FILE 730 / 28 August 2026 / 73 MIN / express

The Trashy Tragic Murders

Victor, West VirginiaListen

The town

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

We're going to Victor, West Virginia ... it's kind of south central, kind of West Virginia, just in the middle of nowhere ... This is in Fayette County, area codes 304 and 681. about 0:04:29

History, in brief

1873

The Chesapeake and Ohio railroad came through the gorge in 1873 and unlocked the New River coal field.

about 0:05:27

Town note

Fayette County briefly became West Virginia's leading coal-producing county.

about 0:05:34

1930

Between 1930 and 1935 Union Carbide drove a three-mile diversion tunnel through high silica sandstone for a hydroelectric project feeding a metals plant.

about 0:05:54

Town note

Most of the tunnel workers were recently arrived black workers from the South, hired during the Depression.

about 0:06:11
All 8 history facts

1873

The Chesapeake and Ohio railroad came through the gorge in 1873 and unlocked the New River coal field.

about 0:05:27

Town note

Fayette County briefly became West Virginia's leading coal-producing county.

about 0:05:34

1930

Between 1930 and 1935 Union Carbide drove a three-mile diversion tunnel through high silica sandstone for a hydroelectric project feeding a metals plant.

about 0:05:54

Town note

Most of the tunnel workers were recently arrived black workers from the South, hired during the Depression.

about 0:06:11

Town note

There was no respiratory protection despite the silica, and acute silicosis killed hundreds very quickly.

about 0:06:31

Town note

Estimates of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel death toll range from 476 to 764.

about 0:06:43

Town note

Bodies were buried hastily or shipped away, and the company minimised the disaster.

about 0:07:00

The figures, as told

Money

Median home value$181,600
Median household income$41,319
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2026

Population

"1,328"

Comparison: "Zip code 25938". No direction stated.

As told in 2026 about 0:04:46

Median household income

"$41,319"

Comparison: "well below the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2026 about 0:04:54

Median home cost

"$181,600"

Comparison: "much lower than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2026 about 0:05:01

The reviews

No rated reviews

No reviews recorded.

In West Virginia

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The story

Victor is a small community in Fayette County in south-central West Virginia, deep in the hills. Its zip code, 25938, had 1,328 people. Stephanie Ann Wilburn was born on 23 November 1985 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and went by Stephanie Waters after an earlier marriage. She had two sons and had lost a young daughter. The two began dating around 2012.

Stephanie owed him money, and a friend said there had been jealousy after the break-up. The three men called the plan the Clean Air Act: they meant to remove pollution from the hollow.

On Sunday 6 November 2016 fire crews found the house burning and recovered two sets of skeletal remains. The medical examiner established that both had been shot in the head with a shotgun and had been dead at least two days.

Stephen Skaggs is buried at Rest Lawn Memory Gardens in Victor.

The case

The murders of Stephen Skaggs and Stephanie Waters

Victims

Stephen Lee Skaggs (30). Logger from Beckley, West Virginia; lived up a hollow on Branch Road, hunted, camped and rode four-wheelers.
Stephanie Ann Waters (31). Born Stephanie Ann Wilburn in Charlotte, North Carolina; Stephen's girlfriend of about five years; mother of two sons.

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 28 August 2026.

Accused

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Ryan McCloskey. friend, who told police the s killed the couple and that advised them on cleaning up the evidence
Rodney Ray Rose. 36-year-old Ansted man shot by on November 19th, 2017; survived and identified him
Corporal J.S. Signer. investigated the fire at Branch Road

The timeline

  1. November 23, 1985 Stephanie Ann Wilburn is born in Charlotte, North Carolinaabout 0:20:02
  2. August 26, 1986 Stephen Lee Skaggs is born in Beckley, West Virginiaabout 0:15:23
  3. 2003 Stephen's father diesabout 0:17:49
  4. about 2012 Stephen Skaggs and Stephanie Waters start datingabout 0:18:52
  5. late October 2016 The s begin visiting house, where Delena hears them discuss the victims, stolen tools and the Clean Air Act ( house)about 0:46:04
  6. early November 2016, at least two days before the fire and spend at least ten hours drinking and using cocaine at house, then leave about 9 p.m. with a sawn-off 20-gauge shotgun and a 9mm Ruger ( house)about 0:37:36
  7. early November 2016 The two men tape the soles of their shoes to leave no footprints and walk to the victims' home ( Branch Road)about 0:39:01
  8. early November 2016 shoots Stephen Skaggs through the nose into the head as he sits in a camping chair; fires two shots from the Ruger and misses (Skaggs and Waters house)about 0:40:21
  9. early November 2016 shoots Stephanie Waters in the head as she sleeps, reloads and shoots her again on instruction (Skaggs and Waters house)about 0:42:11
  10. early November 2016 The men hide the guns in ditches on the way home and are back at house about 9.45 p.m. ( Branch Road)about 0:42:39
  11. November 6, 2016 A fire destroys the house at Branch Road; fire crews find the skeletal remains of a man and a woman (Skaggs and Waters house)about 0:12:35

Places and phrases

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

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode