Over 80 years ago, a coal mining town in Tennessee was rocked by the murders of two wealthy sisters and their 16-year-old houseworker. Who had the motive to kill the sisters, and why would someone harm the teenager who worked for them? In 2001, a former police chief claimed to have solved the case and named several suspects, but it remains shrouded in mystery.
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Episode Sources
The Commercial Appeal): Mystery Surrounds Tennessee Murders, Feb 6, 1940
Knoxville Sentinel-Times:) Hint Murder Tale Not Yet Told, Feb 7, 1940
Knoxville Sentinel-Times): Oliver Springs Divided Over Theories of Sisters’ Slayings, Feb 8, 1940
The Knoxville Journal): Sheriff Offers Slaying Case Reward, Feb 8, 1940
The Knoxville Journal): Jurors reject Murder-Suicide Theory, Feb 14, 1940
The Knoxville Journal): Slain Sisters Cousin was Mysteriously Killed, Feb 18, 1940
Oliver Springs Historical Society): Historical Timeline of Oliver Springs
Oliver Springs Historical Society Newsletter): The Richards Sisters Murders
The Tennessean): Clearing of suspect deepens 60 year old mystery, January 27, 2001
Seattle PI): The cousin did it, investigator says, November 15, 2001
WBIR 10 News): Appalachian Unsolved: Murder in the mansion, May 22, 2023
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
