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Brother reflects on decades-long search for sister, sister's killer
Adam McClure was just 16 years old when his twin sister Autumn left their Ormond Beach home never to be seen again.After years of looking into her disappearance, the trail went cold, until 2021 when someone came forward saying a man named Brian Donley strangled her.
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Adam McClure was just 16 years old when his twin sister Autumn left their Volusia County home, never to be seen again.
What we know:
Autumn McClure disappeared from her Ormond Beach home in 2004 at age 16. For years, her case went cold — until 2021, when a tip named Brian Donley as her killer.
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A key witness came forward, claiming Donley had confessed to strangling Autumn during a sexual relationship. The witness had kept quiet for years out of fear, but felt safe to speak after Donley’s death in 2022.
That information ultimately led authorities to the burial site on Hand Avenue in Ormond Beach.
What we don't know:
Despite identifying the perpetrator and victim, key questions remain unanswered. Investigators have not disclosed how Donley avoided detection for so long or whether anyone else may have been involved in concealing the crime.
Timeline:
Autumn McClure disappeared from her Ormond Beach home in 2004. Below is a timeline of events that followed.
- 2021 Detectives get a phone call from a man saying his family member, Brian Donley confessed to killing her.
- 2021 Witness comes forward detailing the 2004 strangulation of Autumn by Donley
- 2022 Donley dies following a medical procedure
- 2023 Burial site on Hand Avenue in Ormond Beach located
- 2024 Site excavated, remains identified
- 2024 McClure family plants an Autumn McClure memorial tree at an Ormond Beach park
What they're saying:
Early in the investigation, Adam McClure was optimistic his beloved sister would return.
"It was always the hope that one day we'd wake up, and she'd came home, and maybe she'd had a family," he said. "...but that never happened."
As more and more time went by, the level of optimism began to fade, shifting toward frustration."Anger, confusion," he said. "I gave up hope a long, long, long time [ago] and I was like, ‘she's either not in the country or she's dead."
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When things began to break, Adam was confident the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office cold case unit would figure things out. He worked with investigators to give the lead witness immunity. She told detectives she witnessed the murder, but never reported it due to fear of retaliation, but regained confidence following Donley’s death. Investigators determined Donley, who was 31 at the time, had a sexual relationship with Autumn, 16.
"He got away with everything. I'm sure he had a miserable life," Adam said, adding that a terrible situation taught him some powerful lessons. "You gotta live life every day like it's your last because you never know when the time comes," he said. "you can't change everything… celebrate who you can, when you can."
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and Adam McClure.