Buried Alive But Lived to Bring Down a Murderous Trio

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Brett Bowyer, Thurman Ratliff, and Catherine Ratliff with me today. In early 2002, the state of Alabama was rocked by two horrific and connected murder cases. On January 30, 68-year-old Thurman Ratliff and his 62-year-old wife Catherine Ratliff were found shot to death in their Lee County home in what appeared to be a targeted home invasion. Just three weeks later, in nearby Russell County, 12-year-old Brett Bowyer and his father, Forrest “Butch” Bowyer, were abducted by men posing as narcotics officers. The father and son were bound, taken to a remote construction site, and buried alive in a shallow grave. Brett was shot three times and killed, while Forrest’s throat was slit, yet he somehow survived, clawed his way out, and identified the attackers.The killers, Michael Carruth, Jimmy Brooks, and James Gary were ultimately tied to both brutal crimes. All three men were charged with capital murder for the Bowyer and Ratliff slayings, with Carruth and Brooks receiving the death penalty and Gary sentenced to life in prison. The shocking survival of Forrest Bowyer helped unravel this deadly trio’s pattern of violence and brought justice to the grieving families. These cases remain among the most disturbing child and family murders in Alabama history, and Forrest’s escape from the grave became a national true crime headline.