Going West: True Crime - Brookelyn Farthing // 295

Starting point is 00:00:00 What is going on True Crime fans? I'm your host Tee. And I'm your host Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody, we would first like to give a very warm welcome to new listeners who are just finding the show on Apple Podcasts as they featured us this week. Thank you guys so much for tuning into the show where Heath and I discussed the details of both solved and unsolved missing and murdered cases twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays. Yes we're very excited to be featured on

Starting point is 00:00:42 Apple Podcasts right now, and if you are an Apple listener, you can subscribe to Bonus Episodes in the app right now. Yes, and I just finally put up a free trial, so if you've been thinking about joining, but you want to check it out first, go ahead and try it for three days for free. But yeah, we're doing two episodes a week. Thank you guys for tuning in. Today's case was recommended by Heather, so thank you Heather.

Starting point is 00:01:07 To me, this story is a little bit reminiscent of the Kylie Rodney case that we covered last year in episode 227, except for the ending, but there's a lot of similarities here. It's pretty bizarre. And it also reminds me of the Maddie Scott case, which we actually did cover in our bonus episode series. Yes, I totally agree.

Starting point is 00:01:24 All these like outdoor parties and things go very wrong. So let's dive into this one. Thank you guys for tuning in. Alright guys, this is episode 295 of Going West. So let's get into it. 1 個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個個 In June of 2013, an 18-year-old girl disappeared after attending a party with friends and family. But before she went missing, she sent a text to her ex-boyfriend, indicating that she was afraid and she wanted to be picked up and taken home. An hour later, the house of the person she was last seen with, suspiciously caught on fire. Brooklyn Shay Farthing, who went by Brooke, were going to refer to her as Brooke a lot of times in this episode, was born on August

Starting point is 00:03:29 19th, 1994 in Berea, Kentucky. She had two sisters, which included an older sister named Tasha, and a younger sister named Paige. And Brooke lived with her sisters, as well as her her mom Shelby and her stepfather Randall in the small city of Berea, which has a very low crime rate, beautiful nature, and is home to the liberal arts college, Berea college. Her birth father does not appear to be in the picture anymore, but Randall has been in her life since she was four years old and she thought of him as a father. Brooke is remembered for her big heart and how she cared for others. life since she was 4 years old, and she thought of him as a father.

Starting point is 00:04:05 Brooke is remembered for her big heart and how she cared for others. For example, she belonged to the Girl Scouts, and she even volunteered to make kids of supplies to send to victims of Hurricane Katrina. In Tasha's words, quote, my sister Brooke was a spunky, tell you how it is a lovable person. She loved animals and the outdoors. She was a true girly girl who loved pink and camouflage. She would do anything to help anyone. She had the sweetest, deep, long, country-sounding voice you can only find in Kentucky.

Starting point is 00:04:39 Her family remembers her as a true country girl from the beginning of her life. She loved to fish, ride ATVs, but she also loved to dress up and do her own hair, nails, and makeup, so much so that she was considering going to school to become a cosmetologist. Her family lovingly remembers that she didn't like to go out until she looked perfect and was always put together. Her stepdad Randall said, quote, she's an outdoorsy girl and a tomboy in a way. She goes fishing and hunting, but when she wants to be a girly girl, she is. She also loved to bake for her family, and on that note, her mom shall be remembered, quote, she was tiny, but she just loved sweets.

Starting point is 00:05:23 She would bake a lot of brownies, then bring them up to my room, and we'd all sit and talk on my bed. Those were the good days that I'm missing so much. And just in general, the family was very close-knit, but the sisters were especially tight since it was just, you know, the three girls. Yeah, so in 2013, 18-year- old Brooke had just graduated from Madison Southern High School in Berea and she had big plans for her future. She'll be remembered that ultimately she was leaning towards a career as a nail and makeup artist and was considering attending school to get certified, but she was also thinking about going into the workforce for a bit before heading back to school. So she asked her mom for just one month off before she decided either to start school or to get a job for the time being, and that she was looking forward to just enjoying the first month of summer break with her sisters

Starting point is 00:06:13 and her friends. On Friday, June 21, 2013, both Brooke and her sister Paige took their driving tests, and unfortunately Paige did fail her first try. but Brooke actually passed and was thrilled to finally be able to drive herself around. So with that, her stepfather Randall gifted her his white pickup truck as a reward. That day, which was the first day of summer, the girls had big plans for the evening. The family was gathering at their grandma Bonnie's house to celebrate their grandpa or papa's 70th birthday. According to Brooks Mom Shelby, her dad's health was declining

Starting point is 00:06:52 and it was really important that they all be together to celebrate. And sadly, this was the last time that they would celebrate with either their grandfather or Brooke. Brooke and Paige planned to go to the party with their family, and then head to their cousin's house to get ready for the evening. See, there was a party that night off of Redlich Road, which is a rural country road leading away from town that the girls and many of their friends and peers were going to be attending. Teens would come and park their cars in a field, start a bonfire and blast their music while dancing, drinking and socializing, which is just a small town tradition.

Starting point is 00:07:31 So Brooke brought an overnight bag with her that night as she planned to sleep over at a friend's house after the outdoor party. And after enjoying time at Papa's birthday, they headed to the big party, but Paige and their cousin grew tired pretty quickly and wanted to leave, so they said goodbye to Brooke, knowing that she would get a ride with the friend that she was staying with that evening. However, a short while later, this friend wanted to leave with a guy. And according to other party goers, the two got into a little bit of a spat because that meant that Brooke was losing her ride home

Starting point is 00:08:06 and that her friend was choosing the guy over her plans with Brooke. And I know this seems kind of harmless in the moment, but just knowing what we know later on, it just is really tragic that the friend did end up leaving with this guy. Yeah, and actually this is the part that really reminds me of the Kylie Rodney case

Starting point is 00:08:24 is now Brooke doesn't have a ride Everybody's leaving everybody's kind of going off and doing their own thing And she's like well how am I supposed to get home her two plans just fell through right very unfortunate Yeah, this is a really you know stressful situation. How are we how am I going to get home? So Brooke kind of just started asking around for another ride, and that's when she came upon a classmate who had had a little too much to drink and was also in need of a ride home. And Brooke was not one to leave anyone behind, so she set out to secure a ride for both of

Starting point is 00:08:59 them. And that's when she ran into someone she knew who was a friend of her ex-boyfriends who offered to take them both home and Brooke agreed. And it seemed a bit strange that this man, this guy that she asked for a ride home, was at the party attended mostly by teenagers and high school students as he was 23 years old, so 5 years older than Brooke. But because her ex-boyfriend Jared knew him, she kind of trusted him and the three left together.

Starting point is 00:09:29 In some of you may be thinking that this age difference isn't really that weird, but as we're going to get into with this guy, it is definitely not a good look. But let's talk about Brooke's ex-boyfriend for a second here. So while they were no longer together as a couple, Broke's ex-boyfriend Jared had been a huge part of her life. Broke and Jared were together for about three years, and especially considering she's 18 at this point, that is pretty long for a teenage relationship. And some articles have even reported that they were engaged at one point, and that she had moved in with him while attending high school.

Starting point is 00:10:06 While the circumstances of their breakup are pretty unknown, they remained supportive of each other and stayed in touch. But Jared wasn't in attendance at this party because he worked the night shift at a local factory. In the early morning hours of Saturday, June 22, 2013. Brooke and Jared's friends dropped Brooks in toxicated classmates safely at his house. But then, Jared's friends drove Brooke to his house instead of dropping her off at hers.

Starting point is 00:10:36 Now, he lived in a pretty remote part of this already small town, about six miles or close to 10 kilometers outside of downtown Berea. Dylan Court, which is the name of his street, was a small cold sack surrounded by forests and ponds. His small neighborhood seemed pretty quiet and safe, and his house was even adjacent to Brook Sunday school teachers, so this wasn't totally unfamiliar territory. But the inside of the house was a totally different story.

Starting point is 00:11:06 Now Jared's friend was apparently going through a pretty tenuous divorce at the time, and his house was being foreclosed upon, leaving him without electricity or running water. So after arriving at this house, Brooke apparently called her sister Paige to see if anyone she was with was awake or basically sober enough to drive. But unfortunately, nobody was. And Paige, who hadn't passed her driving test earlier that day, still could not drive. So Brooke told her sister that she was going to have Jared come pick her up.

Starting point is 00:11:37 Isn't that such crazy timing and that detail that Brooke had passed, but she couldn't drive at that moment, and Paige did not pass, but she could have driven at that moment if she had passed. You know what I mean? Just the fact that the way that everything is lining up that Paige and the cousin left the party early, and then her friend left without her

Starting point is 00:12:00 and with a guy instead, and now she can't get a ride home and jared at work. Like the fact that everything is perfectly not working is so frustrating. Yeah, and now the fact that she's in some random house with this 23 year old male, that she kind of barely knows. And she's clearly trying to leave. She's clearly trying to get a ride out of this house.

Starting point is 00:12:22 And again, for whatever reason, this guy didn't just take her home, but instead brought her back to his house where she clearly does not want to be. So at around 4 a.m. after she had been trying to reach him, her ex-boyfriend Jared texted Brooke saying, �Everything cool?� to which Brooke responded, �Can you come pick me up right now?� But unfortunately, Jared said that he wouldn't be finished at work until 6 or 6.30 that morning and asked, will you be okay there until then?

Starting point is 00:12:53 And to this, Brooke responded, yeah, that's fine. He then asked again if she was okay and she said she was. She also said that she had been drinking but that she had sobered up by then. And then at 4.26am, her tone changed. And she texted Jared, can you hurry, along with please hurry, and I'm scared. But Jared, not looking at his phone because of course he's working,

Starting point is 00:13:21 missed these texts while finishing up his shift. So she's not explaining why she's scared or why she wants him to hurry, but I think we can all kind of narrow it down enough that she's in this guy's house who she doesn't know very well and she just wants to go home. Yeah, she's sobering up at this point. She doesn't really understand why she's even there

Starting point is 00:13:43 in the first place. And she's just like, hey, Jared, can we, can we like hurry this situation up? And he clearly doesn't see these texts, which is obviously not his fault, but very unfortunate. Yeah, super, super unfortunate situation. But then in our later at 5.30 a.m., Brooks tone changed again. And she texted, never mind, I'm okay. And then I'm going to a party in Rock Castle County. And that was the last time that Jared heard from her or at least heard

Starting point is 00:14:13 from her phone. And mind you, it's 5.30 a.m. when this text is being sent from Brooks phone, so not the typical time to head out to a party. Yeah, I was about to say that. It's like the party, the night is already done. Yeah. You're not going to throw a party at 5.30 in the morning or six. I'm sure there are some people out there who are like, oh, I party at 5.30. Yeah, sure.

Starting point is 00:14:35 Sure. It just seems like, you know, especially from what she was saying beforehand, she was saying, I'm still bringing up like, kind of done with this whole situation. And then to change her tone completely and go Oh, yeah, I'm gonna go to this other party. It just doesn't make sense It's not lining up so when Jared did check his phone again He was very alarmed that something had scared her, you know, seeing those text messages

Starting point is 00:14:56 So he texted her and asked her like who are you going to this party with? Because like he just said brook had already said that she had stopped drinking and that she was so bring up, and that she had been wanting to go home for hours. And by the way, Rock Castle County was about 20 miles or over 32 kilometers away. And like we pointed out, it was already 5.30 in the morning. And also that morning, which was Saturday, June 22, 2013, the sun rose at 6.20am.

Starting point is 00:15:27 Not to mention, none of her friends, her texts or social media profiles indicated any knowledge of a party happening in Rock Castle County that evening or that morning. And considering her Saturday plans that Heath is about to tell us about, it seems highly unlikely that Brooke went to another party that morning or that she sent those final texts at all. Yeah, so just over four hours later, 9 o'clock that morning, Brooke was supposed to be meaning a friend named Matt at a car show, but she never showed up. So Matt called her multiple times, but her phone continued to go to voicemail.

Starting point is 00:16:07 So her family first realized that something was wrong when Matt called them to let them know that she had never shown up. And when they asked around, no one had heard from her since that last cryptic text that she sent to Jared. So while they tried not to panic, just hoping that she had fallen asleep at a friend's house, after a long night and simply just wasn't answering her phone, Shelby found this really odd saying quote, she was just that type of person that you got a thousand text messages of, I went here and I'll be back home at this time and I'm okay and we're having a lot

Starting point is 00:16:39 of fun. But as the hours ticked by, their concern grew, and by the next morning, they knew that something was wrong. So Shelby reported her daughter missing. Now according to Tasha, her sister, she spoke on the phone with the man who had last seen Brooke. And by the way, this was a man who Brooke's family did not know. So the man explained that he had taken her home with him, although he did not

Starting point is 00:17:05 explain his intentions nor why he hadn't just taken her to her house. He said that he felt a little awkward around her, given that he was friends with her ex-boyfriend. Yet you agreed to give her a ride home, and then you made her come back to yours instead of just dropping her off and leaving her alone. Right. Yeah. So he then explained that he had left his house a short while later, early that Saturday morning to quote, 10 to his horses. So when he left, he claimed that Brooke had been sitting on the couch in his living room smoking a cigarette and talking about a party that she wanted to go to in Rock Castle County.

Starting point is 00:17:42 He also told Tasha that that was the last time he'd seen Brooke, and that that was the only information he had for her. They then hung up, but then a few minutes later, he called Tasha back and apologized, saying that there was more to the story, but that he was scared to tell her. Now, according to Tasha, he left to check on his horses and when he returned, Brooke was nowhere to be found, but get this, his house was on fire. Before that quick break, Heath told us that the man who broke was last seen with changed his story and explained that when he returned to his house after feeding his horses, Brooke was gone and his house was on fire.

Starting point is 00:18:54 Now to this day, police have not yet released the name of Jared's friend, who was the last person with Brooke on the day she disappeared, and they also have yet to name him as a suspect or even a person of interest. One officer said in an interview quote, were not allowed to release suspect information without having enough evidence to charge somebody. But we can. His name is Joshua Hensley. Now we typically don't like to publicly name people that police haven't, but his name

Starting point is 00:19:26 is splattered across the internet and to us and most people who review the details of this case, as well as Burke's family, are highly suspicious of him and we are going to get into some criminal charges. But let's get back to that house fire because the circumstances of the fire at his house on Dylan Court were beyond suspicious. Just as Josh told Brooke Sister Tasha, Josh explained to the police that when he got back to his home after checking on his horses, his house had been set ablaze and Brooke was gone. Yet her overnight bag, the shoes that she had been wearing and her purse, were

Starting point is 00:20:06 left on the front porch. The only thing she apparently had with her was her cell phone, but again she's not contacting anybody on that cell phone. And strangely, the couch was the only part of the house that had been badly burned, as well as the floor beneath it, but it appears the fire started on the couch, not the house as a hole. The blaze was so strong that it had seared a pronounced hole in the floor beneath the sofa, leaving behind only the remnants of a metal frame, which we will post photos of on our socials. Josh himself called 911 to report the fire and relayed the story that he later told both Tasha

Starting point is 00:20:48 and the police that Brooklyn must have fallen asleep while smoking a cigarette and set herself on fire by accident. Also, to go from, like, when I got home, Brooke was gone to, she set my house on fire and herself is insane. Like, let's say for a moment that is true, where is she then? That's a huge jump.

Starting point is 00:21:10 And by the way, this was an incredibly hot fire to be able to burn a hole in the floor and to be able to burn the sofa all the way down to the metal. I don't know if a cigarette is going to burn something that hot. Well, the firefighters agree with you, as I'll get into in a second here, but basically, also to no surprise, upon arrival, the firefighters deemed the circumstances of the fire suspicious. Yeah, as well. And one investigator said, quote, our arson investigators say it's not common for a fire to start without electricity.

Starting point is 00:21:44 It's usually from an electrical shore short or a lamp that fell over, but it doesn't make any sense that the fire would start the way it did happen. We're still looking at it as being suspicious, but the fact that her personal property was still at the house, it makes you believe she is possibly in danger. Now that kind of tells you where the firefighters heads are at, but just like Heath was saying, it does seem weird for a cigarette to cause this much damage. Of course, fires can certainly start from lit cigarettes.

Starting point is 00:22:18 It's just not as common as electrical fires and cooking fires, and the fact that, you know, I mean, like you said, the intensity of this fire and the fact that, you know, I mean, like you said, the intensity of this fire and the fact that firefighters are even thinking that this is all bizarre says a lot to us, like something is not right with this story. Well, Brooks stepfather Randall even agreed with this assessment, saying, quote, I don't believe Brooklyn set that fire. I think the fire was set to throw people off.

Starting point is 00:22:45 And also authorities noted that because there was no electricity in the house, remember he didn't have electricity or running water, that it was impossible for it to have been an electrical fire. They reported that neither Brooke nor her phone appeared to be in the home, but since she had not yet been reported missing, the couch was not processed for blood or human remains until later. Once the fire was contained, police set out to determine Brooks' location. Now investigators attempted to ping her phone's location, but by that point, it was dead.

Starting point is 00:23:19 Now before it died, she had received over a thousand calls from friends and family attempting to reach her. Brooks Last Outgoing Communication was Saturday morning at 5.30 a.m. when she supposedly texted Jared that she was headed to this party in Rock Castle County. Her phone last pinged off of a tower in Bluelic, Kentucky, which is about 30 miles or 48 kilometers outside of Berea. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that she was in Blue Lake.

Starting point is 00:23:48 It just happened to be the nearest cell tower where her phone managed to find a signal. Also, could we just quickly bring up the fact that she had been trying for hours to get a ride home? And now suddenly, she has found an unknown ride to take her to a party and it's not Josh? Yeah, seems very, very strange. And I wonder if they were able to... Impossible to believe this, but... Yeah, and I wonder if they were able to determine, because you know how sometimes you can tell

Starting point is 00:24:12 that a person has a certain way that they text. I wonder if those last texts matched up to the way she would normally text people. It seemed like, it's hard because those texts were so basic, you know, it was just like, never mind, I'm okay. I'm heading to a party in Rock Castle County. Like, that's all she said. So it's pretty basic.

Starting point is 00:24:36 But obviously, please have to do their due diligence here. So they did question Jared. But because he had been at work, he had a pretty solid alibi, and he was not deemed a person of interest. They then questioned the partygoers, including, of course, Joshua Hensley, but because there was no direct evidence to support the idea that he had killed Brooke in his home, and disposed of the evidence in the fire, he was unable to be arrested or brought up on any

Starting point is 00:25:03 charges. And although no one could prove it, this was the exact story that was floating around town. Well, let's talk about the town for a second again. So Berea is a mountain town of about 15,000 people situated 45 minutes away from the much larger city of Lexington, Kentucky, hosting over 300,000 people. Now as they do, people talked, and the idea that Josh was involved in Brooks' disappearance was suspected from the very beginning, because how could it not be?

Starting point is 00:25:38 But still, investigators didn't have a body or any evidence to indicate foul play, other than that fire, but again there was no evidence from the fire because the couch had been burned down to its frame. So they set out to comb the area with helicopters, cadaver dogs, divers to search the local bodies of water and people, both volunteers and professionals, searching on foot and on horseback. But they really had their work cut out for them because Berea's terrain is rugged, it's hilly and at times, it's rocky. The trails and wooded areas are dotted with caves, cliffs, and water.

Starting point is 00:26:17 And by July of 2013, so the month after her disappearance, with no sign of her, All foot searches were called off. By the conclusion of the search, more than 16,000 acres of land encompassing three different counties were scoured for evidence leading to Brooke, yet nothing was found. And some investigators questioned whether Josh's assessment of events was in fact correct, and if Brooke had wandered off on her own early that Saturday morning. One officer stated, quote, we've had people once we found them, they say, hey, I chose not to be in contact with these people, and we've had ones that turn into homicide.

Starting point is 00:27:00 She's 18, it's up to her whether she wants to have contact or not. She can just contact us and let us know she's 18. It's up to her whether she wants to have contact or not. She can just contact us and let us know she's okay. Which this just seems so stupid. Yeah, I mean, her family thought this was ridiculous, and they just claimed that Brooklyn had nothing to gain from leaving, and by all accounts, she wanted to go home that night. She didn't want to escape or go somewhere else. And not only that, but she had left everything behind her wallet, her purse, her phone charger, and even her shoes. Her stepdad Randall

Starting point is 00:27:31 said quote, she would dress up and she always made sure she had everything with her. She wanted to look good at all times. When Brooklyn went missing from that house, all her stuff, her cowboy boots and her dress clothes were still there. Everything except her phone and the clothes she had on. She would not have left her clothes behind so I know something happened there at that house. Now according to her family, the idea that she had gone to this, you know, Rock Castle County party was equally ridiculous.

Starting point is 00:28:03 With no car and no ride, it seemed that that was just a red herring that Josh threw out to explain why her phone was going to ping in the area that was not Berea. More likely, in our opinion, when he was disposing of her body. And get this, Josh worked in road maintenance in the area, so he knew the trails and roads like the back of his hand, including the secluded and wooded areas which would give him a keen sense of where to dispose of evidence. While police have not yet announced what, if anything they've recovered in their investigation, the Kentucky State Police spokesman said quote,

Starting point is 00:28:40 The fires are pretty integral detail in that investigation. What we're doing is we're following up on any and all possible leads. Things are coming in every single day. It's a widespread search. Everywhere that we had information that she could be has been searched already. I can't release the names of any particular suspect or individual. We've followed up on any and all individuals that could have been involved. While Josh was able to assimilate back into a somewhat normal life in Berea, his days of being a free man were numbered because on August 4, 2020, so over 7 years after Brooke

Starting point is 00:29:17 went missing, authorities raided his home and the homes of two other local men on child pornography charges or child sexual abuse material charges. Disgustingly, a long time Berea College professor Dr. Steven Pohl'sford was arrested on charges of distribution of child pornography. Brad Halton, who's another local, was arrested for using a minor in a sexual performance, and Joshua Hensley was arrested for possession of child pornography. In September of 2021, so the following year, Joshua was convicted on three felonies. One count of use of a minor in a sexual performance, one count of unlawful use of electronic means

Starting point is 00:30:08 to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited activities, and one count of possession of child pornography, and he is expected to serve his prison sentence until 2030. Remember when I said he was a piece of shit? Well, here you go, folks. Yeah, exactly. And for anybody wondering about that second charge of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual

Starting point is 00:30:33 or other prohibited activities, that just seems to me that maybe he had tried to get an underaged person to meet up with him to engage in such activities online. Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. Whether it was on his phone or laptop or something, he was trying to induce a minor to meet up with him for sexual reasons. Right, but then also remember that he was charged with use of a minor in a sexual performance. So this guy is acting on this and he has child sexual abuse material on him

Starting point is 00:31:06 So this guy is a total piece of shit and at this time he was about 30 years old when these charges were filed So what doctor Stephen Pohl's ferd had been a student favorite at the local liberal arts college Berea college for close to 20 years and after his arrest Berea college announced that they were, quote, shocked at this news and completely unaware of the circumstances leading to Dr. Pulford's arrest. After the men were arrested, 61-year-old Stephen Pulsford made bond and was released to await trial, but, on August 15, 2020, he was found dead at his home in Berea.

Starting point is 00:31:48 The college again made an announcement and they said, quote, �Berea College regrets to announce that Dr. Stephen Polesford, associate professor of English, died suddenly this past weekend. Dr. Polesford had been a member of the faculty since 1995. He is a former chair of the Department of English and specialized in Victorian literature. His loss will be deeply felt by his family and close friends, and we ask that you keep them in mind in their grief. To me, this is very interesting that they make this statement after their original one, which pointed out his crimes of

Starting point is 00:32:26 Distributing child abuse materials like does the disappointing move to me? Yeah, it seems like they're being a little too nice to this complete Turd yeah, when some have speculated that Stephen had information that was relevant to Joshua's arrest that you know He was going to give to the police But that Joshua killed him before being able to do so. But this is pure speculation because Stephen's cause of death has never been disclosed to the public.

Starting point is 00:32:52 Yeah, so people are obviously talking because there is some sort of a tie between these three men, but that doesn't ultimately mean that Joshua was the perpetrator of Mr. Pulford's murder, but... Yeah, certainly not. It's just people talking. So every year, the family marks Brooks' birthday with a celebration, even though they admit that there doesn't seem to be much to celebrate as questions still surround what happened to their beloved Brooke. But instead, they try to focus on the time that they did have with her. Randall remarked sadly, quote,

Starting point is 00:33:26 we have no idea what has happened at all. I just know authorities are chasing leads and have an idea of what happened, but will not tell the family. I perceive that as something bad. But still, they remain hopeful. Randall also said quote, we hold out hope that she's coming back and we're going to continue to hold out hope until we find out otherwise. Please keep us in your prayers.

Starting point is 00:33:51 Brooks family also continues to assure those who are following the case and supporting the family that the Kentucky State Police are still actively investigating, even if there are no public updates to share. Last summer leading up to the nine-year anniversary of Brooks' disappearance, the missing Brooklyn Farthing Facebook group posted, quote, "'I wanted to address the latest information circulating social media about Brooklyn.

Starting point is 00:34:16 Kentucky State Police are investigating the latest, as well as all viable reports that they receive. We are aware that it may appear to the public that Kentucky State Police are no longer investigating Brooklyn's case, but please be informed that they are. Posts like these, on all social media platforms, need to be considered as well as how they may affect the family. They can create issues or cause unnecessary problems. Kentucky State Police are aware of the latest post. In the future, if you have any information, as always, we ask that

Starting point is 00:34:50 you contact Kentucky State Police and I assure you that the information will be looked into. Just because you might not get a response immediately does not mean that they have not been made aware of or not investigating the information. And it's, you know, it's unclear what posts within the group they're referring to, because this post has been taken down, but the rumor middle has worked over time in this case, and everyone in the group seems to have made up their mind about who's behind the disappearance of Brooke. So Tasha has said that some days she'll be still can't get out of bed because of the weight

Starting point is 00:35:25 of grief that she has to live with every day. Brooks mom Shelby said quote, It's driving us crazy because we just want our home. We don't care what the circumstances or what's happened or who's involved. We just want Brooke nothing else. And Randall echoed this saying quote, This family needs her. If someone's got her, it's not just us you're going to have to pay, it's God that's going

Starting point is 00:35:51 to deal with you. But Brooks family have been incredibly grateful for the support that they've received around their small community. Hundreds of volunteers came forward to walk wooded areas looking for signs of Brooke, local businesses hung missing flyers, and the whole town came out for vigils and fundraisers. Brooke's sister Tasha wrote on her website quote, "'Since Brooke's disappearance, the community we call home has shown us nothing short of amazing support.

Starting point is 00:36:22 We have hung flyers pleaded to the public and held numerous fundraisers. The Kentucky State Police Enrichment, along with the assistance of others, have searched thousands of acres and followed up on numerous leads. The family even held a bass-fishing tournament in Brooks honor to raise more money for a reward fund, however, not everyone was helpful. Two locals, Amanda Griffley and Randy Gross, were accused of soliciting money under the guise of collecting donations for Brooks' reward fund and then keeping the money for themselves. That's so fucked up. Yeah, I mean, they were both caught and they returned the money that they stole,

Starting point is 00:37:03 but aside from that hiccup, most of the community was helpful and supportive and really allowed the reward fund to climb to over $14,000. But like Heath said, everyone seemed to know exactly what happened to her. And do you want to kind of speculate on that right now? Yeah, I mean, it's, I've never seen a case where I believe in someone's guilt more than Joshua Hensley, but obviously this is just my opinion and everybody is free to have their own opinion, but I think a lot of people would agree that it's just so weird, you're the last person to see her, you're, there was a fire in your house that morning, she completely disappears,

Starting point is 00:37:43 her overnight bag and all of her stuff is still on your porch. And it's just, yeah. Yeah, I fully agree. And I think also the charges that came later, the sexual abuse charges that came later are very telling of the type of person that he is and what he is capable of. Sure, because he was an older guy taking this 18 year old girl

Starting point is 00:38:03 back to his house when she didn't want to. She just wanted to go home. Yeah. So this makes me think that maybe when Brooke was texting Jared saying to her in that she was scared is that maybe Josh, again, this is total speculation on my brain, but maybe Josh had made a pass at her or was being creepy towards her in that kind of way and then did make a pass at her that she rejected rightfully so and You know not one thing led to another, but you know fill in the blanks there and then he killed her That's what I think happened unfortunately. That's what I believe as well And I also don't believe that those last texts were from Brooke. No, I don't believe that at all.

Starting point is 00:38:46 Brooklyn Farthing was about five feet two inches tall and had blonde hair and brown eyes. At the time she went missing, she had changed out of the outfit that she wore to the party and was believed to have been wearing a gray t-shirt from the Madison County Future Farmers of America and denim shorts. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Brooklyn Farthing please call the Kentucky State Police at 859-623-2404. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Friday we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into.

Starting point is 00:39:38 And thank you again so much to anyone who is a new listener of Going West. We are so happy to have you. Today's case was a tough one. Please make sure that you share it, especially if you're in Kentucky or just that general area because her family really deserves answers. And it feels like they are just so close to being found. This is that kind of case where it seems so obvious what happened and it's just a matter of there being evidence or something being discovered so charges can be brought down

Starting point is 00:40:08 Absolutely 100% agree also if you want to see photos from this case and all the other cases that we've covered go check out our social counts Instagram at going west podcast Twitter at going west pod and we also have a discussion group on Facebook. Like Keith said, we will be back on Friday with another mysterious case for you guys to listen to, so we'll see you then. Alright guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5%

Starting point is 00:40:54 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% Thank you.

Going West: True Crime - Brookelyn Farthing // 295

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