The mysterious disappearance of Kirsten Hatfield in her bedroom in Oklahoma caused the police, as well as her family and friends, in shock and to seek answers for years. Although the incident happened in 1997, it wasn’t until 2015 that the perpetrator was identified because of advances in DNA technologies.
Kirsten’s family sighed with relief after Anthony Palma, the man responsible, was charged with the crime. Investigation Discovery’s documentary ‘On the Investigation – Unter Mordverdacht: Done from Her Bed” is the title of this case. We’ve got you covered if you’re interested in what transpired the night of the murder.
How Did Kirsten Hatfield Die?
Kirsten was born in February 1989, and at the time the accident occurred, she was staying with her mom in Midwest City, Oklahoma. On the night of May 13, 1997, the 8-year-old was sleeping in the bedroom shared by her sister. Her mother, Shannon, remembered seeing her daughter at about 11:30 pm as she put her to bed. In the hours that were to follow, tragedy hit the family.
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When Shannon returned to check on her at 6 am on May 14, 1997, Kirsten wasn’t found. But what the police found was very alarming. The bedroom window was broken, and the window sill and the outside fence contained blood. Kirsten’s blood-stained and ripped pants were discovered within the yard. However, there was no sign of her. The remains of Kirsten have not been located. The investigation has led the police to believe Kirsten was murdered after being sexually assaulted.
Who Killed Kirsten Hatfield?
Initially, authorities believed that Kirsten was likely kidnapped or abducted by a family relative. It was because it would be difficult for the abductor Kirsten to cross the bed and across the fence without making a fuss or noise if it was someone else. In the past, Shannon was an active participant in an underground drug scene and believed that someone had abducted her daughter from the circle. With no tangible evidence, the police could not bring an arrest, and the case became a cold case.
Kirsten’s case was transferred to June of 2015, which led to the authorities taking a new review of the case. The police discovered evidence previously not tested and attempted to analyze the evidence for biological evidence. It was lucky that it happened the DNA of a male with no profile was found on Kirsten’s pants and window sill. Both had blood on them at the time of an initial inquiry.
Although there were no results when using CODIS to analyze the profile, the researchers decided to collect samples from people who were viewed earlier in the year 1997. They got an unexpected result, with a DNA match of Anthony Joseph Palma, who was a neighbor of Kirsten’s residence and was still there even after all these years. The authorities spoke with Anthony in 1997. the report said he was a friend of Kirsten’s elder sister, and his vehicle was found near the house at the time of the police arrival.
But, Anthony denied having anything in connection with the disappearance and was not arrested because of a lack of evidence. When police interviewed him in June of 2015, He told them that he had slept the night before but woke up around 2 am or 3 am because of the dog’s barking. Anthony also denied that he knew Kirsten’s mother. He also claimed the family never had any involvement with their property. Anthony was willing to give the DNA sample and stated that he allowed the police to inspect his home in 1997.
In July of 2015. Anthony’s DNA was matched to the blood samples from the crime scene, and the police discovered there was no evidence of a search carried out at his home in 1997. In addition, he has a criminal record. In the 1980s, Anthony was convicted of battery and assault and sentenced to prison. It was claimed that he entered the bedroom of a teenage girl through the window and sexually assaulted her before.
The authorities believed Anthony was the one who abducted Kirsten, then sexually assaulted her, and later killed her. In 2015 his wife admitted to police that he would get angry over Kirsten’s birthday every year. Anthony was later found guilty in the courtroom, and several witnesses testified about how he sexually assaulted them as children. Their roommate of, Anthony 1998, claimed that he had raped them and drunk drugs on her. However, no charges were brought against him.
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How Did Anthony Palma Die?
In October of 2017, Anthony was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sent to prison for the rest of his life imprisonment. Anthony maintained his innocence and did not divulge where Kirsten’s remains were. On January 11, 2019, Anthony was discovered under an unprotected blanket inside his prison cell in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Pittsburg County. The guards made their cellmate of his, Raymond Pillado, take the blanket off. They saw that Anthony was not responding in a bloody pool. It was later discovered that Raymond was the one who killed Anthony in the process. The cause of death was strangulation to the ligature and the trauma of blunt force. Anthony was aged 56 at the time of his death.
