The Small-Town MYSTERY That Has Baffled Investigators For Decades | Virginia Cases

A family of three is murdered in a carefully planned attack, with 9-year-old Jennifer Short abducted from her home and found dead six weeks later. More than two decades later, no one has been arrested. In another Virginia cold case, DNA and forensic genetic genealogy identify a suspect nearly 40 years after 22-year-old Roberta “Bobbie” Walls was sexually assaulted and murdered. In today’s episode of Southern Girl Crime Stories, we cover two Virginia true crime cases: the still-unsolved 2002 murders of Michael, Mary, and Jennifer Short, and the 1986 murder of Roberta “Bobbie” Walls, which led to an arrest four decades later. 🔎 Featured Cases: 🕵 The Short Family Murders — Oak Level, Virginia In the early hours of August 15, 2002, someone cut the phone line outside the Short family home and slipped inside. Michael Short, 50, was found shot to death in the family’s detached garage. His wife, 36-year-old Mary Short, was found murdered inside their home. Both had been shot once in the head with a .22-caliber firearm. Their 9-year-old daughter, Jennifer, was missing. Nearly six weeks later, Jennifer’s remains were discovered beside a stream near Stoneville, North Carolina, approximately 30 to 35 miles from her home. She had also been shot with a .22-caliber firearm. Investigators concluded that the murders were deliberate and planned. Nothing of value had been taken, and the killer appeared to have targeted the family. Although numerous leads and possible suspects have been investigated, no one has ever been arrested. As of August 2026, the murders of Michael, Mary, and Jennifer Short remain unsolved. 🕵 Roberta “Bobbie” Walls — Virginia Beach, Virginia On May 15, 1986, a groundskeeper discovered the body of 22-year-old Roberta Leigh “Bobbie” Walls in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School in Virginia Beach. Bobbie had last been seen near the Bayside Public Library, directly across the street from where she was found. Investigators determined that she had been