JB Beasley and friend Tracie Hawlett were struck down in the prime of their lives, before they had the chance to go to college or start a family or find a career.

For 16 years, the murders, which took place around the area of Ozark, Alabama, have remained unsolved, but now a startling new story from someone “in the know” has the finger of blame pointed at an Ozark Police Officer.

Presently, this new story has only been picked up by the Henry County Report, but it’s gaining traction on social media, with friends and family wanting answers. The video interview with the sister of JB Beasley — linked below — is quite compelling, and it can shed some more light on the possibility of a police cover-up.

Here’s what is threatening to break this case wide open.

A woman by the name of Rena Crumb, who was named in the HCR story, said that she had been living with the knowledge of who killed JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett for a long time.

Image via Court TV

The woman claimed that numerous people within the law enforcement community knew the name of the killer, and that they covered it up through burying evidence and terroristic threatening.

Crumb, HCR reports, claimed that one retired officer, Butch Whittington, casually reminded her to “be sure and keep my f***ing mouth shut” after connecting with her on Facebook.

Whittington is not named as the killer in the woman’s story. In fact, HCR refuses to name the accused, citing that the officer is still employed in law enforcement within Henry County and that a state investigator requested his name be withheld.

The story implies that Whittington and former Ozark Police Chief Tony Spivey knew the killer’s identity and also implicated them in the alleged coverup.

JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were allegedly killed over a set of incriminating cassette tapes, Crumb claims.

More from HCR.

“The cassette tapes in question, we are told by a former law enforcement officer who worked the case for years, are believed to be of a prominent businessman and a judicial official (now federal judge) that were involved in discussions of cocaine distribution and profits, and discuss paying out money to a man who is now Alabama’s leading politicians.”

Crumb adds that in addition to Whittington and Spivey, two officers named Rex Tipton and Eddie Henderson were “in on the coverup.”

“I am ashamed to say I have known for a long time,” Crumb continued. “I worked with all of them… blue walls of silence. Can’t believe it stayed silent this long. Everyone talks when they drink.”

Whittington, Spivey, Henderson, and Tipton are excluded as direct suspects in the case, and they have not addressed the accusations at this time, as the story is less than one day old as of this posting.

Reportedly, JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were accosted by the unnamed officer on the night of July 31, 1999. The officer allegedly fired his weapon “accidentally” while trying to hit Beasley with it, resulting in her death.

For the rest, check out this story from the sister of JB Beasley, Jacqui Burgoon, who is still looking for justice.

What do you think after watching the video and hearing Rena Crumb’s confession? Did an Ozark Police Officer murder JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett? Sound off in the comments section.

[Image via YouTube screenshot from Henry County Report]