The following is the first installment of a new posting series: Southeast Mysteries. This list contains unsolved murder or disappearance from six states in the Southeast region of the United States: West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Links to more detailed write-ups and tip submissions for each case are provided.
WEST VIRGINIA:
The Disappearance and Murder of Leah Hickman (2007)
Source: Herald-Dispatch
Leah Hickman was only 21 years old when her life was tragically taken during December 2007. The young woman was last seen alive on December 14th, 2007, at the apartment she shared with her sister in Huntington, West Virginia. She was reported missing two days later, after her family was notified that she had not shown up for her shift at a local Dress Barn.
About a week later, Leah's body was found in a crawl space in the basement of her apartment building. Her body was covered in plastic wrap. An autopsy later determined that she had been strangled to death.
Several years have passed since Leah's tragic murder, but no arrests have ever been made. There has been plenty of speculation about a few different people possibly being involved in Leah's murder - from Leah's sister's ex-boyfriend to Leah's sister herself. As of today, though, these rumors have never been confirmed.
Leah's murder is considered a cold case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Huntington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau at (304) 696-4420.
Source: Herald-Dispatch |
KENTUCKY:
The Murders of Kathy and Samantha Netherland (2014)
Kathy (top), Samantha (bottom) |
By all accounts, Kathy and Samantha were beloved members of the Bardstown community. Kathy was a special education teacher at a local elementary school. Samantha was a high school student who enjoyed singing in the choir and was looking forward to her junior prom. It's unknown who - or why - anyone would want Kathy and/or Samantha dead.
No suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly announced. Kathy's husband, Bob Netherland, passed away from cancer months before the murders occurred. There has been speculation that the murders of Kathy and Samantha were part of a gang initiation, but this has never been confirmed by authorities.
There has also been speculation that their murders are connected to a stream of other disappearances and murders in the Bardstown area. This, too, has never been confirmed. Over a decade has passed without justice for Kathy and Samantha, and their loved ones are still hoping to find answers. A reward of up to $50,000 is available for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer(s).
If you have any information that could solve the murders of Kathy and Samantha's case, please submit a tip.
VIRGINIA:
The Disappearance of Joan Cook (2010)
Source: Charley Project |
Joan and her husband, Mike, were separated at the time of her disappearance. However, Joan often spent time at Mike's home, as their young daughter lived at his residence. She was doing just that on the day of her disappearance - spending time with her daughter at Mike's home.
According to Mike, Joan left the residence at 11:00 PM to walk to a friend's house. However, said friend would later tell police that she was not home at the time of Joan's disappearance. This brings obvious suspicions about Mike's version of events, but he denies any involvement in Joan's disappearance.
While it appears that Mike has not been ruled out, he has also never been publicly named as a suspect in Joan's disappearance - nor has anyone. She remains missing today, and her disappearance is considered a cold case.
If you have any information that could lead to Joan's whereabouts, please contact the Roanoke County Police Department at 540-562-3265.
TENNESSEE:
The Murder of Chandra Powell (2010)
Chandra Powell was murdered inside her Chattanooga, Tennessee home on October 27th, 2010. The 35-year-old woman was found deceased by her two older children as they returned home from school. Police were called, and it was determined that Chandra had been brutally beaten and stabbed to death.
Chandra's murder was witnessed by her two younger children - a then 2-year-old and a 16-day-old infant. Neither child was physically harmed. Still, both now have the trauma of their mother being savagely killed in front of them.
A suspect in Chandra's killing has never been publicly announced. Her ex-husband was incarcerated on unrelated charges at the time of the murder, as was the father of her youngest child. Chandra's boyfriend at the time also reportedly had an alibi that checked out.
Years have passed, and Chandra's murder remains unsolved. The Chattanooga Police are in charge of investigating her case.
If you have any information that could solve Chandra's murder, please submit a tip.
NORTH CAROLINA:
The Disappearance of Brandee Hope Canipe(2006)
Source: Facebook |
Once detectives began investigating Brandee's disappearance, it was revealed that there had been no activity on her Social Security account since 2006. Eventually, it was determined that Brandee was last seen on May 6th, 2006.
There are many different theories about what might have happened to Brandee. She was reportedly living with a boyfriend in Mocksville at the time of her disappearance. That residence was searched in 2010, after Brandee was finally reported missing, but nothing of significance was found. Investigators have not listed the boyfriend as a suspect, but it appears he has not been ruled out, either.
Brandee was reportedly driving a 4-door Buick sedan prior to her disappearance. Said vehicle has never been recovered, but it also was not registered in Brandee's name, which has made it increasingly difficult to track down. There has been speculation that Brandee and the vehicle ended up in a body of water. Belews Creek has been searched, but no evidence was found.
Brandee remains missing today. Her family is still trying to find answers.
If you have any information that could lead to Brandee's whereabouts, please contact the Davie County Sheriff’s Office at 336-751-6238.
SOUTH CAROLINA:
The Murder of Silene Eaddy(2004)
It was about 5:00 AM on April 17th when authorities in Columbia, South Carolina responded to reports of a brush fire in an area off Highway 378 near Montgomery Lane and Pincushion Road. As first responders worked to put out the flames, they noticed the body of a teenage girl was lying face down in the brush. She had suffered severe trauma to her body.
Later that day, a Columbia mother reported her 15-year-old daughter missing. The woman said she had last seen her daughter - Silene Eaddy - two days earlier. Silene had a habit of running away but always returned within a day or two. As such, her mother waited two days to report her missing.
When detectives were notified about Silene's disappearance, they immediately suspected that she was the unidentified girl they had found in the brush fire that morning. Dental records, along with a necklace that belonged to Silene, helped confirm these suspicions two days later. The young girl had been savagely beaten and then set on fire.
Over two decades have passed since Silene's tragic murder, and it still remains unsolved. No suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly announced. Silene's mother passed away in 2020 without ever learning the truth about what happened to her daughter.
Silene's murder is considered an open cold case. There is a monetary reward available in exchange for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of her killer(s).
If you have any information that could help solve Silene's murder, please submit a tip.
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Other area-based mystery lists:
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