Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Murder in the Heartland: Toddlers Terrible Tale’ delves deep into the gruesome murder of Charlene Puffenbarger, a mother of two adorable toddlers, in the small town of Twinsburg, Ohio. While the entire community was shell-shocked, her family and friends were taken over by grief and loss. The episode also explores the years-long investigation that led the detectives to the perpetrator, thanks to one of Charlene’s sons and DNA evidence found at the crime scene.
Charlene Puffenbarger Was Found Dead in Her Home By Her Kids
Charlene Kay Puffenbarger, the beloved daughter of Charles Kenneth and Phyllis (Sharp) Puffenbarger, was born on August 16, 1965, in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Her childhood was packed with love and warmth as she and her dear brother, Ken Puffenbarger, were raised in a nurturing household under the care of their loving parents. Therefore, they enjoyed a deep sense of emotional stability and security in their formative years. Charlene was a bright and hardworking individual who lived on her own terms. She was a kindhearted young woman who mostly kept to herself but wouldn’t think twice to extend a helping hand to those she loved deeply.
At some point, Charlene’s paths crossed with Willard S. Carley, and the two took a liking to each other. One thing led to another, and Charlene and Willard got into a relationship. While they never made it official, their union blessed them with an adorable baby boy, Derrek. While not much is known about the romantic aspect of her life before she met Willard, she already had a son from a previous relationship, her firstborn, Dustin Redmond. While dating Willard, Charlene believed she had finally found the stability she had yearned for. However, cracks began to develop in their relationship, and they ultimately went their separate ways. Despite that, she kept her spirits up. Her world revolved around her kids, and she did everything she could to give them the life they deserved.
By the time 1992 rolled around, Charlene had dedicated her focus on building a great life for herself and her kids in Twinsburg in Summit County, Ohio. Unfortunately, all her dreams shattered on January 20, when her kids — 3-year-old Desmond and 2-year-old Derek — found their mother unresponsive at their home in Ray Court. When all their efforts to wake her up were unsuccessful, the little boys rushed to their neighbors for help. Though the kids were at home when Charlene was murdered, they were thankfully not physically hurt. The police were soon informed and rushed to their residence to declare the 26-year-old dead. Medical reports revealed that Charlene endured severe beating, sustained scalp lacerations, and was strangled and suffocated with a leather strap around her neck. The wounds in her hands were defensive in nature, suggesting the mother of two fought fiercely for her life. An investigation into her brutal murder was quickly launched
Charlene Puffenbarger’s Past Came Back to Haunt Her
During the homicide investigation, the authorities interviewed Charlene Puffenbarger’s family and friends, hoping to identify possible suspects in the case. They got the first break in the case in an unexpected manner as Charlene’s three-year-old toddler, Dustin Redmond, began making statements related to her murder. As per reports, he spoke several sentences into a toy telephone: “Policeman got buttons. What do you come to my house for. What you do that to my mom. You break window. Bob. Policeman hit mommy. Put tape on her. Put nuts in her mouth. Bad boy.”
In order to make sense of his statements, the police sought help from a child psychologist, to whom Dustin said that he had witnessed the killing. The toddler blamed his mother’s former boyfriend, who was allegedly wearing a police uniform at the time of the murder. With nothing concrete linking Willard S. McCarley to the crime, the detectives could not arrest him. A few years later, in late 1995, a deputy sheriff’s uniform was discovered at Willard’s house. On top of that, when Dustin was asked to pick the killer from a photo array, he consistently picked Willard, claiming that he had suffocated his mother with a pillow before strangling her with a leather belt.
Later, the detectives found more concrete evidence against him as they linked him through the DNA evidence found on the leather belt that was used to strangle Charlene. Thus, in May 2004, while Willard McCarley was vacationing with his wife in Arizona, he was arrested and charged with aggravated murder. As per the investigators, Willard and Charlene were in the middle of a child support feud. They determined that the former didn’t want to pay child support to her, which served as the primary motive for him to beat, strangle, and suffocate her to death on January 20, 1992.
Willard McCarley is Currently Incarcerated at an Ohio Prison Facility
Before standing trial in April 2017, Willard McCarley had already been tried and convicted twice in 2005 and 2007. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years behind bars. However, due to some trial errors and appeals from Willard, the court ordered the third trial. During the third trial, the prosecution relied on the DNA evidence against the defendant and invited witnesses to prove his guilt. Charlene’s mother, Phyllis, also testified that her daughter appeared distracted a few days before her demise because of a fight with Willard. She told the jury, “He (McCarley) said he would see her dead before he’d pay child support.” On the other hand, the defense attorneys argued that the DNA could belong to any male member of the McCarley family.
However, despite their best efforts, the jury found Willard guilty of aggravated murder for the third time on April 12, 2017, after deliberating for about three hours. The following day, his sentencing hearing took place, during which Dustin Redmond addressed the convict. He stated, “I will never say you are guilty or not guilty. I don’t know. Unless I remember, there is new evidence or you admit it, in my eyes it will always be a question mark, which for me is miserable.” Ultimately, he was sentenced to life in prison for killing Charlene Puffenbarger. Her brother, Ken, also expressed his opinion on the life sentence, saying, “You deserve to be there. I hope you die there. It is just despicable what you have done to multiple families — with zero remorse.” As of today, Willard McCarley is serving his sentence at Marion Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for March 2034.
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