Crime in the Coalfields

Taking another look into West Virginia's own serial killers, Crime in the Coalfields brings you the story of a known serial killer: James Childers. James Childers was a handyman with five murders and a number of arsons under his belt. His case is open and shut, but there are three alleged victims of Childers who remain unrecovered. The truth of serial killers is that sometimes the killer isn't kno...

It's been 10 years since the disappearance of Skylar Neese of Star City, West Virginia - Only, her case isn't cold or unsolved. Skylar was murdered by her two so-called best friends. Skylar was a regular 16-year-old High School student at University High. On July 6, 2012, she was lured into a remote clearing in Pennsylvania, where her friends Rachel Shoaf and Sheila Eddy stabbed her in the...

Over 600 thousand people go missing in the United States every year, according to the National Missing Persons Database. A large percentage of these cases - nearly 99 percent of them - are canceled within a week. Wild and Wonderful West Virginia is no stranger to missing persons, either, with 143 people currently missing across the state. 24 of these cases are in 59News' viewing area. This episode...

The Greenbrier Ghost, The Lady in Red, and the ghost of William Martin. All of these stories and even more discussion are featured in this Halloween Special of Crime in the Coalfields. We bring back Ghost hunter and paranormal expert Scott Worley, from right here in Raleigh county, to talk about his favorite paranormal stories from our area. But these stories only scratch the surface. There will a...

This episode, we talk about a case solved because of testimony from the deceased ghost of the victim. The Greenbrier ghost, a woman named Zona Heaster Shue died under mysterious circumstances in the late nineteenth century. Her death in 1897 was presumed natural until her spirit appeared to her mother to describe how she was killed by her husband Edward. The testimony surprisingly solved the case.

A case that's been cold for ten years. A 10,000 dollar reward being offered by 7-11. These mark the case of Bob Snow, the regional manager of the Kanawha Valley 7-11 stores. He went missing under suspicious circumstances and was found by police floating in the Elk River. 

44-year-old Travis Summers was last seen at the One Stop convenience store on Eisenhower Drive in Beckley, on Wednesday May 7, 2014. For nine months no one saw or heard from him. When his body was found dismembered nine months later, police began an investigation suspecting foul play. Travis Summers' family wasn't notified that the remains were his until nearly an entire year after his disappearan...

A murder in 2016 resulted in a body found at Lake Stephens. The body was David Fann, found stabbed to death after a routine day. However the day after being discovered, the crime scene was forever destroyed. The West Virginian thousand-year-flood happened. It washed away homes, lives, and any chance of finding the killer of David Fann.

A well-known mystery in Charleston, West Virginia is the story of Baby Grace. An infant who turned up on the steps to the Bartlett Burdette Cox Funeral Home, her identity was never discovered in all this time. For 50 years, Ghost Hunters have sought answers about the truth behind Charleston's Baby Grace and the other ghosts believed to reside in the building.

A gruesome murder right here in Raleigh County, West Virginia. A random victim, a female perpetrator. Both of these aspects make this case a rare and unusual occurrence. Ronald Lee Browning was murdered and lacerated beyond recognition. After a string of robberies on the same street in Beckley brought police to the scene, a woman was arrested and admitted to the crime: 19-year-old Camille Browne....

In a unique collaboration with the podcast 'I Was Never There', Crime in the Coalfields brings you a cold case about a Morgantown bartender who hasn't been seen for around 40 years. Marsha Ferber disappeared, leaving behind her wallet, keys, and several theories about where she could have gone. She was a folk hero to the people of downtown Morgantown, who helped the community in a myriad of ways....

Two and a half months ago, we told the story of the Huntington Prom Night Murders, four teenagers who were murdered on their prom night in 2005. On May 22nd, 2005, Donte Ward, Eddrick Clark, Michael Dillon, and Megan Poston, who was only sixteen, were all shot to death near Ward's home. Megan Poston's mother, Subrina Gebheart, spoke with us about what happened to her daughter. She was in the...

A Bluefield man whose killer wasn't brought to justice after over 70 years, Roy Melvin was killed getting firewood for his family just after Christmas in 1951. His granddaughter was always told stories about his trek home after being shot multiple times, but didn't find out until later that his killer was never apprehended for the crime of murdering a loving family man.

Alex Carter, an at the time ten-year-old girl, has been missing along with her non-custodial mother for over 20 years. Her father hopes for any information about her disappearance daily, keeping a picture of her by his side. The FBI just reopened the case with local law enforcement last year. They're close to finding out what happened to Alex Carter and her mother when the two of them went mis...

Seven men disappeared under different circumstances. They are all believed to be victims of the same killer. Focused around the area of Oak Hill, a serial killer dubbed the 'Mad Butcher' performed two confirmed grisly murders, chopping one man into thirteen pieces. The Butcher's identity was never found, and as time passed the story became folklore of the region. Missing men who were never found b...

A girl named after David Bowie's song of the same name, Fame Cooper was a Fairmont native with a rebellious spark. She went missing in 1990, after going out with some friends to an arcade in town. She was missing for four months before her body was finally found by hunters, and it has never been found out what happened during those months, or who murdered her. Join us as we dive into the case's de...

No justice has ever been given to four teenagers brutally murdered the night after the Huntington High School Prom. On May 22nd, 2005, Donte Ward, Eddrick Clark, Michael Dillon, and Megan Poston, who was only sixteen, were shot to death near Ward's home. It was never discovered how these four teens knew each other or why they were all four at the same place at almost three A.M. when they were murd...

Charles Boone was a popular and powerful businessman here in southern Appalachia in the 1980’s. His empire stretched from the likes of Pineville all the way to eastern Tennessee until the morning of March 14 1981, when his secretary found him dead in the hallway to his office. The case was reopened in 2001 by retired Lieutenant Tom Helton, and remains open today. Information is scarce, but there m...

It's a case that's gone ice cold and left investigators with more questions than answers for the last eight years. Dee Ann Keene went missing without a trace on February 28th, 2014. She was last seen at the home of a reality tv star in Renick, Greenbrier County. Since she was reported missing, her family has searched tirelessly for answers. With each day that passes, the investigation grows colder...

It was Christmas Eve 1945. All was calm and all was bright in Fayetteville, West Virginia. But not at the Sodder house. A fire broke out just after midnight destroying the home and any hope of a peaceful Christmas. By morning, the Sodder house would be in ashes and a series of mysterious and baffling events would begin that is still drawing national attention to this day. For the list of sources f...

A 911 call for a woman who reportedly plummeted 1400 feet from the Grandview Overlook in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve sparked a massive search and rescue mission. Men and women repelled down a cliff for two days, risking their lives to bring this woman to safety. Was this really an accident or a woman trying to impede justice? This is the bizarre case of Julie Wheeler For the lis...

It's a crime one small community in Greenbrier County will never forget. Five children murdered at the hands of one woman. A heartbreaking story that left many questions unanswered. Now, this case is putting a spotlight on what lawmakers say is much needed reform to Child Protective Services. WARNING: This episode mentions suicide and graphic details about crimes against children. Listeners discre...