A former U.S. Coast Guard service member who later became an OnlyFans model has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a chilling case involving the execution-style killing of a man she accused of rape.
Chelsea Perkins, now facing a possible decades-long prison sentence, admitted to luring Matthew Dunmire, 31, into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio before shooting him in the back of the head.
What Happened?
In March 2021, hikers discovered Dunmire’s lifeless body in the Terra Vista Natural Study Area of the park near Cleveland. He had suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of his head. Nearby, an Aquafina water bottle—which later tested positive for Perkins’ DNA—was found beside him.
Investigators traced Dunmire’s last known movements back to March 6. That evening, he told friends and coworkers he was meeting a woman visiting town. He was seen getting into a white car, later confirmed to be registered to Perkins’ husband.
A Trail of Evidence
After meeting, the pair spent the night at an Airbnb that Perkins had booked with her credit card. The next morning, they drove to the national park. Witnesses there reported hearing a gunshot between 11:30 a.m. and 11:50 a.m., and later saw Perkins—lost and oddly dressed in knee-high boots instead of hiking gear.
Following the killing, Perkins traveled to Michigan for a tattoo appointment, sending a Facebook message to her artist saying she’d be “making a stop first.”
Investigators Close In
The FBI located the white car parked outside her Virginia home weeks later. Forensic evidence, including her DNA on the bottle and the victim’s body, and digital footprints tied her to the murder.
Despite Perkins’ claims of rape by Dunmire, police in Virginia Beach determined there was not enough evidence to pursue those charges. She was ultimately arrested and charged.
Perkins had reinvented herself online as an OnlyFans model under the alias “Sabrina Savage” after leaving the Coast Guard.
Tragedy Deepens: Victim’s Parents Seek Revenge
The story took a darker turn in November 2021 when Dunmire’s grieving parents tried to take justice into their own hands.
Believing Perkins had evaded arrest, Tommie Lynn Dunmire and John Nelson McQuillen traveled to Washington, D.C. to murder her. Disguised as a UPS driver, Tommie knocked on an apartment door and shot a woman twice in the abdomen—the wrong woman.
The victim survived, but Tommie Dunmire later died by suicide as law enforcement closed in. McQuillen was arrested, later pleading guilty to accessory after the fact and sentenced to three years in prison.
Victim Remembered
Matthew Dunmire’s obituary described him as a “free spirit who loved music, playing guitar, and being with his friends.” His tragic death has left a permanent mark on all those who knew him.
