Man charged in death of fiancé who went missing in 2011

This booking photo provided by the Butler County, Ohio, Jail shows John Allen Carter. Carter, the fiancé of an art student who went missing nearly 12 years ago, has been indicted on two counts of murder in her death. He was arrested Wednesday, March 22, 2023, and remains in the Butler County Jail. The indictment against him was unsealed Thursday morning, March 23, and it was not clear if he has retained an attorney. (Butler County Jail via AP)

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — The fiancé of an art student who went missing nearly 12 years ago has been indicted on two counts of murder in her death.

John Carter, 34, of Hamilton, was arrested Wednesday and remains in the Butler County Jail. The indictment against him was unsealed Thursday morning, and it wasn’t clear if he has retained an attorney.

The charges stem from the August 2011 disappearance of Katelyn Markham, who was last seen at her home in Fairfield. At the time, Markham was a few weeks away from finishing her graphic arts degree at the Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati, and Carter has said they were planning to move to Colorado later that year.

Skeletal remains identified as Markham’s were found in 2013 in a wooded area in Cedar Grove, Indiana, about 80 miles southeast of Indianapolis. Authorities ruled her death a homicide.

In February, Jonathan Palmerton was arrested in connection to Markham’s death on a felony perjury charge. That case remains active, authorities said, but specific details on why he was charged have not been disclosed.