Man admits to murdering Georgia woman more than 34 years ago, prosecutors say

A 34-year-old cold case has ended in a life sentence for the killer.

A body later identified as 23-year-old Mary Louicile Willfong was found in the woods of Monroe County by deer hunters on Nov. 21, 1989.

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At the time, investigators got tips that Willfong had been in Forest Park at the farmers market and that she got into a tractor-trailer with a man.

In March 2019, investigators reopened the case with the hope that new technology could generate new leads.

Investigators were able to identify 59-year-old Larry Padgett, of Loogootee, Indiana, as a suspect in Indiana through DNA testing.

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Padgett was arrested in March 2023 and indicted by a Monroe County grand jury in May 2023 on counts of malice murder and felony murder.

This week, Padgett pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.

“Cold cases are some of the hardest cases for our community,” Towaliga District Attorney Jonathan Adams said. “They are hard for the victim’s family to get resolution, they are hard for law enforcement to prove, and they are hard for the prosecutors to convict.”

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