lived, drove a red and white Ford Bronco. Following Heather's abduction, he was pulled over during a routine traffic stop and the police discovered guns, knives, duct tape, rubber gloves, and rope in his car. Even more disturbingly, they found hair that looked like Heather's in his car, and bloodstains on the tailgate.
Also, the sketch of the suspect strongly resembled Dill. When shown a photo of Dill, the peeping tom confirmed it was the man he had seen abducting Heather.
When investigators arrived at Dill's home for questioning, Dill told his wife to leave. He then shot himself in the head and died.
At the grand jury investigation into Heather's case, prosecutors pointed the finger straight at Dill and brought forward evidence to back up their accusation. Dill's wife was called as a witness but she invoked her fifth amendment right (a US constitutional law that protects citizens from self-incrimination by guaranteeing them the right to silence) and refused to answer questions.
While it may seem cut and dry that Dill was responsible for the abduction and likely murder of Heather, there was another prime suspect: Christopher J. Below, another resident of Kentucky.
Below is a suspect because he was responsible for the 1991 murder of Kathern Fetzer, whose body has never been found. He pled guilty to the crime years later and is serving 11 to 18 years for "attempted involuntary manslaughter". In addition to killing Kathern, he is suspected as being involved in the disappearance and murders of several women, including Shaylene Marie Farrell, Mary Kusto, and Kristina Porco. These women bear a great resemblance to Kathern, which is why police believe he may be involved. Heather also resembles Kathern.
Below was in the area when Heather disappeared and left the state shortly after. Whether by coincidence or something more sinister, he, Dill, and Heather all shared acquaintances.
Authorities believe there is a possibility that Dill and Below worked together to abduct Heather.
Since there is no concrete evidence of Below's involvement, he has never been charged in connection with Heather's disappearance.
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In 2013, Heather’s mother, Sarah Teague, sued the Kentucky State Police and federal authorities for negligence. She alleged malfeasance and a cover-up and claimed the police focused on the wrong suspect (Dill).
Sarah and her lawyer listened to the 911 calls made to police in the wake of Heather's disappearance. They allege that the call recordings they listened to in 2008 and 2016 were different.
"In the 911 recording police played for him [the family's lawyer] and Sarah Teague in 2008, the caller described the abductor as having 'mosquito netting or a wig' over his head. He said the call played to them in 2016 did not include those descriptions and that the dispatcher heard on that recording was a male and not the female dispatcher heard on the call played in 2008... police have said there is no record or reproduction of a 911 call played for them [Sarah and lawyer] in 2008."
In 2018, Sarah was awarded $24,000 after the police were found to have failed to release evidence - the 911 call recordings - when it was requested by the family.
Heather's case featured in documentary series Never Seen Again and has been dissected in numerous shows and podcasts over the years. Despite this, the case remains unsolved.
If she were alive today, Heather Teague would have been 50 years old this year.
Feature Image: Courier Press.