Town file
Winchester, Indiana
Winchester, Indiana (Randolph County, Indiana) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 738, "Guilty Google Search Murder" (25 September 2026). David L. Brumley was born on 13 February 1957 in Winchester, Indiana, the son of Robert and Deloris Brumley, and he hardly ever left.
- Town
- Winchester
- County
- Randolph County
- State
- Indiana
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 738
- Approximate location
- 40.172, -84.977
Episode 738 / 25 September 2026 / 74 min / express
Guilty Google Search Murder
"We're going to Indiana this week... Winchester, Indiana, like the rifle; it's in Randolph County" about 0:04:45
The case: Arson of the Mastercraft factory (July 2003); Murder of David Brumley (November 2018). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 5016
- Median household income
- $51,985
- Median home value
- $118,000
History, in brief
- Winchester was laid out in 1818 as the county seat of Randolph County; five early settlers donated the land, and it was probably named for Winchester, Virginia. about 0:07:04
- Randolph County was a major spot on the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s, and the area was big in the abolition movement before the Civil War. about 0:07:22
- Indiana was one of the states with the heaviest Klan presence, and in the 1900s and 1920s the Klan controlled politics and police forces. about 0:07:33
- Oil and natural gas were found in the late 1800s, and Winchester changed from a farming community into an industrial town. about 0:07:53
- Cheap natural gas and oil let the glass-making industry thrive, because the furnaces needed very high temperatures to melt glass. about 0:08:13
- In 2024 a quarter-mile-wide EF3 tornado hit Winchester, badly damaging the Goodwill store, the lodge at Summer's Point, a strip mall, the Freedom Life Church and the Taco Bell. about 0:08:32
- Thirty-eight people were injured in the tornado, three critically, and one of those three died weeks later. about 0:09:31
- In June 2024 the rest of the strip mall was demolished; a Wendy's was rebuilt and the Taco Bell was repaired and reopened. about 0:09:31
The reviews read out
5 stars
"An excellent place to raise a family and a perfect place to settle down and put roots; a cozy small town that feels like home and always will be home."about 0:09:53
3 stars
"Your average town in the middle of a cornfield, easy to miss; everyone knows everyone, which is either really nice or terrifying."about 0:10:17
3 stars
"You know the town like the back of your hand and it has a little diner known for miles around; not much, but it's home."about 0:10:42
3 stars
"A cute little hometown feel, but it has recently fallen victim to a lot of major drug use, and the reviewer has lost loved ones to it."about 0:10:58
2 stars
"Not a good place to raise a family; it traps you in the town."about 0:11:20
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Williamsburg, Indiana15 miles
- Eaton, Ohio34 miles
- Marion, Indiana44 miles
- Fairfield, Ohio63 miles
- Carmel, Indiana64 miles
- Waynesville, Ohio65 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.