Hey guys, Mark here. Before we start this episode off, me and Courtney just wanted to say thank you
for all of the love and support you show Mountain State Mysteries. So, we thought we would repay you
by turning into a weekly podcast. One week, we will be giving you a full length episode,
and the next week, we will be giving you a mini episode, hosted solo by either me or Courtney.
We both really hope you guys love what we have coming your way.
Mountain State Mysteries contains adult content that may not be suitable for all audiences.
Listener discretion is advised. I'm your host, Mark, and this is Mountain State Mysteries.
The case I have for you today is about a woman whose life was taken suddenly,
and her body was disposed of in one of the most tragic ways possible. This is a story,
Abedi Josephine Todd Blevins. December 7, 1971 started out as a typical day for any officer
at the Beckley Detachment of the West Virginia State Police, that is, until they received an
anonymous phone call that immediately got their attention. The anonymous caller spent no time
chatting and got straight to the point. The reason this call got the attention of the
state police is because Bedi Blevins disappeared on October 16th, two months before the call was
ever made. When officers got to the sealed mine shaft, they saw that the seal had been removed.
This was an indication that the caller may have just been right about what was at the bottom of
the 300-foot deep mine shaft. After three days of phone calls, plans, arrangements for permits,
and bringing in the right equipment, Trooper Blizzard and Mine Shacks Inspector Hatfield
were lowered into the darkness of the Lilybrook mine shaft. That's when they found out the
caller was correct. There was a body at the bottom of the mine shaft. They discovered the
badly decomposed remains of a person. Could it be Bedi? They weren't sure because identification
couldn't be made right then and there. The face of the person was completely shattered from smashing
against the floor from the 300-foot drop. The body was so badly decomposed that facial identification
was absolutely impossible and the teeth were missing so identification from dental records
weren't going to happen either. Officers called Bedi's sister Margaret Doyon to see if she could
possibly recognize the coat that had been found with the body at the bottom of the mine shaft.
She immediately identified the coat as belonging to her sister Bedi because she actually bought it
for her right before her disappearance. Two days later, the phone ring again at the state police
headquarters in Beckley, West Virginia. When police found out who the caller was, they were shocked.
It was Lena James, Tom's own mother. Tom Jones had a record of violence going back for two decades,
but he had gotten worse since he suffered a head injury from a car accident in 1966. Tom was known
for committing acts of cruelty to animals. He would slaughter them, then watch them suffer as they
died. He also attempted to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl. He had beaten both his mother
and his little brother. Everyone in the town of Sullivan was terrified to report Tom to the police.
It was also common knowledge in the town of Sullivan that Tom had a hatred for Bedi Blevins.
On December 15th, Tom Jones was brought in for questioning. Karen Jones, the wife to Tom,
confirmed that Tom went hunting for Bedi to quote, teach her a lesson. Karen noticed a change in Tom
around the disappearance of Bedi. She said that on the night of October 18th, Tom came home with
blood on his handkerchief and his belt. The next morning, she noticed that he was thoroughly cleaning
his car inside and out. Tom was picked up for a psychiatric exam. Doctors suggested that he should
be sent to Huntington for an evaluation. Sadly, due to a mistake in his paperwork, Tom was released.
Then he disappeared into thin air. Although a warrant was issued for his arrest, it was dropped
when officers could find no physical evidence to link him to the case. In August of 1977,
another warrant was issued for Tom James, but his whereabouts remain unknown.
On December 12th, 1971, Bedi Josephine Todd Blevins was laid to rest. Her obituary read,
quote, the final rights for Miss Bedi Josephine Todd Blevins, 35 of Sullivan, will be conducted
at 2.30 p.m. Monday in the Rosenquessonberry Peace Chapel. With Reverend Keppel Bolen in charge,
Burial will follow in the Cole City Community Cemetery. Her body was found at the bottom of an
abandoned mineshaft at 5.30 p.m. on Friday. Miss Blevins has been missing from her home since mid-October.
Born May 9th, 1936 at Sullivan, she was a daughter of Miss Dora Farley Campbell of Sullivan and the
late Todd W. James. Survivors include her stepfather, Scott T. Campbell, a son, Russell Delano Bolen Jr.,
of Richmond, West Virginia, five brothers, James of Sullivan and Jerry Todd of Sullivan,
Jerry Todd of Midway, Luther Jones of Scottsdale, Georgia, and George Jones of Sullivan, four sisters,
Miss Virginia Bolen of Colorado, Miss Rita Doyle of St. Genevine, Missouri, Miss Laverne Puckett
of Roanoke, Virginia, and Miss Tina Wilso of Sullivan. Friends may call the funeral home
after 5 p.m. today. Paul Bearers will be Harold Miller, Jack Roger, and Billy Holt,
Johnny Tingler, and Ned Callahan. To this day, no justice has been served for the death of Betty
Josephine Todd Blevins from being thrown down a mineshaft to the only suspect in the case getting
away due to a mistake on his paperwork. If you have any information on the death of Betty Josephine
Todd Blevins, please send us an email at Mountain State Mysteries 304 at gmail.com.
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Thank you.