ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home - Who was Sierah Joughin and what happened to her? Disturbing details of the 2016 homicide, revisited

ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home (Image via ABC)
ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home (Image via ABC)

ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home follows news correspondent John Quiñones as he traces back the happenings of the 2016 homicide of Sierah Joughin. This 20-year-old was almost home riding her bike from her boyfriend's place when she mysteriously vanished. The case turned into a race against time as the law enforcement tried to track her down, but three days later, it was only her remains that they were able to find.

Here's what ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home revealed about this case and Sierah's murder.


ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home reveals what happened to Sierah Joughin

Sierah Joughin's disappearance left behind chilling clues that the police had to use in their race against time to find her. On break from her university, Sierah was on the way back from her boyfriend's place on her bicycle when she disappeared. Her boyfriend recounted their last interaction before they parted ways:

"I remember exactly what I said. I kissed her, I told her I loved her and to text me when she got home."

When Sierah never reached home and never texted him, it led everybody to wonder what happened to Sierah Joughin. The law enforcement was alerted, and they set out looking for her. Her purple bicycle was found discarded only half a mile away from her. Investigation into the area revealed more clues in the cornfield, like men's sunglasses, a screwdriver, a set of fuse boxes, a sock, and motorcycle tracks.

The area also revealed evidence of struggle, broken cornstalks with blood streaks on them, which led them to confirm her abduction. An FBI special agent who was called into the scene early morning recounts his experience reaching the crime scene as seen on ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home:

"It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. You just had this eerie feeling that you knew that this was an abduction site."

According to ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home, a few days later, a farmer informed law enforcement that a cornfield in an area in his field along County Road 7 was suspiciously broken, which led law enforcement to a freshly dug grave with Sierah's remains inside. She was found gagged, and her hands were bound using cuffs. The autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was asphyxiation after a plastic toy was used to gag her.

Who was suspected of what happened to Sierah Joughin

Initially, during the investigation, the detectives believed Sierah's boyfriend could have been involved in her disappearance; however, there was no evidence against him, so he was eliminated as a suspect. They also questioned James Worly, a man who lived a couple of miles away from the crime scene, who said that his bike had broken down near the field and he had allegedly lost a few items as well. He listed the items that were found on the crime scene. He also claimed that he had seen and touched the bluish bike on the road, but had nothing to do with the crime that had taken place there.

ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home reveals that after Sierah's body was discovered, an arrest warrant was executed for Worly's property, and even though they didn't find anything in his home, they did find a freshly raked floor just outside his barn.

Further investigation revealed an empty chest freezer and multiple zip-lock bags, which had female undergarments, tube tops, stockings, duct tape, and more. Numerous pieces of evidence against Worly confirmed his involvement in the crime. Investigation into his history also revealed that he had been convicted of abduction in 1990 for trying to abduct Robin Gardener under similar circumstances.

Worly was charged with 19 counts, which included kidnapping, felonious assault, aggravated murder, and more, and was found guilty on 17 of those counts. He was sentenced to the death penalty, which has been delayed several times owing to pending appeals. According to ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home, he awaits his execution at Ross Correctional Institution in Ohio.


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Edited by Sroban Ghosh