Local

Son of Putnam victims blames cult for mom's disappearance

Keith Dermond says he doesn't believe the murder of his father, Russell Dermond, and the possible kidnapping of his mother, Shirley Dermond, was random.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga — [if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The son of a Putnam County couple at the center of a murder and kidnapping investigation is talking about the devastating loss of his parents.

It’s been two weeks since someone killed 88-year-old Russell Dermond and possibly kidnapped his wife.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said his investigators are almost done processing the home of Russell and Shirley Dermond for clues.
“We are still today dusting for fingerprints and we’re doing kind of a final wrap-up today of this home,” said Sills.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot spoke on the phone with the Dermond’s son Keith. He’s in Jacksonville, Fla. He didn’t want to be recorded, but did talk about what the past two weeks have been like for his family.
“Not too good as you might imagine, this is a worse nightmare then we could have ever dreamed up,” said Keith Dermond.
The last time anyone ever saw Russell Dermond alive was at a Lake Oconee Publix exactly two weeks ago. Investigators believe someone killed him either that night, or sometime the next day.
Keith Dermond doesn’t believe someone specifically targeted his parents for this brutal crime. He believes it’s random, maybe the work of a cult.
“It’s bad enough what happened to dad, but mom missing is like this, the thought of her suffering is too much to bear,” Keith Dermond said.

Chief Still still believes the killer specifically targeted the Dermonds because of the relative inaccessibility of their house and the fact there were no signs of struggle.

"You have two elderly people. There is no sign of struggle.There is no sign of forced entry. That would lead one to believe the door was opened,” said Stills.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have seen anything to call 706-485-8557.

WSBTV

Most Read