What happened to Leon Harrison Jr.? Details explored ahead of Homicide Hunter: American Detective on ID

Homicide Hunter: American Detective is all set to arrive on Investigation Discovery this week with the case of Leon Harrison Jr., a 32-year-old Georgetown County resident who was murdered by his wife, Tiesh Annette Rhue, and her brother, Alexander Rhue, Jr. The case dates back to 2017 and remains a strange mystery, as so many things about the case remain under wraps.

This case is the subject of Homicide Hunter: American Detective season 4 episode 6, titled The Rose Tattoo. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"The body of a South Carolina man was discovered floating in the Black River. Allen Morris, an investigator working his first homicide case, must investigate the victim's wife and mistress and eventually unravel the web of deception surrounding his disappearance."

Leon Harrison Jr. was allegedly killed after marital discord with his wife, Tiesh Rhue, whose brother and father also helped in the murder.

All three were charged accordingly, with Tiesh Annette Rhue and her brother Alexander Rhue receiving 37 years on the murder charge and eight years on the obstruction of justice charge. Their father, Alexander Rhue, Sr., was not charged with the murder but was still sentenced to eight years on the obstruction of justice charge.

This case will be covered in more detail in the upcoming episode of Homicide Hunter: American Detective on June 26, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. EST.

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Who was Leon Harrison Jr., and what happened to him?

Leon Harrison Jr. was a resident of Georgetown County who was married to Tiesh Annette Rhue, the 37-year-old woman who was later implicated in his murder. He was also the father of two children.

On March 9, 2017, the 32-year-old man was reported missing by his father and by the mother of his children. Soon, authorities determined that Harrison had been missing since February 25, 2017. A couple of days after this complaint, a dead body was found floating in the Black River with the hands and legs tightly bound together.

The body was allegedly partially decomposed and was not recognizable by its features. Instead, only a tattoo on Leon Harrison's arm, dedicated to the memory of his late mother, helped the authorities identify the victim. The tattoo's role in the case is perhaps the reason for the title of this upcoming episode of Homicide Hunter.

Anyhow, the case was hard to crack as the body decomposed significantly. Even the cause of death could not be identified from the body. However, investigation hinted that there was marital discord between Leon Harrison Jr. and his wife, Tiesh Rhue, which escalated significantly on the night of February 25, the same day he disappeared.

On further investigation, authorities found that a section of the carpet from Tiesh and Harrison's room was cut out, allegedly to cover up a crime that took place there. DNA analysis later confirmed that there were blood traces that matched Harrison's.

Moreover, Tiesh's brother and father were also caught on surveillance footage purchasing two bottles of hydrogen peroxide at Walmart that night. Moreover, geo-fencing also revealed that all three Rhues had switched off their cell phones that night, raising questions about their intentions.

The three accused tried to give false information to the police and were caught in the process of doing so, thanks to the other pieces of evidence.

The trio went to trial after not admitting to the crime. After a lengthy trial that included a lot of evidence, the jury found Tiesh Rhue and Alexander Rhue Jr. guilty of the murder charges. Alexander Rhue. Sr., meanwhile, was found guilty of the construction of justice.

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The case will be covered in more detail in the upcoming episode of Homicide Hunter: American Detective on ID.