Emerson Valley resident Amanda Hollister was arrested Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of murder. She is currently the prime suspect in the murder of her husband William Hollister, a bank security guard who had gone missing for almost a month. On May 24, Mr. Hollister was found dead in his pickup truck parked near the trail entrance to Blackwood Forest. He had a taken a gunshot wound to the chest, which the coroner said killed him instantly.

The Emerson Valley Sheriff’s Department has been investigating the matter for two weeks. Early Tuesday morning, Sheriff Victor Grayson got a warrant for the arrest of Mrs. Hollister based on the discovery of a firearm in her possession that matched the gun used to kill Mr. Hollister. Although she has not confessed to the murder, Mrs. Hollister made some curious statements to the press as she was led away from her home in handcuffs.

“He wasn’t my husband,” she insisted. “Something happened to him in those woods. My husband died out there. I don’t know who came back, but it wasn’t him.”

She did not elaborate on her statement, but it appears that she believed her husband was actually something else entirely. The police have not released all the details of the evidence gathered against her, but Sheriff Grayson is confident that they’ve provided the district attorney’s office with a very a strong case.

“Mrs. Hollister is a clever woman,” Sheriff Grayson said. “It’s a classic case of someone trying to build credibility for an insanity plea. We won’t fall for an act like that. As far as I’m concerned, she’s guilty. That’s what the evidence leads me to believe.”

Curiously, Mrs. Hollister wasn’t the only person to express the idea that Mr. Hollister wasn’t quite himself. Carl Patton, his supervisor at the First Emerson Valley Bank, also felt that there was something off about the victim’s behavior since he was found wandering alone in Blackwood Forest with no memory of the month he was missing.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but he was different,” Mr. Patton said. “Kind of like he was too calm. It could get eerie. We had a scare where we thought someone had left a bomb in the lobby of the bank. Bill just…didn’t seem to care. When we evacuated the building, he wanted to keep standing at his post. I had to practically drag him out of there.”

Mr. Hollister’s friends had a similar experience. He had been an avid bowler, and was on a team in the local weekend bowling league. His friend and teammate, Henry Thomas, had spent the last six years bowling with the victims every weekend during the season.

“Bowling with Bill was a blast,” Mr. Thomas told the Gazette. “He was always cracking jokes and doing little dances when he’d bowl a good frame. But after he went missing and came back, things were different. I know he lost his memories of a whole month, but he remembered everything else from his life. He became pretty boring. If we pushed him hard enough, he might do a lazy version of his celebration dances, but otherwise he just took his turn, sat down, and waited to go again. I’m still going to miss the guy. You could always depend on him when you needed help with anything.”

Mrs. Hollister is set to appear before a judge later today for her bail hearing. Emerson Valley Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Defoe is seeking to deny her bail on the grounds that she is a flight risk. According to the DA’s office, Mrs. Hollister was already planning to flee when she was arrested. A plane ticket to San Francisco was found in her email account for next Wednesday. If bail is denied, it will be the first time in almost twenty years that a resident of Emerson Valley is denied bail.

Whatever happened with Mr. Hollister in the forest, he certainly didn’t deserve to die. The seemingly docile nature he displayed upon his return was not sufficient grounds for anyone to fear him enough to kill him in self-defense. Mrs. Hollister did not claim he was threatening or abusive in any way. For more information, contact the emersonvalleygazette@gmail.com.

Sarah Donovan, Editor & Local News, Emerson Valley Gazette

UPDATE (5/13/2022): Mrs. Hollister’s bail was set at $500,000. She was able to post bail and return home until her trial in August.

UPDATE (6/19/2022): Mrs. Hollister has reportedly gone missing. Authorities believe she has fled to the west coast as she originally planned to do before her arrest.