In 1897, in rural West Virginia, a newlywed named Zona Heaster Shue died under mysterious circumstances. The local doctor declared it natural causes—until her grieving mother claimed her daughter’s ghost appeared, naming the husband as murderer and describing exactly how she had been killed. Authorities exhumed the body, confirmed a broken neck and signs of strangulation, and the husband was eventually convicted. The Greenbrier Ghost case remains the only known instance in U.S. history where a “ghost’s testimony” (relayed by a living witness) helped secure a murder conviction. In this episode, we examine the evidence, folklore, and whether justice from beyond the grave is ever truly possible.
In 1897, in rural West Virginia, a newlywed named Zona Heaster Shue died under mysterious circumstances. The local doctor declared it natural causes—until her grieving mother claimed her daughter’s ghost appeared, naming the husband as murderer and describing exactly how she had been killed. Authorities exhumed the body, confirmed a broken neck and signs of strangulation, and the husband was eventually convicted. The Greenbrier Ghost case remains the only known instance in U.S. history where a “...