Boy Killed My Mother

Logan Lynn Tucker was born April 10, 1996, to his mum Katherine. Katherine has been wedded many times and may be related to by any of her marital names including Rutan and Pollard. Logan also had a younger brother named Justin Daggett, who was born to Katherine in 1998.

Katherine discussed to several witnesses about her oldest son Logan. She often claimed she did not like him in her life, he was in the way, and she tried to finish him. In 1999, she said to a boyfriend that she wanted there was a way to murder her kids and get away with it. She was noticed being harsh with Logan on many occasions, had made tries to abandon him, and was known to ignore him. After her 4th husband's home burned down, Katherine accused Logan of it, although there was no evidence or testimony to help her claim. In early 2002, she wanted her parents to take Logan, but they were powerless to care for him at that time.

In April 2002, Katherine reached out to a problem hotline and told her she was worried she was going to hurt her kids, especially Logan. She claimed that Logan was bad, that he had a history of beginning fires, and that she was scared he was going to injure Justin. Both kids were taken into custody by DHS. A DHS employee questioned Logan and believed he appeared normal, peaceful, and well-mannered. The kids were returned to Katherine's custody within a few days.

In June 2002, Katherine and her two kids moved in with a roommate by the name of Melody Lennington, in Woodward, Oklahoma.

Katherine again reached out to DHS for support with Logan's claimed fire-setting behavior. DHS decided to place Logan in a psychiatric hospital for testing, but there were not any primary openings accessible for him. Katherine responded angrily when she realized it would be four days before DHS would take Logan, on or around June 24, 2002.

Logan was last seen alive on June 22, by Melody when Katherine had set the boys down for bed. In the early morning hours of June 23, Melody awoke to Logan shouting and crying. She went back to rest. When she woke again at 6 am to go to job, she inquired Katherine what had happened. Katherine reacted that he was sick and she had put him in the cellar. Later that same day, Katherine was again interviewed by her roommate and her boyfriend about Logan's location. She said them DHS had taken the boy and that he would be placed with his biological dad. At this time, they did not realize DHS was not planned to pick Logan up until the next day.

Katherine had a scrape on her arm which she declared she had received from Logan when he was being picked up by DHS. In the days coming after, witnesses claimed that she seemed satisfied that Logan was gone and attempted giving away his belongings. Justin said to one witness that Logan wouldn't be home anymore.

Between June 23 and July 7, Logan's grandparents, Connie and Don Henson made several failed tries to reach the boy. Katherine gave them mysterious answers about his location before saying them that he was in a residential facility. They asked to take custody of him but she denied disclosing the name of the facility. Connie and Don reported Logan's disappearance to police on July 7, 2002.

After Logan was reported missing, police went to question Katherine. The story she told the authority was the Logan was with her brother, Brian Marquardt. She claimed that he traveled for a job and that she did not have his contact detail. Brian said that he had not seen the kid in over a year and was shortly cleared as a suspect in Logan's disappearance. Katherine wanted a male neighbor to pretend to be Brian and said that he did have Logan.

Police were able to determine that Logan was not under the supervision of any of Katherine's family, colleagues, or neighbors. He was also not enrolled in any care facilities that Katherine said she had placed him in.

An investigation of Katherine's home turned up masking tape with hairs attached and bloodstains, which DNA testing verified to be Logan's. Cable, drain cleaner, and plastic sheeting was also discovered in the residence. Katherine had borrowed the plastic sheeting from a boyfriend, declaring she wanted to plant flowers, still, no flowers were ever planted.

When police questioned Justin, who was four at that time, he explained a chilling story about a drive out into the country with his mother and brother. He told Logan was white and didn't move, and that his mama put tape on his eyes "so he wouldn't cry." He told that his mama had a shovel and plastic. Katherine removed Logan, the tool, and the plastic from the car. She said Justin not to get out of the car because there were reptiles around. She left and when she returned to the car, she was alone. When Justin asked his mum where Logan was, she told, "He moved to where the bad boys go, and if you ever do anything as he did, you’ll end up in a similar place."

In September 2002, Katherine moved away from Woodward. Quickly thereafter, she was caught on check charges and imprisoned. She never followed up on her missing son's case and denied cooperating with the inquiry into his disappearance.

Nearly four years after his disappearance in February 2006, Katherine was charged with her son's killing even though his corpse had not been found. Her previous roommate, Melody, some of her ex-boyfriends, and even her second kid, Justin testified against her at the trial.

At trial, Justin's story was a little different. He told them they drove to a man's room and that on that ride, Logan did not move or talk. He saw his mother carry Logan to the house but did not notice her enter because trees were blocking his view. When leaving the home, he recalled seeing a man looking through the window. He stated did not know his previous interview or speaking about the shovel and plastic, but remembered showing this house to social workers and detectives shortly after Logan's disappearance, and suggested to it as "his mother's brother's house."

A more interesting statement came from a sanitation employee, who remembered seeing a blue suitcase, wrapped in plastic and bound with rope, out for trash pickup on Katherine's block after Logan's disappearance. He noted a terrible smell coming from the suitcase, and that it was big, weighing between 40 and 60 pounds. Another observer confirmed seeing him place the suitcase into the trash truck. Melody, Katherine's roommate at the time, reported a blue suitcase had gone missing about the exact time.

Jurors discussed for less than two hours and in August 2007, Katherine Rutan Pollard was sentenced to the first-degree killing of Logan Tucker. She was sentenced to life in jail without the chance of parole.

In the years since many searches have been completed for the boy. Citizens of Woodward County even provided money to cover the expenses of a psychic to support the search for Logan, but the psychic was powerless. Even though someone has been held accountable for his killing, the problem remains, where are the remains of Logan Tucker?

Do you believe he was in the suitcase picked up by a sanitation worker, which was possibly taken to a landfill? Or do you think he was put in the woods? Who is the man whose house they drove to?