True Crime Chronicles: Slaying of Sallisaw graduate in 1997 in DeKalb County, Alabama grows colder

The senior class motto at Sallisaw High School in 1995 was "Take it to the Limit!, a fitting sendoff for the ambitious graduates, including one bright young woman among the 131 seniors who dreamed of building a fresh start far from her Oklahoma roots.

Tragically, Tina Michelle Payton's promising future was cut short less than two years later, when she was murdered in her new home in DeKalb County, Alabama.

On November 3, 1997, the 19-year-old's semi-nude body was discovered on the living room floor of the rural farmhouse on County Road 104, between Geraldine and Crossville, where she lived with her fiancé. Payton had relocated from Sallisaw to Crossville just three months earlier, in August 1997, eager to embrace a new chapter in life.

 Her fiancé, Chad Franks, a Cherokee Native American, had joined her less than a month before the slaying, taking a job at a local mobile home factory. Tina, meanwhile, had settled into work at Geraldine Super Value, the neighborhood grocery store.

Franks returned home from his shift at 4:18 p.m. that Monday, only to find Tina lifeless from two gunshot wounds--one to the head and one to the chest--inflicted by a .38- or .357-caliber pistol. Adding to the horror, investigators noted a carved symbol on her lower abdomen: a series of cryptic lines that initially sparked theories of occult involvement but was later dismissed as a deliberate misdirection by the killer.

 The carving appeared postmortem, with no blood flow from the incisions, suggesting it was done after her death to stage the scene for shock value.

 A gunshot wound through her hand was identified as defensive, indicating she may have fought back during the attack.

Tina lay on her back, nude from the waist down, positioned as if on display in the modest home she and Chad had shared for just weeks. An empty condom wrapper lay nearby, though the autopsy confirmed no sexual assault had occurred.

 The doors were locked, with no signs of forced entry or theft—pointing to an intruder known to her, someone who could enter without raising alarm.

 At the time, the county prosecutor described it as a targeted attack: "This was not random, but directed specifically at Tina Payton, probably by someone she knew."

The farmhouse itself held emotional weight. Purchased by Tina's father, Max Payton, in 1994 after his Air Force retirement, the five-acre property was intended as a wedding gift for the couple once they tied the knot—a secret Max kept even from Tina before he relocated for a job at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida.

 She had continued living there alone in the interim, building her independence.Early leads veered into the bizarre. The symbol's resemblance to a Druidic mark fueled cult speculations, but experts worldwide couldn't pinpoint an exact match, leading detectives to conclude it was a red herring designed to derail the probe.

 Ties to Cherokee symbolism were explored due to Chad's heritage, but he was quickly cleared: his alibi held, with coworkers confirming his 6:15 a.m. departure and steady workday. The medical examiner pegged time of death around 9 a.m., ruling out his involvement.

 Other family connections, including an ex-partner of Max's, were scrutinized but yielded no breakthroughs.

Over the years, the case has lingered as unsolved, with investigators in 2001 claiming they were "days away" from an arrest based on a prime suspect—though evidence gaps prevented charges.

 A $5,000 reward remains offered for tips leading to resolution.

 Chad Franks faced an unrelated aggravated stalking arrest in 2017, but its connection to Tina's death, if any, is unclear.

 Max Payton, who tirelessly pursued leads until his passing, long believed the perpetrator was someone close to the family.

 Tina's mother, Sandra, entered hospice care in 2020 without answers, a heartbreaking reminder of the toll on loved ones.Now, nearly three decades on, the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office classifies the Payton case as cold but open to new information.

A spokesperson noted in recent inquiries that tips are forwarded directly to the chief investigator, underscoring their commitment to revisiting leads with fresh eyes or forensic advances.

 For families like the Paytons, closure may feel distant, but public awareness—and a single credible tip—could reignite the path to justice.

If you have information, contact the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office at (256) 845-8515 or Crime Stoppers at (256) 835-8477.

Tina's story deserves an ending.