LITTLE ROCK, AK — At first glance, Brian Keith Freeman is charming, loving, and seems as if he’d be a supportive partner. He’s someone 35-year-old single mom Lori Lynn Hannah fell for quickly. Her outgoing personality and his ability to connect with others meant instant chemistry for the couple.

Hannah’s daughter Selena Harry tells In Pursuit, “My mom was very lively. She had a great personality. She lit up a room. She was self-confident. And it was just nice growing up to have such a positive role model that taught me, as a girl, that I don’t have to try hard to be pretty.”

Freeman, 42, is described as well-mannered, friendly, and overall a nice guy. Hannah’s sister Amber McMunn says, “They started talking, and he sparked her interest more than anybody else. I mean he was funny, he was personable, he wasn’t a hard guy to like. I thought Lori had met her soulmate."

Hannah’s stepfather, Randy West, was excited that she’d met someone who was respectful and charming. He knew it was a priority for her to connect with a partner, and said, “She needed that for Selena. They needed a family environment because it had always been just Selena and Lori.”

But as time passed, McMunn remembers there was an obvious shift in Freeman. She began thinking he was becoming a “little bit of a liar” and she thought he was “an embellisher.” Although there were small red flags, they didn’t stop anyone from accepting Freeman into their lives.

GETTING ENGAGED

In 2016, after a little over a year of dating, Freeman and Hannah were going to integrate themselves permanently into each other’s lives. Harry tells In Pursuit that at first it was odd having another person living in their home but, “We had a good relationship. I definitely adopted him as a father figure.”

In fact, Freemen knew he wanted to take things to the next level with Hannah. Harry says, “He had come to me beforehand and showed me the ring and asked if I would be okay if he asked for my mom’s hand. And I told him yes.”

So he proposed, but not long after, the relationship lost its luster. “He just got more serious and more, controlling. He was just overbearing,” Harry adds. He was drinking more, showing a more controlling and aggressive side, and Lori decided she’d had enough.

In January 2017, Hannah called off the engagement and ended the rocky relationship. For months, Freeman couldn't understand why they broke up, and he fought to get back together with Hannah. But his tactics weren't working. Lori saw his true colors and she knew in her heart she didn’t want to be with someone like him. The only thing she did not know was how terrible and dangerous of a turn her life would take.

TRYING TO WIN HER BACK

McMunn remembers, “Keith (Brian) would call me and ask me for advice: ‘What should I do to make your sister take me back?’ In the beginning, I tried to give him advice. But after a while, it just got so much. Like he just wouldn’t leave it alone and, finally, I was just like, ‘She’s not going to be with you.’”

West agrees, saying, “He was very persistent. He would never just shut up which is an indicator of control, I guess. He would just go on and on and on. He would literally wear you down.”

The week of March 20, 2017, Hannah was home alone working, and Harry was away for Spring Break. Hannah’s mother Judy remembers that she spoke to her daughter on March 22, 2017. She seemed to be okay, she told her mom she was taking insomnia medication and then going to bed.

It wasn't even 24 hours later when McMunn said she received a bizarre message from Freeman’s sister. The sister told her that she’d received disturbing messages about Hannah. McMunn tried calling Hannah to see if she was okay. When she couldn't get hold of her, she drove straight to her home.

“I get in my Jeep, and when I get to Lori’s house, the Ward Police are already there and had been trying to get in, knocking on the door, and of course nobody answered. So they meet me in the yard,” McMunn says.

Hannah’s car was outside, the dog was barking inside. The officers discovered a back window open and they went into the home.

Arkansas State Police Agent Kevin Webb tells In Pursuit, “The house was neat and orderly; there appeared to be no sign of struggle or anything out of place.” As Agent Webb is going room-to-room, everything appears to be normal, that is until he finds Hannah’s bedroom. No one was ready for what he found inside. “Lori’s body was laying on the bed on her right side, her head on her pillow, just appeared to be as you would if you were lying in bed asleep," Webb says.

FREEMAN'S OBSESSION WITH LORI

Hannah had been murdered, stabbed to death. Police figured out quickly that Brian Keith Freeman is the most likely suspect. Authorities say it wasn’t just because of the break-up and his obsession with her, but because of his own words. Authorities say Freeman actually confessed to his mother about what he did.

As for Harry, she had to hear the news her mother was gone when she was hundreds of miles away. She remembers, "My legs gave out, and I just started crying. And I couldn’t catch any words. I was hyperventilating. And I couldn’t get a grip. I just couldn’t grasp it.”

HUNT IS ON FOR BRAIN KEITH FREEMAN

U.S. Marshal Jeremy Hammons tells In Pursuit this about Freeman, “He’s a very social creature. He’s very dependent on other people. A lot of people said that he was notorious for bumming money, cigarettes, that kind of stuff. We’ve been told that he’s very manipulative. He likes to use people to get what he wants.” Hammons says Freeman doesn’t have a criminal background or violent history.

Reports say in the spring of 2017, Freeman's car was found in Royse City, Texas. Investigators believe he has ties to both Oklahoma and Texas.

As for Hannah’s family, her daughter says, “I try hard now to make her proud. I’m going into high school, and my mom’s not there to see it. And it’s super sad, but I do have a very supportive family, and I’m super grateful for that.”

“I feel like if he’s done this once, he can do it again. So, hopefully he will be captured. And I say captured — not caught — because I think he needs to be captured just like an animal,” Judy adds.

TRAITS & CHARACTERISTCS:

• Weight: 135 pounds
• Height: 5 feet 7 inches
• Sex: Male
• Race: Caucasian
• Hair: Brown
• Eyes: Brown
• Date of birth: February 19, 1976

TATTOOS:

• Right forearm: name “Jackson”
• Back of left forearm: name “Kewee,” written in gothic letters
• Left shoulder: half moon and stars; name “Makayla” with a chain underneath
• Right shoulder: Name “Justin”
• Praying hands
• Right calf: unknown design

Freeman, who goes by the name “Keith,” could be doing some kind of farming labor, and likes to hunt and fish. He also has knowledge of asphalt machinery, plumbing, and electricity. He can play guitar, and used to be a member of a motorcycle club called Twisted Mines.

Freeman is wanted for first-degree murder and is considered armed and dangerous. If you know anything about this case or his whereabouts, please contact our hotline (833-3-PURSUE) or submit a tip online.

For more on this case, watch the “Crocodile Tears” episode of In Pursuit With John Walsh on Wednesday, February 6 at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery! Or catch up on ID GO.

Read more: Justice for Lori Facebook, KARK