Gone in a Blink
There are an estimated 8 billion people in the world. In the US, approximately 2,300 people go missing every day. While some of those cases may be of their own accord, others are because of something far more sinister. Gone in a Blink is a true crime podcast that dives head first into the most mysterious and terrifying missing person cases in existence. Hosts Heather and Danielle take a deep look into some of the most horrific missing person cases that will leave you on the edge of your seat and absolutely terrified at just how fast a person can be Gone in a Blink.
Gone in a Blink
The Disappearance of Emma Compton Layne: A Sister's Search for Justice
What happens when the promise of a happy marriage unravels into a nightmare of abuse and a heartbreaking disappearance? In this episode, we uncover the shocking story of Emma Compton Layne, a beloved member of her Halifax County, Virginia community, whose life was torn apart by domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, Russell Wayne Layne. Hear firsthand from Emma's sister, Shawna Krohn, as she shares poignant memories of Emma's vibrant spirit and the dark turn her life took when she married Russell, a man with a sinister history.
Join us as we navigate through the haunting details of Emma's final days. Emma's sister, Shawna recounts the day Emma went missing, leaving her daily routine and personal belongings behind in a manner that alarmed family and friends. The initial mishandling of the investigation allowed Russell's deceitful claims to overshadow the chilling reality of Emma's fate. Despite Shawna’s intuitive fears and the community's suspicions, crucial evidence was neglected, casting a long shadow over the quest for justice.
Shawna's bravery in detailing the emotional journey of her family's search for Emma and the eventual discovery of her remains is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Through Shawna's narrative, we hope to shed light on the devastating impact of domestic abuse and the importance of seeking help. Her unwavering dedication to honoring Emma's memory stands as a testament to the resilience of those left behind and their relentless pursuit of justice. Listen in for a powerful reminder that even in the darkest times, hope and strength prevail.
Sources:
https://www.wdbj7.com/2023/11/24/family-emma-compton-layne-still-seeking-justice-six-years-after-her-murder/
https://www.facebook.com/HelpFindEmmaComptonLayne/
https://www.yourgv.com/news/local_news/medical-examiner-neck-injury-caused-death-in-2017-homicide/article_2b07667a-9396-11e9-b9b5-37dda535c91f.html\
Music:
Crime Trap by Muza Production
Scrillah by Keyframe_Audio
Aura by Beatwaves
Gone in a Blink is created by Heather Hicks and Danielle E.
Written and produced by Heather Hicks and hosted by Danielle E. and Heather Hicks.
Gone in a Blink theme: Crime Trap created and produced by Muzaproduction
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Marriage isn't always a sacred thing. While the act of two people choosing each other to spend forever with is supposed to be an occasion filled with love and marital bliss, sometimes those feelings are only temporary, if they ever really existed at all. When manipulation, jealousy and control take the place of all those things that define a healthy relationship, things can take a very deadly turn. When Emma Compton Lane married Russell Wayne Lane, control, isolation and domestic abuse were what scared Emma into staying with the man that claimed to love her, but may have very well been the man to have ended her life. This is the case of Emma Compton Lane, and this is Gone in a Blink. Hey, true crime fans, I'm your host, heather, and welcome to episode 23 of Gone in a Blink.
Speaker 2:I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing Labor Day weekend. While many people probably traveled over the long weekend, many of you, myself included, stayed home and just tried to catch up on housework, little fall decluttering and some very much needed R&R. So today's case is out of Halifax County, virginia. Today we are discussing the case of Emma Compton Lane. I had the pleasure of talking with her sister, shauna Crone, and learning a bit more about the amazing person that Emma was and how. After seven years, police have still not arrested her killer. So if you're ready, let's jump right in. Emma Compton Lane grew up in Halifax County, virginia, in a town where everybody knows everybody. Emma was loved by so many people, but no one was a bigger fan of hers than her sister Shauna. Here's Shauna.
Speaker 3:Tell me about your sister. Tell me about what it was like growing up with Emma.
Speaker 1:Emma will remind you of a little Shirley Temple. She had that little round face and the pipe curls and we had like a little small zoo, nothing big, just some animals that you know, people and people would come down and everybody always wanted to steal Emma. Then nobody wanted me, they wanted Elmo.
Speaker 3:Did you both grow up in Halifax County, Virginia?
Speaker 1:Yes, we actually grew up Elmo and him bought Daddy's place after Daddy passed away. Elmo was actually living where we grew up.
Speaker 3:She was living where you grew up when she went missing. That's where she was residing. Mm-hmm, she was living where we grew up at. Did she have any children of her own?
Speaker 1:No, Well, he had two children and she was a stepmom with them.
Speaker 2:Emma began dating a man by the name of Russell Wayne Lane, whom she dated for several years before finally getting married. Shauna, however, was no fan of Russell's and really didn't want her sister to marry him. Russell had a history of domestic abuse and was actually still married to another woman when he married Emma. Here's more from Shauna when did she meet Russell Lane?
Speaker 1:Okay, we moved into this house in 97. I would say maybe early 2000s, early 2000s. I remember when she told me I wasn't happy about it. She told me I wasn't happy about it.
Speaker 3:Did you know him before or did you just kind of get to know him when she started?
Speaker 1:No, it's like in the area everybody grew up together. I know he and my brother I don't think they like run around a lot together, but so so he was known.
Speaker 3:I mean, everybody knew everybody. So you already kind of knew russell correct?
Speaker 1:yeah, okay, his brother and sister. We went to school together. We was in the same grade, so what was their they?
Speaker 3:they ended up getting married right. How long were they together before they decided to get married? Maybe?
Speaker 1:10 years, because they got married in 2009 after Daddy passed away and he got our home place.
Speaker 3:So they dated for approximately well, about 10 years, like you said, and then they got married. What was their marriage like? Were they having a lot of marital issues? I don't know. I really don't think it was good from the get-go. Was there any kind of domestic violence involved?
Speaker 1:Yes, I mean he would never show where he put his hands on her, but he was very verbally and mentally abusive to her in front of people because I would call him out on it and I guess it got so bad I'm an hour talking one day and she got to crying. She's like please don't say anything else to Russell when you're up here. She said it's just worse when you leave.
Speaker 3:You never saw any visible marks on her. No, okay, do you know if he had any kind of a criminal past?
Speaker 1:I know that he had been married twice before and he physically abused them. I think he had been arrested before. I can't remember what it was for, but he had been arrested before and actually when he and Emma got married, him and his second wife were actually still married. He was a bigamist when he married Emma and I wish I had known before the fact she did. She didn't share it with me after she remarried him because I would have done everything in my power to talk her out of marrying and sending him to jail.
Speaker 2:One of the many reasons why Emma was so well loved and respected in the community was due to the fact that she owned and operated a convenience store called Cody Store. It was so much more than a convenience store, though. It was a place for older citizens of the community to gather and hang out and just be with other people, and everyone really loved it. Here's Shauna.
Speaker 3:Okay, and what was the Cody store? Was that a convenience store or was that like a grocery store?
Speaker 1:It was a convenience store but she cooked and served food and she had like two or three, maybe two booths in there and I don't know you know where you live if they do it but it's like a gathering place for the older people and then, like on weekends, some of the younger people would come up and sit around and listen to the old folks talk elderly folks. It was just a convenient store. You know she sold different things and like a convenient store, but you know she cooked hamburgers, chickens, pizza and different stuff.
Speaker 3:So did she own and operate this with Russell?
Speaker 1:No, he wouldn't have anything to do with it. I mean, he would actually go to Daphne Lord's store over at Four Fox to even buy a biscuit. He wouldn't even buy a biscuit from Emma.
Speaker 3:So she did this business all on her own, yeah.
Speaker 2:On Monday, june 19, 2017, emma never showed up at Cody's store, which was extremely odd, since employees were expecting her there that day.
Speaker 2:Concerned family and friends began trying to call her. However, she wasn't answering her phone either. Family decided to drive over to her house to check on her, and when they arrived, they found that her car was parked in the driveway pretty much in the same spot it always is, and all of her personal belongings, such as her purse, her money and all of her personal belongings, such as her purse, her money, her cell phone, computers, credit cards and even the store deposits, were all inside the home, and her dog, ladybug, was also inside the house. So Emma's oldest sibling decided not to immediately call the Halifax County Sheriff's Department. This could have been due to the fact that maybe she just wasn't sure if Emma was really missing or whether or not she was in any danger. A call was then placed to law enforcement the following day, which was Tuesday, june 20th. It is important to note that an employee from Cody's store had reported seeing her just a few days before, on June 17th 2017. Here's more from Shauna on Emma going missing.
Speaker 3:So describe for me the day that you discovered Emma was missing, starting with the moment that you actually realized she was missing.
Speaker 1:Mama and I had this thing where I always called her at 8 o'clock her time, which is Eastern time every morning. I couldn't be early and I couldn't be late. Mama was in the hospital and I called her regular time and you could tell something was wrong by the way Mama was talking. I'm like what's wrong, mama? She was like nobody's seen Elmo. I called the house. She's not answering the phone. I called the store.
Speaker 1:The girl said they called, they haven't gotten an answer, she hasn't been to work, nobody knows where she's at. And she asked me to call Winona and get Winona to go down and check on her. So finally talked Winona and get Winona to go down and check on them. So finally talked to Winona and to go in. And in the meantime I had called Russell and I was like Russell, did Emma have something to do for you this morning? You know where she's at. And he's like, oh, she's gone off to somebody, she'll be back later this evening. And that was a major red flag right there, because Emma wasn't allowed to go to work with anybody, she wasn't allowed to have friends.
Speaker 3:That was part of the abuse by Russell. He kind of kept her isolated, very isolated, okay. So what happened when you did all realize something's terribly wrong?
Speaker 1:Well, I wanted to call the law Monday, but when I kept, you know, and I don't know why I was stupid enough to listen to her I should have did what I should have did, but I paid for that every day since. But I did call the law that Tuesday morning and I should have never said reported Emma missing. I should have told them only spot right there that Emma had been murdered.
Speaker 3:Was that something that you just felt deep down that she was not just missing, that she was actually no longer alive? I did Any interview I did.
Speaker 1:I never said that Emma was missing. I was like somebody come in that basement and hurt Emma and took her away, just like somebody come in that basement and hurt Emma and took her away.
Speaker 2:Shawna feels that the investigation was botched from the very beginning. According to Shawna, russell was never a main suspect or basically a suspect at all for that matter. Russell made outrageous claims that Emma ran off to New York and joined the drug world. Then his story changed that she ran off to Florida. Shawna feels that law enforcement just bought into all these outlandish claims and therefore never fully investigated him. Throughout the investigation he never really showed any concern either of Emma's whereabouts. It wasn't until eight months after Emma went missing that officers searched the home that she shared with Russell and by that time any evidence that could have been collected was most likely gone. Here's Shawna.
Speaker 1:To me. They did not take it serious because they were listening to everything Russell had to say. And still, you know, you know, they said they'd start from the house and go out. But they didn't. They listened to Russell. They called him Tuesday, got permission to go in the house and look around and he's like, well, I can't come home till tomorrow. I got a load of chickens I gotta drop off. So they didn't even tell him no, you need to come now. And he didn't bother, he was unconcerned.
Speaker 1:And Russell was telling them you know, emma was selling drugs. She took off with a guy in a black SUV from New York and that didn't work. So he changed and she took off with a guy to Florida and then it was like Emma was selling drugs and she was doing this. So actually they listened to him and they stayed in Appomattox, a place that Emma did not go. I tried to tell them. Emma went from point A to point B, point A to point C, she would go to South Austin, she would go to Alphavista, she would go to Lynchburg and on occasion she would go to Lynchburg and on occasion she would go to Rockingmount and Gretna. And they didn't listen to me. They stayed in Appomattox trying to find her in her drugs, and it wasn't so.
Speaker 3:So were they just focusing on what Russell was telling them? Then, yes, they didn't seem telling them. Then, yes, they didn't seem suspicious of Russell.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 3:Do you know if they questioned him?
Speaker 1:I think they did after Emma was found.
Speaker 3:Okay, because a lot of times they typically most departments look at the husband first. Once they can rule him out, then they can they typically branch out. So they didn't do that with him.
Speaker 1:huh, I don't feel like they did because they listened to everything. I mean, he went so far as like, well, she got a hold of some bad dope and wandered off and got lost. Wednesday, I think it was Wednesday, they had a local search and rescue group come in and they searched and divers went in two ponds and they probably didn't even need scuba gear or whatever. And one of the gentlemen he had a heart attack that day and he passed away. So that was completely stopped and I had called Texas EquiSearch and they had walked me from Texas all the way to Ohio, to the Ohio chapter and got me in touch with Dave Rader and he waited for Halifax because when you have a search and rescue out not in the county, you know, out of state Halifax has to invite them in and they would not be invited in. So once the local search and rescue, they called them.
Speaker 3:All that was it, so Halifax County did not want any outside help. Is that right.
Speaker 2:Sadly, five months after Emma went missing on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd of 2017, hunters found her remains in a shallow grave located in a wooded area approximately 200 to 300 feet from the property line of her home in Natalie. Medical examiner results concluded that Emma was murdered on June 18, 2017, and that her cause of death was traumatic neck injury causing death. She was only 52 years old. Here's more from Shauna.
Speaker 3:Describe for me and I'm sure this is extremely tough, but describe for me as best you can the day Emma's remains were discovered were discovered.
Speaker 1:It was Wednesday before Thanksgiving and an investigator from another county and his son were hunting on Robert Wallace land and the dogs took off and it was like when he got closer he could tell. So he kept his son back and he called Halifax and then they came down but nobody bothered to call me that Wednesday and tell me. And people in Florida even knew. So the phones were buzzing. So Thursday I was contacted and was told we wasn't sure if we wanted to call you or not, but we finally decided we would. And you know I already knew, but it's not like being told. I started screaming because they didn't ask me are you alone? Is Mark with you? They just blurted it out and I did. I started screaming and crying and hung up and I called Winona and I'm like they found Elma and she was just like I know I'm at Clark. So I called Mark and he was at his family's for Thanksgiving and I'm screaming in his phone and he comes on home.
Speaker 3:So it was Thanksgiving Day when you found this out, mm-hmm 1.30.
Speaker 1:Wow, and they had known since Wednesday. I think it was like around 1 o'clock Wednesday when the investigator from Charlotte County, like I said, were hunting and they were hunting with dogs and he said he, you know, he knew once he kind of saw what the dogs were doing that.
Speaker 3:That was normal. Where did they find her remains? How close to her home?
Speaker 1:Our road was named Cherry Creek Road, which back when we was growing up it was just a gravel road and it was a property that they own, two properties on sandy ridge road. So I guess if you go from her house to where she was found on sandy ridge maybe five to ten miles, and she was found like 200, because her land was separated with an electric fence, where they had cows on their side, from Robert Wallace Land, and from that property that they owned to what she was finding out on Robert's land was maybe 200 feet. I had to see it. I already knew it was an ugly place. I just knew in my heart. I knew it was an ugly place. I just knew in my heart.
Speaker 1:And it took me about two or three months to talk to Investigator Burton. They're taking me down there Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 2018. And you know it was a long, rough walk. It was a dried-up creek bed or something, or Logan Road or something. It was not an easy walk, you know going down there. So you got to think that somebody actually took a 135-pound woman way down there, or did they come around the pasture and stop there. So what did?
Speaker 1:they rule her cause and manner of death as Homicide traumatic injury to her neck and I believe she was put on a chokehold from the back and just kept squeezing.
Speaker 3:So once they ruled this a homicide, did they go back and look and question Russell?
Speaker 1:I think they did give him a lie detector test but he failed it and then hollered lawyer and he actually showed up the next day, but it wasn't with a lawyer, it was with Stanley Morton, a friend of his, and to my knowledge they haven't you know, they haven't questioned him anymore. Who do?
Speaker 3:you think, in your own opinion, killed your sister.
Speaker 1:Russell, you know I'm tired of holding back. I don't know who will hear this, but I'm tired of knowing and not being able to say I think we still have the freedom of speech. I can't accuse him, but in my heart I know he did no doubt and I know the three that helped him put Elmer where she was left.
Speaker 3:Is Emma's case still part of an active investigation today, or has it gone cold?
Speaker 1:They say Elmer is top priority To me. I don't think she'll ever receive justice here on Earth. She'll receive justice when they face God, but honestly I don't think Halifax will ever give her justice so you would think, because they found her remains, was it five months after she went? Five months and four days after she was murdered, I never said the word missing I. It just would not come out of my mouth, did he?
Speaker 3:bury her, or was she just? Did he just kind of toss her?
Speaker 1:I was raised, but when I got out it was, it wasn't anything. It's just like he laid her right there. I'm like living in the basement. He's been living in the upper part of the house for right after you.
Speaker 3:Okay, so they weren't doing good for quite some time before this. So today the case is still an active investigation and authorities are saying that they are making this priority. Is that correct?
Speaker 1:Correct which they've been saying that for a long time.
Speaker 3:Do you have anything else that you want to add?
Speaker 1:All I can say is if Elmo's a top priority, prove it to me. It's been seven years, two months and 24 days.
Speaker 2:It's been seven agonizing years for the family and friends of Emma Compton Lane, Seven years without any arrests in the case. Shauna continues to fight for justice for her little sister and I admire her courage and strength to continue that fight. Many thanks to Shauna for speaking with me and doing this interview, regardless of how incredibly difficult it must be to relive this nightmare that she's living and being forced to move on without her amazing sister.
Speaker 1:You know I appreciate anybody and everybody that takes their time to even tell them a story. You know it's not going to break her back, it's not going to change anything. But if she can save one person, then I don't even know how to say it. You know it's kind of like if she can save one person, man or woman, then you know losing her means a little bit more.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to another episode of Gone in a Blink. If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, please know that you're not alone and help is available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
