Savannah Spurlock: Suspects admits to killing mom-of-three nearly two years after she vanished

Kentucky man has pleaded guilty to the murder of mom-of-three, Savannah Spurlock, nearly two years after she vanished.

The Courier-Journal reports that 25-year-old David Sparks pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in December.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Spurlock’s remains were discovered behind Sparks’ parents’ Garrard County house in July 2019, “concealed in an unnatural position” and buried in a 19-inch grave. After six months of exhaustive searches for Spurlock, authorities received a tip from Sparks’ father, who said he noticed a foul odor emanating from behind his house.

Doomsday death & deception: Nancy Grace investigates “Cult Mom” Lori Vallow. Inside sources reveal brand new bombshell information. Click here to watch.

Spurlock was last spotted on a security camera with Sparks and two other men on January 4, 2019, the night she disappeared. They were leaving The Other Bar in Lexington, off of South Limestone. According to Assistant Police Chief Rodney Richardson of Richmond PD, Spurlock left the bar with the men and ended up at the Garrard County home, off of Fall Lick Road.

Sparks initially told authorities that he fell asleep the night Spurlock vanished. He claimed the woman was gone when he woke up. However, evidence found at the residence suggested Sparks played a much more sinister role, according to police.

In July, detectives said they saw Walmart security footage of Sparks buying a rug. Investigators found Spurlock buried in a rug that looked similar to the one Sparks purchased. Detectives also said Sparks sent his sister a text message on the night of Spurlock’s death and asked where he could buy a rug.

Officials added authorities also found Spurlock’s blood inside Sparks’ parents’ home. Detectives found additional evidence at the property that pointed to the suspect, but they didn’t reveal what else they found.

“These items were last known to be in the control of only two individuals, the missing person, and the above,” an arrest citation read, according to WKYT.

Spurlock, a mother of four, gave birth to twins in December. Her mother, Ellen Spurlock, who lived with her daughter in Richmond, was babysitting the children the night Spurlock went to the bar.

Ellen Spurlock previously told ABC she spoke to her daughter on via FaceTime at around 3 a.m. the morning she disappeared. The worried mother said she could hear other people in the car with Spurlock, but her daughter seemed fine.

“She seemed okay,” Ellen Spurlock said. “She told me she was fine. When I asked her where she was, she said she was in Lexington. She promised she’d be home later that morning. She did not seem out of the ordinary.”

Sparks is the only suspect in the case.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is a previous episode on the case.