24-year-old Lori Slesinski disappeared from her house in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday, June 10, 2006. Her finest good friend, Lindsay Braun, knew one thing was unsuitable when she discovered Lori’s entrance door unlocked and her canine, Peanut, nonetheless in his crate.
According to Braun, Lori would by no means go away and go away her beloved Peanut behind.
“The door was unlocked, which was not like her … the air conditioner was running. Her dog, Peanut, was in the crate,” Braun informed 48 Hours.
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A Dog Mom Disappears
Although Lori had not been heard from for a number of days, Peanut appeared calm and blissful. His crate was spotlessly clear, as if somebody had been feeding and caring for him in Lori’s absence.
Upon nearer inspection, Braun observed that the three kitchen rugs Lori laid out to assist the canine traverse the tile flooring had been lacking.
“One thing I remember about Peanut is, he wouldn’t walk on tile, so she had these rugs in her kitchen, and he would hop on the rugs, and the rugs were gone. I noticed that immediately,” she stated.
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A Suspect Emerges
These uncommon items of proof concerning Peanut would lead police to suspect that somebody near Lori was concerned in her disappearance. Their sights quickly turned to Lori’s good friend, Derrill Richard “Rick” Ennis. He made inconsistent statements in his interviews and had suspicious scratches on his arms as if he’d been concerned in a battle.
Braun informed police she’d heard Ennis’ voice within the background throughout her final name with Lori on the day she disappeared. She additionally revealed that Ennis had not too long ago written Lori a love letter expressing his emotions for her. Lori had spurned his advances, telling him she wished to stay “just friends.”
Even extra chilling, investigators found a darkish secret from Ennis’ previous. At the age of 12, he brutally murdered his mom and stepfather, residing with their our bodies for 2 days and even persevering with to attend college.
When caught, Ennis informed police he was indignant at his dad and mom for deciding to maneuver as a result of he didn’t wish to change faculties. He had additionally composed a “to-do” listing that included a plan to kill his three stepsisters.
Due to his age on the time of the crime, Ennis was launched from juvenile jail when he turned 21. He then moved to Auburn, the place he met Lori.
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Fresh Eyes Break The Case
Auburn Police believed that Ennis murdered Lori, setting hearth to her automotive and staying in her house with Peanut for days after the crime. Unfortunately, they may not collect sufficient proof to make an arrest.
A decade later, the case was reopened by a chilly case unit. They found proof buried within the information that had been beforehand neglected. A hand-rolled cigarette butt discovered by Lori’s burning automotive had been collected in 2006 however by no means examined. Cold case investigators quickly found that it bore Ennis’ DNA. The suspect’s blood and semen had been additionally collected from Lori’s trailer.
At the time of his arrest in August 2018, Ennis was residing in Virginia and engaged to marry a librarian. He was charged with Lori’s homicide and convicted by a jury in March of 2022.
Peanut’s Legacy
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Lori’s mom, Arlene Slesinski, adopted Peanut after her daughter’s disappearance, discovering consolation within the little canine’s presence for years to come back.
“We brought Peanut home with us and he stayed with us, until he was, I guess about 16 years old when he died,” she stated.
And Peanut by no means forgot the younger girl who had liked him so dearly.
“Every time we mentioned Lori’s name, he would, I don’t care where he was in the house, it was like he just heard her name and he’d run in there, like, where is she?” Slesinski stated. “It just totally amazed me that he never forgot her.”
After Peanut handed away, Lori’s mother adopted one other canine named Daisey. It appears that Peanut made a canine lover out of her, one thing that may absolutely make Lori smile.
Watch a abstract of the 48 Hours report on Lori’s disappearance under:
Learn extra concerning the proof in Lori’s case.
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