The Prosecution's Theory

The day after Carrie disappeared her story gained media attention and was being reported on every local news station. Carrie's disappearance became high profile very quickly. This put alot of pressure on the Prosecutor's office of Clinton County Ohio. Immediately focusing all the attention on Vincent. Carrie and Vincent were an on again off again couple all of 1996. In fact Carrie had been seeing another guy from Hillsboro the summer of 1996. The prosecution's theory was that Vincent and Carrie had a violent relationship and Vincent had murdered Carrie to stop her from testifying against him over and assault charge with a space heater she had placed on him in July of 1996.
The Prosecution told the jury Carrie was a health nut and didn’t even drink caffeine. Carrie’s friends told newspapers different stating she smoked pot, took prescription pills and ingested cocaine. 

The prosecutor's had two theories on how her body was disposed of.

One being her body was cut up into several parts and disposed of throughout the United States. The second her body was placed into the Ohio river.

The prosecution had three key witnesses they used to convict Vincent. Billie Jo Brown, Lori Baker, and Mitchell Eperson.

No crime scene, No body, No DNA, No weapon, No eyewitness. 

One person's word over another convicted Vincent to possibly the death penalty. 

Vincent was sentenced to Life Without Possibility of Parole, 888 years in 1997