24-year-old Lori Slesinski disappeared from her home in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday, June 10, 2006. Her biggest pal, Lindsay Braun, knew one factor was unsuitable when she found Lori’s entrance door unlocked and her canine, Peanut, nonetheless in his crate.
In keeping with Braun, Lori would in no way go away and go away her beloved Peanut behind.
“The door was unlocked, which was not like her … the air conditioner was working. Her canine, Peanut, was inside the crate,” Braun suggested 48 Hours.
A Canine Mom Disappears
Although Lori had not been heard from for a variety of days, Peanut appeared calm and comfy. His crate was spotlessly clear, as if any individual had been feeding and caring for him in Lori’s absence.
Upon nearer inspection, Braun noticed that the three kitchen rugs Lori laid out to help the canine traverse the tile floor have been missing.
“One issue I keep in mind about Peanut is, he wouldn’t stroll on tile, so she had these rugs in her kitchen, and he would hop on the rugs, and the rugs have been gone. I noticed that immediately,” she talked about.
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A Suspect Emerges
These unusual gadgets of proof regarding Peanut would lead police to suspect that any individual close to Lori was involved in her disappearance. Their sights rapidly turned to Lori’s pal, Derrill Richard “Rick” Ennis. He made inconsistent statements in his interviews and had suspicious scratches on his arms as if he’d been involved in a battle.
Braun suggested police she’d heard Ennis’ voice inside the background all through her remaining identify with Lori on the day she disappeared. She moreover revealed that Ennis had these days written Lori a love letter expressing his feelings for her. Lori had spurned his advances, telling him she wished to remain “merely associates.”
Rather more chilling, investigators discovered a darkish secret from Ennis’ earlier. On the age of 12, he brutally murdered his mother and stepfather, residing with their our our bodies for two days and even persevering with to attend school.
When caught, Ennis suggested police he was indignant at his mom and father for deciding to maneuver because of he didn’t want to alter schools. He had moreover composed a “to-do” guidelines that included a plan to kill his three stepsisters.
As a consequence of his age on the time of the crime, Ennis was launched from juvenile jail when he turned 21. He then moved to Auburn, the place he met Lori.
Modern Eyes Break The Case
Auburn Police believed that Ennis murdered Lori, setting fireplace to her automotive and staying in her home with Peanut for days after the crime. Sadly, they might not gather enough proof to make an arrest.
A decade later, the case was reopened by a cold case unit. They discovered proof buried inside the data that had been beforehand missed. A hand-rolled cigarette butt found by Lori’s burning automotive had been collected in 2006 nonetheless in no way examined. Chilly case investigators rapidly discovered that it bore Ennis’ DNA. The suspect’s blood and semen have been moreover collected from Lori’s trailer.
On the time of his arrest in August 2018, Ennis was residing in Virginia and engaged to marry a librarian. He was charged with Lori’s murder and convicted by a jury in March of 2022.
Peanut’s Legacy
Lori’s mother, Arlene Slesinski, adopted Peanut after her daughter’s disappearance, discovering comfort inside the little canine’s presence for years to come back again.
“We launched Peanut home with us and he stayed with us, until he was, I assume about 16 years outdated when he died,” she talked about.
And Peanut in no way forgot the youthful girl who had preferred him so dearly.
“Every time we talked about Lori’s determine, he would, I don’t care the place he was within the dwelling, it was like he merely heard her determine and he’d run in there, like, the place is she?” Slesinski talked about. “It merely fully amazed me that he in no way forgot her.”
After Peanut handed away, Lori’s mom adopted one different canine named Daisey. It seems that evidently Peanut made a canine lover out of her, one factor that may completely make Lori smile.
Watch a summary of the 48 Hours report on Lori’s disappearance beneath:
Learn more about the evidence in Lori’s case.
Featured Screenshot by the use of 48 Hours
