A Virginia mother of three was allegedly lured to her demise by a man she was romantically involved with, who enticed her with a job offer, prompting her to relocate over 100 miles to West Virginia.
Angel Whitaker, 37, departed from her Bristol, Va., home in January 2026 to start a new role in Bluefield, W.Va. This move followed an alleged offer from former work colleague Donald Pennington, 59, who enticed her with an assistant manager position at an O’Reilly Auto Parts in Bluefield, as detailed in a criminal complaint obtained by WVNSTV.
Whitaker reportedly met Pennington at a Bristol auto shop in 2018, shortly after which they began a romantic relationship. Upon moving to West Virginia, she lived with him.
By April, Whitaker’s family had lost contact with her, leading her sister Angela to report her missing on May 4.
According to investigators, tensions in the relationship escalated after Whitaker moved in with Pennington. Her sister informed police that Whitaker had moved to a hotel in Princeton to distance herself from the situation prior to her disappearance.
Whitaker was last seen on April 17, 2026, when she allegedly arrived at work intoxicated. Pennington claimed he drove her home, but when he returned later that day, she was missing.
On May 12, more than a week after Whitaker was reported missing, Pennington’s ex-girlfriend informed investigators, “You’re not going to find her, he murdered her.”
She also mentioned that the couple had been frequently arguing in the weeks leading up to Whitaker’s disappearance.
Investigators reported that Pennington had contacted his ex-girlfriend, claiming he left work on April 17 to intervene in a dispute between Whitaker and a family member, during which Whitaker allegedly made threats against him, as reported by WVNSTV.
Pennington allegedly met his ex-girlfriend at a mall that day, claiming Whitaker had threatened his life, which led him to “snap,” according to the complaint.
The ex-girlfriend told investigators that Pennington choked Whitaker by the throat until she stopped breathing, then allegedly showed her a photo of Whitaker’s body taken from Whitaker’s phone.
Investigators also claimed that Pennington disposed of Whitaker’s phones by bleaching them and destroying their SIM cards.
The ex-girlfriend informed investigators that she later met Pennington at a Lowe’s in Bluefield, Va., where he purchased multiple bags of concrete. They then traveled to Bastian, Va., approximately 18 miles away, where he allegedly buried Whitaker’s body.
She guided investigators to the site, but Virginia State Police cadaver dogs were unable to locate Whitaker’s remains. She also surrendered her phone to authorities, stating she had deleted messages from Pennington regarding the alleged murder, as reported by WVNSTV.
Pennington was arrested on May 13 and is currently held at West Virginia Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.
He has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and concealment of a body.
Whitaker is survived by her three children — 18-year-old son Braiden, 17-year-old daughter Daizy, and 12-year-old son Christopher, according to a GoFundMe page established by her family to assist with funeral costs.
