Who was Christa Merrill? Woman, 34, who went missing 6 months ago found dead in West Virginia sex offender's home
Christa Merrill was last seen in northern Clarksburg last summer.
The remains of Christa Merrill, from Fairmont, who was reported missing six months ago, were reportedly found at a sex offender's residence in Shinnston, West Virginia. Sheriff Robert Matheny II of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said that the cause of death has not been revealed yet, The Mirror reported. Further testing is reportedly needed.
Matheny said in a statement that detectives from his office discovered human remains while executing a search warrant with assistance from the FBI. DailyMail.com reported that the property is registered to Andrew Neal Debolt, a registered sex offender who is detained at the Salem Correctional Center (SCC) at present, waiting for a probation hearing later in 2025.
Merrill was last seen in northern Clarksburg last summer. The 34-year-old’s body was identified at the Shinnston home on January 29. The address was disclosed as 720 Owings Road by the Harrison County Sheriff's Office.
Who was Christa Merrill?
Merrill, who had told her family members she would meet them in her hometown at 3 pm on August 27, never arrived. Her friends and family put up missing person posters across the town throughout last summer.
Merrill reportedly had a history of arrests. On August 20, 2024, a week before she went missing, she was taken into custody for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and public intoxication.
Who is Andrew Neal Debolt?
Debolt, believed to be in his early 40s, is a West Virginia man with at least three police mugshots. As per records, he was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse in October 2005. Most recently, he was apprehended for a stabbing in Enterprise.
Debolt had been sentenced to federal prison on a firearms charge back in 2016. During his sentencing, his previous felony convictions for sexual abuse and domestic violence in Harrison County were noted. These convictions barred him from possessing a firearm.
In December 2019, Debolt was involved in a police chase through the woods after he breached his supervised release conditions by leaving his home at night. Police located him while he was driving a side-by-side utility vehicle, and while trying to evade capture, he almost collided with their patrol car, according to CBS affiliate WDTV. Police located him again after he sought refuge in an “associate's house.”
At the time, Debolt told cops he had a female hostage and refused to surrender. He finally gave himself up after a long standoff that lasted about an hour and a half. The woman who was with him also surrendered, and appeared to be unharmed.