Jossie Merrifield was an 18-year-old from Collinsville, Illinois, murdered by her half-sister Sandra Merrifield on 12 August 1999 — one day after giving birth to her son Jasper. Sandra had staged a false pregnancy and planned to take the baby. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2001 and was released from prison around 2007.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Jossie Lynn Merrifield was born on 23 July 1981 in Collinsville, Illinois.
- She was killed aged 18, one day after giving birth to her son Jasper Merrifield.
- Her half-sister Sandra Merrifield struck her with a rock and left her to drown in a ravine south of Collinsville.
- Sandra pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2001 and was sentenced to 18 years.
- She served approximately seven years and was released around 2007.
Merrifield sisters' profile summary
Field | Jossie Merrifield | Sandra Merrifield |
Full name | Jossie Lynn Merrifield | Sandra Merrifield |
Date of birth | 23 July 1981 | c. 1976–1977 |
Age at time of crime | 18 | ~23 |
Place of birth | Collinsville, Illinois, USA | Collinsville, Illinois, USA |
Nationality | American | American |
Relationship | Half-sisters | Half-sisters |
Children | Jordan, Jasper | Not publicly known |
Date of death / Release | 12 August 1999 | Released c. 2007 |
Cause of death | Drowning (blunt-force head trauma) | – |
Burial | Saint John Cemetery, Collinsville, IL | – |
Who was Jossie Merrifield?
Jossie Lynn Merrifield was born on 23 July 1981 in Collinsville, Illinois. She was 18 years old and about to begin her senior high school year at Collinsville High School.
She had two sons. Her first, Jordan, was born around 1997 when she was 16. Her second, Jasper, was born on 11 August 1999. DNA testing later confirmed that Chester Marshall was Jasper’s biological father.
Sandra and Jossie Merrifield: a strained relationship
Sandra Merrifield was Jossie's half-sister and about four years older. The two grew up together in a large blended family in Collinsville.
Sandra had been trying to conceive without success. When Jossie fell pregnant with Jasper, Sandra asked to raise the baby. Jossie initially agreed. She then changed her mind at Chester's urging. Sandra was furious.
Shortly after, Sandra told her boyfriend Everett Jackson and others around her that she was pregnant herself. She maintained this fiction for months.
Source: Original
Jossie gave birth to Jasper at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Illinois, on 11 August 1999. She was discharged the following morning.
Shortly after arriving home on 12 August, Sandra took Jossie and both boys for a drive. That evening, Sandra returned — without Jossie.
She told Everett she had given birth to her own baby in the car. When Chester arrived looking for Jossie, no one could account for her absence. Everett grew suspicious and drove Sandra and the infant to the Collinsville Police Department.
Sandra told officers she did not know whether Jossie was alive or dead. She then led police officers to a ravine south of Collinsville. Jossie's body was found in shallow water. She was 18.
How did Jossie Merrifield die?
The autopsy found blunt-force head trauma, likely from a rock. The official cause of death was drowning — she had been struck unconscious and left face down in the water.
Sandra claimed the sisters had argued during the drive. She said she blacked out and woke to find a bloody rock in her hand. Investigators rejected this account.
Sandra Merrifield: investigation and conviction
Authorities concluded the murder was premeditated. Sandra had fabricated a pregnancy for months, indicating she had planned all along to take the baby.
Sandra initially claimed she had given birth in the woods and discarded a stillborn baby in Horseshoe Lake. Police searched the lake. They found nothing. Sandra then admitted she had never been pregnant.
Her defence psychologist argued she suffered from dissociative states linked to childhood trauma. The prosecution argued that months of deliberate deception proved intent.
In 2001, Sandra entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder under a plea deal. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Sandra said in court:
I want to say to my family I'm so sorry for everything that's happened.
Where is Sandra Merrifield now?
Sandra Merrifield was released from prison around 2007 after serving approximately seven of her 18-year sentence. She has remained out of the public eye since. As of 2026, no verified reporting exists on her current whereabouts.
Source: UGC
Jossie Merrifield's children: Jordan and Jasper
After the murder, both Jordan and Jasper Merrifield were placed in state custody and adopted outside the family. DNA testing confirmed Chester Marshall as Jasper's biological father. Jordan's paternity was never publicly established.
In 2025, Jasper spoke publicly on TikTok, identifying himself as the baby at the centre of the case. He said Sandra had been a free woman since 2007 and urged more public attention to his mother's story.
Jossie Merrifield Find a Grave
Jossie Lynn Merrifield is buried at Saint John Cemetery in Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois. Her Find a Grave memorial (ID 193175552) was created in September 2018. The memorial notes that she "would have been a senior at Collinsville High School" and was survived by sons Jordan and Jasper.
Latest news
In 2025, Jasper Merrifield went public in a TikTok video, saying he was the infant Sandra tried to claim as her own. He said his mother's killer had been free since 2007 and has since had a child of her own.
FAQs
- Who killed Jossie Merrifield? Her half-sister Sandra Merrifield struck her with a rock and left her to drown in a ravine outside Collinsville, Illinois, on 12 August 1999.
- Where is Sandra Merrifield now? Sandra was released from prison around 2007 after serving approximately seven years of an 18-year sentence. Her current whereabouts are not publicly known.
- Did Jossie Merrifield have children? Yes — two sons. Jordan was born around 1997, and Jasper was born on 11 August 1999, the day before Jossie was murdered.
- What happened to Jossie Merrifield's son Jasper? Jasper was adopted after his mother's death. In 2025, he spoke publicly on TikTok, sharing his account of growing up after the tragedy.
- Where is Jossie Merrifield buried? She is buried at Saint John Cemetery in Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois. Her Find a Grave memorial ID is 193175552.
- Why did Sandra Merrifield kill Jossie? Investigators concluded Sandra had faked a pregnancy and planned to claim Jossie's baby as her own. When Jossie refused to give up Jasper, Sandra killed her.
- What was Sandra Merrifield's sentence? She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2001 and received 18 years. She served approximately seven years before her release.
- Was the Jossie Merrifield case on TV? Yes. The case was covered on Investigation Discovery's Twisted Sisters in an episode titled "Bye Bye Baby" (2018), and on the Our True Crime Podcast in February 2023.
Conclusion
The tragic 1999 murder of Jossie Merrifield remains one of the most chilling cases of sibling betrayal. Convicted killer Sandra Merrifield is now a free woman following her 2007 release after only serving seven years of her 18-year prison sentence.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke