A Murder in the Gap

*Names are changed to protect the investigation that is on going and the facts are alleged facts from a source of anonymity

On a cloudy morning in late January, the owner of a local store in a small town in the southern tip of the Cumberland Mountains was found dead. "Harry" had been the owner of a local store that carried candy, ice cream and other items that a tourist would like, but that is not what his sign said on the outside of his store. The sign hanging outside the store read, Drugstore.

The area surrounding the town of Cumberland Gap is rural and poor. The rolling hills and jagged cliff faces leave no chance of industrialization in the area, for those who are fortunate enough to have a flat piece of land they farm it and work it, no one wastes land. The town of Cumberland Gap is small, it consist of 2 streets divided by 3 avenues making it look as if it has 6 blocks of living and businesses. It lies at the bottom of Pinnacle Point a mountain peak rising 2400 feet out of the earth to tower over the small town. The town is host to 203 residents falling from 204 residents in the 2000 census. A small town that is bordered by Kentucky and Virginia and is patrolled by forest rangers due to the fact that it is located in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park-it was handed down its first murder.

"Harry" who had ran the small store was beloved by everyone that new him. He was approachable and kind to all who passed through his store. Though what sparked someone to do such a treacherous thing as to murder him? His wife walked into the store just around noon, to find him lying in a pool of blood. He had been beat severely, nothing missing except his wallet. The object used to send him to meet his maker was the rugged edge of a nail pry bar.

Just moments before the 9-1-1 call to the Claiborne County Sheriffs Department a prior call was made to 9-1-1 from the Cumberland Gap reporting a suspicious man wondering the streets in blood covered cloths. Non stopped the gentleman to find out if he needed help, people just locked the doors and hid instead of approaching someone that could have possibly been the suspect or a person of interest that the investigators have been looking for.

The first person picked up and questioned by officials was a man seen leaving the store earlier that day. The man was someone "Harry" had been interested in doing business with. The gentleman made trunks that looked like antique treasures. He had visited "Harry" earlier that day to work out details on how many trunks needed to be set aside for "Harry" to sell. After 24 hours of being held at the Claiborne County Justice Center he was released. Since he was obviously not the suspect then who was?

The days following the murder, the widow to the deceased became a person of interest. She was not approached, she knew nothing of becoming a suspect. What she did know is that "Harry" had opened a new bank account with out her name on the account, and that he had deposited a large sum of money into the account unaware that his wife suspected anything. Without any knowledge of becoming a suspect, her telephone became taped by officials and she has remained under surveillance until another person of interest became the target for officials.

Two weeks into the investigation, the phone records of the Drug Store pointed Tennessee Bureau of Investigations to an illegal immigrant with a long rap sheet who had been in contact with "Harry" around the time of his murder. The man had offered Harry a small amount of cash for a boat motor that "Harry" had fixed to sell. The man had been working 60 miles south of the Cumberland Gap in Knoxville on a tree trimming crew. Upon further investigation the mans alibi had proved he could not be the person the investigators were looking for. So now there is a dead end with the exception of the wife being under scrutiny.

"Captain Jimmy Buttercup" has been quoted saying," We are following every lead possible, we have officers patrolling the area constantly, talking to community members and we are evaluating every piece of evidence until we reach a conclusion." This the investigators are doing, but how can it be that a business man can be brutally murdered in a small town, having another store next door as a neighbor and no one heard or saw anything.

Claiborne County Sheriff "Danny" Ray has been acquainted with the victim for most of his life, "I went to school with him and worked as a tour guide at Cudjo’s Cave,” Ray said, “He was genuinely a good man who did not deserve this.” Ray also promised the mayor of Cumberland Gap and the people of this for now ghost town that he would do everything possible to bring justice to this town.

Sheriff Ray believes that someone passing through the small town noticed the sign hanging outside the store and believed it was a real pharmacy.“If people are not familiar with the area, they most likely think that it is a drug store,” he said.

A month following the murder, the investigators get a break in the case. A man traveling from Florida to Pennsylvania gained some attention when he allegedly made some disturbing comments about a murder to a man towing his truck from the Chattanooga area to Cumberland Gap. The wrecker driver called the sheriff department upon arrival to the Gap. "Britt Jones",43, of Pennsylvania was travelling from Florida to Pennsylvania when he had truck problems. He was driving a Ford. " Several comments the man said have been suspicious," Ray said,"We are holding him until we get some answers."

Upon his arrival to Claiborne County, the sheriffs department obtained a search warrant from the Eighth Judicial Task Force to search his vehicle.

"He refused to let anyone from the towing company look inside the truck or even get in it," Ray said.

The number that called the location of the tow was also seen in some phone records that were being investigated.

Though no one has been arrested, the case is remaining a breathing tumor to the small town of Cumberland Gap. Nothing like this could be imagined by the citizens of this small town, nor could something like this be forgotten until justice is served for the community.