When Katelyn Markham’s loved ones see butterflies, they think of her.
Butterflies decorated Creekside Park in Fairfield on Saturday, just one day after Markham’s fiancée John Carter pleaded guilty to causing her death in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
Markham supporters gathered in the park to receive butterfly pins to wear during Carter’s sentencing in July and to remember a daughter, sister and friend.
“She was bright and vibrant and came out of her shell, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly,” said her father Dave Markham.
He described how Markham always made new friends on holiday and never wanted anyone to be in a bad mood.
“It’s hard to imagine that anyone would have harmed her,” he later added, “because no one hated her.”
What happened to Katelyn Markham?
Markham was 21 years old when Carter reported her missing on August 14, 2011.
Friends, relatives, local authorities and a national search party from Texas conducted dozens of searches for Markham. They combed local parks, waterways and areas in Butler and Hamilton counties but found no trace of her.
Markham’s remains were found nearly two years later, on April 7, 2013, in a rural, wooded area near Big Cedar Creek in Cedar Grove in southeastern Indiana.
Carter was arrested nearly a decade later and charged with murder. Weeks before his trial was to begin, Carter admitted guilt to causing Markham’s death. In exchange for his plea to involuntary manslaughter, the two murder charges he had previously faced were dropped.
‘Just so crazy’: Who was Katelyn Markham?
To her loved ones, Markham is so much more than the victim of a complicated case. Supporters repeatedly spoke Saturday about the clarity Markham brought to others.
“You sat in a crowded room,” Michelle Feist said, “and she always made eye contact and showed that she was listening.”
Feist, now 34 years old, said Markham was her best friend. They met at age 13 in eighth grade and attended Fairfield High School together. They shared prom, sleepovers, homecomings and bus rides to Markham’s house.
Feist and her mother, Charma Rader, remember Markham as someone who made people laugh.
“It’s just so crazy,” Feist said.
Rader pointed to a photo of Markham making funny faces. Nearby is a photo of the young woman and her father making fishy faces. Rader said, “That’s how I feel about Katelyn.”
Markham is also remembered as a talented artist. When she disappeared, she was just weeks away from completing her graphic arts studies at the Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati.
A call to action
Carter faces a maximum prison sentence of three years. Judge Daniel Haughey will announce Carter’s sentencing on July 18 in Butler County District Court. Markham’s loved ones have a purpose before this date.
“I understand that when we think about 36 months, that sounds like nothing,” said Tina Barrett, Dave Markham’s attorney and co-organizer of Saturday’s event. ‘Nothing for it [Katelyn’s] to live. And that’s true. Over there [are] Not enough circles in hell for John Carter to visit.”
“But we have to put all that feeling that we have behind us and put him in jail and keep him there for the maximum number of days, hours, minutes and seconds that the court can order.”
Barrett encouraged the public to wear and share the butterfly pins to show the court the impact Katelyn had on people. She also encouraged listeners to write victim impact statements for the court.
“Probably the most powerful force on this earth is caring for people,” she said. “Concern for people is the only reason this matter was brought to court and John was forced to take responsibility.”
“John Carter always underestimated the power of caring people,” she said. “He thinks he’s going to be on probation. I promise… we can’t let that happen.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Katelyn Markham Fairfield woman who disappeared in 2011
