In this episode, we follow the winding, unsettling path of a cold case that stretches from Lexington, Kentucky to Austin, Texas, and across nearly a decade of violence.

In November 1998, 43-year-old Linda Rutledge was murdered inside her family’s hearing aid business in Lexington. Her body was found after the building was set on fire, and despite early investigation, the case quickly went cold. For years, Linda’s murder remained one of Lexington’s quiet unsolved crimes, rarely revisited and seldom mentioned in the media.

But decades later, advances in forensic science and genetic genealogy would breathe new life into Linda’s case and unexpectedly link it to one of the most infamous unsolved cases in American history: the 1991 Yogurt Shop murders in Austin, Texas.

This episode traces the life and crimes of Robert Eugene Brashers, a transient and violent offender whose movements across the country allowed him to evade justice for years. Using newly analyzed ballistic evidence and DNA technology, investigators have connected Brashers to multiple murders and sexual assaults spanning several states and nearly a decade. Linda Rutledge may have been his final victim before he died by suicide in 1999.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of violence against women, sexual assault, and murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Topics Covered

• The 1998 murder of Linda Rutledge in Lexington, Kentucky

• The Yogurt Shop murders of four teenage girls in Austin, Texas

• How fires were used to conceal violent crimes

• The life, movements, and criminal history of Robert Eugene Brashers

• Advances in DNA testing and genetic genealogy

• The role of ballistic evidence in cold case investigations

Resources & References

• Recent documentary on the Yogurt Shop murders (HBO Max)

• Reporting on genetic genealogy by CeCe Moore

• Contemporary news coverage from Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, and South Carolina

Photos and archival clippings referenced in this episode will be shared on KY History & Haunts social media.

Connect With the Show
📧 Email: kyhistoryhaunts@gmail.com
📱 Instagram & Facebook: @kyhistoryhaunts

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In this episode, I dive into the life of Mildred “Milly” Lucas, a woman often credited as the first female jailer in Kentucky—though her journey to that role was anything but straightforward. What begins as an exploration of early female jailers in the state becomes a gripping true story of violence and political upheaval.

After the brutal murder of her husband, Daviess County Jailer William Lucas, during a racially motivated lynching in 1884, Mildred stepped in to run the jail. Her fight to hold the office—despite widespread gender bias, legal battles, personal tragedy, and even a jailbreak—reveals both the extraordinary challenges she faced and the rigid societal barriers of the time.

Content Warning:
This episode includes descriptions of a lynching and racially motivated violence. Graphic details are minimized but the events remain disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.

Learn how William Lucas, a Confederate veteran turned jailer, moved his family to Owensboro and became widely respected for maintaining the courthouse square—despite constant dangers inside the jail walls.

Hear the newspaper-reported account of Richard May, a young Black farmhand accused of assaulting a white woman—a claim that rapidly escalated into fear, rumor, and mob justice.

In the aftermath of her husband’s murder, Mildred—described by some as “delicate,” yet brave and unyielding—was appointed interim jailer.

Despite winning the next election “by a large margin,” Mildred’s eligibility was fiercely contested.

Following her forced removal, Mildred’s life was marked by sickness and profound loss. She died of consumption in 1898, after losing three of her children the same year. Newspapers remembered her as a “good woman” and the widow of a “martyred jailer.”

This episode exposes:

• The racial terror that shaped Kentucky’s past

• The challenges women faced in pursuing public office

• The human cost of mob violence and community silence

• The resilience of a woman who stepped into danger and leadership during crisis

Selected newspaper accounts from the Owensboro Messenger and other 19th-century Kentucky publications.

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What happens when a newly elected Governor of Kentucky finds his political career consumed by corruption scandals, a burning state capitol…and his son’s sensational murder trials? In this episode, we dive into the dramatic rise and infamous downfall of Governor Joseph Desha — and his son Isaac, who may have been one of Kentucky's first serial killers.

We begin with Joseph’s early life as a frontier soldier turned influential political powerhouse. He championed national expansion and state infrastructure — while waging a bitter political battle to reshape Kentucky’s judiciary.

Just months into his term as governor, flames destroyed the state capitol, public trust collapsed, and an even darker scandal erupted. Joseph’s son Isaac was accused of brutally murdering a traveling attorney named Francis Baker — a case filled with shocking evidence, political interference, and multiple controversial retrials. And the story didn’t end there…

When Isaac fled Kentucky under an alias, another man wound up dead thousands of miles away — leading newspapers to brand him a monster and fueling rumors that stretched all the way to Hawaii.

This episode includes discussion of violence and attempted suicide. Listener discretion advised.

What You’ll Learn

• How Joseph Desha rose from frontier militia to Governor of Kentucky

• The political chaos of the “Old Court – New Court” controversy

• The mysterious 1824 fire that destroyed Kentucky’s state capitol

• The sensational murder trial(s) of Isaac Desha — and a governor’s abuse of power

• How a second suspicious death sealed Isaac’s reputation

• The truth behind the long-standing “Desha in Hawaii” conspiracy

• What became of the Desha family after the scandal

Resources & References

Primary newspaper accounts referenced include:

• Lexington Weekly Press

• Frankfort Argus

• The Olive Branch and Danville Advertiser

Additional research includes state historical records and modern historical analysis.

Connect With the Show

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