Adrianne Leigh Reynolds

Who was Adrianne Reynolds and how she met Sarah Kolb

Adrianne Leigh Reynolds was born on September 12, 1988 in Kilgore, Texas to a teen mom who was called Carolyn. She described her daughter as shy and quiet but when Adrianne knew someone, she came out of her shell and showed her true bubbly self. Carolyn also said that Adrianne loved the sound of her own voice and she was either always talking or singing. Adrianne had an incredible singing voice and she would always sing at family gatherings, something her relatives miss dearly.

At the age of 12, Adrianne suffered from a burst appendix and as a result of this, she fell behind academically and she found it difficult to catch up. Adrianne started hanging around with people who would lead her astray and she fell further behind, causing an issue between herself and her mom. She was always in fights, staying out late and smoking weed. Adrianne had also been to rehab before she was sent to live with her dad.

In November 2004, Carolyn made the decision to send Adrianne to live with her adoptive dad and his wife, Tony and Joann Reynolds. Tony had been married to Beverly, Adrianne’s maternal grandmother, and when Adrianne was a child and Carolyn found it hard, Beverly and Tony adopted Adrianne. However, Beverly and Tony had divorced and Tony remarried Joann. Despite this, he was still her adopted father/grandfather and the couple happily took Adrianne in, hoping she would study hard and get her GED.

Adrianne enrolled at Black Hawk College Outreach Center, hoping to graduate to pursue her dream of joining the Marines. It was here that 16-year-old Adrianne Reynolds met classmates Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory (who now identifies as a female and is known as Harli Quinn).

Sarah Kolb and Harli were best friends, and while Harli was in love with Sarah, she didn’t feel the same way, and she had a boyfriend. But she didn’t want anyone else to have Harli. When Sarah saw Adrianne, she liked her, and this is how their friendship began. As the threesome spent more and more time together, Adrianne developed an interest in Harli and sent her a note, asking her out. Harli showed this note to Sarah, who was furious.

Sarah Kolb stopped speaking to Adrianne, and their friendship ended. Adrianne kept trying to make it up to Sarah, but she wasn’t willing to listen to Adrianne. Instead, she began plotting a way to get her revenge.

Victim Was Found Dead/Start of The Crime

When Adrianne didn’t show up for her shift at Moline fast-food restaurant, Checkers Tony and Joann reported her missing. Police had no leads until they received a tip from a public member who said they’d seen Adrianne in a Taco Bell car park with two friends.

Investigators questioned both Sarah Kolb and Harli as they were known associates of Adrianne but they both told similar stories without admitting to the murder. A couple of days later, Harli’s dad talked to Harli about the murder, and Harli became hysterical.

The next day, Harli’s parents took her to the police station, where she confessed to playing a part in Adrianne’s gruesome death and led police to her remains.

The Crime Description

On January 21, 2005, Sarah Kolb invited Adrianne to have lunch with her, Harli, and another friend called Sean McKitrick at a Taco Bell. On the car ride there, Sarah and Adrianne began fighting. It started off verbally, but by the time they reached the Taco Bell car park, it turned physical. Sean told Sarah to stop, but she told him to leave if he didn’t like it. He left shortly after and left Sarah and Harli alone with Adrianne.

Sarah Kolb and Adrianne were throwing punches at each other. Harli jumped in and helped Sarah, holding Adrianne down. Sarah carried around a wooden implement for “protection” and she used this to beat Adrianne while she was restrained. When Adrianne stopped fighting back, Sarah removed her belt and strangled Adrianne to death in the back seat of the car.

After Sarah had strangled Adrianne, Sarah and Harli drove to Sarah’s grandparent’s farm in Aledo, Illinois. The pair tried to burn Adrianne’s body, hoping to get rid of the evidence. But they soon realised that burning a body would be harder than they originally thought so they came up with a new plan.

The next day, Sarah and Harli recruited a friend of theirs named Nathan Gaudet. He was 16 and he had an obsession with blood, gore, and animal cruelty. He met the pair at the farm, equipped with a hacksaw. Sarah wanted Harli to help Nathan dismember the body, but he refused.

Nathan began dismembering Adrianne, separating her arms, legs and head from her body. They placed her in garbage bags and her body and legs were hidden in a ravine close to the farm. The three loaded the other garbage bags into the car and ate lunch at Mcdonald’s before disposing of her head and arms at Black Hawk Historic Site.

Suspect or Convicted Killer Details

Sarah Anne Kolb was born on April 23, 1988, and she grew up in Milan, Illinois. At the time of the murder, she was living with her mom and stepfather. Sarah was a popular girl at the school and people have described her as a born leader.

Cory Gregory was born on November 2, 1987. Cory lived with his mom, and he originally attended Moline High School but transferred to the Black Hawk College Outreach Center, which is where he met Sarah and, ultimately, Adrianne. In 2022, Cory explained that she now identified as a woman and goes by the name Harli Quinn which is why there are two names for her.

Both Sarah and Harli were part of a subculture known as “Juggalos.” They were fans of the hip-hop group “Insane Clown Posse,” and this defined who they were. Juggalos are described as “goth clowns,” and both Sarah and Harli were committed to this culture, dressing and acting as they believed they should. Adrianne was also a Juggalo, and it was through this shared interest that she became friends with Sarah and Harli when she joined Black Hawk College.

Sarah and Harli were best friends, but Harli was open about the fact that she was in love with Sarah. Sarah knew this and took advantage of it, playing with Harli’s feelings, even though Sarah had a boyfriend at the time.

Sarah Kolb later admitted that the reason she murdered Adrianne was that she found out that Adrianne had asked Harli out on a date, and she didn’t want another girl stealing Harli away from her.

Investigation Details

When Adrianne’s family reported her missing, the police spent hours searching for her. Their first thought was that she had run away from home, but this theory was soon dismissed when they discovered that Adrianne hadn’t taken anything personal with her. She hadn’t even picked up her weekly paycheck from Checkers, something she’d need if she’d ran away. Her family placed fliers around the town, hoping that someone had seen her, but the police didn’t get any leads.

That was until someone called in with an anonymous tip, claiming they’d seen Adrianne on the day she disappeared in a Taco Bell car park. This tip also said that she was with two of her friends, and it didn’t take police long to figure out that Adrianne mostly hung around with Sarah Kolb and Harli Quinn.

The teens were arrested and brought in for questioning. They both told similar stories but not identical. Police released them, and when Harli got home, her dad started questioning her about Adrianne. As the questions became more and more personal, Harli became hysterical and told her dad the truth. The next day, Harli’s dad took her to the police station to confess.

Harli led police to Adrianne’s remains, first at Sarah’s grandparent’s farm and then to Black Hawk Historical Site. This was enough to arrest Sarah Kolb and Harli in connection with Adrianne’s murder but neither one had mentioned Nathan Gaudet.

His grandmother actually came forward after she discovered a bloody hacksaw in her basement. When police asked Harli if she knew Nathan, that’s when she confessed that he was involved too.

On February 1, 2005, all three teenagers were arrested.

Trial

Sarah Kolb was the first one to go to trial and hers began on October 31, 2005 at Rock Island County Courthouse. She pled not guilty and after over two weeks of deliberation, the jury were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. This resulted in a mistrial and Sarah had a new trial which began February 6, 2006 in Dixon, Illinois. At this trial, Sarah was convicted.

Harli pleaded guilty to all charges against her so she didn’t have a trial.

Nathan was charged with concealment for helping to dismember Adrianne and he pled guilty.

Verdict

Sarah was sentenced to 48 years for first-degree-murder and 5 years for concealment of a homicide. Both are to be served consecutively, meaning Sarah is in prison for 53 years.

On July 10, 2006, Harli was sentenced to 40 years for first-degree-murder and 5 years for concealment, resulting in 45 years in total.

Nathan was given a juvenile sentence of 5 years and he was released on November 11, 2008. He died in an automobile crash on April 16, 2012 in Indiana.

Many people, including Adrianne’s family, weren’t happy with the original sentences handed to the teens. They believe a life sentence would provide Adrianne with some justice and that a 50-year sentence isn’t long enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sarah Kolb now?

Sarah Kolb is currently serving her sentence at Logan Correctional Center.

Why does Cory Gregory have a different name now?

In 2022, it came out that Cory now identified as a woman and wanted to be recognized as such. She chose the name Harli Quinn and this is the name she now goes by.