ID’s Murder in the Heartland will explore Brandi Mathews’ strange disappearance and the ultimate discovery of her remains. The all-new episode titled “Mother’s Intuition” airs on Investigation Discovery (ID) this Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET.
The official synopsis for the upcoming episode states, “Brandi Mathews goes missing, and only her mother seems interested in searching for her; when her remains turn up over two years later, police dig into Brandi’s work and romantic partners to find her killer.”
Mathews had been missing for about three years until hikers found her skeletal remains alongside a creek bed near Eldon, Missouri, in 2009. At the time of her disappearance, in 2006, she worked as an erotic dancer. All suspicion fell on her abusive ex-boyfriend Kelly Simino, which eventually resulted in his conviction two years after the discovery of the remains.
Brandi Mathews’ murder: When was she last seen alive & who was the suspect?
According to LakeExpo News, Brandi Mathews was last seen alive on September 22 or 23, 2006, at a house on Scrivner Road, near Eldon. It was the same house where she once resided with her abusive ex-boyfriend Kelly Simino. A month before that, in August, she had filed a restraining order against Simino, in which she claimed he would kill her.
Almost three years later, on January 3, 2009, a woman found Mathews’ skeletal remains under a bridge near Eldon while hiking. Forensic investigators used dental records to identify the human skull of the missing woman.
The outlet further reported that a witness came forward alleging that Simino admitted to killing “Brandi Mathews by choking her or breaking her neck.” A second witness made a similar admission. This witness alleged that in the summer of 2008, the suspect confessed to accidentally breaking “Mathews’ neck killing her.”
The Columbus Dispatch stated that in November 2011, a jury convicted Kelly Simino of second-degree murder in the case. He had an extensive criminal record for his association with the area’s “drug culture.” Prosecutors even described him as a danger to society.
Murder in the Heartland’s new episode airs on November 29, 2023.
