Crime in the Coalfields
Crime in the Coalfields is a true crime podcast hosted by 59News Anchor Julia White, and 59News Digital Producer Brandi Blake. Based in Southern West Virginia, each episode Julia and Brandi will tell the stories of the tragic and bizarre crimes that take place in rural Appalachia.
Episodes
Monica Hartwell Fires Back
On this episode of Crime in the Coalfields, Julia and Brandi dive once more into the case of Monica Hartwell, a woman serving 40 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Michael Walker. This time, however, they hear directly from Mon…
The Mysterious Case of Rosa White
In the early 1900s, the brutal murder of 18-year-old Rosa White rocked Logan County. The crime was surrounded by mystery and intrigue, nearly working the local community into a frenzy, calling for justice. In this episode, Julia and Brandi …
Monica Hartwell
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…
Anita Price
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 …
Searching for the Missing
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 progres…
The Life and Death of Wanda Palmer
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. …
Murders at Maybeury Mansion
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 …
Danny Collins
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 …
Mothman and the Silver Bridge
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…
Leah Hickman
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.…
Covered Up For Years: Michael Phillips and Zilphia Lowery
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 b…
Cassie Sheetz
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. Wi…
Irene Wilson
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 this episode - Harper and Julia delve into Calhoun County - 1963. In the small town of Broomstick, the gri…
The McDowell County Courthouse Murders: A Walk Through History
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 doub…
Reta Mays
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 Vir…
The Wyoming County Courthouse: A Walk Through History
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 sur…
The Death Penalty: A Walk Through History
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 de…
Carl Cox
In this week's episode, Julia and Harper examine a case of cold-blooded murder- from shocking court outbursts, surprising video evidence, and a disturbing father-daughter relationship that ends with one of them dead. This is a recent case …
Closing the Carter Case (Alex Carter Revisited)
After nearly a quarter century - the missing persons case of Alex Carter has finally come to a close. 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 -…
Cathy Jo McCoy
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 da…
The Unsolved Rainbow Murders
Two women: Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero were hitchhiking to the Rainbow Gathering in 1980. The Rainbow Gathering was a world-peace festival meant to celebrate love, harmony and freedom held in Pocahontas County. The two women, however, …
Murder on the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail is known for having some of the most scenic views on the East Coast of the United States, if not the entire country. However, the Appalachian Trail can also be a sinister place. The Appalachian Trail has seen a total o…
The Flatwoods Monster
The strange and supernatural can be found all across the state of West Virginia. In tonight's episode, Izzy and Harper return to the topic of Cryptozoology to discuss the cryptids in our home. This week, the spotlight is on the Flatwoods Mo…
The Killer of Quiet Dell: Harry Powers
Harry Powers was a West Virginia serial killer who used local advertisements and false personas to catch unsuspecting people, which we in modern society are no strangers to ourselves. Izzy and Harper touch upon the similarities to our era …
Cherice Gwinn-Stephens
A case that is 30 years old this week: Angela Cherice Gwinn-Stephens, known to everyone as Cherice went missing in September of 1993. Foul play is suspected in Cherice's disappearance by both her family and law enforcement. In 2014, she wa…
23 Years Cold (Alex Carter Revisited)
A potential new lead in a cold case that has been a burden for a local father for 23 years. Could the new path in this case spell an end to another cold case thanks to the arduous work of law enforcement, or will the evidence elude any hop…
Danny Casolaro: Part Two
Izzy and Harper continue to delve into the case of Danny Casolaro, a man who apparently committed suicide in a hotel in Martinsburg West Virginia in 1991. After being found dead, the procedures following his death have been critiqued by bot…
Danny Casolaro: Part One
Danny Casolaro is a new kind of case for Crime in the Coalfields. His apparent suicide has become the subject of several conspiracy theory rabbit holes and true crime deep dives. Izzy and Harper break down the basic details of what happened…
Sis Linn
A brutal and personal murder that has gone unsolved results in a college campus being haunted by the spirit that remains. This episode, Izzy and Harper tackle what little remains in the story of the Glenville State Ghost: Sis Linn. How did …
Sister Roberta Elam: Part Two
The second part to the case of Sister Roberta Elam. A Postulant Catholic Nun, Sister Roberta Elam was brutally strangled to death in a park near Mt. St. Joseph Mother House in Wheeling, West Virginia. Despite being a relatively sparse case …
Sister Roberta Elam: Part One
Anyone can be targeted by violent crime, including the pious. An upcoming full-fledged Catholic Nun, Sister Roberta Elam was an unlikely victim, but nonetheless, she was brutally strangled to death in a park near Mt. St. Joseph Mother House…
Melba Fitzerald
In rural areas in Pocahontas, communities are much more close-knit. So when a popular business owner goes missing and is found days later brutally murdered and dismembered by her own business and life partner, the public's reaction can be e…
LaRoy Gorman
When he died, LaRoy Earl Gorman was the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Charleston National Bank and had just negotiated the acquisition of First national Bank of South Charleston. He had just finished a night out at his fav…
Butchered by Bradford
Family murder, Abuse, and Kidnapping all the day after an early release. William 'Bill' Bradford was just released early from prison for good behavior. He had been in jail for a petty larceny charge of his father's property. When he got out…
The Black Knight Murders
In the year 1947, the Black Knight Country Club was the scene of a grisly double murder, but not the scene of the crime. The bodies of Nelle Rand and her lover E. Ray Bailey were found elsewhere after they were shot to death while having a…
Brenda Lambert
A woman from Mercer County goes missing after her son's first birthday. Did she leave without a trace or was she murdered? Brenda Lambert was a fun-loving and feisty woman, according to her sister. So why would she leave her children? Did h…
Cryptids of West Virginia
Disappearances, abductions, and a disaster that killed 46 people. All of these are believed to be caused by unnatural things. The strange and supernatural can be found all across the state of West Virginia. In tonight's episode, Izzy and Ha…
Kyle Morgan
A 15 year old boy was found dead under the Fort Henry Bridge in Wheeling, West Virginia. His name was Kyle Morgan, and it has been almost seven years since he died. There were very few breaks in the case. With no evidence, no leads, and no …
The Wolf Creek Murders
In the premiere episode of Crime in the Coalfields season 2, Izzy and Harper step outside of West Virginia, to Giles County Virginia. In 1978, Timothy Vaughn found a grisly murder scene near Wolf Creek on Route 61, centered around a burning…
A Look Forward: Crime in the Coalfields Season 2
Crime in the Coalfields takes a look forward to Season 2 in this bonus episode. Izzy and Harper discuss some of the possibilities for cases on the roster in season 2, whether they are in Southern West Virginia or otherwise. Different episod…