American Detective With Lt. Joe Kenda is investigating a bizarre murder case involving the death of teenager Kimberly Holten by her foster sister’s boyfriend, Jacob Jones, and his friend, Michael Keyser, in Dover, Delaware.
Initially, the Holten case proved to be a mystery to the investigators: just how did this 16-year-old girl come to be floating in the Atlantic Ocean having sustained injuries that were clearly caused by a fall from a great height?
On September 29, 2003, Kimberly was reported missing by her foster parents, Ronald and Laura Michaels. Laura told the police that the last time she had seen her foster daughter, she’d been sleeping in her bed.
About a week later, a couple fishing off the coast of New Jersey made a tragic and disturbing discovery when they found the remains of Kimberly floating in the Atlantic Ocean. Her body was bound in duct tape and chains.
An autopsy revealed that Kimberly had died from a blunt force trauma to her head that had been received due to a fall from a height of at least five stories. The cops wondered how she could have received such an injury at sea.
Jacob Jones became the prime suspect in Kimberly Holton murder
The investigators got a major break when they learned that the chains wrapped around Kimberly were of a unique variety and were only bought at one particular store. After contacting the store, the cops got their hands on a record of the sale and some surveillance footage. They identified the buyer as 20-year-old Jacob Jones.
Jones was the boyfriend of Kimberly’s foster sister, Heather, which caused the police to be instantly suspicious of him. The police also learned that Jones was an instructor pilot at the Dover Air Force Base and that the logs showed he’d made a flight in the middle of the night on September 30.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe cops issued an arrest warrant for Jones, but before they could bring him into custody, he committed suicide. Before he died, Jones told his father that he had killed Kimberly with the help of his friend, Michael Keyser.
Keyser admitted to the cops that he had helped Jones kill and dispose of Kimberly’s remains. He said he held down the teen’s legs while Jones strangled her with a telephone cord in a Dover motel room. They then dumped the body over the bay.
The detectives believe Kimberly was killed by Jacob because she had a difficult relationship with her foster sister, Heather Nasakaitis. But she was not charged with any wrongdoing.
Keyser was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
More from American Detective With Lt. Joe Kenda
Follow the links to read about more murders investigated by the legendary Joe Kenda.
Allen and Patricia Prue were a violent, murderous couple who targeted Melissa Jenkins. They lured her out of her home and attacked her in front of her young son. They then threw her body into the Connecticut River.
James Glass murdered Amy Hoyos in his Florida condo and then threw himself off the balcony. The cops suspect he’d become enraged when she rebuffed his romantic advances.
American Detective With Lt. Joe Kenda airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.