Sierah Joughin

James Dean Worley (born April 8, 1959) was born in Tacoma, Washington, and graduated from Evergreen High School in Metamora, Ohio, in 1978.

He worked various jobs in Toledo, Ohio, as a farmer in Delta, and as a grounds crew member for several county fairs.

Regarding his education, Worley attributed his 1.59 grade-point average to being a frequent user and seller of marijuana from the age of 14.

In July 1990, Worley ambushed a young woman, Robin Gardner, while she was riding her bike in Whitehouse, Ohio.

He struck her with his truck, got out of the vehicle, struck her on the head, and placed her in handcuffs.

He then held a screwdriver to her throat and stated, "I'll kill you if you don't stop screaming," and attempted to force her into the vehicle.

Gardner was able to escape and was picked up by a passing motorist.

Worley was ultimately arrested and convicted on abduction charges and sentenced to 4 – 10 years in prison, with the possibility of parole.

He served three years in prison for the crime before he was released early by his own petition.

The license plate was soon discovered to be registered to Worley, who had been convicted and sentenced in 1990 for assaulting and attempting to kidnap another woman, who he knocked off her bicycle.

Based on this information, investigators obtained a search warrant for Worley's property.

Upon searching a barn on Worley's property, authorities discovered a green chest, where they found several pairs of women's underwear (on one of which blood was found), restraints, and a carpet-lined freezer stained with blood.

They also found blood on Worley's motorcycle, as well as "zip-tie" restraints and a ski mask in his truck.

Joughin's DNA was found on a piece of duct tape and on an inflatable mattress both found in the barn.

Sierah Joughin (February 11, 1996 – July 22, 2016) was an American woman who was abducted and murdered in Delta, Ohio.

Sierah Catherine Joughin was born in Sylvania, Ohio, on February 11, 1996, to parents Sheila Vaculik and Tom Joughin.

Worley returned to prison in 2000 when he was convicted of cultivating marijuana plants and possessing weapons while on disability, both felonies at that time.

He was released two years later, in 2002, again after petitioning for early release.

After his second release from prison, he started a small business at his residence and was licensed as a trailer transporter.

Nicknamed "Ce" by friends and family, she graduated from Evergreen High School in 2014.

At the time of her death, she was enrolled at University of Toledo's Junior College of Business, studying human resource management and interning at her uncle's metal stamping business.

She disappeared on July 19, 2016, and was found dead three days later.

Her assailant, James D. Worley, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder and over twenty years in prison for the kidnapping, assault, and other related charges.

His execution is currently scheduled for May 20, 2025.

Worley had been previously convicted and imprisoned for the assault and attempted kidnapping of another woman under markedly similar circumstances but was released after three years and was not listed in any state or federal offender database at the time of Joughin's murder.

Consequently, the killing prompted the creation of Ohio Senate Bill 231 ("Sierah's Law"), a statute that provides for a searchable database of felons living in the state, who are convicted of specific violent offenses.

At approximately 6:45 pm on July 19, 2016, Joughin was riding her bicycle home from her boyfriend's house while he rode alongside her on his motorcycle.

They parted ways near County Road 6 near Metamora, Ohio in Fulton County, as he turned around to return home, while she continued.

When she did not arrive home that evening, and her boyfriend told her family that he couldn't reach her by cell phone, they contacted authorities.

Later that evening, Joughin's bicycle was discovered several rows into a cornfield near where she was last seen, and the county sheriff noted signs of a struggle, along with motorcycle tracks through the corn.

With the assistance of the FBI, authorities made efforts to track Joughin using her Fitbit activity tracker and smartphone, the latter of which returned a signal several miles from where her bicycle was located, but this did not produce any new leads.

Rewards ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 were offered for any information leading to her safe recovery.

Several items that did not belong to Joughin were discovered near her bicycle, including a pair of men's sunglasses (which tested positive for male DNA), a screwdriver, and a box of automotive fuses.

A passing driver also recovered a motorcycle helmet with a bloody hand print on its surface.

Joughin's boyfriend was not considered a person of interest as his helmet could quickly be accounted for.

When officers were canvassing the neighborhood after Joughin's disappearance, Worley, who lived under 2 miles away, told them his motorcycle had broken down in the area and that he had lost items of the same description as those at the crime scene.

He also stated that he had discovered two bicycles in the corn, one of which he took and that it would have his fingerprints on it.

He commented that he "didn't steal anything or kill anyone."

Another witness in the area described seeing a passenger van driving at a high speed through the area, and provided a license plate number to the authorities.

The statute was signed into law in December 2018.