Zona Heaster Shue, the Greenbrier Ghost

About this episode

In January 1897, a young bride, Zona Shue, was found dead on the floor of her home in the mountains of West Virginia. The doctor called it an everlasting faint — an old fashioned term for a sudden, unexplained death from natural causes. Days later, Zona’s mother woke in the cold, dark night to find an apparition standing at the foot of the bed. It was Zona, back to tell the story of how she really died. But would a jury buy it?<br /><br />Today’s snack: <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/candy-corn-popcorn-balls-2269093" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Candy corn popcorn balls</a><br /><br />Support us on Patreon: <a href="https://patreon.com/lovemarrykill" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://patreon.com/lovemarrykill</a> <br /><br />Sources:<br /><ul><li>Anderson, Belinda. "Greenbrier Ghost, Zona Heaster Shue." Experience Greenbrier Valley, Greenbrier County Convention &amp; Visitors Bureau, <a href="https://greenbrierwv.com/editorials/the-greenbrier-ghost" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://greenbrierwv.com/editorials/the-greenbrier-ghost</a> </li><li>Calvert, Kris. "Zona Heaster Shue and the Greenbrier Ghost: The 1897 West Virginia Murder That Became Legend." Hitched 2 Homicide, 30 Sept. 2025, <a href="https://www.hitched2homicide.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.hitched2homicide.com/</a> </li><li>Deitz, Dennis J. "Greenbrier Ghost." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, West Virginia Humanities Council, 18 Sept. 2026, <a href="https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/2104" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/2104</a> </li><li>Demitry, Nicky. "The Greenbrier Ghost." Virginia Law Weekly, University of Virginia School of Law, 29 Oct. 2025, <a href="https://www.lawweekly.org/front-page/2025/10/29/b4nz0yz4betrskt1myor79tdf9jhdv" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.lawweekly.org/front-page/2025/10/29/b4nz0yz4betrskt1myor79tdf9jhdv</a></li><li>"Greenbrier Ghost." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 July 2026, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbrier_Ghost" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbrier_Ghost</a></li><li>McCrumb, Sharyn. Discussion Questions for The Unquiet Grave. 2017</li><li>Rodgers, Garry. "How a Ghost's Evidence Convicted a Murderer – True Crime Story!" The Kill Zone, 16 Dec. 2021, <a href="https://killzoneblog.com/2021/12/how-a-ghosts-evidence-convicted-a-murderer-true-crime-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://killzoneblog.com/2021/12/how-a-ghosts-evidence-convicted-a-murderer-true-crime-story.html</a></li><li>Sibray, David. "The Full Tale of West Virginia's Remarkable Greenbrier Ghost." West Virginia Explorer, 20 Jan. 2024, <a href="https://wvexplorer.com/greenbrier-ghost-zona-heaster-shue-west-virginia-wv/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://wvexplorer.com/greenbrier-ghost-zona-heaster-shue-west-virginia-wv/</a> </li><li>Tabler, Dave. "The Greenbrier Ghost." Appalachian History, 23 Jan. 2018, <a href="https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/01/greenbrier-ghost.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/01/greenbrier-ghost.html</a> </li><li>Weekley, Dave. "The Greenbrier Ghost is an Odd West Virginia Tale." WV MetroNews, West Virginia MetroNews Network, 21 July 2026, <a href="https://wvmetronews.com/2026/07/21/the-greenbrier-ghost-is-an-odd-west-virginia-tale/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://wvmetronews.com/2026/07/21/the-greenbrier-ghost-is-an-odd-west-virginia-tale/</a></li></ul>