Whitehead, the victim, resided in a flat in Rockdale County, Georgia. Donald Glen Everett visited her residence on the evening of Thursday, April 14, 1983, and knocked on the door of her apartment in Rockdale County.
He informed her that her fiancé was calling from a nearby pay phone. Eager to speak with him, she hurried to the phone without a second thought.
Unexpectedly, she never returned home. The next morning, Cathay’s mother went out to search for her in the surrounding areas.
Soon after, her mother located her abandoned car next to the pay phone, with the car door ajar and the keys missing.
Law enforcement had been probing the disappearance of Caty Whitehead for an extended period.
A year later, police arrested Donald Glen Everett after learning that he had been discussing Cathy and her vanishing act with others.
Investigators were led to an abandoned well in Gwinnett County, where decomposed and severely burned human remains, clothing, and a blue blanket were recovered.
Although the body was severely burned and badly decomposed, a portion of the remains was salvaged from the well.
Also retrieved were some clothing and a blue blanket. Owing to the state of decomposition, the precise cause of death could not be determined, but it was ascertained that she had been a victim of homicide.
Despite the challenges posed by the decomposition, the police established that the human remains and the articles were indeed Cathy’s.
Furthermore, authorities confirmed that her death had been classified as a homicide.
Later, during the investigation, when interrogated, Donald confessed to his involvement in Cathy’s murder.
He also admitted that his girlfriend, Tina Short, her mother, Hazel, and Hazel’s nephew, Nickie Ford, had been accomplices in the Whitehead murder case.
Subsequently, the police succeeded in apprehending them as suspects. Hazel initially denied all allegations against her, but after requesting an attorney, she eventually confessed to everything.
Hazel also disclosed that Tina drove the car when they kidnapped Cathy, with Nickie seated in the passenger seat.
Cathy was then stabbed in the arm, locked in a vehicle’s trunk, and later transferred to an abandoned car in Gwinnett County.
Subsequently, the perpetrators incinerated the victim, then strangled her and disposed of her in a well. With a full confession, the police made their arrests, bringing closure to the victim’s family.
Admission of Guilt – Where Are the Culprits Now?
During the court proceedings, Donald testified, claiming that he was only involved in luring the victim out of her home and disposing of the body.
In contrast, Hazel refrained from testifying, but her statement was read to the jury. Ultimately, Donald Everett pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986.
Conversely, Hazel Louise Short was found guilty of kidnapping with bodily injury and murder, leading to her receiving two consecutive life sentences.
According to reports, both Donald and Hazel are currently out of prison, with Donald being granted parole in 1993, while Hazel was released in 2018.
Since her release, Hazel has led a private life and prefers to remain out of the public eye. With minimal presence on social media and no recent reports on her life, her current whereabouts remain uncertain.
Meanwhile, Donald appears to be happily married and resides in Covington, Georgia, with his wife and two children.
