A mother from Virginia, who had three children, was reportedly drawn into a tragic situation by a man she was romantically involved with, leading to her alleged murder. This all began when Angel Whitaker, 37, moved over 100 miles to West Virginia in January 2026, taking what she thought was a new job opportunity offered by Donald Pennington, 59, her former co-worker.
Whitaker had met Pennington in 2018 at an auto shop in Bristol, and they soon began a romantic relationship. Following her relocation to West Virginia, they started living together.
Tragically, by April, her family had lost all contact with her, and her sister Angela reported her missing on May 4.
According to the sister, their relationship had soured after the move, prompting Whitaker to stay at a hotel in Princeton, seeking distance from Pennington. The last time anyone saw her was on April 17, 2026, when she reportedly appeared at work inebriated. Pennington claimed he drove her home, but when he returned later, she was no longer there.
On May 12, over a week after her disappearance, Pennington’s ex-girlfriend spoke to investigators, expressing her belief that he was involved in Whitaker’s death, stating, “We can’t find her, he killed her.” She mentioned that the couple had been arguing frequently in the time leading up to Whitaker going missing.
Moreover, it was revealed that on the day Whitaker disappeared, Pennington had told his ex-girlfriend he quit his job to resolve issues between Whitaker and his family, and claimed Whitaker had made threats against him. He allegedly shared with her that Whitaker had threatened to kill her, which led to an outburst from him.
The ex-partner recounted that Pennington had choked Whitaker until she lost consciousness and then showed her a photo of the victim from her phone. Reports also indicate that he disposed of Whitaker’s phone by bleaching it and destroying its SIM card.
Subsequently, the ex-girlfriend met with Pennington at a Lowe’s, where he bought multiple bags of concrete. He then drove to Bastien, Virginia, approximately 29 miles away, to reportedly bury Whitaker’s body.
Despite attempts to locate Whitaker’s remains using a cadaver dog, investigators were unsuccessful. The ex-girlfriend also admitted to deleting messages from Pennington related to the incident.
Pennington was arrested on May 13 and is currently held at a regional correctional facility in West Virginia. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and body concealment.
Whitaker is survived by her three children: Brayden, 18, Daisy, 17, and Christopher, 12. Her family has established a GoFundMe to assist with funeral expenses.
