Garth Rector
Real Name: Garth Gene Rector
Nicknames: Buddy
Location: Muncie, Indiana
Date: March 21, 2008
Case[]
Details: On March 21, 2008, Forty-eight-year-old Garth Rector, was found murdered by a neighbor who went to check up on him after noticing that the lights in his rented home were still on despite his plans to leave for a trip to San Diego to celebrate a sister's retirement from the Marines. Garth, a popular high school wrestling coach, was shot five times and the only witness to the brutal crime was his dog, a Pitbull named Dolce. Investigators believe that Garth was murdered soon after returning home from work. Garth's wedding ring was also missing from his finger, but nothing else was taken or missing from the home.
Suspects: There are multiple persons of interest in Garth's case. One is a husband of a co-worker Garth had an affair with years prior, who still seemed bitter towards the wrestling coach. He also refused to cooperate with investigators. Another person of interest is the woman who owned the land where Garth was living and discovered his body and is allegedly having a relationship with him. She was very cooperated Another person of interest the ex-fiancé of aforementioned land owner, where she had ended their engagement prior to Garth's murder. The ex-fiancé was cooperative and able to pass a polygraph. However, his alibi of visiting family members around the time Garth's murder was viewed as shaky because the man didn't actively visit his family and all but one of the family members his claimed to visited were not home and was unable to verify his claims and was never dismissed as a person of interest. The ex-fiancé has since passed away.
Extra Notes:
- This case was first released on the July 14, 2021 episode of the Unsolved Mysteries podcast.
- It was also profiled on Crime Watch Daily.
Results: Unsolved
Links:
- Garth Rector on Unsolved.com
- Garth Rector on Cold Case World
- Victim's family organizes walk - September 30, 2009
- Who killed Garth Rector? - June 16, 2016
- Unsolved: Beloved high school wrestling coach killed in kitchen - February 9, 2017
- Who Killed 48yr old Garth Rector Delaware County, IN 2008? - August 2, 2019
- Garth Rector on Find A Grave