Ease his pain

Kent Heitholt, the sports editor at the Columbia Daily Tribune, was murdered on November 1, 2001.

Mr. Heitholt was brutally beaten and then strangled to death using his own belt sometime between 2:15 and 2:25 am on the morning of November 1, 2001. By all accounts, he was a loving father and husband as well as a well-liked and respected colleague.

Many of the facts in the case have been obscured. Some of the obfuscation is simply the result of the passage of time. However, some has been from a concerted effort by the national media to craft a false narrative. Our goal is to cut through the fluff and only present facts.

Mission

Our mission is to identify the killer(s) in this case and bring them to justice. We firmly believe that there are individuals who have meaningful information that are willing to come forward after more than 20 years and share their stories or provide physical evidence that may help solve the case.

Learn about the case

How to help

Reward money

Case summary

One of the most comprehensive descriptions of both the night of the murder and the events that followed can be found in the case summary from when Ryan Ferguson sued 7 of the police officers involved in the initial investigation. That can be read here.

Information we seek

There are people in Columbia, MO who know more than what they have said previously. We believe they need an outlet to speak and hope that they find the courage to do so. Please contact us via email or phone or use the "Contact" form below. To learn more about this process, click here.

Reward money

In this particular case, we do not expect the reward money to motivate people to come forward. We admit that it draws attention more than it draws tips. However, we consider it a "thank you" for providing pivotal information after more than 2 decades of silence. Learn more about the requirements here.