Sierah Joughin
Twenty-year-old Sierah Joughin was abducted while bicycling in rural Ohio. James Worley, a convicted kidnapper, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to death.
- Status
- Conviction
- Type
- Homicide
- Date
- July 19, 2016
- Location
- Metamora, Ohio
- Age
- 20
- Gender
- Female
- Decade
- 2010s
- Open
- Partly resolved
- Charges or trial
- ClosedConviction
At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.
Case background and investigation
On July 19, 2016, twenty-year-old Sierah Joughin went for a bicycle ride with her boyfriend near her home in rural Fulton County, Ohio. When her boyfriend turned back, Sierah continued riding alone. She never returned.
Sierah's bicycle was found on the road near the farm of James Daniel Worley, a 57-year-old with a 1990 conviction for abducting a woman on a bicycle in the same area. Investigators searched Worley's property and found Sierah's body buried in a shallow grave on his land.
Worley was arrested and charged with aggravated murder and kidnapping. Evidence included motorcycle parts matching a vehicle seen near the abduction site and traces of Sierah's DNA in Worley's home.
Worley was convicted in March 2018 and sentenced to death in April 2018. The case led to the passage of 'Sierah's Law' in Ohio, which created a publicly searchable database of violent offenders, expanding beyond the sex offender registry to include other violent criminals.
Timeline
-
July 19, 2016Sierah Joughin abducted while bicycling in rural Fulton County.
-
July 20, 2016Sierah's body found buried on James Worley's property.
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October 24, 2017Worley convicted; sentenced to death.
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March 28, 2018James Worley convicted; sentenced to death April 16, 2018. A May 2025 execution date was stayed.
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December 19, 2018'Sierah's Law' signed, creating violent offender database.
Sources
References used for this entry. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information. To report an error, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
About this entry
This case is recorded as conviction and is kept in the index for its historical and investigative significance. At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.
To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Entry last updated September 29, 2026.
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