The 1969 murder of a 12-year old girl in Nashville, Tenneesse has remained “officially” unsolved for over 50 years. But Flatrock host Olivia Lind gives listeners an in-depth look into the case that points to the guilt of one man. 

True Crime Cases in Tennessee

Olivia co-hosts a podcast called Something’s Not Right, a weekly series that primarily focuses on true crime cases in Tennessee. A past episode of Something’s Not Right focused on the “unsolved” murder of 12-year old Kathy Jones in a subsurb of Nashville traditionally called Flatrock. Olivia became enthralled in the case and wanted to do a deep-dive investigation. So she began a separate podcast on this story called Flatrock.

Olivia assembled an all-star team to create her eight-episode series. She works with an NPR executive producer who led a production group that developed the script and executed the audio production. In addition, Steven Pacheco of Trace Evidence (and a past guest of Payne in the Pod) helped Olivia with creating the warnings/credits for the episodes. 

A 1969 Murder in Flatrock

12-year old Kathy Jones was murdered around Thanksgiving of 1969 in Flatrock. She was on her way to go roller skating, and her body was found in a vacant field a few days later. 

Olivia investigates the circumstances and suspects surrounding Kathy’s murder. The most likely suspect is Darrel, then-boyfriend of Kathy’s mother Nora. (Darrel later married Nora, and they remained married until Nora’s death.)

Flatrock provides the details of the murder, along with interviews of surviving witnesses from the case. Olivia’s investigation points to Darrel as the most likely suspect.

Mary Payne and Nora grapple with the reality that someone alive today likely knows the truth of the murder---but refuses to come forward. They point to Darrel’s (literal) partner in crime named Tim (or “The Dude”) as someone who could probably come clean with the full story. They hope that someone will eventually clear his or her conscience by spilling the secrets of Kathy’s murder.

A Violent End for the Suspected Killer

Darrel was never a straight-edge citizen. He and Tim committed petty thefts in the past. Darrel later got into drug dealing. In fact, Darrel was murdered in 2011 during a drug deal gone wrong. The illegal and troubled circumstances of Darrel’s death reinforce suspicions that he was the most likely suspect in the “unsolved” case of Kathy Jones.

Catch up on all of the Payne in the Pod episodes, here. And don’t forget, Payne in the Pod is on Patreon – become a Patron! 

Podcast Recommendations: 

Trace Evidence

Dark Boutine

Lords of Death

Swindled

Death in the Afternoon

Getting Curious

Find Olivia at:

Instagram: @Notrightolivia

Find Flatrock at:

Website: https://www.flatrockpod.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flatrockpod

Twitter: @flatrockpod

Instagram: @flatrockpod

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