An 8 year old's murder in 1998 leads to a wrongful conviction On June 27, 1998, five-year-old Devan Duniver went missing from her home in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Devan had gone outside to play as part of her usual routine but failed to return home by the afternoon, which prompted her mother, Lori Duniver, to begin searching for her. By evening, with no sign of Devan, Lori contacted the police, who launched a search involving local authorities and community members.
On June 28, the search resumed, and an off-duty EMT discovered Devan's body in a wooded area near her home. She had been stabbed seven times in the neck, and evidence indicated that she had struggled with her attacker before succumbing to her injuries. The discovery shocked the community, and an investigation immediately began to determine what had happened to the young girl.
The investigation into Devan's murder led police to focus on 12-year-old Anthony Harris, who was a neighbor and had participated in the search for Devan. He was interrogated by authorities, who allegedly coerced a confession from him. In 1999, Anthony was convicted of the murder despite the lack of direct evidence linking him to the crime, and he was sentenced to serve time in juvenile detention until he was 21. However, following an appeal, his conviction was overturned in 2000, with the appellate court acknowledging that his confession was coerced and that there was no concrete evidence proving his guilt. Despite the conviction being overturned, no other suspect has been charged, and Devan's real killer remains unidentified.
The circumstances of Devan's murder continue to raise questions, particularly due to the possibility that her body was moved to the wooded area after an initial search had already been conducted there. This suggests that she may have been killed elsewhere, and later placed in the location where her body was found. Over the years, other potential suspects have emerged, including Lori's ex-boyfriend, who had previously kidnapped Devan for several days, and a recently released convicted child molester who lived in the area at the time of her disappearance. Despite these potential leads, the case remains unsolved, and the real perpetrator has never been brought to justice.
