Case Details
- Photo URLs:
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- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 02/06/2007
- Missing From:
- Missing From Syracuse, New York
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race Black
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 02/06/1980 (44)
- Age:
- Age 27 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 5’5, 210 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A black puffy trench coat.
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. At time of her disappearance, Nugent was wearing a shoulder-length burgundy and black wig. Her ears are pierced.
- Details of Disappearance:
- On February 6, 2007, after a birthday party, Heather Nugent disappeared from Syracuse, New York. Her boyfriend, James Guilford, said she came home, then left for work at 5:00 a.m. But she never showed up.
Three days later, her car was found abandoned nearby, covered in snow. This, along with other things, made police suspicious. Guilford reported her missing two days after she was last seen, then immediately moved with their three children to Atlanta, Georgia.
Police investigated and found a lot of blood in Nugent’s home – on the mattress, walls, and ceiling (which had been freshly painted over). Blood was also on a hammer Guilford took to Georgia. DNA tests confirmed it was Nugent’s blood.
Guilford eventually confessed to disposing of her body in a dumpster. He was arrested and charged with murder. He claimed he was innocent at his trial in 2008, but was found guilty. He appealed, arguing his confession was coerced after 49 hours of questioning without proper food or rest. He got a new trial, but was convicted again in 2014 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Nugent’s phone hasn’t been used since she disappeared, and her family and employer said she would never leave without warning, especially not her children. The evidence strongly suggests she was murdered by Guilford.
- Agency:
- Syracuse Police Department 315-442-5222
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 02/06/2007