Kriti Mehrotra
It was in July 2011 when everything turned upside down for Laura Ackerson’s family as she was horrifically killed in her own North Carolina home before being mutilated and disposed of in Texas. Though what’s even more horrendous is that she was actually killed by her ex-husband and the father of her two young children, Grant Ruffin Hayes III, as well as his new wife, Amanda Perry Hayes. This is the precise case explored in ABC’s ’20/20: Can I Prey First?’ too (spanning 2011 to 2014), exploring all the details of this ordeal through the eyes of those closely involved and her loved ones.
Laura Ackerson Hailed From a Big, Complex Family
Although born into a relatively ordinary household helmed by Brenda and Rodger Ackerson in Hastings, Michigan, on April 30, 1984, Laura spent the initial few years of her life surrounded by love. That’s because, thanks to her parents’ many other unions, she had six siblings/half-siblings: Jason Ackerson, Erin Anderson, Heather Fruchey, Jennifer Cross, Ryan Martin, as well as Daniel Martin. But alas, she never got an opportunity to stay close to them for long as contentious allegations at home not only left the kids with conflicting loyalties but also fractured familial relationships.
It thus comes as no surprise that following Laura’s relocation to Iowa at her mother’s behest when she was 12 in 1996, she essentially had no contact with any of her siblings until the 2000s. Jason was the one to get in touch with his three years younger sister without having anything to do with their parents as he had left their home state of Michigan for North Carolina once he turned 22. This was 2003, the same year she graduated high school, ultimately motivating the young woman to join him for her independence before she built her own separate life in this Tar Heel State.
The truth is Laura had come across her future husband, musician Grant Ruffin Hayes III, right here in late 2006, just for them to tie the knot on their shared April birthday mere months later. They then settled in Raleigh before welcoming two adorable sons into this world — Grant Ruffin Hayes IV on May 2, 2008, and Gentle Reign Hayes on August 3, 2009 — yet things soon changed. His alleged volatile tendencies, erratic behavior, plus infidelities had led her to file for divorce by 2010, unaware the ensuing custody battle for their sons would only end with her demise in July 2011. We should mention Jason had met his sister’s husband in 2008, and he did later testify against him.
Laura Ackerson’s Son Are in the Care of Their Grandparents
According to reports, Laura was actually reported missing in Kinston on July 18, 2011, three days after failing to show up to collect her then 3- and 1-year-old from her ex’s house for a weekend visit. That’s because everyone who knew her knew she would never abandon her sons or willingly leave them in Grant’s care for longer than she needed to, resulting in an extensive search for her. But alas, on July 24, 11 days since her actual disappearance, it was just her dismembered remains that were discovered in an alligator-infested creek in Richmond, Texas, about 60 miles south of Houston.
Little did anybody know at the time that Grant and his then-new wife Amanda would actually charged with first-degree murder a mere day later, with their motivation being his kids’ custody. It then came to light that this couple had gone to unimaginably heinous extremes to remove Laura from the picture on that fateful day, resulting in their conviction and sentencing in 2014. By this point, the victim’s sons, Grant and Gentle, had long been placed into the care of their paternal grandmother and her husband in Kinston, which is where they still likely remain at the ages of 16 and 15, respectively.
Laura Ackerson’s Loved Ones Prefer to Maintain a Quiet Life These Days
While not much is known about Laura’s mother apart from the fact she now goes by Brenda Brooks and is presumably still a happy resident of Iowa, her father has unfortunately since passed away. As a proud Vietnam War Veteran, owner of the Collector’s Korner shop, as well as Michigan native, Rodger had seen and been through a lot in life, but he did genuinely regret not having a true legacy. That’s because while he lost Laura in 2011, he had already long been estranged from his three other adult children, driving him to briefly try to attain Grant IV and Gentle’s custody, but to no avail.
In the end, at the age of 75, Rodger Lee Ackerson sadly passed away on February 18, 2021, just to then seemingly be buried alongside his daughter in Ionia County, Michigan. As for Laura’s siblings, from what we can tell, they all prefer to keep well away from the limelight these days so as to move on from the past to the best of their abilities while keeping her memories alive in their hearts. All we know is that most of them are happily married with families of their own; Jason reportedly shares a life with a woman named Valerie, Erin’s husband Mike is seemingly a photographer, and Heather’s forever is with Russ. They, along with Jennifer, Ryan, as well as Daniel, also likely have good, stable professional careers at the moment.
Read More: Sha Garrison: Where is Amanda Hayes’ Daughter Now?
