From Big City to Mountain State: Mom’s Bold Career Move to West Virginia Sparks Fresh Beginnings

A mother of three, who had recently moved to West Virginia for a new job opportunity, tragically lost her life in the woods, allegedly at the hands of her employer.

Angel Whitaker, aged 37, vanished on May 4 after making a move from Bristol to Bluefield, West Virginia, a distance of over 100 miles.

According to WVNSTV, Whitaker’s sister, Angela, informed authorities that Angel had not been seen or heard from since April.

Whitaker’s move was prompted by a job offer for an assistant manager role at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Bluefield, extended by her former colleague, Donald Pennington, leading her to relocate in January 2026.

Pennington, 59, who extended the job offer, was not just her employer but was also believed to have been romantically involved with Whitaker.

Unfortunately, their relationship took a negative turn last month, as reported by the police. Pennington’s previous girlfriend shared with investigators that the couple had been engaged in frequent disputes.

Angela told police that Whitaker had recently moved into a hotel in Princeton, West Virginia, to get away from Pennington and had stayed there between April 9 and April 13.

The last time anyone saw Whitaker was when she allegedly showed up to work intoxicated on April 17. 

According to court records, investigators sorted through Facebook messages, surveillance videos, and witness statements to pin Pennington as the alleged killer. 

While police were investigating Whitaker’s disappearance, Pennington’s ex allegedly told them, ‘you’re not going to find her, he murdered her,’ reported Law & Crime.  

On April 17, Pennington allegedly admitted to the anonymous ex that Whitaker threatened him.

He allegedly ‘snapped’ and picked her up by her throat until she suffocated and died.

Pennington then took a picture of Whitaker on her phone and showed it to his ex-girlfriend, police said.

According to investigators, Pennington got rid of the phone by dumping it in bleach.  

Officials claimed that Pennington dumped Whitaker’s body in the woods across the border in Bastian, Virginia, 18 miles from her home. 

According to court documents, Pennington’s ex-girlfriend met him at a Lowe’s Department store after he allegedly killed Whitaker, where he purchased bags of concrete. 

The pair then allegedly drove to Bastian, Virginia, where Whitaker’s body was buried.

Court documents alleged that the ex-girlfriend eventually led police to Whitaker’s remains in the very same spot.

Detectives noted spilled concrete, a quilt with red rope and a makeshift tombstone in the area.

The ex-girlfriend reportedly handed her phone over to the police so that they could search deleted messages between her and Pennington. 

Pennington was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a body in connection with her death. 

He was booked on May 13 and is being held at West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority. He has pleaded not guilty.

Whitaker’s oldest son, Braiden, set up a GoFundMe to support himself and his siblings, Daizy, 17, and Christopher, 12, after their mother’s murder and help pay for her funeral.

‘Tragically, our mother was murdered in West Virginia by someone we thought we could trust,’ he said. ‘We are devastated and struggling to process this loss.’

Whitaker’s three children are seen in a throwback photo that they shared to the GoFundMe

‘My siblings and I are all very young and we simply cannot afford the funeral expenses on our own,’ the 18-year-old wrote. 

‘We are setting up this GoFundMe to help with funeral arrangements and to give our mother the proper goodbye she deserves, surrounded by her loved ones.’ 

Whitaker’s daughter, Daizy, posted a tribute to her mother on May 13, just one day after her body was found. 

‘We finally found you momma I’m so sorry this happened to you,’ she wrote. ‘You didn’t deserve it and I promise we’ll do everything in our power to get justice for you.

‘We found out my mom was murdered in Bluefield, WV, and they found her body last night on the Virginia side of Bluefield. The man who murdered her has been arrested and charged.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Whitaker’s family and the Bland County Sheriff’s Office for more information.