Welcome to the B-Side’s Crime and Blog Segment, Tea & Mystery, where we research open and unsolved cases. It is our hope that we can shed new light and bring attention to cases that need it desperately. We will cover homicides, missing persons/disappearances, suspicious deaths, and even cases that may not have fully evolved into homicides.
If there’s a mystery that’s been tugging at your thoughts—a cold case, a local legend, or a story that deserves a deeper look—send it our way at tellyourstory@owlmountainpress.com or message us on The B-Side Facebook Page. We’re always steeping a fresh cup of tea and diving into the shadows where stories are waiting to be told.
Few cases have haunted us quite like this one: the heartbreaking and still-unsolved murder of 16-year-old Hannah Ozburn Truelove.
The date was Friday, August 24, 2012—the day her body was found. Hannah was a student at Gainesville High School with dreams of becoming a veterinarian. She loved music and gymnastics and lived with her mother at the Lake Lanier Club Apartments in Gainesville, Georgia.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Hannah was reported missing on August 23, and tragically, her body was discovered the next day in a wooded area behind the apartments. Though her life was cut short in a region already marked by sorrow and strange deaths, Lake Lanier itself didn’t take Hannah—this time, the darkness came from somewhere else.
It’s gut-wrenching to listen to news reports and hear her family speak, especially her father, who in a 2012 interview with WSB-TV.
“This is so devastating… you know, she was my little baby—always going to be my little baby.”
His voice trembled, his chin quivered, and it was clear—he was holding back an ocean of grief.
Unless you’ve lived it, you can’t begin to understand the hollow ache that comes with losing a child. And even now, more than a decade later, that ache still pulses through every word, every memory, every unanswered question.
It’s been over 10 years since Hannah’s life was stolen, and her story continues to haunt those left behind. Her mother—who fought tirelessly for justice—has since passed away.
Out of deep respect, we ask that no one speak ill of the dead. Please listen to her interviews and honor the voice she left behind.
But Hannah’s father, her siblings, and her extended family? They still live with this pain every single day.
What makes this case even harder to process is that there is a suspect—someone law enforcement strongly believes is responsible. But even after all these years, there’s not enough solid evidence to make an arrest.
Detectives have stated that the night Hannah was killed, rain may have washed away critical evidence—pieces that could’ve told the full story and possibly led to swift justice. Despite that, investigators remain firm in their belief that the person they’ve spoken with twice is the one who committed this horrific crime.
In an interview with WSB-TV, law enforcement expressed hope that advancements in DNA technology may eventually crack the case wide open.
“We’re never going to give up, never lose hope,”
said Lt. Dan Franklin.
“As long as I’m around, I’m going to keep moving forward and do what I have to do to get justice for Hannah.”
But there’s another unsettling layer to this case—one that surfaced thanks to digital footprints and online whispers.
In an episode of Crime Watch Daily that aired on November 9th, 2015, it was revealed that Hannah may have been experiencing unwanted attention online in the days leading up to her death. Some cryptic tweets suggested she may have had a stalker—but heartbreakingly, her mother was never aware of any of it.
You can find a link to that detail, along with continued updates and reflections from the community, on the Facebook page: Justice for Hannah Truelove (linked below).
A few days before the tragedy, life at the Lake Lanier Club Apartments seemed typical—quiet, routine. But then came the silence that changed everything.
When Hannah’s mother, Mona Harris, returned home from work one evening, she noticed something that immediately struck her as odd.
Hannah wasn’t there to greet her. That wasn’t like her.
“I knew she had been there because, when I had come in from work, she had thrown the mail on the couch,” Mona shared.
At first, Mona didn’t panic. Exhausted from a long day, she laid down to rest—believing her daughter would return shortly. But when she woke up and the apartment was still quiet… the calm turned to dread.
She called Hannah’s father. Then her friends. Then, the police.
But it was already too late.
The next day, Hannah was found just behind their apartment complex, in a wooded area. She had been stabbed multiple times in what investigators described as a brutal, targeted attack.
Those who specialize in criminal profiling believe this level of violence may point to someone who knew Hannah personally—someone whose actions were driven by rage, not randomness.
Early in the investigation, authorities did look into an alleged stalker, but he was ultimately cleared. What emerged instead was a disturbing detail: a silver, four-door vehicle was seen near the apartment complex on the day Hannah went missing. Witnesses recall seeing three unidentified individuals inside.
Later, Hannah was reportedly seen walking with one of the males from that car toward the back of the complex—close to where her body would later be found. Shockingly, she was spotted alive about an hour after that initial sighting. That individual remains a person of interest.
Six months passed with no arrest, no resolution, and no peace.
Desperate, Mona and Hannah’s father went public, begging the community to come forward with information. They couldn’t accept the idea that she would’ve left with someone she didn’t know.
They believed, wholeheartedly, that whoever did this… knew her.
Today, her father continues that fight for justice.
And the more we research, the more the heartbreak sinks in. You can feel it in every interview, every news report. The community’s frustration. The family’s sorrow. The investigators’ urgency—and their grief, too.
This isn’t just a case. This is a wound that’s never fully healed.
Should you know something more about this case or have heard something, someone talking, or maybe know someone who has, please contact the Hall County, Georgia Police Department or call the GBI/Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Contact Info: GBI Region 8 Cleveland Office 706-348-4866
There once was a Justice of the Hannah Facebook page, which looks to have since gone dormant.
You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079431537021
It looks to be run by David Gray and his Brother. Started in June of 2017
They link a YouTube Crime Watch Segment with Matt Doran here:
Information pulled from the Gainesville Times, WSBTV, GBI Site of unsolved crimes:
Unsolved Homicide: Hannah Truelove
Hannah Truelove
Incident date: Fri, 08/24/2012 – 12:00
Race: White
Location: Lake Lanier Club Apartments, Gainesville, GA
Hair Color: Brown
Sex: Female
Age: 16
Contact Info: GBI Region 8 Cleveland Office 706-348-4866
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 8 field office in Cleveland, Georgia and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the murder of sixteen year old Hannah Truelove on August 23, 2012 to August 24, 2012. Hannah was a student at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia. Hannah lived with her mother at the Lake Lanier Club Apartments in Gainesville, Georgia. Hannah was reported missing on August 23, 2012 and was discovered murdered in a wooded area behind the Lake Lanier Club Apartments on August 24, 2012.
Crimes: Murder
From WSBTV:
Nearly five years after her daughter died, Hannah Truelove’s mother, Mona Harris, sent Hall County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Dan Franklin a letter and a collage of childhood photographs of Hannah.
A decade after 16-year-old Hannah Truelove was found slain in the woods by her apartment, her killer remains on the loose, and still little is known about her life and what happened in the days leading up to her death.
‘We’ll get there one day’: Investigator in Truelove case remains persistent 10 years later
From Gainesville Times:
Writer:
Nick Watson The Times Who did a Three Part Series on the anniversary, some of the series is below with the credit to the photographer and to the writer.
Hannah Truelove: 10 years later
This is part 1 of a three-part series on the death of Gainesville High student Hannah Truelove.
Part 2: ‘She had the voice of an angel’: Hannah Truelove’s father speaks about the last time he saw his daughter
Part 3: ‘We’ll get there one day’: Investigator in Truelove case remains persistent 10 years later
In the days leading up to the tragedy, everything at the Lake Lanier Club Apartments felt ordinary. Quiet. Familiar. A typical rhythm of daily life—until that rhythm was broken by an absence that would unravel everything.
When Hannah’s mother, Mona Harris, came home from work one evening, something felt off immediately. The apartment was still, but not in a peaceful way.
Hannah wasn’t there to greet her—and that was unusual.
“I knew she had been there because, when I had come in from work, she had thrown the mail on the couch,” Mona said in an interview, her voice heavy with memory.
Still exhausted from her shift, Mona tried not to panic. She laid down, assuming Hannah had just stepped out for a bit. But when she woke up and the apartment remained silent, that stillness turned to fear.
She started making calls—first to Hannah’s father, then to her friends, and finally to the police.
By the next day, August 24, 2012, every parent’s nightmare became reality.
Hannah was found in a wooded area just behind their apartment building. She had been stabbed repeatedly. Investigators later described the scene as brutal, personal—violent in a way that suggested rage.
This wasn’t the work of a stranger passing through, many believe. This was someone who knew her.
The early investigation included a look into a possible stalker Hannah may have mentioned online. While some of her tweets hinted at someone making her uncomfortable, that individual was eventually cleared.
But something else emerged: reports of a silver, four-door vehicle spotted in the area the day she disappeared. Three unidentified individuals were seen inside.
Later that same day, witnesses said Hannah was seen walking toward the woods behind the complex with one of those males. She was even seen alive again, about an hour later. That man has remained a person of interest in the case ever since.
Despite efforts from detectives, the trail went cold.
Six months passed. No arrests. No justice.
Mona and Hannah’s father turned to the public, pleading for help—believing deeply that Hannah wouldn’t have gone with someone she didn’t trust.
They were convinced this was personal. And they were desperate for answers.
Today, more than a decade later, that search for justice continues—especially for Hannah’s father, who carries that heartbreak with him every day.
The longer you look into this case, the more it lingers. You can feel the heartbreak in every statement, the anguish in every unanswered question.
This isn’t just a story.
It’s a scar. One that never really fades.
On the 10th anniversary of Truelove’s death, The Times spoke with the investigator about where the case stands.
On August 9, 2022—ten years after Hannah Truelove was found—Investigator Dan Franklin with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office stood at the bottom of the same steep, wooded ravine near Lake Lanier. The quiet of the spot is deceptive. For Franklin, it’s not just a location—it’s a weight that never fully lifts.
“This is where she’d come to be with her friends after school,” he shared, motioning toward the grassy patch above. “She’d drop her stuff off at the apartment and hang out right around here.”
It was a routine. Familiar. And then—suddenly—it wasn’t.
That Thursday evening, August 23, 2012, Hannah’s mother, Mona Harris, reported her missing at 9:30 p.m. She hadn’t come home. And Mona couldn’t reach her.
But even before that night, things weren’t easy at home.
According to state records, the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) had an open file on the family. Hannah had struggled with truancy, and reports mention friction at home—some of it tied to her mother’s history with alcohol, including multiple incidents involving driving under the influence.
Two days before Hannah vanished, a DFCS case manager attempted a home visit, but Mona couldn’t find her daughter. Still, on the day of her disappearance, Hannah was seen at school—and by all accounts, she seemed okay. She even met with a DFCS worker that day to talk about improving her math grade in hopes of moving up a level the next semester.
That would be the last documented conversation she ever had.
She was last seen just after 7 p.m. near her apartment complex, then called Lake Lanier Club—now known as MAA Lake Lanier—off Dawsonville Highway. After that… silence.
It’s easy to look at reports and see only case files and timelines. But behind each entry is a young girl trying to navigate life, trying to grow up in the middle of uncertainty. And somewhere in that uncertainty, someone took advantage of a moment. A vulnerability. A life.
And they still haven’t been held accountable.
A collage of Hannah Truelove photos is displayed inside the office of Lt. Dan Franklin of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. – photo by Scott Rogers
Lack of evidence
The man who found Hannah Truelove wasn’t a hiker or an investigator—just a father visiting his daughter at the Lake Lanier Club Apartments. He enjoyed walking in the woods nearby and had recently contacted apartment management about a missing manhole cover where the wooded trail began.
On August 24, 2012, curiosity led him back down that same ridgeline—not to search for anyone, just to see if the manhole had been replaced.
He wasn’t expecting to find a crime scene.
A decade later, Investigator Dan Franklin stood in that same quiet spot, retracing the man’s steps down the steep hill. Through the trees, the balconies of nearby apartments are just barely visible—close, yet seemingly worlds away from where Hannah was discovered.
That day, the city of Gainesville responded first to the missing person report, with officers quickly combing the area. They knocked on doors, called out Hannah’s name from a nearby dock, and woke her friends in the complex. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation joined soon after.
Because of a nearly invisible property line—one that cuts straight through the trees—Hannah’s body was technically found on county land, placing the case under the jurisdiction of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
Franklin believes Hannah died exactly where she was found. The area is wooded, quiet, and somewhat hidden—but not isolated enough that someone wouldn’t have heard or seen something.
A witness later reported seeing Hannah sitting on a wooden staircase that evening—one that leads to the trail below. It’s possible she was waiting. It’s also possible she wasn’t alone.
“I think she was led here,” Franklin said. “Or she came willingly.”
In the hours after her murder, storms rolled in. It rained heavily overnight. What was once a dry ravine became a fast-moving creek.
When her body was discovered, it was clear she’d been partially submerged in that floodwater. One of her flip-flops had been swept downstream, caught in the branches a short distance away. Her hair was slicked back by the current.
Franklin believes much of the evidence that could have brought this case to a close was lost in that storm. Too much water. Too much time.
It’s one of the most frustrating pieces of this case: they believe they know who did this. But they don’t have what they need to prove it—yet.
Still, Franklin remains hopeful that advancements in forensic technology will bring the answers Hannah and her family deserve.
And here is all the contact information once more:
If you have a case you would like us to look into or feature please send it over to tellyourstory@luna-owl.com or messages us at www.facebook.com/Catchyouonthebside The B-Side Facebook Page.
For Reporting information in regards to the case of Hannah Truelove:
Contact Info: GBI Region 8 Cleveland Office 706-348-4866
OR
Hall County Police
https://www.hallcounty.org/168/Sheriffs-Office
Headquarters
2859 Browns Bridge Road
Gainesville, Georgia 30504
Phone: 770-531-6900
Fax: 770-531-7150
North Precinct
122 Dean Street
Clermont, GA 30527
Phone: 770-533-7200
South Precinct
7345 Cody Drive
Flowery Branch, Georgia 30542
Phone: 770-533-7704
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