Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - Where was Anjelica Hadsell's body found?

Anjelica Hadsell, a freshman-year student at Longwood University, had returned to her home in Norfolk during her spring break when she disappeared under mysterious circumstances in March 2015. The upcoming Dateline episode will take viewers through the investigation that led to the discovery of her remains a month after she was last seen.

On April 9, 2015, the Norfolk police found human remains, identified to belong to Anjelica Hadsell, behind an abandoned brick ranch on Smiths Ferry Road in Southampton County, according to WTKR. The forensic reports stated that Anjelica died from heroin poisoning and homicidal violence.

The Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode The Jacket looks into the murder of Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell as it airs on June 5, 2024, at 8 pm EST on Oxygen. The official synopsis of episode 1 of season 13 reads:

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

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How were Anjelica Hadsell's remains found?

Anjelica Hadsell was last seen in her neighborhood in the Tarrallton area of Norfolk on March 2, 2015. According to NBC News, a neighbor had reported seeing her heading towards her parents' house on the fateful day and being followed by a white four-door vehicle. The same car was seen to have been parked in their driveway moments later.

Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell's mother confirmed receiving suspicious text messages from her phone that she believed were sent by someone else. While Hadsell was reported missing, search parties were organized as part of the manhunt.

(Image via X/@DatelineNBC)

Meanwhile, the investigators from the Norfolk Police Department looked into AJ's stepfather, Wesley Hadsell, as a possible suspect and searched his van to make a surprising discovery. The authorities found a shovel, a duct tape roll, and a pair of black work gloves in Wesley's 2004 Chevy Astro van, per The Virginian Pilot.

The key evidence was the GPS Unit, which led the investigators to an abandoned property in Franklin where they found human remains that were identified to belong to 18-year-old Anjelica "AJ" Hadsell. The body was found partially buried in a ditch and concealed with cardboard.

The officers took note of shovel marks in the area, according to The Virginian Pilot. Hadsell's eyes and chin had been bruised and there were bruise marks on her chest.

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What was the cause of Anjelica Hadsell's death?

According to The Virginian Pilot, Medical Examiner Wendy Gunther determined the cause of Anjelica Hadsell's death to be homicidal violence and heroin poisoning. The reports stated that Hadsell's body was found with three times the lethal dosage of heroin in a human body.

A WAVY report mentioned that a postmortem hair analysis performed on Anjelica ruled out the possibility of voluntary drug abuse as assured by her mother. The Norfolk Police found that Wesley Hadsell had been living in a hotel after he was kicked out by his wife for erratic behavior and alleged drug dependency, per Oxygen.

The authorities obtained a search warrant and found 9mm bullets and heroin in the hotel room where Wesley Hadsell had been staying. Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Toni Colvin summed up Anjelica's murder by saying:

“He abused her, he beat her, and then he poisoned her with heroin.”

Wesley Hadsell was sentenced to life plus 15 years in February 2022 for Anjelica Hadsell's murder, per 13NewsNow.

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Watch The Jacket to find out more about Anjelica Hadsell's murder as the Dateline episode airs on Oxygen on Wednesday.