True Crime with Kendall Rae - Vanished After Texting “I’m Scared”?! The Disappearance of Brookelyn Farthing

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, everyone. It's Kendall. And Josh from Mile Higher Media. And as most of you guys know, last September, we launched our foundation, the Higher Hope Foundation. And honestly, it's been pleasantly surprising how much we have been able to do in our first year, thanks to all of you, the amount of grants that we have been able to offer to victims, families of victims, as well as similar-minded nonprofits in the advocacy space. It's just been an amazing first year. Yeah, we just wanted to thank you so much for all of your support out there, whether you've given a donation, whether you've purchased merch, which again, all merchandise at MalhireMurch.com, 100% of proceeds goes to the Higher Hope Foundation. So that's been absolutely huge for the foundation since we've made that change. But also just by viewing our content, listening to our content, or supporting any of our sponsors, all of that goes into funding the grants that the Higher Hope Foundation is able to give. So far in 2025, we've dispersed over $210,000 in grants, scholarships, and projects, and we've also processed over 25 grants. And right now, we are in our season of giving, and we're only $40,000 shy of reaching our full impact goal. So obviously, we'd love to meet this goal, and we intend to meet this goal. Closing this gap means helping eight more families or organizations that are still waiting for the help that they deserve. And so every gift, no matter the size, and by the way, every single cent that you donate goes directly to grants, 100% of that. And every little bit of it makes a huge difference for us and will help people who are still waiting.

Starting point is 00:01:36 And during our season of giving, we're going to be matching every dollar up to $50,000 of donations that are made during this time. And if we reach our goal, we'll also reach our year-end impact goal, which will be huge for the foundation and huge for all of those out there who need help. Yeah, and it will allow us to start 2026 strong. You can get involved directly and place a donation over at higher hope.org slash donate, or you can start your own fundraiser and get your family, your friends, your co-workers involved over at higherhope.org slash get involved. Thank you and happy holidays. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray.

Starting point is 00:02:21 Thank you so much for joining me today. And if you're new to this show, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you here. So you guys, today we're talking about a case that has not gotten nearly enough coverage, which actually really surprises me because when you hear the details of this case, I think you're going to be bothered, of course, frustrated, but also intrigued because it's just bizarre. I cannot believe this case has not been solved. And I really cannot believe that it's had really no coverage. A few things here and there, mostly articles, you know, a couple creators have covered it, podcast, things like that. But there hasn't been any, like, major media production or even like a 2020 dateline, nothing like that, which just really surprised me. And I truly believe that this case could be solved.

Starting point is 00:03:15 It seems like it should have already been solved. And for whatever reason, it's been over a decade and it still hasn't been. Today we're talking about the super strange disappearance of Brooklyn Farthing. And I'm hoping that by talking about it today, we can kind of reignite some attention and interest in her case. And maybe one day there will be answers for her loved ones. Brooklyn Shea Farthing was born on August 24, 1994 to her mother, Shelby. And she grew up in the small town of Berea, Kentucky. And based on what I was able to find,

Starting point is 00:03:47 It seems like her biological father was not in the picture. But when Brooklyn was four years old, her stepfather Randall came into her life and he and Shelby raised her together. Also, it seems like everyone in her life just called her Brooke, so that's what I will be calling her today. So anyways, Brooke was the middle child of three girls. She had an older sister named Tasha and a younger sister named Paige. And it's very clear that Brooke had a really loving and close relationship with everyone in her family. And I loved this detail, but Brooke also loved to be. And so one of her favorite things to do was to just bring up a whole plate of whatever it is she baked up, whatever goodies she made to her mom's room, and they would just lie on her bed, snacking and chatting for hours.

Starting point is 00:04:31 It just sounds like such fun girl time, and I'm sure it's something that her mom really will always look back on and treasure. And Brooke wasn't always just there for the good times. She was also someone that really could be dependent on through the hard times as well. was known to be a fiercely loyal person. And her family even said when arguments would break out, you know, between whoever in the family, Brooke was normally the one that would come along and smooth things over, kind of mend it. People also describe her as a very laid-back person, someone who was very easy to talk to. She was very friendly, kind, and loving. And it seemed like everyone she came across experienced this side of Brooke. Growing up, she was active in the Girl Scouts

Starting point is 00:05:17 and also participated in volunteer events like making care packages for victims of Hurricane Katrina and also spending time at senior living facilities. And in her free time, Brooke really liked to do a big mix of things. She definitely had this rugged, outdoorsy side to her and enjoyed going fishing and four-wheeling and even hunting. But a lot of people also describe her as a, quote, girly girl who enjoyed doing her hair and makeup. People who knew her said that she was a country girl who wore pink and sparkles, but also could rock her. And as she grew up and became a teenager, she had the idea that maybe she wanted to get into cosmetology and do hair and makeup. That was something that she always really loved to do.

Starting point is 00:05:56 And maybe she wanted to turn it into a career. But she wasn't entirely sure if that's what she wanted to pursue quite yet. Also, it's important to know around this time, Brooke was in a relationship with a boy named Jared and it became very serious. I've even seen reports that the two of them lived together. Although I wasn't able to confirm that, not entirely sure. But they definitely had a serious relationship going on. They were together for about three years and eventually they got engaged when they were 18. However, eventually they did break up. I'm not sure why. I don't know the details behind the breakup, but it sounds like it was pretty amicable and they wanted to stay in each other's lives as friends and that they genuinely still cared about each other. And

Starting point is 00:06:38 shortly after this, Brooke graduated from Madison Southern High School in May of 2013, but she still had to decide exactly what she wanted to do in her future. She told her mom she wanted to take about a month to just be free and also have some time to think with a clear head about whether or not she wanted to go to school or if she wanted to just jump right into working. And her parents were very supportive of her taking this time to make this decision. And in the meantime, she was just enjoying her last summer as a teenager. I am so excited to be working with one of my favorite brands of all time, and that is aura. I mean it. I love our aura frames so much. I currently have 15 frames active that I manage because I have them at our office, five in our home. Everyone

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Starting point is 00:08:59 Can we talk about winter skin for a second? Because every year, as soon as the weather drops, my skin goes from normal to instantly dry and tight, and during my pregnancy, it has been so much worse. So this season, I decided to actually get ahead of it. I've been using dimes clean, hydrating products, and honestly, they've made such a difference. That's why I'm loving dime. They've got everything, skin care, beauty, body care, and those viral fragrances,

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Starting point is 00:10:37 She and her younger sister, Paige, wanted to take their driver's license test together, so that morning, their mom Shelby, brought them to go do it. Now, Brooke ended up passing, but Paige didn't. And they handled it about the same way that most sisters would. They were joking around about it pretty much all day. And even though they were bummed that page didn't pass, they were very happy that Brooke did. And I can still remember how exciting that felt to have your license, especially in the summer months.

Starting point is 00:11:05 I mean, all the freedom coming out. It's a very, very thrilling time. And they were pumped that at least one of them had their license. And so afterwards, they went to the restaurant that their other sister Tasha worked at to tell her the good news and have a little celebratory moment. And while they were there, Brooke was in such a happy mood. She was even excitedly talking about how she had hoped her stepdad would maybe give her one of his old cars now that she could drive. And then after they left the restaurant, Brooke spent the entire day with her family, which, in hindsight, I'm really glad she had so much family time that day.

Starting point is 00:11:39 Brooke, Paige, and another one of their cousins went to a family get together to celebrate their grandpa or papa's 70th birthday. Apparently, he had been in very bad health, and the family was really concerned that maybe this would be his last birthday. But what they never could have imagined is that it would be the last family event that Brooke would make it to, because it was later that night that she disappeared. After the birthday party ended, Brooke Page and their cousin all got ready to go to another party that night. And from what I was able to gather, this was a field party that was in a rural isolated area on the outskirts of town on Redlick Road.

Starting point is 00:12:19 Now, if you didn't know, a field party is basically what it sounds like, an outdoor gathering in a secluded area that usually involves, you know, drinking around a bonfire, that type of situation. And it seems like most of the people that were attending this field party were either high school, or recent graduates like Brooke. So she arrived at the party with Paige and her cousin, but shortly after they arrived, around 8 p.m., the two of them wanted to leave. Which wasn't a big deal to Brooke at all if they left because she was planning to spend the night at a friend's house.

Starting point is 00:12:49 And the friend was already at the party, so it's not like they were leaving her there without a ride or anything like that. And so the two of them left, but then as the night went on, Brooke's plans changed. That friend decided that she actually wanted to leave with a guide. So Brooke couldn't spend the night with her after all.

Starting point is 00:13:06 Some witnesses have even said that Brooke was upset by this, and the two of them got into an argument before her friend left. So now, at this point in the night, Brooke was trying to find a ride home, and she ended up coming across a guy that she knew from high school, and he was way too drunk to drive home. And Brooke, being the kind person that she was, decided to find a ride for him as well,

Starting point is 00:13:29 which is when she comes across an old friend of Jared's, her ex-fiance, And this guy is very significant in this case. And I'm just going to tell you up front that there are some sources that don't even name him. And there are some sources that do. So his name is definitely out there. Law enforcement has never named him as a suspect or even a person of interest. And of course, he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. And anyone I talk about in this episode is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Starting point is 00:13:56 But I have decided to use his name today because, in my opinion, and I think you'll agree, He is not a good person, and you'll understand that more later on. But I think even if he didn't have anything to do with Brooke's disappearance, people should still be very cautious about this guy and know his name. So his name is Joshua Hensley, and as I mentioned, Brooke knew him through Jared. And I also want to say that it's pretty weird to me that he was even at this party, because like I mentioned, it was mostly high schoolers and people who had just graduated, but he was 23 years old and just hanging around this high school party.

Starting point is 00:14:37 But anyway, Josh ends up offering a ride to Brooke and her intoxicated friend, and so the three of them left the field party at around 2 a.m. And I've seen a couple of different things reported about what exactly happened next. As you can probably tell, there's some conflicting reports, which has made this a little bit confusing. But some reports say that the three of them stopped somewhere, on Floyd Branch Road to look at horses. And others say that they actually rode them.

Starting point is 00:15:08 And I'm not sure. I mean, I don't live a country lifestyle by any means. I have ridden a horse a few times in my life here and there. But correct me if I'm wrong. And maybe this is very common in horse riding communities. But it's hard to imagine riding a horse that late at night, especially with one of the people being very drunk. So I don't know if that actually happened.

Starting point is 00:15:33 And if it did, I think it's odd. And this might seem like a weird detail that I'm including here, but this isn't the first time that horses will be brought up. So just keep that in mind. And also, yeah, it's like sometime after 2 a.m. that they're supposedly riding horses. But anyway, whether they rode horses or they just stopped to look at them. Afterwards, Josh brought the other friend home.

Starting point is 00:16:00 But then he didn't bring Brooke home. He brought her to his house, or I guess you could say what used to be his house. Because it was actually in foreclosure and didn't even have electricity or running water. It's located in a small neighborhood on a cul-de-sac in a rural area, and it backs up to a forest. So it's pretty isolated, and it sounds like a place that you wouldn't want to be at night, especially if you couldn't even turn on a light. And I'm sure you're wondering why he brought her there instead of is bringing her home, and that's something that everyone wonders. We have no idea.

Starting point is 00:16:35 But what is obvious is that as soon as she got to the house, Brooke wanted to leave. And we know that because shortly after getting there, she called her sister Paige to pick her up, but she wasn't able to because, like I said earlier, Paige didn't pass her driver's test. And the cousin she was with had been drinking, so they're obviously in a tough spot there. They of course wanted to help Brooke, but they also wanted to be responsible about driving in safe, and no one can fault them for that. They offered to wake up their mom, but Brooke said no, and she told them that she would ask her ex Jared to pick her up. And what's interesting is that Paige would later say that Brooke sounded okay on this call. She didn't sound intoxicated or scared. She even asked Paige to

Starting point is 00:17:18 unlock the front door of the house because she figured she would be home soon. And after the two of them got off the phone, Brooke started looking for a way home. Apparently she made calls and sent text to several different people saying that she felt uncomfortable at Josh's house and wanted to leave. And I'm not sure what exactly she said in those messages or on those calls because not all of her communications from that night have been released, but the ones between her and her ex Jared have been and they paint a very chilling picture, to say the least. At around 4 a.m., she texted him asking if he could come get her, but he was working a shift at a local factory and told her that he wouldn't be able to until he got off around 6 a.m. And she responded, seeing that she would just

Starting point is 00:18:10 wait at Josh's until he could pick her up, and then just a couple of minutes later, her tone shifts dramatically into desperation. At 426, she texted him, can you hurry? Immediately followed by please hurry. And then, she said, I'm scared. Which is just being. Beyond concerning and disturbing to think about her being so young and terrified in this weird house that doesn't have electricity or running water even late at night with this man that she barely knows. And then it gets weirder because an hour later at 5 a.m., she texts Jared again, and her tone shifted dramatically once again. It said, never mind I'm going to a party in Rock Castle County. Now, Jared had gotten busy at work, so he didn't see any of these text messages until later on. And when he finally did, he responded asking who she was going to this party with.

Starting point is 00:19:10 But Brooke never responded. In fact, she never responded to another text message or call ever again. And as for what happened the rest of the night, nobody has any idea. And that is still the case over a decade later. During my pregnancy, and honestly just in this time of year, every single year, whether I'm pregnant or not, I struggle to find the right pajamas because I'm always really cold going to bed, but then as soon as I'm asleep for like an hour, I just get progressively hotter throughout the night. But that's why I am loving these skims pajamas. They were there for me

Starting point is 00:19:51 last year. They are there for me this year during my pregnancy, and I love them. They somehow are really cozy as I'm cuddling up, ready to go to bed, but then they don't get hot during the night. They're like light weight. And at this stage in my life, I'm really focusing on the quality of sleep. Whatever sleep I can get, I want it to be good sleep. And Skims truly has the best pajamas. I feel like I sleep so much better when I feel good in the fabrics that I'm wearing. And they have some really cute holiday options. Their long sleeve button up set comes in a cranberry vintage deer print. It's so cute. And they also offer that in their sleep scoop neck set that has shorts if you're more of a hot sleeper, as well as their sleep cropped long sleeve and pants set. and their sleep camy set. It's such a cute print. I'm glad there's so much variety in it. And I think a Skims' pajamas set would make such a great gift for someone

Starting point is 00:20:37 because they will get so much use out of it next year and they'll think of you every time they wear it. So shop my favorite pajamas at skims.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know that I sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select my show from the drop-down menu that follows.

Starting point is 00:20:51 And if you're looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, the Skims Holiday Shop is now open at skims.com. So I'm getting pretty close to heading into the third trimester here, and I'm thinking about what I want to take to the hospital. And one of the things at the top of my list will be my Nutraful. As soon as I give birth, I'm going to be starting the Nutriful postpartum blend. It saved me last time, and I know she's going to be there for me again. Now, if you have not heard of neuterful, and maybe you're out there wondering if there's anything that can help you with your shedding

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Starting point is 00:22:26 And when he tried to get a hold of her, of course, like I said, she wasn't responding. And that concerned him right away because it was completely unlike her. And he was so concerned that he went ahead and reached out to her family. And as soon as they heard

Starting point is 00:22:38 that he couldn't get a hold of her, they were concerned as well because, of course, they start reaching out to her and no one can get a hold of her. And so they are frantically trying to figure out what happened to Brooke after the party.

Starting point is 00:22:50 They start calling everyone in her life, everyone she could have been with the night before, and of course they called Jared, and he told them about those texts that she sent while she was out at Josh's house, and then he gave them Josh's number. So Brooks older sister Tasha decided to call him. And if you already have a bad feeling about this guy, which how can you not, based on the things that I have already told you, just wait until you hear about their conversation. Okay, it's so weird. So Josh tells her that he didn't know where Brooke was, because at around 6 a.m. he left his house because he felt uncomfortable being alone with Jared's ex-girlfriend and also didn't want to be there when Jared came to pick her up. So he claims that he went to go 10 to his horses so he could get out of there. And he says that when he left, Brooke was sitting on his couch, having a cigarette, and talking about a party in Rock Castle County that she was going to. And then other than that, he says he doesn't know anything. And their call ended, which for as weird of an explanation as that was, it actually gets even more bizarre because just a few minutes later

Starting point is 00:23:58 he calls Tasha back. And this time he tells her that actually, Brooke left a lot of her belongings at his house, including her purse, her overnight bag, and the cowgirl boots she was wearing. And I'm sure Tasha was like, what? Why would she leave all of that there? But she asks him if he could take a look at her purse to see what was in there, which is when he tells her that he's actually standing outside of his home, looking at the items through a window, and he can't get to them. Why can't he get to them, you may ask? Well, turns out there was a fire in his home. And yeah, for some reason, he didn't mention that to Tasha any time before this, that there was a fire in his home. Didn't even bring it up in their first conversation. And it gets even more

Starting point is 00:24:46 suspicious because this was a very specific fire. The only thing that was on fire in his home was the couch, the exact same spot where he said Brooke had been before she disappeared. And the flames didn't spread anywhere else, but they were definitely intense. The couch was burned down to the metal frame, and there was damage to the floor underneath it as well. But nothing else in the entire house was damaged, which makes no fucking sense, right? And what's Even more weird is that I couldn't confirm whether or not Josh even called 911 about the fire. We do know that after the call with Tasha, she called the police, but I wasn't able to determine whether she was the first one to report the fire or if Josh had already called about it. But either way, responders did go to the home and a missing person's report was officially filed, which is when law enforcement started their search for Brooke.

Starting point is 00:25:42 And one of the first things they investigated was the supposed party in Rock Castle County. that Jared received the text about. But they were unable to verify if this party even happened. And I don't think it did because not a single person they spoke to knew anything about it. No one in Brooks' life,

Starting point is 00:25:58 none of her family, friends, any locals that they spoke to had ever heard of it happening. And what's even more concerning and even more so tells us that this party did not occur is that they went through Brooke's phone and there was no evidence

Starting point is 00:26:12 that she had been told anything about this party. So how would she have known that she wanted to go? Even if this party did exist, why on earth would she all of a sudden want to go to it? It was so late at this point and she was trying to get home. This party was 15 miles away. It just makes no sense. And that wasn't the only weird thing that her phone revealed.

Starting point is 00:26:33 They also found out that her phone wasn't shut off for two to three days after she disappeared, which was likely just because the battery had died by that point. And during that time, Brooke literally got thousands of texts and calls. she didn't respond to anything. There was no outgoing activity on her phone whatsoever. And they were also able to determine that her phone last pinged in the Blue Lick area, which is approximately 30 miles west of both Josh's house and Rock Castle County. And obviously, their next step at that point is to figure out how the phone got out there

Starting point is 00:27:08 and also if Brooke was out there too. So the Kentucky State Police conducted extensive ground searches around the Blue Lick area. And this was very difficult because the Blue Lick area is a very rough, rugged terrain that's also very unsafe. There are cliffs, lakes, ponds, drop-offs, even very dense forests with wild animals and snakes, which, of course, makes it extremely hazardous for people to search through. However, the Kentucky State Police still did their best by bringing out horses and cadaver dogs. They also had divers out there that were combing through different bodies of water and over. Overall, 16,000 acres were searched around three different counties, but unfortunately, no evidence was uncovered.

Starting point is 00:27:53 And only about a month after Brooke's disappearance, all regular ground searches were called off. Law enforcement issued an alert in four different counties, including Rock Castle, asking people to check their property or land for any signs of Brooke. But that didn't turn up anything either. Now, I have someone on my team who knows two people who live in the Berea area. and they were able to give us some insight into what it was like around town during that time. And like I said in the beginning of the episode, it's a very small town where a lot of people, most people just know each other and also very little crime happens there, especially any violent crime.

Starting point is 00:28:34 So I guess when Brooke first went missing, it was really hard for people to wrap their minds around anything violent happening to her. But in the weeks that followed the disappearance, It was hard to deny that possibility when there was no sign of her. From my understanding, it didn't take long for pretty much everyone in town to know about Brooke and everyone wanted to know what happened to her. And unfortunately, all these years later, people in town and most importantly, Brooke's family and her friends, all of her loved ones, are still waiting for answers.

Starting point is 00:29:06 There haven't been any significant updates in Brooke's case since she first went missing in 2013. However, years later, some major news dropped about Josh. It turns out he is a bad person, and that becomes all the more clear in 2020 when the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch learned that three men in Berea possessed and distributed child sexual abuse images, and one of those men was Joshua Hensley. He was arrested and charged with crimes related to possessing CSAM as well as harmful behavior towards a minor. And while I was reading through all of his charges, it was very clear that this man does not care about harming others and he's, in my opinion, a danger to society.

Starting point is 00:29:56 Based on what I could find, it appears that Josh was convicted in 2021. And then he was released in August of 2025 and is under supervision until 2030. And you would think that his arrest would have been major news, right? I mean, the last known person to have been with a missing younger girl. Remember, he was 23 at the time. And now he's facing charges like this. It's a big deal or it should be. However, one of the other two men arrested was actually a professor at a local college and he ended up taking his own life in the midst of everything, which just sort of overshadowed Josh's involvement. So there was barely any media attention given to his connection to Brooke. And those two locals that I mentioned earlier that we spoke to said that when the news of this

Starting point is 00:30:46 first came out, there was this, I mean, understandably feeling of hope that maybe the arrest would lead to more information, or maybe they would finally find out what happened to Brooke. But unfortunately, that didn't happen, and they are still left wondering what happened. All of these years later, here we are in almost 2026. And that brings me to all of the theories surrounding this case. And obviously, the most prominent one is that Josh did something to her that night. And in my opinion, it is not hard at all to jump to that conclusion. Of course, the man's innocent until proven guilty.

Starting point is 00:31:22 We know. But given what we do know here, it's just too weird. I mean, first of all, we can't ignore Brooke's own words when she texted Jared, saying that she was scared while at Josh's house. To me, and I'm sure you agree, it's extremely telling that something bad or at the very least inappropriate had happened. For her to have sent these three very urgent text messages

Starting point is 00:31:47 to Jared, very close together, please hurry, you know, I'm scared, and then suddenly shift her tone so drastically to never mind, I'm going to a party, just doesn't add up, which is why people speculate, and I'm sure you're thinking the same thing as me, that that last text about the party in Rock Castle may not have been sent by Brooke.

Starting point is 00:32:08 And there's no proof that this party even took place. In my own theory, in my opinion, I think Josh did something to her, something bad, and then he went through her phone either before or after that happened, and he saw that Jared was planning to come pick her up, and he knew I can't let him come see what's going on here. So he sent that text message to get Jared not to. to come to think that Brooke had left his house. And then, of course, it gets even weirder when you look at the conversation he had with Tasha

Starting point is 00:32:41 and telling her that he wanted to go tend to the horses because he knew that Jared was coming and didn't want to be there. I mean, all of that's bizarre. But the weirdest thing of all is the fact that his couch and only his couch was on fire, and that's the last place that he says Brooke was. And then another thought, if he was so concerned about being there with, his friend's ex when his friend arrived, why wouldn't he just take her home? Seems like you could have dealt with that really easily. Life doesn't happen by week leave, so why should payday? The money

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Starting point is 00:34:32 Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Standard cashouts, take one to two business days with no mandatory fees, expedited transfers available for a fee, tips are voluntary and don't affect the service, available in select states, terms and restrictions apply. Visit Ehrnan.com for full details. Download Euron now and take control of your pay. And here's something else interesting that I wanted to mention. Take it with a grain of salt because it only comes from one source. It's an article in a local newspaper, but it said, at one point, the Dylan court man told police that he left farthing at the house and went to a nearby gas station.

Starting point is 00:35:06 But when he returned, she was gone and his couch was on fire. Now, I haven't seen this report anywhere else, so I don't know if it's just misreporting or what, or if maybe he's telling different sources, different things. He's telling Tasha, I went to tend to the horses, he's telling police that he went to the gas station. I don't know. And speaking of the horses, I also tried to figure out if he was. tending to the horses at the same spot that he took her and her friend to earlier that night, if that even happened, I wasn't able to determine. And it does make me wonder if the story that he told Tasha came from, you know,

Starting point is 00:35:41 recalling what he had done earlier in the night and then using like bits of the truth while also making up lies at the same time because there were a lot of strange coincidences in that phone call with her. Like when he told her that he heard Brooke talking about the party, Rock Castle County, which just so happened to be her last text. And he claimed that when he last saw her, she was smoking on the couch that was on fire after he got home. To me, and I'm sure to you, it's hard to believe that this story is anything other than him just covering his tracks. And there are so many other reasons to believe that he is suspicious. Like all her stuff being left behind,

Starting point is 00:36:20 why would she leave all of that? And then Josh not even telling Tasha about the fire right away, Of course, his arrest years later would show his true disgusting character. So all of this sketchy shit leads people to think that he harmed Brooke and then concealed it. And this is what Brooke's family has said they believe happened. They also stated they believe that he would know how to hide her remains because he had worked for the county's road services. So he knows that area well and unfortunately there's a lot of areas of wilderness where she could have been hidden and not ever. have been found. I'm sure you're all thinking the same thing as me when it comes to the couch fire. I'm sure something bad occurred there and he lit it on fire to hide the evidence.

Starting point is 00:37:05 In my opinion, I have to say once again, the police have never even named him as a person of interest, let alone a suspect. So, yeah, innocent till proven guilty, but it drives me insane. And God, it makes me crazy thinking about that. I cannot imagine what it's like to live a day in the lives of her loved ones, how they must just know that this is what happened and they can't do anything about it. They can't prove it. Because at the end of the day,

Starting point is 00:37:36 even with all of the weirdness surrounding Josh in his house and the later charges, we can't definitively say that he harmed Brooke, right? So let's talk about some of the other theories that have floated around about what could have happened to her, one being that someone else harmed her. Which, I don't know. I think that really feels like a stretch.

Starting point is 00:37:57 Of course it's possible. As I mentioned earlier, the house is located in a rural area, so it's hard to imagine that a random person would just happen to come across it and do something to her. But I guess it is possible if maybe Brooke finally just got scared enough at the home that she left. I don't know. That sounds crazy to me to even say, or even maybe she wanted to walk until she could hitchhike to this party,

Starting point is 00:38:25 but I don't think the party even existed. I don't think she wrote that last text, but could she have left the house and become a victim of stranger abduction? I guess it's possible. Of course we know from her text that she really wanted to leave, so maybe she did get desperate enough to just walk out of that house. But then you think about the fact that all of her personal belongings were left behind, even her shoes.

Starting point is 00:38:49 She really just left without her shoes. And how would his couch being on fire make any sense if he had nothing to do with it? To me, the only way it might make sense is if something bad happened in the house and then she ran out of the house to get away from Josh and then happened to run into someone else out there. I mean, maybe it's a stretch though. And keep in mind, it's about five in the morning when this happens in a rural area. Someone just happened to, some violent criminal just happens to be wandering around.

Starting point is 00:39:20 I don't know. I don't know. You could say that she ran out of the house into the surrounding area out of fear and then got lost or hurt. But that doesn't make any sense either. I mean, that area has been searched and she would, I think they would have found her. Plus, she probably would have had her phone with her, maybe. And you think that she would probably have tried calling for help. So I don't know.

Starting point is 00:39:41 That doesn't check out for me at all either. And if that happened, it doesn't explain. how her phone ended up pinging off of a tower 30 miles away. Plus, like I said, none of these theories explained the couch being set on fire. Now, let's entertain for a second that maybe she did set the couch on fire and then she ran away because she was worried about Josh being mad at her for it. But again, why wouldn't she call for help or go to one of the nearby houses? And would she really be that concerned about setting this dude's couch on fire in his,

Starting point is 00:40:12 like, abandoned house? I don't think so. In fact, her mom later said that one of Brooke's Sunday school teachers lived in that cul-de-sac. So there was someone right there that she could have gone to for help. Which is interesting to think about as well, because I'm sure she didn't want to bother this person if she just wanted to ride home. Because it's the middle of the night, it's her Sunday school teacher. But if she was really in a desperate situation and was able to run out of that house, she would have gone to someone's house that she knew was safe no matter what time of night it was. It's also weird to think about the fact that Josh is trying to sell the story that Brooke smoking a cigarette on the couch is what led to the whole thing burning to shit.

Starting point is 00:40:56 I mean, I'm no fire marshal, but I don't think dropping a cigarette on a couch would quickly lead to flames like that. Intense flames burning the entire thing down to the floor, no way. If someone started a fire on a couch because of a cigarette, I think you could easily. put it out, right? What makes more sense is if someone burned that whole couch down to conceal evidence, but what do I know? And speaking of the couch, I'm not sure if any testing was ever done on it, but if it was, no information from that testing has been released. And I really, really hope they did some kind of testing on it. But again, just like how it feels with everything in this case, the answer seems like it would be right in front of us, but it's still unknown. I truly

Starting point is 00:41:40 believe that this case could be solved. It seems like it is solvable. I mean, I don't know what information they have and what they don't, but it seems like the investigation has unfortunately been at a standstill for a while. Brooks family has waited far too long to get answers, to get the truth. And something needs to be done. And maybe we can all help with that. Maybe it's time for the Kentucky State Police to ask for the FBI's assistance. This is definitely something that some locals in Berea want to see happen, and they have very good reason to believe it could help. You may recall the Crystal Rogers case, which I covered years ago, and I'll link that episode in the description if you're interested in hearing more of the details, but that case

Starting point is 00:42:27 happened in Bardstown, Kentucky, which is only about an hour and a half away from Brookstown. And while Crystal disappeared in 2015, the FBI didn't get involved until 2020. And once they did, there was a lot of movement in the case, which eventually led to an arrest and conviction of her former boyfriend as well as two other men for her murder. So it's possible that involving the FBI in Brooks case could lead to some answers, but the Kentucky State Police would have to request the assistance, which is where maybe we can help push them in that direction. I'm sure you're probably familiar with the email campaigns that we have done here on this show in years past, but if you're not, I will basically include an email template that's already written for you. So it's super easy in the

Starting point is 00:43:13 episodes, show notes or description box, whether you're watching on YouTube or listening on Spotify or Apple. And then you can simply copy and paste that along with the address to send it to. It could not be easier and it could make a huge difference. So if you have a few minutes, it could be a great way to politely, of course, let the authorities know that people have not forgotten about Brooke and they want to see more movement in the investigation because at the end of the day, the answers are out there, right? And additional resources from the FBI could help find those answers. And if you don't want to send an email, but you still want to give your support, you can visit findbrookfarthing.com or follow the Facebook page missing Brooklyn Farthing, both of which I'll have linked in the episode

Starting point is 00:43:58 description or show notes. And maybe you can just send them some words of encouragement, especially after it's been this long, it can just start to feel so hopeless. And just knowing that there are people out there who haven't forgotten who still care about Brooke will probably help their family a lot. And before I go, I want to share the official description of Brooke. She is a white female who is 5-1, approximately 105 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes. She was last known to be wearing a gray t-shirt with a Madison County Future Farmers of America logo and blue denim shorts.

Starting point is 00:44:33 At the time of her disappearance, Brooke was 18 years old and she would be 31 today. And anyone with information should call the Kentucky State Police at 859-623-24-0-4. And I just have to say, it's just, no matter how many years

Starting point is 00:44:50 I have been covering these cases, it's so disturbing to me that even with what feels like so much obvious evidence here, evidence I'm using loosely, but just so many strange circumstances, so much weird shit surrounding someone, that they wouldn't even be listed as a person of interest or suspect. I understand it's more complicated than that, of course, but it's just so bothersome to think that something could happen to you or to someone you love, and there could be circumstances

Starting point is 00:45:26 like that, which look very obvious. And a decade later, nothing has been done. No one's held accountable. No one's even named a person of interest. It's just beyond disturbing. I don't know. Definitely want to hear what you guys think. So leave me a comment.

Starting point is 00:45:47 Let me know your thoughts on this one. And to Brooke's family and friends, I am just so sorry you've had to go this long without answers. it must be incredibly painful every single day. I truly can't imagine what it would be like. That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Starting point is 00:46:13 It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there. Thank you.

True Crime with Kendall Rae - Vanished After Texting “I’m Scared”?! The Disappearance of Brookelyn Farthing

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