On January 19, 2022, 40-year-old Sharon Tarwater Whited and her 75-year-old father, Chester E. Tarwater Jr., were found dead inside their Helena, Alabama, home on Piney Woods Drive. A 12-year-old family member discovered Chester unresponsive and first responders located both victims; investigators reported violent injuries — Sharon with multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound, and her father shot.

Sharon’s 41-year-old boyfriend, John Peyton Scott III, who also lived at the house, was identified as a person of interest and was missing along with a red 2020 Ford EcoSport belonging to the victims. Scott was located and arrested in St. Augustine, Florida, on January 24, 2022, while driving the vehicle; authorities say a PIT maneuver was used to stop the car. He was extradited to Alabama and charged with capital murder.

Court testimony at a preliminary hearing described signs of a violent struggle and an attempted blood cleanup at the scene. Investigators tied blood evidence and surveillance footage to Scott, and a judge found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury. Friends and family described Sharon as a devoted mother and her father as a respected Navy veteran.

If anyone knew Sharon, Chester, their routines, or saw the red 2020 Ford EcoSport around January 19, 2022, please share information with authorities.