The Night of the Mysterious Murders
“Two people were murdered in our house in your bedroom.”
In 1961, Dr Archer Wingrove and his housekeeper Mrs Georgia Broyles were found dead in Wingrove’s Scarbro home. The neighbors noticed the lights on and the newspapers still on the porch, and when two locals peered inside, they found the doctor under the bed and the housekeeper on the floor. It was a brutal scene with shots to the head and a missing box of jewelry including rings that supposedly held a lot of value. The discovery kicked off a long search for suspects and motives, with leads taking investigators from Oak Hill to Florida and even California as they chased every possible lead. This is the backdrop for a mystery that would haunt Scarbro for years to come.
The Suspects and the Hidden Truths
“An IQ of 62, he had moderate mental deficiencies and the mental age of a 9-year-old.”
The case took a strange turn when two local teens, Arnold Vance and Roger Belchure, were linked to the crime years later. A 16 year old Vance admitted to burglary and other crimes, and both boys reportedly blamed the other when questioned about the Wingrove murders. Investigators noted train tracks near the house and papers scattered along them, suggesting two people may have been involved. The standout twist was the description of one suspect as a boy with an IQ around 62, described as having moderate mental deficiencies. The confession scene and the questions around how the boys were interrogated without modern rights raises questions about how the case was handled. The local schoolteacher who testified that the youth could not draw a floor plan or answer questions in court adds to the tension around fair process versus quick conclusions.
The Aftermath and the Unresolved End
“The jury returned with a verdict of first-degree murder, and the petitioner was sentenced to life imprisonment.”
The case went to trial, with written and oral confessions presented as evidence. The issue of confessing without a formal Miranda warning adds a layer of controversy because Miranda rights did not exist yet for cases of this era. The Wingrove murders ended with a life sentence for one of the youths in some reports, but gaps remain in the record about what happened to both teens and whether there was an ultimate resolution on appeal. The story doesn’t close neatly, and locals still debate whether justice was served. The mystery lingers in Scarbro and the attic of the haunted Wingrove house remains a symbol of a past that’s still whispered about at family gatherings and in local archives.
If you’re craving the complete tale with all the details, the interview style and the on the ground vibe of a personal connection to a murder house, check out the full video. It’s a down to earth dive into a case that’s part WV history, part hill country legend, and all kinds of questions about who did what and why. The real voice behind the story brings it to life, with local color and a healthy dose of Appalachian humor to keep things from getting too heavy.
