John Blauvelt disappeared with 17-year-old Hannah Thompson just days after Cati Blauvelt's funeral. The case had already drawn police attention after Cati was found dead in Simpsonville, South Carolina, and investigators tied her death to a stabbing in October 2016.
Wayne Roper and Richard Hargrove found Cati's body in the basement of an abandoned house on Oct. 26, 2016, after her family reported her missing the day before. Investigators said the blade of a knife was in her neck and that she bled to death after being stabbed.
Maggie Jones on Cati Blauvelt
Maggie Jones, a friend and co-worker, described Cati as someone with rare warmth. She said, "She had the biggest heart I think I've ever known" and added, "Never met anybody that she was unkind to. Absolutely obsessed with animals. Loved Harry Potter."
Jones also said Cati worked at PetSmart. That detail fits the way friends remembered her: as someone tied to animals, work, and ordinary routines before the case turned into a murder investigation.
John Blauvelt and Hannah Thompson
Police focused on John Blauvelt after Cati's death, but he denied involvement and told police the couple was "the worst couple ever." He was an Army recruiter in town, and investigators said security camera footage showed Cati's car pulling into a nearby auto shop lot after her time of death.
The footage showed the driver getting out and leaving in another car. Police later let John and Hannah go because there was no evidence against them at that point, but John appeared in video footage at Cati's funeral with Hannah, his 17-year-old girlfriend.
After Cati Blauvelt's funeral
John and Hannah took off just days after the funeral. That leaves the strongest thread in the case pointed at their flight: police had already questioned Hannah, she denied knowledge of the murder, and the couple was gone soon after the service.
ABC's 20/20 is set to revisit the case in a Friday, Oct. 9 episode at 9 p.m. ET, putting the unanswered part of the timeline back in view for anyone following where John and Hannah went after they disappeared.
