In June 2002, 20-year-old Ali Kemp was found brutally beaten in a pool maintenance room in Leawood, Kansas, by her father, Roger Kemp. Her death sparked one of the most determined grassroots manhunts in recent history.
Roger was alerted by his son, who had gone to meet Ali at her summer lifeguarding job but couldn’t find her. Upon arrival, Roger discovered Ali’s lifeless body under a tarp. She was rushed to a hospital but died shortly after.
With little initial evidence, police investigated Ali’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Phil Howes, who was cleared with a solid alibi. A witness mentioned seeing a strange man and an old Ford pickup near the scene. A composite sketch was created and widely distributed.
As fear spread through the community, Roger Kemp and Phil launched a public campaign that included flyers, billboards, and national TV exposure via “America’s Most Wanted.” Roger also increased the Crime Stoppers reward to $50,000.
The renewed attention led to a tip naming Benjamin Appleby, a 29-year-old using the alias Ted Hoover, living in Connecticut to evade a 1997 sex offense warrant. Investigators remembered interviewing him at the original scene but had dismissed him at the time.
Police later confronted Appleby with staged evidence at the station. He broke down and confessed, admitting he strangled Ali after she resisted his advances in the pump room. He also uncapped antiseptic ointment, allegedly intending to use it for a sexual assault once she was unconscious—but backed out.
Though he initially agreed to plead guilty, Appleby went to trial. He was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted rape, and sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 50 years.
When Ali’s family gave their victim impact statement, Appleby asked to be removed from the courtroom.
