Kriti Mehrotra
When Amy Lynn Fuller Mullis was found with a corn rake fatally stuck in her back on the chilly morning of November 10, 2018, a lot of questions about her personal life arose. The mother of three from Earlville, Iowa, was a registered nurse turned proud homemaker, but everything turned upside down for the family on the fateful day she was murdered. It took investigators a while to apprehend her perpetrator, as explored in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Corn Rake Witness,’ but they were able to bring the case to a satisfactory close in 2019.
Amy Mullis Was a Family Woman With a Medical Background
Although born on January 23, 1979, in Ames, Iowa, to Peggy Granzow and Robert Fuller as their only daughter, Amy Lynn Fuller Mullis was primarily raised in the Eldora area. She did have a brother named Jeff Fuller, with whom she reportedly shared an incredibly close bond, especially after their parents separated and found love again with different people. She thus ended up with 4 tight-knit step-siblings, too – Whitney Gamm, Zach Converse, Jonathan Munson, and Brandi Spurlock – resulting in growing up in a big, happy blended family.
Amy reportedly graduated from Eldora-New Providence High School in 1997, following which she pursued a Registered Nurse certification from Kirkwood Community College. She subsequently chased her passion and secured a job at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids before moving on to serve in the ER at the Regional Medical Center in Manchester. It was around this same time that she first came across the man who went on to become her life partner, Todd Michael Mullis – they happily tied the knot on September 11, 2004. She was 25 when they promised each other forever, after which they settled in Earlville and welcomed 3 adorable kids into the world: Trysten Mullis, Taylor Mullis, and Wyatt Mullis.
Amy Mullis Was Found Fatally Injured With a Corn Rake In a Shed On the Family Property
Amy chose to hang up her scrubs after the birth of her children, but she wasn’t just a stay-at-home mom since she owned and operated the family’s hog farm alongside Todd. Moreover, she was a member of the Delaware County Pork Producers Board, an outdoor enthusiast with a fondness for camping, gardening, hunting, and a hobbyist T-shirt designer. The 39-year-old seemed to lead a good life, so it was a shock when Trysten found her lying face down, barely breathing, in their massive farm’s red shed on November 10, 2018. The then-13-year-old still remembers his mother had a corn rake protruding from her bloody back, so he panically called out to his father, and Todd dialed the emergency services.
According to records, Amy, Todd, and Trysten were all working on the farm that fateful morning while the two younger kids – Taylor and Wyatt – remained inside the attached home. The bubbly matriarch had decided to clean the lights while her husband set up equipment to provide water to the pens, and their son handled the portable heaters for the delivery of potential piglets. She had reportedly undergone an outpatient medical procedure just 4 days prior, so this was her first time stepping out of the house despite reportedly still getting dizzy spells when physically active. The truth is that she wanted to get back to her normal routine, but she reportedly listened to Todd’s worries when he urged her to return home to rest after she kept getting really dizzy.
Amy did stop by the red shed first – roughly 30 yards from the front of the barn – at her husband’s request to grab a pet carrier he might need later on, which is where Trysten found her. Therefore, as per records, when Todd contacted the emergency services, he claimed his wife had met with a terrible accident and fallen on top of a corn rake that was now stuck to her back. The officials never saw the original scene, though, because the father-son duo was already rushing her to the Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead soon thereafter. The situation was still presumed to be a “freak accident,” but her autopsy changed everything as it revealed she had 6 puncture wounds on her back when the rake only had 4 prongs. Moreover, she had injuries on her chin, cheeks, knuckles, and knees, leading her case to be classified as homicide.
Investigations Into Amy Mullis’ Case Seemingly Pointed Fingers in a Single Direction
Once it came to light that Amy Mullis’ death was a murder, investigators didn’t hesitate to question her loved ones and look into her personal life to figure out if she had any enemies. That’s when they learned she’d allegedly had an affair with a man named Jerry Frasher around 5 years earlier (in 2013) after meeting him on Mullis Farm as he managed their operations. According to those close to her, when Todd found out about her betrayal, he was so furious that he decided she should quit her job as a Registered Nurse to focus more on their family and the farm. The couple reportedly even went to counseling, but she told a confidant it did not help much, as she now lived in fear of her husband because of his alleged possessiveness and controlling nature.
Detectives also uncovered that there was a possibility Amy was planning to leave Todd, only for him to hold an entirely contradictory view of their marriage and where they stood. As per records, he said that while he was heartbroken over the alleged affair, it didn’t shake the foundation of their marriage, as they were stronger than ever in the months leading up to the fateful day. He then relayed the details of her surgery as well as dizzy spells to indicate his belief that his wife’s death was indeed a freak accident, but evidence did not back his statements. Investigators also looked into Jerry Frasher as a possible suspect since he had a potential motive, too – he had a wife and children, whom he did not want to leave – but he was soon cleared.
On the other hand, evidence seemed to be mounting against Todd as a look into his online history revealed some very concerning searches. According to records, in the months leading up to Amy’s murder, he had looked up things like “organs in the body,” “what happens to cheaters in history,” “thrill of the kill,” “killing unfaithful women,” and “what happened to cheating spouses in historic Aztec times” on his devices. With all this, he was arrested at his home on one count of first-degree murder on February 28, 2019, only for him to double down on his claims of innocence during his ensuing interrogation. He denied having any hand in his wife’s death several times before telling the detective, “…you want me to confess to something I didn’t do.”
Todd Mullis is Currently Incarcerated in an Iowa Prison
Todd stood trial for the charge against him in September 2019, during which the prosecution’s star witness was the only person who was present at the scene the entire time – Trysten. The teenager testified that his father’s claims about her mother’s surgery and dizzy spells were all true, adding that he believes Todd did genuinely seem concerned about Amy. However, he also testified that there were periods when he did not have eyes on his father after his mother had left the barn, which prosecutors argued was when he killed her. Todd and his defense team maintained that her death was an accident, but the jury did not side with them.
Therefore, after a week of testimony and roughly 7 hours of deliberation, on September 23, 2019, the jury found Todd guilty of first-degree murder. He subsequently tried to file for a retrial after changing counsel, but his motion was denied, so he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on September 4, 2020. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution. Todd had once again vehemently claimed he was innocent in a statement during his sentencing hearing, so it’s no surprise he later filed an appeal. He argued he didn’t receive a fair trial, as there were several witnesses who backed his theory of Amy’s death being an accident who were not called to testify. However, in early June 2026, a judge denied his motion on the grounds that he had actually received a fair trial, so today, the 50-year-old remains incarcerated at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Lee County, Iowa. He is expected to remain there for the rest of his natural life.
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