JUDITH LYNN PETTY
1/31/1960 - 2/6/2008
Judith “Judy” Petty, 48, went missing after going for a walk on February 6, 2008 near Parkersburg, WV. Her remains were located in the cellar of an outbuilding on her family’s property, approximately 13 miles from her residence.
She’d been burned beyond recognition and she was identified via dental records. Her cause and manner of death were listed as undetermined, although her death is suspicious in nature and she was likely murdered.
On the afternoon of Wednesday February 6th 2008 48-year-old Judy Petty left her grandmothers home in Parkersburg WV to return some books and DVDs to the library. Judy owned a car but more often than not preferred to complete her daily tasks by walking. The books and DVDs WERE returned to the library that day...but no one actually saw Judy drop them off.
On Wednesday February 6th, 2008, around 5pm. 48-year-old Judith Petty left her grandmother's house to return some books and DVD's to the local library. By 8pm her family started to worry about her.
Today were bringing you a small update in the case of Judy Petty from Parkersburg West Virginia. Her case is now being looked into again after two new suspects have been brought to the table.
Welcome to Crawlspace. In this episode Tim Pilleri & Lance Reenstierna continue speaking with the amazing people they met at CrimeCon 2023. This is a riveting conversation with Melissa Sandberg. Melissa is a member of the American Military University Cold Case Investigations Team from Charles Town, W.Va., also known as the Safe Haven team. Melissa applies her background as a social worker as she and her team investigate the 2008 murder of Judith Petty.
Investigators are following up on new leads into the case of Judith Petty's death.
This video provides a first hand view of the 1/3 mile walk from Deerway Hwy (Waverly, WV) to the Petty family farm where the burnt remains of Judy Petty were discovered on February 8, 2008. Judy reportedly had to navigate this driveway at night in order to make her way up to the main house on the farm.
This video shows the cellar location where the burnt remains of Judy Petty were discovered in 2008 on her family's property near Parkersburg, WV.
On February 6th, 2008, 48-year-old Judith Petty left her grandmother's house to return some books at a library three blocks away. After that we don't know what happened. That night her family starts searching all over Parkersburg, West Virginia for her. The next day her father drives out to the family farm to find their property engulfed in flames. When the fire went out, her father found Judith's remains in the cellar. The medical examiner stated that Judith was dead before the fire. Now, fifteen years later, local law enforcement says it was a suicide or that she must have died of natural causes. So, what really happened to Judith Petty?
In February 2008, the family of Judy Petty frantically searched for her in Parkersburg, West Virginia after she never came home from a nighttime walk. The next day, she was found in the charred remains of her family’s farm. But how did she get there, and how did she die? Volunteer investigator and podcaster Melissa Sandberg joins producer Julie Berke to discuss her work on the case, and how she’s made it her mission to bring closure to Judy’s family.
Violence in the Valley is a podcast centered on the book of short stories about unusual murders and other crimes investigated in the mid-Ohio Valley by the Parkersburg Police Department Detective Bureau, West Virginia State Police, and other agencies along the peaceful Ohio River from Wheeling to Huntington, West Virginia.
PART I: MYSTERIOUS DEATH: Judy Petty decided to walk from her home to the family farm on Feb. 6, 2008. The trek was more than 13 miles long, at night and through a rural thoroughfare near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Her nearly cremated body was found on the farm days later. Was it an accident or was it murder? We are joined in studio with Melissa Sandberg of the Safe Haven podcast Listen, review and share.
PART II: This week we explore the unsolved death of Judy Petty more in depth. Melissa, Jennifer, and the Petty family join Andrew and George to discuss further details of the case
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