Sills still pursuing leads in unsolved double-murder case

May 7—EATONTON, Ga. — This weekend marks the eighth anniversary of the most bizarre double-murder case in Putnam County history.

The case remains unsolved.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills contends it still weights heavy on him to solve it.

"I want desperately to solve it," Sills told The Union-Recorder last week.

He remains hopeful that one day he can find the killer or killers responsible for the murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond will be caught.

The Dermonds lived in a nice home in the affluent gated community of Reynolds at Lake Oconee, known as Great Waters in Putnam County.

The couple was killed sometime during the first weekend in May 2014.

The 87-year-old Russell Dermond is believed to have been shot to death and before the killer or killers beheaded him. His wife, meanwhile, was originally thought to have been abducted, but her body surfaced in some of the deepest water in Lake Oconee more than a week after her husband's corpse was found inside the garage of the couple's home.

Authorities said Shirley Dermond, 84, meanwhile, was beaten to death and then thrown overboard from a boat into the lake waters. Her body was tied to cinder blocks by her killer or killers.

New technology that provides data related to cellphones was recently shared with Sills by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Such technology did not exist years ago when the Dermonds were murdered.

"I received some data just last week from the FBI concerning this case," Sills said. "The FBI downloaded it into their software program, and we're examining it now."

Sills would not speculate on whether the evidence might lead to an arrest in the case.

The sheriff said he didn't know whether or not it was the type of evidence that could break the case.

"We just don't know yet," Sills said.

The Dermonds had planned to attend a Kentucky Derby party at a neighbor's home on the first Saturday in May 2014.

But the Dermonds never made it.

One of the couple's neighbors went to check on them days later and discovered Russell Dermond's corpse in the garage of his home. His head was cut off, and still today, it has never been found.

Sills said he believes it is because the couple had already been murdered.

"I go back to the case every day in my mind," Sills said. "We've interviewed hundreds of people. We've contacted other police agencies all over the country when there was a case that was even slightly similar and there have been no other cases like this actually — not in the particular ways that these victims were killed."

Sills said no other law enforcement agency had reported a murder case where an elderly couple had been killed and there was a decaptitation of a victim.

He said it's a cold case but that his personal definition of a cold case is one that is not actively being worked.

In that regard, such is not true in the Dermond case.

"As recently as last week, I obtained some records with a search warrant and I'm looking at that stuff right now," Sills said. "Is it a hot lead? The answer to that is, no."

The sheriff said it's a shame that he still hasn't been able to find out who murdered the Russell and Shirley Dermond.

"I feel ashamed to some extent because the people who did this aren't in jail; they're not in prison; they're not in hell where they belong," Sills said. "Quite candidly, in my 48-year career, I've never had a case where I've had more regret or shame than this one."

In retrospect, Sills, along with deputies and detectives, didn't even know a crime of any sort was committed at Great Waters.

"The case was already 72 hours old before we ever knew we had a case at all," Sills said.

There was little forensic evidence developed inside the garage of the Dermond's home, where the corpse was discovered, the sheriff said.

"We don't whether the perpetrators came by land or water," Sills said. "The video camera surveillance system at the security entrance to the gated community were not working at the time. And the lake was wide-open to the world as far as anybody coming by boat to the Dermond's home."

The sheriff said the case was the first and only murder that has happened in the neighborhood since Great Waters was built.

"Overall, we've hardly ever had any crimes there with the exception of some cars and trucks being entered into and items stolen from them," Sills said.

Sills said he's always believed the double-murder was the result of a robbery or act of extortion.

"The Dermonds didn't either have what they wanted, whoever the perpetrators were, or the couple wouldn't give whatever they wanted," Sills said. "We, of course, know of no valuables, and now don't get me wrong, there were Rolex watches and things like that, but nothing appeared to have been taken from the home."

The sheriff said he had always been bothered by the way Shirley Dermond was killed.

"It was very violent, and that usually is indicative of some type of anger toward that person," Sills said.

The possibility of multiple crimes scenes also has hampered those investigating this case, including FBI agents, whom Sills reached out to for assistance.

Sills said he doubts whether either of the victims was killed at the home.

"I think she was killed somewhere else — possibily on a boat," Sills said. "And I'm not so sure he was killed at the house," Sills said. "We assume that he was shot to death because we found gunshot residue on his shirt, but we don't have his head. There was no tangible evidence or physical evidence, like a shell casing or a bullet that had passed through his head or through a wall. None of that was present."

The sheriff said all he and detectives working the case really know is that Russell Dermond's head was severed and removed from his body inside the garage of his home.

"The only thing that we know was disturbed in the home at the time was that someone took a lamp and put it on the trunk lid of one of the cars in the garage," Sills said. "And they took the shade off it."

Sills said he hopes the case will someday be solved.

And he admits that day can't come soon enough.

Anyone with information about this double-murder case of Russell and Shirley Dermond is asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at 706-485-8557.