Tennessee Sheriff’s Case Turns After Missing Man Is Found Dead in Kentucky
A search across state lines
Mike Harding, a California transplant, vanished in September 2022 in the lake country near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. His wife, Julie Harding, a California Highway Patrol captain, called Kentucky State Police from Sacramento seeking information.
The case was being led by Clay County Sheriff Brandon Boone. In a body-camera recording, Julie apologized for her earlier tone and said she hoped their communication would be calm and cooperative. Boone then told her the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office needed her there.
A body found in Burkesville
Hours earlier, David Hammersley and his family were viewing a vacant property with three buildings in Burkesville, Kentucky. Hammersley went into the garage and found a large pickup truck inside.
He described a strong odor and flies, and said someone in the group noticed something dead. Prosecutor Ann Marie Gordon Anderson identified the body as Mike Harding. The Cumberland County Sheriff called in Kentucky State Police, and Detective BJ Burton took charge of the investigation.
Evidence points to a setup
Burton said Harding had been shot four times: twice in the torso and twice in the head. Investigators believed the killer removed the murder weapon and three shell casings, but left one casing that they identified as coming from a Hornady Critical Defense bullet.
Investigators examined Harding’s phone and found messages suggesting he had been lured to the property. Burton said Harding believed he was going there for a heating and air service call. The messages also helped investigators establish a timeline.
A prepaid phone raises questions
The investigation initially stalled because police could not locate a realtor named James Fraser. Investigators later traced the number used to text Harding to a prepaid cellphone that, they discovered, had been used only to arrange his murder.
Burton described it as a burner phone and said investigators thought DNA from the person who killed Harding might also be in the truck. The article does not report whether investigators identified a suspect.
Key points
- Mike Harding disappeared in September 2022 near the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
- His body was found in a garage in Burkesville, Kentucky, with four gunshot wounds.
- Texts indicated he had been lured to the property for a supposed service call.
- Investigators traced the messages to a prepaid phone used to arrange the murder.