Inside the Heartbreaking Case of Laura Ackerson: Love, Lies, and Murder
Parenthood teaches many things—compassion, responsibility, and most importantly, sacrifice. For parents, the well-being and safety of their children are paramount. For Laura Ackerson, a successful businesswoman and mother, nothing mattered more than her children. After a bitter custody battle, Laura was a month away from gaining full custody of her sons. But on July 13, 2011, the 27-year-old mother suddenly vanished. The once-bright future she envisioned for herself and her children was extinguished in a brutal act of betrayal and murder.
This is the story of Laura Ackerson—a young mother whose life was tragically cut short, not by strangers or happenstance, but by those closest to her.
Early Life and Background
Laura Jean Ackerson was born on April 30, 1984, in Hastings, Michigan. Described as a cheerful and outgoing child, she was known for her kind soul and her creativity. Laura grew up attending Grace Fellowship Church with her family, but her life took a dark turn in 1996 when her parents, Rodger and Brenda Ackerson, divorced. The separation was particularly hard on Laura, who was just 12 years old at the time. Her once-stable family life shattered, leaving her emotionally vulnerable and insecure.
After the divorce, Laura and her mother relocated to Iowa, where she attended Lynnville-Sully High School. She later studied graphic design at Kirkwood Community College, where her natural artistic abilities blossomed. She had a sharp eye for detail and was known for her creativity in digital art. Determined to start fresh, Laura moved to Kinston, North Carolina, where she attended J.Y. Monk Real Estate School and began working in marketing and graphic design.
It was during this time in Kinston that Laura met Grant Hayes, a man who would forever alter the course of her life.
Meeting Grant Hayes
In March 2007, Laura met Grant Hayes at a local restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina. At first glance, they seemed like a perfect match—both were creative, driven individuals who even shared the same birthday. Grant was born on April 30, 1979, in Raleigh, and like Laura, he had a passion for his craft. He was an aspiring musician who had become a fixture in the local music scene, performing gigs in bars and restaurants. To those who knew him casually, Grant was charming and charismatic, but beneath his appealing exterior lay a dark and troubled man.
Grant’s life had been tumultuous from the start. His first marriage to a woman named Emily Lovers had ended in divorce, leaving him deeply affected. Following the split, Grant was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression. He was prescribed potent medications such as Lithium, but he turned to alcohol and later to synthetic hallucinogens, which only worsened his condition. Grant’s grip on reality began to slip, and he started having delusions—he believed that aliens controlled the government and that he was the "chosen one" who needed a spaceship to survive the coming apocalypse.
Despite his mental instability, Grant’s music career flourished, and it was around this time that he crossed paths with Laura. But while the world saw Grant as a rising star in the local music scene, Laura would soon experience the nightmare of his violent and controlling nature firsthand.
A Relationship Built on Abuse and Control
From the outset, Grant Hayes was emotionally and physically abusive toward Laura. He cheated on her repeatedly, manipulated her, and isolated her from her friends and family. Laura, who was already emotionally vulnerable from her parents' divorce, found herself trapped in an abusive relationship. Yet, despite Grant’s increasingly erratic behavior, Laura married him after only a few months of dating, hoping to build a family and find the stability she had always craved.
However, the marriage only intensified Grant’s controlling tendencies. He sought to dominate every aspect of Laura’s life, from whom she could see to where she could go. When Laura became pregnant with their first child, Grant’s resentment grew. Instead of embracing fatherhood, he viewed Laura’s pregnancy as an inconvenience, a distraction from his career and his life of partying and drug use.
In 2008, Laura gave birth to their son, Grant Jr. The birth of her child brought Laura immense joy, but it did little to change Grant’s behavior. He continued to neglect his parental duties, spending more time getting high and pursuing other women than he did caring for his family. His detachment became even more apparent when he accepted a job in the Virgin Islands, leaving Laura and their newborn son behind in North Carolina.
But in the Virgin Islands, Grant’s life took another turn—one that would have disastrous consequences for Laura.
The Affair and the Betrayal
While in the Virgin Islands, Grant met Amanda Perry Tucker, a struggling actress and single mother who had appeared in small roles on shows like The Sopranos and The Stepford Wives. Amanda was wealthy, thanks to a sizeable alimony from her previous marriage, and Grant quickly took advantage of her financial resources. Their relationship developed rapidly, with Grant openly flaunting his affair to humiliate Laura.
Eventually, Laura had enough. She confronted Grant and informed him that she wanted a divorce. But just as she was preparing to leave him, Laura discovered she was pregnant again, this time with their second child. Reluctant to put her children through the trauma of a broken home, Laura decided to give Grant another chance—a decision that would prove to be fatal.
Laura moved with Grant Jr. to the Virgin Islands to be with Grant, but their relationship was already beyond repair. When their second son, Gentle, was born with health issues, the family relocated back to North Carolina to be closer to medical facilities. Grant, however, was furious about the move and blamed Laura for disrupting his life once again. All the while, he maintained his relationship with Amanda, eventually moving to New York to be closer to her and leaving Laura and the children behind.
It was in New York that Grant married Amanda, and together, they launched a scheme to take Laura’s children away from her permanently.
The Custody Battle
In a shocking turn of events, Grant and Amanda filed for emergency custody of Grant Jr. and Gentle, citing Laura’s lack of stable employment and housing. Because Laura and Grant’s marriage had never been legally registered, and there were no formal custody agreements in place, the court granted full custody to Grant—without Laura’s knowledge. When Laura learned what had happened, she was devastated. The man she had once loved had stolen her children away from her, and she had no legal recourse to fight back.
But Laura was a fighter. She returned to court, providing evidence of Grant’s abusive behavior and manipulation. As a result, the court ordered psychiatric evaluations for both parents, and Laura was allowed limited visitation with her children. While Grant and Amanda continued to torment her by limiting her contact with the boys, Laura clung to the hope that she would soon regain full custody.
Unfortunately, she would never get that chance.
The Murder of Laura Ackerson
On July 13, 2011, Laura planned to meet with her business partner, Siobhan Mafs, but she never showed up. Instead, she went to Grant and Amanda’s apartment in Raleigh to visit her children. It was the last time anyone saw her alive.
Five days later, on July 18, Laura was reported missing by her friends and family. Investigators quickly turned their attention to Grant and Amanda, but when they arrived at the couple’s apartment, they found it meticulously cleaned. The overwhelming smell of bleach hung in the air, and several items, including a shower curtain and vacuum cleaner, were missing. Even more chilling, officers found a letter in Laura’s handwriting that appeared to relinquish custody of her children in exchange for $25,000—a move entirely out of character for Laura, who would never abandon her sons.
As investigators delved deeper, they uncovered disturbing surveillance footage showing Grant purchasing items such as a reciprocating saw, bleach, and trash bags in the days following Laura’s disappearance. Amanda was also seen disposing of bottles of acid near her sister’s home in Texas. These pieces of evidence pointed to a grisly conclusion—Laura had been murdered, and her body had been dismembered in a brutal attempt to dispose of the evidence.
The police’s worst fears were confirmed when Laura’s remains were found in Oyster Creek, Texas, near Amanda’s sister’s property. The body was so badly damaged that determining the exact cause of death was difficult, but it was concluded that Laura had likely been strangled or suffered a severe blow to the neck.
The Trial and Convictions
Grant and Amanda were both arrested and charged with Laura’s murder. During their separate trials, each turned on the other, with Grant claiming that Amanda had killed Laura during a heated argument and Amanda insisting that she had only helped dispose of the body under duress. Despite their conflicting stories, the evidence against them was overwhelming, and both were convicted.
In September 2013, Grant Hayes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Amanda Hayes was sentenced to 13 to 16 years for her role in the murder, but an additional trial in Texas for evidence tampering added another 20 years to her sentence.
Aftermath and Legacy
The murder of Laura Ackerson was a senseless act of violence committed by the father of her children and his new wife, both of whom had sought to erase Laura from their lives. Laura’s death left her two young sons, Grant Jr. and Gentle, without a mother. They, along with Amanda’s daughter, Lillian, were placed in the care of Grant’s parents, where they are being raised in a loving and supportive environment—far removed from the chaos of their father’s life.
The Ackerson family’s tragedy underscores the devastating consequences of domestic violence and control. Laura’s story serves as
