Who killed Russell and Shirley Dermond?

It was eight years ago on May 6, 2014, that one of the strangest unsolved homicide cases ever occurred. The Dermonds, Russell, 88, and Shirley, 87, lived a peaceful life at their lakefront home in Eatonton, Georgia. Both had retired after successfully owning several fast-food restaurants. Eatonton is a small city with just over 6,000 residents. Homicides rarely, if ever, occur in Eatonton, so it is considered a safe place to live. However, the double homicide of a beloved elderly couple would shake up Eatonton residents. The murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond must keep Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills up at night.

The couple lived in an upscale gated community. In May 2014, a neighbor invited the couple to attend a Kentucky Derby party. The Dermonds accepted and were expected to attend. However, the neighbors became concerned when they failed to arrive. On May 6, a neighbor visited the Dermond residence to conduct a wellness check. The neighbor found Russell Dermond's body in his garage. A gunman shot him and removed his head which has never been located. Did the killer keep it as a morbid souvenir? And where was Shirley Dermond? She was missing from her home. Authorities wondered if she was either involved in Russell's death or if she had been kidnapped.

Ten days after finding Russell Dermond's body, two fishermen discovered Shirley Dermond tied to two cinder blocks floating face down in Lake Oconee. Her decomposed body had doubled in size. Shirley's killer beat her to death with a hammer or something similar. She was fully clothed, so sexual assault was ruled out.

The authorities found little evidence inside the home. Motivation, or the lack thereof, is one of the most troubling aspects of this case. No valuables were taken from the home. There was no evidence of the killers taking anything. Robbery does not appear to have been the motive. The murders seemed to be personal. In order to behead Russell Dermond and assault Shirley, the killer must have been up close. More than one killer may have been involved.

The death scene is also concerning. Where were the victims killed? Because there are no shell casings, it's possible they were killed elsewhere. According to law enforcement, Russell's head was removed from the garage. And it didn't seem as if anything was disturbed in the home. However, someone did put a lamp with a missing lamp shade on one of the couple's vehicles.

Law enforcement questioned over two hundred people. The family's three adult children all passed their polygraphs. Not much progress has been made in this case for several years. The case remains the only unsolved homicide of Sheriff Sill's extensive law enforcement career.

The murderer left no fingerprints or DNA evidence. However, the police recently received cellphone records. In order to find out who killed the Dermonds, the FBI will help examine the records. Russell and Shirley left behind three adult children and several grandchildren. Mark, the couple's oldest son, was killed during a drug deal in 2000. What happened to this beloved couple? Were they killed over a past business decision? Law enforcement still continues to capture those involved with killing the Dermonds.

Please call the Putnam County Sheriff's department at (706) 485-8557 if you have any information about this case.

Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.