Murder of Joleen Cummings by Kimberly Kessler investigated on See No Evil

See No Evil is examining the murder of Joleen Cummings, a hairdresser who was killed by her colleague, Kimberly Kessler, at a salon in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

In May 2018, 34-year-old Cummings was reported missing after she failed to visit her kids on Mother’s Day and then didn’t turn up for work. The last person to see her alive was Kessler on May 12, and no remains have ever been found.

Cummings’s car was found in a Home Depot parking lot three days later on May 15. Surveillance footage showed Kessler abandoning the car there two days previously.

Another surveillance camera spotted Kessler throwing a garbage bag and other waste into a dumpster near the salon on the day Cummings vanished.

This led the cops to search a landfill in Georgia for human remains, but they failed to find anything.

The cops located Kessler on May 16, sleeping in a car at a rest stop in St John’s County, south of Fernandina Beach.

Cops had plenty of evidence against Kimberly Kessler in Joleen Cummings murder

The evidence started mounting up against Kessler when investigators found Cummings’s blood and DNA on Kessler’s scissors and boots. They also found proof that the killer had purchased an electric carving knife, zip ties, and garbage bags.

Investigators also learned of signs the pair had a difficult relationship. In the days before Cummings vanished, Kessler was overheard telling her, “Go away. I don’t like you. You are fake.”

Finally, Kessler’s internet history indicated that she had spent some time planning the murder. The cops included that she murdered and dismembered Cummings in the hair salon.

Kessler had a bizarre background; since 1996, she had used at least 25 aliases in 35 cities and 14 states. She underwent mental health evaluations but was deemed competent to stand trial.

However, she refused to participate in the trial and was continuously disruptive, shouting obscenities at the judge. She spent most of the trial watching on videolink from a separate room while wearing an anti-suicide smock.

Kimberly Kessler sentenced to life for killing Joleen Cummings

The killer would also strip naked and smear feces on the walls of her cell, and at one point, she went on a hunger strike, dropping in weight from 196 lbs to 74 lbs.

Eventually, Kessler was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In July 2024, the killer submitted a motion demanding a new trial, claiming that there was no proof Cummings was dead. She also accused her defense team of being incompetent.

See No Evil airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.