The Morbid Midwest | Episode 1: The Murder of Adrianne Reynolds

On Jan 21, 2005, Adrianne Reynolds was murdered by the people she thought she could trust, the people she thought were her friends. A jealous triangle turns deadly in this horrifying story, right in your backyard.

This is the Morbid Midwest. I am your host, Brooke Hass, and I am a huge fan of all things true crime. However, when the stories grow closer and closer to home, they are all the more shocking. I’ll be covering cases in the Quad City area and beyond, from cornfield killers to midwest missing. In this episode, I’ll be covering the murder of Adrianne Reynolds, which took place in the early 2000s in Moline, Illinois.

The color pink signifies warmth and happiness to many. But to the family of Adrianne Reynolds, the color draws memories of their daughter who never came home.
Adrianne’s adoptive parents told the Argus-Dispatch that Adrianne’s favorite color was pink- it was all over her room. Photos of Adrianne plastered the walls of the pink-themed room, a mural of memories long gone.

When she was just 16, Adrianne was adopted by Tony and Joanne Renolds and moved to Moline from Texas after a troubled few years. In the two months Adrianne lived in the Quad Cities, she attended Black Hawk College Outreach Center to get her GED while she worked at a Checkers in East Moline.

At the Black Hawk Outreach Center, Adrianne met Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory. Sarah had been placed at Black Hawk due to her being bullied and persecuted because she identified as bisexual. Sarah was seen as an “alpha female” at Black Hawk - she was someone you really didn’t want to cross. With a history of marijuana and cocaine usage, Cory, who was 17, was Sarah’s “sidekick” of sorts. He was seemingly devoted to Sarah, right by her side and doing what she wanted. Cory’s mother, according to court records, said that he began to change after beginning to hang around Sarah. He became withdrawn from his family, and it almost seemed like Sarah was controlling his every move.

When I first saw photos of Sarah and Cory, I was caught slightly off guard. Several of Sarah’s photos show her with a straight face and a white turtleneck, appearing very innocent. One photo, though, made me feel unsettled. It was a mugshot photo of Sarah, her hair buzzed short on the sides and spiky on top, and on her face was the shadow of a smile. She looked evil, her eyes void of emotion. Cory was no different. His pictures show a young man with a wild smile on his face.

Sarah loved to have control over Cory, and Cory seemed to adore her. To me, it almost seemed like Cory was a devoted little puppy that wanted to please his master. They were attached at the hip, doing everything together and remaining friends after a brief relationship together. However, Adrianne started to make friends with Cory, too. Sarah saw the relationship forming between Cory and Adrianne, and her jealousy mounted after she realized that she was losing her control over Cory to Adrianne.

At the Outreach Center where Cory, Sarah and Adrianne went to school, the students had to keep journals to write their thoughts and emotions. On January 21, the same day Adrianne was murdered, Sarah wrote in her journal that she would ”f***king kill her” (meaning Adrianne).

The Murder
Later that day, Sarah invited Adrianne to join her, Cory and Sarah’s boyfriend Sean McKitrick for lunch at the Taco Bell in Moline. When questioned by authorities, Sean explained that he didn’t know why Sarah invited Adrianne. The four loaded into Sarah’s car and headed off on the five-minute drive just up the road.

On the way to Taco Bell, the tension between the two girls mounted until a fight broke out as they arrived in the Taco Bell parking lot. According to court documents, the girls were yelling, and Sarah began beating Adrianne. At this time, Sean jumped out of the car and fled the scene and left Adrianne with Sarah and Cory. Allegedly, Cory held Adrianne’s arms while Sarah strangled Adrianne. Some source material refers to a stick or bat of some sort that Sarah kept in her car that was used to asphyxiate Adrianne, and Cory looped a leather belt around Adrianne’s neck that ultimately killed her.

What happens following Adrianne’s murder, to me, may very well be the most disgusting and cruel thing a teenager could ever do. While details are somewhat shady, what happened next was something of a nightmare. Sarah and Cory took Adrianne’s body to Sarah’s grandparents’ farm, where they attempted to burn Adrianne’s body. However, after several tries, the two were unable to do so, so they called a young man named Nathan Gaudet, picked him up and had a discussion with him about what to do with Adrianne’s body. They knew that her body could be identified through dental records and/or fingerprints, so the three decided that they would dismember her body.
From what I understand, Nathan wasn’t necessarily a friend of Sarah and Cory’s: he was really just an acquaintance. So for them to call him, pick him up, and ask him to help dispose of a body was simply beyond me.

The next day, Sarah, Cory and Nathan took Adrianne’s body to Sarah’s grandparents’ farm. Using his grandfather’s handsaw, Nathan dismembered Adrianne’s body, removing her head, hands and legs. Her head and hands were put in a trash bag to be located elsewhere, while her torso and legs were left at Sarah’s grandparents’ farm.

One of the most disturbing parts of this case, though, was what happened right before they disposed of the plastic bag that held Adranne’s head and hands. Sarah, Cory and Nathan, before heading to Black Hawk State Historic Site stopped at a McDonald’s to grab lunch.

Adrianne’s remains were thrown into a manhole in the Moline Park and the three drove away, praying the remains would never be found.

Adrianne’s family began to worry about Adrianne being missing when she did not show up for a shift at her job (at Checkers). They reported her missing, and the police began an investigation.
My source material was very fuzzy upon what happened next, but here is what took place, from what I understand: police interviewed Sarah, who claimed that she invited Adrianne to lunch with her, Cory and Sean, but Adrianne wanted to be left there to walk so that her parents did not know she was with them.
Police also interviewed Cory, who eventually broke and led authorities to where Adrianne’s remains were located. Sarah, Cory and Nathan were arrested for her murder.

I found some information on Adrianne’s autopsy report that helped to make sense of the timeline that took place after Adrianne went missing. According to pathologist Jessica Bowman, there was minor hemorrhaging in Adrinne’s scalp and a laceration over her left brow. While there was blunt force trauma, none of it was lethal. There was evidence of dismemberment after thermal damage was inflicted upon the body, and there was no soot in her airway, so we know for sure that , first of all, Adrianne was dead when they tried to burn her body, and second, Sarah and Cory first tried to burn the body before searching for a solution elsewhere.

The Trials and Convictions
Sarah
Sarah was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and concealment of homicidal death. While the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the first trial, resulting in a mistrial, the next trial found her guilty of both charges. Sarah was sentenced to 50 years in prison

Cory
Cory was also charged with murder in the first (No more than 40 years), concealment of a homicidal death (2-5 years. He pled guilty to both of these charges and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. However, later, he filed for an appeal, claiming that his sentence was unconstitutional: he claimed his sentence was “cruel and unusual punishment” as he was charged as an adult when he was a child. His counsel claims it violated the proportionate penalty clause of the Illinois Constitution. Therefore, Cory requested a new hearing -- he appeared in court on April 22, 2021 and is set to reappear for a potential scheduling of sentencing hearing on June 3.

Nathan
Nathan pled guilty to concealment of homicidal death. However, in 2012, Nathan died in a fiery car accident in 2012 in Indiana, along with two others.

Adrianne’s memory lives on through the Adrianne Reynolds Fund, a grant program that helps people get their GED, counseling services, and financial assistance for troubled teens.

One of the most heartbreaking parts of this whole case was the letter that Adrianne’s mother read to the court:

Your Honor,

This is the hardest letter I have ever had to write. Starting from the beginning when we realized Adrianne was missing, Tony and I were frantic. We started making phone calls to everyone we could think of.

When I finally got a hold of Sarah (Kolb), she was cool as ice. Sarah told the story how she left Adrianne at McDonalds after an argument. Sarah was very sincere.

After 5 days of hell we learned Adrianne was dead. That's the worst news a parent can receive. We had to hear from the media that Adrianne's body had been dismembered. I cannot begin to tell you the visions I have in my head.

I have had to get counseling and go to the doctors for sleeping pills, which I still take today. I still have problems going out in public to have fun because I feel it's not right to have fun after Adrianne's been murdered.

Your Honor, let me tell you about Adrianne.

Adrianne was a normal 16-year-old girl who liked boys. Adrianne came here from Texas to start her life over. Like most families we had problems, but together we were going through counseling. Adrianne got through to my heart, and I never got the chance to tell her I loved
her.

I miss her, Your Honor.

Adrianne had dreams. She wanted to be an American Idol. She loved to sing. Adrianne wanted to be a designer that did detail paintings on cars. We were planning a graduation party for Adrianne. She was working very hard to get her G.E.D.

Adrianne had dreams of being a marine.

Your Honor, since Jan. 21, 2005, I have not been able to stop thinking what horror Adrianne had to go through.

I think about Adrianne crying in the car. I think about Adrianne being strangled. I think about Adrianne's burned-up body. I think about her head and arms being in that manhole. You Honor, what kind of a person can do this?

Your honor, Sarah asked for a fair trial and she got it. What about Adrianne' Sarah didn't give Adrianne a fair trial. She tried and convicted (her) and gave Adrianne the death penalty. Adrianne just wanted to be Sarah's friend.

Because Sarah cannot receive the death penalty because she has laws to protect her, I ask you give her the max. Because she is evil enough to have someone cut up Adrianne’s body, I ask you give her the max.

Because Sarah showed no remorse, I ask you give her the max.

Because Adrianne is not ever coming home, I ask you give her the max.

Adrianne just wasn’t anybody. She was Adrianne Leigh Reynolds, and I wanted her to come home.

Your honor, this could have been anybody’s daughter. Please give her the max.

Your Honor, please do not take into consideration that Cory Gregory only got 40 years. Sarah Kolb was the leader of the pack. Sarah Kolb is the one who ordered Adrianne's death.

Your Honor, Sarah Kolb is a cold-blooded killer. She shows no emotion. She is not sorry that she killed Adrianne. She's sorry she got caught.

In her phone calls to the police, she was cool as ice. Sarah Kolb was in control of the whole situation.

Your Honor, 60 years is nothing compared to what Adrianne Reynolds got. I just want her to come home. Please give Sarah the max.

Thank you, Your Honor.

RESOURCES:
https://courts.illinois.gov/Opinions/AppellateCourt/2020/3rdDistrict/3190261.pdf
https://qconline.com/news/local/a-year-later-adriannes-death-still-haunts-her-parents/article_99d22e92-f4d5-5809-8c4d-7edaf8db5a30.html
https://qctimes.com/news/local/article_491d3fbc-0643-11df-a00e-001cc4c03286.html
https://qconline.com/archive/sobbing-kolb-sentenced-to-48-years-for-reynolds-murder/article_54ba11cc-891e-5224-ba23-f4383019c07a.html
https://qctimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sarah-kolbs-attempt-at-new-sentence-for-murder-of-adrianne-reynolds-fails/article_1d52c029-e899-5bdb-8eef-22e294689a61.html
https://qconline.com/news/local/a-year-later-adriannes-death-still-haunts-her-parents/article_99d22e92-f4d5-5809-8c4d-7edaf8db5a30.html
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https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/cory-gregory-back-in-court-in-resentencing-appeal-for-murder-of-adrianne-reynolds/526-9c46512d-f691-4159-9d23-2840e4b588d5
https://qconline.com/news/local/barb-ickes/reynolds-murder-trio-where-are-they-now/article_122a5f55-eb35-50e8-b11f-b99d8574f822.html