5 key details about Anjelica Hadsell's murder explored

Anjelica Hadsell had been missing for a month before the Norfolk police found her remains behind an abandoned building 40 miles away from the town in April 2015. She had passed away from a dangerous case of heroin poisoning, and the medical examiner's office also noted homicidal violence as another cause.

The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode titled The Jacket showcased the gruesome details of Anjelica Hadsell's murder as it aired on June 5, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST on Oxygen. The official synopsis reads,

"When 18-year-old Anjelica AJ Hadsell disappears, the investigation into her inner circle reveals a sinister betrayal."

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5 key details about Anjelica Hadsell's murder explored

1) Anjelica Hadsell went missing on March 2, 2015.

Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell was a freshman at Longwood University when she visited her parents at their Norfolk residence. According to NBC News, she was last seen by one of her neighbors driving towards her parents' home and being followed by a white four-door vehicle.

Anjelica disappeared under mysterious circumstances on March 2, 2015, according to ABC News. Her mother later mentioned that she had received suspicious texts from her phone the same day, per WTKR.

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2) Anjelica's stepfather, Wesley Hadsell, was suspected in her disappearance.

As the investigations into Anjelica's disappearance began, the authorities suspected foul play from her stepfather, Wesley Hadsell. He had been kicked out of Anjelica's mother, Jennifer Hadsell's, home owing to erratic behavior and alleged drug dependency, per Oxygen.

Anjelica Hadsell (Image via X/@DatelineNBC)

Wesley had moved into a nearby hotel during those days, per 13NewsNow. The investigators also found that he had left work early and returned to take the day off. The witnesses reportedly mentioned seeing him in a nervous state of mind.

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3) Anjelica Hadsell's remains were found on April 9, 2015

Being a person of interest in Anjelica's disappearance, the authorities searched his van and found items that raised their suspicion. This included a roll of duct tape, work gloves, and a shovel, per Oxygen. The GPS Unit of the van led the authorities to a place close to the North Carolina border.

On April 9, 2015, the Norfolk police found human remains in a ditch behind an abandoned house in the same area - Smiths Ferry Road in Southampton County, per WAVY. The body was decomposed, concealed with plywood, and identified to belong to Anjelica.

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4) The cause of Anjelica's death was determined to be heroin poisoning and homicidal violence.

The medical examiner looked into Anjelica Hadsell's body and determined her cause of death to be homicidal violence and acute heroin poisoning, per WAVY. It further stated that while the death occurred due to three times the lethal level of heroin in her system, asphyxia could not be ruled out.

Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell (Image via X/@DatelineNBC)

While Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell's mother reportedly reassured her of no history of drug abuse, the forensic results confirmed the same.

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5) Wesley Hadsell was sentenced to life in prison with an additional 15 years

The Norfolk police searched Wesley Hadsell's hotel room to find evidence of 80 rounds of Geco .9mm Luger ammunition and heroin, per WTKR. Wesley was charged in 2018, and his first trial in 2020 was declared a mistrial.

Hadsell had an extensive criminal background, including charges of r*pe, assault, and kidnapping of his ex-wife in Ohio, per WBNS. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and concealment of a dead body in a second trial in 2022 and was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years.

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Find out more details about Anjelica Hadsell's murder in the Dateline episode The Jacket.