Family friend pleads guilty to murdering Cartersville mom of 3

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - The family of a Cartersville mother of three who was murdered almost eight years ago is still seeking justice today.

Richard Harden was scheduled to go to trial for the murder of 27-year-old Heather McDonald next month.  In a surprise move during pretrial motions Tuesday, Harden made the decision to plead guilty.

Richard Harden, 64, will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering Heather.

Richard Harden

What happened to Cartersville mom Heather McDonald?

The Cartersville mother vanished in September 2016. Her Jeep was found abandoned in the parking lot of the Courtesy Inn. The door was open, the key was on the ground, her belongings were inside the vehicle, but there was no sign of Heather.

For weeks, family and friends desperately searched for her. They handed out fliers and knocked on doors.

Six weeks later, her body was found by hunters about 50 miles away in Haralson County.

A few weeks prior to the discovery, Richard Harden, a family acquaintance, was named a person of interest. 

"The US Marshals and Cartersville Police had gone to Carroll County to execute an arrest warrant for Mr. Harden on an unrelated matter. He ended up barricading himself in a residence and during the course of the standoff he made statements to the effect of, 'I know why you're here, it's about that missing girl,'" said Erle Newton, District Attorney for the Cherokee Judicial Circuit. 

Harden was indicted for the murder of Heather McDonald in 2022.

Heather McDonald

"It took some time for the forensic evidence to come to light from her remains, as well as the geolocation evidence from Mr. Harden's cell phone. All of that painted a more clear picture that he was very much involved and was responsible for her death," said Newton. 

District Attorney Newton says he hopes Harden's conviction will bring Heather's family some semblance of peace.

"We can never restore full peace to them, we can't bring Heather back, but at least we came to a just result," said Newton.