In January 2003, LeAnn Emry, a 24-year-old Caucasian female, told her parents she was embarking on a caving expedition to Mexico. This was the last time they would see her alive. A few weeks later, her car was discovered abandoned in a remote area near the Book Cliffs in Utah, sparking fears for her safety. Her purse and other belongings were inside, but her credit cards were missing.
Her family's attempts to get law enforcement to investigate were initially met with suggestions that she was likely a runaway.
For years, LeAnn's disappearance remained a painful mystery for her family. It wasn't until March 2009 that a significant breakthrough occurred. Acting on information from a man named Scott Lee Kimball, investigators were led to a remote, mountainous area in eastern Utah. There, they discovered human remains that were later confirmed through DNA testing to be those of LeAnn Emry. An autopsy would later reveal that her death was a homicide.
The man who led authorities to her body, Scott Lee Kimball, was an FBI informant with a lengthy criminal history. He was eventually identified as a serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least four people, including LeAnn. Kimball had been traveling with Emry around the time she disappeared. Investigators believe he murdered her because she had become entangled in his criminal activities, including laundering money, and he no longer had a use for her. Evidence found near her remains, including a spent bullet that matched a gun owned by Kimball, further implicated him in her death.
In a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Scott Kimball pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of LeAnn Emry and three other victims. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison for his crimes. While he admitted to his involvement in the deaths, he offered shifting accounts of what transpired. As part of his plea agreement, he was to lead authorities to the bodies of his victims. While he successfully led them to LeAnn's remains, the search for another of his victims, Jennifer Marcum, proved fruitless based on the locations he provided.
