A mother’s relentless pursuit of the truth surrounding her daughter’s death led to a shocking confession from her son-in-law, uncovering a murder that was initially ruled a suicide. Jamie Dickerson, the mother of 29-year-old April Holt, shared her journey to finding justice for her daughter in a heartfelt interview with Fox News Digital.
“There were things that led me to believe… I just knew it wasn’t suicide,” Dickerson explained. “She just had plans for a future. People, you know, don’t usually say, ‘I’ll meet you at church the next morning.’ I was putting all these pieces together, and I’m like, it’s just none of it made sense.”
April Holt, a mother of two, was found unresponsive in her Antioch apartment in July 2023, with a plastic bag taped tightly around her neck. Her husband, 33-year-old Donovan Holt, claimed he discovered her in the shower and rushed her to the hospital. Initially, the death was ruled a suicide, but Dickerson never believed it.
Recalling the events leading up to her daughter’s death, Dickerson said April had texted her the night before, canceling plans to attend a movie and saying she would meet her at church the next day. It was the last message Dickerson ever received from her daughter.
The following morning, Dickerson received a call from Donovan, saying that April was unresponsive and not breathing. Immediately, Dickerson sensed something was wrong. “April’s in perfectly good health,” she thought. “She texted me perfectly fine just an hour and a half ago.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, Dickerson knew in her heart that her daughter was gone. What troubled her even more was Donovan’s strange behavior. “He was just like rocking, pacing. I’m curled up in a ball on a bench next to him, just hysterically crying and calling out to God to save my child,” she said. “Even though I knew in my gut that she was gone.”
As the hours passed, Dickerson noticed Donovan making odd comments, such as claiming April’s throat had been hurting earlier that morning. His behavior raised even more red flags when he handed her April’s phone and told her she could make all medical decisions.
It wasn’t until later that Dickerson learned about the plastic bag over April’s head—a detail that had not been shared with doctors. The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital that April’s death had been under investigation for months, with the case now taking a drastic turn.
Thanks to Dickerson’s persistence, Donovan Holt eventually confessed to the murder, bringing some sense of closure to a grieving mother who never gave up on uncovering the truth. To help others who have lost loved ones, Dickerson is working on starting the Grieve With Me Center in honor of April’s memory.