Jamie Dickerson never believed her daughter, April Holt, died by suicide. Her gut told her something was wrong from the moment she got the call about April’s unresponsive body. That instinct, paired with her relentless pursuit of justice, eventually led to a shocking confession from April’s husband, Donovan Holt, after authorities initially ruled the death a suicide.
April Holt, a 29-year-old mother of two, was found nearly lifeless in her Antioch, Tennessee apartment in July 2023 with a plastic bag taped tightly around her neck. Her husband, 33-year-old Donovan Holt, claimed he found her unresponsive in the shower and rushed her to the hospital. But Jamie Dickerson knew there was more to the story.
“There were things that led me to believe… I just knew it wasn’t suicide,” Dickerson told Fox News Digital. “It was like she just had plans for a future… none of it made sense.”
Dickerson described the strange behavior of Donovan at the hospital after April was declared dead. “He was just like rocking, pacing. I’m curled up in a ball hysterically crying, and he’s acting real weird,” she said. “He starts saying, ‘Her throat was hurting this morning…’ It didn’t feel right.”
Though authorities initially ruled April’s death a suicide, Jamie Dickerson refused to accept that conclusion. She tirelessly gathered evidence, including a 47-page cold case supplement report, which revealed a crucial detail: Donovan’s fingerprints were found on the plastic bag and tape, but April’s were not.
With this evidence in hand, Dickerson confronted Donovan, and her worst suspicions were confirmed. “That is when I confronted him, and he confessed to me,” she said. “I wasn’t shocked… I had already known for years.”
Once Dickerson reported Donovan’s confession, police reopened the case. “A fresh set of eyes even went over the investigative file,” said the Metro Nashville Police Department in a statement . Detectives traveled to Texas to reinterview Donovan, where he implicated himself in April’s death.
Donovan Holt was arrested in San Antonio and charged with reckless homicide, false reporting, and tampering with evidence. Despite the closure, Jamie Dickerson is just now beginning her journey toward healing. “I didn’t allow myself to really grieve or heal yet,” she admitted, “So I’m just now entering that season of that.”
Thanks to her resilience, justice for April Holt is finally within reach.