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The Anna Isaacs Case
On March 29, 1940, seven year old Chilton Neal Jr. and family of Miller's Creek were riding toward Irvine on the River Road . As they approached the mouth of Cow Creek, one of the adults spotted something floating in the river that looked like a body. Chilton Neal Sr. decided to investigate. He sought the assistance of James Fike and Chester Horn, who lived nearby, in recovering the corpse. What they found was a mostly nude, badly decomposed body of a woman. Coroner Ferrell Lewis was called to investigate and determined that she had died from a massive blow to the head. The deteriorated state of the cadaver prevented identification and the putrid remains were buried hurriedly at the poor farm. (Estill County Poor Farm Cemetery, Dry Ridge & White Oak)
Burlin Isaacs, a resident of Barnes Mountain, heard of the discovery and wondered if it could be his missing daughter. Nineteen-year-old Anna Isaacs had disappeared a few months earlier on November 7, 1939. At the request of the Isaacs family the body was disinterred. After several members of the family viewed what was left of the corpse, they agreed that it was indeed the remains of Anna Isaacs. A missing tooth and some scraps of blond hair enabled them to make a positive identification.
Two local men had been seen dancing with Anna Isaacs in a Back Street joint on the night she disappeared. It was also determined that one of the men had rented a room for her in Ravenna and had spent part of the night at the rooming house. According to testimony at the trial, the man was upset on the night of the murder and publicly stated that he was missing forty dollars and accused the deceased of taking the money.
Based on that circumstantial evidence, The men were indicted and brought to trial in July of 1940. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and the murder charges against the two men were eventually dropped in 1942. The case was never solved.
Chilton Neal Jr. is still haunted by the memory of that tragic event. Ironically, during the November that Anna Isaacs was murdered, the same Neal family, while driving from Irvine to Millers Creek, saw a man and a woman near the spot where the body was eventually found. The woman was waving her arms in an agitated state. The Neals did not know what to make of the affair at first, but after they had driven up the road a bit, decided to go back and check out the situation. By the time they returned to the site the couple had disappeared. Chilton Neal Jr. has spent more than half a century wondering if the woman he saw that night, was Anna Isaacs.
Ralph's Estill County Kentucky History & Genealogy
Estill County Ky-The Maiden Murders
Estill Herald Volume 15, Number 49
Thursday Feb 12, 1942
Walters Sentenced For Two Years on Murder Charge
Convicted by Jury of Estill Countians Late Wednesday Afternoon In Fourth Trial of This Case.
Garnie Walters was convicted late Wednesday by a jury of Estill Countians and given a two year sentence for his part in the killing of Anna Isaacs whose body was found in the Kentucky River near the mouth of Cow Creek in March 1940, and indictments for murder were returned by the grand jury at the May term of circuit court in 1940 against both Walters and Sherman Cox. Cox was tried twice both trials resulting in hung juries and this was the second trial for Walters.
The case was called Monday morning and Judge Seale overruled a motions by the defense asking for a continuance on account of some of the witnesses being unable to appear. The judge ruled that the testimony in the previous trial could be read as evidence.
The jury box was filled Tuesday morning by June Scrivner, Joe Wagers, George W. Hall, H.P. Wilson, Frank Hawkins, Wilson Woosley, Joe Sexton, James White, Willard Sexton, James Winkler, Hobert Marcum and Orgie Rice and the introduction of evidence began immediately with the case going to the jury about noon Wednesday.
On March 29, 1940, seven year old Chilton Neal Jr. and family of Miller's Creek were riding toward Irvine on the River Road . As they approached the mouth of Cow Creek, one of the adults spotted something floating in the river that looked like a body. Chilton Neal Sr. decided to investigate. He sought the assistance of James Fike and Chester Horn, who lived nearby, in recovering the corpse. What they found was a mostly nude, badly decomposed body of a woman. Coroner Ferrell Lewis was called to investigate and determined that she had died from a massive blow to the head. The deteriorated state of the cadaver prevented identification and the putrid remains were buried hurriedly at the poor farm. (Estill County Poor Farm Cemetery, Dry Ridge & White Oak)
Burlin Isaacs, a resident of Barnes Mountain, heard of the discovery and wondered if it could be his missing daughter. Nineteen-year-old Anna Isaacs had disappeared a few months earlier on November 7, 1939. At the request of the Isaacs family the body was disinterred. After several members of the family viewed what was left of the corpse, they agreed that it was indeed the remains of Anna Isaacs. A missing tooth and some scraps of blond hair enabled them to make a positive identification.
Two local men had been seen dancing with Anna Isaacs in a Back Street joint on the night she disappeared. It was also determined that one of the men had rented a room for her in Ravenna and had spent part of the night at the rooming house. According to testimony at the trial, the man was upset on the night of the murder and publicly stated that he was missing forty dollars and accused the deceased of taking the money.
Based on that circumstantial evidence, The men were indicted and brought to trial in July of 1940. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and the murder charges against the two men were eventually dropped in 1942. The case was never solved.
Chilton Neal Jr. is still haunted by the memory of that tragic event. Ironically, during the November that Anna Isaacs was murdered, the same Neal family, while driving from Irvine to Millers Creek, saw a man and a woman near the spot where the body was eventually found. The woman was waving her arms in an agitated state. The Neals did not know what to make of the affair at first, but after they had driven up the road a bit, decided to go back and check out the situation. By the time they returned to the site the couple had disappeared. Chilton Neal Jr. has spent more than half a century wondering if the woman he saw that night, was Anna Isaacs.
Ralph's Estill County Kentucky History & Genealogy
Estill County Ky-The Maiden Murders
Estill Herald Volume 15, Number 49
Thursday Feb 12, 1942
Walters Sentenced For Two Years on Murder Charge
Convicted by Jury of Estill Countians Late Wednesday Afternoon In Fourth Trial of This Case.
Garnie Walters was convicted late Wednesday by a jury of Estill Countians and given a two year sentence for his part in the killing of Anna Isaacs whose body was found in the Kentucky River near the mouth of Cow Creek in March 1940, and indictments for murder were returned by the grand jury at the May term of circuit court in 1940 against both Walters and Sherman Cox. Cox was tried twice both trials resulting in hung juries and this was the second trial for Walters.
The case was called Monday morning and Judge Seale overruled a motions by the defense asking for a continuance on account of some of the witnesses being unable to appear. The judge ruled that the testimony in the previous trial could be read as evidence.
The jury box was filled Tuesday morning by June Scrivner, Joe Wagers, George W. Hall, H.P. Wilson, Frank Hawkins, Wilson Woosley, Joe Sexton, James White, Willard Sexton, James Winkler, Hobert Marcum and Orgie Rice and the introduction of evidence began immediately with the case going to the jury about noon Wednesday.
