In the 1970s, TikToker Sara McClellan (@saramcrazy) had a cousin who was murdered in Morgan County, Alabama. More than 50 years later, people in Morgan County are still searching for answers.
As far as Sara knows, there is a $50,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest of the murderer.
For context, Sara’s cousin was named Joyce Drake, and she was well-known in the area because her parents owned a local gas station that everyone visited. It was basically the only gas station in the area. She ended up marrying her high school sweetheart, and they had two kids together.
Joyce was murdered when she was 20 years old. She may also have been pregnant at the time. What happened was that she had driven to the bank alone, which she didn’t normally do.
On the way to the bank, she picked up someone from the side of the road. The person must have been someone she knew. She went missing and was found dead on top of a mountain. It was a very bad situation, and to this day, no one knows who killed her.
“Still, it was definitely someone she knew, someone she was close with, because who else would she be picking up off the side of the road?” Sara declared. “And I mean, she was young and pretty, so there’s no telling.”
Sara’s family has their suspicions about who committed the murder, but that person is long dead, so there’s nothing they can really do about it. She also thinks anyone who knows anything about the murder will take that information to the grave.
Joyce had hair in her hand and skin under her nails when she was found, so advances in technology could analyze this DNA today.
However, according to Sara, the evidence was allegedly lost, and there is no longer anything to test.
In the comments section, some TikTok users shared their connections to the case, particularly from people who knew Joyce or had heard about the case growing up.
“I just realized that I know your family! I was just a young kid when that happened. I thought for years that I thought I knew who was responsible, but the guy in Decatur who has been investigating proved me wrong,” commented one user.
“I’m a local hairdresser, and I have an elderly client who was friends with Joyce. She told me who she thought did it, and I can’t remember who she said. I’ll see her tomorrow and ask her. Whoever it was, she said there was no doubt in her mind,” wrote another.
“I live in Morgan County and have heard so much about Joyce. I also took care of Mrs. Drake at Summerfords nursing home,” added a third.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
