The Disappearance of Teresa Lynn Butler
Episode 029
CASE UPDATE - MELVIN HUFFORD FOUND GUILTY OF MANSLAUGHTER
Teresa Butler and Melvin Ray Hufford
Thirty-five year old wife and mother of two, Teresa Lynn Butler spent the evening of January 24th, 2006 with her sister-in-law. She went home that night to put her two and four year old sons to bed, received a call at approximately 10pm and seemingly vanished into thin air.
When her husband, Dale, arrived home the next morning, he found his wife missing and his young sons fending for themselves. Items were missing from the home, and Teresa's jeep which was still parked in the driveway was missing its stereo. Investigators found the entire case perplexing as there were no signs of forced entry, nor any signs of a struggle. In the home, authorities would later find foreign DNA, though they have never confirmed where or in what form. A key was also found broken off in one of the homes door locks, and the light bulb on the front porch had been unscrewed.
During the course of the investigation, no trace of Teresa was ever found and there were two cryptic, early morning phone calls made from her cell phone to individuals she did not know. Her wedding ring was later found beneath the couch, something her husband says she never took off. A year and a half later, a man would come forward stating that he had been offered one of the stolen items in exchange for some drugs less than twenty-four hours after Teresa disappeared.
What happened to Teresa Lynn Butler? Was she the victim of a home invasion turned abduction? Does her husband know more than he is telling? Did a vindictive ex-wife choose to lash out against her replacement or did Teresa choose to run off and leave her life behind? Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this complex and confusing disappearance in hopes of finding some answers in a case devoid of hard evidence and rampant with speculation.
Listen to 029 - The Disappearance of Teresa Lynn Butler
UPDATE
Melvin Ray Hufford, a person of interest in Teresa’s case from early on was arrested in November of 2019, charged with first degree involuntary manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.
New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens told the press “It is satisfying to file charges in the case but our initial goal was to bring Teresa home safely. But that isn’t going to happen so we can at least know that we have someone charged and there is some accountability for her death.”
Hufford confessed to authorities, describing what had happened the night Teresa vanished. According to his story he, Teresa and a third man were doing meth together. Hufford claims that after injecting himself and Teresa with meth that she began to complain of chest pains.
Hufford went on to explain that he went to get Teresa a glass of water and by the time he returned she was unconscious and non-responsive. Hufford checked her pulse and there was none, at which point he and the other male became frightened.
Hufford alleged that after this, he wrapped Teresa in a tarp and took her out of the home. To cover up their trail, he and the other man began taking random items from the home to make it look like a robbery. Hufford said he took Teresa’s body, placed it in the abandoned home of his father and left it there for several years while he went away to prison for unrelated crimes.
At some point, Hufford wrote to his father and told him about the body in the home. Hufford’s father later confirmed that he had in fact seen Teresa’s remains. After being released, Hufford went back to the home and recovered Teresa’s remains at which time he placed them in a pit and set them ablaze. After the fire was out, he crushed the bones and placed them in a bucket, dumping them in a ditch.
Police did locate and speak to the second man that Hufford claimed was present at the time, though authorities do not believe the man was there and think Hufford was trying to buy himself a deal. Ultimately, only Hufford faced charges.
Hufford plead guilty and was sentenced to seven years for the Class C felony of manslaughter, for injecting the fatal dose of meth and three years for a Class D felony for tampering with evidence for moving her body. In total, Hufford will spend ten years in prison. Sheriff Steven’s later commented “I’m somewhat disappointed in the amount of time he received but I understand that was the best we were going to get, so I’m satisfied with it.”
While Teresa’s case has apparently been closed following Hufford’s incarceration, her family is left without a body to bury or mourn over. There are still some, though, who believe there is more to the story than what Hufford confessed to. Perhaps we will never know.
Sources:
http://charleyproject.org/case/teresa-lynn-butler
http://find-teresa-butler.tripod.com
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3755dfmo.html