Where is Tiffany Cole now? Update

Where is Tiffany Cole now? Update

In July 2005, the sudden disappearance of a loving couple in Jacksonville, Florida prompted authorities to search for leads. But thanks to credit card activity and witness testimony, those involved were arrested. However, the missing couple were found dead in horrific circumstances. Investigation Discovery’s “Your Worst Nightmare: Unexpected Company” chronicles how Carol and Reggie Sumner were kidnapped from their home for money and then killed. If you’re wondering what happened in that case, we’ve got you covered.

How did Carol and Reggie Sumner die?

Carol and Reggie Sumner were high school sweethearts before they broke up. While Carol married and became a mother, Reggie served in the Navy. Decades after their high school relationship, the couple reunited in 2000 through a phone call and picked up where they left off. In 2001, Carol and Reggie got married and eventually moved from South Carolina to Jacksonville, where Reggie had bought a house earlier.

Image Credit: Find a Grave/Matthew Jenkins

The 61-year-old lived alone there, and a knock on their door on July 8, 2005 changed their future forever. Carol and Reggie were attacked at their home, kidnapped and taken away that night. Carol’s daughter called the police on July 10 to report the couple missing. However, the search ended in tragedy on July 16 when authorities were led to the bodies of Carol and Reggie in a grave in Georgia. An autopsy revealed the couple were buried alive and they died due to dirt blocking their airways.

Who killed Carol and Reggie Sumner?

Authorities learned that many valuables were missing from the Sumner residence, including their bank cards. Tracking withdrawals made using Sumners’ cards, police tracked down three people at a motel in Charleston, South Carolina – 23-year-old Michael Jackson and Tiffany Cole and 18-year-old Alan Wade. Soon a fourth suspect, 18-year-old Bruce Nixon, was also arrested in Jacksonville. A disturbing kidnapping plot emerged as authorities dug deeper.

Tiffany had known the Sumners from their time in South Carolina. They were neighbors, and before the move, the couple sold their car to Tiffany. She traveled to Jacksonville regularly to meet friends and make monthly payments for the vehicle. At the time, Tiffany was in a relationship with Michael, and during one of their visits to Jacksonville, the Sumners allowed the young couple to stay in their home. Noticing that Carol and Reggie seemed to have money and were easy targets due to their age, they decided to rob them.

Michael and Tiffany told Alan Wade about it, who brought his friend Bruce into the fold. The investigation revealed that a great deal of planning had gone into committing the crime. The group watched the house for several days and bought duct tape, plastic wrap and gloves. Tiffany had rented a car in South Carolina, and on July 8, she and Michael waited outside while the other two knocked on the Sumners’ door. Alan and Bruce entered the house under the guise of using their phones. Once inside, Alan ripped the phone cord from the wall and grabbed Reggie by the neck.

After the pair were subdued, the perpetrators stole jewelry, documents and rare pieces from the house. Bruce and Alan then forced the Sumners to the garage and loaded them into the trunk of the elderly couple’s Lincoln town car. As Bruce and Alan drove with Carol and Reggie in the trunk, Michael and Tiffany followed close behind in another car. They planned to get pulled over on purpose for speeding if a police vehicle got too close to the Sumners’ car. They all traveled to a remote place in Georgia, where they had dug a grave days before.

Bruce, who later cooperated with authorities, said Michael obtained the couple’s ATM pins, after which they were buried alive. They abandoned the Sumners’ car in Sanderson, Florida, and continued to withdraw cash using bank cards. Also, Tiffany and Alan returned to the residence to steal a computer which they then pawned for money. About $5,000 was withdrawn from the Sumners’ bank accounts in the days that followed. At one point, Michael and Tiffany pretend to be Carol and Reggie on the phone to get information from the police.

Authorities found the car abandoned and recovered a fingerprint that later matched Michael. Through the banking business, they tracked down Tiffany, Michael, and Alan to a motel in Charleston. Inside, police found items belonging to Carol and Reggie. Bruce, who had returned to Jacksonville, was later arrested and led authorities to the bodies. Earlier at a party, Bruce was heard bragging about having buried someone alive and was in possession of prescription drugs.

Where is Tiffany Cole now?

Bruce Nixon’s testimony proved instrumental in securing convictions for the rest of the group. He claimed that Michael was the mastermind, which Michael denied during his trial. Tiffany’s lawyers argued that she was under Michael’s control and claimed she had no idea the Sumners would be killed. Nevertheless, in October 2007, Tiffany was found guilty of two counts of murder, kidnapping and robbery. She was sentenced to death.

While Michael and Alan were also sentenced to death, Bruce pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. In June 2017, Tiffany’s death sentence was overturned based on a ruling that the jury’s decision to impose the death sentence was not unanimous. She remains incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Facility in Ocala, Florida, pending a new sentencing hearing.

Read more: How did Tromain Mackall die?


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