Naman Shrestha
In November 2018, a mother of three named Amy Mullis was found in a critical condition near a Manchester, Iowa, farm. After her unfortunate demise, the authorities delved deeper into her personal life and uncovered cracks in her married life that eventually led them to the perpetrator and his possible motive. All the intricate details of the case and the investigation that ensued were covered in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Corn Rake Witness,’ which also features an interview with Amy’s son, Trysten, who recounts his version of the tragic incident.
Amy Mullis Was Found Dead at the Family Farm by Her Teenage Son
Born on January 23, 1979, in Ames, Iowa, Amy Lynn Fuller Mullis was the beloved daughter of Robert and Peggy Fuller. She grew up in the Eldora area alongside her brother, Jeff Fuller, and attended Eldora-New Providence High School. After graduating from high school in 1997, Amy attended Kirkwood Community College to pursue a degree and become a Registered Nurse. She then landed a job at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids before working in the ER at the Regional Medical Center in Manchester. In her 20s, she tied the knot with Todd Mullis on September 11, 2004, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Manchester.
In the years that followed, Amy and Todd gave birth to three children — Trysten, Taylor, and Wyatt. After becoming a mother, she discontinued her medical career to become a homemaker and spend time with her children. Besides being a doting mother, Amy also served as a partner in the family’s farming operation. In her free time, she enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, gardening, and designing T-shirts. The mother of three was also an integral member of the Delaware County Pork Producer’s Board. Her seemingly picture-perfect life with her family got upended on November 10, 2018. On the fateful day, she was working on the family farm near Manchester with Todd and Trysten.
When she didn’t return from the shed, Trysten went looking for her and found her with a corn rake stuck on her back. As per reports, Todd and Trysten immediately rushed her to the Regional Medical Center, where she was soon pronounced dead. The autopsy revealed that she had six puncture wounds in the back and multiple injuries on her knees, chin, cheekbone, and knuckles, ruling out the possibility of her accidentally falling on the rake, which only had four tines. Thus, her death was ruled a homicide, and an investigation was launched to get to the bottom of the case.
The Killer Made Suspicious Internet Searches Weeks Before Her Death
As part of the investigation, the detectives spoke with Amy Mullis’ friends and family members and learned that she was allegedly involved in an extramarital affair with a man who managed the hog operation on the Mullis farm. Her loved ones told the investigators that she lived in constant fear of Todd, whom she planned to leave due to his possessiveness and controlling nature. However, the husband gave a different account of his marriage. He claimed that although Amy’s affair devastated him, it didn’t affect the foundation of their relationship. He told the detectives that she had surgery a few days prior to her killing and that she appeared dizzy on the fateful day. According to Todd, he suggested that she rest in the house while he and Trysten worked.
Suspecting his possible involvement in Amy’s murder, the detectives dug deeper into Todd and his internet searches in the days and weeks leading up to the homicide. They found suspicious search results on his cell phone and iPad, such as “organs in the body,” “what happens to cheaters in history,” “thrill of the kill,” “killing unfaithful women,” and “what happened to cheating spouses in historic Aztec times.” Armed with enough evidence, the police arrested Todd Mullis on February 28, 2019, under suspicion of the first-degree murder of his wife, Amy Mullis. A few months later, in September 2019, he stood trial.
During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Todd found out about Amy’s alleged affair and decided to kill her for being unfaithful. They told the jury that while Todd was performing CPR on Amy while driving to the hospital, he allegedly whispered derogatory remarks. Meanwhile, Todd maintained his innocence and denied making any such remarks. In the end, on September 23, 2019, he was found guilty of killing Amy Mullis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his sentencing hearing was delayed for nearly a year. Finally, on September 4, 2020, Todd was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution.
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