In the late summer of 2015, concern began to grow for 56-year-old Edward Vanwormer of Somerset, Kentucky. The man, who was an avid outdoorsman with a passion for fishing, hunting, and riding his motorcycle, had not been seen by relatives since early August. Suspicions were further aroused when some of his personal belongings appeared to be missing from his home.
A missing person report was filed on September 15, 2015, under circumstances that were deemed suspicious by those who knew him.
The investigation into Edward's disappearance took a grim turn on September 23, 2015, when authorities executed a search warrant at his residence. There, buried beneath a section of freshly poured concrete in his garage, they made a grisly discovery: the body of Edward Vanwormer. An autopsy would later reveal that he had died from a gunshot wound. The focus of the investigation quickly shifted from a missing person case to a homicide, and suspicion fell upon his son, Jedediah Lee Vanwormer, who was 26 years old at the time. It was discovered that Jedediah had even attempted to deceive investigators by calling them and pretending to be his father in an effort to throw them off the trail.
The subsequent investigation revealed a story of betrayal and deceit. According to police reports, Jedediah's girlfriend, Amanda Braddock, informed authorities that Jedediah had killed his father. Neighbors also reported seeing both Jedediah and Amanda removing property from Edward's home, which investigators believed was an attempt to conceal evidence of the crime. By the time law enforcement was closing in, the couple had fled the state. They were eventually located and apprehended in North Carolina and extradited back to Kentucky to face charges.
Jedediah Vanwormer was charged with the murder of his father, along with theft and tampering with physical evidence. In court, he initially pleaded not guilty. However, the evidence against him was substantial. He was ultimately convicted for the murder of his father, Edward Vanwormer. A judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison for his crimes. His conviction brought a close to the tragic case, leaving a family to grapple with the devastating loss of a man at the hands of his own son.
