Blue Ridge True Crime

The Laurel Creek Murders

In September 1909, six members of the Meadows family, including three young children, were murdered with an axe and a gun in their remote Virginia log cabin, which was then set on fire. Forty days later and eighty miles away, four members of the Hood family were killed in nearly identical fashion near Beckley, West Virginia. Was Howard Little, a convicted murderer with a questionable pardon, responsible for the Laurel Creek killings? Or did a drifting serial killer known as the "Man from the Train" strike twice and then disappear?In this episode, we examine the fragmentary newspaper accounts, the role of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency, the trial of Howard Little, and an eerie coincidence of gravestones.LinksRobert Baker’s Laurel Creek Murders PageBetty Justus GraveGeorge Hood GraveExplore More Content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠

The Dead Man at Low Gap Shelter

In May 1974, 17-year-old Margaret Harritt set out on the Appalachian Trail with a friend, hoping for an adventure. Days later, she found herself tied to a tree, watching a stranger named Ralph decide her fate. This episode traces the harrowing story of a hike that turned into a nightmare, and the investigation that finally brought a killer to justice.Podcast Sources"The Stranger in the Shelter" by Earl Swift, Outside Magazine, November 5, 2018⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Sources & Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore More Content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠

The Woman Who Saw Everything

When the body of a young girl is discovered in an abandoned Kentucky mineshaft, the small town of Harlan believes they have finally found missing 14-year-old Mary Vickery. A local taxi driver quickly becomes the prime suspect, and a star witness comes forward with damning testimony. The case seems open and shut. But sometimes, justice takes an unexpected turn, and the truth can be stranger than fiction.Podcast Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Sources & Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore More Content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠

In the Shadow of the Mothman

We're heading to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to uncover the true story of the Mothman. From four teenagers fleeing a winged creature at 100 mph to the bizarre phenomena that followed, including flying saucers and a telepathic alien named Indrid Cold. We explore whether there was a link between the Mothman and the Silver Bridge disaster that killed 46 people. Plus, we dissect John Keel's chaotic book: The Mothman Prophecies, work to separate fact from folklore, and trace how a local monster became a global icon.Indrid Cold: The Woodrow Derenberger Interview on YouTubePodcast Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Sources & Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore More Content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠

The Gaffney Strangler's 1968 Reign of Terror

In February 1968, the small town of Gaffney, South Carolina, was plunged into darkness. Over eight terrifying days, a serial killer known as the Gaffney Strangler claimed the lives of three women, taunted the local newspaper, and left a community barricaded in their homes.This is the story of how a cryptic phone call to a newspaper editor led police to two bodies, exposed a wrongful conviction, and sparked one of the largest manhunts in the county’s history. Join us as we explore the forensic limitations of 1968, the hunt for a predator, and the shocking end to the Gaffney Strangler’s reign.Podcast Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Sources & Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore More Content⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Ridge True Crime YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠