The Greenbrier Ghost

In 1897, in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, a young woman named Zona Heaster Shue appeared to her mother as a ghost to reveal that she had been murdered by her husband. The mother’s testimony about this spectral visitation led to an exhumation, an autopsy, and ultimately a murder conviction—making the Greenbrier Ghost the only case in American legal history where ghost testimony contributed to solving a crime.

The Marriage

Zona Heaster married Edward Stribbling Shue, known as “Trout,” in October 1896. The marriage was hurried and unexpected. Zona’s mother, Mary Jane Heaster, opposed the union from the beginning. She had an instinctive dislike of Shue, whom she later described as having an “evil face.”

The couple had been married only three months when Zona was found dead on January 23, 1897.

The Death

Zona’s body was discovered by an eleven-year-old boy who had been sent to the house by Shue to check on his wife. The boy found Zona lying at the foot of the stairs, stretched out with her head tilted to one side.

By the time the local doctor, George Knapp, arrived to examine the body, Shue had already moved his wife to the bedroom, dressed her in a high-collared dress, and was cradling her head in his arms, openly weeping. The doctor’s examination was cursory—Shue’s grief seemed genuine and overwhelming, and he positioned himself to obstruct any close examination of his wife’s head and neck.

Dr. Knapp initially listed the cause of death as “everlasting faint” and later changed it to “childbirth”—though there was no evidence Zona had been pregnant.

The Funeral

At the funeral, Edward Shue’s behavior attracted notice. He insisted on personally arranging his wife’s body in the coffin. He wrapped a scarf around her neck, explaining that it was her favorite. He positioned a pillow on one side of her head and a rolled cloth on the other.

Mourners noticed that the usually stiff body seemed to have an unusually loose head.

The Ghost

Mary Jane Heaster prayed for her daughter’s death to be explained. According to her later testimony, her prayers were answered.

Over four nights, Mary Jane claimed, Zona’s ghost appeared to her. The spirit told her mother that Edward Shue had killed her in a violent rage over meat he thought she had not prepared properly for his supper. He had attacked her and broken her neck.

To demonstrate, the ghost turned her head completely around, showing Mary Jane the injury that had killed her.

The Investigation

Emboldened by her daughter’s visitation, Mary Jane Heaster approached the local prosecutor, John Alfred Preston, with her story. Preston was skeptical of ghosts but was troubled by the circumstances of Zona’s death and by reports of Edward Shue’s behavior.

Preston ordered Zona’s body exhumed and an autopsy performed. The examination revealed what the ghost had claimed: Zona’s neck was broken. There were also marks on her throat consistent with strangulation.

Edward Shue was arrested and charged with murder.

The Trial

At trial in June 1897, the prosecution presented evidence of Zona’s injuries and Edward Shue’s suspicious behavior. The defense attempted to discredit Mary Jane Heaster’s testimony by having her describe her ghostly visitations in detail, hoping the jury would dismiss her as a superstitious old woman.

The strategy backfired. Mary Jane Heaster proved to be an unshakeable witness who told her story clearly and consistently. The jury seemed to find her credible—or at least found the physical evidence convincing.

Edward Shue was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He died in the West Virginia State Penitentiary in 1900.

Legacy

The Greenbrier Ghost case is unique in American legal history. While the ghost’s testimony was not the direct basis for conviction—the autopsy findings provided the physical evidence—Mary Jane Heaster’s spectral visitation was what prompted the investigation in the first place.

A historical highway marker in Greenbrier County commemorates the case. It reads in part: “The ghost of Greenbrier County—Only known case in which ghost testimony helped solve a murder.”

Whether Zona Heaster actually appeared to her mother, or whether Mary Jane’s intuition manifested as ghostly visions, the result was the same: a murderer was brought to justice, and a young woman’s death did not go unavenged.