Investigation Discovery’s Murder In The Heartland plans to re-examine the murder of 15-year-old Riley Crossman in 2019. The episode, titled ‘Something Happened to Her,’ will dive deeper into the case to provide more insights. It will air on the network on Wednesday, December 13, 9 p.m. ET.
When the investigations began, 43-year-old Andy McCauley turned out to be the prime suspect in the case. He was dating Crossman’s mother at the time. Soon, the authorities got sufficient evidence to prove that McCauley was the person who murdered Crossman. Police apprehended him, after which the trial took place.
In September 2021, the trial began in the case, and authorities noted that McCauley killed Riley Crossman by suffocating her with a pillow. Investigators presented evidence to prove McCauley’s presence. Almost a week later, the jury found Andy McCauley guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. As per West Virginia’s Department of Corrections, Andy McCauley is currently serving his sentence at the Mt. Olive Correctional Complex.
Riley Crossman’s killer: How was Andy McCauley caught and convicted?
In May 2019, a day after discovering Riley Crossman’s body, police arrested Andy McCauley. The cadaver dogs detected the smell of a deceased body in McCauley’s work truck, according to court documents. Shockingly, authorities found Riley Crossman’s body with a drywall, which was similar to the drywall found in the culprit’s work truck.
During the trial, investigators also revealed that Andy McCauley lied about his whereabouts on May 8, 2019. However, the video evidence showed that he drove on a different route than what he had told the police. Over the course of one week, authorities presented a total of 239 pieces of evidence in front of the jury in the Riley Crossman case.
Almost a week after the trial began, the jury started their deliberations and found Andy McCauley guilty in the Riley Crossman murder case. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
