Town file
Booneville, Mississippi
Booneville, Mississippi (Prentiss County, Mississippi) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 340, "The Dorm Room Surprise" (26 November 2022). In the autumn of 1985 Stacy Diane Pannell, eighteen, arrived at Northeast Mississippi State College in Boonville, Mississippi, on a band and drill team scholarship.
- Town
- Booneville
- County
- Prentiss County
- State
- Mississippi
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 340
- Approximate location
- 34.664, -88.568
Episode 340 / 26 November 2022 / 68 min / express
The Dorm Room Surprise
"We're going to Boonville, Mississippi, way up in the northeastern corner, about two hours to Memphis." about 0:03:48
The case: Murder of Stacy Pannell (October 8, 1985). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2022
- Population
- 8,400
- Median household income
- $28,594
- Median home value
- $97,000
History, in brief
- The land was bought by B.B. Boon, a descendant of Colonel Ruben Holman Boon, who was said to be a relative of Daniel Boone. about 0:05:21
- The town was originally planned as a town beside the railroad and grew rapidly. about 0:06:08
- It incorporated in 1861, just as the Civil War began, which slowed everything down. about 0:06:15
- Civil War armies advanced and retreated through the area; there were no battles, but there was a lot of burning and raiding. about 0:06:24
- Boonville is home to Northeast Mississippi Community College, a junior college and the tenth largest community college by enrollment in the state. about 0:07:07
- Boonville is one of 21 certified Mississippi retirement cities. about 0:07:20
- Its nickname is the city of hospitality. about 0:05:05
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A friendly town, but it is a college town that considers itself a retirement community and needs more things for students to do."about 0:07:45
5 stars
"The only problem is the 5,628 Karens; the reviewer loves it otherwise, but his wife will not let him come back because they were mugged and shot at in a five-minute period, and turkey hunters are warned off."about 0:08:00
1 star
"Meth and pill enthusiasts as far as the eye can see, not a cop who cares, locals mind your business for you, the town is proud of its football team and fast food, so just keep driving."about 0:09:16
1 star
"The sense of community is lost, people are not trusting or friendly, men yell at women and rev their engines, and the women range from fresh out of church to extremely trashy."about 0:10:08
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Falkner, Mississippi25 miles
- Walnut, Mississippi28 miles
- Selmer, Tennessee35 miles
- Parsons, Tennessee73 miles
- Lawrenceburg, Tennessee81 miles
- Starkville, Mississippi84 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.