5 chilling details about Vicky Burks case shown on ID’s American Monster

Vicky Burks was the mother; she shared a home on Middle Urbana Road with her husband, Martin, and her adult son, Ryan Dillon, despite a history of family tensions and Ryan's ongoing struggles with mental health and the law. Vicky's life ended abruptly on May 9, 2012, in an act of violence that shattered her family and community. 

What began as a routine day turned deadly when Ryan, facing an arrest warrant, confronted his mother in their kitchen. He beat her to death with a blunt object, hid her body in the basement, and fled the scene in the family truck. The case is explored in Investigation Discovery's American Monster Season 13, Episode 5, titled Momma's Boy.

The episode uses home videos, interviews, and police records to reveal the hidden dangers within a seemingly ordinary household. Vicky's deep love for her son blinded her to the escalating threats that culminated in a crime with no room for redemption.

The episode aired on November 25, 2025, and is available for streaming on Max by subscription, as well as on the Investigation Discovery channel.

American Monster: Five Horrifying Facts Regarding the Vicky Burks Case

 1. A Mother's Unsettling Letter to the Court

Vicky Burks, in 2009, wrote a desperate letter to the Clark County court system, detailing her growing fear that her son, Ryan Dillon, would murder her and her husband. In the note, she describes daily threats from Ryan, threatening to take deadly action if he is sent back to prison.

Despite these comments, Vicky still allowed Ryan to stay in their Middle Urbana Road residence as she was resolute in trying to help him overcome his depression and bipolar disorder. The letter is highlighted in the American Monster episode through interviews with investigators as pivotal evidence during the trial.

It painted a picture of a woman torn between maternal instinct and self-preservation as Ryan's criminal record, mostly assaults on family members was getting longer. The neighbors and friends also remembered how she did not want to press charges, hoping that one day therapy would help, as per the Dayton Daily News.

 2. The Brutal Attack in the Family Kitchen

On May 9, 2012, Ryan Dillon found an active arrest warrant while looking through the online court records on the home computer of the Burks. Minutes later, he entered the kitchen and attacked Vicky. He repeatedly struck her with a small blunt object, probably a child's tee-ball bat from family belongings, shattering her skull and breaking her hands in an attempt to ward off the blows. 

The blows caused fatal blunt-force trauma, and her body showed defensive wounds that told a story of desperate struggle. The episode in American Monster creates this scene using home videos of happier moments of the family, contrasting the cozy kitchen setting against the violence.

Forensic experts explained in interviews how the injuries matched a child's bat, small enough for Ryan's grip but devastating in force. Blood evidence on clothing found in the dryer revealed Ryan's attempt to wash away traces, adding to the horror of a son turning an everyday space into a crime scene.

This detail, drawn from autopsy reports, underlines the sudden shift from routine to tragedy in a home filled with memories, according to SpringField News Sun.

3. Concealing the Body in the Home's Cellar

Following the murder, Ryan carried Vicky's body down the stairs and concealed it in their Moorefield Township home's cellar, a chilly, dark area beneath the living room where the family used to keep holiday decorations.  Martin Burks only noticed Ryan's strange behavior when he returned home for lunch, delaying discovery for hours.  

The grim task is portrayed in the American Monster episode through animations and witness accounts, highlighting how the basement's seclusion allowed the secret to persist. Police later found the body during a welfare check that was brought on by unanswered calls.  

It appeared to have been hastily covered with household objects. Investigators were able to verify that it was an inside job because there were no signs of forced entry, as per State vs Dillon.  

4. The Desperate Flight Across State Lines

Ryan stole the family's green Dodge Dakota pickup and drove more than 400 miles to Wisconsin while hiding Vicky's body. After removing the license plates and disguising himself with a red cap, Ryan left the car in a rural area.  Ryan was arrested while walking around with a backpack under a false identity after a local resident saw the truck and reported it to the police.  

The American Monster traces this escape using dashcam footage and police radio logs, demonstrating how Ryan's plan quickly fell apart as a result of a straightforward tip. DNA on bloodied clothes inside the truck linked him directly to the scene, despite his cleanup attempts.

Court records detail his calm demeanor during arrest, even as scars matched his description from Ohio warrants, as per the Dayton Daily News. 

5. A Swift Verdict After Years of Silence

His trial in February 2014 lasted just days, as a jury deliberated for less than an hour before delivering a conviction against Ryan Dillon for aggravated murder and related counts. Given his mental health history, the judge sentenced him to life without parole, noting his post-crime actions showed awareness of what he was doing.

The American Monster episode closes with courtroom sketches and family reactions, capturing raw emotion as friends of Vicky cried out during sentencing, according to the Dayton Daily News. Ryan made no statement, no apology; he remained silent, as his threats of years earlier had promised.

The swift sentence followed from overwhelming evidence, including the 2009 letter and forensics, but it reflected, too, the exhaustion of the community with the cycle of abuse. Appeals in 2016 upheld most convictions, ensuring no release.

Watch American Monster season 13 available on Investigation Discovery and Max.