FILE 611 / 10 July 2025 / 178 MIN / full

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Mountain City, TennesseeListen

The town

N ↑Public placeTown centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

We are going to Mountain City, Tennessee, in the far northeastern tip of Tennessee; this is in Johnson County. about 0:04:40

History, in brief

Town note

The area was originally part of Carter County, but the county seat at Elizabethton was hard to reach over the hills.

about 0:05:42

1836

Johnson County was created in 1836, and the town was made its county seat.

about 0:05:53

Town note

The land was platted and named Taylorsville after Colonel James P. Taylor.

about 0:06:04

1885

In 1885 the town was renamed Mountain City at the urging of Congressman Roderick R. Butler, to reflect its position in one of the highest valleys in Tennessee.

about 0:06:21
All 6 history facts

Town note

The area was originally part of Carter County, but the county seat at Elizabethton was hard to reach over the hills.

about 0:05:42

1836

Johnson County was created in 1836, and the town was made its county seat.

about 0:05:53

Town note

The land was platted and named Taylorsville after Colonel James P. Taylor.

about 0:06:04

1885

In 1885 the town was renamed Mountain City at the urging of Congressman Roderick R. Butler, to reflect its position in one of the highest valleys in Tennessee.

about 0:06:21

1925

Mountain City hosted the old-time fiddlers convention in 1925, attended by many musicians and with a contest.

about 0:06:42

1925

Dudley Vance of Bluff City won first prize at the 1925 convention with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

about 0:07:17

The figures, as told

Religious

exactly 50%

about 0:10:30

Who lives here

White 91% · Black 3.1% · Asian 1.3% · Hispanic 2.3%

Ethnicity can overlap race.

Crime / national average

Property crime
▼ about 20% below

about 0:21:04

Violent crime
▼ about half

about 0:21:14

Money

Median home value$183,800
Two-bedroom rent$810
Median household income$29,155
Cost of living73.4

For sale

$100,000

Listing price, two-bedroom two-bath house of 450 square feet on Shingletown Road

about 0:12:59

For sale

$490,000

Listing price, three-bedroom two-bath house of 3,304 square feet on two acres

about 0:13:38

For sale

$1,780,000

Listing price, seven-bedroom eight-bath house of 6,996 square feet on Bankers Bend Road

about 0:14:20
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2025

Population

"2,367"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:09:32

Female share

"53%"

Comparison: "higher than normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2025 about 0:09:49

Median age

"almost 45"

Comparison: "above the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2025 about 0:09:53

Married people

"about 42%"

Comparison: "usually 50-50". No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:03

White share

"91%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:10

Black share

"3.1%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:10

Asian share

"1.3%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:10

Hispanic share

"2.3%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:26

Religious people

"exactly 50%"

Comparison: "50-50 is the normal". Direction: about the same.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:30

Largest religion

"Baptists"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:10:30

Median household income

"$29,155"

Comparison: "national average a little over $69,000". Direction: above.

As told in 2025 about 0:11:01

Cost of living

"73.4"

Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: below.

As told in 2025 about 0:11:20

Median home cost

"$183,800"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:11:32

Average two-bedroom rent

"$810"

Comparison: "national average almost $1,300". No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:12:00

Listing price, two-bedroom two-bath house of 450 square feet on Shingletown Road

"$100,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:12:59

Listing price, three-bedroom two-bath house of 3,304 square feet on two acres

"$490,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:13:38

Listing price, seven-bedroom eight-bath house of 6,996 square feet on Bankers Bend Road

"$1,780,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2025 about 0:14:20

Property crime

"about 20% below"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2025 about 0:21:04

Violent crime

"about half"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2025 about 0:21:14

The reviews

2.5 / 5 · average of 2

4 stars

“The scenic views are lovely, the local restaurants are good and the service makes one feel at home even if one is not from the area.”
about 0:08:04

1 star

“The town is full of crime and crackheads, meth is the largest cash crop, the authorities cover it up, the people are uneducated bible thumpers and there is nothing to offer.”
about 0:08:31

In Tennessee

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  3. Trust GameSkygusty, West Virginia · 31 August 202499 km / 62 miShow on map
  4. A Mystery Of StupidityPound, Virginia · 3 April 2026102 km / 63 miShow on map
  5. Mayberry: Chopped & PosedMount Airy, North Carolina · 13 January 2022107 km / 67 miShow on map

The story

The family had moved there from the Philadelphia suburbs in 2004. She was six feet tall, spoke in a childlike voice and, at thirty, still lived at home under strict rules: no driving, no boyfriends and no staying out past midnight.

In 2010 he met Billy Jean Hayworth at Parkdale Mills, where they both worked, and the relationship quickly became serious. They became engaged, moved into his father's house in Mountain City and, in 2011, had a son.

The feud with the Payne household grew on Facebook and Topics. In the summer and autumn of 2011 the posts became violent.

At the centre of the story was a man called Chris. He was, she said, a CIA agent who worked on cases, owned houses in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, and could not use a telephone because his enemies might track him. In reality there was no Chris.

At about 4.30 a.m. she wrote that her father was leaving. They walked across a field, sheltered behind a shed and entered the house through an unlocked sliding glass door. Billy Payne had been shot in the face and his throat had been cut. Billy Jean Hayworth had been shot in the head while holding her seven-month-old son. The baby was unharmed.

Bradley Osborne, who was due to pick Billy up for work, had entered the house at about 6.20 a.m., heard an alarm clock and a baby whimper, but left without going into the bedrooms. At about 10.10 a.m. Roy and Linda Stevens came to collect their post, found Billy dead and then found Billy Jean on the floor of the nursery with the baby in her arms. Linda Stevens called 911.

The day after the killings the s said they were shocked and claimed their social media accounts had been hacked.

He made a motion towards a loaded .45 in a holster on his hip but was subdued. The search found an arsenal of weapons and bags of shredded, printed emails in his truck; investigators reconstructed about a hundred pages.

In 2016 the lead prosecutor, Brooks, published a book about the case, Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee.

The case

Murders of Billy Payne and Billy Jean Hayworth

Victims

Billy Clay Payne (mid-30s). Worked at Parkdale Mills, had a drug problem, was engaged to Billy Jean and was the father of her baby
Billy Jean Hayworth (22). Born in 1989, worked at Parkdale Mills, was engaged to Billy Payne and had just had their son

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 10 July 2025.

Accused

Accused

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Tracy Greenwell. Pharmacy clerk and Billy Payne's sister, who befriended and introduced her to the group
Billy 'Paw Bill' Payne. Billy Payne's father, in whose house Billy, Billy Jean and the baby lived
Tara Osborne. An acquaintance met at a grocery store, who received calls and filed for an order of protection
Bradley Osborne. Billy Payne's coworker, who came to pick him up for work and found the bodies
Roy Stevens. Former neighbour who came for his mail and found Billy Payne dead
Linda Stevens. Roy's wife, who found Billy Jean Hayworth and the unharmed baby and called 911
Chris Tehaden. A constable from Delaware and former high school classmate, whose identity she used for the fake Chris
Bob Mehan. A Pennsylvania online friend who believed he was in a relationship with
Melanie Clayton. A North Carolina online friend who exchanged daily texts with
Dan White. A Topics poster who wrote abusive messages about Billy Jean, Lindsey Thomas and Tara Osborne
Mike Dunn. A Topics poster who threatened Billy Jean and her baby
Brandon Eisenhower. A Topics poster involved in the escalating threats
Kelly. A Topics poster who supported the accusations against Lindsey Thomas and said was nice
Scott Lott. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation special agent who led the investigation
Chief Deputy Woodward. Investigating officer in the case
Brooks. Lead prosecutor who later wrote Too Pretty to Live

The timeline

  1. April 27th, 1981 is born in Pennsylvania, about 40 minutes west of Philadelphia. (Pennsylvania)about 0:24:48
  2. 2004 , and move from Pennsylvania to Mountain City, Tennessee. (Mountain City)about 0:30:45
  3. 2009 Christine moves to Mountain City to help care for her grandmother and later seeks an order of protection against her mother and . (grandmother's house)about 0:32:58
  4. 2009 meets pharmacy clerk Tracy Greenwell, who introduces her to Billy Payne and . (pharmacy)about 0:36:21
  5. February 2010 At birthday party at the Payne house, he drinks heavily and passes out. (Payne house)about 0:54:51
  6. February 2010 telephones to say has left the house and was found in a ditch, and tells him to stay away from her. ( residence)about 0:55:33
  7. 2010 Billy Payne meets Billy Jean Hayworth at Parkdale Mills; they start dating, become engaged and move in with his father. (Parkdale Mills)about 0:42:50
  8. August 1st, 2011 Topics posts by Dan White, Matt , Mike Dunn and Brandon Eisenhower escalate into threats of rape and murder.about 1:55:36
  9. August 4th, 2011 An email from account forwards the escalating Topics posts to .about 1:55:14
  10. November 30th, 2011 Billy Jean testifies against in the telephone harassment case; the judge dismisses it and the s confront Billy Jean at a convenience store. (Johnson County General Sessions Court)about 2:02:16
  11. January 14th, 2012 posts on Facebook about evil people and asks God to have mercy on their souls.about 2:06:12
  12. January 30th, 2012 asks to work on the computer and asks him to drive near Billy's house, drop him off and pick him up later. ( residence)about 2:07:07
  13. January 31st, 2012, 1.47 a.m. and have an 18-minute phone call, followed by texts through the night.about 2:09:12
  14. January 31st, 2012, 4.36 a.m. texts that her father is leaving and that she loves him. ( residence)about 2:09:47
  15. January 31st, 2012, about 6.20 a.m. Bradley Osborne arrives to carpool, enters the Payne house, hears an alarm clock and a baby whimper but leaves for work. (Payne house)about 2:10:20
  16. January 31st, 2012, before dawn and wait in a church car park until Paw Bill leaves, then cross a field and enter the Payne house through the back sliding door. (church parking lot)about 2:29:00
  17. January 31st, 2012, early morning shoots Billy Payne in the bedroom and then Billy Jean Hayworth in the nursery; flees across the field. (Payne house)about 2:30:32
  18. January 31st, 2012, about 10.10 a.m. Roy and Linda Stevens find Billy dead, then find Billy Jean shot and the baby unharmed; Linda calls 911. (Payne house)about 2:11:48

Places and phrases

N ↑Public placeTown centre (approximate places)
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Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode