Crime in the Coalfields

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True Crime
**Crime in the Coalfields**

Crime in the Coalfields is a true crime podcast hosted by 59News Digital Producer Brandi Blake and 59News Digital Producer Humera Rehman. Based in Southern West Virginia, each episode Brandi and Humera will tell the stories of the tragic and bizarre crimes that take place in rural Appalachia.

Latest Episodes:

Monica Hartwell Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

In a case that began 5 years ago this month - we return both in coverage and in reality.

This year, an appeal was made in April - the same appeal made when the case was originally happening in July of 2025.

Monica Hartwell is embroiled in the murder of Michael Walker in her own home

But did she do it? and were her rights honored during the investigation?

Listen in with Julia and Harper.

Anita Price Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

The story of Anita Price remains unfinished. She disappeared in 1974, and the case went cold until the 2000s. Her car was abandoned, and a cursory investigation left her children unsatisfied and looking for answers to this day.

Join Harper and Julia to see how this case remains alive even now.

Searching for the Missing Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Some missing people are never found - but others are found too late.

The recent case of Christa Merrill, whose body is found at the home of a known sex offender after being missing since August of 2024 - inspires a deep dive into the progression of missing persons cases.

This episode, join Julia and Harper as they provide a baseline for understanding the search for the missing everywhere.

The Life and Death of Wanda Palmer Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

A woman named Wanda Palmer - beaten and left inches from death in her mobile home - is left in a coma for two years.

Left in a comatose state from 2020 to 2022, she had enough strength to wake up after those years and identify her attacker. This episode, Julia and Harper remember her story.

Murders at Maybeury Mansion Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

Three people shot multiple times on a day that was supposed to be full of love.

Instead, Valentine's day 1998 ended with a family dead in a mansion on a hill.

This is the case of David, Janette Henderson, and Martha Barber - known as the Maybeury Mansion Murders.

Did the main suspect Tony Allen commit the crime? and what is the mansion like now, after playing host to such a tragedy? Julia and Harper dive into the details.

Danny Collins Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

A murdered teenager found near a bus route in 1970s Putnam County.

Danny Collins' case is sparse, but just an hour away - another case with a similar method was brewing.

A connection was drawn to another case of attempted murder. Four boys survived an encounter to help implicate the suspect - but it's unknown if the criminal in question ever met with justice - for what was done to the four boys, or to Danny Collins.

Join Julia and Harper in their search for answers.

Mothman and the Silver Bridge Oct 30, 2024

Show notes

A strange creature with glowing red eyes and a wingspan to boot.

Was it responsible or connected to the tragic deaths of 46 people? Or does folklore color history in the modern world?

Returning to the world of cryptozoology again by popular demand, tonight's episode of Crime in the Coalfields focuses on the most well-known Cryptid in the Mountain State.

Julia and Harper discuss the history and culture behind the infamous Mothman, as well as his relation to a real-life tragedy.

Leah Hickman Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

Leah Hickman had a bright future, cut short by the hands of an assailant never found to this day.

When she went missing, the entire community rallied to find her. When she was found dead, her workplace honored her and paid for the funeral.

The 21-year-old was a journalism student at Marshall University in Huntington, dreaming of a TV news career.

In tonight's episode, Julia and Harper retell the story of her dream - deferred by murder.

Covered Up For Years: Michael Phillips and Zilphia Lowery Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

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. Both cases have their similarities, and their disparities.

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 Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

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.

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