A Man Drove Past Her As She Was Jogging, Then Doubled Back To Snatch Her Off The Street And Kill Her
Newport, Arkansas. Sydney Sutherland was 25-years-old. She had blonde hair, brown eyes, and a charming smile. Her middle name was Claire. She worked as a nurse.
She enjoyed being active. She was kind-hearted and humble with a great sense of humor.
She lived in Jackson County, Arkansas, along with her boyfriend. The couple shared a home along Highway 18, right between the cities of Grubbs and Newport.
Although technically cities, Grubbs and Newport are far from being Chicagos and Manhattans. They’re really classic small towns located about an hour and a half drive away from Little Rock.
It’s a safe area that’s popular with outdoor enthusiasts given the amount of land and nature surrounding the cities.
And it’s an area Sydney certainly felt safe in. There was no reason for her not to.
She often went jogging or took a walk alone to get some fresh air and exercise. It was part of her routine, and her route was dotted with farms.
On Wednesday, August 19th, 2020, Sydney went out for a jog, but she never came home.
Facebook; Sydney is pictured above
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Sydney had been wearing her Apple Watch and had her phone with her when she headed out.
A UPS driver remembered seeing Sydney around 2:30 or 3 that afternoon as he drove along, and that was the last sighting of her.
Sydney then vanished. She never made it back home.
Her family and friends took to Facebook to ask people to call in any tips. Investigators started working with the FBI and State Police to search the area Sydney had last been seen in.
Facebook; Sydney poses with her hand on her hip in the photo above
They publicly stated her boyfriend was not a person of interest in her disappearance, as the couple had a wonderful relationship.
Helicopters flew around trying to catch a glimpse of her. Volunteers from the local community came out to help look for her.
AT&T started working on pinging the devices she had to see if they could narrow down her last location.
Sydney’s cellphone was found on Thursday evening. It had been lying on the ground about a quarter-mile down the road from Sydney’s house.
By Friday afternoon, Sydney was sadly found dead on a local farm around 2 p.m. And someone she had known had done despicable things to her before taking her life.
Facebook; Sydney smiles in the photo above
Sydney’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and she had clearly been murdered.
It wasn’t long before authorities zeroed in on 28-year-old farmer Quake Lewellyn as Sydney’s murderer.
While Sydney had been out for her jog, Quake admitted to authorities he noticed her as he drove his truck past her, then doubled back so he could snatch her right off the street.
Facebook; Sydney is pictured above with her Poodles
Quake claimed that he hit this vibrant 25-year-old with his pickup truck, before picking her up and putting her into his truck. He then sexually assaulted her and buried her body in a field.
But then, he went about his life as usual, and he had the audacity to help run a Facebook page devoted to finding Sydney before authorities caught up with him for questioning.
Facebook; Sydney wears a big smile, above
While being questioned about Sydney’s disappearance, authorities say Quake admitted everything he did to her.
Yesterday, Quake pleaded guilty to murdering Sydney as part of a plea deal to avoid a death sentence.
He has been sentenced to life, and he will never be eligible for parole.
Sydney’s mom Maggy Sutherland got up to read a victim impact statement in court, where she addressed Quake.
“She was not yours to take,” Maggy said as she looked him in the eye.
“Satan is real. The hands you hugged me with are the same hands you killed her with.”
Facebook; Sydney posted this, above, to her Facebook wall not long before her murder
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