Dawn Beasley: Every time I would have a police officer get behind me I would wonder is this where we're all of a sudden they know what's happening. My job is very stressful. "The evidence was circumstantially strong," said Adams. The couple had recently divorced at the time of her murder, Carl had a girlfriend and. You go to sleep crying. he was not good to Tracey He asked me about fights I'd seen and I made a statement. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "She was a very sweet friend a very shy person," said friend Selina Dodson. Administrative Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm According to media reports, the trial will be rescheduled for 2023. In a 2018 post, McCraney is pictured under the name Bishop Coley McCraney with the caption, Bishop/ motivational speaker/ working for the Lord.. She looked like her and she had a personality like her. David Harrison: In 2016 in this area there were unsolved murders. "I went over to Carl's to talk to Carl, Carl wasn't there. Maureen Maher: You just pulled a dark curtain over and that was it? She and her soon-to-be husband Jeff, who worked construction with Carl, lived with the Harrises for about a month. Their daughter, Carolyn, was born a few months later. JEFF BEASLEY: And we got into an argument. Eugene's body was sent to Ashland, Ohio, where his father and some family resided. Carolyn Aznavour: Yeah, I've always wanted to ask questions, but the way that everybody portrayed him to be, I didn't think that he would tell me the truth. we were very confident that we would be able to get a conviction in this case. Carolyn had no interest in a relationship with her father, who she did not see while growing up. JEFF BEASLEY: I didn't strangle her. Dawn Beasley: I would like to say that I did, but I didn't. The newspaper quoted Tracies mother as saying at a vigil on the tenth anniversary of the murders that she prayed every day law enforcement would come up with answers. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. He had spent time serving in the U.S. Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi, after graduating from Carroll High School Ozark, according to the Dothan Eagle. Can we really solve this for Carolyn? Just a 10-minute drive away, the Army base attracted - and still does - a slew of newcomers to town. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. And every word of my statement was true. Then, in 2015, an Ozark Police cold case unit took another look at Tracey's murder, and again zeroed in on Carl. DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) -Accused killer Coley McCraney's attorneys on Thursday publicly named a retired Ozark police officer as the murderer of two teens, claiming eyewitnesses will implicate him. The most famous murder in Alabama history is the 1988 Hawes murders, which took place in the city of Birmingham. Several years after Tracey's murder, Carl Harris had left Ozark, feeling like the cloud of suspicion had destroyed his life. Based mostly on statements from the interviews originally done back in 1990, an investigator from the Ozark police put together this scenario of what he thought happened the night Tracey went missing: "It was determined that Carl Harris left his job at Super Food [sic], sometime around 9 p.m. and went to his home Carl Harris jumped on top of Tracey Harris and began chocking [sic] her Carl Harris then placed her seemingly dead body into his vehicle and subsequently drove her to the Choctawhatchee River and placed her body into the water.". 192 West Reynolds Street, Ozark, AL, 36360. McCraney filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy while living in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1995, according to federal court records. The prosecutors also visited the area around the river where Tracey's body was found. She would stay quiet, she says, out of her desire to keep her life intact, and also out of fear that police might not believe her. He is being held at the Dale County jail without bond, according to his jail records. According to our research of Alabama and other state lists, there were 86 registered sex offenders living in Ozark, Alabama as of February 21, 2023. Dwellics analytics team assigned the score 76.8 to Ozark, Alabama (with 100 being the best). Jordan Davis: I don't think there was one particular motive. J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were both 17 when they were killed. He was eyeing the clock. Dawn Beasley: I was very unhappy. Carolyn was immediately adopted by Tracey's mother. I talked to Tracey. Dawn Beasley revealed to ADA Jordan Davis that her ex-husband was Tracey Harris' killer. The typical household in Ozark earns $41894 a year, compared to the national median of $67,500.Nearly 56.8% of households earn less than $50,000 a year compared to 39% national rate. The police then used other investigative techniques to confirm Coley McCraney was the suspect in the case. He graduated from Carroll High School in 1992, where he was the president of the library club and was an athlete, according to WDHN-TV. He faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. Maureen Maher: Did he verbally threaten her? On August 1, after the girls were reported missing, police found their bodies in the trunk of Beasleys car on the side of Herring Avenue in Ozark, according to police. After the evidence was analyzed at Parabon, investigators recognized McCraney's last name from the DNA search, Walker said. Dawn told Jordan about the night of March 7, 1990, when Tracey went missing. Carl and Tracey Harris with their daughter Carolyn. Unsolved mystery from Ozark Alabama This mystery has always intrigued me, as it happens about 20 miles from where i grew up. David Harrison: There's absolutely no evidence at all that connects Carl Harris to this murder, none whatsoever. I think that the domestic violence was definitely in the back of our heads But also, the 17-year-old girlfriend that he had. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. I was never worried, never, because I was innocent. On August 19th, 2021, Carl Harris filed his lawsuit against the City of Ozark. A financial advisor drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder money to appease a drug boss. Maureen Maher: Did you want to ask him about her? The lab has worked to provide DNA phenotype services and has helped crack several cold cases by creating profiles with crime scene DNA on public genealogy websites. A press conference is also scheduled for Monday where Dale County officials and Ozark Police are expected to announce the charges against McCraney. Kirke Adams: Every witness we spoke with, she could not swim. A DNA match found through a genealogy website has led to an arrest in the killings of two teen girls nearly 20 years ago, Alabama authorities said. Among those who police went back and interviewed -- an acquaintance of Tracey and Carl's, and Tracey's aunt: WOMAN: He said, "the police are so dumb, I can kill somebody and get away with it.". Ozark police sued for arresting wrong murder suspect. Although she recalled little about her time with Carl, she did remember learning Tracey was dead . Maureen Maher: You and Jeff never talked about it ever again? Because the credibility of the people that were going to testify they had no credibility, none whatsoever. or redistributed. This is the moment. But Dawn was willing to overlook his criminal past, and the information about killing Tracey, as they married and started their own family, keeping the secret to themselves. Dawn Beasley: I had an impossible choice to make And I really struggled Tracey deserves justice. Friday, a member of that family was arrested in Oklahoma City by federal and local law enforcement officers and accused of killing his mother, father and older brother in Ozark, Ala. Jason Hunter Culverhouse, 23, was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals' Service Metro Fugitive Squad at an Oklahoma City truck stop. Dawn Beasley: The only thing I was ever afraid of was how they were going to respond, and they responded with support and love and understanding. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But after it all happened, we just stopped seeing each other. A 45-year-old man has been arrested in the 1999 cold case rape and murder of two teen girls in Ozark, Alabama. Kirke Adams: Not one witness we had ever mentioned that she was possibly seeing someone else because it was clear from the witnesses that Carl wouldn't allow that. There was a problem saving your notification. Trial in 1999 Ozark slayings continued due to lack of jurors. I'm about to get married, I'm pregnant This baby deserves a chance at a life with a loving family and a mom and a dad. Marlos Walker was dismissed as chief in July. I cant do it alone., READ NEXT: Man Whose First Wife Died Mysteriously Is Wanted in the Murder of His Second Wife, Coley McCraney: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Melissa Velsquez Loaiza (CNN) La edicin nmero 29 de los Premios del Sindicato de Actores de la Pantalla SAG Awards se llev a cabo el domingo en el Fairmont Century Plaza de Los . "Yes, ma'am," he replied. Ozark is a town in Alabama with a population of 14,396. Jordan Davis: I was actually 3 when this happened, so from 1990 -- and we're trying to track down witnesses We were dealing with people that had moved all over the country. McCraney then returned home and has lived in Ozark and Dothan since, according to public records. Houston County real estate transfers Feb. 13-Feb. 16, 2023, Dothan woman charged with assaulting police officer, New biotech can 3D print living cells inside the human body, Ukraine will join NATO but in 'long- term', says NATO chief Stoltenberg, Finland begins building fence along Russia border. She was raised by her grandmother in Texas and didn't have contact with her father. The federal lawsuit demands a jury trial and names as defendants the city of Ozark, former police chief Marlos Walker, and Investigator Jimmy Culbreath. Prosecutors do not know why or who spray-painted the name under the bridge. It was higher than in 93.1% U.S. cities. Carolyn Aznavour: And there was one lady. How could a kind, gentle doctor commit such murders? "Carl Harris did have a reputation for being very violent in particular towards Tracey Harris," said Davis. At the time of the murders he was 26 and living on Lisenby Drive in Ozark, about 1 mile away from where the bodies of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were found in 1999. He died Wednesday. Carolyn spoke with the sheriff, who put her in touch with the Ozark Police Department. didn't have a problem with each other or nothing like that. Dawn Beasley's secret weighed on her when she was asked to testify in the 2020 murder trial of Carl Harris. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Maureen Maher: You didn't tell anybody that she wasn't coming back? Dawn Beasley: I think that she appreciated having someone, you know. She said, Mom, were on our way home, Roberts said, according to the station. "Tracey Harris was a hardworking, young mother that disappeared March 7th, 1990," said Adams. Carolyn Aznavour: Carl has not come forward and actually been truthful to me about the abuse. More than 26 years after Tracey Harris was killed, Carl Harris was arrested for her murder. View Full Report Card. OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) -A man wrongfully charged in the cold case murder of his estranged wife has filed a $6 million lawsuit against the city of Ozark. EX-GIRLFRIEND: I just remember thinking that, you know, people were talking and it even took me being questioned to even think that maybe he could have done it. FLORIDA AUTHORITIES ARREST MAN IN CONNECTION TO 1984 MURDER OF NAVY RECRUIT WHO WAS BEATEN AND STRANGLED. Many retirees live in Ozark and residents tend to have moderate political views. EX-GIRLFRIEND: I just couldn't believe that she was dead. Coley McCraney has been charged with murder in the 1999 deaths of two teen girls, JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, in Ozark, Alabama, thanks to DNA and a genealogy website. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking Ozark, AL local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby towns. Cheryl Burgoon, Beasleys mother, told the newspaper at the vigil, Once you lose a child, it takes you to places you could never expect. When Carolyn was about 21, she says Carl did reach out and they met, but did not talk about Tracey. JEFF BEASLEY [Interrogation]: I'm being accused of, of, of murder, of, of taking someone's life -- I couldn't. A week later, her body was found in the Choctawhatchee River, a few miles from her home in Ozark, Alabama. DOTHAN, Ala. ( WDHN) A Dothan man has been arrested for the alleged murder of his daughter after her skeletal remains were found near Ozark in February. People who live in Ozark generally consider the southwest part of the city to be the safest. I think that he was jealous of their success. Dawn Beasley [crying]: I should have been sorry for Carolyn and I was sorry for me. Kirke Adams: It was certainly one of the first places that investigators were looking for Tracey. A judge pushed back the trial of Coley McCraney until 20-21 due to COVID-19 . Standard Hours. "I never put my hands on Tracey Never," he told "48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher. Could he have really done this? BROTHERCOLEY MCCRANEY (GOD HAS YOU & THE FAMILY AS WELL), James Lee Fuller wrote on Facebook. Carolyn's focus remains on the mother she never had the chance to get to know. DA KIRKE ADAMS [to reporters]: - I have dismissed the murder case against Carl Harris. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Coley McCraney is accused in the 1999 cold case rape and murder of JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in Alabama. A woman Davis contacted as a possible witness told Davis that that her husband, who she is no longer married to, killed Tracey Harris. Q: Do people have the right to take your picture and publish it without your permission? He worked as a bouncer, in construction, had a girlfriend and another daughter. You have permission to edit this article. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and assault. Jordan Davis: This was definitely something Carolyn was passionate about she wanted some type of justice for her mom. And so, Dawn made her decision. Selina Dodson: A lot of people, you know, just assumed Carl would be arrested -- assumed he did it and were waiting for him to be arrested. For years, Selina Dodson wondered if there would ever be justice for her friend Tracey Harris, who in 1990 was found murdered in Alabama's Choctawhatchee River. Police accused Carl Harris of killing. Wings, burgers, pizzas & steaks. Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams and Assistant DA Jordan Davis spent years building a case against Carl Harris for the murder of his ex-wife, Tracey. Both were 17. But no arrest was made, and the case went cold. Kirke Adams| Dale County District Attorney [by the river]: Tracey was alive when she came to this location and traveled down this access road to the beachy area.