Crime in the Coalfields

The body of Michael Craig Phillips found 16 years ago still leaves a case unresolved - but a similar case - involving a dead woman is closed after 14 years.

Two young people, both bludgeoned to death and covered up in hopes of never being found.

In this episode, Julia and Harper cover two cold murder cases in McDowell County.

One that remains unsolved to this day, and the other, a 14-year-long cold case that eventually ended in a conviction: one that may help cover the possibilites of the case in progress.

Cassie Sheetz went hiking with two men near Spruce Knob three and a half years ago - and never re-emerged. She was last seen on March 11, 2021. 

It's taken this long to find her believed remains, and even now the case is at a standstill. Will it be closed with no charges filed?

In this episode, 59News Anchor Julia White and Producer Harper Emch detail the case of Cassie Sheetz, and discuss how a daytime hike could turn into a life forever lost in the woods.

A brutal stabbing - one swift strike for every year of the woman's life. This was the untimely demise of 52 year old Irene Wilson.

In the small town of Broomstick, the grisly murder is discovered by two teen girls - while Irene's husband is on a night watch miles away. How does a murder like this affect a rural West Virginian town?

The murder of both Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers in 1920 - committed in Broad Daylight, with witnesses and family present.

This episode sees Julia and Harper visiting another infamous Courthouse.

This site is the stage of the notorious double-murder, sometimes known as the McDowell County Courthouse murders - responsible for inciting the historic Battle of Blair Mountain.

Listen to how this Crime Ignited the Coalfields - in tonight's Walk Through History.

Seven veterans dead in the same hospital.

Seven life sentences waiting for a culprit to take the blame - and the responsibility.

Tonight, Julia and Harper delve into the case of the nurse behind seven serial killings in Clarksburg, West Virginia; Reta Mays. What motivated her to do this? What makes a killer?

Courthouses are intended to be places of law at the center of a town or city. But sometimes they draw crime and law together; especially in rural America.

In this episode, Julia and Harper discuss some of the notable stories about crime surrounding the Wyoming County Courthouse during the 20th century.

Tonight's episode focuses on the recent history of the death penalty. Julia and Harper take a look at how public and private executions have changed since the beginning of the country's history, both in and outside of the Coalfields. The depth and breadth of cases involving execution is huge, but a historic perspective goes a long way.

Listen as Julia and Harper delve into the efforts that went into closing this cold case in 2024.

Although it ends with a terrible truth - that Alex Carter and her mother, Susan Carter, were in fact murdered by a trusted individual over money troubles - her case now at least becomes a shining example of how hope is always important to keep, for both the law enforcement agencies that fight to close cold cases, and for the families of victims searching for answers.

In 2011, more than a decade after she first disappeared from Summers County, the remains of Cathy Jo McCoy eventually led police to her own mother, Mary Bowles. The question that remains even after all this time; Did Mary Bowles kill her daughter?

Julia and Harper dive into this Summers County murder case to try to provide answers to that question and to the question of why such a personal crime would be perpetrated on someone's own family.