On August 30, 2015, eighteen-year-old Jolee Callan agreed to go on a hike with her ex-boyfriend, Loren Bunner, at Cheaha State Park in Alabama.
Cheaha, known for its rugged cliffs and breathtaking mountain views, was one of Jolee’s favorite places. She loved nature, adventure, and taking photos of the beautiful world around her. But that morning, before she left home, Jolee had a strange feeling — one she couldn’t quite explain. She texted a friend to say where she was going and added a joking line that would later seem tragically prophetic:
“If anything happens to me, you know who I was with.”
A Troubled Relationship
Jolee and Loren had dated for several months before breaking up earlier that year. Friends said that after the breakup, Jolee wanted to stay friends, but Loren had a hard time letting go. He constantly reached out, trying to convince her to take him back.
Despite her friends’ warnings, Jolee agreed to meet him that day. Loren told her he just wanted to go hiking and talk — one last day together as friends.
The Final Photo
At some point during the hike, they reached one of the park’s most scenic cliffs. Loren took out his phone and snapped a picture of Jolee.
In the image — the last known photograph of her alive — Jolee stands on the edge of the cliff, smiling peacefully at the vast landscape stretching behind her. There is no sign of fear, only calm and trust.
Loren uploaded the photo to Instagram, captioning it casually. Moments later, he pulled out a .22-caliber Ruger pistol.
The Murder
Standing behind her, Loren shot Jolee once in the back of the head, and again between the eyes. He then pushed her body roughly 40 feet down the cliff.
When investigators later found her, they would describe the scene as silent and haunting — the serenity of the mountains broken only by the cruelty of what had happened there.
The Confession
A few hours later, Loren drove home. Instead of running or hiding, he called 911 and calmly confessed. He told the dispatcher he had shot his ex-girlfriend and claimed that the two had made a suicide pact, saying he was supposed to kill her first and then himself — but that he “couldn’t go through with it.”
Police and prosecutors didn’t believe him. Jolee’s messages, social-media posts, and the forensic evidence all pointed to a planned, one-sided killing.
Justice for Jolee
In 2017, Loren Bunner pleaded guilty to murder in Talladega County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to 52 years in prison.
The judge noted that his act was deliberate and cruel — and that his story about a “suicide pact” was nothing more than an attempt to avoid responsibility.
Remembering Jolee
Jolee Callan was remembered by friends and family as a bright, loving young woman with a passion for life and adventure. She had her whole future ahead of her — a future that was stolen by someone she once trusted.
Her final photograph — that beautiful image of her smiling on the edge of the cliff — remains one of the most haunting last photos ever taken. It captures a young woman’s love for life, taken just moments before it was cruelly ended.
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