From the Indiana State Police – Putnamville District:
On Friday, May 21, 2021, in the Sullivan County Circuit Court, Danny Wilson Jr. and Renee S. Huffines pleaded guilty for the death of Patricia Dorsett. Dorsett was reported missing by family members in May of 2019, which led to a joint investigation by the Indiana State Police Putnamville Post and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department. Through the course of the investigation, officers discovered Dorsett’s deceased body in a trailer near the back of her property. Both Wilson and Huffines had been staying at Dorsett’s home.
Circuit Court Judge Robert E. Hunley, II, accepted the plea agreements and sentenced Danny Wilson Jr., of Indianapolis, Indiana, to 55 years for the murder of Patricia Dorsett. Renee S. Huffines, of Indianapolis, Indiana, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 20 years. Huffines received a lesser sentence due to her cooperation throughout the investigation.
The victim’s daughters, Bernie Racliff and Jessica Harding, consented to the plea and made statements before the sentencing, addressing the defendants. Both were thankful for the Indiana State Police, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department, and Sullivan County Prosecutor’s Office for their efforts in the investigation and prosecuting the case.
Sullivan County Prosecutor Ann Smith Mischler praised the efforts of law enforcement stating, “This was a joint investigation between Indiana State Police and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department. The evidence was overwhelming and law enforcement officers made sure there were no loopholes which made these airtight cases. Preservation of phone records and social media accounts sealed the fate of these two defendants.”