Eric Cates, 32, was found dead on March 21, 2015, in Empire, Alabama. His body and that of his dog, Gypsy, were discovered inside his pickup truck, which had been set on fire behind the old Empire School in Walker County. The case remained cold for years, during which Cates’s mother continued to press for answers and the investigation appeared to stall.

In October 2023 a grand jury returned indictments charging two Walker County residents, Joshua Franklin Hill, then 33, and Cyerena Cheyenne Styles, 28, each with one count of murder. Styles was taken into custody by the Sumiton Police Department and Hill was located by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force; the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions and Criminal Trials Divisions took a lead role in the investigation alongside local agencies.

Who knew Eric, his movements in March 2015, or Gypsy’s routine in Empire?