91: The Hopkinsville Encounter

We're back with updates on Christa Pike, the woman convicted of the brutal 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer in Knoxville. With Pike's execution approaching, there's plenty to unpack, from the latest legal developments to the controversy surrounding her case. We're breaking down what's happening, what it means, and why this case continues to make headlines more than 30 years later. https://thestabbinstylist.com

In December 2000, 10 year old Joshua Lee Walden disappeared from his Chattanooga, Tennessee, neighborhood. Two days later, his body was discovered in a wooded area near East Lake Park. More than 25 years later, Joshua’s murder remains unsolved, leaving his family and community searching for answers. In this episode of The Stabbin Stylist, Ashley and Randa revisit one of Chattanooga’s most heartbreaking cold cases, the investigation, and the unanswered questions surrounding Joshua’s death.

🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE! 💀🍂 Cleveland and Bradley County, Tennessee, have no shortage of haunted history, eerie legends, and Southern Appalachian folklore. And if you grew up around here, chances are you've heard at least one of these stories! From the mysterious Phantom Monk of Charleston to the heartbreaking history and ghost stories surrounding Nina Craigmiles and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, we're exploring some of the most fascinating local legends that have been passed down through generations. And of course, we couldn't celebrate Halloween in Cleveland without mentioning our most famous hometown Halloween legend, Tall Betsy! 👻 Just remember, y'all better listen, or Tall Betsy might come looking for you and drop your bones down the Old Arnold Well! 🦴 Whether you're a lifelong Cleveland resident, new to Bradley County, or simply love Tennessee ghost stories, haunted places, Appalachian folklore, and local history, there's something here for you. 🎙️ Listen to The Stabbin Stylist Podcast as we uncover the true history, local legends, and spooky stories hiding in our own backyard. 🔗 https://thestabbinstylist.com

In October 1976, the death of four-year-old Melisha Morganna Gibson shocked Cleveland, Tennessee, and drew national attention to a child welfare system that had already received warnings about the danger surrounding her. Melisha had been removed from her home as an infant following allegations of abuse and spent much of her young life in foster care. Just months after she was returned to her mother, Wanda Maddux, and stepfather, Ronald Maddux, Melisha was dead. Ronald and Wanda Maddux were later convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 99 years and one day in prison. But Melisha’s story did not end with a criminal trial. Her death forced Cleveland and Bradley County to confront difficult questions about how an abused child could have been returned to a dangerous home. The case received national coverage, including an extensive article by Calvin Trillin in The New Yorker, and became part of a larger conversation about child abuse, child protective services, and the responsibility of agencies charged with protecting vulnerable children. In Cleveland, the response was immediate. Approximately 1,000 people attended Melisha’s funeral. Local advocates pushed for greater cooperation between agencies handling child abuse cases, and the community’s child shelter was renamed the Melisha Gibson Child Shelter in her memory. Nearly fifty years later, Melisha’s name is still remembered in Cleveland. In this episode of The Stabbin Stylist, we look back at the short life of Melisha Gibson, the warning signs that came before her death, the investigation and trial that followed, and the lasting impact her case had on child protection in Tennessee and beyond.

In nineteenth century Chattanooga, the booming railroad industry brought more than growth to the city. Saloons, gambling halls, brothels, political corruption, and violence flourished around Chattanooga’s early red-light district—and one woman became infamous enough that her name survived long after the streets she walked disappeared. Alice Cooper, a successful Chattanooga madam later remembered as the “wickedest woman in Chattanooga,” built her reputation inside the city’s notorious vice district during the late 1800s. But with few official records surviving, the line between the real Alice Cooper and the woman who became a Chattanooga legend has become increasingly difficult to separate. In this episode of The Stabbin Stylist, we explore what is known about Alice, Chattanooga’s forgotten red-light district, her mysterious death, and how the woman eventually buried as the “Lady of the Night” became part of Chattanooga history, Southern folklore, and local ghost stories.