Suvechha Sarkar
On an ordinary day in April 2020, 53-year-old Talina Jana Galloway unexpectedly went missing from her home in Wagoner, Oklahoma. It left her family grappling with unanswered questions for almost a year before her remains were found in Mena, Arkansas. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Heartless’ focuses on how the investigators worked to piece together the events before the homicide. The episode also features interviews with her loved ones and the officials who pieced together the evidence that led to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.
Talina Galloway’s Remains Were Found in a Wooded Area in Arkansas
Talina Jana Galloway arrived as a beacon of light in her parents’ lives on November 3, 1966. Growing up, she always maintained a special bond with her beloved sister, Cheryl Jones. In their early years, they lived in Bloomington, Indiana, before their father was transferred to Washington, Indiana. According to Cheryl, she and her sister then grew up in a strict household after their parents joined a Pentecostal church in Washington. Talina was initially known for her shy nature in childhood and later became a high-spirited individual. After completing her formal education, her desire to serve her country led her to join the National Guard. Eventually, she focused on computer programming before joining Microsoft.
In adulthood, Talina entered a relationship and soon got married. Unfortunately, the relationship didn’t work out, resulting in her divorce. She found love again when she crossed paths with Alfred “Tom” Galloway. As their connection blossomed, they tied the knot at a beautiful venue. Unfortunately, Alfred passed away on December 9, 2017, after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 59. By 2020, she was working from home at Microsoft and residing in Wagoner, Oklahoma, with a roommate named Kore D. Bommeli Adams. Talina also remained close to her nieces, especially Chantel Jones. However, Talina’s family grew concerned when they could no longer reach her after March 27, 2020.
On April 17, 2020, Kore reported her missing to the authorities. When officials checked her home, they found her car in the driveway and noted that she had left items such as her purse and wallet behind. Reports state that forensic experts found what they believed to be traces of blood in the garage and rear bedroom. On January 14, 2021, a local resident in Mena, Arkansas, noticed a foul odor coming from a white chest freezer with its lid taped shut in a wooded area and alerted the authorities. Upon opening it, they discovered dismembered human remains, which were later identified as Talina’s. The autopsy determined her cause of death to be blunt force head injuries and ruled the manner of death as homicide.
Mounting Evidence Led Authorities to Focus on Talina’s Roommate
Initially, detectives learned about Talina’s Facebook post dated April 7, 2020, in which she mentioned that she believed she had COVID-19. In that post, it was also written that although she didn’t plan to visit a hospital, she wanted to take some time away. According to reports, officials learned from her friends that her phone had gone inactive from that day. When they questioned Kore, she claimed that the 53-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 and was instructed by the doctor to quarantine. While trying to verify that statement, detectives found no evidence that Talina had been tested for COVID-19 or consulted her doctor. Further inspection of the house revealed that the 53-year-old’s bed had been removed, as per the records.
Investigative reports state that Kore rearranged the furniture in Talina’s room to make it appear as though the bed wasn’t missing. When detectives questioned Kore about her trailer, she claimed she had sold it, but her friends reported seeing it afterward, contradicting her statements. On June 8, 2020, a local resident in Mena, Arkansas, noticed a pickup truck towing a trailer into a wooded area. Reports indicate that when the witness went to check, the person noticed a foul odor coming from inside the trailer and reported it to the authorities. Investigators further alleged that Kore had tried to hide the trailer at a friend’s home and a storage facility, and then sold it to a scrap yard in Muskogee. Eventually, the same witness discovered the chest freezer in which Talina’s remains were found on January 14, 2021.
According to court records, when officials searched the storage unit rented by Kore, they found Talina’s driver’s license cut into pieces. Moreover, digital forensic experts discovered that the former had previously searched online for ways to remove blood from wood and concrete. In June 2020, Kore was first arrested on five counts of obstruction, four counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of destruction of evidence, and one count each of larceny from a home and credit-card fraud. Although she was released on bond, she was again arrested two months later and faced the additional charges of felony embezzlement and felony fraud. Once again, she was released on bond and moved to Wisconsin. On January 21, 2021, Kore was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and desecration of a corpse.
Kore Bommeli is Incarcerated at a Wisconsin Prison Facility Today
During the investigation, officials linked Kore to another case that occurred in April 2014 in Wisconsin. Hence, she was also charged with two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. She faced a jury trial for attempted murder and was convicted on both counts on June 27, 2025. In August 2025, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Wisconsin. Kore was set to face another jury trial for the murder of Talina, which was scheduled to begin on September 8, 2026. However, she avoided it by pleading no contest to the lesser charges of first-degree manslaughter, desecration of a human corpse, and possession of a firearm after a former felony conviction on September 4, 2026.
As part of the agreement, the other counts related to the case against Kore were dismissed. She was ultimately sentenced to 28 years in prison for manslaughter, to be served concurrently with her Wisconsin sentence. She also received a 7-year consecutive prison term for desecration of a human corpse and another concurrent sentence of 5 years for the weapon charge. It brought Kore’s total prison sentence to 35 years. As of writing, she is serving her sentence at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
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