The tragic case of Sarah Stern
Sarah didn’t see it coming.
It was in the afternoon. And Sarah was chilling with someone she trusted the most. Then she found herself dangling from the ground, messing her pants.
The attacker later bragged;
“I pretty much hung her. I picked her up. And there just dangling off the ground, she just pissed herself. And said my name and then that was it.
My biggest problem was the dog. Her dog laid there and watched.”
The Optimistic Nineteen-Year-Old Girl
Sarah Stern was nineteen years old, a teenage girl from Neptune City, New Jersey. She lived with her father and mother, Michael and Carla Stern.
Unfortunately, her mother died from cancer when she was sixteen. But Sarah remained optimistic about life. She deepened her love for art and graphic design. She referred to herself as an artist and a reckless optimist.
Sarah also loved YouTube.
She didn’t have a personal YouTube channel. But she traveled long distances to meet her favorite YouTubers.
Her Father Went On Vacation
Towards the beginning of December 2016, Michael went on a vacation in Florida. Thus Sarah was left home alone.
But Michael kept in touch with Sarah via texts. Then suddenly, Sarah wasn’t responding to her father’s messages. Her father continued texting her over the next few days with no reply.
So Sarah was reported missing to the police.
The police relentlessly sought after Sarah. And Sarah’s grandmother’s car, which Sarah often drove, was found abandoned on a bridge. But there was no sign of Sarah anywhere.
The police then visited the home that Sarah shared with her father. But no one was there.
The Police Visited Sarah’s Friend
The police then went to the house of one of Sarah’s best friends, Liam McAtasney.
They found out that Sarah was friends with Liam from as early as first grade. Sarah became friends with Liam and another boy named Preston Taylor when they were all children.
The three were very close.
They grew up together. They attended the same high school. And they called their little friend group; “The squad.” Preston and Sarah even attended prom together.
Liam told the police that he last saw Sarah on the afternoon of the day she went missing.
The two went to Taco Bell. Then they passed by the bank. Then the two chilled at Sarah’s house.
Liam left Sarah’s house before 4:45 pm because he had to be at work. Liam said he strongly felt Sarah committed suicide by jumping off the bridge. Or she ran off to Canada since she often talked about doing it.
Meanwhile, the authorities kept searching for Sarah.
They strongly considered that Sarah jumped off a bridge since her car was found abandoned near a bridge. So divers searched the water for Sarah, but they found nothing.
Hundreds of people volunteered in Sarah’s search. Amongst the volunteers were Sarah’s childhood friends, Liam and Preston.
And five thousand dollars were on the table for any information regarding Sarah’s disappearance.
The Police Strongly Suspected Liam
The police’s suspicions of Liam never died down. He was the last person to see Sarah alive. Then Liam’s friend, Anthony, went to the police.
And he told the police Liam had once told him that he was going to strangle a girl and throw her off a bridge. So the police set up Anthony with a recording device.
Anthony managed to convince Liam to tell him the truth.
Liam opened up about how he murdered Sarah. Anthony captured the confession on a videotape recording.
In early 2017, the other friend, Preston, also confessed to the police. He told the police that he helped Liam throw Sarah’s body off the bridge and into the dark waters.
What Happened To Sweet Sarah
Sarah’s mother left Sarah a box of money when she died. And Liam learned about that money.
He immediately wanted it for himself. So Liam planned Sarah’s murder for half a year to get her money.
He studied Sarah’s movements — how she drove to and from her home. He wanted it to look like Sarah was driving her car the day he murdered her on surveillance footage. And on December 2nd, 2016, Liam and Sarah went to Sarah’s family’s home.
Liam then strangled Sarah for about 30 minutes.
He shoved a shirt down Sarah’s throat so she wouldn’t throw up during the process. Meanwhile, Sarah’s dog witnessed the murder.
“Her dog laid there and watched as I killed her.” Liam stated.
Then Liam stole the box of money. And he called Preston to come over to Sarah’s house.
Liam asked Preston to help him get rid of Sarah’s body.
Preston agreed. Preston helped Liam to hide Sarah’s body under a bush near her home. Then after it got dark, Liam and Preston took Sarah and put her in the passenger seat of her own car. Then Liam got in Sarah’s car and drove to the bridge.
Preston followed Liam in his own car. Both Liam and Preston dragged Sarah out of the car, lifted her, and threw her over the bridge. Then Liam got into Preston’s car and drove off, leaving Sarah’s car.
But Liam soon discovered that he only got a tiny portion of the money he believed Sarah owned.
Liam stated;
“The worst part of it is I thought I was walking out with 50 grand or 100 grand in my pocket. And she only had ten grand, and the money is of terrible quality. I didn’t even get a quarter of it.”
The Aftermath
The police arrested Liam and Preston.
Preston was very cooperative with the police. Preston told the authorities that he and Liam had buried two safe boxes.
One of the boxes contained about seven thousand dollars, and another had Sarah’s clothing. On the other hand, Liam denied confessing in the recorded video. He claimed that he thought it was an audition for a movie.
Preston pled guilty to first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, and second-degree desecrating human remains.
He was sentenced to eighteen years in prison. Preston also testified against Liam. Liam showed no remorse for his actions.
Liam stated;
“I don’t feel any different. I don’t think about it.”
Liam was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, desecrating human remains, and other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He was also given an additional ten years behind bars. Sarah Stern’s body has never been found.
Sarah’s father later stated;
“I was better with Sarah being missing, and maybe she left without telling anybody, or she just wanted to get away.
I didn’t think that she was killed.
The horrid act of what happened to her body haunts me every day. I will never be able to hug Sarah again.”
Sources:abcnews, That Chapter