30 years after Heather Teague’s disappearance, the Kentucky State Police have exhumed the body of Marvin Ray “Marty” Dill, the only named suspect in her case.
Dill’s body was exhumed for “DNA purposes” on Monday, Trooper Corey King confirmed.
23 year old Heather Teague was sunbathing on Newburgh Beach on August 26, 1995, when she was abducted by a man with a gun and dragged away.
Part of Heather’s plaid bathing suit was found by authorities later that day, not far from the abduction site. Heather’s blue towel was also located, but no further evidence as to her whereabouts were found.
Police received several tips linking Dill to the abduction, including a witness identifying Dill as the kidnapper.
At 1:00 am on September 1, 1995, the Kentucky State Police arrived at Marty Dill’s home for questioning in Heather’s case. Upon noticing his home being surrounded, Dill reportedly made his wife leave, telling her the less she knew the better, before killing himself.
At 3:15 am Dill was declared dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound. Police found no evidence of Heather on his property.
After his death the case was brought before a grand jury, but Dill’s wife took the fifth amendment and said nothing.
The Disappearance of Heather Teague
At approximately 12:45 pm on August 26, 1995, a witness saw 23 year old Heather Teague being abducted from her lawn chair at Newburgh Beach in Spottsville, Kentucky.
The witness, who was using a telescope from across the Ohio River, says a white male approached Heather before grabbing her by the hair and dragging her into the nearby woods at gunpoint.
The abductor, who was shirtless and wearing jeans, is described as being about 6 feet tall and weighing 210 – 230 pounds. He had brown hair and a brown bushy beard, and was reportedly wearing a wig and mosquito net.
Heather hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Investigation
Part of Heather Teague’s plaid bathing suit was found by authorities later that day, not far from the abduction site. Heather’s blue towel was also located, but no further evidence as to her whereabouts were found.
A local farmer was video taping crop vandalism on the day of the abduction, and caught Heather’s car on camera, as well as a red Ford Bronco parked nearby.
Heather’s mother, Sarah Teague, has been working on her daughter’s case for decades. In 2007 she had Heather declared legally dead in order to fit the requirements for obtaining the FBI’s investigation file on her daughter’s case.
In 2016, the State Police denied Sarah’s request for the 911 call about the abduction. She won an appeal in 2017, with a judge ordering the Kentucky State Police to disclose the records.
In 2022, Sarah created an online petition for the Governor to order DNA testing to be done in Heather’s case. Heather’s bathing suit bottom and towel, which were both found at the scene, were never tested for DNA.
In December 2022, the Kentucky State Police sent three pieces of evidence to a lab in Florida for DNA testing; Heather’s bathing suit bottom, her blue towel, and a towel found inside Marty Dill’s Bronco. The results have not been made public.
Marty Dill
In February 1995, six months before Heather’s abduction, 30 year old Marvin Ray “Marty” Dill, a local of Henderson, Kentucky, was pulled over for a routine traffic stop.
While searching Dill’s vehicle authorities found two guns, two knives, rubber gloves, rope, and duct tape. The Bronco also had bloodstains on the tailgate.
After Heather’s abduction police reviewed video from the day of her disappearance that shows a red Ford Bronco parked next to her car, which matched the description of Dill’s vehicle.
Police received several tips linking Dill to the abduction, including the witness identifying Dill as the kidnapper.
At 1:00 am on September 1, 1995, the Kentucky State Police arrived at Marty Dill’s home for questioning. Upon noticing his home being surrounded, Dill reportedly made his wife leave, telling her the less she knew the better, before killing himself.
At 3:15 am Dill was declared dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound. Police found no evidence of Heather on his property.
After his death the case was brought before a grand jury, but Dill’s wife took the fifth amendment and said nothing.
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