American Monster on ID: What happened to Keonte Chavis?

The body of Keonte Chavis from Phenix, Alabama, was found on the side of a dirt road in a wooded area near Seale by a traveler who then called authorities to report the horrific find. She was reported missing a few days prior to the discovery of her body.

According to reports, Chavis was last seen with her second cousin Chris Grissom, who was ten years older than her. Both were residing at their great-grandmother's house in Fort Mitchell when the incident happened. Grissom was subsequently named the prime suspect and was arrested in Platkill, New York. He was convicted more than three years later, receiving a life sentence.

American Monster on ID is scheduled to revisit Keonte Chavis' brutal case in an upcoming episode, titled Hoop Dreams, which will air on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 7 pm ET.

The official synopsis of the episode states:

"Surrounded by a big, loving family, high achiever Keonte Chavis goes missing, then she is found strangled to death in the woods, and the perpetrator turns out to be a family member."

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Keonte Chavis was reported missing after she failed to show up for a job interview and her family couldn't reach her

Keonte Chavis moved in with her great-grandmother Mary after her parents divorced. She eventually moved back to Phenix, Alabama, at the age of 12 with her great-grandparents. Chavia, who was born on October 31, 1994, acquired a passion for basketball at an early age. However, a terrible accident put a stop to her ambitious career.

At the time, Chavis had a boyfriend and was often seen with her second cousin, Christian Grissom, who had been tight with her since their childhood days. She also cleared the Air Force written test at the first attempt with the highest of scores.

In August 2014, Keonte Chavis reportedly landed an interview for a job that would sustain her sufficiently until she enrolled in the Air Force. She even called her mother, Nikisha, to inform her about the job opportunity, which was allegedly the last time the two spoke before she went missing. Nikisha only learned about her disappearance when she called to wish her daughter luck for her interview.

After multiple failed attempts to reach her, Chavis's mother called the store manager, who was supposed to interview her for the job. The latter then confirmed that she never showed up for the scheduled interview.

Her second cousin, Christian Grisson, who had arrived in town the day before she went missing and allegedly dropped her at her boyfriend’s place that night, was the last person to have seen her alive on August 7, 2014.

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Second cousin arrested in Keonte Chavis' murder after authorities discovered her decomposing remains

Keonte Chavis' decomposed body was found in a wooded area near Seale two days later, on August 9, 2014. Reports stated that she was strangled to death. Moreover, heavy rain and August’s heat and humidity had caused the body to rot, making it difficult to collect forensic evidence.

Grissom, who strangled Keonte to death before disposing of her body, was located by the police after a timeline and occurrences from the night of her disappearance suggested that he was last seen alive with him. In addition, the suspect had a history of violence and was facing domestic violence charges at the time of the murder.

It was later revealed that Grisson was with Chavis until 2 am, after which, as reported by their great-grandparents, he returned home alone, claiming that he dropped off the 19-year-old at her boyfriend's place. Suspicion only grew when he fled Phenix City after the discovery of Chavis' body. He was subsequently arrested on August 11, 2014, from New York.

Following his arrest, cops conducted a search of both his New York apartment and his car. A bloodstain found on the vehicle's headliner was subsequently verified as Chavis' blood. Records revealed that Grissom used his phone less than a mile from the scene where Keonte Chavis' body was found. Additionally, witnesses claimed to have seen Grissom cleaning his vehicle.