July 13, 2023 • 43 mins
Saturday night: Amber Spradlin finishes her shift at the Brickhouse Restaurant in Prestonsburg.
She leaves the restaurant with friends, Roy Kidd, and Dr. Mike McKinney. Dr. McKinney is a well-known dentist and also happens to be the owner of the Brickhouse Restaurant. They first head over to the Seasons Inn. A little while later, the trio decides to leave the inn. In the early morning hours of Sunday, they end up at the home of Dr. McKinney.
Just a few hours later, 911 is called, twice. Amber Spradlin has been stabbed eleven times in the head, neck and throat. Now almost a month later, no arrests have been made.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
- Dr. Debbie Hall- Cousin of the Victim; Facebook: Justice for Amber
- Mark Wohlander - The Family’s Attorney, Former Kentucky Prosecutor & Former FBI special agent; Volunteer at the David School
- Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst; Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
- Robin Dreeke - Behavior Expert & Former FBI Special Agent / Chief of the FBI Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program; Author: "Sizing People Up: A Veteran FBI Agents Manual for Behavior Prediction;" Twitter: @rdreeke
- Dr. Michelle DuPre - Forensic Pathologist, Medical Examiner and Detective: Lexington County Sheriff's Department: Author: "Homicide Investigation Field Guide" & "Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide;" Forensic Consultant
- Jeff Vanderbeck - V.P. and Publisher Appalachian Newspapers Inc (which includes the Floyd County Chronicle and Times, The News Express, mango Messenger, The Paintsville Herald and the Mongo Messenger in WV); Twitter: @floydchronicle
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. What happened to Amber? Why
do we still not have answers in the case of
a young woman brutally murdered? It seems to me the
answer is right under the noses of authorities. But why
(00:29):
no arrest? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thanks
for being with us here at Fox Nation and serious
xem one eleven. First of all, take a listen to this.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Around one on Sunday, her aunt, Wanda Spradland got a
call that would change her life.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Were out walking the flea market and her aunt other
aunt college and we enough we've seen her herd from her.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
And we had Amber, who worked at the popular brick
house in Prestonsburg, wasn't at work or at home.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Early in life, Amber Spradlin sperienced trauma and heartbreak, but
she endured. She was just three years old when her
mother died, and later her sister died in a car accident.
She was raised by her grandparents and as they got older,
she in turn put her own life on hold to
care for them. After her grandparents passed, Amber Spradlin started
to grow. She moved into her own place for the
(01:19):
first time and got a job she really enjoyed at
the Brick House Restaurant. Amber Spradlin looked forward to every
day and every new adventure.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
But that life of adventure she was finally getting to
live after her family raised her her grandparents after her
mom was killed. As they became elderly, she decided to
take care of them when they passed. She finally started
living the life she had dreamed of. She wanted to travel,
(01:49):
she wanted adventure, the same things that so many of
us want, but that was not to be. Joining me
an all star panel to make sense of what we
know right now to Jeff Vanderbeck, VP, publisher of Appalachian Newspapers, Inc.
Thanks for being with us. You can find Jeff at
Floyd County Chronicle dot com. Jeff, tell me about this
(02:12):
young woman, Amber Spradling. Seems like she had devoted so
much of her life trying to take care of her grandparents.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
What we know of Amber at this point is that,
you know, she is a typical Eastern Kentuckian who is
a true grit, hardworking, just wants to take care of
her family members and so on and so forth. Just
you know, just from what we know of her, she's
at the regular all American type of individual who just
(02:42):
wanted to live life and do things right and so on.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well was she doing at Brickhouse Restaurant? What was her
job there?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
To my knowledge, I believe she was a hostess at
the restaurant. You know, the Brickhouse Restaurant's a nice restaurant.
It's been a staple of the community for a long time.
And I believe that it was just changed ownership several
years back to the current owner. I don't know exactly
how long Amber worked there, but you go in there
and she has a smiling face and she would, you know,
(03:09):
see you and say Hellodia. And she treated her customers
very well.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah. Doctor Bethany Marshall joining us. Renowned psychoanalysts joining us
from Beverly Hills. You can find her at doctor Bethany
Marshall dot com. Doctor Bethany. Have you ever gone to
a restaurant and the hostess or the person in charge,
let's just say, was so rude you never went back,
(03:34):
or the waiter or the way you just didn't care.
They were so put off having to bring you an
ice water with a straw or whatever you had asked for.
You just never went back anthees.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
And I will say I've also had the opposite where
the host or the hostess really knows me, has a
relationship with me, knows all of the customers. And I
think that the restaurants that are the most successful, it's
not because of the owner, the cook, the people the back,
the wait staff, is the hostess. It's that first person
(04:07):
you greet when you walk through the front door, that
says hello and takes you through your table. And in
the case of Amber, it's that person who you know
is going to miss you if you go to another
restaurant instead of theirs. I mean, they're going to stay.
We missed you Friday night, we missed you Saturday. They
have a relationship with you and your family, especially in
(04:27):
this kind of a community. So she played an incredibly
important role in that restaurant.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And by all accounts, everybody loved this girl. Amber sprallin big,
huge smile, perfect teeth. I mean in the photos I've
seen of her, she's looking right at you in every
single one, she's got a big smile. According to everyone
(04:56):
that knew her, She's so beloved. So she gets this job.
She's no longer taking care of her grandparents they've passed away.
She feels she's done her duty, and she gets this
job at a local restaurant where her main job is
dealing with the public. Now that's an interesting job right there,
because and let me go to you, doctor Michelle Dupree
(05:20):
joining me, pathologist, medical examiner and important former detective. Doctor Dupree,
when you are a young woman and you are a
hostess at a very popular restaurant, you come in contact
with everybody in town and beyond, whoever may be passing
through town right there in Preston Burghs, Kentucky. So you
(05:42):
have no idea really who you're greeting, who you're meeting,
because they're there for an hour and they're gone. Who
knows who may have seen her, been attracted to her,
started watching her. We have no idea, doctor Dupree.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
Absolutely see and you know, we oftentimes find that the
suspect will make some kind of a personal connection with
that person, and that person doesn't even realize it, and
they just have this fantasy in their mind and it
grows and grows, and again the victim or the person
in this case doesn't even realize it's happening. It's very scary.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
You've got a young girl who finally goes out on
her own, gets her first place or first apartment, gets
this job, and her job is meeting and greeting the public.
People she knows, people she doesn't know. All day, all night,
(06:40):
We're trying to learn all we can about this missing woman,
Amber Spradling. But what happened the night she seemingly goes missing?
Take a listen to our friends a crime online.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Saturday night, Amber Spradlin finishes her shift at the Brick
House Restaurant in Prestonsburg. She leaves the restaurant with a friend,
Roy Kid, and doctor Mike McKinnie. Doctor mckennie is a
well known dentist in town and also happens to be
the owner of the Brick House restaurant. A little while later,
the trio decides to leave the seasons in and they
end up at the home of doctor mckennie on Arkansas Creek.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Joining me right now is a very special guest is
Debbie Hall. This is Amber's cousin. Also with us the
family lawyer Mark Wolander. A. Debbie, thank you for being
with us. Would you say that Amber had been sheltered?
(07:38):
Did she lead a sheltered life. Had she dated a
lot of people.
Speaker 6 (07:43):
She led a very sheltered life and I only know
her ever, hav her two boyfriends the whole time. She
had a lot of problems. Whenever she was in school
feeding in she got bullied a lot. She went from
school to school trying to find a place to see it.
And her grandparents really took care of her and protected her,
(08:05):
and they took her on trips. She didn't have a
big social life early on.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Why was she bullied? Debbie?
Speaker 6 (08:12):
She had some emotional issues as far as some depression
and some anxiety, and she just had difficulty. She couldn't
understand if people were kidding with her, So she had
a little bit of trouble there. She was a little
socially awkward, I think, and kids were just rude and mean.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Did people bully her because she's chubby?
Speaker 6 (08:36):
Yes?
Speaker 7 (08:36):
I think that also.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Time stories with Nancy Grace, you know, Dr Rathany, that
starts my heart so much to thank this this girl.
I mean, you've looked at her picture. She looks so
sweet and loving open to have been bullied and tormented
(09:11):
from one school to the next, and you're hearing Debbie Hall.
This is Amber's cousin talking about how the grandparents. I mean,
she's already lost her mother. Her grandparents tried to protect
her and shield her from bullies and then move her
from one school to the next. And then she spent
(09:33):
you know, her young adult years, you know, her in
her twenties, trying to take care of her grandparents. And
she finally gets out, gets an apartment and starts this
job at brickhouse. And now this, I mean, this girl
(09:54):
didn't have a chance, Dr Bethy. She's so naive. And
we had two boyfriends. Let me guess Debbie Hall was one,
like in high school, one of those boyfriends.
Speaker 6 (10:06):
Shortly after high school, yes, whenever, She's just she'd gone
to a vocational school for a few months and met
one there. You know, Nancy, kids can be so cool,
can they? And trauma. I like the fact that our
behavioral expert brought up trauma in the arc that that
creates trauma presents as the kinds of things that can
(10:30):
lead to bullying.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Dr Bethany, I've got to tell you what happened, Okay,
tell me, Okay. So the children graduated from their elementary
school where they went to elementary and middle and they
were starting a big, a much bigger school. My son
knew a lot of people that had transferred to this
big school. My daughter went without any close friends at all.
(10:54):
She need practically zero. So she comes home one day
she goes, Mom, I have to get a Lululemon bag.
You know what Lululemon is. I bet you do a
Lemon and bears like one sports sprawl. It's like fifty dollars.
A pair of leggings like ninety dollars. And I said, Lucy,
(11:14):
why do we have to get a shot And she goes, Mom,
to get the bag. You have to buy something. I'm like,
you do know that a pair of pants at Lulu
Limmon's like ninety dollars. Right, she goes, I got to
get a Lulu Limon bag. I'm like, honey, why And
she said, well, all the girls, if they don't eat
in the cafeteria, they bring their lunch in a Lululemon bag. Well,
(11:38):
you know when I went and paid ninety dollars for
a pair of whatever I paid, and you know, if
you could have seen, I made Lucy go in and
get it. She came out, she looked so down. Cash
she said, Mom, with the tax included, it was ninety
one dollars, said, Honey, don't worry, just enjoy that bag.
Enjoy that Lulu women baby. And do you know the
(12:00):
next day she had her little lunch in that Lulu
Leomon bag, and I just when I wish to pick
him up, I started looking around Bethany, and sure enough
I saw about eight or nine little girls enge couldn't
have been over the seventh grade, walking around proudly with
their Lulu Lemon bag on their shoulder. And I was
(12:22):
just thinking, she's not one to ever won a particular
label of clothing or tennis shoes or anything like that.
In fact, this is one of the few things she's
ever come out and actually asked for. But can you
imagine if this happened to Lucy, who likes she looks
(12:42):
like a cover model. She's perfect, she's got great grades.
And what would happen to Amber, who is socially awkward
and people make fun of her because she's chubby. Can
you even imagine what her life was like trying to
get through high school?
Speaker 6 (12:59):
Yancy, the important role you played with Lucy that when
she wanted the bag instead of saying, well, why do
you want a beg? Why do you want to fit
in with everybody else? You knew as her mother, you
were attuned and you knew that she needed to be
to fit in. She needed to feel one of the
crowd and one of the girls, and you met that need.
(13:19):
But Lucy has a mother and Amber did not. She
lost her mother when she was three. She was raised
by her grandparents and that trauma, you know, it primed
her to lack social cueuing to not fit in with
other people. And then grandparents, you know, there are a
generation away. So maybe maybe grandparents wouldn't buy a Lululemon bag, right,
(13:42):
they might not know how to help Amber fit in.
I mean we could talk about this for dates.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Okay, wait a minute, Dr Beth, and I'm sorry to
take everybody else down my rabbit hole. But as a
joke to John David, yeah, wait a minute, wait a minute,
wait for it, he was obsessed with let's see, was
it buzz light Year or was it? Do you do
know who toe Mater is?
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's a race car out in McQueen. Yeah, but it's
toe Mater. He's a tow truck, get it? Okay? So
I think when he was starting the eighth grade. I
sent his lunch to school and a toe Ma lunchback
he had when he was about three. When he came home,
(14:28):
I found it stuffed down at the bottom of his
backpack and all the food was gone, but he had
hidn't it. It was a giant Did not do that again.
But yes, yes, it's very deep water that they're treading.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
Well because you were involved in the nuances of what
would be a joke for John David to pack the
lunch in the tomato bag from when he was a
much younger child, and he in turned stuffed the bag
where you couldn't find it. I mean, but there's a
lot of social qu that goes back and forth between
a parent and a child, and when there's already a
(15:04):
generational difference, like Amber had with her grandparents, she missed
out on all those delightful potentially I mean, her cousin's
here on the panel, but all of these delightful experiences
that kids have with their own parents growing up. But
I want to say something about Amber. She and her
boss were really great friends. That tells you something about her.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
But I wanted to address that right there, which led
me down the garden path. She had never really connected
with a lot of people in high school. She was
socially awkward, she had bullies. She went from high school
to high school to high school, which makes it really
hard to ever make close friends. And now she's at
this restaurant where she's working as a hostess, the Brick
(15:48):
House Restaurant, and the owner and co workers invite her
to go out after I mean, Debbie Hall, I bet
that was a big deal for her.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
Oh, I'm sure it was. I'm sure she felt totally
safe and really excited to be included in Oh.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Man, that that just hurts me. That hurts me so much.
She was so excited to be asked out after her
shift at work. But then this take a list into
Lee cercy l e x eighteen.
Speaker 9 (16:21):
In the early morning hours of Sunday, June eighteenth, Spradlin
had been hanging out with people she knew when they
ended up here at the home of a prominent local dentist.
At some point they tell us something terrible happened.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
I just don't know what in.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
The world would have gone so wrong to result in
what happened.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
But there was a nine to one one call and
no one minute.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
A nine to one one call. Why what happened? Take
a listen now to wo WUK want to say.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Sunday night, Kentucky State Police told them her body had
been found in another person's home along Arkansas Creek Road
in Martin. Kentucky State Police say they suspect foul play.
Speaker 10 (17:06):
They don't know why it took first responders so long
to find her and help.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
I just don't know what in the world would have
gone so wrong to result in what happened. But there
was a none to one one call and no one went.
Speaker 10 (17:20):
The community has been calling the county's nine to one
one dispatch system into question since Amber's death. The attorney
says it took first responders hours to find Amber.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Forgotten, gone, but not forgotten. No cover up. I hear
horns beeping in the background. That's a protest. I don't
understand what's happening. Jeff Vanderbeck joining me. He's covered the
case at the very beginning there at the Floyd County
Chronicle dot Com. I don't understand. Nila woy was called,
(17:52):
but they didn't show up. What happened?
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Well, we can't get copies of the nine one one obviously,
because it's still an investigation and active investigation by Kentucky
State Police, but we are under the impression that there
was a nine to one call made from the doctor's house.
We don't know who made that call, and we don't
know exactly what happened during that call, but apparently there
(18:18):
was I'm not sure the exact time of that call,
but there was definitely a call made to the nine
one one center early morning, and then apparently there's another
one four hours later requesting services at that particular.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Time for our delay, Guys, you're hearing Jeff Vanderbeck joining
us from Appalachian Newspapers. Ain't in Floyd County Chronicle four
hours Well, that doesn't make any sense to me. And
right there at the end, guys, you were hold on,
Do I hear you jumping in? Jeff? Go ahead, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
Let me clarify that there was a call made in
the morning, early hours, and we, like I said, we
don't have we can't get copies of those calls, but
we do know that while that call was made, they
did call that off. They whoever they is or they are,
called it off, and somebody at the nine one one
(19:15):
made a decision to say that there was no nothing
important or eminent happening at that particular time. And then,
according to our resources and our sources, several hours later,
another nine one one call was made at that particular time,
and that's when that's when authorities were dispatched.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
That clarified a lah Jeff Vanderbeck, there was a nine
on one call and then someone called back pretty quickly
went oh, never mind, it's all fine.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
It was the same call during the same day. Now,
we did do an open records request to get any
copies of a nine one one call made by Amber
Amber or her cell phone, and according to the authorities,
that call does not exist. So there was no call
made by Amber to the nine one one center. But
we do know that there was a call made by somebody.
(20:09):
We're trying to ascertain if that was from doctor mckinniey's
house or somebody at the house, or if in fact
doctor McKinney himself called, or who called. But we don't
know exact that because Kentucky Press Kentucky State Police has
not released that and they will not release that information
until the investigation is over.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
So, guys, you're hearing Jeff Vanderbeck from Applation newspapers. So
there's a call. Then whoever calls also says, okay, wit,
you know what, never mind, everything's fine. Four hours pass
and there's another call. You were also hearing our friends
at whas Now take a listen to our friends at WYMT.
Speaker 11 (20:50):
KSP investigators say they were called to a home in
the Arkansas Creek area, just outside Martin. State Police say
their initial investigation thirty nine year old Amber Spradlin of
Prestonsburg had suffered life threatening injuries. KSP says she was
pronounced dead at the scene by the Floyd County Corner's Office.
(21:12):
Investigators do suspect foul play in this case. There's no
word on any suspects at this time.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Amber Spadland's loved ones were emotional as they gave details
on how she died.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
She was stabbed at least eleven times in her head,
her neck, and her throat. I can't imagine what she
was going through and how she was feeling.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
But that's not all they shared Thursday afternoon during a
press conference outside of the Floyd County Courthouse. Some members
of the community who were there to show support Thursday
have questioned how long it's taken to figure out what
happened at a home in Martin.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Eleven stab wounds in the head, the neck, and the throat.
This young woman murdered. One nine one one call was
followed by an oh, don't bother. Four hours later, another
nine on one call is made. Debbie Hall is joining us.
This is Amber's cousin. Tell me one thing, Debbie in
(22:11):
whose home was Amber found dead?
Speaker 6 (22:14):
Doctor Michael McKinney, the dentist here in Pressburg, and he's
also the owner of the Brick House restaurant.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
What about it? Doctor Michelle Dupree joining us. Renowned forensic pathologists,
medical examiner, or former detective. You can find her at
Dmichelle dupremd dot com. Eleven stab wounds to the neck,
the face, the throat.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
Nancy, this was rage. I mean again, this is something personal.
We often find that, especially sharp force injuries are personal.
You have to be up close, I mean touching that person.
You know. Again, it's not like firing a gun from
across the room. This is personal. This was rage.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Stab wounds to the face. Dr Bethony Marshall, that's got
to mean something. I mean, I'm just a trial lawyer.
You're the strength but stabs to the face.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Well, Nancy, I mean to pegback on what doctor Michelle
DePree said. This was rage. It was up close and personal.
What happened interpersonally? You know, the thoughts that come to mind,
is she knew something or discovered something that made the
other person in rage. Perhaps there was methanthetamine involved, because
when I think of this kind of overkill I think
(23:26):
of drug activity. That I'm not saying that Amber was
using drugs, but the perpetrator may have been, because this
kind of overkill is really usually caused by drugs that
propel energy and activity and mania. I'm also wondering, you know,
I keep thinking about discovery. Did she know something that
(23:48):
the other person didn't want her to know and that
came out over the course of the evening. She was
with a group of people that went from place to place.
What transpired she was with that group, What were they
talking about? What came to light? What did they experience?
You know, something happened in that milieu that ended up
(24:10):
in this horrible, horrible murder in the dentist's home.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
You know what's interesting too, Mark Wolander joining us. This
is a family lawyer, ultimately familiar with the facts as
we know them right now, and nearly not every but
nearly every bit of research I found on Amber's murder,
no one ever mentions that she's found in the home
(24:36):
of this prominent dentist, Nancy.
Speaker 8 (24:38):
That's correct. The State Police didn't put out any of
that information until we held our press conference, and I
think the State Police, for all good reasons, has been
holding back on a lot of information they have. In particular,
there's been a lot of calls that the State Police
are covering something up, but very candidly, anybody that's ever
(24:58):
been involved in a case like this knows that the
amount of blood that's at the scene, and we know
that there was at least one other person that was
cut at the scene, it's going to take them a
long time to sort through the DNA, although I will
say that I have been assured by the captain at
the State Police post that the laboratory in Frankfurt has
(25:18):
moved Amber's case to the front of the line and
they are working diligently to figure out whose DNA was
in that house that morning.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Let me understand something, how do you know someone else
was cut at the scene, and if where on their
body were they cut?
Speaker 8 (25:32):
Do you know, Nancy, We know that from the information
that's been put out there, and we know that the
person that was cut. The other person that was cut
was Roy Kidd, and we don't know whether or not
in how he got cut, but we know that he
bled and that his blood probably more than likely was
mixed in with the Amber's blood at the scene. So
(25:53):
I mean, at the end of the day, I think
we I've talked to the family and I've talked to
the investigators about this, but we're all patiently waiting to
make sure that when an arrest is made, the arrest
is made of the right individual or individuals who were involved.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Debbie Hall, the cousin of Amber Spratland, do you know
where on his body Roy Kid was cut?
Speaker 7 (26:13):
I do not.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
I'm just curious was it on his hand, which would
be very interesting. He has not been named a person
of interest or a defendant suspect in this case. I
have seen many, many times when there is a multiple
stabbing murder victim that the purp has a cut on
their hand where their hand goes down the knife in
(26:36):
the middle of the stab. Speaking of DNA the crime scene,
take a listen to our friends at wh ASNWWK.
Speaker 10 (26:44):
Kentucky State Police is working the case, but staying tight lipped.
The family's attorney believes they have their suspect, but because
the crime scene was so gruesome, DNA evidence has been
difficult to separate.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
In the lab.
Speaker 8 (26:57):
There was blood everywhere, and there was blood that was
mixed with other blood and other DNA family safe.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
They don't know why anyone would want to hurt her.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Amber Spradland, known for her generous heart, is now being
mourned by those who loved her so much.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
I'm davis cited because she was a wonderful person, a
lover and I really really is.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Their troopers haven't said who the home belonged to, and
with so many questions unanswered right now, her family says
there's one thing they're certain of.
Speaker 6 (27:26):
If there is FI apply, I hope who waver it
is brought to justice because she did.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Not deserve this. I'm not quite sure where why they're
not saying what The family is telling us that Amber
was found stabbed eleven times at the home of a
prominent dentist in the early early morning hours. Doctor Michael
McIntire is that his name, Debbie.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
Hall McKinnie, Michael McKinney.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Thank you, doctor Michael McKinney, a dentist. But I do
know this, I know the lawyer, veterans trial lawyer on
my ad might Mark Wilanders says the family is waiting
patiently for answers. I'm not so sure that I agree
with that. Take a listen to our friends at wsa
(28:13):
Z three.
Speaker 12 (28:14):
First and I loved ones of a woman found dead
and Floyd County on Sunday are just praying for justice
at this point. Kentucky State Police say Amber Spradlin was
found dead on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
Foul play is suspected.
Speaker 12 (28:26):
Investigators have not shared many details about the case or
said whether they have any suspects or suspect in mind officially.
New Channel three's Andrew Colgrove spoke with relatives of the victim,
determined to keep a light on the case until a
killer is behind bars.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Once her body is buried, this other stuff is not
buried and more.
Speaker 13 (28:49):
Family of Amber Spradlin grieving and furious she was.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Just getting started with her life.
Speaker 13 (28:57):
The thirty nine year old's uncle and aunt knew something
was wrong on Sunday when they were unable to reach her.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I was driving be before. We're trying to look for
a car.
Speaker 4 (29:04):
Their worst fear realized.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
It was like dashing the bucket of cold water over me.
It fell. I instantly went into a nightmare.
Speaker 13 (29:13):
Kentucky State Police say Amber was found dead at a
home along Arkansas Creek in the town of Martin, and
investigator suspects foul play.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Prime Stories with Nancy Grace, let me understand something, Jeff
Vanderbeek joining US publisher Appalachian Newspapers. How far away is
the dentist Michael McKinney's home from the brick House restaurant
where Amber worked as a hostess.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
I'm not sure the exact mileage, but you know, Martin
of Kentucky, which is where I believe he lives, the
city of Martin, and a downtown restaurant there are probably
ten fifteen minutes away from each other. So it's not
a very far thing. And as far as you know,
the comment you made before about you know KSP, you know,
(30:16):
not releasing stuff.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
I mean, this is a high.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Profile case in eastern Kentucky, and you know there's got
to be due process, and I'm sure the like Wolanders
said before, you know, I'm sure all the t'ser crossed
and the eyes are dotted before anything happens, and that's
why everybody's being tight lipped as far as what happens.
And the bottom line is that we and what nobody
(30:39):
is mentioning is that there is a killer on the
loose in Prestonsburg right now in Floyd County, Kentucky. There
is a killer on the loose or killers on the loose.
We have not solved that problem and that needs to
be addressed immediately because we need to make sure that
our communities are safe, because that's what that's what's being
overlooked at this time. In addition, and regardless of this
(31:00):
whole thing, you know, yes, the nine one one call
was a or the nine one one situation needs to
be addressed. But the bottom line is that there's still
a killer loose in our community and somebody needs to
do something about it.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
And you know what to Robin Drake, joining US behavior
expert former FBI and the Counterintelligence Behavior Analysis Program, there
is something very unique and man I say, very twisted
about not only a killer, but a killer that uses
a knife as a weapon. It's a lot different scenarios
(31:32):
a whole other can of worms. And let's just say
a snipe or the shootes is the victim at a distance,
very little contact, and not only murdered by knife, but
eleven stab wounds to this girl's face, neck and head.
Speaker 14 (31:47):
Yeah, like I said earlier, it's highly personal, it's highly violent,
a lot of energy behind it. And the other thing
that's been striking me here too is so they call
nine one one and no one shows up. Why wouldn't
anyone bring her to the hospital in a car? I mean,
you have people on seeing supposedly at least someone was
(32:08):
that called nine to one one. When they didn't show up,
why not put her in a car and move, Go,
do something, take action. That's what's really surprising, one of
the many surprising things in this entire situation. And as
her cousin was saying earlier, too, live in a life
in isolation where you're taking care of your wonderful grandparents
(32:28):
that have raised you. She lacked a lot of social
reps too, so she might not have been able to
really keew in on unsafe situations from individuals, and that
she's surrounded by possibly.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
You know what, that's a really good point. She had
led this very You know, this woman Amber is only
four to eleven, she is very diminutive. She's been socially
awkward to her whole life. She was bullied in school,
went from one school to the next, socially awkward. And
how excited do you believe she was to get invited
(33:03):
out after work by a prominent dentist who owned the
brickhouse restaurant where she worked and coworkers. How fun would
that be? And just imagine this is late at night,
after the restaurant closes, they go out and somehow she
ends up dead with eleven stab wounds. Now I agree,
don't get me wrong, any of you on the panel.
(33:26):
I prosecuted and investigated thousands of cases. I understand holding
things close to the vest It's not to somehow impewe
the integrity of the investigation. But to not even release
the location of the crime, that's very unusual in my mind.
(33:46):
Take a listen to more. This is Shane McAllister, whas.
Speaker 10 (33:52):
According to state beliefs, the thirty nine year old was
found dead in a home on Arkansas Creek earlier this month.
That's about four and a half hours from the in
Floyd County Kentucky. Kentucky State Police troopers confirmed she had
life threatening injuries and they do suspect foul play, meaning
they're working it as a homicide investigation. Well, today the
victims family is asking for support as they go on
(34:14):
ten days without an arrest in the case and without
answers as to why it took so long for the
nine one one call to be heard.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
I'm very curious too, we keep focusing, as Jeff Vanderbick
pointed out about the whole nine one one system being
screwed up. I'm also questioning why wasn't she taken to
the hospital, Nancy.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
If I might this is Jeff Anderbick, if I might
say something that were the assumption is that the initial
nine one one call was made and said, hey, there's
a there's somebody hurt here. We don't know that for
a fact. We don't know anything about it because the
nine one one call was not released, So we don't
know what that nine one one call was all about.
(34:54):
We don't know if it was because somebody was injured.
We don't know if it was because Amber was in danger.
We don't know anything about that nine one one call
because the tape was not released. So if the nine
one one call came in, the initial nine one one
call came in, it was completely nothing regarding Amber, then
the whole point of this whole thing is a moot point.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
I mean, Jeff Vanderbank, really you really think that there
were two life threatening situations in one night, in the
space of four hours at one residence.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
Well, you know, based upon the brutality of the act,
of the alleged act, and based upon what we know
so far, people were not thinking in their right mind.
And I'm there's a lot of information that I'm being told.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
Are you saying somebody was on drugs?
Speaker 5 (35:47):
I'm not saying anything. I'm not saying anything to that response.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Regards and frankly, Jeff Vanderbeck, I don't care if people
were not thinking in their right mind because if it
is drugs of isbooze? Voluntary use of drugs? Are alcohol?
Are not a defense? If it's panicking, Jeff Vanderbick, don't care.
People always panic when somebody's been stabbed eleven times in
the vase. I guess, so, I guess they were out
of their mind. But that does not change that a
(36:12):
killer is walking free. And in that vein, Jeff, I
want to go to doctor Michelle dupree. Can you tell
by the temperature of the body, the degree of rigor
or liver or mortis, and the coagulation of blood on
and around the body how long the victim has been dead.
(36:34):
I'm just curious how long this beautiful girl, Amber Scradlin
lay there dead before anybody went yeah, you know what,
let's do call nine to one one.
Speaker 6 (36:44):
Yes, Nancy, of course you can get an estimate, but
it's always an estimate, you know, it's not like on
TV they died at nine thirty seven. So yeah, she
can get an estimate within a few hours. I'm not
sure how much help that would be here.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Well, am I helping a lot? And then there are
extrends met ways to other than the condition of the
body to determine the time of the death, Like did
ambersend a text? Did Amber make a phone call? Did
Amber post something? Is there anything? Can we see movement
on her phone, whether it was her using the phone
or not. Can we see movement around the home. A
(37:21):
lot of extrinsic evidence can indicate the time of death,
and as you say, not specifically, but close to the
time of death, guys, take a listen now to our
cut twelve flee Kenny.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Fiscal Court documents say in December twenty twenty two, the
decision to move the call center from the Kentucky State
Police Post to the city of Prestonsburg was because of
an increase in service.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Piece.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Now they've launched a petition to move the call center
back to the Kentucky State Police Post. A family heartbroken,
wanting answers and changes, but willing to be patient until
investigators have all the pieces to this puzzle.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
WI Hall. Let me understand. So, at first is believed
that the call went to one nine one one center
and they didn't respond. Then four hours later there is
a response. But now I'm learning after that first nine
on one call there was an immediate follow up saying yeah,
you know what, never mind, don't come. So does that
really have anything to do with the changing of the
(38:22):
nine one one call center.
Speaker 7 (38:23):
I I'm not sure. I do know that in the
past the KSP has handled the none one one calls,
and I do not know of any problems like this
that have come about.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Okay, what about it, Martin, Wellander, Well, Nancy, let's get
back to the first call.
Speaker 8 (38:41):
About five o'clock in the morning. We believe that that
was one call and that two people got out of
the phone at least what we're hearing, and the first
person said, we have a fight going on out here.
That's what I've learned from comments made by Mayor Les Stapleton.
And then somebody else picked up the phone and said, no,
everything's under control. You don't need to send anybody out.
And so, you know, the question is is did they
(39:03):
even follow the protocol that they put together when they
entered into this agreement. The agreement said that if you
have calls out in the county, the dispatch was responsible
for their contacting the Kentucky State Police or the Floyd
County Sheriff's Department to send them out to see what
was going on at these types of calls. So nobody
came at five o'clock in the morning. And then the
question is is who all was responsible for killing Amber?
(39:27):
From what I understand from what I've been told, there
were no defensive wounds on her arms, and so the
question that I have did somebody hold her down? Where
there are two people involved in the murder? And then
the real question that nobody's really addressed is what happened
between five o'clock and ten o'clock when they came out.
Did the people at the house, doctor McKinney, his son,
(39:48):
Mike Roy Kidd, and anybody else was there. Did they
spend those four hours trying to clean up the crime scene?
And that's important. So, yes, the nine to one one
center being moved to the city of Prestonsburg. When the
Kentucky State Police had twelve troopers assigned to cover nine
one one calls in Floyd County, they're no longer assigned
to Floyd County because of what Mayor Les Stapleton and
(40:10):
the Judge Executive Robbie Williams has done in this case,
and all that we hear from them twenty five days
later is instead of trying to address this issue, the
only thing that they've done up till now is Robbie Williams,
the county judge executive, he held a special meeting to
get approval to hire a big law firm in Lexington, Kentucky,
to fight any civil suit that may come down the road.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Well, they're worried about a civil suit when the killer
has not been apprehended. Let me ask you a question.
To your understanding, mort Rolllander, how many people were in
the quote prominent dentist home the night of the murder?
Speaker 8 (40:47):
As far as we know right now, there were at
least five people in the house. I know the names
of three of them. I don't know the names of
the other two, but there may have been others there.
Since we've had the press conference, we continue to get
emails and text messages from people in the community that
have been sending us information that we have been then
passing on to the state police. But at least three
(41:08):
that we know of, because we know that doctor McKinney
was there, and we know that his son MK was there,
and we also know that Roy Kid was there, and
we know that from information that's been passed on through sources.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
As of right now, no person of interest, no suspect,
no defendant. And my question is, nearly one month later,
why the.
Speaker 8 (41:30):
Bigger question is is who cleaned up the crime scene?
Who else was involved? Amber The murder was so violent
that somebody had to be holding her down. And Debbie,
you're here, and I don't want to make this difficult
on you, but from what you described, her head must
have moved back and forth, back and forth when the
knife wounds were being pressed into her, and the wound
(41:54):
that we think wi I'm going to stop me if
you don't want to hear this. But the wound that
we think was the was the death wound, was the
knife wound from the front of her throat that severed
her spine. And so the other wounds were still still happening,
and then one of the wounds they broke off. The
they broke off the knife in her temple. So I mean,
(42:14):
it's pretty bad, it's pretty vicious.
Speaker 14 (42:17):
So again, five people in a house, why didn't someone
do something?
Speaker 8 (42:23):
That's the question, and that's what I think they're waiting
for the for the DNA. There was DNA that or
there was blood that went through the hallway upstairs, and
there was a bag of bloody costs that we think
was from blood from Roy Kidd.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
No person of interest, no suspect, no defendant. If you
have information on who murdered this young woman, Amber Spradlin,
let your voice be heard. Tip line six zero six
nine four nine twenty twenty. Repeat six zero six nine
four nine twenty twenty. Her family is waiting for justice. Goodbye, friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. What happened to Amber? Why
do we still not have answers in the case of
a young woman brutally murdered? It seems to me the
answer is right under the noses of authorities. But why
(00:29):
no arrest? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thanks
for being with us here at Fox Nation and serious
xem one eleven. First of all, take a listen to this.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Around one on Sunday, her aunt, Wanda Spradland got a
call that would change her life.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Were out walking the flea market and her aunt other
aunt college and we enough we've seen her herd from her.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
And we had Amber, who worked at the popular brick
house in Prestonsburg, wasn't at work or at home.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Early in life, Amber Spradlin sperienced trauma and heartbreak, but
she endured. She was just three years old when her
mother died, and later her sister died in a car accident.
She was raised by her grandparents and as they got older,
she in turn put her own life on hold to
care for them. After her grandparents passed, Amber Spradlin started
to grow. She moved into her own place for the
(01:19):
first time and got a job she really enjoyed at
the Brick House Restaurant. Amber Spradlin looked forward to every
day and every new adventure.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
But that life of adventure she was finally getting to
live after her family raised her her grandparents after her
mom was killed. As they became elderly, she decided to
take care of them when they passed. She finally started
living the life she had dreamed of. She wanted to travel,
(01:49):
she wanted adventure, the same things that so many of
us want, but that was not to be. Joining me
an all star panel to make sense of what we
know right now to Jeff Vanderbeck, VP, publisher of Appalachian Newspapers, Inc.
Thanks for being with us. You can find Jeff at
Floyd County Chronicle dot com. Jeff, tell me about this
(02:12):
young woman, Amber Spradling. Seems like she had devoted so
much of her life trying to take care of her grandparents.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
What we know of Amber at this point is that,
you know, she is a typical Eastern Kentuckian who is
a true grit, hardworking, just wants to take care of
her family members and so on and so forth. Just
you know, just from what we know of her, she's
at the regular all American type of individual who just
(02:42):
wanted to live life and do things right and so on.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well was she doing at Brickhouse Restaurant? What was her
job there?
Speaker 5 (02:49):
To my knowledge, I believe she was a hostess at
the restaurant. You know, the Brickhouse Restaurant's a nice restaurant.
It's been a staple of the community for a long time.
And I believe that it was just changed ownership several
years back to the current owner. I don't know exactly
how long Amber worked there, but you go in there
and she has a smiling face and she would, you know,
(03:09):
see you and say Hellodia. And she treated her customers
very well.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah. Doctor Bethany Marshall joining us. Renowned psychoanalysts joining us
from Beverly Hills. You can find her at doctor Bethany
Marshall dot com. Doctor Bethany. Have you ever gone to
a restaurant and the hostess or the person in charge,
let's just say, was so rude you never went back,
(03:34):
or the waiter or the way you just didn't care.
They were so put off having to bring you an
ice water with a straw or whatever you had asked for.
You just never went back anthees.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
And I will say I've also had the opposite where
the host or the hostess really knows me, has a
relationship with me, knows all of the customers. And I
think that the restaurants that are the most successful, it's
not because of the owner, the cook, the people the back,
the wait staff, is the hostess. It's that first person
(04:07):
you greet when you walk through the front door, that
says hello and takes you through your table. And in
the case of Amber, it's that person who you know
is going to miss you if you go to another
restaurant instead of theirs. I mean, they're going to stay.
We missed you Friday night, we missed you Saturday. They
have a relationship with you and your family, especially in
(04:27):
this kind of a community. So she played an incredibly
important role in that restaurant.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And by all accounts, everybody loved this girl. Amber sprallin big,
huge smile, perfect teeth. I mean in the photos I've
seen of her, she's looking right at you in every
single one, she's got a big smile. According to everyone
(04:56):
that knew her, She's so beloved. So she gets this job.
She's no longer taking care of her grandparents they've passed away.
She feels she's done her duty, and she gets this
job at a local restaurant where her main job is
dealing with the public. Now that's an interesting job right there,
because and let me go to you, doctor Michelle Dupree
(05:20):
joining me, pathologist, medical examiner and important former detective. Doctor Dupree,
when you are a young woman and you are a
hostess at a very popular restaurant, you come in contact
with everybody in town and beyond, whoever may be passing
through town right there in Preston Burghs, Kentucky. So you
(05:42):
have no idea really who you're greeting, who you're meeting,
because they're there for an hour and they're gone. Who
knows who may have seen her, been attracted to her,
started watching her. We have no idea, doctor Dupree.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
Absolutely see and you know, we oftentimes find that the
suspect will make some kind of a personal connection with
that person, and that person doesn't even realize it, and
they just have this fantasy in their mind and it
grows and grows, and again the victim or the person
in this case doesn't even realize it's happening. It's very scary.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
You've got a young girl who finally goes out on
her own, gets her first place or first apartment, gets
this job, and her job is meeting and greeting the public.
People she knows, people she doesn't know. All day, all night,
(06:40):
We're trying to learn all we can about this missing woman,
Amber Spradling. But what happened the night she seemingly goes missing?
Take a listen to our friends a crime online.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Saturday night, Amber Spradlin finishes her shift at the Brick
House Restaurant in Prestonsburg. She leaves the restaurant with a friend,
Roy Kid, and doctor Mike McKinnie. Doctor mckennie is a
well known dentist in town and also happens to be
the owner of the Brick House restaurant. A little while later,
the trio decides to leave the seasons in and they
end up at the home of doctor mckennie on Arkansas Creek.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Joining me right now is a very special guest is
Debbie Hall. This is Amber's cousin. Also with us the
family lawyer Mark Wolander. A. Debbie, thank you for being
with us. Would you say that Amber had been sheltered?
(07:38):
Did she lead a sheltered life. Had she dated a
lot of people.
Speaker 6 (07:43):
She led a very sheltered life and I only know
her ever, hav her two boyfriends the whole time. She
had a lot of problems. Whenever she was in school
feeding in she got bullied a lot. She went from
school to school trying to find a place to see it.
And her grandparents really took care of her and protected her,
(08:05):
and they took her on trips. She didn't have a
big social life early on.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Why was she bullied? Debbie?
Speaker 6 (08:12):
She had some emotional issues as far as some depression
and some anxiety, and she just had difficulty. She couldn't
understand if people were kidding with her, So she had
a little bit of trouble there. She was a little
socially awkward, I think, and kids were just rude and mean.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Did people bully her because she's chubby?
Speaker 6 (08:36):
Yes?
Speaker 7 (08:36):
I think that also.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Time stories with Nancy Grace, you know, Dr Rathany, that
starts my heart so much to thank this this girl.
I mean, you've looked at her picture. She looks so
sweet and loving open to have been bullied and tormented
(09:11):
from one school to the next, and you're hearing Debbie Hall.
This is Amber's cousin talking about how the grandparents. I mean,
she's already lost her mother. Her grandparents tried to protect
her and shield her from bullies and then move her
from one school to the next. And then she spent
(09:33):
you know, her young adult years, you know, her in
her twenties, trying to take care of her grandparents. And
she finally gets out, gets an apartment and starts this
job at brickhouse. And now this, I mean, this girl
(09:54):
didn't have a chance, Dr Bethy. She's so naive. And
we had two boyfriends. Let me guess Debbie Hall was one,
like in high school, one of those boyfriends.
Speaker 6 (10:06):
Shortly after high school, yes, whenever, She's just she'd gone
to a vocational school for a few months and met
one there. You know, Nancy, kids can be so cool,
can they? And trauma. I like the fact that our
behavioral expert brought up trauma in the arc that that
creates trauma presents as the kinds of things that can
(10:30):
lead to bullying.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Dr Bethany, I've got to tell you what happened, Okay,
tell me, Okay. So the children graduated from their elementary
school where they went to elementary and middle and they
were starting a big, a much bigger school. My son
knew a lot of people that had transferred to this
big school. My daughter went without any close friends at all.
(10:54):
She need practically zero. So she comes home one day
she goes, Mom, I have to get a Lululemon bag.
You know what Lululemon is. I bet you do a
Lemon and bears like one sports sprawl. It's like fifty dollars.
A pair of leggings like ninety dollars. And I said, Lucy,
(11:14):
why do we have to get a shot And she goes, Mom,
to get the bag. You have to buy something. I'm like,
you do know that a pair of pants at Lulu
Limmon's like ninety dollars. Right, she goes, I got to
get a Lulu Limon bag. I'm like, honey, why And
she said, well, all the girls, if they don't eat
in the cafeteria, they bring their lunch in a Lululemon bag. Well,
(11:38):
you know when I went and paid ninety dollars for
a pair of whatever I paid, and you know, if
you could have seen, I made Lucy go in and
get it. She came out, she looked so down. Cash
she said, Mom, with the tax included, it was ninety
one dollars, said, Honey, don't worry, just enjoy that bag.
Enjoy that Lulu women baby. And do you know the
(12:00):
next day she had her little lunch in that Lulu
Leomon bag, and I just when I wish to pick
him up, I started looking around Bethany, and sure enough
I saw about eight or nine little girls enge couldn't
have been over the seventh grade, walking around proudly with
their Lulu Lemon bag on their shoulder. And I was
(12:22):
just thinking, she's not one to ever won a particular
label of clothing or tennis shoes or anything like that.
In fact, this is one of the few things she's
ever come out and actually asked for. But can you
imagine if this happened to Lucy, who likes she looks
(12:42):
like a cover model. She's perfect, she's got great grades.
And what would happen to Amber, who is socially awkward
and people make fun of her because she's chubby. Can
you even imagine what her life was like trying to
get through high school?
Speaker 6 (12:59):
Yancy, the important role you played with Lucy that when
she wanted the bag instead of saying, well, why do
you want a beg? Why do you want to fit
in with everybody else? You knew as her mother, you
were attuned and you knew that she needed to be
to fit in. She needed to feel one of the
crowd and one of the girls, and you met that need.
(13:19):
But Lucy has a mother and Amber did not. She
lost her mother when she was three. She was raised
by her grandparents and that trauma, you know, it primed
her to lack social cueuing to not fit in with
other people. And then grandparents, you know, there are a
generation away. So maybe maybe grandparents wouldn't buy a Lululemon bag, right,
(13:42):
they might not know how to help Amber fit in.
I mean we could talk about this for dates.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Okay, wait a minute, Dr Beth, and I'm sorry to
take everybody else down my rabbit hole. But as a
joke to John David, yeah, wait a minute, wait a minute,
wait for it, he was obsessed with let's see, was
it buzz light Year or was it? Do you do
know who toe Mater is?
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's a race car out in McQueen. Yeah, but it's
toe Mater. He's a tow truck, get it? Okay? So
I think when he was starting the eighth grade. I
sent his lunch to school and a toe Ma lunchback
he had when he was about three. When he came home,
(14:28):
I found it stuffed down at the bottom of his
backpack and all the food was gone, but he had
hidn't it. It was a giant Did not do that again.
But yes, yes, it's very deep water that they're treading.
Speaker 6 (14:43):
Well because you were involved in the nuances of what
would be a joke for John David to pack the
lunch in the tomato bag from when he was a
much younger child, and he in turned stuffed the bag
where you couldn't find it. I mean, but there's a
lot of social qu that goes back and forth between
a parent and a child, and when there's already a
(15:04):
generational difference, like Amber had with her grandparents, she missed
out on all those delightful potentially I mean, her cousin's
here on the panel, but all of these delightful experiences
that kids have with their own parents growing up. But
I want to say something about Amber. She and her
boss were really great friends. That tells you something about her.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
But I wanted to address that right there, which led
me down the garden path. She had never really connected
with a lot of people in high school. She was
socially awkward, she had bullies. She went from high school
to high school to high school, which makes it really
hard to ever make close friends. And now she's at
this restaurant where she's working as a hostess, the Brick
(15:48):
House Restaurant, and the owner and co workers invite her
to go out after I mean, Debbie Hall, I bet
that was a big deal for her.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
Oh, I'm sure it was. I'm sure she felt totally
safe and really excited to be included in Oh.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Man, that that just hurts me. That hurts me so much.
She was so excited to be asked out after her
shift at work. But then this take a list into
Lee cercy l e x eighteen.
Speaker 9 (16:21):
In the early morning hours of Sunday, June eighteenth, Spradlin
had been hanging out with people she knew when they
ended up here at the home of a prominent local dentist.
At some point they tell us something terrible happened.
Speaker 6 (16:36):
I just don't know what in.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
The world would have gone so wrong to result in
what happened.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
But there was a nine to one one call and
no one minute.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
A nine to one one call. Why what happened? Take
a listen now to wo WUK want to say.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Sunday night, Kentucky State Police told them her body had
been found in another person's home along Arkansas Creek Road
in Martin. Kentucky State Police say they suspect foul play.
Speaker 10 (17:06):
They don't know why it took first responders so long
to find her and help.
Speaker 6 (17:11):
I just don't know what in the world would have
gone so wrong to result in what happened. But there
was a none to one one call and no one went.
Speaker 10 (17:20):
The community has been calling the county's nine to one
one dispatch system into question since Amber's death. The attorney
says it took first responders hours to find Amber.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Forgotten, gone, but not forgotten. No cover up. I hear
horns beeping in the background. That's a protest. I don't
understand what's happening. Jeff Vanderbeck joining me. He's covered the
case at the very beginning there at the Floyd County
Chronicle dot Com. I don't understand. Nila woy was called,
(17:52):
but they didn't show up. What happened?
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Well, we can't get copies of the nine one one obviously,
because it's still an investigation and active investigation by Kentucky
State Police, but we are under the impression that there
was a nine to one call made from the doctor's house.
We don't know who made that call, and we don't
know exactly what happened during that call, but apparently there
(18:18):
was I'm not sure the exact time of that call,
but there was definitely a call made to the nine
one one center early morning, and then apparently there's another
one four hours later requesting services at that particular.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Time for our delay, Guys, you're hearing Jeff Vanderbeck joining
us from Appalachian Newspapers. Ain't in Floyd County Chronicle four
hours Well, that doesn't make any sense to me. And
right there at the end, guys, you were hold on,
Do I hear you jumping in? Jeff? Go ahead, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
Let me clarify that there was a call made in
the morning, early hours, and we, like I said, we
don't have we can't get copies of those calls, but
we do know that while that call was made, they
did call that off. They whoever they is or they are,
called it off, and somebody at the nine one one
(19:15):
made a decision to say that there was no nothing
important or eminent happening at that particular time. And then,
according to our resources and our sources, several hours later,
another nine one one call was made at that particular time,
and that's when that's when authorities were dispatched.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
That clarified a lah Jeff Vanderbeck, there was a nine
on one call and then someone called back pretty quickly
went oh, never mind, it's all fine.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
It was the same call during the same day. Now,
we did do an open records request to get any
copies of a nine one one call made by Amber
Amber or her cell phone, and according to the authorities,
that call does not exist. So there was no call
made by Amber to the nine one one center. But
we do know that there was a call made by somebody.
(20:09):
We're trying to ascertain if that was from doctor mckinniey's
house or somebody at the house, or if in fact
doctor McKinney himself called, or who called. But we don't
know exact that because Kentucky Press Kentucky State Police has
not released that and they will not release that information
until the investigation is over.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
So, guys, you're hearing Jeff Vanderbeck from Applation newspapers. So
there's a call. Then whoever calls also says, okay, wit,
you know what, never mind, everything's fine. Four hours pass
and there's another call. You were also hearing our friends
at whas Now take a listen to our friends at WYMT.
Speaker 11 (20:50):
KSP investigators say they were called to a home in
the Arkansas Creek area, just outside Martin. State Police say
their initial investigation thirty nine year old Amber Spradlin of
Prestonsburg had suffered life threatening injuries. KSP says she was
pronounced dead at the scene by the Floyd County Corner's Office.
(21:12):
Investigators do suspect foul play in this case. There's no
word on any suspects at this time.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Amber Spadland's loved ones were emotional as they gave details
on how she died.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
She was stabbed at least eleven times in her head,
her neck, and her throat. I can't imagine what she
was going through and how she was feeling.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
But that's not all they shared Thursday afternoon during a
press conference outside of the Floyd County Courthouse. Some members
of the community who were there to show support Thursday
have questioned how long it's taken to figure out what
happened at a home in Martin.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Eleven stab wounds in the head, the neck, and the throat.
This young woman murdered. One nine one one call was
followed by an oh, don't bother. Four hours later, another
nine on one call is made. Debbie Hall is joining us.
This is Amber's cousin. Tell me one thing, Debbie in
(22:11):
whose home was Amber found dead?
Speaker 6 (22:14):
Doctor Michael McKinney, the dentist here in Pressburg, and he's
also the owner of the Brick House restaurant.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
What about it? Doctor Michelle Dupree joining us. Renowned forensic pathologists,
medical examiner, or former detective. You can find her at
Dmichelle dupremd dot com. Eleven stab wounds to the neck,
the face, the throat.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
Nancy, this was rage. I mean again, this is something personal.
We often find that, especially sharp force injuries are personal.
You have to be up close, I mean touching that person.
You know. Again, it's not like firing a gun from
across the room. This is personal. This was rage.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Stab wounds to the face. Dr Bethony Marshall, that's got
to mean something. I mean, I'm just a trial lawyer.
You're the strength but stabs to the face.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
Well, Nancy, I mean to pegback on what doctor Michelle
DePree said. This was rage. It was up close and personal.
What happened interpersonally? You know, the thoughts that come to mind,
is she knew something or discovered something that made the
other person in rage. Perhaps there was methanthetamine involved, because
when I think of this kind of overkill I think
(23:26):
of drug activity. That I'm not saying that Amber was
using drugs, but the perpetrator may have been, because this
kind of overkill is really usually caused by drugs that
propel energy and activity and mania. I'm also wondering, you know,
I keep thinking about discovery. Did she know something that
(23:48):
the other person didn't want her to know and that
came out over the course of the evening. She was
with a group of people that went from place to place.
What transpired she was with that group, What were they
talking about? What came to light? What did they experience?
You know, something happened in that milieu that ended up
(24:10):
in this horrible, horrible murder in the dentist's home.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
You know what's interesting too, Mark Wolander joining us. This
is a family lawyer, ultimately familiar with the facts as
we know them right now, and nearly not every but
nearly every bit of research I found on Amber's murder,
no one ever mentions that she's found in the home
(24:36):
of this prominent dentist, Nancy.
Speaker 8 (24:38):
That's correct. The State Police didn't put out any of
that information until we held our press conference, and I
think the State Police, for all good reasons, has been
holding back on a lot of information they have. In particular,
there's been a lot of calls that the State Police
are covering something up, but very candidly, anybody that's ever
(24:58):
been involved in a case like this knows that the
amount of blood that's at the scene, and we know
that there was at least one other person that was
cut at the scene, it's going to take them a
long time to sort through the DNA, although I will
say that I have been assured by the captain at
the State Police post that the laboratory in Frankfurt has
(25:18):
moved Amber's case to the front of the line and
they are working diligently to figure out whose DNA was
in that house that morning.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Let me understand something, how do you know someone else
was cut at the scene, and if where on their
body were they cut?
Speaker 8 (25:32):
Do you know, Nancy, We know that from the information
that's been put out there, and we know that the
person that was cut. The other person that was cut
was Roy Kidd, and we don't know whether or not
in how he got cut, but we know that he
bled and that his blood probably more than likely was
mixed in with the Amber's blood at the scene. So
(25:53):
I mean, at the end of the day, I think
we I've talked to the family and I've talked to
the investigators about this, but we're all patiently waiting to
make sure that when an arrest is made, the arrest
is made of the right individual or individuals who were involved.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Debbie Hall, the cousin of Amber Spratland, do you know
where on his body Roy Kid was cut?
Speaker 7 (26:13):
I do not.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
I'm just curious was it on his hand, which would
be very interesting. He has not been named a person
of interest or a defendant suspect in this case. I
have seen many, many times when there is a multiple
stabbing murder victim that the purp has a cut on
their hand where their hand goes down the knife in
(26:36):
the middle of the stab. Speaking of DNA the crime scene,
take a listen to our friends at wh ASNWWK.
Speaker 10 (26:44):
Kentucky State Police is working the case, but staying tight lipped.
The family's attorney believes they have their suspect, but because
the crime scene was so gruesome, DNA evidence has been
difficult to separate.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
In the lab.
Speaker 8 (26:57):
There was blood everywhere, and there was blood that was
mixed with other blood and other DNA family safe.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
They don't know why anyone would want to hurt her.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Amber Spradland, known for her generous heart, is now being
mourned by those who loved her so much.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
I'm davis cited because she was a wonderful person, a
lover and I really really is.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Their troopers haven't said who the home belonged to, and
with so many questions unanswered right now, her family says
there's one thing they're certain of.
Speaker 6 (27:26):
If there is FI apply, I hope who waver it
is brought to justice because she did.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Not deserve this. I'm not quite sure where why they're
not saying what The family is telling us that Amber
was found stabbed eleven times at the home of a
prominent dentist in the early early morning hours. Doctor Michael
McIntire is that his name, Debbie.
Speaker 6 (27:49):
Hall McKinnie, Michael McKinney.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Thank you, doctor Michael McKinney, a dentist. But I do
know this, I know the lawyer, veterans trial lawyer on
my ad might Mark Wilanders says the family is waiting
patiently for answers. I'm not so sure that I agree
with that. Take a listen to our friends at wsa
(28:13):
Z three.
Speaker 12 (28:14):
First and I loved ones of a woman found dead
and Floyd County on Sunday are just praying for justice
at this point. Kentucky State Police say Amber Spradlin was
found dead on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
Foul play is suspected.
Speaker 12 (28:26):
Investigators have not shared many details about the case or
said whether they have any suspects or suspect in mind officially.
New Channel three's Andrew Colgrove spoke with relatives of the victim,
determined to keep a light on the case until a
killer is behind bars.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Once her body is buried, this other stuff is not
buried and more.
Speaker 13 (28:49):
Family of Amber Spradlin grieving and furious she was.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Just getting started with her life.
Speaker 13 (28:57):
The thirty nine year old's uncle and aunt knew something
was wrong on Sunday when they were unable to reach her.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
I was driving be before. We're trying to look for
a car.
Speaker 4 (29:04):
Their worst fear realized.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
It was like dashing the bucket of cold water over me.
It fell. I instantly went into a nightmare.
Speaker 13 (29:13):
Kentucky State Police say Amber was found dead at a
home along Arkansas Creek in the town of Martin, and
investigator suspects foul play.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Prime Stories with Nancy Grace, let me understand something, Jeff
Vanderbeek joining US publisher Appalachian Newspapers. How far away is
the dentist Michael McKinney's home from the brick House restaurant
where Amber worked as a hostess.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
I'm not sure the exact mileage, but you know, Martin
of Kentucky, which is where I believe he lives, the
city of Martin, and a downtown restaurant there are probably
ten fifteen minutes away from each other. So it's not
a very far thing. And as far as you know,
the comment you made before about you know KSP, you know,
(30:16):
not releasing stuff.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
I mean, this is a high.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
Profile case in eastern Kentucky, and you know there's got
to be due process, and I'm sure the like Wolanders
said before, you know, I'm sure all the t'ser crossed
and the eyes are dotted before anything happens, and that's
why everybody's being tight lipped as far as what happens.
And the bottom line is that we and what nobody
(30:39):
is mentioning is that there is a killer on the
loose in Prestonsburg right now in Floyd County, Kentucky. There
is a killer on the loose or killers on the loose.
We have not solved that problem and that needs to
be addressed immediately because we need to make sure that
our communities are safe, because that's what that's what's being
overlooked at this time. In addition, and regardless of this
(31:00):
whole thing, you know, yes, the nine one one call
was a or the nine one one situation needs to
be addressed. But the bottom line is that there's still
a killer loose in our community and somebody needs to
do something about it.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
And you know what to Robin Drake, joining US behavior
expert former FBI and the Counterintelligence Behavior Analysis Program, there
is something very unique and man I say, very twisted
about not only a killer, but a killer that uses
a knife as a weapon. It's a lot different scenarios
(31:32):
a whole other can of worms. And let's just say
a snipe or the shootes is the victim at a distance,
very little contact, and not only murdered by knife, but
eleven stab wounds to this girl's face, neck and head.
Speaker 14 (31:47):
Yeah, like I said earlier, it's highly personal, it's highly violent,
a lot of energy behind it. And the other thing
that's been striking me here too is so they call
nine one one and no one shows up. Why wouldn't
anyone bring her to the hospital in a car? I mean,
you have people on seeing supposedly at least someone was
(32:08):
that called nine to one one. When they didn't show up,
why not put her in a car and move, Go,
do something, take action. That's what's really surprising, one of
the many surprising things in this entire situation. And as
her cousin was saying earlier, too, live in a life
in isolation where you're taking care of your wonderful grandparents
(32:28):
that have raised you. She lacked a lot of social
reps too, so she might not have been able to
really keew in on unsafe situations from individuals, and that
she's surrounded by possibly.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
You know what, that's a really good point. She had
led this very You know, this woman Amber is only
four to eleven, she is very diminutive. She's been socially
awkward to her whole life. She was bullied in school,
went from one school to the next, socially awkward. And
how excited do you believe she was to get invited
(33:03):
out after work by a prominent dentist who owned the
brickhouse restaurant where she worked and coworkers. How fun would
that be? And just imagine this is late at night,
after the restaurant closes, they go out and somehow she
ends up dead with eleven stab wounds. Now I agree,
don't get me wrong, any of you on the panel.
(33:26):
I prosecuted and investigated thousands of cases. I understand holding
things close to the vest It's not to somehow impewe
the integrity of the investigation. But to not even release
the location of the crime, that's very unusual in my mind.
(33:46):
Take a listen to more. This is Shane McAllister, whas.
Speaker 10 (33:52):
According to state beliefs, the thirty nine year old was
found dead in a home on Arkansas Creek earlier this month.
That's about four and a half hours from the in
Floyd County Kentucky. Kentucky State Police troopers confirmed she had
life threatening injuries and they do suspect foul play, meaning
they're working it as a homicide investigation. Well, today the
victims family is asking for support as they go on
(34:14):
ten days without an arrest in the case and without
answers as to why it took so long for the
nine one one call to be heard.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
I'm very curious too, we keep focusing, as Jeff Vanderbick
pointed out about the whole nine one one system being
screwed up. I'm also questioning why wasn't she taken to
the hospital, Nancy.
Speaker 5 (34:34):
If I might this is Jeff Anderbick, if I might
say something that were the assumption is that the initial
nine one one call was made and said, hey, there's
a there's somebody hurt here. We don't know that for
a fact. We don't know anything about it because the
nine one one call was not released, So we don't
know what that nine one one call was all about.
(34:54):
We don't know if it was because somebody was injured.
We don't know if it was because Amber was in danger.
We don't know anything about that nine one one call
because the tape was not released. So if the nine
one one call came in, the initial nine one one
call came in, it was completely nothing regarding Amber, then
the whole point of this whole thing is a moot point.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
I mean, Jeff Vanderbank, really you really think that there
were two life threatening situations in one night, in the
space of four hours at one residence.
Speaker 5 (35:28):
Well, you know, based upon the brutality of the act,
of the alleged act, and based upon what we know
so far, people were not thinking in their right mind.
And I'm there's a lot of information that I'm being told.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
Are you saying somebody was on drugs?
Speaker 5 (35:47):
I'm not saying anything. I'm not saying anything to that response.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Regards and frankly, Jeff Vanderbeck, I don't care if people
were not thinking in their right mind because if it
is drugs of isbooze? Voluntary use of drugs? Are alcohol?
Are not a defense? If it's panicking, Jeff Vanderbick, don't care.
People always panic when somebody's been stabbed eleven times in
the vase. I guess, so, I guess they were out
of their mind. But that does not change that a
(36:12):
killer is walking free. And in that vein, Jeff, I
want to go to doctor Michelle dupree. Can you tell
by the temperature of the body, the degree of rigor
or liver or mortis, and the coagulation of blood on
and around the body how long the victim has been dead.
(36:34):
I'm just curious how long this beautiful girl, Amber Scradlin
lay there dead before anybody went yeah, you know what,
let's do call nine to one one.
Speaker 6 (36:44):
Yes, Nancy, of course you can get an estimate, but
it's always an estimate, you know, it's not like on
TV they died at nine thirty seven. So yeah, she
can get an estimate within a few hours. I'm not
sure how much help that would be here.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Well, am I helping a lot? And then there are
extrends met ways to other than the condition of the
body to determine the time of the death, Like did
ambersend a text? Did Amber make a phone call? Did
Amber post something? Is there anything? Can we see movement
on her phone, whether it was her using the phone
or not. Can we see movement around the home. A
(37:21):
lot of extrinsic evidence can indicate the time of death,
and as you say, not specifically, but close to the
time of death, guys, take a listen now to our
cut twelve flee Kenny.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Fiscal Court documents say in December twenty twenty two, the
decision to move the call center from the Kentucky State
Police Post to the city of Prestonsburg was because of
an increase in service.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Piece.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Now they've launched a petition to move the call center
back to the Kentucky State Police Post. A family heartbroken,
wanting answers and changes, but willing to be patient until
investigators have all the pieces to this puzzle.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
WI Hall. Let me understand. So, at first is believed
that the call went to one nine one one center
and they didn't respond. Then four hours later there is
a response. But now I'm learning after that first nine
on one call there was an immediate follow up saying yeah,
you know what, never mind, don't come. So does that
really have anything to do with the changing of the
(38:22):
nine one one call center.
Speaker 7 (38:23):
I I'm not sure. I do know that in the
past the KSP has handled the none one one calls,
and I do not know of any problems like this
that have come about.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Okay, what about it, Martin, Wellander, Well, Nancy, let's get
back to the first call.
Speaker 8 (38:41):
About five o'clock in the morning. We believe that that
was one call and that two people got out of
the phone at least what we're hearing, and the first
person said, we have a fight going on out here.
That's what I've learned from comments made by Mayor Les Stapleton.
And then somebody else picked up the phone and said, no,
everything's under control. You don't need to send anybody out.
And so, you know, the question is is did they
(39:03):
even follow the protocol that they put together when they
entered into this agreement. The agreement said that if you
have calls out in the county, the dispatch was responsible
for their contacting the Kentucky State Police or the Floyd
County Sheriff's Department to send them out to see what
was going on at these types of calls. So nobody
came at five o'clock in the morning. And then the
question is is who all was responsible for killing Amber?
(39:27):
From what I understand from what I've been told, there
were no defensive wounds on her arms, and so the
question that I have did somebody hold her down? Where
there are two people involved in the murder? And then
the real question that nobody's really addressed is what happened
between five o'clock and ten o'clock when they came out.
Did the people at the house, doctor McKinney, his son,
(39:48):
Mike Roy Kidd, and anybody else was there. Did they
spend those four hours trying to clean up the crime scene?
And that's important. So, yes, the nine to one one
center being moved to the city of Prestonsburg. When the
Kentucky State Police had twelve troopers assigned to cover nine
one one calls in Floyd County, they're no longer assigned
to Floyd County because of what Mayor Les Stapleton and
(40:10):
the Judge Executive Robbie Williams has done in this case,
and all that we hear from them twenty five days
later is instead of trying to address this issue, the
only thing that they've done up till now is Robbie Williams,
the county judge executive, he held a special meeting to
get approval to hire a big law firm in Lexington, Kentucky,
to fight any civil suit that may come down the road.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
Well, they're worried about a civil suit when the killer
has not been apprehended. Let me ask you a question.
To your understanding, mort Rolllander, how many people were in
the quote prominent dentist home the night of the murder?
Speaker 8 (40:47):
As far as we know right now, there were at
least five people in the house. I know the names
of three of them. I don't know the names of
the other two, but there may have been others there.
Since we've had the press conference, we continue to get
emails and text messages from people in the community that
have been sending us information that we have been then
passing on to the state police. But at least three
(41:08):
that we know of, because we know that doctor McKinney
was there, and we know that his son MK was there,
and we also know that Roy Kid was there, and
we know that from information that's been passed on through sources.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
As of right now, no person of interest, no suspect,
no defendant. And my question is, nearly one month later,
why the.
Speaker 8 (41:30):
Bigger question is is who cleaned up the crime scene?
Who else was involved? Amber The murder was so violent
that somebody had to be holding her down. And Debbie,
you're here, and I don't want to make this difficult
on you, but from what you described, her head must
have moved back and forth, back and forth when the
knife wounds were being pressed into her, and the wound
(41:54):
that we think wi I'm going to stop me if
you don't want to hear this. But the wound that
we think was the was the death wound, was the
knife wound from the front of her throat that severed
her spine. And so the other wounds were still still happening,
and then one of the wounds they broke off. The
they broke off the knife in her temple. So I mean,
(42:14):
it's pretty bad, it's pretty vicious.
Speaker 14 (42:17):
So again, five people in a house, why didn't someone
do something?
Speaker 8 (42:23):
That's the question, and that's what I think they're waiting
for the for the DNA. There was DNA that or
there was blood that went through the hallway upstairs, and
there was a bag of bloody costs that we think
was from blood from Roy Kidd.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
No person of interest, no suspect, no defendant. If you
have information on who murdered this young woman, Amber Spradlin,
let your voice be heard. Tip line six zero six
nine four nine twenty twenty. Repeat six zero six nine
four nine twenty twenty. Her family is waiting for justice. Goodbye, friend,
Host
Nancy Grace
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