FAIRFIELD — A tree sits in Creekside Park in Fairfield surrounded by butterfly ornaments, flowers and notes from loved ones.
The tree was planted several years ago by David Markham after his daughter Katelyn’s disappearance and death.
“Katelyn always liked butterflies. It’s a very personal connection to me. When she first went missing I’d have bad days and butterflies would fly around and I would talk to her,” David said.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Katelyn Markham’s fiancé enters plea during first court appearance
“She knows, she’s been with me all along and I’ve been with her,” he added.
Katelyn’s loved ones gathered Saturday to celebrate her life and rally for justice just weeks after a break in her cold case.
Butler County prosecutors charged Katelyn’s fiance John Carter with murder more than a decade after Katelyn disappeared.
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Markham disappeared in 2011, and her body wasn’t found until two years later in 2013.
Carter pleaded not guilty to the murder charges against him.
His trial is set to begin in Butler County in June 2024.
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