EPISODE · Nov 27, 2025 · 13 MIN
Bible Belt Strangler: The 40-Year Hunt for a Killer Who Targeted Redheads
from 10 Minute Murder | Bingeable True Crime Stories · host Joe
Bible Belt Strangler: The 40-Year Hunt for a Killer Who Targeted RedheadsSo there's this case that's been sitting in the shadows for over 40 years. Between 1978 and 1992, women with red hair started turning up dead along interstates across the South. Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi. All strangled or beaten. All dumped like they were nothing. The FBI task force called them the Redhead Murders. The media went with "Bible Belt Strangler." Most of these women stayed nameless for decades. Jane Does. Because they were hitchhikers, sex workers, women nobody was looking for. Then in 2018, forensic genealogy finally gave them their names back. Tina Farmer. Espy Pilgrim. Tracy Sue Walker. Michelle Inman. DNA pointed to a truck driver named Jerry Leon Johns for at least one of the murders. Investigators still don't know if he killed them all, or if there were multiple killers working the same routes, hunting the same type of woman. Before the cops even announced Johns' name, a group of Tennessee high school students profiled the killer in a sociology project and got it right. This is about women the system failed twice. Once when they were alive, and again when they died. And it's about how science finally forced us to remember them.#RedheadMurders #BibleBeltStrangler #TinaFarmer #JerryLeonJohns #TrueCrime #ColdCase #ForensicGenealogy🔔 Subscribe for True Crime Cases multiple times a weekNever miss a story. Subscribe to 10 Minute Murder for bite-sized true crime episodes delivered fresh every week.Discount codes from show sponsors. Support 10 Minute Murder and save money at the same time:https://hypernaturalstyle.com/discount/10MMhttps://zivo.life/discount/10MMhttps://bigforkbrands.com/discount/10MMhttps://prepstartsnow.com/discount/10MM📱 Follow for Behind-the-Scenes Content Get exclusive case updates, research photos, and sneak peeks of upcoming episodes:Instagram: @10minutemurder on IGTikTok: @10minutemurder on TikTokFacebook: 10 Minute Murder on FB💬 Have a Case Suggestion? Know a fascinating case that deserves coverage? I love listener suggestions and feature the best ones in upcoming episodes. Email: [email protected] Website: 10minutemurder.com ⭐ Help Grow the True Crime CommunityRate & Review: Leave a 5-star review to help other true crime fans discover the showShare: Send this episode to fellow true crime enthusiastsJoin the Discussion: Tag us in your episode reactions on social media🎧 Want Even More True Crime? If you love the brief and bingeable vibe, check out my other podcast: 10 Minute Mystery - same bingeable storytelling, different cases. Search "10 Minute Mystery" wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for being part of the 10 Minute Murder community. Let's make 2025 the ultimate year for bite-sized true crime storytelling. 🖤Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/10-minute-murder-bingeable-true-crime-stories--4603604/support.
What this episode covers
Bible Belt Strangler: The 40-Year Hunt for a Killer Who Targeted RedheadsSo there's this case that's been sitting in the shadows for over 40 years. Between 1978 and 1992, women with red hair started turning up dead along interstates across the South. Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi. All strangled or beaten. All dumped like they were nothing. The FBI task force called them the Redhead Murders. The media went with "Bible Belt Strangler." Most of these women stayed nameless for decades. Jane Does. Because they were hitchhikers, sex workers, women nobody was looking for. Then in 2018, forensic genealogy finally gave them their names back. Tina Farmer. Espy Pilgrim. Tracy Sue Walker. Michelle Inman. DNA pointed to a truck driver named Jerry Leon Johns for at least one of the murders. Investigators still don't know if he killed them all, or if there were multiple killers working the same routes, hunting the same type of woman. Before the cops even announced Johns' name, a group of Tennessee high school students profiled the killer in a sociology project and got it right. This is about women the system failed twice. Once when they were alive, and again when they died. And it's about how science finally forced us to remember them.#RedheadMurders #BibleBeltStrangler #TinaFarmer #JerryLeonJohns #TrueCrime #ColdCase #ForensicGenealogy🔔 Subscribe for True Crime Cases multiple times a weekNever miss a story. Subscribe to 10 Minute Murder for bite-sized true crime episodes delivered fresh every week.Discount codes from show sponsors. Support 10 Minute Murder and save money at the same time:https://hypernaturalstyle.com/discount/10MMhttps://zivo.life/discount/10MMhttps://bigforkbrands.com/discount/10MMhttps://prepstartsnow.com/discount/10MM📱 Follow for Behind-the-Scenes Content Get exclusive case updates, research photos, and sneak peeks of upcoming episodes:Instagram: @10minutemurder on IGTikTok: @10minutemurder on TikTokFacebook: 10 Minute Murder on FB💬 Have a Case Suggestion? Know a fascinating case that deserves coverage? I love listener suggestions and feature the best ones in upcoming episodes. Email: [email protected] Website: 10minutemurder.com ⭐ Help Grow the True Crime CommunityRate & Review: Leave a 5-star review to help other true crime fans discover the showShare: Send this episode to fellow true crime enthusiastsJoin the Discussion: Tag us in your episode reactions on social media🎧 Want Even More True Crime? If you love the brief...
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Bible Belt Strangler: The 40-Year Hunt for a Killer Who Targeted Redheads
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