Hell in the Heartland

May 1, 2020

In the early morning hours of December 31, 1999, in rural Oklahoma, a trailer home went up in flames. In the aftermath, the bodies of Danny and Kathy Freeman were found fatally shot, and their daughter, Ashley, and her best friend Lauria Bible, who had been spending the night, were missing. No trace of Ashley or Lauria was ever found, and no arrest was made for the murders. Rumors ran wild throughout the small community. Some believed it was a drug-related murder, while others thought the sheriff's department was involved. But little evidence and an astounding degree of police incompetence left the case cold for years. Miller (Freedom's Child; host, Hell in the Heartland) began investigating the crime in 2015. She interviewed family, friends, coworkers, townspeople, local and state authorities, and potential suspects, trying to piece together this mystery. VERDICT Over the course of her investigation, the author falls down several rabbit holes following rumors, suspects, and other area murders, which can muddle the story at times. However, true crime fans who are fascinated by the dark side of rural life and police incompetence and open to a somewhat ambiguous ending will find much to savor.--Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 25, 2020
Crime novelist Miller (Freedom’s Child) debuts with a captivating ride through the frustrating twists, turns, and dead ends of a horrifying murder case. On Dec. 30, 1999, a suspicious fire destroyed Danny and Kathy Freeman’s trailer home outside rural Welch, Okla. The Freemans’ burned bodies showed that they had been shot to death, and their 16-year-old daughter, Ashley, and Ashley’s best friend, Lauria Bible, who had also been in the trailer at the time, went missing. For years, the Freeman and Bible families struggled against inept investigators, drug dealers who might have had reason to kill Danny and Kathy, and a flood of false leads in their search for Ashley and Lauria. In 2015, Miller moved to Welch, where she spent four years investigating the case. She brings a heartbreaking and compassionate voice to her take on those affected by the generational poverty, environmental mining pollution, and widespread methamphetamine addiction now endemic in the region’s once ore-rich mining towns. The two girls remain missing to this day, though the arrest in 2019 of a suspect, whose case is ongoing, offers some hope of resolution. This is as much an exploration of the underlying social issues that feed into a system of fear and violence as it is about the crime itself. A vivid storyteller, Miller proves herself as adept at nonfiction as fiction. Agent: Zoe Sandler, ICM Partners.