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I'm your host Marc.
And I'm Courtney.
This is Mountain State Mysteries.
Today we want to tell you the story of a man who was murdered in our backyard of Raleigh County.
A man who went out to run some errands and then was found dead later that day.
His case left behind nearly seven years of unanswered questions.
This is the story of David Fenn.
On June 22nd, 2016, David left his home in Amiga, West Virginia around 9 a.m. to run some errands
in Beckley, West Virginia. Around 4 p.m., a pair of joggers found David's body on a trail.
He had been stabbed multiple times and for nearly seven years, David's family and law enforcement
are still searching for answers.
Born on November 1st, 1940, in Coville, West Virginia, David was the son of the late Stucley Estle fan
and Bula Blanche Hilton Van Bolton.
David 75 was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
A graduate of Bluefield State College with a bachelor's in business administration.
David was an entrepreneur from rental properties to restaurants.
In the 1980s, David owned a mobile diner that offered everything from arcade games to food.
Then in 2016, he retired but he still had a few rentals.
David was the last surviving member of his immediate family.
On June 22nd, 2016, David's day seemed to have started as a normal day.
He left his home in Amiga around 9 a.m. and headed to Beckley to purchase a head trimmer
at Harbor Freight.
When David arrived in Beckley, he stopped at Tudor's Biscuit World for breakfast on Harper
Road. After David left Tudor's, he drove to Harbor Freight and said to have purchased a head
trimmer. Then he drove to Olly's Bargain Outlet.
David was caught on security-footed sleeping Olly's. From reports, everything seemed normal.
It's believed that David had finished his errands around 12.30 p.m.
After that, we honestly aren't sure what happened.
3.5 hours later, at Lake Stevens in Traveller, West Virginia, two joggers on a trail came
across a person laying down. At first, they believed the person to be a drunk or passed out on drugs.
They called the park's maintenance. When maintenance arrived, they realized that it was a lifeless
body of David Fenn. Deputies with the Rully County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to the scene.
David's body was found at the overlook along the northern edge.
Now Mark, we aren't sure actually how David ended up on the trail. We've been to the overlook
countless times in our life and we were actually just there the other day.
David was said to have walked with a limp, so to us it seems like it would have been difficult
for him to make it down the hill and walk on a trail. No 100%, especially from where his truck was
parked. Yes, there hasn't been a lot released about the crime scene, or really on this case,
but the Rully County Sheriff's Department has said that David's death was a result of multiple
stab wounds. A look at that area surrounding the crime scene really didn't give them much to go on.
We do know that where David's body was found is surrounded mostly by trees. Now from that area,
you can see the beach from the overlook, but however from the beach looking over to where
his body was found, it's not a clear view. The trail David was found on starts at the dam and
takes you to the campgrounds. You pass by the overlook, we do know that the trail can branch
out in different directions and can take you to different parts of the lake. You can actually see
pictures of the trail and the map of the trail on our social media.
So
and you're listening to Mountain State Mysteries.
So
on the evening of June 22nd, 2016, detectives Corey Suman and Brian Stump delivered the news
to David's family. In just a few hours after they told his family a storm that has now been labeled
the thousand-year flood would wreak havoc on the state. David has been said to be a creature of habit,
so he tends to stick to the tasks of the day. His family can think of no reason that David would
have been at Lake Stevens that day. He wasn't one who liked walking trails because he had a limp
as a result of a badly broken leg. Where David was found is technically rough terrain from the
parking lot of the overlook. To get to the trail, you have to walk down the hill and then the trails,
in my opinion, aren't kept that well, so that would be really tough for really anyone to hike.
We have been asking ourselves almost every day since we started doing research on this case.
One question, how did David end up at the lake? It was nowhere near his route home. David's truck,
a blue four-door Toyota Tacoma, was found parked in the parking lot at the overlook. His truck was
found closer to the playground section of the overlook. Nothing seemed to be missing or out
the ordinary from the pictures we've seen of his truck, which will be up on our social media.
You can see that David's door is slightly opened, like he was in a hurry to close it. His windshield
wipers were also stopped when his truck was turned off. We do know that it rained on and off the day
his body was found, so it makes a little bit of sense why he had them on. Where David's body was
found is maybe two to three hundred feet away from where his truck was parked. With David's limp,
we think it would have been difficult for him to walk down the hill, especially walk on the trail.
And you are listening to Mountain State Mysteries.
Music
We know David lived his house at 9 a.m. Now, if he was on time, he would have arrived at Tudors
anywhere between 9 30 to 9 40 a.m. He was seen at Harbor Freight at 11 o 7 a.m. Then he arrived at
Ollie's at 12 10 p.m. And he left there at 12 30 p.m. We know of three to four different ways David
could have made it to the lake. However, we think that he would have went Harbor Road and take route
three to make it to the lake. One night after doing some research on this case, we actually took the
route that we think David took. And this is an area that we have grown up in. This is an area that
we know very well. And I can honestly say going through Stevens Lake at night is single-handedly
one of the creepiest things that there is. I mean, we've done industrial drive for our first case
of Nellie Randon Ray Bailey. We've been where they've been shot. We stopped where they were shot.
But this somehow is creepy on a new level. It's, I will say this much, I 10 out of 10 do not recommend.
Like, I don't know. Y'all can call us whatever, but I'm here to you right now. Like when you get
researching these crimes and especially going to where the bodies have been located and knowing
that a murder has taken place there, it gives you a whole different perspective of, oh, we're just
going to take a lot. We're just going to take a little drive through the lake. No, 100%.
No, it's a completely different thing. But during the day, it's fine. Oh, yeah, 100% during the day.
I mean, we did this twice during the day and we were completely fine. Yeah, completely fine. And
one night trip has done us it. It really has. It honestly really has. Again, 10 out of 10 don't recommend.
Not knowing what happened between 1230 and 4pm, we aren't sure if David made another stop or if he
was headed home. If he made another stop, who's to say someone didn't walk up on him and ask him
for a ride to the lake? It honestly could have happened in the parking lot of Oly's. Maybe he
didn't have a swallow in his shorts, and the person saw the money that he was carrying and it could
have ended up being a robbery gone wrong. Crime stoppers of West Virginia put out a reward of
$25,000 for any information and to the state is still active. With this case still being open,
Detective Brian Stump said, I've been back to Lake Stevens probably two to three dozen times.
I've looked in obvious places on the trail to make sure we didn't miss anything. I've walked down
and even gotten to the water. With this case still being open, Detective Brian Stump has said,
I've been back to Lake Stevens probably two to three dozen times. I've looked in obvious places on
the trail to make sure we didn't miss anything. I've walked down and even gotten to the water.
So not only are we working on new stuff, he said about every other week he takes the case out and
starts all over again. Detective Stump has also said that there's no set standard on the timeframe.
I believe it will get solved if it's not going to be during my career or next week that we do not know.
David was last seen on June 22nd, 2016 at 12 10 p.m. at Ollie's Bargain Outlet in Becley,
West Virginia. For nearly seven years, David's family has grieved the loss of a life taken far
too soon. The pain is only amplified by the lack of answers surrounding his murder.
Someone out there knows something that could help Detective solve this case and give David the justice
he deserves. If that person is listening to this podcast or if you know anything about the murder
of David Van in June of 2016, it's time to speak up. If you have any information on the murder of
David or this case, please call the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department at 304-255-9300.
Or call Crime Stoppers at 304-255-STOP. That number again is 304-255-7867. You can stay anonymous.
Courtney, do you have any final thoughts before we sign off? In all honesty, this has single-handedly
been the most difficult case that we have researched, that we have tried to get information on.
Mark has spent countless hours trying to find newspaper articles, anything of that nature.
And we have found absolutely nothing. We have went here recently. We have walked down the trail.
We have parked exactly where he has parked everything. And in all honesty, like, it makes no sense
whatsoever. When you go to the crime scene, it makes no sense whatsoever. The fact that
the one of the biggest things that puzzles me about the entire thing is the detective who is
in this case, who's taken charge of this case, getting in the water. I mean, the only thing I
can figure out of that is maybe seeing if there was some sort of evidence thrown in the water,
something of that nature. But other than that, like, from the way that they were saying,
his body was nowhere near water. I mean, it's completely mind-blowing, just with any other case.
We do want justice done for the family. We want justice for him. You know, he has a family who
lost a father, a husband, a grandfather, everything of that nature. And justice just needs to be served.
Mark, do you have any final thoughts on this case? Like you said, I've spent countless hours doing
research, looking for newspaper articles, looking for new information. And there really just isn't
anything out there. We've heard different theories on this case. We've had people tell us different
stories. They've heard he's picked someone up. They've heard that he was meeting someone to get
rent money from. We've heard so many different things that it just doesn't make sense. And we
were actually like doing research on this case one night till 1am, not too long ago. And my dad
was downstairs with us. And he was like, did he ever fish? We're like, yeah, like there's pictures
of him on a pontoon boat, all that. You know, he said to be a fisher and all this. Where he was found
isn't far from a popular fishing spot at the lake that guys just go because it's in a cove. And it's
just easier to go there than to do a boat because there's so many different things. And it's easier
just to go to the bank than it is to go in the cove because they have blow-up things now. There's
a beach nearby. So my dad said he didn't spend a lot of time in Oli's that he could have actually bought
like a fishing lure. And he possibly could have just went to go fish real quick. And that to me
makes the most sense out of any theory we've heard. Well, also with you talking about that right there,
you know, it was never mentioned if he had a fishing pole with him or not. So I mean, he
could have very well just maybe stopped him by the fishing pole, anything of that nature at all.
He's just maybe stopped buying fish one day. Yeah, I mean, it was a beautiful day. I mean,
it was raining on and off. So I mean, who really want to go fishing? But I personally believe he
just walked on to something that he wasn't supposed to see. Maybe it was drug deal. Maybe it was a
shaken bake like you said, you actually had to teach me what a shaken bake was. Maybe it was
something else. And personally, I just really want justice out there for him. And, you know,
I know he didn't have a cell phone. So I know that detectives couldn't like ping off his location
or anything. But I just I really want justice for this case.
So Courtney, should we tell them about the little surprise we have for our listeners?
Yeah. So we've started Patreon. We're going to call it the mystery club. We have two different
tiers that you can join. Courtney, do you want to tell them about the first one? Okay, y'all. Our
first one starts at $5. It is called junior detectives. You will have access to a group chat
along with video episodes, unreleased photos, a newsletter and video updates on our cases in
our private Facebook page. Our second tier starts at $10 and it's called senior detectives. You will
have access from everything in the first tier along with getting to submit a case to us exclusive
t-shirts and sweatshirts, stickers, keychains. We will have live chats. We will personally mail
you a letter from us along with bonus episodes. So join us in the mystery club at patreon.com
slash mountain state mysteries. We can't wait to see you there. Next time on mountain state mysteries,
we're going to tell you the story of Harry Power. If you find yourself enjoying mountain state mysteries,
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For the show notes, check out our website, mountainstate mysteries podcast.com.