True Crime with Kimbyr - Smoldering Secrets: FIRE Hid A Sinister FAMILY MURDER! The Frensley Family Murder

Episode Date: February 3, 2025

A peaceful home in Roaring Spring, Kentucky, turned into a nightmare when a fire broke out, leaving a mother, Christie Friendley, barely clinging to life. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered something far more sinister than a tragic house fire. Who was behind this horrific act? What secrets lay hidden beneath the flames? Join True Crime with Kimbyr as we unravel the shocking story of the Friendley family and the terrifying events that changed their lives forever. Don't miss this gripping episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A fire broke out. At a home in the small town of Roaring Spring, Kentucky, there was a family inside. Firefighters fought to save them. Well, once the fire was out, they determined. Something much more sinister had happened. This is the story of the Friend'sley family. It's the evening of October 15th, 2008. Emergency personnel are rushing around Jenny Stewart Medical Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, as a patient in critical condition, is about to be transported into their emergency department from the small rural community of Roaring Spring, about 16 miles away. The information known to authorities at this time was that a fire had engulfed a property where a female had been found outside in the backyard, badly injured, burned, and clinging to life.

The patient was identified as 36-year-old mother of three, Christy Friendly. Upon her arrival in subsequent medical assessment, it was determined that Christy would need to have immediate and extensive life-saving surgery, which included placing her in a medically induced coma. No one knew what happened to Christy, and she was unable to speak. About 30 people were gathered outside the hospital. They were waiting for updates on Christy's condition, but it would be a while before you. they knew whether Christie would pull through. Meanwhile, police are trying to find out

as much information about her as possible in an attempt to piece together the events that led to this horrific situation. Deputy Kenneth Butts, who accompanied Christy to the hospital via ambulance, was also a close friend of hers. Christy was his daughter-in-law's best friend. He had known her most of her life. He held her hand and her head the entire ride.

He was able to provide information about her identity, and how she was found. He was a former firefighter and the first officer on the scene. He was directed to the backyard of her residence located at 169 Military Road in Roaring Springs, where he found Christy floating inside her above-ground pool. It was connected to a deck attached to a few stairs that led to a set of French doors to a main bedroom

of her one-story home that she shared with her children. It was apparent that her wounds were life-threatening. he observed cuts to the back and front of Christy's neck. Shocked, he frantically asked Christy, who did this to you? And if she knew them? Before I tell you what happened next, let me tell you who Christy Friendly is and the life she was living before that fateful fall afternoon in 2008,

when she would find herself close to death in her own backyard and now fighting for her life in surgery. Christy was born in May of 1972 to parents Michael and Linda Glass, but she said that even though that's when life began for her, Christy's favorite three chapters of her life are when her three children were born. Becoming their mother was what she was the most proud of. She lived for her children.

Christy married Doug Williams, and by May 19th, 1991, they were welcoming their daughter, Kayla Elaine Williams, into the world. Christy was only 19 at the time. She was overjoyed, but it wasn't long before it became a parent that things were not going to work out between her and Doug. They divorced soon after Kayla was born.

And just a few years later by 1994, Christy was about to have her second child, another daughter, that she named Courtney Land McBurney. Courtney's father, Roy McBurney, did not become a fixture in his daughter's life. Instead, Christy found herself as a single mother of two girls until she met and fell in love with Jeff Hugh Frenzley, the second, a U.S. Master Army Sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell Military Base, located on the Kentucky, Tennessee border. Christy ended up marrying Jeff, and her daughter, Courtney, even took his last name. She became Courtney Lan McBurney Friendly, and Jeff adopted her. Then just three years later, on January 26, 2003, Christie and Jeff had a son together who they named Ethan Zane Friendly.

Now they were a family of five, with Kayla 12 years old, Courtney 9, and newborn Ethan to add to the mix, and life was very busy in the Friendsley household. They were living in the Roaring Spring neighborhood, a rural, close-knit, safe community where everyone knew one another and never locked their doors. It was conveniently only 25 minutes away from Fort Campbell. This is what Roaring Spring looks like from a bird's eye view. Very green, the homes are on a lot of land,

but they're close enough together for residents to develop a strong sense of community. You get to experience four distinct seasons in this part of Kentucky. Kentucky as well. And that means there are a variety of different activities and events every season. This brings in locals and visitors as well. The cost of living is low and there are many beautiful areas nearby. Not to mention many active military and veterans decide to settle down here since it's close to Fort Campbell. Mooring Spring is part of Trigg County. The main and most lively area is the city of Cades, which is about 25 minutes north. north and that's where all the schools are, where the downtown area is, and you can find lots of restaurants and shopping and social events taking place. Buses would transfer children to and

from Roaring Spring to Cato's on the weekdays to attend school. Kayla and Courtney, only being about three years apart, were very close growing up. However, after her sophomore year in high school, Kayla did decide to go live with her biological father, Doug Williams, in California for a little while. Things were good in the Friendsley's lives until they weren't. Issues were brewing between Jeff and Christy. By the time 2007 rolled around, it would prove to be a very challenging year. They were in the middle of a heated divorce and custody battle over four-year-old Ethan. Christy had also recently lost her job as a hairstylist.

The divorce was finalized in February, and in July the court granted Christy custody of Ethan and ownership of the family home that they were living in at one. 169 military road in Roaring Spring. Jeff moved out, but then the same month, he submitted for temporary custody of his son, citing that Christy was endangering Ethan by being intoxicated in front of the kids, keeping the house a mess, and she wasn't taking Ethan to regular doctor's appointments. The court granted the temporary switch of custody from Christy to Jeff while these allegations were being investigated, and Ethan began living with his father and attending kindergarten in Clarksville, Tennessee. This was a tough time for everyone, but especially tough on Christie,

whose world revolved around her children. Ultimately, Trigg's circuit judge C.A. Woodall determined that Jeff's claims were unfounded. There was no evidence to support that Christie had any problems with substance abuse. She even submitted to court-ordered drug tests, which all came back negative for illicit drugs. Therefore, on October 1st, 2008, the judge decided not to permanently alter the custody agreement and Ethan went back into Christie's care after months of being separated from his mother. While all of this was going on, 17-year-old Kayla had decided to move back from California. She'd been with her biological dad, Doug, and back in with Christy. And she began to attend Trigg County High School with her 14-year-old sister, Courtney.

She wanted to spend some time with that side of her family until she graduated. Then she had plans to return to her father's out in California to go to college. It didn't take long for Christy and the kids to get. back into the swing of things. Christy's oldest daughter, Kayla, was already well known in the town. She had grown up there, and now she was back. Her best friend from childhood, Danielle Riddick, couldn't have been more excited. Her and Kayla had been inseparable since middle school when they were on the yearbook staff together. They even had an entire page in the yearbook filled with pictures of just the two of them. Danielle was so sad when Kayla moved away,

but they talked on the phone every day. So she felt like her best friend had never really left, but now they were reunited. They enjoyed going to the movies, attending football games, and just being ordinary teenage girls. They spent many sunny days in Kayla's backyard, which everyone referred to as the beach house because the pool area was like a little oasis. Kayla was a beautiful, studious, popular athletic teenager. She looked a lot like her mama. She was the secretary of the senior class, part of the high school's dance team, and she was the chapter president of family career and community leaders of America. Taking on this role allowed Kayla to motivate and inspire her classmates. But she was like most girls for age. She just

enjoyed spending time with friends, being outside in the sunlight, especially if that meant jogging around her neighborhood, playing soccer, swimming, and of course, forewilling, which she'd love to do. What Kayla was looking forward to the most was getting her driver's license. 14-year-old freshman and middle child Courtney was a bit quieter than her old her sister, and like many teens, she likes spending time on social media. The go-to websites at the time were MySpace and Bebo, where she had profiles that said, she loved God, and she was the happiest when she was around her friends and skateboarding. She listed her favorite music as hard rock and rap and her favorite food as chicken and dumplings. We actually share a favorite color, orange, and I don't hear that a lot.

Her biggest fear was sharks. Her sunny personality and bright smile reflected her positive attitude towards life. She was always willing to help classmates and teachers, never wanting to disappoint anyone. Courtney had been interested in becoming an orthodontist since she was just a little girl, and she hoped to pursue that dream one day. Both of Christy's daughters adored their little brother Ethan. They were always looking out for him, playing with him, and making sure he was taken care of. He was adorable. It was hard not to love little Ethan. Everywhere he went, he was making people smile. He was just so fun and full of life.

Like many little boys his age, he would talk nonstop. He loved being outside, riding his bike, he loved animals, and he had a special love for bugs. Ethan enjoyed collecting earthworms and bringing them home to his mom in Ziploc bags. Despite being new to the school, Ethan was already well known by the staff at Trigg County Primary School. He had attended preschool at Cade's Methodist Church

before beginning kindergarten back in Tennessee with his dad. But now he was back in Roaring Spring. He loved to dance with his classmates, especially to the Nutcracker, and he was known throughout the school for his incredible hugs that made everyone around him feel loved and appreciated. And despite his young age, Ethan left a lasting impression

on the people he interacted with. He seemed a bit of what some people call an old soul. Contrary to what her ex-husband Jeff may have said in his court filings, Christy did not keep a messy house. She took pride in her home. She kept the landscaping very neat and loved spending time in her flower garden. And that's where you could find her anytime she had time off. And now that she was between jobs, she was spending more time tending to her garden.

But there was another reason she wanted to make the home look nice and have curb appeal. She had recently put it up for sale through a realty agency called Service First. Even though she loved the Roaring Spring area, it was time for a change. She was sick of the 20-minute commute in Detroit County anytime she needed anything. She and the kids looked forward to selling their home and moving closer to town. Now I want to jump back to October 15th.

It was a normal day. Kayla, Courtney and Ethan left on the school bus that morning. They were expected to be dropped back off by the bus at 4 p.m. like every other school day. But just 58 minutes past 4 p.m., a neighbor called 911 to report black smoke billowing out of Chrissy's home, which was directly across the street from the roaring spring volunteer fire department.

mere yards away. Karen Walker was one of the first residents to see The Blaze after picking her son up from school. When she realized that Christy's Jeep was parked in the driveway, she knew Christy and the kids were probably inside the house. Karen stopped. She began screaming, there are babies in there! A man named Sean Lorry, who lived on a nearby road

and had been in the middle of packing for his deployment to Afghanistan. Notice the smoke and heard the commotion. When he heard someone scream, there are kids inside the house, he jumped into action running right into the burning house through the front door. He yelled to see if anyone was inside, but he didn't get an answer and he wasn't able to hear anything. Then the fire began raging even bigger, making it hard to breathe because of the smoke, and the heat became too overwhelming for Sean. He couldn't keep going, so he ran back outside. It was a frantic scene as they waited for firefighters to arrive. Although right across the street,

It took them nine minutes to get to Christy's house after that initial 911 call came in. But you know how this goes. Someone calls. They try to figure out what's going on. They transfer you to another department. At 515, locals John Shrekker, a Hopkinsville businessman, and John McCubbin, a physician, were out for a bike ride when they saw a bunch of smoke coming from a home in Roaring Spring. Then two ambulances raced past them. They followed the emergency vehicles and they saw the house up in flame. John Shrekker was the one that took this photo with his phone. One of the only photos I've seen of the house on fire.

At that point, emergency personnel were just arriving on the scene, and there was a police officer already blocking off the driveway with caution tape. We know that Christy Frenzley was transported to Jenny Stewart Medical Center that evening after being spotted, floating in her pool. That is where I left off. When Christie was admitted to the hospital, she was cold to the touch and had a rapid heart rate. Yes, Chris is.

Chrissy has sustained burns, but the other injuries were not consistent with the house fire. When being examined, doctors noticed Christie had a fractured skull, several life-threatening stab wounds to her neck, and her ear canal and vocal cords had been severed. It wasn't until an x-ray was done that doctors discovered a broken-off butter knife lodged in her neck. Dr. Francis Marshall Van Mehta removed that knife during surgery and closed up what wounds he could. It was obvious that someone had tried to murder her. But who? Close friend and deputy Kenneth Butts explained that when he saw Christy, he said, what happened?

She said someone forced themselves on her. She used the R word that I can't use here. But the deputy who said, Christy, who did this? She said, I don't know him. That's all the information that they had. But it was enough to make sure that they collected a vaginal swab as part of this investigation before she was taken away. and into surgery. Miraculously, Christie survived, but it would take several hours before she was able to communicate with anyone again. As she went in and out of consciousness, she asked about her

children. She was told that they were in good hands and what was important right now was that she got some rest. They needed Christy to pull through so they could ask her important questions that would hopefully lead to the rest of the man that did this to her. There were so many questions, and It would be three days before Christy was coherent enough to understand the gravity of this situation and provide any information to police. Christy was well known and loved in her community. Everyone was waiting for her to wake up, her family, friends, and even local law enforcement agents were close to Christy and were praying for her recovery.

Finally, Christy was awake and surrounded by familiar faces. Everyone in the room was happy that Christy had made it out alive. This poor woman had already been through so much. But now investigators want to speak to her. The sooner the better so she remembers as much as she can. The longer they wait, Christy could forget everything. It's tough because they know that it's best for her to rest, but she won't be leaving the hospital anytime soon.

It's going to be a long road to recovery. But they let her know that they're counting on her to tell them what happened. As tough as it is, Christy wants to tell her story. Her last thought when she was inside her pool before being rescued was that she couldn't believe what had just happened. What started out as an ordinary day ended up being the worst day of Christy's life. And now she was about to have to relive it. What I'm about to tell you are Christy's words.

This is Christy's story. I'm going to try not to deviate from what she told investigators. This is what I found in legal documents and what I heard her say in her own words in interviews. She is alive to tell each and every horrific detail of what this monster did to her on October 15th, 2008. This story actually started a week before October 15th, when Christy and the kids were outside doing some yard work. A man that she had never seen before walked up to her property. He looked like he was in his 40s, he kind of had the salt and pepper kind of hair, nothing really noteworthy about his appearance overall. The man said he was looking for a person that lived in that neighborhood, and when he asked Christy and the kids, they didn't know who this person

and was that he was looking for, so the man left. Christy said that she didn't think anything of it at the time, but that same man approached her house a week later on the afternoon of October 15th while Christy's kids were at school. Christy was in her yard, she was on the phone with a friend, and the man came into her backyard. She recognized him to be the same man who came around a week prior. But this time, he wasn't asking about someone.

He was inquiring about Christy's house first. He asked her if she would be able to give him a little tour. He said he was interested in purchasing a home in the area, so Christie told her friend, hey, I gotta go. She got off the phone. And at first, she was hesitant. She was hesitant about letting a stranger inside, but she thought to herself, you know what?

He's wearing his direct TV work shirt, and for those that aren't familiar, this is a cable TV company work shirt. So she figured, you know what? He's probably in the neighborhood, just working, and he stopped by real fast to look at the house. So she agreed to give him a tour inside. that would prove to be the worst decision of her life.

They came inside the home together. She started showing the man the living room first. Then the laundry room, which was off the living room. He was just kind of standing behind her the whole time, following her through the house, and he was silent. He wasn't asking any questions, which Christy thought was a little weird. Then she began showing him the bathroom, and that's when things changed. The man grabbed Christy around the neck, and he held a gun to her head and told her,

Do what he said and no one would get hurt. Christy was shocked. She was scared. She had no idea what was going to happen. She had no idea why he was there and what he wanted. Then he forced her into her son Ethan's bedroom. He pushed Chrissy's face down on her son's bed and put her hands behind her back. He took out zip ties and began putting them on her wrists, tying them together behind her back.

Then he used zip ties to tie her ankles together as well. The man was quiet the whole time. He was calm. And then you took her from Ethan's room and moved her into her own bedroom and forced her to sit up on the bed with her legs and arms still bound. That's when the man began to speak. First, he asked Christy if there were any guns in the house and she said, no. Then he wanted to know who lived there. Christy didn't lie.

She told him she lived there with their three children. He asked how old they were. Chrissy said 17, 14, and 5 years old. Again, the man asked, if any of any, Anyone else lived in this house with them? And she said, no, it's just us. He asked if Christie was divorced, and she said yes. Then he said, are you sure that no one else lives

in this house with you? And Christy again told him, no. This next part is strange. The man begins to pace back and forth all throughout the house. He was opening and closing the windows, looking outside, looking into her backyard, and Christy had no idea what he was doing. She was hoping that he would just hurt. up and take or do whatever he was going to do and just leave.

Then he asked Christy when her kids were going to get home from school. This time, Christy did lie. She told him 3.45, even though she knew it would be closer to 350 or 4 o'clock. At that point, the man tells her that he wants to smoke a cigarette, and he wants Christy to smoke one too. Very odd. He puts a cigarette into Christy's mouth. She tells him, I can't smoke a cigarette without a drink of tea, coke, I have to have something. thing. He lit Christy's cigarette and then he made her take a sip of some kind of alcohol that was

wrapped in a brown paper bag. Then he continued pacing up and down the halls smoking his cigarette, and suddenly he went across the hallway to Christy's oldest daughter's bedroom, Kayla's bedroom, and he starts rummaging through her drawers. He found a pair of Kayla's panting hose and he began cutting them up and then he stuck them in his pants pocket. When 345 came around, the man seemed irritated that Christy's kids were not home yet. He said, I guess your kids are late. And at that point, Christy asked him if he would just do whatever he was going to do and leave before the kids got home. And that's when he told her to shut up. Then Christy asked him if he would let her go to the door when the kids arrived and tell them to go to the neighbor's house and that she would be over to get them

in a few minutes. And again, he said no. And then he told Christy to shut up again. When When Christy realized that this man wasn't going to leave before her kids got home, she was really scared for them. She didn't want them to come inside and see what was going on. She didn't want them to come in and see their mommy tied up. At that point, Chrissy didn't ask any more questions. She tried to stay as calm as she could. She didn't want to make this man mad. She was trying not to make this situation worse.

3.50 p.m. came around, and Christy could hear the sound of the school bus pulling up. That's when the man left her room. She couldn't see where he was going. Christy was left on her bed still bound with the zip ties. A few minutes later, Christy heard the kids come into the house. They were talking about their day. They were laughing together. Her daughter, Kayla, was the first that she saw coming down that hallway, then Ethan, and then Courtney behind him. When Courtney saw Christy, she said, Mom, what's going on? Do you want me to untie you? And that's when the man jumped out from behind them, grabbed Courtney and put it under her head, and he forced all three of Christy's children into that room with her. He told them to get on the floor and put their hands

behind their backs, and all three of them did what they were told to do. They were lying face down on their stomachs. The man began putting zip ties on Kayla's wrists first. When this was happening, little Ethan began to cry, and he spoke up. He asked the man, what are you doing? Why are you doing this to my mommy. Then he said, I want to go hug my mommy. How heartbreaking, but also how brave that he spoke up and confronted this man. Surprisingly, the man said, fine. Go hug your mommy. So Christy's little five-year-old son was clinging to her while the man starts to tie Courtney's hands behind her back. And then he told Ethan to get up. Ethan asked the man, are you going to put handcuffs on me too? Instead of using zip ties, the man pulled that pair of panty hose out of his pocket, and he used them to tie little Ethan's hands behind his back as well.

After that, the man took Courtney out of the room first. She had been crying so hard that there were tears pooling on the hardwood floors. He shut the door behind him, and then he came back and took Kayla out of the room and shut the door behind him again. I can't imagine how scared they were in this moment. I hate thinking about it. The man came back in once again, and this time he went to take Ethan out. And again, this little boy spoke up. He asked the man, why are you doing this to mommy?

Why are you hurting her? Are you going to hurt me? I love my mommy. Christy wasn't able to hold back her tears when she heard her son say that. She was sobbing. Christy told Ethan, I know you do, baby. It did nothing to deter this man. He took Ethan away from Christy, and he left and shut the door behind him again.

Christy didn't know where this man had taken her children. She was so worried about them. And soon enough, the man was back in Christy's room. He was still really calm. He actually took a seat right next to Christy on the bed and sighed, kind of leaned up against her. And he said, okay, it's either going to be you or your daughter. Christy knew exactly what he meant. It was either going to be that he forced Christy into having intercourse with him,

or he was going to do it to one of her daughters. It's disgusting. She immediately said, please let it be me. And I am so sorry that she had to go through this. It's just awful. In these cases, we don't usually know these details. Sadly, most times these situations don't end well, and the victims usually do not live to tell their stories

and the details that I'm about to relate to you through Christy's words are a lot of things. They're repulsive, they're heartbreaking, unbelievable, terrifying. There are so many emotions that you can only imagine if we feel these things, how awful Christy must have been feeling when she was going through all this. At this point, the man starts to kiss Christy on the mouth. He told her to use her tongue or she'd be sorry. Next, he cut the zip ties off Christy's ankles with a knife so he could begin to position her

for his first ultimate violation of her body. He pulled Christy Schwartz all the way off and he got on top of her and forced her to have intercourse with him. After he was done, he took her into the bathroom and forced her to take a shower to wash herself so the evidence of his semen would be removed from her body. After that, he led her back to the bed and he sat there for a while without saying a word.

But he finally broke his stomach. silence to tell Christy that he was going to have to put her out so that she didn't see him leave. Put her out. Well, whatever it meant, whether that meant knock her out or kill her, the man suddenly grabbed her around the neck and he began to strangle her. It was like he snapped. He had been calm this whole time and then just like that he became a monster, but I think he had always been a monster. But now he was acting more like one than ever. He wouldn't let go of Christy no matter how much she fought to get away. When strangling her wasn't working, the man tried to break Christy's neck. Wow. Oh my God, how scary and Christy fought harder. And when this didn't work either,

the man threw her down on the bed and began smothering her with a pillow. Then he pulled out a knife and started to cut her neck. Not once, but there were four different cuts in different directions across the back and a couple times on the front. In both directions, from right to left and left to right, it takes a lot of force to cut this part of the body unless you're using a very sharp instrument. Even some knives can't accomplish clean cuts on the throat. Finally, he let her go and dropped her back on the bed.

Christy had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do when he left, but then he came back in and he started to stab her again. One of the strikes was into her left ear. canal. That's just unbelievable to me. And he wasn't done. He stabbed her in the lower back as she was just laying there helpless on her bed. Christy didn't know if he was done or if he was just going to keep going. She had no idea what else this man was going to do to her. At this point is when Christy decided her best bed to stay alive was to pretend that she was dead. So that's what she did. She was just laying there as still as possible. So when he came back in, he thought,

threw a blanket on top of her body. Christy waited a few minutes before she tried to move. She was waiting for the guy to finally leave. She was laying on the right side with her ear in a pool of her own blood and her left ear had been stabbed so she wasn't able to hear anything. However, once she thought the coast was clear, she slowly and carefully lifted her head a bit so she could see from underneath the blanket and that's when she caught a glimpse of Ethan. He was laying in a room across the hallway. He was laying. on a top of a pile of pillows, and Christy thought that it looked like Ethan

was just laying there asleep, like a tired kindergartner that just got home from school. Christy didn't know what to do, but she wanted to save her children. She was nude from the waist down, so she thought to herself, okay, I know what I will do. I'll get up, I'll wrap this blanket around me,

I'll run over, scoop Ethan up, and then we gotta get out of here. But Christy realized she wasn't going to be able to do that. Her hands were still tired, around her back. She wasn't going to be able to wrap the blanket around her. She wouldn't get the chance anyway. The next thing she knew, the man was back and he was pouring something onto the floor. He lit a match and he set Christy's bedroom on fire. It's evil. It's pure evil. Christy was still afraid to get up. She didn't know where the man went. She was hoping that he had finally left.

She was laying there as long as she could, not moving. She was so worried about her children. But the fire started making its way to her bed. Then she felt her right foot was on fire. But to her utter shock and surprise when Christy tried to move it, she realized she couldn't move her right leg at all. Christy's legs were paralyzed from the deep wounds to her back. Christy had to think fast.

The fire was continuing to rage even larger and more intense. She managed to roll herself off of her bed and onto the floor and rolled towards the French doors that led to the deck out in her backyard and down to her above ground pool. The doors had those lever-type handles.

So Christie tried to pull one of the door handles with her foot, but her legs failed her. She tried again and then she got stuck in the door frame, but somehow she lifted her body and she used her foot to push the handle again and one side of the French doors swung open. All the while, her hair was on fire, parts of her skin were burning,

the embers falling from the home, were landing on her body and all around her, burning her. All she could do was roll. So that's what she did, all the way into her pool, which was so smart. It was such quick thinking on Chrissy's part

who definitely had the will to survive, especially for her children. At this point, she had no idea where her children were, if they were inside the house, or if the man had taken them somewhere. By the time she got out of the house, the entire side that she was on was engulfed in flames. She could hear things popping and cracking and breaking,

and the fire just got hotter and hotter so much so, she actually had to move to the far side of the swimming pool to get away from the heat. And that is when she thought to herself, I can't believe what just happened. By this time, neighbors had seen the flames. Someone had called 911, as I explained earlier. And now,

Christy could hear voices on the other side of the house, on the side where her kids' bedrooms were. She was still so worried about them. She was hoping that the people she could hear had gotten her kids out to safety. Chrissy tried to yell for help, but she realized that no sound was coming out. Finally, someone came into her backyard and they yelled, We got another one. That's when Chrissy said she knew they were going to be saved. She said, I knew my children were going to be safe.

I knew they would get them out. That's when she also recognized the familiar face. It was her friend, Deputy Kenneth Butts. He was the first officer on scene. He was right up in Christy's face trying to help her. That is when he began asking her, what happened? Who did this to you? I told you that Christy told him she did not know the man.

The deputy pressed her, asking if she could just give a description of what he looked like. Christy told him he was a white man, and he'd been wearing a blue short-sleeve polo shirt with the direct TV logo on it. The man also wore blue jeans, white Reebok athletic shoes, and he had white plastic cable ties and a black handgun. After that, Chrissy was pulled from the pool,

she was put on a stretcher, and she was rushed to the hospital where she was saved. Now, she was lying in the hospital bed telling this story, and I'm sure there was not one dry eye in there. Whether they were law enforcement officers, just there to do their job or not, I'm certain this story evoked motion in them. If you're a human being, it should. Christy was still so shocked and confused, and she still hadn't seen her children.

Christy looked around the room, and one of her first questions, of course, were, where are my children? They're not in the room with her. She couldn't see them as she looked around, but then one of her friends came forward. It was John Mark Vinson. He was the Trigg County Corner.

He looked at Christine, he said, we've been telling you that your children are in good hands because they are. but they didn't make it. Christy said, what do you mean they didn't make it? She was devastated. She began crying. Everyone in that room was crying too, and they started hugging her.

Those days, while she was in that medically induced coma, Christy had no idea what happened at the scene of the inferno and what the first responders discovered when they got there. This poor woman had already been through so much. To think that her poor children were also dead is so heartbreaking. to me. I almost could not read all these details. Going back to the scene, remember Sean Lavery? He was the brave man who ran into the burning home. Well, once it got too hot, I told you he ran back out. And then he went to the windows to see if there was any way that he could get inside a different way

or see anyone. And that's when he saw a foot. Someone's foot was in one of the windows, a foot with a pink sock on it. Sean and other neighbors grabbed a chair and they broke the glass and they began to pull the person out of the burning house. It was Kayla. When they grabbed her legs, they were so hot, it startled them, so they pulled back. And sadly, when they pulled back, it ripped her skin off into their hands.

Can you imagine? Once Kayla was on the ground away from the house, that's when the neighbors realized her throat had been cut all the way across from ear to ear, deep enough that her tracheo was visible. Her legs and arms were still bound with zip ties. She had been gagged with a pair of panty hose.