Investigators Dive into Virtual Reality: Unraveling the 2009 Bloomington Murder Mystery

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) – A newly issued search warrant is bringing new attention to a 16-year-old murder mystery in Bloomington.

The background:

In September 2009, April Pease vanished from a shelter for domestic abuse victims in Bloomington. She has not been located or heard from since. Law enforcement suspects she was murdered by a violent ex-boyfriend and that her remains are buried in Oklahoma. The couple also had a son together.

The suspected murderer, Cedric Marks, a former MMA fighter, is presently on Death Row in Texas after being found guilty of capital murder in a different double homicide that occurred years after Pease went missing.

The inquiry

Investigating further:

Bloomington police have continually searched for Pease. Earlier this month, a judge in Hennepin County authorized a search warrant allowing investigators to conduct a forensic examination of Marks’ Oculus virtual reality gaming system and Sony PlayStation4, which were found in a storage facility in Columbus, Ohio.

As stated in court documents, Marks’ former girlfriend mentioned that he was searching sites in Oklahoma on the devices before his imprisonment. He buried the other two victims in Oklahoma.

Bloomington law enforcement hopes that the gaming equipment may hold information that could indicate where he might have disposed of Pease.

Ex-boyfriend accused of murder

What we are aware of:

In 2019, Marks took the lives of two individuals in Texas and buried their remains in a shallow grave in Clearview, Oklahoma, close to land owned by his family. He was later found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death.

At that time, the murders led the Bloomington police to re-examine the disappearance of Pease, considering her previous tumultuous relationship with Marks, which included a contentious custody battle.

According to court documents, the then-girlfriend of Marks told investigators that he murdered Pease after tracking her down at the shelter for women in Bloomington and transporting her to Oklahoma.

She alleged that Marks subsequently severed Pease’s hands and extracted her teeth, so that her body would never be identifiable. Authorities have yet to locate her.

Meanwhile, both Marks and his ex-girlfriend faced charges of second-degree murder in Hennepin County. Marks’ case is currently considered inactive in the courts. Yet, the Bloomington police persist in pursuing all potential leads.

READ MORE: Two individuals charged with the murder of April Pease on the 11th anniversary of her disappearance

There is a $2,000 reward available for information pertaining to the case.

What has been said:

In response to inquiries regarding the new search warrant, a spokesperson for the Bloomington police informed FOX 9, “The April Pease case remains open with our detectives. Whenever new information surfaces, they have been actively following up to ascertain if there is further insight to provide to the attorney’s office. The reward is still in effect. We do not have anything new beyond what is already publicly available to share.”

Crime and Public SafetyMissing PersonsBloomington