The Grocery List

Donna Tompkins was a 30-year-old mother of a young daughter and a junior trust officer at a bank in the small town of Canton, Illinois. She was a beautiful brunette with a warm smile, who some of her closest friends saw as a shining jewel. On Tuesday, January 12th, 1993, Donna was home with her 3-year-old Justine on a freezing winter evening. It was a quiet night, as any in the Midwest tended to be. But, on Wednesday morning, January 13th, when Donna didn’t show up for work or Justine at her daycare, co-workers at the bank quickly grew concerned. And at around 9:15 am, they urged their boss, David Haynes, to call the police. But Haynes, instead, decided to walk to Donna’s house in the frigid cold, just six blocks away. Upon arrival, he found her car parked in the driveway, but the front door to her apartment was locked shut. So, Haynes knocked on her door repeatedly and peered in the windows but saw nothing and got no response. He then asked if he could use a neighbor’s phone, and around 9:30 am Canton PD was dispatched to Donna’s house. Just as Officer, Sargent David Ayers, pulled up in his squad car, a fire suddenly erupted, with flames shooting out of the south side of the building. When the fire department arrived on the scene just a few minutes later, they tried to force themselves inside, but the fire and smoke were so intense, even with protective gear, they couldn’t enter. It took about 40 firefighters and an hour and a half to fight the blaze. And once it was subdued, a heartbreaking discovery awaited. Just ten feet inside the door, Donna’s charred remains were found on a sofa couch with her little one snuggled up beside her. Immediately, their deaths are considered suspicious. An investigation and manhunt begin. And rumors tremor the already shaken community to its core.