True Crime with Kimbyr - She Disappeared-Days Later Police Find A Burn Barrel - The Chilling Murder of Autumn Strickland: Part 1

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

In this gripping episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha unravels the tragic and mysterious disappearance of 38-year-old Autumn Strickland. What began as a missing person case in Florence, Alabama, quickly spiralled into a chilling tale of murder, fire, and deception. Human remains found smoldering in a backyard burn barrel stunned the community. Through court records and media reports, True Crime with Kimbyr explores Autumn’s vibrant life, heart-breaking loss of her son, and the harrowing investigation that followed. What really happened the night she vanished—and who tried to burn the truth? Don’t miss this unforgettable story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a quiet May evening in Florence, Alabama, 38-year-old Autumn Strickland vanished without a trace. And days later, a grisly discovery would shock the entire community. Human remains found smoldering in a backyard burn barrel. Those remains are believed to be autumn's. What began as a missing person's case soon unraveled into a disturbing tale of a stranger murder, involving a car chase, a deadly impact,

and an attempted cover-up by fire. The following is a detailed of this case from Autumn's disappearance to the arrest of her suspected killer. And everything in this video is alleged at this point. And I pieced it together through police reports, court documents, and media coverage. But it's important to talk about. Autumn Paige Strickland was born October 7th of 1986 in Florida to Paul Herbert Mac Jr. And Lisa Franks Mac.

She was originally from South Florida where her love for the outdoors truly began. She loved boating, fishing, and definitely had the type of personality that would leave an impression on everyone's she met. Autumn eventually obtained her bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of Alabama where she split her time. Alabama is also where she ended up marrying Jeffrey Strickland when she was 20, and Jeffrey was 22. They were married on January 2nd of 2007, and that's also the year that Autumn became a property manager at Graceland apartment complex in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she was managing over 200 units, and that was another one of her passions, real estate and flipping houses, something her mother Lisa was also involved in.

But Autumn was into everything. She was also a personal training director, selling personal training contracts for Northridge Fitness in Alabama in 2011. But in 2012, she added mother to her accomplishments. Autumn and Jeff welcomed their baby boy, Lane Michael Strickland, into the world on July 22nd of 2012.

Autumn was known as a loving and wonderful mother, showing her son off all the time and cute photos on Instagram, where she went by Autumn Page official. Now, things might not have worked out between her and Lane's father, but Autumn didn't let that slow her down. She was a very ambitious woman, and her pictures on Instagram show a mother who absolutely loved and adored being a mother.

Pictures of her and Lane on the beach together, laying at the helm of a boat with a backwards cap on, just like his mommy would wear. Posing together at the pumpkin patch on a camel's back, you name it. They did it together. Autumn would caption the photos with things like, there is never a night that goes by that I don't thank God for the love of my life. She would say, how lucky am I? You could tell she loved that little boy so much. But in mid-April of 2017, she got the most tragic news.

Four-year-old Lane was rushed to the emergency room, and the prognosis wasn't good. It was a parent's worst nightmare. Lane had a very bad infection in his brain as well as brain hemorrhaging, and doctors informed. his parents, Autumn and Jeff, that he had a rare form of cancer, that I myself am probably going to pronounce incorrectly, but I'm going to do my best. Rabdamya sarcoma, which affects less than 350 people per year.

They were, of course, completely devastated by this news. And on top of that, their insurance was fighting them on every medication that this little boy needed, one that cost them over $550 a week out of pocket. Now, this came out of nowhere. They had no idea what to expect for their only child, and I can't even imagine how devastating that would be. Our children are so special to us. Can you imagine as a parent?

And knowing this happens frightens me as a parent because he looked healthy. He looked like everything was fine. He was only four years old. No child should ever have to go through this, and no parent should ever have to go through this either. Now, a GoFundMe was set up, and all of Autumn's friends rallied around Lane and her for support. Autumn also showed off a tattoo of Lane's name that she got on top of her shoulder. And soon he was undergoing cancer treatments, chemo, and radiation. All the updates were posted to their GoFundMe, along with pictures of sweet little Lane.

One update from Autumn's friend Nico, who organized this entire fundraiser on Autumn's behalf said, If you know Lane, you know he is the sweetest, most outgoing little boy on the planet. His smile will light up the room. It broke my heart visiting him. at Joe DiMaggio's Children's Hospital, covered from head to toe in bruises, still smiling. I love this little boy with every bit of my heart. Please, please help take some of the burden off of his parents.

They are both at the hospital and not working to be by his side. It could be weeks, even months, before they can leave the hospital. Thank you so much for any help you can give. Nico also said, I will be updating everyone on his condition as he's currently in surgery. His parents are so grateful for any help and asked to please not be contacted at this time. They are focusing on Lane's health and dealing with all of the doctors and will be in touch soon. As you can probably expect in a situation like this, the donations were pouring in.

They raised $27,000 of the $60,000 goal. Autumn posted a picture of Lane, and he had no hair and was wearing a medical mask, and he was among her friends. She said, they say that superheroes don't exist, but in my crew, they're alive and well. Everyone was rooting for Lane. The weeks went by and then a month, and Autumn kept updating on her Instagram. She posted a picture with her and Lane, and it said, we fight every day. And some days it's harder than I ever let anyone know, but I checked myself, because I know, without him, there will not remain a me. I personally feel that so deeply, and the hashtags almost brought me to tears. She hashtag, God, I beg you, mom,

won't live without you, ride or die. And on July 18th, Autumn posted again on Instagram, she said, quote, Dear God, please, please let the love of my life beat this shit. He's the sweetest, kindest, and most considerate, smart and hilarious little boy in the world. And without him in this world, everyone loses. He literally makes everyone want to be better in some way, sweeter, more patient, kinder, happier, more grateful, or just a better person. He's the madden. He's the mad. that we hardly ever get the joy to see in this life. I beg you, day and night, but please, please don't take him. That to me is gut-wrenching.

Autumn, like so many parents, was powerless just standing beside and watching her child deteriorate, going through treatment after treatment hoping that something would change, and that something would miraculously work. But then, tragically, one day before his fifth birthday, Lane passed away. on July 22nd of 2017. It's almost unfathomable to even think that someone so young and innocent could be taken like that. And Nico updated everyone a couple days later

on the GoFundMe page saying, two and a half months after being diagnosed with brain cancer, the sweetest boy in the world gained his angel wings. The cancer was just too strong for Lane's little body. As you can imagine, everyone is heartbroken. Please keep his family in your prayers. And remember what an amazing little boy

he was. He touched the lives of so many people and on Sunday he would have been five. Thank you for everyone's prayers, kind words, and donations. Until we meet again, Little Warrior, end quote. I don't know how a person goes on after a loss like that one, but somehow Autumn did. It wasn't until over a month later that she began posting again. And some people might look at that and think, aren't you grieving? But some people grieve in that way. By getting out there, doing things with friends, having a support system and trying to have some normalcy in their lives again. Nothing could bring back her son. She had to move forward.

And by November, she posted a picture collage of her and Lane saying, quote, there is not one minute of the day where I do not miss every freaking ounce of you or stop missing my best friend and the love of my life. I miss you so much, Ninja. I hate being in this life without you. You will always be the best thing that ever happened to me. me, and I'm so grateful that I somehow got to be your mama. But I'm also so angry that someone could take my whole world away from me,

and the best thing that ever happened to this world. You were the magic, the kindest, sweetest, funniest, happiest, most thoughtful little boy in the world. And the world just feels so wrong without you. I carry you with me every second, every minute, or every day. I will never stop praying to be back with you one day, and never stop loving you with every ounce of my soul. I love you to the moon and back and the whole wide world." And of course, among Autumn's pictures like that, there were also pictures of her with friends

going boating, doing what she loved, fishing, smiling, and trying to put the past behind her. But you know that was impossible to do. It really goes to show you, you can't possibly know someone from what's put on social media. I think we all know that by now. And later in February of 2018, Autumn posted a picture of Lane again, and she said, quote, I can't do this, Ninja. I need you back. Without you, there is no me. I would give anything in this world. To have five more minutes with you, you will always be the best thing that ever happened to me. And one day, I'm going to hold you in my arms again and literally never let go. I love you to the moon and back in the whole wide world." End quote. Autumn would continue to post these kind of pictures and collages and memories of her son.

every so often, probably because it's so hard not to think about her baby boy. Through all of this, Autumn was still moving forward. She was a branch operations manager for Regions Financial in 2013, and then she was back in West Palm Beach, working for CBS 12 News, and she did that for 11 years. Her LinkedIn said she was an experience marketing executive specializing in broadcast television, 77 digital marketing products, Google Analytics, avatorial content, commercial production, and in-house, job recruitment, marketing, and social media marketing. She said, I can be your company's one-stop shop and simplify your marketing efforts completely. I pride myself on thinking outside the box

and coming up with unique ways to brand your business and get you the leads you desire. She said she was a strong sales professional with a bachelor's degree focused in advertising from the University of Alabama, and she would love to help your business grow. She was also helping her own business grow at the time. She created her own clothing line in 2018 called Loving Lane. And that was in honor of her son. She started using her advertising and marketing skills to market her clothing on Instagram and beyond. And eventually she met Jason Landsman and in 2003, Autumn welcomed a baby girl into the world. Now usually I would withhold her name for privacy reasons, but it is already out there and we'll be talking about that a little later. But her name is Aspen Olivia and wow. She's

is a beautiful baby. You know, sometimes you just see a baby and you say, oh my gosh, the baby looks like they could be on the cover of a magazine or a Gerber baby like we used to say in the 80s and 90s, you just look at her and she's got her mama's big blue eyes and she looks a lot like Lane as well. And she became Autumn's world. I'm sure you can imagine after losing her son. You can tell how much joy this little girl brought to Autumn's world. She would show her off on Instagram, tickling her in videos and posting all kinds of of cute milestones on Facebook and social media, even calling her a baby model and captioning one of the photos

with, I have been so blessed to not have one, but two loves of my life. She is everything. And Autumn even used the hashtags Gerber Baby, my best friend, love of my life, and cutest baby ever. And I have to agree, one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. So things were actually looking really great for Autumn at this point. She was living in Alabama and she was flipping houses and also a property manager and landlord,

splitting her time between DeCanter and Florence, Alabama. Wherever she went, Autumn was able to make friends, and they described her as happy, bubbly, and loyal. You could call her and count on her anytime. She was always fun and a great friend and very easy to get along with. But with everything I'm telling you that's positive, you know that you're listening to a story that doesn't end well. And by 2025, 38-year-old Autumn was living in Florence, Alabama,

and was renting out a house there, the past two years. Her neighbors knew her very well. They would remember her walking around the neighborhood with a backwards hat on and a smile on her face everywhere she went. Those that knew Autumn said that she would befriend anyone, and within five minutes of meeting her, she would do anything for you. But one night changed everything. It was May 16th, 2025. Autumn was visiting downtown Florence with friends, and she checked into the Strickland Hotel Friday evening. Now, it's very similar to her last name. Her last name is Strickland, and this hotel was the Strick Lynn. And after checking in, she was seen at a hotel bar called the Boiler Room, where she was having

some drinks. Now, this is a popular area for the University of North Alabama college students. Lots of bars and restaurants, fun places to hang out, walking distance from the school's campus. Now Autumn and a group of others left the bar around 1.50 a.m. Now into May 17th, walking to their cars, parked on Northwood Avenue close to the hotel. But then Autumn disappeared. Her friends and family lost contact with her after that night. But they knew she would never leave her baby alone, who was waiting for her with her mother.

Of course, concern grew quickly. When they couldn't get in touch with her, they started asking friends and even posting on Facebook with information about where they knew she had been last in her description. She was Caucasian with green eyes, blondish brown hair, 5'4, and 110 pounds. And by the early morning on Sunday, May 18th,

when there was still no word from Autumn, she was officially reported missing to the Florence Police Department. Authorities classified her as a missing endangered person, noting in their alerts that she may be living with a condition that may impair her judgment. This suggested that Autumn had a medical or a mental condition that made her especially vulnerable, a detail that added a lot of urgency

to the search. Family, friends, and the police began scouring the area for clues, circulating her description and her last known whereabouts. The community hoped for the best, but as the days passed with no word from autumn, fears of foul play began to mount. There were posts stating, we need your help in locating Autumn-Page Strickland. She's 38 years old and at this time we believe she's endangered. She was last seen leaving the area of the Strickland Hotel on Court Street around 150 a.m. on May 17th of 2025. She was last seen wearing a black tank top, jean shorts, and flip-flops as she left the boutique hotel's

vicinity, presumably heading home or to her car. Because they know, knew where she had been, the police started pulling security camera footage that showed autumn just before 2 a.m. on May 17th, walking with some acquaintances near the Strickland Hotel on North Court Street. They saw her wearing that black tank top and jean shorts. The same outfit she had posted in a selfie to social media just hours before this. In the days immediately following her disappearance, Florence police detectives worked around the clock, trying to piece together her last movements, tips from the public and of course diligent police work, provided the first breakthrough.

Investigators obtained surveillance videos from a local business along the route that Autumn took that last night leaving the hotel. And what they found on those tapes would break the case wide open and reveal a night of absolute horror. One business's security camera footage captured a terrifying scene in that early morning darkness of May 17th, after Autumn was seen walking away from the hotel.

According to Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly, the video shows Autumn, running across Northwood Avenue with her phone in hand, while the headlights of a car appeared close behind her, like it was pursuing her. And moments later, that vehicle, which was identified as Autumn's very own green 2012 Kia Soul, was seen on that footage, striking her and knocking her to the ground.

The driver then circles back and hits Autumn a second time, this time, seemingly ensuring that she had been fatally injured. They called it a shocking, double impact that didn't appear to be an accident at all. And there was Autumn, lying lifeless in the middle of a parking lot. As detectives canvassed the area, they also discovered Autumn's cell phone, lying on the ground at the Northwood Avenue scene where the video showed she was run down. Now finding her cell phone at that spot about a mile and a half away from the hotel where she had been last seen,

that was a grim reminder that something violent had happened there. But of course, Autumn was still missing. Now that they had the surveillance footage and the physical evidence, police were certain they were dealing with a murder, an intentional pedestrian strike. But it seemed to be more than that. The fact that this person was driving Autumn's car made it seem as though there was a motive behind this.

The evidence also gave them a suspect and a vehicle to track down. They could see a man with dark hair driving Autumn's Kia Soul. And it wasn't long before the car was found without Autumn inside, abandoned on Helton Drive, about a might, and a half away from where she had been hit. And by Tuesday, May 20th, investigators had gathered enough evidence to identify and locate a potential suspect. When they reviewed more of that surveillance video,

they were shocked to see another vehicle pull up to Autumn's body 30 minutes after she'd been left in that parking lot on Northwood Avenue. This time, it was a white pickup truck. It stopped right next to Autumn's body. Someone got out in the darkness, and they picked her up and loaded her inside that truck and drove off. It is unbelievable.

But the person matched the description of a man who hit Autumn with her car. Police were able to determine that that man driving the truck was 28-year-old Logan Michael Rogers, a Florence resident. He was six feet tall and 215 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Knowing that time was of the essence, early that Tuesday morning, Florence police officers moved quickly and they obtained an arrest warrant, and they descended upon his home at 2238 Wood Avenue,

a mere six-minute drive from the Strickland Hotel. The pickup truck seen on camera was still parked in front of that house. Logan Rogers was arrested and taken into custody, but since Autumn was still missing, Logan was initially charged with attempted murder pending further investigation. They had no idea whether Autumn was dead or alive at this point, but the way in which she had been struck, they knew it was likely that she had died very quickly,

quickly after being run over.