Erica Parsons

Erica Lynn Parsons was adopted by Sandy and Casey Parsons of Salisbury, North Carolina, in 2000. She endured years of severe abuse at their hands, including being starved, beaten, and kept isolated from other children. The abuse was later described as some of the worst child abuse investigators had encountered.

Erica was last seen alive around December 2011, when she was 13 years old. Her adoptive parents did not report her missing. It was not until July 2013 that Erica's adoptive brother Jamie reported her missing, telling police he believed the Parsons had killed her.

Sandy and Casey Parsons told various stories about Erica's whereabouts, including that she had gone to live with a grandmother named 'Irene' who turned out not to exist. They were arrested for fraud in 2014 for continuing to collect adoption assistance payments for Erica.

In 2016, Sandy Parsons led investigators to Erica's remains, which were buried on his mother's property in Chesterfield, South Carolina. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 33 to 43 years. Casey Parsons was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.