Jamie Dickerson never believed her daughter, April Holt, would commit suicide. His gut told him something was wrong from the moment he got the call about April’s unresponsive body. That instinct, combined with her relentless pursuit of justice, eventually led her to a shocking confession of April’s husband, Donovan Holt, after authorities initially ruled the death a suicide.
April Holt, a 29-year-old mother of two, was found nearly dead in her Antioch, Tennessee, apartment in July 2023, with a plastic bag tied with duct tape around her neck. Her husband, Donovan Holt, 33, claimed he found her unconscious in the shower and rushed her to the hospital. But Jamie Dickerson knew there was more to the story.
“There were things that led me to believe… I just knew it wasn’t a suicide,” Dickerson told Fox News Digital. “It was like he just had plans for the future… none of it made sense.”
Dickerson described Donovan’s strange behavior at the hospital after April was pronounced dead. “He was like rocking, pacing back and forth. “I’m curled up crying hysterically and he’s acting really weird,” she said. “He starts saying, ‘His throat was sore this morning…’ He wasn’t feeling well.”
Although authorities initially ruled April’s death a suicide, Jamie Dickerson refused to accept that conclusion. She tirelessly gathered evidence, including a 47-page cold case supplemental report, which revealed a crucial detail: Donovan’s fingerprints were found on the plastic bag and duct tape, but April’s were not.
With this evidence in hand, Dickerson confronted Donovan and his worst suspicions were confirmed. “That’s when I confronted him and he confessed to me,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised… I’d known that for years.”
Once Dickerson reported Donovan’s confession, police reopened the case. “A new set of eyes even reviewed the investigation file,” he said. the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department in a statement . Detectives traveled to Texas to re-interview Donovan, where he was implicated in April’s death.
Donovan Holt was arrested in San Antonio and charged with reckless homicide, false reports and tampering with evidence. Despite the shutdown, Jamie Dickerson is only now beginning her journey toward healing. “I haven’t allowed myself to really grieve or heal yet,” she admitted, “so now I’m entering that stage.”
Thanks to her resilience, justice for April Holt is finally within reach.
