On Thanksgiving Day, Blake Wolfe's ex-wife became concerned that she was unable to reach Blake to finalize plans to exchange the children for the holiday. Living just across the street, Blake’s mother asked her husband to go check on her thirty-seven-year-old son. Upon entering the house with a spare key, Blake’s stepfather found a grizzly scene. Blake was dead and there was blood spattered all over. The crime scene was so bad that it was not even apparent what had killed the man. The truth behind his death would spark anger and rage in those living in Windham, Ohio.
Traci Dyson was born in 1972. She grew up in Windham, Ohio, living in a trailer park. She grew up in poverty and without her father around, who lived in Florida. Her early life was quite traumatic, with her brother committing suicide. Despite being poor and coming from a broken home, Traci grew up pretty and relatively popular. In high school, she became pregnant. While her boyfriend was willing to make a family, Traci was not interested and took her son to Florida to live near her father and sister. In Florida, Traci became a midwife, married, and had three more children.
Although Traci seemed to have made a successful life for herself in Florida, that changed when she divorced her husband after eighteen years. Following the divorce, Traci met a man back in her hometown on a visit to Ohio, Blake Wolfe. She soon moved back to Ohio, leaving her children with their father. Unfortunately, Traci faced yet another trauma in her life. Her oldest son was arrested for marijuana. According to his father, her high school boyfriend, the boy was petrified and had never been in trouble before. While in jail, Traci’s son committed suicide.
Blake Wolfe was born in Windham, Ohio in 1975. A few years behind Traci, they didn’t know each other growing up despite being in the same small town. Blake met and married a woman named Dusty. The two fell in love deeply and became parents to two children. Unfortunately, over time Dusty began to feel that Blake’s attention to her was not sufficient. Although he was a great father, she no longer wished to be his wife and left him. Blake was understandably devastated by the divorce. In fact, his friends feared he would hurt himself and if left alone following the divorce.
Blake eventually moved on from his marriage but remained extremely close to his two children. Being a father was the most important thing to him. Blake moved into a home across from his mother and stepfather’s home. He soon began dating Traci Wolfe. The two quickly married, and it seemed that Blake and Traci were able to help each other start over in life. Those close to the couple, however, noticed problems in the relationship.
Traci Wolfe was often behaving erratically, especially if she had been drinking. Traci would often become volatile and angry. She also flirted shamelessly with other men in front of her husband. Traci also became angry and frustrated when Blake spent time with his children. She believed that he paid too much attention to his kids, and not enough to her. On more than one occasion, the police were called to Traci and Blake’s home for various domestic violence incidents. Sometimes Blake called the police on Traci, but sometimes Traci called on Blake. Their relationship, nearly from the beginning, was tumultuous.
In September of 2012, after less than two years of marriage, Blake asked Traci to move out of their home. He planned to file for divorce. In fact, he completed the paperwork and the sheriff’s office was scheduled to serve the papers to Traci on Monday, November 26th. However, on Thursday November 22nd, Blake was found dead in his home by his stepfather. Was it possible the man had shot himself due to grief from a second failing marriage? Some thought that was possible, but others pointed the finger right at his estranged wife, Traci.
The autopsy on Blake Wolfe showed that he had not shot himself. In fact, he had not been shot at all. The thirty-seven-year-old had been severely beaten while he lay in his bed. The blunt force trauma wounds appeared to have come from several angles, indicating possibly two killers. The beating had been severe and left a bloody crime scene. It appeared that the murderer had torn down drywall in the garage in order to enter the home. The front door remained locked and was actually barricaded. According to Blake’s mother, Blake was barricading his home out of fear of Traci.
As soon as word of Blake’s death hit social media on that Thanksgiving Day, rumors began to spread on the internet and through the small town. Most pointed the finger at Traci, who they said had a boyfriend already. It didn’t seem like anyone believed Traci was not involved. Given this information, the police started their investigation with the victim’s estranged wife and her boyfriend, identified as Thomas Walters. Traci eventually admitted to a sexual relationship, but she told the investigators that Tom was an old friend who had a crush on her when they were young. She denied any relationship or desire to be with Tom.
Traci was brought in for questioning that Thanksgiving Day. At first, she said she had stayed the night at a family member’s home the night before Thanksgiving, as the holiday celebration was being held at that home. Her sister-in-law, however, refuted this information and told the authorities that Traci had been at Tom’s house that night. Confronted with this evidence, Traci changed her story once again.
Traci now admitted that she had stayed with Tom the night before. She said the two had been drinking. She admitted that she acted unreasonably when drinking alcohol. She said later that evening, Tom got frustrated with Traci’s stories of being abused by Blake, whom she claimed was a violent alcoholic. In contrary, Blake had no history of violence against women, but Traci had a history of violence when drinking. Tom, angry at Blake, allegedly told Traci that they needed to go teach Blake a lesson. She claims they grabbed various weapons including a hammer and crowbar and headed to Blake’s home.
She admitted to breaking through the garage’s dry wall with Tom. She said that once they were inside, she stayed downstairs while Tom went up to Blake’s bedroom. She said she heard noises, but remained downstairs as she did not want to be a part of the violence. She said Tom was just supposed to beat the man up. However, she said when he came down the stairs, she saw blood on the hammer. She claimed, however, that she did not know Blake was dead. She said Tom told her “He’ll feel that in the morning”.
With Traci’s statement, she was placed under arrest and the police went to Tom’s home. They knocked on the door, but when Tom did not answer they broke the door down. At first, Tom claimed to have no knowledge of Blake’s murder. Finally, he admitted that he and Tracy had gone to Blake’s that night to teach him a lesson. However, he said he stayed downstairs while Traci went up to the bedroom and beat her estranged husband. The two co-conspirators pointed the finger at each other, but both admitted to burning the evidence and destroying the weapons following the crime. They both agreed to take their secret to the grave, but that lasted less than forty-eight hours.
The truth would eventually come out, and through multiple interviews it did. Traci eventually admitted to being a part of the beating that killed Blake Wolfe. She admitted that she and Tom both beat the man while he lay in his bed. Traci stated she was infuriated over the abuse she claims Blake perpetrated against her. Tom was a participant because he had been in love with Traci since they were young. Although murder is rare in Windham, Ohio, this case was solved very quickly.
In 2013, both Traci Wolfe and Thomas Walters were both convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This could have been a death penalty case, but authorities agreed to take that off the table in exchange for guilty pleas. Traci spent the first several years of her incarceration angry and acting out. By her own admission, she was sent to segregation several times for outbursts of behavior. She now claims that she has turned to God and decided to make peace with her children and family. She knows, however, that there is nothing she can do to make up for the loss she caused Blake’s children and family.
References
Snapped Season 19 Episode 12 “Traci Wolfe”
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