Town file
Middlebury, Indiana
Middlebury, Indiana (Elkhart County, Indiana) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 568, "Preacher's Daughter & The Soul Stealer" (1 February 2025). Barbara Jo Neff was born in 1964 and lived all her life in Elkhart County, Indiana.
- Town
- Middlebury
- County
- Elkhart County
- State
- Indiana
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 568
- Approximate location
- 39.265, -87.119
Episode 568 / 1 February 2025 / 72 min / express
Preacher's Daughter & The Soul Stealer
"Uh, Middlebury, Indiana. It's in northern Indiana, about an hour and 20 minutes away from Fort Wayne. This is in Elkhart county." about 0:03:13
The case: Murder of Barbara Kime (August 4, 2005). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 3,446
- Median household income
- $78,813
- Median home value
- $313,100
History, in brief
- The town motto is 'Grown from tradition'. about 0:04:38
- The first settlers came in 1832 from Middlebury, Vermont. about 0:04:46
- They chose the area because the rolling hills reminded them of Vermont. about 0:04:59
- The first children born in Middlebury were born in 1835. about 0:05:24
- A carpenter named Squire Lee arrived in 1839 and allegedly lived to be a hundred years old. about 0:05:41
- The railroad arrived and the town became a manufacturing centre. about 0:05:57
- By 1839 there were only twelve families living in the town. about 0:06:10
- The first Amish families came from Pennsylvania in 1841 and settled around the town. about 0:06:16
- Middlebury was incorporated as a town in 1868. about 0:06:30
The reviews read out
5 stars
"The quintessential Norman Rockwell community: safe, friendly and caring, with children playing outside, families using the Pumpkinvine bike trail, and Chicago an hour to an hour and a half away for day trips."about 0:06:38
5 stars
"A wonderful small town rich with Amish and Mennonite history, where Amish and English live, work, eat and socialise together."about 0:07:23
1 star
"The town has only two parks and they are seldom used; people go to nearby towns for things to do and entertainment."about 0:07:50
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Vincennes, Indiana46 miles
- Columbus, Indiana64 miles
- Carmel, Indiana71 miles
- Lafayette, Indiana80 miles
- Cynthiana, Indiana81 miles
- Jeffersonville, Indiana100 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.