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In June 2008, Arkansas couple Jill and Tom Estes were killed in a Festus, Missouri, hotel. Their bodies were found about one and a half miles from their location behind a local gas station after authorities followed a blood-covered trail to locate them. The pair were reportedly attacked in the hotel parking lot and died of blunt trauma injuries to the head.
Foreign DNA found at the crime scene led authorities to spree killer Nicholas Sheley, who was under the radar for the suspected killings of six Illinois people. Authorities alleged that Sheley encountered the couple during an alcohol and drug-fuelled rampage that ended in a week-long killing spree in Missouri.
An upcoming episode of ID's See No Evil is slated to revisit the brutal killings of Jill and Tom Estes, who became the final victims of convicted spree killer Nicholas Sheley. The episode, The Blood Trail, airs on Friday, January 27, at 7 pm ET.
The synopsis of the episode reads:
"Tom and Jill Estes' bodies are found behind a dumpster in Festus, Mo.; police are baffled until a receipt leads to CCTV footage of a blood-stained suspect; a trail of bodies reveals a killer who must be stopped before he strikes again."
Arkansas couple Jill and Tom Estes died of blunt force injuries after being repeatedly struck in the head
Parents of two, Jill and Tom Estes, were staying at a motel in Festus while attending a graduation celebration in the Missouri city. According to reports, the couple was traveling with their two dogs. But their days were numbered as they became the victims of a crime fueled by rage, drugs, and multiple prior killings.
On June 29, 2008, guests at the Festus hotel spotted the couple's blood-covered dogs running about in the parking lot, unattended. The people, concerned about what they had just noticed, instantly called the police, who, upon examination, failed to notice anything suspicious in the couple's room. Police could only locate the missing individuals after following a one-and-a-half mile-long bloody trail.
Jill and Tom's bodies were discovered behind a nearby gas station, and authorities deduced that they were murdered elsewhere before being dumped at the scene. An autopsy later revealed that the two were beaten to death and died of blunt force injuries to their heads. Sources stated that they were repeatedly bludgeoned, most likely with a tire iron.
Spree killer Nicholas Sheley, suspected in six unrelated Illinois killings, was behind the murders of Jill and Tom Estes
Coincidentally, at the time of Jill and Tom Estes' murder, authorities were looking for a serial killer named Nicholas Sheley, who was being pursued in Illinois for six separate killings after his DNA was discovered at the crime scenes. While Sheley was still missing, an investigation into the couple's death assisted forensics in extracting a foreign DNA sample from the scene, which was a match for Sheley.
Additionally, Sheley was captured on multiple CCTV cameras, which allowed investigators to create a credible timeline and establish his involvement beyond a reasonable doubt in Estes' murders. This led to a nationwide hunt with his face plastered across all media channels, social media, and newspapers.
A few helpful tips led to his arrest on July 1 while he was residing in Granite City. Nicholas Sheley was convicted in all six Illinois killings, receiving six life sentences with a few additional years before being extradited to Missouri for the killings of Jill and Tom Estes. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and other related charges to avoid the death penalty, receiving two other life sentences.
