The Mysterious Disappearance Of Bonnie Haim Explained

Bonnie Haim was a 23-year-old mother who disappeared in January 1993. Her case was featured on the eighth season of "Unsolved Mysteries." At the time of her disappearance, Haim was married to Michael Haim, and they worked together at a construction supply company owned by Michael's aunt, Eveann Haim. As reported by Medium, Eveann said that she witnessed her nephew being abusive toward Bonnie and at one point even became physical with her.

Some people who were close to Bonnie claim that she was preparing to leave her husband and had been saving cash. She had even enrolled their son, Aaron, into a new pre-school. On January 6, 1993, Bonnie was scheduled to meet with Eveann to plan a baby shower for one of their co-workers. However, she called Eveann to say that she won't be able to make it. According to Eveann, Bonnie was crying when she spoke to her and said that she got into an argument with Michael. The next day, both Michael and Bonnie skipped work, and when asked, Michael said that Bonnie left their home after the fight and never returned.

In cases like Bonnie Haim's, those closest to the victim are the ones investigated first. It's also common for the spouse to be a suspect, and that was true for Michael Haim. Authorities interviewed Aaron Fraser — Michael and Bonnie's son — who was 3 years old when his mother disappeared. At that time, Fraser reportedly said, "Daddy hurt her," which prompted investigators to look into Michael further, per Oxygen. However, authorities couldn't easily arrest Michael, as there was no evidence that he committed a crime, and furthermore, no one could prove that Bonnie was, indeed, dead.

Despite little evidence, many people, including Michael's own aunt Eveann, insisted that Michael had something to do with Bonnie's disappearance. "Bonnie, I'm sorry to say, is gone. She's not alive. If she was alive and had one ounce of life in her, she would have contacted someone," Eveann said at that time (via Medium). Michael claimed that he was innocent and had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance. With no leads and no pieces of evidence that could lead to an arrest, Bonnie's case went cold.

As an adult, Aaron Fraser has no memory of the time when his mother disappeared. He was adopted and raised by a different family when his mother died. In the 2000s, Fraser filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Michael Haim, and despite not having a body to prove that Bonnie Haim was dead, Fraser won the lawsuit and was awarded a $26.3 million settlement, as reported by the Washington Post. Along with the large sum of money, he was also granted ownership of the Florida home where he used to live with his parents. Little did Fraser know that he would find the answers to his mother's disappearance in that home.

In 2014, Fraser began renovations on the property. He was breaking concrete in the backyard when he found what he thought was a coconut, which they discovered buried 6 inches deep under concrete, and he thought to himself, "Why would someone bury a coconut in a bag?" Upon closer inspection, he realized that what he had in his hands was a human skull. "At that point in time, you could actually see, like, the top of the eye socket. And it was like this part of the head, the top half of the head," Fraser told News 4 Jax. Authorities tested the remains, and they were confirmed to be those of Bonnie's.

According to Denver Post, the site where Bonnie Haim's remains were found was further investigated and there, a shell casing for a .22 caliber bullet was found. It was a crucial find, as Michael Haim also owned a gun with the same caliber. Michael was arrested in 2015 for the murder of his wife, and he pleaded not guilty. Aaron Fraser was present during his biological father's hearings, and he also testified against him and shared what it was like finding his own mother's skull. "It was very tough. I think everybody can imagine, even if it's not a loved one, finding a skull and picking it up and what that would do to somebody. Not to mention, that it was your mother," he said, per CNN.

Prosecutors painted a picture of what they thought happened on the night Bonnie disappeared. They claim that the couple had an argument after Michael found out about Bonnie's plans to take their child and leave him, and that's what caused him to kill her. Two inmates also testified that Michael confessed to them that he murdered Bonnie, as reported by Medium. The defense, on the other hand, stated that there was a lot of reasonable doubt and proclaimed that the prosecutors are stretching the truth to convict Michael. In the end, Michael was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison (via Jacksonville).