Lust, Unexplained Wounds & Weak Excuses

Ramona Long was 38 years old in the summer of 1996, living in Gainesboro, a small town in Jackson County in northern Tennessee. Her maiden name was Burgess and she was legally married to Ricky Long, from whom she was separated. details of the account remain covered until revealed Ramona was known throughout the town as a heavy drinker with a history of suicide attempts, and the relationship was violent from the start. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now

details of the account remain covered until revealed Ramona asked to be taken to her mother's house in Putnam County. Fox agreed to drive her, but only as far as the Putnam County line. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed Five days later, on 31 July, Ramona's mother, Lillian Burgess, reported her missing to the Putnam County sheriff. The report described her as an alcoholic who had attempted suicide many times. Because she was an adult, and because everyone knew about the volatile relationship, the police did not treat the disappearance as urgent.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it He said that Ramona met him at a bar called the Green Fly on 31 July and came home with him. this part of the story is covered for now On 1 August she slept until midday and that night took 12 to 15 Valium. In the early hours of 2 August she asked for a wet rag for her neck and a Coke. details of the account remain covered until revealed He claimed she had shot herself with a pistol he kept in a drawer beside the bed. He then washed the body, wrapped it in a blanket and laid it in the closet, cleaned the bedroom, cut the bloodstained sections out of the mattress, and later cut the blood-soaked carpet from the closet and threw it across the road. On the Saturday morning he dug a grave with the bulldozer and buried her.

Life in the house carried on. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now Lawson asked about a sour, foul smell. details of the account remain covered until revealed On 5 August Ramona's friend Vicky Hollaman and her mother visited to look for her and to collect an outfit Hollaman had lent her. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it The same day he asked his granddaughter Suzanne Long, who worked with Ramona at the OshKosh B'Gosh store, to collect Ramona's July paycheck. The human resources manager, Tommy Donnehew, refused without written authorisation. That evening Deputy Kenneth Bean finally visited the house. this part of the story is covered for now He allowed Bean to look around, and in the bedroom he ran his hand across the clothes in the closet and said, "Look, she's not in here," smiling as he did so.

On 6 August officers from Jackson and Putnam counties searched the property. They found what appeared to be blood on the door frame, a piece of carpet across the road covered in what looked like blood, a hoe handle in the garage with blood spatter, and a sunken patch of ground behind the garage. They decided to get a search warrant. Deputy Hicks returned with it about ninety minutes later. details of the account remain covered until revealed He told them to get out and they did. Putnam County deputy Doug Burgess, who was Ramona's cousin, then spent three to four hours talking to him through the door. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it He threw out the keys to the bulldozer and said she was buried in front of it. He then threw a pistol out and claimed she had shot herself.

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed He dug down and Ramona's body was there. He returned to the house, then agreed to surrender if he could see her one last time. He walked to the grave, looked at her, put down the rifle and gave himself up. He waived his rights and spoke to Deputy Hicks and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Roy Copeland. He repeated the suicide story: the fight, the knife wound, the wet rag and the Coke, the gunshot from the kitchen. He said he had not called the police because he was scared and had planned to kill himself.

The physical evidence did not support him. the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it TBI scientist James Russell Davis II tested Ramona's right hand and found no gunshot residue. Dr Harlin, who performed the autopsy, found a tight contact gunshot wound on the right side of her head, a wound often seen in suicides, but her throat had also been cut. this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it He referred to Ramona in the present tense but also in the past tense at least three times, and the sound of the recorder being switched on and off could be heard.

this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now Ramona's family never got what most people would call justice.