Murder of Marlene Oakes

Helen Marlene Major (née: Oakes), best known by her middle name and posthumously by her maiden name, was an American woman who was murdered by her estranged husband in 1980. The victim's partial skull was located near the pair's home not long after her death, but it was not identified until 2001 after mitochondrial DNA testing confirmed the identity of the remains. Disappearance and murder: Oakes was known to have an affair with a man, Glen St. Hillaire, who lived on their property who was also employed by her husband, William "Bill" Major. William Major allegedly "encouraged" the relationship. He had been married to Marlene for nine years and was also rumored to be involved with another woman. Oakes, who kept a diary, wrote at around the time of her murder, she had witnessed her husband sexually assaulting the pair's son, Donald. She made plans to take her son and daughter from the household and travel elsewhere. William Major reportedly told several individuals he would murder Marlene if she was to end their relationship and went into detail of the steps he would take to make her body unidentifiable. Oakes had given St. Hillaire her diaries to ensure their survival. Marlene had written in her diary that Major had agreed to sign divorce papers if the abuse was not made public. Oakes wrote that if he changed his mind, she would tell her mother in law. Major dropped the two children off at a neighbor's residence but claimed to St. Hillaire that Marlene had left and abducted the children. He gave several firearms to another neighbor and expressed the desire to move to Rhode Island. There was no evidence Marlene had taken anything with her, except for her vehicle (now believed to have been disposed of in the Ohio River), yet her drivers licence was left at the residence. Major told Donald and LaLana that their mother had abandoned them due to her involvement with drugs, alcohol and prostitution. Authorities did initially find the suggestion that Marlene left due to an unsatisfactory marriage somewhat plausible but searched the property with no results. Her dental records were frequently submitted to respective agencies when a woman's body would be found matching her description. St. Hillaire and William Major denied to police any involvement in Marlene's disappearance. A partial skull, lacking teeth was discovered a mile from the Major residence by a hunter on November 29, 1981 but could not be identified for years after its discovery. The cause of death was determined to be due to multiple gunshots and through examination, the victim was determined to be a white female around 30 years old. Evidence of dismemberment was also noted. Traditional nuclear DNA testing was determined impossible due to the deteriorated condition of the bone. After William remarried soon after Marlene's disappearance, he remarried in 1981 but his second wife reported the sexual and physical abuse to police in 1984 after his children told her and he had previously threatened to kill the other sibling if one was to report him. He served eleven years, despite a fifteen year sentence. After his release in 1996, he was set to face additional charges but due to the statute of limitations, further action was not possible. Donald and LaLana moved in with Marlene's mother following the conviction. Oakes' mother immediately suspected William for the disappearance. After gaining custody, she told LaLana she presumed Marlene had been dead since her disappearance. LaLana took the initiative to investigate "on her own" and began building knowledge by watching true crime documentaries. When she was twenty, Boone County police gave her access to their file on Oakes' case and began interviewing witnesses. She also searched for additional remains but was unable to find any. "I told him not to touch me ever again. and if he touches Donald, I'll kill him. I could be the biggest whore to walk the streets of Verona and no judge would dare to give him custody of my kids before me." - Marlene's entry in her diary after discovering her husband abusing their son. Identification and conviction: In 2001, LaLana submitted DNA for a mitochondrial DNA test to be compared to that of the unidentified skull. The type of DNA was easier to obtain but less specific in genetic information. The county initially declined to pay for the nearly $20,000 test but eventually changed their minds. Oakes' sister had previously offered to sacrifice her retirement funds to pay for it. The testing concluded that LaLana was maternally related to the individual the skull belonged to. William Major was arrested in June 2001 for the murder of Marlene, following the identification of her skull. Major's father told authorities that he had confessed to him about the murder years earlier. As this statement was insufficient on its own, authorities were given permission to put a phone tap on a telephone at the father's residence as he made a call to William, who admitted guilt in the crime. He later confessed to police and stated he felt no remorse. Major's defense stated a stroke he suffered in 1995 caused him to be "delusional." Major was charged formally in July 2001. The jury deliberated a mere forty-three minutes before releasing a guilty verdict. In popular culture: -Cold Case Files detailed the case in a 2001 episode titled "Daddy Knows Best." -Forensic Files also depicted the case in a 2004 episode titled "A Daughter's Journey."