Who Was Cati Blauvelt & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile

Catherine “Cati” Blauvelt was 22 years old when her life was cut short in October 2016. A young woman from South Carolina who loved animals, valued her friendships and dreamed of starting a family, Cati had married a U.S. Army recruiter whom she believed would offer the stability and companionship she wanted. Within months, the marriage had collapsed amid allegations of domestic violence, threats and her husband’s relationship with a teenage girl.

On Friday, October 9, 2026, ABC’s 20/20 revisits her story in an episode titled “Born to Kill.” The programme examines the murder that shocked Simpsonville, South Carolina, and the investigation that led to the conviction of Cati’s estranged husband, John Tufton Blauvelt.

Cati was found stabbed to death inside an abandoned farmhouse in October 2016. Her husband fled across the United States, adopted a false identity and avoided capture for almost six years. His arrest in Oregon in 2022 led to a murder trial, a guilty verdict and a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

Behind the investigation was the story of a young woman whose family remembers her for far more than the circumstances of her death.

• “Born to Kill”: 20/20 Reports on Cati Blauvelt Homicide October 8 2026
• Who Is John Tufton Blauvelt & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile
• Who Is Hannah Thompson & Where Is She Now? 2026 Update & Profile

Cati Blauvelt’s Early Life and Personality

Catherine Boyter Blauvelt, known to her family and friends as Cati, grew up in South Carolina and lived in the Greenville County area. She was the daughter of Patricia “Patti” Piver and had a close relationship with her family, including her stepsister, Jennifer Piver.

Cati was described as a small woman with a lively personality. Standing approximately five feet one inch tall, she was known for her warmth, humour and ability to make friends. Her mother remembered her as a free spirit who enjoyed meeting people and bringing happiness to those around her.

Friends and relatives described Cati as someone who cared about other people and animals. She enjoyed spending time with friends and wanted to build a future that included a stable relationship, children and a home of her own.

During court proceedings in 2024, her mother described Cati as “sunshine,” a word that captured how she wanted her daughter to be remembered. For the family, the murder took away a young woman whose adult life had only begun.

Her Love of Animals and Dreams for the Future

One of Cati’s strongest interests was her love of animals. At the time of her death, she worked at a PetSmart store in the Greenville area, a job that allowed her to spend time in an environment connected to something she cared about.

Her mother believed the work suited her personality and interests. Cati had an affection for pets and was devoted to her dog, Jupiter. Even after separating from her husband, she maintained some contact with him because Jupiter remained at the house they had shared.

Cati had also considered serving in the military. In the summer of 2015, she enlisted in the U.S. Army after encouragement from John Blauvelt, who was working as a recruiter. Her time in training ended after approximately two months when a medical examination identified a spinal condition that prevented her from continuing. She received a medical discharge.

The setback changed her career plans, but she continued working and thinking about her future. Her family said she wanted children and hoped to create a home with a husband she could trust. Those aspirations influenced her decision to marry Blauvelt, whose military service had initially appeared to represent stability.

How Cati Met John Blauvelt

Cati met John Tufton Blauvelt in 2014 while working at a sandwich shop near his military recruiting office. She was around 20 years old, while Blauvelt was approximately 26. He was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army who had served in Iraq and worked with young people considering military careers.

Blauvelt’s uniform, military experience and position in the community contributed to the impression he made on people around him. He was known to students at local schools, where he represented the Army and spoke about military service.

The couple began dating, and friends recalled that their relationship appeared happy during its early stages. Cati was attracted to the prospect of building a future with someone who seemed established in his career.

Her family, however, had reservations. Patti Piver later told CBS’s 48 Hours that she had never developed a meaningful relationship with Blauvelt. Other relatives felt he showed little interest in becoming part of Cati’s family.

After approximately a year together, Cati surprised her mother by announcing that she and Blauvelt had married at a courthouse. The wedding had taken place without the family celebration her relatives might have expected.

The couple went on a honeymoon, and Cati moved into Blauvelt’s four-bedroom house in Fountain Inn, near Simpsonville. She hoped the property would become the home where they could raise children.

A Marriage That Changed Within Months

Cati’s hopes for married life began to unravel after she moved into Blauvelt’s house. Rather than creating a family home, Blauvelt invited teenagers to spend time at the property. Some were students he knew through his work as a military recruiter.

According to accounts provided by friends and investigators, the house became a gathering place where teenagers drank alcohol and used drugs. Aly Somerville, a friend of Cati who spent time at the property, described marijuana use and the presence of substances including cocaine and LSD.

Cati was unhappy with the atmosphere and wanted the gatherings to end. She had imagined a home where she and her husband could build a family, not a place where teenagers gathered to party.

The disagreements damaged the marriage. Cati became frustrated with Blauvelt’s behaviour and the influence of the young people spending time at the house. One of those teenagers was Hannah Thompson, a 17-year-old from Fountain Inn who developed a relationship with Blauvelt.

Investigators said Thompson disliked Cati and became devoted to Blauvelt. As the marriage deteriorated, the relationship between Blauvelt and Thompson became another source of conflict.

Within three months of the wedding, Cati had moved out of the house. Thompson moved into Blauvelt’s bedroom after Cati’s departure, according to investigators.

The Domestic Violence Allegations Against Her Husband

The breakdown of Cati’s marriage involved more than disagreements about the household. She reported a frightening incident in which Blauvelt had threatened her with a firearm.

In February 2016, police responded to Blauvelt’s home after Thompson’s father raised concerns about his teenage daughter. Officers arrived at the property and attempted to speak with Blauvelt, who refused to come outside. He was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

During the investigation, Cati told police about an incident approximately one month earlier. She alleged that Blauvelt had pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her. Her family said he had also made threats against relatives.

The Fountain Inn Police Department investigated the allegations and charged Blauvelt with domestic violence. A restraining order was issued to prevent contact between the estranged couple.

The allegations had serious consequences for Blauvelt’s Army career. He lost his recruiting duties, received a reduction in pay and was reassigned to an administrative position while the military investigated his conduct.

Cati’s family said Blauvelt blamed her for the disciplinary action. According to witnesses, he believed she had damaged his reputation and threatened his future in the Army.

Cati Leaves the Marriage and Plans to Divorce

After leaving Blauvelt’s house, Cati returned to live with her mother. She began making plans to divorce her husband and move forward with her life.

Her decision came after a short marriage marked by conflict and allegations of violence. Although she had entered the relationship hoping to create a family, she no longer wanted to remain with Blauvelt.

Her mother was concerned about her safety. Patti Piver later recalled fearing that something terrible might happen to her daughter, particularly given the threats Cati had reported.

Despite the restraining order, Cati continued to have some contact with Blauvelt. Her dog Jupiter remained at his house, and her mother explained that Cati sometimes returned to see the animal.

The contact meant Cati remained connected to a man whom witnesses said had expressed anger toward her. Aly Somerville later told investigators that Blauvelt had threatened to kill Cati on multiple occasions and blamed her for the damage to his military career.

Somerville did not believe at the time that he would carry out the threats. Investigators and prosecutors would later regard those statements as evidence of his motive for murder.

The Last Days of Cati Blauvelt’s Life

In October 2016, Cati was working at PetSmart and living apart from her husband. She had plans with friends and continued to maintain relationships with the people who cared about her.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Cati was last seen leaving her workplace at approximately 2:15 p.m. on October 23, 2016. She was expected to meet friends after work but did not arrive.

Her failure to appear concerned her family and friends. Attempts to contact her were unsuccessful, and her family reported her missing. Her mother raised concerns about Blauvelt because of the couple’s history and the threats Cati had described.

The disappearance prompted a search in the Simpsonville area. Friends considered places Cati was known to have visited, including an abandoned farmhouse that had been used as a gathering place by local teenagers.

The property was located in a wooded area and had become a destination for people looking for somewhere secluded to socialise. Cati and Blauvelt had been there before.

Two of Cati’s friends went to the abandoned building to look for her. Their search led them into the basement, where they discovered her body.

How Cati Blauvelt Was Found Murdered

Cati’s body was discovered inside a rectangular concrete box in the basement of the abandoned farmhouse. The property was covered in graffiti and contained rubbish left by previous visitors.

The U.S. Marshals Service records the discovery as October 24, 2016, while detailed accounts from CBS’s 48 Hours place the discovery and police response in the early hours of October 26. Both accounts establish that Cati was found dead within days of her disappearance.

One of the friends who found her called 911 and reported that Cati was unresponsive. Emergency responders and investigators arrived at the farmhouse, where they discovered evidence of a violent attack.

Cati had suffered multiple stab wounds. A knife blade had broken off during the attack and remained lodged in her neck. The injury was documented through medical examination and X-rays.

Investigators believed Cati had been attacked outside the farmhouse, on or near its gravel driveway. They concluded that her body had been dragged into the basement through a window before being placed inside the concrete box.

The secluded location meant the attack could have occurred without attracting the attention of neighbours or passersby. The circumstances of the discovery left Cati’s family facing the reality that she had been murdered in a place connected to people she knew.

What Happened to Cati During the Attack?

The account presented by prosecutors described a fatal stabbing carried out by Cati’s estranged husband. Investigators reconstructed the attack using the crime scene, medical evidence, witness statements and information provided by Hannah Thompson.

Thompson told police that Blauvelt confessed to killing Cati while they were travelling together after the murder. According to Thompson, he described stabbing Cati in the neck and breaking the knife during the attack.

She also told investigators that Blauvelt had described Cati pleading for her life. In Thompson’s account, Cati promised not to call police if he allowed her to leave. The account came from statements Thompson attributed to Blauvelt, rather than from an eyewitness to the attack.

Thompson said Blauvelt described disposing of Cati’s phone in water at the abandoned farmhouse and covering blood with dirt. These details became part of the prosecution’s reconstruction of the crime.

Investigators believed Blauvelt killed Cati because he blamed her for the damage to his military career and resented the consequences of her domestic violence complaint. Prosecutors presented the murder as an act of revenge against a woman who had left the marriage and sought protection from him.

The evidence established that Cati died from a violent stabbing and that her body was concealed in the basement. The precise sequence of her final moments was reconstructed from the available evidence and the confession Thompson said Blauvelt made.

The Search for Justice After Cati’s Death

Following the discovery of Cati’s body, police questioned Blauvelt about the murder. Investigators became suspicious of his reaction when informed that his estranged wife had been found dead.

Detective Keith Morecraft said Blauvelt did not ask expected questions about the circumstances of her death. Instead, he expressed concern about whether police intended to charge him and complained about the effect Cati had supposedly had on his life.

During a subsequent interview on November 2, 2016, Blauvelt denied killing Cati. Investigators continued collecting evidence, but he left South Carolina before they could arrest him.

He fled with Hannah Thompson, who was 17 at the time. The pair travelled across several states toward the Pacific Northwest. On November 18, police obtained warrants charging Blauvelt with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Thompson returned home from Oregon in December 2016 and provided investigators with information about Blauvelt’s alleged confession. However, his location remained unknown.

For almost six years, Cati’s family waited while federal and local authorities searched for the fugitive. Blauvelt adopted the name Ben Klein and established a life in Oregon, where he entered another relationship.

The breakthrough came in 2022 when Thompson admitted she had maintained contact with Blauvelt after returning to South Carolina. Information she provided helped U.S. Marshals identify his location in Medford, Oregon.

On July 20, 2022, officers arrested Blauvelt at a residence in Medford. He initially claimed to be Ben Klein, but fingerprint identification confirmed his identity.

The Trial That Revealed What Happened to Cati

Blauvelt was returned to South Carolina to face trial for Cati’s murder. The proceedings began in September 2024, almost eight years after her death.

Prosecutors presented evidence of the couple’s troubled marriage, Blauvelt’s threats, the domestic violence allegations and the disciplinary action that damaged his Army career. They argued that he killed Cati because he blamed her for losing the military position he valued.

The jury heard testimony from Hannah Thompson, who described the confession she said Blauvelt made during their escape. She acknowledged helping him move Cati’s vehicle after the killing and admitted that she had lied to investigators.

Prosecutors presented the broken knife blade recovered from Cati’s neck and surveillance footage showing movements involving her car. They also introduced a journal recovered after Blauvelt’s arrest that contained the words “I did it.”

The defence challenged Thompson’s credibility, pointing to her changing statements and the criminal charges she faced. Attorneys also argued that no DNA evidence linked Blauvelt to the murder scene and disputed whether the journal passage constituted a confession.

After a four-day trial, jurors deliberated for approximately five hours before finding Blauvelt guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The verdict brought a measure of justice for Cati’s family after years of uncertainty. Blauvelt subsequently appealed his conviction, according to reporting published in February 2026.

What Happened to Hannah Thompson?

Hannah Thompson’s involvement in the case continued to attract scrutiny after Blauvelt’s arrest. She had been a teenager when the murder occurred, but investigators established that she had concealed information about the crime and maintained contact with Blauvelt during his years as a fugitive.

In October 2022, Thompson was arrested and charged with five felony offences, including obstruction of justice, misprision of a felony and accessory after the fact. She initially pleaded not guilty.

Her testimony became a significant part of the prosecution’s case against Blauvelt. Investigators credited her with providing details of his alleged confession and information that helped locate him in Oregon.

On August 20, 2025, Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and one count of misprision of a felony. She received a sentence of three years of probation and avoided prison.

Cati’s mother expressed disappointment with the outcome. Patricia Piver told FOX Carolina that she had requested a harsher sentence because she believed Thompson’s actions had prolonged the family’s suffering and interfered with the search for justice.

Authorities did not believe Thompson was present when Cati was murdered. Her conviction concerned her role in concealing information and obstructing the investigation rather than responsibility for carrying out the killing.

How Cati’s Family Remembers Her

For Cati’s family, the murder and the legal proceedings became a prolonged struggle to obtain answers and accountability. Her mother spent years waiting for Blauvelt to be found and then faced the emotional difficulty of hearing the evidence presented during his trial.

Patricia Piver has spoken about the lasting impact of losing her daughter. She remembered Cati as a caring, funny young woman whose presence brought happiness to the people around her. Her testimony during the murder trial focused on the person Cati had been before the violence.

Cati’s stepsister, Jennifer Piver, also described the effect of the murder on the family. In interviews following the trial, she spoke about her love for Cati and the pain of knowing what had happened to her.

The family’s grief was compounded by the years Blauvelt spent avoiding arrest. His capture and conviction brought legal accountability, but the sentence could not restore the future Cati had hoped to build.

Her mother has continued to speak about preserving Cati’s memory and ensuring that the circumstances of the case do not overshadow her daughter’s life. The family wants her remembered for her personality, friendships and love of animals, rather than only for the crime that ended her life.

Cati Blauvelt’s Story on 20/20 Born to Kill

ABC’s 20/20 returns to the case in “Born to Kill,” airing Friday, October 9, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The episode examines Cati’s marriage, the events preceding her murder, the six-year manhunt for John Blauvelt and the court proceedings that followed his capture.

The programme revisits a case that began with a young woman’s disappearance from South Carolina and developed into a national investigation. It also examines how statements from people close to Blauvelt, including Hannah Thompson, contributed to his eventual conviction.

For viewers, the case presents a detailed account of a marriage that ended in violence and the efforts required to bring a fugitive to trial. It also highlights the importance of understanding Cati’s life before her murder.

Cati was 22 when she died. She had a job she enjoyed, a dog she loved, friendships she valued and plans for a family of her own. Her life was defined by those relationships and aspirations long before her name became associated with a homicide investigation.

Ten years after her death, her story remains one of a young woman whose future was taken from her and a family determined that she would not be forgotten.

More “Born to Kill”

• “Born to Kill”: 20/20 Reports on Cati Blauvelt Homicide October 8 2026
• Who Was Cati Blauvelt & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile
• Who Is John Tufton Blauvelt & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile
• Who Is Hannah Thompson & Where Is She Now? 2026 Update & Profile

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