On January 26, 2001, Jonah Dale arrived at the home of his 25-year-old daughter, Missy Hammond, and found her dead in her bed. Missy's seven-year-old daughter, Liddie, was also in the home, bewildered after apparently spending the night with her mother's body. What happened to this young mother? Who could've wanted to hurt her? What, if anything, did the child see and hear? Physical evidence was collected at the scene and witnesses are being questioned. No suspects were immediately identified, but Missy had an ex-husband, a boyfriend, a doting neighbor, and a married ex-boyfriend. The investigation is ongoing.

Case documents are presented in chronological order in the Case Files section. There are four types of case documents: Evidence, Interviews, Biographies, and Press. Click the relevant tag at the top of the Case Files page to filter by document type. If this is your first look at the investigation, you may want to start here: TV news report from the crime scene The YCSD incident report Local newspaper coverage of the death Interview with Jonah Dale, called 911

Need another copy of your kit directions? Forensic Science Kit directions [PDF] Want to see how you can use this case in your classroom? Lesson Plan – The Hammond Case Investigation [PDF] Lesson Plan – From the Crime Scene to the Courtroom [PDF] Want to replenish your kit? Forensic Science Kit Refill in the Crime Scene Store Want to learn more about fingerprinting? How to Collect Latent Fingerprints with Ink and Chemicals (USDOJ Guide) [PDF] How to Identify Latent Fingerprints (FBI Manual) [PDF]

Thomas Hammond gave investigators permission to collect evidence from the Farrell Motors service center.

The detectives asked Steve about his relationship with Missy and his wife's reaction to it.

The detectives asked Maureen about her reaction to the recent contact between her husband and Missy.

The detectives talked to Missy's ex-husband again to try to answer some open questions.

The detectives talked to Liddie again to see if they could learn anything more from her.

The detectives dropped in on Missy's neighbor to ask a few follow-up questions.

YCSD investigators obtained a warrant to search Steve and Maureen Kirby's residence and vehicles.

YCSD investigators obtained a warrant to search Roger Hammond's residence and vehicle.

Private investigator Pam Thompson provided a copy of her reports to the detectives.

A local private investigator spoke to detectives about the Missy Hammond investigation.

The delivery person who was in the victim's neighborhood the afternoon of the murder agreed to work with investigators to try to remember more about that day.

The detectives asked Selena Crosscroft for more details about Roger and his activities around the time of the murder.

The detectives asked Johnny McPhail to provide some more information about Missy's relationships.

The detectives spoke with Roger's parents again to clear up some inconsistencies. Det. Armstrong talked to Gloria Hammond.

The detectives spoke with Roger's parents again to clear up some inconsistencies. Det. Murphy talked to Thomas Hammond.

The Crime Lab provided preliminary findings on their analysis of evidence collected in the Hammond investigation. Additional analyses are ongoing.

Investigators attempted to verify Maureen Kirby's whereabouts on the afternoon of January 26th.