Imagine a small town, quiet and peaceful, suddenly shaken by an unfathomable mystery. That’s what happened in Beckley, West Virginia, when Susan Carter and her 10-year-old daughter, Alex, vanished without a trace on August 8, 2000. For over two decades, the case remained cold, a haunting question mark hanging over the community. But just when hope seemed lost, a shocking deathbed confession 23 Years Later brought the truth to light.
The Day They Disappeared
Susan Carter, 41, and her daughter Alex (whose given name was Natasha), were last seen alive in Beckley. At the time, Susan was locked in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Rick Lafferty. Adding to the tension, Susan reportedly told Rick, “You will never see Alex again.” Shortly before their disappearance, Susan and Alex moved in with Larry Webb, Susan’s new boyfriend.
Initial Suspicions
When Susan and Alex went missing, police immediately launched an investigation. Their first step was to question Rick Lafferty. Understandably, he was distraught, but his alibi checked out, and he was quickly cleared.
Next, investigators turned their attention to Larry Webb. According to police, Larry seemed overwhelmed with emotion. He claimed, “I love that little girl like my own, and Susan, she had my whole heart.” Larry insisted he had nothing to hide and even offered to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence. He explained he was out of town when they disappeared. He filed the missing person’s report.
With no solid leads, detectives began to consider a disturbing possibility: could Susan have orchestrated her and Alex’s disappearance, fulfilling her promise to keep Alex from Rick? For 23 long years, Susan and Alex remained on the FBI’s missing person’s list, their fate unknown.
It would take 23 years for a deathbed confession to reveal what really happened to Susan and Alex Carter.
A Bullet from the Past
The case took a dramatic turn in 2022. The FBI uncovered a significant lead that pointed directly to Larry Webb. They obtained a search warrant for his home – the same house where Susan and Alex had lived. During the search, they found a bullet hidden behind a baseboard in Alex’s bedroom.
Months later, DNA testing on the bullet revealed a shocking truth: it was covered in Alex’s DNA.
In August 2023, investigators returned to Larry Webb’s house. They conducted an exhaustive search, even tearing up tiles from the basement floor. Despite the mounting evidence, Larry remained steadfast. Larry refused to back down. He insisted he loved Susan and Alex, saying, “I have searched high and low for them. I even went all the way to Cleveland to look for them.”
The Truth Revealed
In October 2023, prosecutors announced the indictment of Larry Webb for Alex Carter’s murder based on the DNA evidence from the bullet. But what about Susan? At that point, his involvement in her disappearance was unclear. Adding to the complexity, Larry was almost 84 years old and suffering from significant health issues, including dementia. It seemed the truth might remain buried forever.
Then, in April 2024, Larry’s health took a sharp turn for the worse. On his deathbed, 23 years after they disappeared, he made a stunning confession. He admitted he had shot both Alex and Susan Carter all those years ago. He even provided details about how he committed the murders.
Why?
The question that everyone wanted answered: why? According to Larry, things escalated when he became convinced that Susan had stolen some missing money and was spending recklessly. They argued, and in the heat of the moment, he lost control and shot Susan.
But it didn’t end there. Larry feared that Alex would call the police and report him for killing her mother. So, he decided she had to die too. After killing them, he wrapped their bodies in bed sheets and kept them in his basement for two days while he dug their graves in his backyard. Then he left them there for 23 years until the confession he made on his deathbed.
Closure at Last
Just six hours after Larry’s death, police uncovered Susan and Alex’s remains in his backyard. Nearly 24 years had passed since their disappearance.
What prompted the police to reopen the investigation after all those years? In 2020, the U.S. Marshals launched a renewed effort to find missing and exploited children. During this initiative, they came across the Carter case. The sheer determination of an FBI agent and a state trooper ultimately led to solving the mystery.
Rick Lafferty never gave up hope. He plastered flyers around town, spoke with police, and interviewed people, relentlessly searching for answers about what happened to his daughter. “Kind of a sad day, but also a happy day because I could bring my baby home,” Rick said. He advised others in similar situations to “never give up hope of finding your child,” adding, “Somebody knows something…that with the help of these fine people here, she may have never been found.” After 23 years and a deathbed confession, he could finally say a proper goodbye to his daughter.
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