Father of Kayla Butts Offers $5,000 Reward for Answers in Daughter's 2020 Orange Beach Death

Kayla Butts, 30, died on November 17, 2020, after suffering a severe brain injury following a house party in Orange Beach, Alabama. Photo courtesy of the Noles family.

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. Nearly six years after police classified his daughter’s death as an accident, an Alabama father is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for what he believes was her murder.

“Maybe if we put a little bit of money out there, it might get a little bit of somebody’s attention,” David Noles, a subcontractor from Trussville, Alabama, told Murder Creek Media.

His daughter, Kayla Butts, 30, died on November 17, 2020, after suffering a severe brain injury following a house party in Orange Beach. According to the account provided to her family, Butts lost consciousness and fell from a porch less than three feet high. The Orange Beach Police Department ultimately classified her death as accidental.

Butts’ family has continued to question whether the reported fall could have caused her injuries.

Her mother, Sandy Sides, told Murder Creek Media that a neurosurgeon treating Butts questioned whether a fall from such a short distance could explain the severity of her injuries. According to Sides, the physician recommended that the family contact law enforcement to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Sides also expressed concerns about the subsequent police investigation, alleging that investigators failed to interview several potential witnesses, including the host of the party where Butts was reportedly injured.

Kayla Butts' family continues to question the circumstances surrounding her death, which authorities classified as accidental. Photo courtesy of the Noles family.

According to Sides, current Orange Beach Police Chief Trent Johnson was the investigator assigned to her daughter's case in 2020. Murder Creek Media contacted Johnson seeking clarification about the department's findings and the family's concerns regarding the investigation.

"We extend our continued condolences to the family, and respect their choices regarding their own efforts. We will not comment further at this time," Johnson said in response.

The family's concerns come as the Orange Beach Police Department and other city officials face scrutiny over separate investigations and the handling of public records.

Retired Baldwin County attorney Harry Still III has publicly questioned the investigation into the 2022 death of Thomas "Danny" Williams, which authorities concluded was a drowning. Still, who represented Williams' family in civil litigation, has alleged that investigative records were withheld or unavailable. He subsequently pursued litigation against the City of Orange Beach, alleging retaliation for his efforts to investigate the death. A Baldwin County judge dismissed the case earlier this year.

Separately, three Orange Beach City Council members filed an ethics complaint in May 2026 raising concerns about the city’s handling of a September 2024 domestic violence incident allegedly involving Mayor Tony Kennon. The complaint questions whether information about the incident was omitted from routine police reporting to the council. Body camera footage from the incident has also been the subject of a public records dispute and federal litigation involving Orange Beach resident and attorney C.C. Dixon-Moreno.

There is no known connection between the cases, but the concerns surrounding each have put the city's handling of investigations under scrutiny.

Kayla Butts' father, David Noles, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for her death. Photo courtesy of the Noles family.

For Noles, the reward is an attempt to generate new information about his daughter’s death.

“It’s not that much, but still, I just want to get something rolling on it because I know she was murdered,” he said.

Butts’ brother, Micah Noles, also hopes renewed attention to his sister’s death will bring answers and accountability.

“I just want Kayla to have justice,” he told Murder Creek Media. “I want whoever [did] this to be held accountable for what happened. If anything did happen. Which honestly, I firmly believe something did.”

“They didn’t just take my best friend and sister away. They took away a mother of two children, they took away a wife, a daughter. My niece and nephew are gonna grow up without a mom,” he added.

Anyone with information regarding the November 2020 death of Kayla Butts is encouraged to contact the Orange Beach Police Department or the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-392-8011. The $5,000 reward is available only for information resulting in an arrest and conviction.