ALTON, IL — A haunting mystery that gripped a small Illinois community for nearly a decade has finally reached resolution — all sparked by a chilling confession from a husband to his wife.
Bonnie Woodward, a 47-year-old nurse’s aide at Eunice Smith Nursing Home, vanished on June 25, 2010, shortly after finishing her shift. Her red Chevy Avalanche was later discovered abandoned with its windows rolled down — a detail that deeply alarmed her family.
“She loved that truck. She worked hard to get it. She absolutely wouldn’t have just left it,” said her niece, Rachel Lee, in an interview with ABC’s 20/20.
A Mysterious Disappearance and a Stepdaughter’s Return
Woodward’s disappearance came just eight days after her 17-year-old stepdaughter, Heather, had run away from home. Heather eventually resurfaced and told police she had been staying with the family of Roger Carroll, a local church member.
That detail led authorities to question Carroll, especially after his fingerprints were found on Woodward’s truck. But at the time, there wasn’t enough evidence to file charges. When asked, Carroll claimed:
“Then I’ve been framed. There’s no way my fingerprints are on that car door.”
The case eventually went cold — until a disturbing confession broke it wide open nearly eight years later.
A Chilling Confession Sparks New Leads
In March 2018, Carroll’s wife, Monica, contacted police to report a domestic assault. During her report, she revealed that Roger had once told her:
“I have killed for you. I’ve killed before and I’ll kill again.”
This led police to reopen Woodward’s case and track Carroll to a wooded area, where he had attempted suicide by insulin overdose. He was taken into custody alive.
Son’s Testimony and the Final Pieces
Carroll’s son, Nathan, later came forward and testified before a grand jury. He claimed that on the day Woodward disappeared, his father made him return from vacation. That afternoon, Nathan heard eight to nine gunshots and saw someone lying on the ground in tan scrubs.
He said Carroll then started a large fire in the backyard, forcing Nathan to help him burn the body. The fire was kept alive for two full days.
Nathan eventually led police to three locations on the property — the murder site, the burn site, and a creek where Woodward’s ashes were dumped. Investigators recovered 27 bone fragments, but none could be definitively identified through DNA.
Conviction Without a Body
Despite the lack of positively identified remains, the evidence and testimony were enough for a conviction. In March 2020, Carroll was found guilty and sentenced to 65 years in prison — 40 years for first-degree murder and 25 years for firearm use.
Carroll is currently appealing the ruling, and the Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case.
A Family Finally Finds Justice
“Roger Carroll robbed her kids, her grandkids, her friends and family,” said Woodward’s longtime partner Gary Wilmurth Sr. “But we’ll never forget her.”
Special Prosecutor Jennifer Mudge added,
“Bonnie can now rest peacefully. I don’t believe in the word ‘closure,’ but justice has been served.”
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