Woman Vanished Before Being Found in Pond — and Man She Feared Pleads Guilty

A Wisconsin man has pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide in connection with the death of his girlfriend, whose body was discovered in a pond a few days after she disappeared.  

A first-degree intentional homicide charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement with 26-year-old James Barnes-Morris, according to online court records.

Strattan was first reported missing by her father on Oct. 1, 2024, and her body was found in a retention pond two days later, per a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

A witness told police that she saw Strattan and Barnes-Morris walking along a road in Madison the morning of Sept. 29. The following day, the witness alleged Barnes-Morris was alone outside an apartment complex, had scratches all over his body, and seemed to be in “distress.” He was also carrying a pair of “wet white sneakers,” per the complaint.

Barnes-Morris allegedly told her that he had gotten into a fight with 24-year-old Strattan and was “evasive” about her whereabouts.

According to the complaint, Barnes-Morris was picked up by police on Oct. 2 after he was discovered hiding under a pile of clothing in a friend’s apartment. In the unit’s backyard, police found a suitcase with Strattan’s cell phone and several of her credit cards inside. 

The friend told police Strattan and Barnes-Morris got into an argument at a social gathering he had at his apartment a few days earlier. He said he saw the couple again on Sept. 30 walking near his home. Later that day, on Sept. 30, he said Barnes-Morris returned to his home alone.

Barnes-Morris told the friend he and Strattan had gone walking to a marshy area, adding: “I left her there,” according to the complaint.

Another witness at the friend’s gathering told police that Barnes-Morris got upset after several partygoers began flirting with Strattan. “[Witness] reported that he observed [Barnes-Morris] get upset about the flirting, and that [Barnes-Morris] and [Strattan] began verbally arguing. The witness said he offered Strattan a place to stay that night to deescalate the argument and she agreed.

This upset Barnes-Morris, reported the witness, who added that Stratten told him that boyfriend “threatened to kill her” later that night, per the complaint.

At another gathering the next day, Barnes-Morris made “several concerning statements,” the witness said, such as “I had to get rid of her, she knew too much” and “I need another brick and a rope,” per the complaint.

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During the investigation, detectives also found journals belonging to Strattan. “In one entry dated August 18, 2024, [Strattan] wrote about [Barnes-Morris] beating her and nearly killing her on multiple occasions,” the complaint states.

Detectives also discovered a series of text messages between the couple on Sept. 29 indicating he wanted to meet with her that day. In the messages, Strattan indicated she was “afraid about meeting up with him because she was worried he was going to kill her.”

Barnes-Morris has yet to be sentenced.