Naman Shrestha
37-year-old single mother of one, Merrilee Cox-Lafferty, had a lot to live for when fate intervened and cut her life short. What was believed to be a case of disappearance turned into something far more sinister as her loved ones’ worst nightmare turned into reality with her remains surfacing in a shallow grave in Cache County, Utah. The episode titled ‘The Dog Knows’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘See No Evil’ delves deep into the gruesome murder of Merrilee and the intense investigation that ensued. Several shocking revelations later, the authorities identified the perpetrator responsible for the crime.
Merrilee Cox-Lafferty’s Remains Were Found Nearly a Month After Her Disappearance
Merrilee Cox-Lafferty was a free-spirited personality known for her compassionate, trustworthy, and resilient demeanor. She was adored by many owing to the fact that she would go to great lengths to extend help to anyone who needed it. While not much is known about her familial or academic background, we know that she was raised in a nurturing household in the city of Atascadero in San Luis Obispo County, California. The life of the 37-year-old revolved around her daughter. The details about her biological father have been kept under wraps as of writing. Through hard work and determination, the single mother had built a decent life for herself and her beautiful daughter in Santa Barbara, California.
As she was diagnosed with severe epilepsy, along with issues related to her memory and mobility, Merrilee had to seek constant assistance from her service dog, Coco. Her furry companion offered her unwavering support, almost like a safety net to enable her to perform her daily activities. On August 17, 2018, she travelled to northern Utah with her minor daughter to aid Stacy Robert Willis as he moved to a new place. According to reports, Stacy and Merrilee dated when she was 16 and continued to have an on-and-off relationship in the following years. Despite not being together, they seemingly shared a strong bond as Merrilee likely saw him as his first true love.
The mother of one was last spotted alive on August 18, 2018, as she was reportedly heading back to California in her 1999 tan Toyota Camry with her daughter. When there was no news about her whereabouts for the next few days, her loved ones filed a missing persons report. Their nightmares became a reality when Merrilee Cox-Lafferty’s remains were found in a shallow grave on September 14 in Left Hand Fork, located off of Blacksmith Fork Canyon in Cache County, Utah. According to the medical examiner, the 37-year-old California resident died of blunt force trauma sustained in a severe beating. The authorities swiftly launched an investigation into her homicide.
Merrilee Cox-Lafferty’s Killer Had a Long History With Her
As the detectives investigated the mysterious murder of Merrilee Cox-Lafferty, they learned about her on-and-off love-hate relationship with her boyfriend, Stacy Robert Willis. On the day she was reported missing, the authorities found her 2-year-old dog, Coco, wandering the streets of Logan, Utah. Eventually, the Queensland Heeler led them straight to Stacy’s house in Hyrum. When the police interviewed him, he claimed that he and Merrilee got into an argument in the parking lot of an apartment complex, due to which he was late for work. According to him, he ended up blocking her number as she kept texting him even after he left for work. When the detectives asked to show them the call logs and text messages between them, he claimed that they had been deleted after he blocked her.
Stacy also told the investigators that he tried to file a missing persons report following her disappearance, but he was told that a person had to be missing for at least 24 hours. However, the authorities found no record of Stacy calling dispatch as he claimed. As per reports, Stacy drove Merrilee’s daughter to a friend’s residence in Mountain Home, Idaho, on August 19, 2018. The detectives then interviewed her daughter, who claimed to have seen her mother at Stacy’s house, where the couple was arguing on August 18. The minor daughter also told the detectives that Merrilee traveled from California to Utah to sell Stacy two large bags of marijuana in exchange for some money.
An unlikely witness, one of Stacy’s friends, informed the authorities that Stacy had confessed to him about the murder. According to reports, Stacy told his friend that Merrilee accidentally backed his SUV into a tree, after which he pulled her from the car and beat her to death before driving her to the campsite where her remains were discovered. After finding the remains, the authorities arrested Stacy Robert Willis on September 14, 2018, for the murder of Merrilee Cox-Lafferty. He was charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated murder, three counts of obstruction of justice, possession of a dangerous weapon, and more.
Stacy Robert Willis is Currently Incarcerated at a Utah Prison Facility
A few months after his arrest, Stacy Robert Willis pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree murder on January 23, 2019. He admitted his involvement in the murder of 37-year-old Merrilee Cox-Lafferty but claimed that it was an accident. In exchange for his guilty plea, his other charges were dropped, including three counts of obstruction of justice, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, two counts of possession or use of a controlled substance, and criminal mischief. The deal also eliminated the possibility of a death sentence from the table.
Before his sentencing hearing, the killer claimed that he suffered from outburst disorder, which led to the “accidental” death of Merrilee. However, the judge addressed him and his claims, stating, “You don’t have outburst disorder. You are just a mean, uncaring, self-absorbed horrible person.” He added, “You chose to brutally take the life of a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. You thought no one would care. But you were, once again, wrong.” Ultimately, on March 11, 2019, Stacy was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the gruesome murder of Merrilee Cox-Lafferty. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah, awaiting his release date.
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