Cindy claims that Keith and Cindy had visited Ally in Oxford Mississippi earlier that week. “She wanted us all to stay for an extra day because she was having so much fun. She asked me to prepare her home-cooked meals.
Cindy reports that Ally Kostial had just completed her junior year at Ole Miss and was thrilled to have her parents visit from St. Louis. Cindy says she decorated her apartment on campus. “We went shopping. We bought some new decor because she loves the beach theme.
Cindy called Ally back at home on Friday night, around 7 p.m. She had just woken from a sleep. “She had just woken up from a nap. I asked her, “What are you going do tonight?” I asked her, “What are you going to do tonight?” She replied, “I’m going out with some friends.” It didn’t bother me because I knew she does it all the time. “Oh, that should have been fun,” I replied.
Cindy and Keith Kostial’s interview was part of “48 Hours”, this week’s broadcast, reported by Michelle Miller, “What Ally Kostial didn’t know,” airing Saturday March 5, at 10/9c, CBS, and streaming on Parmount+.
Within hours of that call, Ally, 21, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds at Sardis lake, just 45 minutes away from campus. The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Investigators quickly got to work and headed to Ally’s home. Although her cell phone was lost, they discovered her Apple Watch in her bedroom. They also found some text messages that Ally had sent to Brandon Theesfeld, a fellow student.
According to Ally’s friends, their relationship was not a happy one. They began to date casually after they met as freshmen. They broke up the next year, but they did reunite in their junior year.
Investigators discovered that Theesfeld had planned to see Ally the night she was killed. This was a strong lead. Jarrett Bundren said that Ally had shared some life-changing information with Theesfeld when investigator Jarrett Bundren dug deeper into her texts. Bundren said, “She claimed that she believed she was pregnant.”
Three months before her death, Ally and Ally started to text back and forth in April 2019. He even received a photograph of her home-pregnancy test, which appeared to be inconclusive.
Theesfeld immediately responded that they wouldn’t keep the baby. Ally spent three months texting Theesfeld asking for a meeting to discuss the situation. Theesfeld finally allowed Ally to see her the night before her death.
Investigators were able to track down Theesfeld using Ally’s Apple Watch within hours of her death. They asked him to visit the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department and answer some questions. Theesfeld replied, but investigators claim he made excuses throughout the weekend about why he couldn’t meet and promised to be there Monday morning. Law enforcement began tracking Theesfeld’s cell phone after he failed to show up. They discovered that he was heading north and appeared to be returning to Fort Worth, Texas.
A bulletin was sent to Theesfeld for his arrest, as Theesfeld appeared to be on the run. Memphis police found Theesfeld in a gas station within hours. They found blood on Theesfeld and a gun in his truck which matched the caliber used for Ally’s death when they took him into custody.
Theesfeld was convicted of capital murder in August 2019. He also faces the death penalty for allegedly killing and kidnapping Ally Kostial. A letter discovered in Theesfeld’s apartment on campus was found. It was apparently written to his parents that weekend Ally was murdered. Theesfeld stated that he had always had “terrible thought” and that “this is my end… I’m either going into prison or going to death.” He wrote, “I know that I’m going get caught.”
