HEFLIN, Ala. — Young mother Monica Fay Pritchett Rollins, 23, loved her children dearly and was excited about her third child’s arrival, a boy named Cheyne.
Rollins was a busy mom, balancing a full-time job and raising her two sons, Dalton, 6, and Aaron, 2. She worked at a daycare called Kiddie Castle, Inc. until July 2002, when she accepted a higher-paying job at ITC Deltacom.
Rollins and her children’s father, Jeremy Rollins, divorced, but he saw the children every other weekend.
Family members described Rollins as an easy-going, loving mother who was always smiling and good with kids.
When nobody had heard from her, a family member drove to Rollins’ mobile home on Sugar Hill Road on Monday, Sept. 16, 2002, and walked straight into a living nightmare.
Rollins and Dalton were dead, while Aaron hid in a closet unharmed. News reports at the time state the mother and son were stabbed to death; however, law enforcement officials remain tight-lipped on the cause of death and other details, indicating it is information only the killer would know.
Authorities collected evidence at the crime scene, saying they have potential DNA. They have questioned numerous people, but nothing has led them to a motive or killer.
Monica was in the third trimester of her pregnancy and partially delivered from the trauma. The baby was deceased.
Police believe Rollins and her son were killed sometime over the previous weekend.
Monica’s father, Donald Pritchett, last saw his daughter and grandkids on Friday, Sept. 13, 2002. He was excited about the visit because he, his wife, and Rollins intended to give Dalton the long-awaited gift of a foal the boy had named “Mojave.” The family left his residence around 8:30 p.m. after an evening filled with horse riding, food, and a movie. He never saw Rollins and Dalton alive again.
Police have said very little about the case in the nearly 20 years since the murders occurred.
It is unclear where Jeremy Rollins was at the time of the murders or whether he was ever considered a suspect. Police never arrested anyone in the double murder.
The crime terrified the community, and members started upping security measures on their homes and kept their kids inside.
Police have never stopped investigating the murders. In 2014, Heflin Police Chief A.J. Benefield contacted the Attorney General’s Office’s Cold Case Unit, and the two agencies are working on the case together.
Benefield was an officer at the time of the murders; he and his partner responded to the 911 call.
He told AL.com in 2014: “So really, there’s three victims,” Benefield said. “It was the worst crime scene I’ve ever seen. Not a day goes by that we aren’t talking about this or working on it in some way. It’s very near to our hearts.”
WBRC reported that Benefield hinted in 2015 that “they were looking at something that they’ve actually known about since 2002.” He did not elaborate further.
Authorities periodically post on social media for information on the case.
Jeremy Rollins remarried in 2011 and has twin daughters with his wife. Aaron Rollins graduated high school in 2018 and is now in his early 20s. The family still resides in Heflin.
True Crime Diva’s Thoughts
UPDATE 10/17/21: On 10/4/21, I received an email from Captain Scott Bonner of the Heflin PD asking me to “quit posting inflammatory comments about the Rollins family.” WHERE? Again, these people obviously did not read this article. Nowhere do I post “inflammatory comments” in the article. I give my opinion, and people can take that however they want; some apparently did. If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
Supposedly “Jeremy Rollins was investigated throughly (sic) and is no longer a person of interest. Mr Rollins was very cooperative from the beginning and still remains cooperate (sic) today,” Bonner wrote. Yeah, ok. I like how he wrote, “no longer a person of interest,” which means Jeremy Rollins was a person of interest at some point in the investigation. Just because a person is “cooperative” does not mean they are innocent of a crime. There was no mention of Jeremy taking a polygraph test, I noticed.
Bonner writes: “The case has been reopened and is awaiting new forensic investigation results. Im open to discussion in the future when the results are available but in the meantime im asking you to let the Rollins family have some peace of mind. I hope to get cooperation from you and I will contact you with updates as soon as possible. Please keep this as professional as possible as you are aware of the sensitivity of the family.”
Yes, they are super sensitive, aren’t they? 🤔 This case is nearly 20 years old, and the police STILL refuse to release any relevant information, including info about “new forensic investigation results.” That makes zero sense, open investigation or not. I find that just as suspicious as family members getting pissed off at this article.
There is nothing wrong with what I wrote. I think those involved (and you can take that word however you see fit) need to calm down, or more fingers will point in their direction. I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels this way.
Most of the time, I will respect the family and keep my articles focused on all possibilities. Your over-the-top reaction to what I wrote IN this article doesn’t make you look good. If this were my kid, I would have become a force to be reckoned with in getting justice. I would not stop until there is either an arrest or I die. People will judge you no matter what you say or do in a criminal case. How you react makes or breaks you in the public eye.
UPDATE 10/2/21: Evidently, Mr. Rollins did not like what I had to say below. Why? I have no idea, but it doesn’t make him look good. He commented on my FB page and, in my opinion, came across as defensive. I think he must be used to bullying people and figured he could do the same to me. He even tagged Benefield, who has no jurisdiction outside his own.🤣
Dalton’s cousin (if it was her) sent me an email around the same time threatening legal matters. Apparently, they do not want anyone to bring awareness to this case, which I find absolutely suspicious. There is little info, and it’s nearly 20 years old, but hey, if you don’t want justice, that’s your business.
So let me make this perfectly clear: I write what I want to write on MY site, and nobody will tell me I “don’t have permission” because I do not need it. All the info I find is publicly available. If you do not want attention, do NOT have a PUBLIC Facebook group or interview the media.
I think the police need to explain whether they ruled out Jeremy Rollins in the murders. Where was he at the time of the murders? The police are tight-lipped on the case, and there is no info on whether or not Jeremy was questioned and ruled out.
I checked out his Fb page (he has two but no longer uses one of them), and he posts many public pictures, yet there are none of Dalton. He and Dalton’s cousin, Taska Beason, are admins of a Fb group for Monica and Dalton. He did post pics there, but that was several years ago, and it appears he has not posted since.
Police never mentioned whether Monica was sexually assaulted. Why? She was or wasn’t; it’s as simple as that. If she was, there’s a motive. So, I think she was not because authorities said they have no motive. I find it odd authorities have never stated the cause of death. What gives? How would knowing the cause of death hurt the investigation? Was it some freaky Satanic-style killing or what? Give me a break.
A Reddit user from the Heflin area posted on the site that there is a rumor floating around the baby was cut from the womb. That would certainly give a reason not to inform the public and coincides with the only-the-killer-would-know info. I’m not convinced, though.
Who was the father of Monica’s baby? She and Jeremy were divorced, so I doubt it was him.
Whoever the murderer is, they had no problem killing a pregnant woman and child. Aaron ran into the closet to hide. The killer had to know he was in the home, so why didn’t he (or she) kill Aaron? I mean, we’re talking about a mobile home. They are tiny, plus I feel that Monica knew the killer, so the killer had to know he was there. Maybe the killer knew Aaron was too little to tell the police what he saw, whereas Dalton was old enough to do it.
Heflin is small, with around 3,500 residents, so people know who killed the mother and son.
