Cory Bodily, a native of Oklahoma, went missing on July 29, 2008, but wasn’t reported missing for another few weeks. Despite this, officials and his family waited for Cory’s safe return until December of the same year, when a dog dug up his skull.
‘Murder in the Heartland: Shallow Grave,’ a show on Investigation Discovery, examines Cory’s horrible murder and the investigation that followed eight years later.
Let’s go at the circumstances of this case and see where the offenders are now.
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Cory Bodily Death: How Did He Die?
Cory Jay Bodily, a citizen of Norman, Oklahoma, was a close family man. He was described as a friendly and caring person who enjoyed bringing joy to others and spreading smiles.
On the day of his disappearance, the 31-year-old worked at a local Taco Bell in Norman and was collecting his pay.
Cory’s untimely and devastating death has been a challenge to take to this day, even though family members held out hope of his safe return.
Cory Jay Bodily was last spotted leaving his home on July 29, 2008, to go to the Taco Bell in Norman to pick up his paycheck.
Cory had not been seen or heard from since that day, despite the fast-food restaurant’s confirmation that he had taken the salary.
Cory’s family, however, did not immediately report him missing since his mother assumed he had gone elsewhere or taken a break.
When there was no trace of Cory for more than a month, worried family members called the cops. The authorities searched the surrounding areas for the missing 31-year-old shortly after.
Cory was nowhere to be found, despite the fact that the authorities used a variety of measures and even enlisted the help of the public. Cory’s family prayed for his safe return while law enforcement officials carefully continued their search.
After a dog retrieved a human skull and brought it to a residence in Noble on December 25, 2008, the storey took a sinister turn as months passed.
When the skull was analysed, it was discovered to be Cory’s, and the rest of his remains were discovered in a clearing near 171st Street and Cemetery Road in Norman within two weeks.
Cory died of blunt force injuries, according to a thorough medical assessment, and the police began investigating the matter as a homicide.
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Who Were The Killer of Cory Bodily?
Because the authorities had no leads to work with, the first investigation into Cory Bodily’s murder was delayed.
Hundreds of interviews were conducted in an attempt to determine a motive and identify a suspect, but nothing and no one could explain why the man was killed in cold blood.
Authorities then stated that they followed up on hundreds of potentially promising leads that turned out to be dead ends, complicating their investigation.
However, a witness came forward several years after Cory’s disappearance and said that a man called John Perkins had information about the murder.
When the authorities approached John, he instantly cooperated and stated that his brother, Bobby, and another buddy, Ryan Wilmeth, were the last persons to see Cory alive, according to the show.
He also alleged that Bobby had drawn a revolver on Cory over a disagreement about money that had gone missing from the Taco Bell where the three of them used to work.
Authorities contacted Ryan right away, and he admitted to witnessing Cory’s murder after a tense interview. He maintained, however, that it was Bobby, not him, who fired the gun.
Bobby was reportedly spending his days in prison for an unrelated offence at the time, according to the episode. Even still, when questioned by the authorities, he provided a different version of events, claiming that Ryan was the one who killed Cory.
Bobby and Ryan were eventually captured and charged with Cory’s murder, with mutual acquaintance Libby Cox being accused as an accessory after the fact.
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Ryan Wilmeth, Bobby Perkins, and Libby Cox: Where Are They Now?
Bobby Perkins pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after being brought before the court, and he was sentenced to life in prison in 2017.
Libby Cox pled guilty to the felony of being an accessory after the fact in the same year and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Ryan Wilmeth eventually took a plea agreement in 2018 and admitted to first-degree murder, receiving a 32-year jail sentence as a result.
Bobby Perkins is being detained at the Lawton Correctional Facility, while Ryan Wilmeth is held at the Oklahoma State Reformatory Work Center.
Libby Cox, on the other hand, was given release in 2020, according to court records. She currently works with Old Home Rescue in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In addition, Libby’s social media page reveals her marital status.
