Willard 'Ron' Hess, a 70-year-old male, and his 72-year-old wife, Dorothy E. Hess, were found deceased in their Winder, Georgia, home on the morning of May 21, 2019. The couple's grandson made the grim discovery after not hearing from them for several days and subsequently called 911. The quiet life of the retired couple, who had moved to Georgia to be closer to family, was shattered by this violent act.
Investigators from the Barrow County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation quickly determined that both Willard and Dorothy Hess had been shot to death, and their deaths were ruled a double homicide. The home on Southridge Road did not appear to be ransacked, which made robbery an unlikely motive in the initial stages of the investigation. As a precautionary measure, law enforcement officials processed both the Hess's residence and the grandson's home, which was located across the street. Authorities expressed interest in a dark-colored sedan that was seen parked in front of the Hess's home on at least two occasions in the week leading up to the discovery of their bodies.
For months, the investigation continued with few public developments. No suspects were immediately identified, and a motive for the killings remained elusive. The community was left on edge, and the case, while actively being worked on, yielded no arrests in the murders. Investigators continued to seek information about the mysterious vehicle seen in the neighborhood, believing the driver could hold crucial information.
A significant development in the case came in September 2020, when the FBI revealed a connection between the murders and a large-scale international investigation into opioid trafficking on the dark web, dubbed 'Operation Disruptor.' It was discovered that following their murders, the identities of Willard and Dorothy Hess had been stolen, and their personal information was being sold online. This led investigators to a man named Durrell Tyler, who was indicted in a federal fraud case for allegedly purchasing the sensitive information of numerous elderly victims, including the Hesses. While Tyler faced federal charges for fraud, authorities stated that they did not believe he was directly involved in the homicides but had not officially ruled him out as a person of interest in the ongoing murder investigation. As of the latest available information, no one has been charged with the murders of Willard and Dorothy Hess, and the case officially remains unsolved.
