In 1988, a 14-year-old was found dead in an abandoned house in Johnson County. Her killer has never been found
"A killer is walking around, thinking they got away with murder, you know, and may have done it again."
Thirty-five years ago, 14-year-old Brandy Dawn Hutchins was found murdered in an abandoned house in Johnson County. Questions surrounding her death still linger as the case remains unsolved. Now, decades later, Brandy's cousin Julie Millard is determined to uncover the truth behind her cousin's death.
Brandy, described as a sweet and generous soul by Millard, had just celebrated her 14th birthday.
"She was a whole bunch of stuff rolled up into one ball. She was very sweet, bubbly, and she never met a stranger ever, she was very giving and generous," Julie said.
While described as a sweetheart, her cousin said she could also act out and craved a sense of belonging.
"Brandy also was very troubled and had behavior problems and didn't have a real stable home life. I think she would have gone anywhere and done anything just to be accepted. And loved, you know, which I think is probably what ultimately got her into so much trouble."
The crime "I think she was set up."
A week after her birthday in November 1988, Brandy was dropped off in Coal Hill, where she said her friends were throwing her a party. The family believes a party never happened.
"I can't find anybody that will vouch that there was a party. I think she was set up. Because there was a note, like a post-it note that said, Meet me at the old house."
Millard tells us investigators did a handwriting analysis on the note but it didn't show any results or point to a suspect.
Days after she was dropped off in Coal Hill, two hunters found her body at the abandoned house. Investigators later told the family Brandy was shot at close range.
The discovery devastated her family, prompting Millard to question, "Why? And who?"
Shortly after the murder, the abandoned house where Brandy's body was found was lit on fire and destroyed.
The rumors "It was said that people had satanic rituals there"
In the years following her murder, Millard says rumors circulated surrounding the death including the discovery of a positive pregnancy test near where she was found. However, reports over the years say an autopsy concluded Brandy wasn't pregnant.
More speculation from the community sparked from graffiti found in that abandoned home. Inside the abandoned home, police at the time found what was described as "satanic writing," as well as racist tags including "KKK" writings.
"It was said that people had satanic rituals there," said Millard.
Newspaper articles at the time reported that a pentagram, the number 666, the letters KKK and "redrum," murder spelled backward, were found in the house. In the 1980s and into the early 1990s, accusations and conspiracies of crimes committed in the name of devil-worshipping took hold.
In the investigation, the prospect of Brandy's killing being some part of a satanic ritual was fleeting.
"If my memory serves me right, after a period of time, they were not positive whether the writings were done at the same time as the crime or if they had already been there," said Wes Kendrick, a Johnson County deputy at the time, and later the sheriff.
While Kendrick was a deputy at the time of Brandy's murder, he was elected as Johnson County Sheriff in 1996. During his time as Sheriff, it was a case he hoped could be closed. Now retired, Kendrick still hopes justice will be served.
"There's probably not a day that goes by that you don't see something that reminds you of it and causes you to think of it. I'm still trying to deal with the case, even though I'm retired," Kendrick said. "You try to do everything you can to bring it to a resolution and it's aggravating to not get where you know you need to be. "
The years of searching "A killer is walking around thinking they got away with it"
As for what happened that night and who is responsible for the death of Brandy, it's a question that Millard said she will continue searching for, creating a Facebook page dedicated to keeping the cold case alive.
"I want somebody to talk finally, to say, 'it's gone on long enough, this family is hurting, Brandy deserves justice,' and to finally come forward with some evidence that can be proven."
After years of searching for answers on social media, Millard changed the name of the Facebook page to "Brandy Hutchins: The Disposable Child."
"I thought, 'Nobody seems to care. It's like she was just thrown aside.' So I changed the name of the Facebook page to Brandy Hutchins, the Disposable Child. Because that's just ... what it feels like to me."
As the 35th anniversary of Brandy's murder passes, Millard hopes the Facebook page will lead to an arrest, giving the family closure and justice for Brandy.
"A killer is walking around, thinking he got away or she or they got away with murder, you know, and may have done it again."
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