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Hey guys, Mark here. Before we start this episode off, me and Courtney just wanted to say thank you

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for all of the love and support you show Mountain State Mysteries. So, we thought we would repay you

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by turning into a weekly podcast. One week, we will be giving you a full length episode,

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and the next week, we will be giving you a mini episode, hosted solo by either me or Courtney.

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We both really hope you guys love what we have coming your way.

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Mountain State Mysteries contains adult content that may not be suitable for all audiences.

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Listener discretion is advised. I'm your host, Mark, and this is Mountain State Mysteries.

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The case I have for you today is about a woman whose life was taken suddenly,

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and her body was disposed of in one of the most tragic ways possible. This is a story,

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Abedi Josephine Todd Blevins. December 7, 1971 started out as a typical day for any officer

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at the Beckley Detachment of the West Virginia State Police, that is, until they received an

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anonymous phone call that immediately got their attention. The anonymous caller spent no time

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chatting and got straight to the point. The reason this call got the attention of the

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state police is because Bedi Blevins disappeared on October 16th, two months before the call was

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ever made. When officers got to the sealed mine shaft, they saw that the seal had been removed.

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This was an indication that the caller may have just been right about what was at the bottom of

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the 300-foot deep mine shaft. After three days of phone calls, plans, arrangements for permits,

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and bringing in the right equipment, Trooper Blizzard and Mine Shacks Inspector Hatfield

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were lowered into the darkness of the Lilybrook mine shaft. That's when they found out the

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caller was correct. There was a body at the bottom of the mine shaft. They discovered the

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badly decomposed remains of a person. Could it be Bedi? They weren't sure because identification

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couldn't be made right then and there. The face of the person was completely shattered from smashing

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against the floor from the 300-foot drop. The body was so badly decomposed that facial identification

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was absolutely impossible and the teeth were missing so identification from dental records

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weren't going to happen either. Officers called Bedi's sister Margaret Doyon to see if she could

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possibly recognize the coat that had been found with the body at the bottom of the mine shaft.

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She immediately identified the coat as belonging to her sister Bedi because she actually bought it

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for her right before her disappearance. Two days later, the phone ring again at the state police

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headquarters in Beckley, West Virginia. When police found out who the caller was, they were shocked.

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It was Lena James, Tom's own mother. Tom Jones had a record of violence going back for two decades,

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but he had gotten worse since he suffered a head injury from a car accident in 1966. Tom was known

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for committing acts of cruelty to animals. He would slaughter them, then watch them suffer as they

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died. He also attempted to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl. He had beaten both his mother

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and his little brother. Everyone in the town of Sullivan was terrified to report Tom to the police.

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It was also common knowledge in the town of Sullivan that Tom had a hatred for Bedi Blevins.

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On December 15th, Tom Jones was brought in for questioning. Karen Jones, the wife to Tom,

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confirmed that Tom went hunting for Bedi to quote, teach her a lesson. Karen noticed a change in Tom

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around the disappearance of Bedi. She said that on the night of October 18th, Tom came home with

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blood on his handkerchief and his belt. The next morning, she noticed that he was thoroughly cleaning

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his car inside and out. Tom was picked up for a psychiatric exam. Doctors suggested that he should

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be sent to Huntington for an evaluation. Sadly, due to a mistake in his paperwork, Tom was released.

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Then he disappeared into thin air. Although a warrant was issued for his arrest, it was dropped

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when officers could find no physical evidence to link him to the case. In August of 1977,

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another warrant was issued for Tom James, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

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On December 12th, 1971, Bedi Josephine Todd Blevins was laid to rest. Her obituary read,

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quote, the final rights for Miss Bedi Josephine Todd Blevins, 35 of Sullivan, will be conducted

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at 2.30 p.m. Monday in the Rosenquessonberry Peace Chapel. With Reverend Keppel Bolen in charge,

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Burial will follow in the Cole City Community Cemetery. Her body was found at the bottom of an

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abandoned mineshaft at 5.30 p.m. on Friday. Miss Blevins has been missing from her home since mid-October.

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Born May 9th, 1936 at Sullivan, she was a daughter of Miss Dora Farley Campbell of Sullivan and the

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late Todd W. James. Survivors include her stepfather, Scott T. Campbell, a son, Russell Delano Bolen Jr.,

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of Richmond, West Virginia, five brothers, James of Sullivan and Jerry Todd of Sullivan,

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Jerry Todd of Midway, Luther Jones of Scottsdale, Georgia, and George Jones of Sullivan, four sisters,

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Miss Virginia Bolen of Colorado, Miss Rita Doyle of St. Genevine, Missouri, Miss Laverne Puckett

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of Roanoke, Virginia, and Miss Tina Wilso of Sullivan. Friends may call the funeral home

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after 5 p.m. today. Paul Bearers will be Harold Miller, Jack Roger, and Billy Holt,

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Johnny Tingler, and Ned Callahan. To this day, no justice has been served for the death of Betty

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Josephine Todd Blevins from being thrown down a mineshaft to the only suspect in the case getting

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away due to a mistake on his paperwork. If you have any information on the death of Betty Josephine

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Todd Blevins, please send us an email at Mountain State Mysteries 304 at gmail.com.

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If you find yourself enjoying Mountain State Mysteries, take a second to follow and rate it

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on your favorite podcast platform. It helps others find good West Virginia true crime. Don't

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forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, all at Mountain State Mysteries.

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Do you have a case you want us to cover? Send us an email at MountainStateMysteries304

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at gmail.com. For the show notes, check out our website, MountainStateMysteriesPodcast.com.

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Thank you.