Shivangi Sinha
In 2006, police in Longview, Texas, found the burned body of an unidentified woman, but without knowing her identity, the case stalled. Joseph Wayne Burnette was named as a suspect, but there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed. In 2018, the investigation took a turn when Felisha Pearson’s mother reported that her daughter was missing from Longview, Texas. This connection provided new leads. NBC’s episode of ‘Dateline’ titled ‘The Woman With No Name,’ explores the years-long investigation that ultimately led to Burnette’s arrest and conviction for two murders.
Joseph Wayne Burnette Had Just Been Released From Prison When He Met Dana Dodd
Born in 1977, Joseph Wayne Burnette has a largely undocumented early life, though it is believed he spent his formative years in Longview, Texas. In 1994, he committed vehicle theft, managing to evade significant legal consequences for a couple of years. However, his criminal activities escalated in 1996 when he was involved in a sexual assault, drawing the attention of law enforcement. By 1997, he was convicted of burglary of a motor vehicle and sexual assault, receiving a 9-year prison sentence. As part of his conviction, he was required to register as a sex offender, a mandate he later violated. During his time out of prison, on October 28, 2006, Burnette crossed paths with Dana Lynn Dodd.
On the night of October 28, 2006, 21-year-old Dana was reportedly selling magazines in a Walmart parking lot when Joseph Wayne Burnette alleged he approached her under the pretense of soliciting sex work. According to his later confession, he claimed she attempted to steal from him, which triggered a violent outburst. Burnette admitted to strangling her in a fit of rage. Afterward, he disposed of her body at an oil lease off Fritz Swanson Road, placing it on a burning woodpile before fleeing the scene. The severe burn injuries made identification of the remains impossible at the time. In May 2007, Burnette was arrested again, this time for failing to comply with the legal requirement to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Disappearance of Felisha Pearson Reignited Police’s Interest in Burnette
Tracing Joseph Wayne Burnette’s movements, investigators matched his DNA to samples found on Dana Dodd, who remained unidentified at the time. When questioned, he admitted to having sexual relations with her but claimed it was consensual and transactional, insisting he neither knew her identity nor was involved in her murder. With no additional evidence to contradict his account, he was not charged in connection with the case. However, he came under scrutiny again in 2018 when the mother of Felisha Pearson reported her 28-year-old daughter missing.
Felisha was reported missing on July 19, 2018, and her body was discovered on July 24 at a location off Birdsong Street in Longview. During their investigation, authorities learned that she had been living with her boyfriend at the time, who turned out to be Burnette. The two had been residing at the Contessa Inn, and he was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender as well as a separate charge of indecent exposure. Police promptly arrested him for the former charge on July 26 and brought him in for questioning, hoping to gather more information about Felisha’s disappearance and death.
Joseph Wayne Burnette is Serving His Sentence Today
Following his arrest in July 2018, Joseph Wayne Burnette was incarcerated at the Gregg County Jail. A grand jury later indicted him on two counts of murder and one count of failing to register as a sex offender. On August 27, 2018, authorities announced that he had confessed to the murders of Felisha Pearson and the 2006 murder of Dana Dodd. He also provided detailed accounts of the events from the time. On December 15, 2020, Burnette pleaded guilty to the two murder charges as well as the sex offender charge.
During the court proceedings, he delivered a statement explaining his reasons for entering the plea and said, “I want to do this, I want to get it over with. I want everybody to get their closure.” He received three concurrent 50-year prison sentences for the charges against him. His sentence allows for parole eligibility after serving 25 years. Currently 47 years old, Joseph Burnette is incarcerated at the Michael Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas. His earliest parole hearing is scheduled for 2043, while his maximum sentence extends until 2068.
Read More: Where is Dana Lynn Dodd’s Family Now?
