BECKLEY, W.Va. — A man reportedly admitted to investigators that he killed a woman and her young daughter nearly 24 years after they went missing in Beckley, West Virginia. Hours after their bodies were found, the man died following a medical episode.
West Virginia State Police said that around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, remains believed to be Susan and Natasha “Alex” Carter were found in Beckley, according to WSAZ.
Susan and Alex Carter went missing around Aug. 8, 2000, the news outlet reported. Alex Carter was 10 years old at the time.
The two were believed to be found at the house of suspect Larry Webb hours before he died, according to The Associated Press. He died about six hours after the remains were found.
Police said that Webb confessed to killing Susan and Alex Carter, WSAZ reported He also reportedly confessed to burying their bodies in the backyard of his house. The confession happened earlier this month and the bodies were sent to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, the AP reported.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Tony Rausa said that a bullet was found in a wall of a bedroom about 18 months ago and DNA confirmed that the blood on the bullet was Alex Carter’s, the AP reported. He was indicted in Oct. 2023, WSAZ reported.
At the time the mother and daughter went missing, Susan Carter was in a custody battle with Rick Lafferty, according to an FBI flyer from around when they went missing per the AP. Both Carters were living at Webb’s house before they disappeared.
Raleigh County Prosecutor Ben Hatfield said that Webb reportedly told investigators that he shot Susan Carter when he noticed that some money was missing which led to an argument, the AP.
Webb had suffered a medical episode on Monday at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex, the AP reported. He was in his 80s. He was being held without bond for an arrest earlier this month in connection with Alex Carter’s death.
“A bit of a poetic ending that not even I can write,” Hatfield said at a news conference Tuesday, according to the AP.
“It’s kind of a sad day, but also a happy day because I can bring my baby home,” Lafferty said, according to the AP.
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