Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff, who were both arrested in connection to the death of previously unidentified Opelika Jane Doe, have been extradited to Opelika.
With the assistance of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Aviation unit, the Vickerstaffs landed in Opelika Thursday afternoon to be transported to the Lee County Justice Center.
On Jan. 17, the couple was arrested in Jacksonville, Fla. Lamar is charged with felony murder and Ruth is charged with failure to report a missing child.
Opelika Jane Doe was recently identified by police as Amore Wiggins, more than 10 years after her remains were found in a wooded area behind a mobile home off Hurst Street in Opelika in 2012. Detectives believed she was killed in 2010 or 2011, was about 4 years old and was likely malnourished and physically abused before her death.
The autopsy revealed Wiggins had fractures to her skull, arms, legs, shoulders and ribs, making a total of 15 individual fractures. Detectives also believe she was blind in her left eye because of a fracture to her eye socket.
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Through advanced forensic DNA testing, scientists and law enforcement officers were finally able to identify her and her biological parents.
Wiggins was born on Jan. 1, 2006, to Sherry Wiggins, now 37 years old living in Baltimore, Md., and Lamar Vickerstaff Jr., now 50 years old living in Jacksonville, Fla.
In a Virginia court in 2009, Vickerstaff and his second wife Ruth were awarded legal and physical custody of three-year-old Amore Wiggins. Sherry Wiggins lost visitation rights and lost contact with her daughter, but continued to pay child support to Vickerstaff since then.
“She had no idea that she was missing,” Opelika Police Chief Shane Healey said at a press conference on Jan. 19. “She thought that she was with her father. She didn’t know she was missing until we contacted her in December.”
Detectives found out that Lamar Vickerstaff was born and raised in Opelika and graduated from Opelika High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and during his career, he lived in Norfolk, Va., Honolulu, Hawaii and Jacksonville, Fla.
Opelika Captain Johnathan Clifton stated at the press conference that Vickerstaff had friends and family that lived in the Opelika area where Amore’s body was found.
“In Dec. 2022, Opelika detectives traveled to the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., where Lamar Vickerstaff is currently stationed, to notify him of this daughter’s death,” Healey said. “During the meeting Vickerstaff did not provide investigators with any information on the identity of Baby Jane Doe. Detectives then met with Lamar’s wife, Ruth Vickerstaff. Ruth, who’s been married to Lamar since May of 2006, advised detectives she did not know Lamar’s daughter or who may be the mother of Baby Jane.”
This case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Opelika Police Department Detective Division at 334-705-5220 or the Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Opelika Police Mobile App.