Bloodshed in the Bluegrass

In the early 2000s, Lexington, Kentucky, was a city grappling with a series of unsolved murders that had the community on edge. Over the course of 10 months, four women were brutally killed and dumped in various locations, leading to speculation that the city had its first serial killer. This string of murders captivated the attention of the media, casting a dark shadow over the city's reputation.

Did Lexington have its first se...

In Greek mythology, Narcissus is a beautiful young man who falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. He becomes so obsessed with his reflection that he ignores everything else around him, including food and water.

Narcissus is often regarded as a symbol of vanity, self-absorption, and the dangers of excessive pride. His story has been told and retold for centuries, and it continues to resonate with people today. It’...

There had been 19 homicides in Louisville in 1982. As of June 30th, 1983 there had been 32. Homicides were up by a staggering 70%. The most puzzling of the homicides were the four black females that had all been killed execution style in the last month.

Time was of the essence. A serial killer was on the loose.

Sources :

Courier Journal: 3/19/78, 3/24/81, 6/5/83, 6/7/83, 6/14/83, 6/17/83, 7/3/83, 7/4/83, 7/8/83, 7/10/83, 7/9/83, 8/8/8...

This is a story from 1980’s Louisville that has one of the most unusual endings we have ever discussed on the show before.

Sources:

Kentucky Vital Statistics

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DD-ZQMN

Murderpedia

https://murderpedia.org/male.H/h1/harper-edward-lee.htm

Harper v Commonwealth 1985

https://law.justia.com/cases/kentucky/supreme-court/1985/694-s-w-2d-665-1.html

cincinnati.com

https://www.cincinn...

June 10, 1982 around 1:30am,  a woman had just completed her shift and was waiting for the bus on 4th street in downtown Louisville. A man in a lime green Camaro tried to abduct her at gunpoint. The arriving bus thwarted the attempt and the woman went straight to the police. She later picked the suspect out of a line-up. Unfortunately, the woman identified the wrong man. The real perpetrator was an active serial killer and he was l...

May 26, 1994, a 17 year-old walked calmly out of a 2 story brick home in the South Hampton estates in Union KY. The teen spotted a man taking a stroll about the neighborhood and calmly said, “You don’t know me but my name is Clay Shrout and you’re gonna hear a lot about me today. I’m going to be on CNN.” 

July 16, 1996 in the western KY community of Sharpe, Kentucky State Police responded to a call reporting a dead body in a bathtub in the home of a well-known family. This is a bizarre story involving a dirty Chicago cop, a Hells Angels motorcycle gang and a murder for hire scheme.

January 4, 1983 around 5pm, members of law enforcement descended upon a home located in Glomawr Holler in Perry co KY. The man they were looking for was wanted on a federal warrant for violating parole.

No one expected the terror that infiltrated this small Appalachian community or the salacious chain of events that preceded it. Sources:

In May of 2011, a dead body was found behind a Louisville high school leaving a family and community wanting answers. The journey to justice is one of the most mind bending stories we have ever told on this show. Your opinion of what really happened will probably change more than once!

Monday evening, May 18th 1942, the mayor of Hazard along with several city commissioners were walking along Main street. A long day of a civil defense meeting had come to an end and they were relieved to be going home. Suddenly, a car came barreling by and a man opened fire. Bullets whizzed past unsuspecting residents, striking one man twice.  Folks ran for cover while officers and armed citizens returned fire. Once the gun smoke c...

April 27, 1990 around 12:30 pm, a 15 year-old girl emerged from the woods and walked three miles to Howardstown Liquors in Nelson county. She told a tale straight out of a horror movie. Her story prompted an investigation that led to answers in several unsolved disappearances and homicides.

Thursday, August 25 1985, around 10:30pm  KSP Trooper Phillip Yates spotted a 1979 GMC Jimmy barreling out of a corn field onto US 68 near Burgin, KY. The vehicle had been reported as stolen. A shoot out, high speed chase and a crash later, the suspect fled on foot.

February 8, 1933  in the Tomahawk community in Martin county, authorities broke down the door of a small mountain cabin. Inside the home, members of a family were chanting, dancing and praying while the family matriarch, bound in chains, lay dead on a makeshift altar.

In Eastern Kentucky in the 1930's, the Black Legs Gang was accused of terrorizing citizens Magoffin and Floyd counties. These masked men were allegedly breaking into homes, ripping people from their beds and beating them with switches. The violence was carried out mainly because the victims supposedly talked bad about the gang leader. Others were beaten because they had dirty homes, refused to work or failed to send their kids ...

Wednesday April 23, 1986 two blood spattered women walked into Humana Hospital on Richmond Rd in Lexington, KY. One woman went to use the phone to call a cab while the other headed to the bathroom to wash up. A nurse noticed the blood on the two women and quickly alerted a police officer. The women were arrested for public intoxication.

In this episode, we will be telling the story of Donald Harvey, one of the most prolific serial killers in Kentucky and possibly the United States. He murdered at least 15 people who were under his care while working at the Marymount hospital in London, KY in 1970’s . He killed a confirmed 47 people and his total number of victims is estimated to be as high as 58.

Bardstown, KY has been no stranger to the news in recent years. The disappearance of Crystal Rogers, the ambush of Officer Jason Ellis, the assassination of Crystal’s dad Tommy Ballard along with the slaughter of Kathy Netherland and her daughter Samantha- have been the topics of numerous podcasts, news broadcasts and social media posts. 

In the year 2000, along and near the banks of the Kentucky River, a string of dead women sent residents in Anderson county into high alert. The number of deaths and the location of the bodies seemed too suspicious to simply chalk it up to coincidence. This small county of around 19,000 people had never known of anything like this happening before. What exactly was going on in this quiet little county?