Victor, West Virginia

Episode 730 / 28 August 2026 / 73 min / express

The Trashy Tragic Murders

"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

The case: The murders of Stephen Skaggs and Stephanie Waters (November 2016). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2026

Population

1,328

Median household income

$41,319

Median home value

$181,600

History, in brief

• The Chesapeake and Ohio railroad came through the gorge in 1873 and unlocked the New River coal field. about 0:05:27
• Fayette County briefly became West Virginia's leading coal-producing county. about 0:05:34
• 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
• Most of the tunnel workers were recently arrived black workers from the South, hired during the Depression. about 0:06:11
• There was no respiratory protection despite the silica, and acute silicosis killed hundreds very quickly. about 0:06:31
• Estimates of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel death toll range from 476 to 764. about 0:06:43
• Bodies were buried hastily or shipped away, and the company minimised the disaster. about 0:07:00
• The condition was called tunnelitis. about 0:07:30

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