Deep in the Appalachian heartland, the scenery is breathtaking—but the secrets are buried even deeper. In West Virginia, "Wild and Wonderful" occasionally takes a detour into "Dark and Deadly." From the winding backroads of the hollers to the misty shadows of the mountain peaks, we’re exploring the cases that prove some things are better left unsaid in the hills. Whether it’s a decades-old cold case that the locals still whisper about or a mystery where the truth is stranger than the folklore, this episode proves that in the Mountain State, the quiet can be deafening.

Research links below!

Greenbrier Valley - "Greenbrier Ghost, Zona Heaster Shue"
Dannye Chase - "The Greenbrier Ghost"
West Virginia Ghosts and Legends - "The Green Brier Ghost"
Appalachian History - "The Greenbrier Ghost"
Samsara Parchment - "Spooky Saturday: The Greenbrier Ghost"

The Wall Street Journal - "A Coal CEO's Unusual Pastime: Firing Up West Virginia's Politics"
NPR - "Massey CEO's Pay Soared As Mine Concerns Grew"
NPR - "Mine Probe Examines Airflow, Possible Tampering"
Washington Post - "West Virginia mine has been cited for myriad safety violations"
abc News - "West Virginia Mine Survivor: Blast Felt Like 'Hurricane-Force Winds'"
The New York Times - "No Survivors Found After West Virginia Mine Disaster"
CNN - "12 killed in West Virginia mine blast"
abc News - "Government Investigation Faults Massey Energy in West Virginia Mine Disaster"
CNN - "Report: Deadliest U.S. mine disaster in decades due to safety failures"
NPR - "Mine Victims' Families Recall Fear, Safety Issues"
United States Department of Labor - "US Labor Department's MSHA cites corporate culture as root cause of Upper Big Branch Mine disaster Massey issued 369 citations and orders with $10.8 million in civil penalties"
The New York Times - "Conviction of Don Blankenship, Ex-Coal Baron, Should be Overturned, Judge Recommends"
Market Watch - "Guilty plea in 2010 mine disaster"
United States Attorney's Office - "Former Upper Big Branch Mine Superintendent Sentenced To Prison"