Murder suspect makes deathbed confession leading police to disturbing discovery

Larry Webb, an individual charged with the homicide of Susan Carter and her 10-year-old daughter, Natasha “Alex” Carter, admitted to the double killing on his deathbed, leading law enforcement to discover the presumed remains of the victims over two decades after the crime was committed.

Susan and Alex were last spotted at Webb’s residence in Beckley, West Virginia, on August 8, 2000. During that period, the 41-year-old mother was entangled in a contentious custody dispute with Alex’s father, Rick Lafferty, according to the FBI.

Susan Carter and Alex resided in Webb’s home when they vanished, implicating Webb as the primary suspect. Authorities secured a search warrant for his residence about 18 months ago. Inside, members of the FBI’s Evidence Recovery Team and the West Virginia State Police Crime Scene Investigative Unit reportedly discovered a bullet lodged in the wall where Alex’s bedroom had been.

In one of the searches of his property, Webb informed news outlets that he was unaware of the girl’s whereabouts or when he last saw her, attributing it to his “dementia,” as per CBS News. Subsequent analysis confirmed that the blood on the bullet belonged to Alex, leading to Webb’s indictment for first-degree murder in the girl’s death in 2023.

Webb was serving time at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex. On Monday (April 22), he experienced a “medical episode,” as described by Captain R. A. Maddy of the West Virginia State Police. He was declared dead at the hospital at the age of 84.

Prior to his demise, Webb provided authorities with a “detailed, undeniable, and unconflicted” admission of murdering Alex and her mother, as revealed during a press briefing on Tuesday (April 23).

The killer disclosed to investigators that he killed Susan due to suspicions of missing money from his residence, believing she was accountable. Authorities stated that Webb shot 10-year-old Alex “to evade detection for Susan Carter’s murder.”

“He detailed for us exactly how he murdered both women, how he wrapped their bodies in bed linens, and how they spent two days on the basement floor while he dug a grave in his backyard,” a member of the West Virginia State Police said during the press conference.

Six hours after Webb’s death, members of the police and the FBI found what they believed to be the remains of Susan and her daughter.