In the soft South Carolina night of October 24, 2016, the small city of Simpsonville was gripped by anxiety as 22-year-old Cati Blauvelt vanished without a trace. Her mother, Patti Piver, felt the despair tightening around her heart. “I just was terrified that something was gonna happen to her,” she later recalled, expressing the palpable fear that weighed on her during those harrowing days.
- Cati Blauvelt went missing in 2016.
- Her body was found in an abandoned farmhouse.
- John Blauvelt showed unusual behavior during investigation.
- Cati's family suspected domestic violence issues.
- John fled with girlfriend Hannah Thompson.
- Blauvelt was eventually captured and convicted.
Days later, a team of investigators, including Cheryl Schofield and Keith Morecraft, received a troubling call past midnight on October 26. They had been dispatched to an abandoned farmhouse, a site that teenagers in the area frequented for parties. Little did they know that it would be the location of Cati’s tragic end. What they discovered was horrific: Cati’s lifeless body, visibly mangled and stuffed into a concrete box, a scene likened to something out of a horror film. “Her body had basically been folded into this box,” Capt. Cheryl Schofield stated, highlighting the gruesome nature of the crime.
The investigation quickly turned toward her husband, John Blauvelt. During the death notification visit, his reaction seemed disconcertingly detached, raising suspicions among the detectives. “He didn’t seem shocked by the news,” Morecraft noted, as they observed Blauvelt’s refusal to ask appropriate questions about Cati’s fate. Instead, he had one inquiry: “Am I being charged with a crime?”
Initially viewed as a community asset — a soldier in the U.S. Army known for his larger-than-life public persona — John Blauvelt’s life began to unravel following Cati’s disappearance. Friends and family had once admired him; however, that perception shifted as details of his dark side emerged. Just months after their whirlwind marriage, Cati began to express concerns about John’s troubling behavior and the wild parties that their home had transformed into. The couple, once filled with dreams of a family, became entangled in a bitter relationship riddled with allegations of domestic violence.
Cati’s life took a drastic turn when she sought to leave John, fueled by a history of threats and fear. After a gun was reportedly pointed at her head, a restraining order was issued, but their contact persisted, a dangerous tether fueled by unresolved emotions.
Investigators delved deeper, gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. The forensic team discovered a knife blade lodged in Cati’s neck, a key piece of evidence that would serve as a cornerstone in building their case against John. It painted a grim picture of the events leading to her tragic death, one raising profound questions about anger, jealousy, and revenge. Cati’s stepsister, Jennifer Piver, reflected on the horror of losing Cati: “She did not deserve to be murdered.”
Amid the investigation, Hannah Thompson, a minor who had been in a relationship with John, also found herself drawn into the dark web of events surrounding Cati’s death. She would later testify about the chilling confessions that John made to her while they were on the run together. Thompson’s statements revealed that John had downplayed his actions, indicating a troubling manipulation that left many questioning her complicity in the crime.
After months of evasion, John Blauvelt was finally captured on July 20, 2022, returning to face charges that had haunted him since Cati’s murder. The arrest occurred in Medford, Oregon, where authorities discovered him living under an alias. “We have a device that allows us to mobile print someone in the field,” a Marshal explained, emphasizing the technological finesse employed in his apprehension.
The case took a significant turn when John’s journal was uncovered during his capture, revealing not just details of his flight but confessions that would link him irrevocably to Cati’s murder. “I did it,” it boldly stated, a revelation that provided prosecutors with damning evidence against him.
The trial, which began in September 2024, was marked by visceral testimonies from family members and intimate friends of Cati, juxtaposed with the cold statistics of evidence presented by the prosecution. The courtroom, heavy with emotion, witnessed the unfolding of a tragedy that had consumed multiple lives. Prosecutors would rely heavily on Thompson’s testimony to establish the timeline and circumstances of Cati’s death, illuminating the dynamics of control and manipulation woven throughout John and Cati’s relationship.
As the jury deliberated, the air was thick with expectation. John Blauvelt was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. For Cati’s family, this moment was bittersweet, a closure tinged with the sorrow of having lost someone so profoundly cherished. “He’s a monster,” Patti Piver expressed with a mix of relief and lingering grief, as they prepared to move forward from a tragedy that had shattered their lives.
While Hannah Thompson awaits her own trial, the case remains a stark reminder of the complexities surrounding love, trust, and the devastating impact of domestic violence. For those who knew and loved Cati, the echoes of her laughter and the brightness she brought into the world would forever remain dimmed, but her story has led to important discussions surrounding domestic safety and justice that resonate beyond Simpsonville.
