Murder of Isaiah Cherry

 

On September 8, 2018, 33-year-old Isaiah Cherry was murdered at 2306 Greenwood Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Louisville, Police

Uncovered

July 12, 1924, Covington, Kentucky Jane Doe

On July 12, 1924, the body of a woman was found on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky. Her body showed she had struggled with her killer. Her clothes seemed to have also torn due to the struggle. She was then shot twice in the right side of her head. There was no evidence that she was killed there and may have been killed elsewhere and dumped there. It was believed she died around a week before. 

It's possible that she was killed in Cincinnati, Ohio and her body was dumped where it was found. 

Jane Doe was a woman between 30 and 40 years old. She was 5'6". She had long dark hair with a curl to it. She was wearing a tan whipcord dress made of good material, an orange blossom gold wedding ring of late design, earrings, a long black string of beads, and a cheap ring. She was wearing no shoes


SOURCES:
Find a Grave

Lexington Herald-Leader July 13, 1924

The Paducah Sun-Democrat July 14, 1924

Murder of Raymond Sadler

On July 11, 2008, 88-year-old Raymond Sadler was beaten to death at 425 Winkler Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Louisville Police

Uncovered

The Courier-Journal December 31,2008

Murder of Corey Campbell

Around 5:09 pm on  February 19, 1997, 18-year-old Corey Campbell was seen running from a black male subject near the area of North 12th Street and Harrison Street in Paducah, Kentucky.  Corey would be shot and was found alive behind a nearby house. He would be brought to the hospital however at 10:20 a.m. on February 27, 1997, he died due to his injuries. 

SOURCES:

Paducah, Kentucky

Uncovered

The Paducah Sun Feb. 28, 1997

murder of Ike Chivers

  
January 20, 2005, 33-year-old Ike Chiversat was shot and killed in an ally at 4305 W Market St in Louisville, Kentucky. His family believes it may have been a robbery-murder.

SOURCES:

Louisville Police

Uncovered

Wave January 20, 2013

WLKY January 21, 2013

Fawn Hoof Mummy

 

In September of 1811 a tomb for a woman was found inside Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. She was found in a little crypt with a big stone as a roof. She was in a sitting position with two decorated deer skins, and a woven woolen blanket. Her red hair was cut short, and her teeth and nails were pristine. She was 6 ft tall which was unusual for the time. There was evidence of makeup on her lips. She had a necklace made of young deer hooves, giving her the name "Fawn Hoof Mummy". She had many dressing ornaments and utensils in her tomb. She must have been cared for.

Some say that she was mummified purposely and similarly to how the Egyptians did it. It's possible that she wasn't and that it was done naturally due to the cave and the deer skins she was wrapped in. It's unknown now as her body has been lost. 

After her body was found at the time like many other historical remains it was treated as property. She had gone through many hands. The last time it was seen was shortly after the Smithsonian photographed it. Some believe that the Smithsonian still has her remains, but they were disassembled and stored.

SOURCES:
Little House of Horrors
Ancient Code

Curiosmos 
Mummipedia

Murder of Jerrick Dwayne Lamont Young

On December 20, 2005, at 116 N 46th St in Louisville, Kentucky 18-year-old Jerrick Young was found dead in a driveway. He had been shot and killed and may have been killed the night before. A car parked blocked his view and the person driving the car did not notice his body, but others did after the car was moved. Neighbors claimed to have heard gunshots but did nothing about it.

Jerrick also had a gun on himself. It's not stated whether or not he had also shot it. 

SOURCES:

Louisville Police

Uncovered

Wave  December 21, 2005

Murder of Eugene “Happy” Thomas Sr.

On October 27, 1998, 74-year-old Eugene “Happy” Thomas was found shot in front of his home at 1141 Martin Luther King Dr in Paducah, Kentucky. He would be taken to Western Baptist Hospital where he died from his injuries on January 11, 1999.

At the time Eugene was well well-known person in the community. He was the owner of Happy’s Chili Parlor located on North 12th St near his home.

SOURCES:

Paducah Kentucky

Uncovered

WPSD Local January 20, 2023

Murder of Kentrail Robbins

Around 7 p.m. on September 8, 2012, 22-year-old Kentrail Robbins was on 28th and Grand Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky outside of a barber shop. A black male would get out of their vehicle shoot Kentrail and flee the scene. Kentrail would, unfortunately, die soon after getting to the hospital.

SOURCES:
Louisville Police

Uncovered

WHAS II September 10, 2012

Urban Legends: Pan of Cherokee Park

Photo by Alan Canon

Cherokee Park is located in Louisville, Kentucky. It's a good place to see some natural scenery and maybe be able to see the mischievous Pan come to life.

In 1903 Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Hogan from Anchorage, Kentucky submitted a letter to the Board of Park Commissioners. They suggested building a water fountain for dogs and horses and offered $7,000 in order to help erect one. The Commission would ask park designers, and Louisville park architects Olmstead and Associates to find a site for the fountain. The highest part of Cherokee Park was chosen.

To Mrs. Hogan's suggestion, they decided to the Greek God Pan to be the subject of the fountain. Lousiville sculptor, Enid Yandell, designed the fountain. The statue of Pan was sculpted and cast in bronze to appear lively. Pan who has a human body, horns on his head, and goat legs and feet appeared to be dancing holding his musical pipe. He is flocked by turtles that are used as water spouts into the 14 ft wide basin. The basin was decorated with four dog heads from which water also flows into a trough.

The fountain would be erected and dedicated on August 31, 1905.

According to urban legend during the full moon or maybe even every night at midnight Pan comes to life. It's said that Pan gets up to mischief sometimes even damaging vehicles nearby. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia (Pan)

Louisville Ghost Hunters Society

Lousiville Halloween

Only In Your State

Murder of Frank Shemwell

On July 24, 2006, the home of 81-year-old Dr. Frank Shemwell was on fire in Paducah, Kentucky. Police and Firefighters would respond and Frank's body was found inside lying on the kitchen floor. It had been found that Frank was murdered as he had suffered from blunt force injuries and was still alive when the house was set on fire as he had inhaled smoke. 

SOURCES:

Paducah, Kentucky

Wave August 16, 2006

The Headless Woman of Iroquois Park

At Iroquois Park in Louisville, Kentucky it's said that a headless woman wearing 1800's clothes and carrying her head could be seen in the park. It's said that at night she wanders through the woods holding her head. You can see sometimes see her walking through a cloud of fog or smoke.

It's said that she was the wife of an old farmer. One night when she was home alone Native Americans would raid the home. When they found the poor woman inside they beheaded her and burned the house down.

SOURCES:
Louisville Ghost Hunters Society
Nolan Group Media
DJX
Manual Red Eye

Cryptids: Freshwater Octopus

Photo by Isabel Galvez

It is said that a medium sizes cephalopod, an octopus, is sometimes found in rivers of North America. It is said that they are 2 to 3 ft long and there were sighting in several places. Octopuses needing a high saline that would mean if they were actually found in freshwater that they are a miracle mutation or evolution allowed them to.

One sighting was on December 24, 1933, by Robert Trice and R.M. Saunders. They were fishing on the Kanawha River near Charleston, West Virginia when they hauled in a 3 ft. octopus. Recent research by Mark Hall proved that this was indeed a hoax. 

On January 30, 1959 people witnessed a grey octopus was seen surfacing and moved onto the bank of the Licking River near Covington Kentucky. 

On November 19, 1999, a dead octopus was found on the bank of the Ohio River at the Falls of Ohio State Park in Jefferson, Indiana on some fossil beds. It was identified as a Caribbean arm stripe octopus or a bumblebee two-stripe octopus, both Atlantic species.  It was not in a state of decomposition meaning its death was recent. This doesn't mean however that it lived in the waters. It's possible that someone had recently abandoned a pet there and did not realize the octopus would survive or that it is another hoax. 

SOURCES:

It's Something Wiki

Nature World News

Octolab

February 1922 Mason County, Kentucky Baby Doe

  In February 1922 the body of a newborn (a day old) baby was found in Cabin Creek in Mason County, Kentucky. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Disappearance of Sandra Lee Killian

 On September 18, 1984, 31-year-old Sandra Killian got into an argument with her husband William. She told him she was going home to Kentucky from their home in Lakewood, Colorado. Her only way there though was by hitchhiking. 

Sandra is a white female and was 31-years-old at the time. She's 5'3" to 5'8" and 100 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She has a butterfly tattoo on her left shoulder. She was wearing a brown coat, blue t-shirt, and jeans at the time.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Colorado  Bureau of Investigation

Murder of Adam Richard Payne

 

On October 9, 1955, the body of 34-year-old Adam Payne was found lying on the roadway of KY 428 (Guston Rd), 7/10th of a mile west of Guston in Meade County, Kentucky. He was initially reported as being struck by a vehicle. The responding trooper found that the victim had died from gunshot wounds and was struck by a vehicle after death. He had been shot and killed in another location and then his body had been dumped.

SOURCES:

Kentucky State Police

Murder of Andrew H. Reagan

27-year-old Andrew Reagan was working as a terminal manager of B.B.I. Tucking Company in Evansville, Indiana. He last was seen alive on September 22, 1954, when he left the McCurdy Coral Room after having drinks with some friends at the McCurdy Coral Room.

On October 1, 1954, four laborers were checking a fence while riding a tractor on a Jim Ellis's Farm. This was when they discovered his body lying in a ditch along a country road five miles Northwest of Henderson, Kentucky. This was just 12 miles south of Evansville. 

He had been killed from at least 9 blows to the head with a tire tool-type instrument. His wallet was missing along with his money and I.D. inside of it. This leads investigators to believe the motive for the murder may have been a robbery.

SOURCES:

Kentucky State Police

Nashville Banner

The Owensboro Messenger

The Courier-Journal

Muncie Evening Press

Murder of William Lewis Arwood

On August 9, 1953, 42-year-old William Arwood was inside of the bar Southside Liquors in Henderson, Kentucky. This bar was a segregated bar. A black man came from the black side of the bar to the white side. William and the unknown male had words. The unknown man called William out and he went out and was shot in the chest twice.

On Jan. 19, 1980 a subject was called the Police Department in Sacramento, California and gave details of the murder. With a further investigation, the person believed to have made the call denied knowing anything about the murder or making a phone call. 

SOURCES:

Kentucky State Police

Who is Jane Martin?

Jane Martin is a playwright and a Kentucky native and these things are really the only things known about the person using the name. Jane Martin is just a pen name and the person behind it is a mystery. They have been active since 1981 and a long time collaborator of Actors Theater of Louisville's artistic director Jon Jory. He would keep their identity secret and people would suspect and do suspect Jon is Jane. He would direct the premiers of Jane's plays. They would release plays like Anton in Show Business, Back Story, Keely and Du, etc.

There have been many theories of the identity of Jane, but none have been confirmed.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Dramatic Publishing
e notes
Pulitzer
Play Bill
NPR
Washington

Murder of William Arliss "Curly" Shelton

32-year-old William "Curly" Shelton was a T.V. star in Evansville, Indiana. He was a regular on "Hillside Hoedown" a popular Saturday night country music variety show that aired on  WEHT-TV in northwestern Kentucky and Southwestern Indiana, and Eastern Illinois. He was a guitarist and vocalist.

On December 4, 1957, Curly was found lying face down in the front seat of his convertible behind the behind VFW Club on  U.S. 41A and 3 miles South of Henderson, Kentucky. He had been beaten to death. There was no weapons used on him and it seemed his killer used their fists and stomped on him. He had a fractured skull and a broken leg. He was seemed to have been beaten outside of his vehicle and then thrown into the vehicle after the beating.

He was kind of a playboy and was involved with several women. Some of who were married or in a relationship. He was also a heavy drinker and in deep debt, but police said robbery doesn't seem to have been the motive. It could be possible one of the women he was involved with's boyfriend or husband killed him. This case has never been solved.


SOURCES:
Kentucky State Police
WKYT
News 14
Messenger-Inquirer
The Messenger