Shannon Ridener, 38, went on a blind date in January 2018 with a man named Brian Russell. The two reportedly bought liquor and went to Russell’s home to watch a movie; that evening Ridener sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The next morning Russell was arrested for DUI and had blood on his hands and clothing; a search of his vehicle turned up a black trash bag with a pair of women’s shoes. Ridener’s purse was found near the Ouachita River while she remained missing for more than a month. On February 15, 2018 an off-duty Game and Fish officer found a body near Beech Creek, south of Hermitage, later identified as Ridener.

Investigators found evidence of a cleaned bloodstain in Russell’s home and determined Ridener had been shot with Russell’s gun inside the residence. Russell admitted disposing of the body in a creek and throwing the purse off a bridge but said he fell asleep during the movie and awoke to a bang, claiming Ridener had taken her own life. He was charged and later convicted by an Ashley County Circuit Court jury of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and being a felon in possession of a firearm; he received a total sentence of seventy years. Anyone with information about Ridener, her final movements, or that night is asked to come forward.