Cops Find Dead Body In Her Crawlspace After Anonymous Tip
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Carl 'KJ' Beam disappeared in May 2022, and his mother's initial missing person report was not properly filed by police.
- ❖An anonymous tipster, Sierra, contacted KJ's mother via Facebook, claiming KJ was murdered by Haskell Leroy Crawford and buried in Casey Bach's crawl space.
- ❖Police found KJ's body encased in concrete in the crawl space of Casey Bach's apartment after obtaining a search warrant.
- ❖Casey Bach, Leroy's girlfriend and mother of his children, initially denied involvement but later confessed to being coerced into helping Leroy conceal KJ's body.
- ❖Leroy Crawford murdered KJ because he suspected KJ was an informant, torturing and strangling him before forcing Casey to assist in the cover-up.
- ❖Leroy Crawford pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 30-year prison sentence; Casey Bach received a deferred judgment for her cooperation.
Insights
1Mishandled Missing Person Report and the Power of Social Media
KJ's mother, Kyla Deam, filed a missing person report in July 2022, but it was never officially processed by the Denver area police department she contacted. The breakthrough came nearly a year later when an anonymous tipster, Sierra, reached out via a Facebook page Kyla created to find her son, providing specific details about KJ's murder and burial.
Kyla contacted a Denver area police department in July 2022 and filed a missing person's report, only to discover later that the officer never actually filed it (). The lead came from a Facebook page Kyla created to find her son ().
2Discovery of Body and Initial Denial
Police, acting on Sierra's detailed tip, searched Casey Bach's apartment. They found a suspicious, locked trap door leading to a crawl space containing a concrete mound with a foul odor. Cracks in the concrete revealed human remains. Casey, initially denying any knowledge, was confronted with the evidence and charged as an accessory.
Inside one of her closets, police find what appears to be a trap door rigged with locks (). When they remove the door, they discover a crawl space underneath. Inside, a foul odor fills the air, coming from a large, suspicious concrete mound. They spy what appear to be human remains (). Casey stated, 'I don't even know anything about this' ().
3Coerced Confession and Murder Details
After being charged and held in jail, Casey Bach agreed to speak with detectives again. She confessed that Leroy Crawford, the father of her children, murdered KJ because he believed KJ was a police informant. Leroy tortured and strangled KJ in Casey's bedroom, then forced Casey to help him move the body into the crawl space and cover it with concrete, threatening her and her children.
Casey stated Leroy thought KJ 'was a rat and was working with cops' (). She described coming home to find KJ already dead in her bedroom and Leroy forcing her to help move him (). In a later interview, she detailed Leroy pointing a 9mm gun at her, forcing her to let KJ in, then beating and strangling KJ with a wire wrapped around his neck (, ). She also stated Leroy threatened her and her children if she spoke about it ().
4Leroy Crawford's Conviction
Haskell Leroy Crawford, already incarcerated on unrelated attempted homicide charges, was eventually charged with first-degree murder for KJ's death. Faced with Casey's detailed testimony and the physical evidence, Leroy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Haskell Leroy Crawford is charged with first-degree murder (). He pleads guilty to second-degree murder (). In April of 2025, he's sentenced to 30 years in prison ().
Lessons
- If a missing person report seems stalled, follow up persistently and consider alternative avenues like social media or private investigators to gather information.
- Document and share any anonymous tips or leads with law enforcement, even if they seem unbelievable at first, as detailed information can be crucial for an investigation.
- Recognize the signs of domestic violence and coercion; victims may be forced into complicity in crimes and require support to come forward safely.
Quotes
"I'm so sorry to tell you this, but KJ was killed."
"You can't sit and tell me you don't know anything about it. It's under your house."
"I never thought that this would be my life. All from a man that I should have stayed far, far away from."
"He murdered my only child. We may never know all the details, but the defendant does. I hope it haunts him every day for the rest of his life like it does me."
Q&A
Recent Questions
Related Episodes
5 Most Wicked Murder Cases Caught On Bodycam
"Bodycam footage provides an unfiltered, real-time look into five brutal murder investigations, exposing the immediate aftermath of horrific crimes and the initial interactions with suspects and witnesses."
The Blue River Murder | Full Episode
"A mother of three vanishes during a blizzard in a small Colorado town, only to be found brutally murdered, leading investigators to uncover a web of secrets and a husband's dark past."
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOM MISSING: DAY 66
"On day 66 of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, investigators grapple with two distinct sets of Bitcoin ransom notes, digital tracing challenges, and potential physical evidence like shoe coverings, as new, dubious claims emerge from a 'hyena' seeking payment for information."
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOM MISSING: DAY 65
"Investigators are placing renewed emphasis on Nancy Guthrie's bedroom and garage, exploring theories of forced entry, control zones, and the potential hacking of a garage door opener in her ongoing missing person case."