UNSOLVED TRIPLE HOMICIDE: THE SHORT FAMILY

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When an entire family is murdered in the dead of night, the investigation is complicated by a law enforcement agency teeming with secrets. Small town Virginia meets major crime in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Mary, Jennifer and Michael Short smile in an undated photo. The Shorts were a happy family of 3 who were looking forward to moving to coastal South Carolina at the time of their murders. On August 14th, 2002, they were murdered.
After Jennifer’s abduction, civilian and professional searchers alike hoped to find Jennifer alive. Her remains were discovered in a neighboring county over a month later. Photo by WGHP News.
In 2009, seven years after the Short family triple-homicide, the FBI released this sketch of a man reportedly seen in the area of the Short family home around the time of their murders.
First responders are pictured at the site of the fire that destroyed the Short Family home in 2019. It remains unknown whether or not the fire was an act of arson.
The Short family home was burnt in a possible act of arson in 2019. It remains unknown how or why the fire started. Photo by WDBJ7 News.
Jennifer Short smiles in an undated photo.. She was 9 years old whenever she was abducted from her bed and murdered. Her parents were also murdered that night, and the case remains unsolved.
The bridge under which Jennifer’s remains were found in Stoneville, North Carolina has been named for her.. Although Jennifer is remembered, the identity of her and her parents’ killer remains unknown. Image source: Google Maps.

Sources used to research this episode:

Who Killed Jennifer Short? A FOX8 News Exclusive (Fox8 News)

Short Case Timeline (Ryan Falls / Martinsville Bulletin)

Remains are Those of Va. Child (Washington Post)

Cassell Silent on Paternity (Martinsville Bulletin)

Short Family Murders Still Unsolved After 10 Years (Fox8 News)

Man Couldn’t Have Killed Three, Friends Say (Star News Online)

Friend: Witness Wasn’t Fleeing (Tom Steadman, Jennifer Fernandez / News & Record)

Rockingham County Sheriff Announces DNA Analysis Results (CNN)

Henry County Sheriff Frank Castle Says Lemons Felt Maligned (News & Record)

Va. Sheriff and 19 Others Charged in Drug Scheme (Maria Newman / NY Times)

Juvenile Justice Bulletin, June 2000 (Department of Justice)

Gerald R. HOOPER, Petitioner-Appellant v. D.A. GARRAGHTY, Warden; Attorney General of the State of
Virginia, Respondents-Appellees (US Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit)

Lover’s Lane Murder Baffles Va. Police (The Free Lance Star, Dec. 27, 1978 ed.)

Hooper Cleared in Assault (Martinsville Bulletin)

Troubled Ex-Convict Held in Killing (Jay Barker and Jim Bacon / Martinsville Bulletin)

Coping: Shooting Victim Struggling with Changed Life (Gregg Jones / The Roanoke Times)

Drivers Charged Following Crash (Martinsville Bulletin)

Open Case Virginia: Fire Fuels Fresh Suspicion About Short Family Murders (WDBJ7 News)

Short Family’s Former Henry County Home Destroyed by Fire; Cause Unknown (WSLS News)

If you know anything about the murder of the Short family, please call the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751, Crime Stoppers at 276-632-7463, or the FBI Tip Line at 1-800-225-5324. Or, CLICK HERE to submit a tip online to the FBI.

If your tip leads to resolution in the Short Family’s case, you could be eligible for a $60,000 reward.

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