The Murder Tapes looks at the murder of Bianca Rainer in Blytheville, Arkansas, in June 2018. Utility service workers discovered the 29-year-old mother’s body.
Utility workers called police to the 2000-block of West Rose area of the town. Police officers identified Bianca’s remains at the scene, and her body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, who ruled her death a homicide.
Sex offender Harold Bennett guilty of murder
The investigation led officers to Harold Bennett, who was arrested the same month as the murder. Bennett was a level 4 sex offender who was wanted for violating his parole. Bennett had been convicted of sex offenses in Jonesboro and had neglected to register himself as an offender when he relocated to Blytheville.
When Bennett was interviewed by investigators, he confessed to assaulting Bianca, and details he gave to the authorities matched those of the crime lab reports.
A mysterious clue
The Murder Tapes will reveal how one particular clue discovered in Bianca’s stomach led investigators to Bennett. “As I was taking photos of her body, I noticed there was a small puzzle piece stuck to her stomach area. It was odd that one puzzle piece was stuck to her body,” an investigator said on the show.
In August 2019, Harold Bennett was convicted of first-degree murder and is now serving a life sentence. He was given an additional 15 years for firearm enhancement on a recommendation by the jury; Judge Cindy Thyer agreed.
Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington stated after Bennett’s trial that prosecutors had “worked very hard to present this case, and we are all pleased with the conviction for this heinous crime against a young woman and mother who was in the prime of her life.”
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelMore from The Murder Tapes
Follow the links to read about more crimes from The Murder Tapes, including the savage, blood-splattered killing of 53-year-old Michelle Kinney by Gary James in Dubuque, Iowa.
Or read about a murder mystery in the death of Billy “Coin Dealer” Shuler at the hands of Anthony Maresca while on his way to sell rare coins.
Or follow the case of firefighter Don Fluitt who was found dead in his Albuquerque home. Fluitt was the victim of his ex-wife’s new boyfriend, Terry Lee White. Was his ex-wife involved in the murder?
Watch The Murder Tapes at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.