Dateline: Mystery On The Mississippi - 5 harrowing details about Cory Lovelace's tragic fate, explored

The Cory Lovelace case featured on Dateline: Mystery On The Mississippi tracks down the tragic fate of a small town resident, Cory Lovelace. The woman was married to her college sweetheart, Curtis Lovelace, with whom she had four children.

While Curtis was a respected former assistant district attorney, known for his passion for football, his wife was one of the kindest figures in Quincy. However, little did anyone know that Cory had been feeling sick for some days, and her struggle with alcoholism would lead to her ultimate demise.

The story goes back to Valentine's Day in 2006, when Curtis returned home and found his wife had passed away in bed. As revealed in the Dateline episode, there had been a few arguments between the couple, and both of them had issues with drinking.

The forensic pathologist working on the case didn't find any sign of murder in 2006, and as a result, Cory Lovelace's death case was closed without further investigation. However, the case reopened after eight years.

Continue reading to learn more about the case.

Five harrowing details of the Cory Lovelace death case explored on Dateline

Cory Lovelace's death case gained widespread attention due to no clear-cut medical consensus. At first, it was said that Cory died naturally, but later, after the case reopened, some doctors argued she was killed by her husband.

Here are five harrowing details that you shouldn't miss:

1) The disturbing condition of Cory's dead body

Cory Lovelace struggled with alcohol (Image Source: NBC)

As previously mentioned, it was Curtis Lovelace who first found out that his wife was no more while their children were in different rooms. However, it was noted that Cory's arms were quite stiff and raised toward her chest.

Forensic experts found this position unnatural as it suggested that Cory had been dead for hours before Curtis claimed he last saw her alive. But the most unsettling part? The prosecution argued that the position of her arms hinted that she was holding a pillow and was likely suffocated by someone.

Additionally, redness around her nose and signs of lividity were ignored during the initial autopsy. Due to this, experts later questioned if Curtis Lovelace was speaking the truth because if Cory had really been alive at 8:15 a.m., how could her body be in such an advanced state of decomposition when first responders arrived?

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2) The bizarre first reaction to Cory’s death

Curtis Lovelace didn't call 911 (Image Source: NBC)

In most cases, when people find their spouse dead in bed, they immediately call 911 for help. But in Cory's case, her husband didn't call 911 and instead informed his boss, Jon Barnard, about the situation.

Since Barnard also worked as a prosecutor in the same county, he called the emergency services to help Curtis Lovelace. Curtis's first reaction raised questions, and even the investigators found it unusual.

3) The children’s conflicting testimonies in the Cory Lovelace case

Cory with her family (Image Source: NBC)

As shown in the Dateline episode, the Lovelace couple shared four children— one daughter and three sons. One of the most unsettling questions in the case revolves around the kids' testimonies: If Cory was already dead before sunrise, how did some of her children say they saw her alive that morning?

Yes, you read it right. Some of the forensic experts suggested that Cory died at night, but her children claimed they saw their mother alive while going to school. Not only this, Curtis also claimed that his wife was alive in the morning and helped one of their sons. This contradiction played a key role in leading to a hung jury in Curtis Lovalace's first trial.

4) The explosive testimony of Curtis’s second wife

Cory was the first wife (Image Source: NBC)

Another chilling detail about Cory Lovelace's case featured on Dateline is the explosive testimony of Curtis Lovelace's second wife. Some time after Cory's death, Curtis moved on and started a new life with his second wife, Erika Gomez, with whom he was about to get divorced.

During the trial, Gomez accused Curtis of poisoning, sexually abusing, and being physically violent to her. Her statement added another layer of horror to the already complex case.

She even revealed that Curtis once said that "she [Cory] was writhing underneath me", but the jury wasn't convinced. Erika Gomez's claims alleged that Curtis was an abusive husband, but none of them could prove that he killed the mother of four.

5) The startling $4.5 million settlement

Curtis Lovelace being questioned (Image Source: NBC)

After the case was reopened, Curtis Lovelace had to spend two years behind bars and undergo a retrial. While he was acquitted in 2017, the horror of the case didn’t end there.

Following her suffering, Curtis Lovelace sued Adams County and the Quincy Police Department for accusing him of murder with no solid evidence. As a result, Quincy had to pay him a whopping $3.7 million, and Adams County paid $800,000.

Dateline: Mystery On The Mississippi features Cory's murder as one of the most haunting and contentious murder cases in small-town America. Two trials, disputed forensic opinions, and a multi-million-dollar lawsuit later, the mystery of what actually happened to Cory on that Valentine's Day morning remains unanswered.