In a quiet community in Harrison, Arkansas, the life of a 28-year-old Caucasian male, Jeremy Reese Scroggins, came to a tragic end on June 27, 2016. A graduate of Harrison High School, Jeremy was a father who enjoyed the outdoors, particularly riding four-wheelers, hunting, and fishing. His disappearance on that late June day would unravel a grim story of drugs and violence, leaving his family searching for answers.
Four days after he was last seen by his parents in the area of Gipson and Rock Springs Road, his father reported him missing. The investigation into his whereabouts would eventually lead authorities to a devastating discovery.
Investigators found Jeremy's body in a cemetery west of Harrison. An autopsy later revealed that he had been shot twice in the head with a. 22-caliber weapon. The motive for this brutal act, as determined by the Boone County Sheriff's Office, was a drug debt. It was believed that Scroggins owed money to a man named Guillermo Martinez, a debt that would ultimately cost him his life.
The investigation into Jeremy's death led to the arrests of three individuals. Shay Butler, 24, was identified as the primary suspect and was charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. His girlfriend, Morgan Vaughan, 27, faced a charge of aggravated robbery for her role in the crime. The third person arrested was 40-year-old Guillermo Martinez, who was also charged with aggravated robbery. It was revealed that Butler and Vaughan had picked Scroggins up with the intention of robbing him. Butler confessed to investigators that he drove Scroggins to a rural location near Denning Cemetery and shot him. Social media conversations reportedly played a role in leading investigators to Butler and Vaughan.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of closure to the case. Shay Butler pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 36 years in prison. Morgan Vaughan was found guilty of her charge and received a 13-year prison sentence. Guillermo Martinez, however, was acquitted of aggravated robbery by a jury.
