Police in West Virginia made a disturbing discovery after a suspect in a decades-old investigation made a deathbed confession.
The disappearance
Susan Carter and her 10-year-old daughter, Natasha 'Alex' Carter, had been living at the home of Larry Webb in Beckley, West Virginia when they disappeared in 2000.
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The mother and daughter had last been seen on 8 August, 2000 leaving Alex's father, Rick Lafferty, clueless about their whereabouts.
The suspect
Authorities have stated that Webb, 82, was a suspect from the start of the investigation, and approximately 18 months ago they obtained a search warrant for his home.
There, members of the FBI’s Evidence Recovery Team and West Virginia State Police Crime Scene Investigative Unit found a bullet embedded in the wall of what had been Alex's bedroom.
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DNA tests conducted on the bullet confirmed it held blood belonging to Alex, and together with witness statements, police had enough evidence to indict Webb in October 2023 for first-degree murder in Alex's death.
The complications
After the indictment, court proceedings were delayed due to 'the health of Larry Webb', Benjamin Hatfield, the prosecuting attorney for Raleigh County, said.
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"He was moved to a nursing home. We had issues with transport,” Hatfield explained. “We had issues with securing his medical clearance to be incarcerated. … It was a bit difficult to move through the court process in the early stages.”
While Webb was at his nursing home, one of the investigators in the case was able to speak with him and listened as the suspect made a 'detailed, undeniable, unconflicted' confession.
The confession
In his statement, Webb detailed how he'd allegedly noticed some of the cash in his home had gone missing while Alex and Susan were living there.
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Webb suspected Susan had 'spent a lot of money', prompting an argument between the pair. Webb revealed he shot Susan, thinking at the time he 'knew he had ruined his life forever’.
He then said he felt he had no choice but to shoot Alex to 'avoid detection'.
Webb described wrapping the two bodies in bed linings and putting them in his basement while he dug a shallow grave in the woods on his property.
He then buried the mom and daughter together.
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After hearing the confession, Hatfield said it 'aligned with exactly the investigative efforts and the evidence collected' by authorities.
The discovery
Authorities began to excavate the land at Webb's home on 9 April, but efforts were hindered as Webb's knowledge of the location was 'clouded by memory and by physical and mental health at that time'.
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As investigators continued to search for the bodies, Webb was transferred to Montgomery General Hospital, where he suffered a medical episode and was pronounced dead died on Monday (22 April).
“It was later that same afternoon when we found Susan and Alex Carter," Hatfield said, adding: "A bit of a poetic ending that not even I could write.”
Rick Lafferty said that while the discovery of Alex's body marked a 'sad day', it was also happy because he could 'bring [his] baby home'.
The remains of Susan and Alex are with the coroner's office as the investigation continues.
Emily Brown