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Betsy Ball murder happened on February 29, 2012, when she disappeared from her home in Morgan Township, Gallia County.

Her husband, David, found unusual disturbances in their garage when he returned home just after midnight.

He looked around their property but couldn’t find his wife, so he notified the authorities in Gallia County, Ohio, and filed a missing person report around 2 AM.

They discovered her body in a nearby cornfield just a few hours after reporting Betsy Ball missing on March 1, 2012.

A 67-year-old woman’s body, partially unclothed, was found after being subjected to violent acts, including s*xual assault, strangulation, being run over by a vehicle, and being drenched in gasoline.

Investigators discovered tire tracks close to the Betsy Ball murder scene and used DNA evidence to identify the perpetrator as Lee Hawkins, an individual known to the Ball family. They found Hawkins guilty of the murder after his trial.

The television show “Murder in the Heartland” on the ID will revisit the gruesome details of Betsy Ball murder in an upcoming episode called “Field of Bad Dreams.”

According to the synopsis of the episode, “The grotesque murder of a beloved citizen, Betsy Ball, shatters the quiet farm community of Vinton, Ohio.”

You may also read: David Carpenter Murderer – A Dark Chapter In California’s History

The ID channel aired this new episode of “Murder in the Heartland” on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 9 PM ET.

How did Betsy Ball die?

Betsy Lynn George Ball was born in Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio, on October 28, 1944. 

She had five children, named David, Brionna, Matt, Mark, and Todd, from a previous marriage.

The show’s information stated that Betsy and David Ball knew each other from high school and were previously married. 

After their respective marriages failed, David approached Betsy until she eventually agreed to marry him.

The couple resided in their house located beside their beef cattle farm in Morgan Township, Gallia County, Ohio.

David, with his reserved and introverted nature, worked as a welder at the Kyger Creek Power Plant, while Betsy was known for her strong and outgoing personality. Her determination was quiet yet persistent, and she had confidence in all her actions.

On February 28, 2012, she dropped off her son, Todd, at his home around 2:30 PM. 

Todd mentioned that his mother was exhausted and needed to rest for the day. Sadly, little did he know that it would be the last time he would see her alive.

It came as a shock when David reported his wife missing after he returned from work after midnight on February 29 and couldn’t locate her. 

The authorities were alerted at around 2:00 AM, and officers were dispatched to the area to search for her.

The town was small, and the local community members also joined in the search efforts.

No one could have anticipated that the search would end with the horrific discovery of Betsy Ball murder. 

They found her body in a field a little farther from their home the following day.

According to the autopsy report, her cause of death was strangulation.

Victim’s body is partially clothed & spread apart

The police investigation revealed that David had returned home from his double shift at the Kyger Creek Power Plant around 12:05 AM on March 1, 2012, on the day of Betsy Ball’s murder.

Upon arriving, he observed several unusual matters inside his residence, including a garage disturbance where tools and other objects had been moved.

Additionally, he found a piece of cloth on his wife’s Subaru vehicle, a shoe under the car, and multiple scratches on the hood. 

David became worried when he noticed Betsy’s glasses and cell phone lying on the passenger seat floorboard of the Subaru.

After noticing the strange activity in his home and garage, David briefly searched his property and filed a missing person report with the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office.

Upon receiving the complaint, the Sheriff’s Department and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation quickly investigated Betsy’s disappearance.

Around noon on March 1, they discovered Betsy Ball’s dead body in a remote field off an unpaved road in rural Gallia County, about a six-minute drive from the Ball residence. Betsy’s corpse was partially clothed, and her legs were spread apart.

Betsy Ball murder autopsy report reveals gruesome details

According to the autopsy report of Betsy Ball murder case, she had been r*ped, and her partially clothed body was found with bruise marks and scratches on her arms and face.

There were also ligature furrows around her neck and wrists and a deep cut on her abdomen. Additionally, tire tracks were visible across her body, indicating that she had been run over by a vehicle.

The killer had also poured gasoline on her body. The autopsy report concluded that the primary cause of Betsy Ball murder was strangulation.

The detectives thoroughly searched the field and found crucial pieces of evidence. 

They discovered visible tire tracks leading from the gravel road to where the body was found and heading back towards the road.

However, the marks provided officers with a critical clue, helping them determine that the involved vehicle had two all-terrain tires on the front and two mudder tires on the rear.

Officers also found a partially stained hand towel from the Betsy Ball murder scene that had bodily fluids on it.

The police focused their attention on Lee A. Hawkins, a Bidwell resident who owned a Ford F-150 pickup truck with the same type of tires as the ones found at the crime scene.

Hawkins was known to the Balls for around 20 years and had worked as a farmhand for them in the past. 

The police discovered that Hawkins was aware of David’s work schedule and knew that Betsy would be alone at the house on February 29.

Lee Hawkins confesses to Betsy Ball’s murder during police interrogation

His story continued to change during the course of the Betsy Ball murder case interrogation. 

He eventually confessed to killing Betsy Ball and was charged with aggravated assassination, disturbed burglary, and gross abuse of a corpse.

According to his confession, on Betsy Ball’s murder day, Hawkins entered the Ball residence on February 28, 2012, intending to steal money.

However, when Betsy confronted him, he hit her face with his fist, strangled her to death with a cord, and then s*xually assaulted her corpse.

He then wrapped her body in a tarp, loaded it into his truck, and drove to a secluded area where he set it on fire. 

After realizing the fire was not going to destroy the body, he ran over it with his truck several times to try and obscure the evidence.

The court found Lee guilty on all counts and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

Where is Betsy Ball murder case killer Lee Hawkins now?

Forensic experts analyzed both the Ball residence and the outdoor crime scene and found evidence linking Lee to both. 

They found his fingerprints all over Betsy’s Subaru inside the garage.

They tested the partial hand towel found at the Betsy Ball murder scene and discovered a mixture of Lee’s semen and Betsy’s blood. 

Furthermore, the medical team examined a vaginal swab and found Lee’s semen, proving that he had been involved despite his claims.

On March 15, 2012, authorities charged Lee with one count each of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and murder of Betsy Ball.

He received a life sentence without parole in October of that year and an additional 36-month jail term for tampering with evidence. 

The court also ordered him to pay the costs of prosecution. Lee appealed his sentencing in 2015, but the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed his appeal. 

According to official court records, he is currently serving his sentence at the Pickaway Correctional Institution at the age of 58.

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