Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘I Wanted To Keep Her’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs Of A Psychopath,’ the primary focus is on the months-long disappearance of an elderly woman named Doris Cumming, whose remains were finally found after family members filed a missing persons report in Floyd County, Georgia. What the police learned during the investigation sent shockwaves through the entire community, as the perpetrator claimed it was an accident. The documentary features insightful interviews with Doris’ family and the officials who helped get to the bottom of the case.
Doris Cumming’s Remains Were Found Inside a Freezer Months After She Vanished
Born around 1940, Doris Cumming led a seemingly quiet life in her home in Armuchee, Georgia, where she lived with her grandson, Robert Keith Tincher III. When the family of the 82-year-old woman couldn’t get in touch with her since December 2021, they thought that she had moved out of state. However, as months went by without hearing from her, the family finally reported her missing to the authorities in April 2022. As the Floyd County Police began looking into Doris’ mysterious disappearance, they found her remains inside a freezer in a storage unit in Floyd County on April 14. They concluded that she was still alive when she was put inside the appliance. The autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined that the elderly woman died inside the freezer sometime in December 2021.
Doris Cumming’s Killer Lived in the Same House as Her Remains For Months
At the start of the investigation, the Floyd County Police contacted Doris Cumming’s grandson, Robert Keith Tincher III, who lived with her at the time. He told them that Doris was allegedly injured after falling in the shower at the house in December 2021, after which he chose not to seek medical help or call the cops for her because he was wanted by the authorities for a bench warrant on an unrelated case involving the terroristic threats he had made on social media against his wife in 2018. Instead, as per investigative reports, Robert allegedly dragged Doris through the house, causing her to sustain multiple broken bones.
While she was still breathing, he wrapped his injured grandmother in plastic bags and forcibly shoved her into a freezer, where he kept her for months. Meanwhile, he reportedly continued living in the residence. In March 2022, Robert moved the freezer containing her remains to a storage unit, where the police discovered them. Contrary to his deed, Robert told the investigators that he loved her as Doris “was the only family member that gave him the courtesy and love and attention he needed.” He was charged with murder, aggravated battery, and concealing the death of another in connection with the homicide of 82-year-old Doris Cumming.
Robert Tincher III is Serving His Sentence at a Georgia Prison Today
More than two years after his arrest, on December 4, 2024, Robert Tincher III pleaded guilty to malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and various other charges in connection with Doris Cumming’s killing. However, during the plea hearing, he denied having anything to do with his grandmother’s murder. He told the judge, “No, I don’t believe I caused the death of my grandmother. But I want to get out of Floyd County and get on with the rest of my life.” The judge responded, “When you say you want to get on with the rest of your life, you’re aware that means spending it in prison?”
A week after his guilty plea, on December 11, 2024, Robert was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, while he appeared in the sentencing hearing via a video call from the Floyd County Jail. During the hearing, the judge stated, “He’s sociopathic. There is no doubt in my mind in determining what punishment to impose here that Mr. Tincher should never have any opportunity of walking among free men.” The 34-year-old killer is currently incarcerated at Phillips State Prison in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
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