Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Meet the Other Me’ of ABC’s ’20/20,’ the focus is on the horrific kidnapping case of a survivor who managed to break away from the captivity of a serial killer and inform the police about the same in 2016. As the investigators dug deeper into the history of the man, they uncovered some dark truths about him, which included the murders of five women across the state of Ohio between 2006 and 2016. The lead detective of the case, Kim Mager, had a huge hand in getting the confessions of the serial killer, one of whose victims was 29-year-old Elizabeth Griffith.
Elizabeth Griffith’s Partially Decomposed Remains Were Found in an Ashland Property a Month After Her Disappearance
Daughter of Judy Griffith, Elizabeth Ann “Liz” Griffith was brought into the world on September 29, 1986, in Cleveland, Ohio. Growing up, she was quite close to her sister, Kerry Griffith, with whom she used to love playing video games. Moreover, they always had each others’ backs, no matter what. From her early days, Elizabeth developed a passion for the art of cooking, so much so that she even took culinary lessons at the Ashland County West-Holmes Career Center while attending Ashland High School. Just like any other kid her age, her hobbies included being outdoors with her friends and playing in the dirt.
Known for her sense of humor, Elizabeth was a member of Lifeworx and spent quite a lot of time at the Ashland Kroc Center. She also had faith and loved to attend church. Not only did she consider Eastgate Bible Church her home, but she also used to sing songs to Jesus enthusiastically and passionately. Being of a friendly nature, she was popular across the community and always greeted others with a bright smile on her face. Unfortunately, the light in so many people’s lives went off when the news of her tragic passing came out. With so much to look forward to in life, the 29-year-old woman went missing around August 2016.
When her loved ones became concerned about her well-being and whereabouts, an extensive search for her was launched almost immediately. It took nearly a month for the authorities to discover her remains in a property at 363 Covert Court near downtown Ashland on September 13. Her body was found with the body of another woman named Stacy Stanley. By the time the detectives found Elizabeth’s body, it had reached an advanced stage of decomposition, so much so that they had to identify her using her dental records. Placed inside an upstairs closet, she was found tied up and without any clothes. Upon conducting an autopsy of Elizabeth’s body, the police discovered that the cause of her death was asphyxiation.
A Serial Killer Was Behind the Murder of Elizabeth Griffith
Discovering Elizabeth Griffith’s body was not an easy task for the authorities. In fact, the investigation of another case led them to her. On September 13, 2016, a woman called 911 after breaking free from her captor, Shawn Grate, who had kidnapped and sexually assaulted her multiple times. Upon reaching his property, the authorities took the criminal into custody. It was when they combed across his downtown Ashland property for other clues and evidence that they came across the bodies of Elizabeth Griffith and Stacy Stanley. During his interrogation with Detective Kim Mager, he confessed to the murder of Elizabeth along with four other women, which was enough to build a case against him and take him to court.
A couple of years after his arrest, in April 2018, Shawn Grate stood trial for his brutal crimes against five different women across Ohio, including Elizabeth Griffith. After pleading guilty to 15 of the charges against him, he was found guilty of aggravated murder of Elizabeth on May 7, 2018. The loved ones of the victim were relieved to hear the verdict and hoped to see the serial killer punished. One of her close friends, Becky Chavez, was vocal about her desire for Shawn to get the death penalty. Less than a month later, on June 1, he was given the death sentence for his crimes.
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