A mother’s relentless search for the truth about her daughter’s death led to a shocking confession from her son-in-law, who uncovered a murder that was initially ruled a suicide. Jamie Dickerson, the mother of April Holt, 29, shared her journey to find justice for her daughter in a candid interview with FoxNewsDigital.
“There were things that led me to believe… I just knew it wasn’t a suicide,” Dickerson explained. “She just had plans for the future. People, you know, don’t usually say, “I’ll see you at church the next morning.” “I was putting all these pieces together and I thought none of it made sense.”
April Holt, a mother of two, was found unconscious in her Antioch apartment in July 2023, with a plastic bag wrapped tightly around her neck. Her husband, Donovan Holt, 33, said he discovered her in the shower and rushed her to the hospital. The death was initially ruled a suicide, but Dickerson never believed it.
Recalling the events leading up to her daughter’s death, Dickerson said April had texted her the night before, canceling her plans to attend the movie and saying she would meet her at church the next day. It was the last message Dickerson received from his daughter.
The next morning, Dickerson received a call from Donovan, telling him that April was unresponsive and not breathing. Immediately, Dickerson sensed something was wrong. “April is in perfect health,” he thought. “She texted me perfectly fine just an hour and a half ago.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, Dickerson knew in her heart that her daughter was gone. What worried her even more was Donovan’s strange behavior. “He was like rocking, pacing back and forth. “I’m curled up on a bench next to him, crying hysterically and crying out to God to save my son,” she said. “Even though deep down I knew she was gone.”
As the hours passed, Dickerson noticed Donovan making strange comments, such as stating that April had a sore throat earlier that morning. His behavior raised even more red flags when he handed over April’s phone and told her she could make all the medical decisions.
It wasn’t until later that Dickerson learned about the plastic bag over April’s head, a detail that had not been shared with doctors. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital that April’s death had been under investigation for months and that the case is now taking a drastic turn.
Thanks to Dickerson’s persistence, Donovan Holt finally confessed to the murder, bringing some sense of closure to a grieving mother who never gave up on uncovering the truth. To help others who have lost loved ones, Dickerson is working to start the Grief center with me in honor of the memory of April.
