Allison Maria Castro

Allison Maria Castro, a 28-year-old woman originally from Hawaii, had moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. A graduate of Kealakehe High School, she was building a new life on the mainland. In the late summer of 2022, her family grew deeply concerned when they were unable to reach her. Their fears prompted them to report her missing on September 19, 2022, launching an investigation that would soon uncover a tragedy.

On the same day Allison was reported missing, Fayetteville police responded to a call that led them to the residence of her ex-boyfriend, Kacey Jennings. They found him experiencing an apparent drug overdose. At the scene, investigators discovered several documents Jennings had written which indicated he had killed Allison and disposed of her body. The case immediately shifted from a missing person search to a homicide investigation. Both Allison and Jennings had grown up on Hawaii Island and graduated from the same high school before reconnecting in Arkansas.

Following his release from a medical facility, Kacey Jennings was arrested on September 26, 2022. He was charged with capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and theft of property. Despite his arrest, the search for Allison continued. Jennings pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the subsequent legal process saw the trial postponed several times.

The case went before a Washington County jury in June 2026. During the trial, prosecutors argued that on August 19, 2022, Jennings fatally shot Allison. They presented evidence that he then attempted to conceal the crime by cleaning the scene and disposing of her remains in multiple locations, including parts thrown into Beaver Lake. The jury found Jennings guilty on all counts, including capital murder.

During the sentencing phase, prosecutors sought the death penalty. The defense argued that Jennings' personal history created a mitigating circumstance. The court ultimately sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder. For the charges of abuse of a corpse, theft, and evidence tampering, he received an additional 22 years in prison and was ordered to pay $30,000 in fines. As of September 2026, Jennings was incarcerated at the Varner Supermax Unit and had filed an appeal of his conviction with the Arkansas Supreme Court.