Mysteries at Bedtime

The Vanishing at Lake Oconee: The Dermond Murders

May 19, 2026·24 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

On the afternoon of Saturday 3 May 2014, neighbours in the exclusive gated community of Reynolds Great Waters at Lake Oconee, Georgia, gathered for a Kentucky Derby watch party. Two of the invited guests never arrived. Three days later, a neighbour found 88 year old Russell Dermond's decapitated body in the garage of his million dollar lakefront home. His head was missing. His 87 year old wife Shirley was nowhere to be found. Ten days later, fishermen discovered Shirley's body floating in Lake Oconee, weighed down with cinder blocks. There were no signs of forced entry. Nothing was stolen. The community's security cameras were not recording. Twelve years on, Russell's head has never been found, no arrests have ever been made, and the FBI calls it one of the strangest cases they have ever investigated. Someone walked into that house. Someone knows what happened.You can get early and ad free access to this show and more here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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