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Craig Thrift, the first cousin of Terry Rouse, who mysteriously disappeared in May 1991 and is now presumed dead, was arrested and charged with murder 21 years after the case first began. The breakthrough was made in the cold case after his ex-wife, Robyn, told investigators that he bragged about killing the 24-year-old.
Terry was last seen alive in the early morning of May 11, 1991, after he leaving a house party. His abandoned car was found outside the entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp Park. Initially, the most promising suspect was Craig because Terry was reportedly having an affair with his then-wife, Rhonda.
According to sources, Craig stood trial in 2014 and was eventually found guilty of felony murder in Terry's decades-old case. He was sentenced to life in prison with parole after seven years and is currently serving time at Georgia's Hays State Prison.
Terry Rouse's strange disappearance is slated to be featured on Oxygen's Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins this Sunday, August 6, 2023, at 7:00 pm ET, in an episode titled Family Feud.
The official synopsis for the upcoming episode states:
"When 24-year-old Terry Rouse disappears near a southern Georgia swamp, his devastated mother relentlessly pursues a one-woman investigation that runs parallel to law enforcement; what she and the detectives ultimately uncover shocks everyone."
It is to be noted that Terry's body has never been found regardless of law enforcement's endless efforts to locate his remains.
Craig Thrift, the first cousin/close friend of Terry Rouse, was charged with murder 21 years after he disappeared
Craig Thrift was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the 1991 disappearance and presumed killing of his first cousin and close friend, Terry Rouse. As mentioned earlier, Terry was last seen leaving a party sometime around 5 in the morning of May 11.
According to The Cinemaholic, 24-year-old Terry's abandoned car was found later that day at the entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp Park. The car was out of gas and still running. Moreover, his personal belongings, including clothes, were still inside.
Other sources stated that Craig and Thrfit were known to have frequented the swamp area. This was located less than two miles from the concrete finishing firm that was owned by the former's father, where the two worked.
Ware County detectives suspected that Craig beat up his 24-year-old cousin and fatally shot him before disposing of his body. Moreover, law enforcement officers have made multiple attempts to locate the missing man's body around the Okefenokee Swamp area but to no avail.
The arrest was made after detectives interviewed multiple people close to Terry Rouse, who alleged that Craig Thrift had admitted to killing his first cousin for having an affair with his then-wife Rhonda Thrift. The couple divorced the following year.
One such incriminating allegation came from his ex-wife, Robyn, who claimed that Craig had on multiple occasions admitted to beating and shooting Terry. However, Rhonda was also quick to provide his alibi, alleging that they partied the entire night and went straight to bed the following morning when his cousin disappeared.
Detectives received several other tips which alleged that Terry Rouse was in severe debt owing to his drug consumption habits and possibly fled to avoid paying back the money. A witness named Aubrey Taylor further claimed that Terry skipped town to escape a DUI charge.
Nonetheless, Craig Thrift was found guilty in Terry's disappearance and presumed murder case during an April 2014 trial that came two years after his arrest. He was then sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after seven years. Craig is currently serving his sentence at Hays State Prison.
Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins airs with a new episode this Sunday at 7 pm ET on Oxygen.
