Adrianne Leigh Reynolds was born in Kilgore, Texas, and spent most of her early years in that state before moving to East Moline, Illinois, at age 16 to live with her grandparents, Tony and Joann Reynolds. A bright and ambitious teenager, Adrianne hoped to earn her GED through the Black Hawk College Outreach Center in order to fulfill her dream of joining the United States Marine Corps.

Described by family and friends as outgoing and kind, Adrianne quickly adjusted to her new environment in Illinois. She began working at a local Checkers restaurant and was known to be friendly and eager to make new connections. During her short time at the Outreach Center, she became acquainted with two fellow students — Sarah Anne Kolb and Cory Gregory — whose friendship would ultimately lead to tragedy.

Sarah Kolb, from Milan, Illinois, was considered one of the more popular students at the Outreach Center. Raised by her mother and stepfather, she was known for her confidence and assertive personality, but classmates also described her as controlling and prone to jealousy.

Cory Gregory, also from the Quad Cities area, had transferred from Moline High School to the Outreach Center, where he befriended Sarah. The two shared a close and sometimes volatile relationship, shifting between friendship and romance.

When Adrianne arrived at the school, she bonded with both Sarah and Cory, but tensions arose quickly. In January 2005, Adrianne reportedly showed romantic interest in Cory, which allegedly triggered Sarah’s jealousy. Witnesses later described Sarah’s behavior as increasingly hostile toward Adrianne in the weeks leading up to the murder.

On January 21, 2005, Sarah Kolb invited Adrianne Reynolds to lunch at a Taco Bell in East Moline, accompanied by Cory Gregory and another friend, Sean McKitrick. Once there, Sarah and Adrianne began arguing. When McKitrick tried to intervene, Sarah told him to leave — and he did.

Moments later, in the parking lot, Sarah attacked Adrianne, reportedly strangling her. Cory Gregory joined in, using a belt to finish the strangulation. After the killing, the pair placed Adrianne’s body in a car and drove to Sarah’s grandparents’ farm in Aledo, Illinois. There, they attempted to burn the body with gasoline, but after several hours, the remains failed to incinerate.

Seeking to conceal the evidence, Sarah and Cory contacted Nathan Gaudet, a 16‑year‑old acquaintance from Moline. Gaudet brought a handsaw belonging to his grandfather and helped dismember the body, removing the head and arms and placing them in a garbage bag. The three then reportedly ate lunch at McDonald’s before disposing of the remains. The main portion of the body was left on the farm, while the bag containing the severed parts was dumped at the Black Hawk State Historic Site.

When Adrianne failed to appear for her shift at Checkers later that day, her family reported her missing. Police launched an investigation, and Cory Gregory eventually led authorities to the remains on January 26, 2005, five days after the murder.

Both Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory were arrested and charged on February 1, 2005, with two counts of first‑degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicide. They both pleaded not guilty.

Sarah’s first trial began on October 31, 2005, in Rock Island County Court, but after two weeks of testimony and 15 hours of deliberation, the jury was deadlocked — 11 voted for conviction, one for acquittal — resulting in a mistrial.

At her retrial on February 6, 2006, in Dixon, Illinois, Sarah Kolb was found guilty on all counts. She was sentenced to 48 years for murder and 5 years for concealment of a homicide, to be served consecutively — a total of 53 years in prison. She remains incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center.

Cory Gregory, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to the same charges and, on July 10, 2006, was sentenced to 40 years for murder and 5 years for concealment, to be served consecutively — a total of 45 years. He is currently imprisoned at Pontiac Correctional Center.

Nathan Gaudet, who assisted in dismembering Adrianne’s body, was charged with concealment of a homicide as a juvenile. He pleaded guilty and received a five‑year sentence, serving nearly four years before his release in 2008. He died in a car accident in Indiana on April 16, 2012.