Did missing Army nurse fall prey to a serial killer targeting military women? | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[music] My name is JC Hawks. I'm a retired Marine gunnery sergeant and a former Marine Special Agent with
the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I was assigned to a missing person investigation to locate Holly Lynn Wim
Monk. >> Holly just kind of disappeared uh without a trace. Did not show up for work. No one was sure about her
whereabouts. The search for her started at that point. >> I tried to call her and when she wasn't
answering the phone for me, like I knew something was wrong because she's going to answer the phone for me.
Holly [music] was such a loving person. When she walked in the room, you knew, okay, this is a good person. You just
could feel [music] that energy coming from her. >> Holly was a 24year-old young lady. She
was married to an active duty Marine. >> John Wy Monk was a Marine stationed at Camp Lune, North Carolina.
>> When we first met, Holly used to say, "I want to be a pediatric nurse." And then somewhere along the way, she
was like, "I'm going to the army. I can help more people being a military nurse.
>> When it involves people in uniform, it brings more attention. We had national
media in Fagetville through most of the summer. I was in the office on a Friday. It was
in the evening and my boss came in and asked what I had going on. I said, "Not much. I'm just working on some reports."
He said, "Listen, man. I need you in Fagetville. We've got a missing girl there. There's some suspicious
circumstances." So I made a call to [music] my wife and headed to Fyville as quick as I could.
>> So July 9th, 2008, I worked, came home that evening and had a voicemail from Holly asking me to give her a call
back. I was just too exhausted after the end of a 12-hour shift and I fell straight to sleep.
When I woke up, I had multiple messages and I called one of them back and they asked me again, "Is Holly with you at
your apartment?" And at first I was like, "Well, what's going on?" A close friend of hers and co-orker
decided that she needed to go to Holly's apartment immediately because she thought something was wrong.
When they get there, they notice as they're looking in the windows that there is smoke damage and they smell
some fumes. It smells like gasoline, smells like smoke. They're at the apartment and they notice what looks to
be an intentionally set fire. They're obviously very concerned. They don't see Holly. They call 911. At that point,
>> I had a chance to tour the entire area. Went into Holly's room. I immediately
saw on the ground a large deliberately removed piece of carpeting. You got the sense immediately that
something very bad had happened inside that apartment. >> What they did not find is Holly. There
was no sign or trace of her at that point. >> Tonight we have an update on a Fort
Bragg soldier missing for days. >> Tonight police remain on >> the summer of 2008 was a very busy time
for the homicide team. We had two service members go missing. We had Megan Tuma who was a United States Army active
duty person who was actually found deceased in a hotel bathroom. And that murder at that point was
unsolved. A person claiming to be inspired by the Zodiac Killer from decades ago in California
started writing letters to law enforcement and to the Fable Observer. And it just kind of had a lot of people
nervous and on edge. There was a heightened sense of awareness and urgency that when someone doesn't show
up for work, go look for them because it could be [music] the worst. [screaming]
>> The NCIS mission is global. >> We're on aircraft carriers. We're in foreign ports. We watch after each
other. We take care of each other. >> NCIS deal with every type of crime. cyber fraud, murder,
>> general crimes, counter [music] intelligence, counterterrorism. >> Every crime is a tragedy. Involves
sisters, brothers, husbands. >> It's the only way to find the truth. >> We live in dangerous times
>> and we're never going to give up. >> NCIS, the cases they can't forget. Holly's case is among the most memorable
[music] cases that I've worked. I I will never forget this case because of all the things [music] that Holly was.
Someone's daughter, someone's mother, a nurse, and an officer in the United States Army.
Fagville is home to the largest military installation in [music] the United States. Uh Fort Bragg has generally
between 50 and 55,000 personnel stationed there. It's its own city. Holly Wy Monk's case uh happened in a
very bad summer for Fagatville. >> And it got worse with the disappearance of Lieutenant Holly James Wy Monk.
>> When Holly Wy is missing, a massive search commences. Was her case connected to the murder of Sergeant Megan Tuma and
this copycat serial killer stalking the streets of Fagville? >> In the Megan Tuma case,
>> Tuma had arrived at Fort Bragg less than 2 weeks ago from Germany. >> Megan was missing for [music]
approximately a week, but nobody noticed. She was new in town. Her unit didn't report her missing.
>> Megan had been strangled and left in a bathtub at a local hotel. Investigators
poured over the taunting letters of her alleged murderer. He claimed to be inspired by California's infamous Zodiac
Killer, >> who sent letters to the press in San Francisco from 1968 to 1987, claiming
[music] responsibility for 40 murders. >> Fear that a new serial killer targeting
female soldiers swept through Fyville. He said he was on a mission to claim more victims.
>> The army reacts quickly. The Favville Police Department reacts quickly. The community is upset. With no sign of
Holly, investigators were left to sift through the remains of her burned out apartment.
>> Someone had intentionally poured fluids that were flammable and had set a fire.
>> They found two bedrooms burned, windows broken, and the smell of gasoline. We
monk was missing. Her car was still parked outside. >> Whoever had set the fire had absolutely
no regard for anybody in that building or anybody around it. Agent Hogs believed the [music] fire had
been set to destroy evidence. The missing carpet was a disturbing clue that indicated Holly might well be dead.
Carpeting soaks bodily fluids. It s it soaks all types of of physical evidence. Nothing good in our minds came from that
missing [music] carpet. As the scene began being processed, we observed there to be two missing [music] knives that
were not in the knife block in the kitchen. We have missing knives. Why do we have missing knives? Uh we look at
the presence of evidence and also the the absence of things that you think should be there. One of the things we
started doing is interviewing family and friends of Holly. So family and friends
are who you start talking with. You always want to start closest and then move out.
So Hawks began his investigation by talking to Holly's husband, Marine Corporal John Wyuk,
a combat engineer based at Camp Leour, North Carolina. The Marine base is 2 hours east of Fort Bragg, where Holly
was stationed. Wunk had married Holly a year earlier and split his time between living at Camp Leern and Holly's
apartment. >> I'm at the point where I have no idea what's going on. Okay. >> We were responsible for painting a a
picture of John Wy Monk, learning his whereabouts, learning everything that there was to to find out about this
young man. >> News of Holly's disappearance and the fire at the couple's shared apartment
was the lead story locally. >> Police spent a lot of time around the missing soldiers apartment. K-9 units
searched nearby woods. >> Wy Monk said he knew nothing beyond that. He says, "I don't know where she
is. Haven't talked with her. Um, don't know anything." >> Wim expressed concern for both his wife
and their apartment. >> This is my wife. All right. Everybody knows that. >> And it's my apartment.
What the is going on with my wife? You know what I mean? >> The interview broke down after Hawk
smelled what he thought was liquor on Wyuk's breath. >> You asked me earlier that have am I
drunk? I'm not drunk, but I have been drinking. Okay? And I don't want the the uh things that I say to be turned
around. You know what I'm saying? >> I understand. And that's why we're done. Okay.
>> I understand it, sir. >> We're done talking about everything. Go home and chill out. Okay.
>> Mhm. >> And I I don't want to I don't want to talk with you now that you know, I can
smell the odor alcohol on you. I don't want to talk to you about legal stuff while that's in the question in my mind.
>> And I'll let you recont us, whatever. We'll give you our contact numbers and we'll deal with it that way. Okay. Here
you go, sir. I appreciate that I have a contact number of you guys. >> Hawks returned to Wim Monk to his
command and continued learning about the couple's relationship from Holly's friends and family.
>> Holly and John met as a result of an introduction by a Marine [music] in John's unit who happened to be Holly's
brother. He thought John would be a would [music] be interested in meeting his sister.
>> Holly was deeply in love with him. She cared very much for him. She said that
he was a very sweet and caring individual, that he was very fun, outgoing, and caring. She enjoyed
spending time with him. Holly had a son and a daughter with a longtime boyfriend before falling in
love with Wimunk. The children [music] split time with their parents and were with their father at the time of the
fire. >> Holly told me that she had her children visit every now and then, and it was
always a wonderful time for her. She loved having her children visit. Holly and April, both nurses in the maternity
ward at the Wulmeck Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, grew close. >> I could always rely on her as somebody
to talk to. You could call her in the middle of the night. She'd be half asleep, but she'd be willing to chitchat
with you and find out what was going on. >> As NCIS kept investigating, agents unraveled a complicated marriage. A
former girlfriend of Wims had resurfaced in his life. Holly told friends the woman was badgering her with angry phone
calls. She felt harassed. >> Holly never referred [music] to Lindsay by Lindsay. She was just always his
little girlfriend. She was always there. She chose to call Holly at 3:00 in the morning and scream into the phone. And
it was just random acts like that that I think were were kind of scary for Holly cuz you
don't know what a person is going to do. >> Holly went to court naming Lindsay publicly. describing the alleged
harassment and asking for a restraining order that would prohibit any contact. Holly [music] wrote,
>> "I have changed my phone number six times. She has had individuals contact [music] my friends looking for me. This
has been going on for 8 months. >> A district court judge here in Carmelan County ordered Lindsay to basically stop
bothering Holly. Obviously, there was a history there. Uh there was bad blood, shall we say, between Holly and Lindsay.
So, she certainly was a person of interest at this point in the investigation. >> Hawks discovered that Lindsay, who lived
out of state, was actually in North Carolina when Holly vanished. So, he brought Lindsay in for an interview.
>> A reporter from the Fateville Observer in summer of 2008 contacted Lindsay and
spoke to her, and Lindsay said she was shocked that Holly was missing. >> Lindsay said she had [music] nothing to
do with Holly's disappearance. And while agents checked out her story, they soon
got another disturbing [music] tip from witnesses at Holly's building. >> Several residents see a male figure
running. One says running with a bag, getting into a black pickup truck and leaving the complex.
>> A Fort Bragg soldier missing for days. Police remain on the scene at the home
of Holly Wy Monk. >> Police are giving us more information about the missing soldier, but they're
still keeping a tight guard on the scene out here. >> The entire family was holding on to a
thin thread of hope that why Monk would be found alive. Her car was still parked
outside. There was not a doubt in our mind that we were looking into a murder case
[music] and it was looking less and less like a missing person case. >> Investigators were going down three
paths. Pauliey's husband, his ex-girlfriend, and the self-proclaimed Zodiac [music] copycat killer.
>> It was just a very tense time for people here in the community. With the Marine's wife still missing,
NCIS remained on high alert. >> The mission for us is fairly comprehensive. protecting the innocent.
We take that very seriously. >> Whenever a case breaks, the agency that leads that case, if they could go a
million directions at one time while being thorough, effective, they would do it.
[music] 24 hours into Holly's disappearance, NCIS agents got their first break in the case.
>> Law enforcement began questioning people that lived there in the apartment complex that may have seen something,
that may have heard something. And several individuals talked about how on the night of July 9th
that there had been a individual in black clothing running from the area of Holly's apartment getting into a black
pickup truck in dark clothing and leaving the scene. I've covered a lot of homicides here in
Fateville and usually it's people who know each other. As we were doing background leading up
to Holly's disappearance, we discovered some troubling things about the relationship between John and
Holly. All the family and friends that we talked to all told us this story. A volatile relationship existed between
Holly and John certainly leading up to her disappearance. Holly's coworker, April, told
investigators that Wim Monk couldn't handle Holly's superior rank. He was telling her that she wasn't really a
lieutenant. She wasn't really an officer. She was just a nurse and it didn't count.
He was really putting her down. I started to overhear some of these phone calls and I could hear John being
really hard on her. During one of our shifts, he called multiple times and just ranted and raved
and treated her like she was nothing. I took her phone away. I literally grabbed it out of her hand, hung up on
him, and took it away from her. I said, "No." I said, "You do not need to deal with this. It's not fair. It's not
right." The verbal abuse soon turned physical when Holly began [music] coming to work
with bruises, which she documented in these photos that investigators recovered on her cell phone. She came in
with a busted lip one day. Another day she came in with what appeared to be bruising around her eye. And she never
really spoke to us about where these injuries came from. We were very worried about Holly.
>> I wish I had have done more. I felt like it was more important for me to be that
best friend and not say anything. But part of me wish I could [music] have told somebody.
>> Shortly before Holly's [music] disappearance, Traa says she learned about an incident that truly terrified
Holly. >> One day she called me and she was just crying. She was hysterical. He like had
a bullet and he had showed her the bullet. >> The bullet literally had Holly's name on
it. >> He had like carved initials in the bullet and it was like this is your bullet and this is my bullet.
>> He produced a gun. and he put it to his head and threatened suicide. And then he
put the gun to Holly's head and threatened to murder her. >> Holly had enough. Fearing for her life,
she sent her children to live with their biological father and sought a restraining order.
>> On May 19th of 2008, Holly had taken out a restraining order against John. uh
that was in place for about 10 days, just a temporary order, and then she had to appear in court about 10 days later
in order to keep the restraining order in place. >> But when it came time to face [music]
Wim Monk in court, Holly couldn't bring herself to follow through with the charges.
>> I never think she thought John was going to hurt her because when a person loves
you, you don't think that they're going to hurt you. >> Holly did not show up for that court
date. So, as a result, the restraining order was dismissed and no longer in place. She was estranged from John that
they had been going through a difficult transition uh leading to divorce. >> A Fort Bragg soldier missing for days.
>> Police spent a lot of time around the missing solders's apartment. K-9 units searched nearby woods.
>> But when news of Holly's disappearance reached her circle of friends, they [music] were convinced why Monk was
responsible. The first thing that crosses my mind is, "Oh my god, that son [music] of a [ __ ]
did it. He actually did it." >> We were focusing our efforts on John Wy Monk, either to eliminate him or include
him as being involved in Holly's disappearance. [music] >> NCIS agents no longer had their sights
on the self-proclaimed Zodiac copycat, or Lindsay, who was ultimately cleared. But it's what she revealed about Wim
Monk's behavior the day Holly vanished that now had investigators fearing [music] the worst.
>> Lindsay mentioned that he seemed very upset and angry early on Wednesday, July
9th. He said that he was going to take care of Holly [music] and Lindsay says that
he had a gun with him. At this point, John Wamik is a suspect, but we did not have anything
specifically to link him >> to her disappearance. >> Hey, John. Jeff Lville. >> Y Monk wasn't talking.
>> I choose not to answer any further questions, so I have a lawyer present. Okay. I'm sorry for the waste of time.
>> No worries. But NCIS kept him under constant surveillance while they tried to uncover
hard evidence connecting Wim Monk to Holly's disappearance. Was he the killer? And could he get away with it?
>> NCIS agents began knocking on every door that we could aboard Camp Learner. >> And soon a new name hit NCIS's radar.
>> NCIS began talking to some of John's friends, associates, co-workers uh there
at the Marine Base. And one name that came up was uh Kyle Alden. >> [music] >> 48 hours into Holly's disappearance,
Investigators were desperate for answers. [music] And with the clock still ticking, NCIS
returned [music] to John Wyuk's base at Camp Leour, searching for clues. >> We started to perform just some very
traditional police work and immediately began knocking on doors. That's when NCIS got a tip about a
Marine who was looking to borrow a pickup truck. >> We eventually found a young man by the
name of Kyle Halden. A few Marines heard about Kyle asking if he could borrow their pickup truck
because he needed to help a friend move some things that would not fit in a car.
And this we found interesting because it just so happened to occur on the 9th of
July, which is the day prior to Holly going missing. Remember, witnesses reported seeing
someone flee from Holly's apartment in a black pickup truck the night she vanished.
>> I want to make sure that you understand this is quick. You're not being detained. On July 12th, Kyle Alden
agreed to meet without a lawyer. >> Do you understand that? >> Yes, sir. >> All right.
>> We brought Alden to our offices for an interrogation that the Fateville homicide detectives would conduct. One
of my partners met with Alden and asked him about this truck, about his whereabouts on the 9th and 10th of July.
And Alden essentially explained that he did in fact borrow a truck and that he was in fact contemplating helping a
friend move. >> Investigators would learn that friend was John Wy Monk. >> He asked [music] if I if I can come to
pay bill and give him a hand. >> Okay. What do you tell him? >> Tell him. Yeah, not a problem. The
Marine Corps, not unlike the other armed services, there exists a very strong bond between Marines.
[music] Kyle was another active duty Marine. He was assigned to John's unit. They were close enough to where if the
phone rang and somebody said, "Hey, I need help with something." The other guy is going to come and try to help him.
>> How does [music] he sound at this point in time? >> He sounds kind of distraught. Something
didn't add up. He's like, "Yeah, you can't say anything about this, but I need your help doing something."
It's like, "Okay, good to go." >> Alden says, "Why Monk abruptly called off their plan, so he went home to pay
some bills." >> I think he [music] could sense that my partner knew that he was lying
>> and later corrected his statement by saying, "Hey, I I lied about the last part when I said I was going to go pay
the bill. I was actually meeting with my wife. We had sex and so that's where I was.
>> But what Alden didn't know is that investigators had already spoken with his wife. What would you say if I told
you I talked to your wife and she said what you just told me ain't the truth. >> Maybe she doesn't remember cuz she was
out of it from the pentails that they said. >> The time a man know his wife spends
together, they normally remember that kind of stuff. All right. Yes, sir. So if your wife ain't lying to me and you
ain't lying to me, what do we have? [music] >> A big misunderstanding. >> But it was crystal clear that Alden was
stonewalling the investigation. >> In talking to people that know him, his wife, and other things, you develop an
idea of the person that you're dealing with. And what he was demonstrating to us during the initial hours of this
investigation led me to believe that he was happy to lie to people. You know what I want you to say? I'm
going to tell you what I want you to say. What I want you to say is the truth. >> Alden was never under arrest, but
because he was a Marine, he was never allowed to leave NCIS's custody either and remained on base.
>> I want you to be honest with me. I want you to >> For 3 days, investigators pressed Alden
for answers. >> I want you to tell me what happened. I got to find Harley. For God's sakes,
where's Holly at? I do not know. >> Okay. He would give investigators a little, but they didn't feel like he was
giving them the whole truth. >> But Alden's cool demeanor suddenly changes when he's shown photos of
Holly's children. >> I can't help but think about these two kids. Something bad happened to Holly.
Something bad happened in that apartment. Okay, that's what I'm figuring out now.
Realizing he'd been boxed into a corner, Alden admits to helping Wyuk remove items from Holly's apartment the night
she vanished. But what happened to Holly? You know I know what happened. Okay. Why ain't Holly calling me on the phone
and telling me I'm coming to talk to you later? Why ain't she doing that? >> She's probably going to
Where's Holly at? I had no idea. >> I didn't want to think that he did it. I didn't want to think that it was
possible. >> Investigators felt close to getting a confession, but Alden wouldn't budge.
>> We knew that there was more to what he was saying. He wasn't at a point where
he wanted to tell us what really happened. >> But everything was about to change when
NCIS got a call they never expected. We received a phone call and that gentleman asked me if I was looking for
a little blonde girl. I said, "Yes, I am." And he said, "I think I've got her. >> [music]
>> I received a phone call from a firefighter from the North Carolina Division of Forestry and what I remember
him asking me, "Hey man, you looking for a blonde girl?" And I said, "Yes, I am."
>> While detectives questioned Alden, NCIS got a tip about a suspicious fire nearly
20 m from Alden and Wyuk's base at Camp Learn. He said that he was on a road in the Sneez Fairy [music] area. The Sneezy
area is south of Camp Leern. It's a rural area. There's not a lot of people around, especially [music] undercover of
darkness, to see what's going on. It's a good place to get rid of something that
you don't want anybody to find. Down this path, maybe about a half a mile, it opens up into a clearing.
And in the center of that clearing, basically there was a uh a shallow grave. >> There beneath the smoldering ash,
investigators uncovered human remains. [music] >> Fagville detectives are still working on
a definitive identification on the remains. [music] >> It was just a blip on the news saying
that what body was found and it just it just hit me. I just knew it. [music] >> That's Holly. They found her.
[music] >> An autopsy would confirm it was Holly. [music] >> Crime scene video shot by deputies shows
the shallow grave containing the remains of Holly Wonk. >> Her dad actually called me and said
before you hear it on TV, you know, I want to I want to tell you. And I didn't expect that.
I [music] still felt like she was going to call me. And when I actually saw it on the news,
[snorts] >> at Holly scene and at at the scenes of other victims that other agents and I
have [music] have been at, you can't afford to become emotional about it. Uh because if if you if you if [music] you
are, you're you're not good to the team. at night when we go home and be with [music] our families uh and and me with
my wife. Um we would share what we could with [music] with them and it and and that's when you get the the human
element. That's when you get the the emotion behind it when you watch the reaction in their faces when you tell
them what you had to do at work today. It was a [music] pretty gruesome, difficult scene to collect evidence
from. It was like something out of a horror movie. Holly's body had been dismembered
and set on fire. Investigators sorted through the ash and debris, uncovering critical clues into
Holly's murder. There were some knives and a hatchet that were also found. And what was
interesting and critical evidence about this is these knives fit a knife set that was missing from Holly's apartment.
Those knives were a perfect match and [music] provided a crucial link connecting the crime scene to Holly's
apartment fire. You >> realize you're in trouble. You in some trouble. >> Okay. >> They say, "Look, you're not telling us
the truth. We just found her body." And at that point, he becomes mo much more forthcoming about what they did.
>> Look at her now. You tell me. Tell me the rest of it. Tell me the rest of it.
>> After misleading investigators for 3 days, Alden begins to unravel. I went out there. You know exactly what I saw.
>> I can kind of imagine what you saw. >> Okay. Tell me what you imagine that I saw out there.
>> I imagine there was a hole. >> Alden ultimately told us everything that he had received a call from John. He
didn't know why he was going to Fagville, but he agreed to do it because he and John were Marines in the same
unit. Once he arrived, however, John told him that he had killed her and needed his help getting rid of Holly's
body. >> What did he say? He's like, "We were arguing." It's like I killed her. I didn't ask him how he killed her.
I said, "Why?" He's like, "I didn't mean to. I don't know if he hit her, shot her, or whatever. Told me that she
didn't die right away, so he had to hit her again." And I told him, "I don't want to hear
that." He's like, "The look in her eye, he he'd never seen anything like it. the
look in her eye. Every word that I heard just made my stomach turn that much more.
>> Alden told us that Holly's remains were ultimately placed in what what we in the
Marine Corps refer to as a seabag. >> After loading Holly's body into the pickup truck, Alden says Wim Monk set
fire to the apartment to destroy the evidence. And then they made the 3-hour drive back to Camp Leern
and ultimately arrived in Sneed's Ferry. They then dig a shallow grave. They place Holly's remains inside that
grave [music] and they attempt to burn Holly's remains. >> I was sitting there thinking, "What the
hell am I doing? Why am I getting myself into this? Why am I getting myself into
this?" Common sense may tell someone once you hear that someone has killed their wife, why do you still carry on?
And I think one thing is within the military structure, rank is very important. And John outranked Kyle. He
had someone who outranked him asking for help with the situation. And I think Kyle made the very poor decision to
participate in this cover up. The Marine in me was angry that that man had the title that me and other Marines have
based on what he did and the decisions that he made. [music] I absolutely do not call him a Marine. We're different
now. The whole time we've been talking, you ain't called her name. I want to hear
you say Holly. Her name was Holly Lynn James. And I'm not even going to put he his name his last name ain't even worth
being attached to hers. So, her name was Holly Lynn James. >> After confessing to his role in Holly's
disappearance, investigators took an unusual step, demanding an apology. >> Tell her you're sorry.
>> I'm sorry. >> Tell her children you're sorry. Say, "I'm sorry that you ain't got no mama no
more." >> Sorry that you ain't got no mama no more. >> There's about as much feeling in what
you just said is in this cup right there. Okay. That's about how much feeling you got.
You know, you're going with us cuz you want no arrest. >> Yes, sir. >> Alden was charged with seconddegree
arson and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Lieutenant Holly James Wyuk. Now, NCIS had one thing left to
do. >> We knew at this point that John Wyuk had committed this murder. >> But would the confession of an admitted
liar be enough to seal Wyuk's fate? Once we had Alden's statements, once we had what we believed were Holly's
remains, [music] Fateville Police Department homicide squad swore warrants for the arrest of John Wy Monk.
>> Only a year before, Holly had married Jon and told friends he was sweet and good to her children. Now love had
turned to hate and Wim Monk was about to be arrested for Holly's murder. >> We went to John's unit where we knew him
to be. I expected that his head would be down, that he would look defeated, that
he would be emotional. He was seated, his head was up. He didn't to me look like he really had a care in the world.
>> I identified myself to John Wy as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I told him to
stand up and I told him that he was under military apprehension for the murder of Holly Lyn Wim.
>> He complied immediately. He looked at my partner and looked at me. The Marines
present were watching. He said nothing to any of us. He had a facial expression that told me he knew exactly what was
happening and that he was content. >> Holly was one [music] of three female soldiers murdered in that terrible
summer of 2008 in Fagatville, North Carolina. There was no serial killer. Authorities believe Sergeant Megan
Tuma's killer, a fellow soldier with whom she was having an affair, wrote those so-called Zodiac letters.
Monday, July 14th, John Wy was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Holly Wy. She had actually died from a
gunshot wound to the head. He was also charged with seconddegree arson and conspiracy to commit seconddegree arson.
>> The criminal case was just beginning, as was the emotional fallout. Holly's commanding officer selected Holly's
friend, Lieutenant April Wartz, for what the military considers a special honor.
>> I had the chance to accompany the remains back home from the the funeral home in Fateville to the airport in
Detroit [music] and we drove back down to Deuke, Iowa. It was there in Holly's hometown that April first [music] met
Holly's father, Jesse James. >> Holly's dad welcomed me like a member of the family, like I'd been her best
friend since childhood, and I'll never forget it. It was a really nice experience in a
very dark, dark time. Jesse was especially close to his daughter and spoke to her in the days
before her murder as he recalled in this interview for the university where he was the dean of admissions.
>> Holly said, "Dad, it's going to be a nasty divorce. Not sure what nasty divorce conjured up in my mind. I
suppose that I thought they would fight, but the thought that he would murder Molly [snorts] is a thought that never
occurred to me." District Attorney Billy West says the state, armed with Kyle Alden's detailed
confession and his agreement to testify, sought the death penalty for John Wyuk.
It took two years for the case to get to court. >> John Wy reached a plea agreement with
the state where he would plead guilty to first-degree murder as well as arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and that he
would serve life without the possibility of parole. John Wyuk accepted his fate,
but never apologized or provided any insight into why he murdered Holly when he appeared at his sentencing.
>> North Carolina, we do not have allecution where the accused or the defendant actually explains what they
did on the day of the crime. Kyle Alden plead guilty to his responsibility in the case and that was
that he was an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and he also was guilty of secondderee arson and
conspiracy to commit seconddegree arson. Kyle Alden served 3 years of a potential
5-year sentence. Today he's free. >> Both men were dishonorably discharged. I'm so angry.
He took my friend. He took a daughter. He took a mother most of all. So, two kids grow up
without their mother. You know that that's hard. The only time I actually met her
children were during the funeral. They were three and six. I remember thinking that little girl
is the spitting image of her mother. That is a little Holly right there. her little boy. They handed him a folded
up flag and the look on his face is a look that will always be with me. That look of pain.
Some people search a lifetime to find a friend like Holly and I had that. I had a friend like that.
Sometimes I'll hear [music] somebody's voice and it'll remind me of her voice or a laugh and it'll just take me back
to our [music] graduation day, how the sun hit her hair and how she was smiling that [music] day.
What's it like to lose a child? Everyone in your family goes through grief and their own certain [clears throat]
way. >> I know [music] that in the years after Holly's death, he actually went around
speaking and bringing awareness to domestic violence, specifically domestic violence in the military.
>> I think what adds to the grief of a death of a man is that he's supposed to protect his father.
I don't want to speak for Mr. [music] James. I will say that myself and the other folks that
agreed to to do this interview did so because he wanted his daughter's story told in the most accurate and truthful
way possible. 48 hours. To miss it would be a crime. >> Were [music] you at all prepared for
what happened in this case? [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music]

Friends searching for missing Army nurse Holley Wimunc find her apartment smoldering and no sign of their friend. Can NCIS agents find her? Watch "48 Hours: NCIS:" Trail of Fire." This episode aired on June 26, 2018. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Holly Lynn Wim Monk's disappearance leads to a murder investigation revealing domestic violence and a tragic outcome for her family.

Key points

The Disappearance of Holly Wy Monk. Holly, a loving nurse and Marine wife, mysteriously vanishes, sparking an urgent investigation.
The Ex-Girlfriend's Harassment. Holly faced harassment from John's ex-girlfriend, complicating the investigation.
The Search for Clues. Investigators uncover troubling evidence and witness accounts as they search for Holly.
Tension in Holly's Marriage. Holly's relationship with John Wy Monk was marked by volatility and abuse, raising suspicions.
The Threatening Incident. Holly's fear escalated when John threatened her with a gun, leading to a restraining order.
Discovery of Remains. Investigators uncover human remains in a shallow grave, confirming Holly's fate.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Holly was such a loving person.

Describing Holly's character and impact on others.

0:50WatchNov 6, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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