Haunted Roadtrip: West Virginia Edition!

Episode of Morbid · March 30, 2026 · 51 min

Morbid hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley pair a 1996 West Virginia murder at Babcock State Park's Cabin 13 with hauntings at the Blennerhassett Hotel.

Summary

In a "haunted roadtrip" episode themed around West Virginia, Morbid co-hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley opened with housekeeping: the UK release of Urquhart's novels The Butcher Game and pre-orders for The Butcher Legacy, Kelley's newfound facility with editing TikTok videos, a PR box received for the new Scarpetta television series, and tickets for the show's one-night Radio City Music Hall performance.

Urquhart presented the 1996 killing of Cheryl Flippo in Cabin 13 at Babcock State Park. She recounted that Cheryl and her husband, Reverend James Michael Flippo, had received anonymous cut-out letters for years, that James placed a 2:11 a.m. 911 call from a payphone claiming a masked intruder attacked them, and that responding deputies found no forced entry, no footprints in fresh mud, and a staged scene. Urquhart described evidence presented at trial — a $100,000 life insurance policy taken out within 30 days, $12,000 stolen from a church fund for a sick child, self-inflicted scratches, a cell phone found in the fireplace, and the borrowed red convertible belonging to Joel Boges, whom Flippo had baptized days earlier — and said Flippo was convicted and sentenced to life without parole, with an appeal producing a Supreme Court ruling limiting warrantless crime-scene searches. She then relayed reported hauntings: a grieving woman at the window, sobbing and struggle sounds in the empty cabin, unexplained silence in the hollow, and shadow figures at the foot of the bed.

Kelley followed with the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, opened in 1889 and built by Colonel William Nelson Chancellor in Queen Anne style, named for Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett, who fled England and were later tied to the Aaron Burr conspiracy. She noted John F. Kennedy campaigned there in 1960 and the building joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Reported phenomena included a solid "man in the bowler hat" in Suite 409, cigar smoke emanating from Chancellor's lobby portrait, a lavender-scented woman in white at the elevators, a newsboy who tugs kitchen staff's clothing, a screaming woman in the library, giggling children, and a woman's voice on a ballroom microphone saying "howdy fellas."

The hosts said they had already contacted friends about investigating Cabin 13, and joked about staying at the hotel afterward, while agreeing that the ghost-children reports were the most unsettling element.

Chapters

0:00
Cold open and book news
Alaina and Ash banter about swapping intros, then announce UK availability of The Butcher Game and pre-orders for The Butcher Legacy.
2:27
TikTok, PR boxes and Radio City
Ash describes learning to edit TikTok videos, Alaina discusses her Scarpetta PR box, and both promote their Radio City Music Hall show.
6:10
Setting the West Virginia theme
The hosts explain how they independently landed on West Virginia and discuss avoiding air travel.
8:29
Cabin 13 and the Flippo marriage
Alaina introduces Babcock State Park's isolated Cabin 13 and the 1996 killing of Cheryl Flippo, including the years of anonymous threatening letters.
11:44
The 911 call and the crime scene
Alaina details James Flippo's payphone call, the missing car, absence of footprints or forced entry, and the discovery of Cheryl's body.
19:16
Trial evidence and conviction
Alaina lays out the life insurance policy, stolen church funds, self-inflicted wounds, the cell phone in the fireplace, and Flippo's life sentence.
24:33
Hauntings at Cabin 13
Reported sightings of a grieving woman, sobbing, residual struggle sounds, unnatural silence and shadow figures at the cabin.
28:41
The Blennerhassett Hotel's history
Ash describes the 1889 opening, its luxuries, the Blennerhassett family scandals, the Aaron Burr conspiracy, and JFK's 1960 stay.
35:18
Suite 409 and the man in the bowler hat
Ash covers the hotel's most haunted room, the solid bowler-hatted apparition, and cigar smoke linked to Colonel Chancellor's portrait.
39:27
Woman in white, newsboy and library screams
Ash relays elevator sightings of a lavender-scented woman in white, a tugging newsboy, and a screaming woman tied to a fatal truck crash.
44:04
Ghost children and the ballroom madam
Reports of giggling children, spinning toilet paper dispensers, phantom kisses, and a woman's voice on a ballroom microphone.
48:03
Wrap-up and investigation plans
The hosts plan a possible paranormal investigation trip and sign off.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Linked moment · 8:29Skip to 8:29 using a listen link in the info box.
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart recounts that the Flippos had been receiving anonymous cut-out threat letters since the 1980s with no discernible pattern.
“they were getting letters, and they were sent in that classic magazine letter cutout kind of style”
Listen from 10:02 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says Cabin 13 is the most secluded cabin at Babcock State Park, sitting last in the row at the end of the road.
“it's the last one in the series of cabins. Oh. That makes it even spookier. It's on the end of a very, at the end of the road, it's very isolated, very secluded”
Listen from 10:07 · Babcock State Park
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says the first deputy on scene found no forced entry and no footprints in the rain-softened mud besides the Flippos'.
“there was absolutely no footprints anywhere around the cabin besides theirs and he said when he went into the cabin he was like there was no mud there was no water on the floor”
Listen from 13:01 · Crime scene staging
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart describes Cheryl Flippo as having been found beaten to death with firewood and fire pokers, with her skull crushed and brain matter on the wall.
“there was brain matter exposed and there was brain matter on the wall. Oh, my God. That's how brutally she had been beaten”
Listen from 16:15 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says trial evidence showed Flippo had taken out a $100,000 life insurance policy on his wife within 30 days of the killing.
“it was discovered that 30 days prior to that, within 30 days before this, he had taken out a $100,000 life insurance policy”
Listen from 20:01 · Life insurance motive in homicide
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says Flippo had stolen $12,000 from a church fund set up for a sick child.
“He had stolen $12,000 from a fund that the church had set up to help a sick child”
Listen from 21:08 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says investigators determined Flippo's leg scratches were self-inflicted based on the direction of the cuts.
“you can also see the direction where the scratches start and stop and if he's doing it from his angle it's clearly he's scratching his own legs”
Listen from 21:35 · Crime scene staging
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says investigators found blood had been soaked up from the floor and transferred to the bed to fake the attack's location.
“Someone had soaked up the blood on the floor and plopped it onto the bed to make it look like the attack had happened there”
Listen from 22:48 · Crime scene staging
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says the red Camaro outside the cabin belonged to Joel Boges, whom Flippo had baptized days earlier and called from the payphone.
“And that car outside the cabin? Yeah. That was also Joel's. He claimed he didn't recognize it. That was Joel's”
Listen from 23:09 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says Flippo specifically requested Cabin 13 when making the reservation two days before the killing.
“but Joel said he pointed out specifically cabin 13. This cabin, again, is the last in the row, very secluded”
Listen from 24:12 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says the stalker letters were sent by James Flippo himself to frighten his wife whenever she got close to uncovering his conduct.
“Now, also, that stalker we talked about? Was him. That was James”
Listen from 24:28 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says Flippo's life-without-parole conviction was upheld and the appeal produced a Supreme Court ruling limiting warrantless crime-scene searching.
“there was a Supreme Court ruling that came out that did limit the amount of time investigators can search a scene without a warrant”
Listen from 25:10 · Murder of Cheryl Flippo
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart relays that investigators report an unnatural, total silence in the hollow around Cabin 13, comparing it to Aokigahara.
“They said all insects stop making noises, animals don't make noise. It's like, it reminds me of Okigahara”
Listen from 26:36 · Ghost sightings and hauntings
Ash Kelley
Kelley says the Blennerhassett Hotel opened in 1889 after six years of construction, managed by Colonel William Nelson Chancellor with the goal of being West Virginia's most opulent hotel.
“The hotel took six years to build, and the whole entire project was managed by Colonel William Nelson Chancellor. The goal was to make this like the most opulent hotel in West Virginia”
Listen from 29:20 · Blennerhassett Hotel
Ash Kelley
Kelley notes the hotel's 1889 amenities included combined electric and gas lighting, steam heating, elevators and modern plumbing.
“It also had steam heating. Whoa. Both service and passenger elevators, which like that was huge at the time”
Listen from 31:09 · Blennerhassett Hotel
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart argues modern American buildings are unattractive compared with ornate Victorian-era architecture.
“our buildings, I'm like... They're ugly. Can we... and everything is just condos now i just want i want it to be back to like ornate intricate carvings victorian era shit”
Listen from 32:08 · Blennerhassett Hotel
Ash Kelley
Kelley says Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett left England in 1796 because they were uncle and niece as well as spouses and because of Harman's advocacy for Irish independence.
“One, because they were uncle and niece and also husband and wife. Oh. And two, because Harmon was advocating for Irish independence”
Listen from 33:42 · Blennerhassett Island
Ash Kelley
Kelley says Harman Blennerhassett fled his island after his involvement in the Aaron Burr treason conspiracy was discovered.
“He actually had to flee the island after it was discovered that he was involved with the Aaron Burr treason conspiracy”
Listen from 34:26 · Aaron Burr conspiracy
Ash Kelley
Kelley says John F. Kennedy campaigned at the hotel in 1960 and stayed twice in room 216, then its largest suite.
“JFK campaigned there in 1960, and he stayed on two separate occasions in May of that year. Apparently, he stayed in room 216 both times”
Listen from 34:55 · Blennerhassett Hotel
Ash Kelley
Kelley reports that guests in Suite 409 see a solidly appearing man in early 20th-century dress and a bowler hat who then vanishes.
“People describe seeing him as a completely solid figure. They will wake up in the middle of the night and see this man standing in their room”
Listen from 36:39 · Ghost sightings and hauntings
Ash Kelley
Kelley says employees and guests report cigar smoke rings emerging from Colonel Chancellor's lobby portrait.
“Employees and guests have seen legit smoke rings coming out of his portrait, which hangs in the lobby”
Listen from 38:21 · Ghost sightings and hauntings
Ash Kelley
Kelley recounts a guest who asked a woman in white to hold the elevator, found no one inside, and smelled overwhelming lavender perfume.
“he was like no that woman literally just held the door for me that would fuck me right up but what he did experience was a like overwhelming smell of lavender perfume”
Listen from 41:28 · Ghost sightings and hauntings
Ash Kelley
Kelley links library screams to a woman killed when a tractor trailer crashed into a bank doorway now preserved as a window.
“there was a terrible accident where a tractor trailer lost control and crashed into that doorway oh shit and killed a woman”
Listen from 43:08 · Ghost sightings and hauntings
Ash Kelley
Kelley says she finds the sound of children singing frightening, making the Jingle Bells report the scariest to her.
“i fucking hate the sound of children singing you do yeah i just hate it”
Listen from 45:26 · Ghost sightings and hauntings
Ash Kelley
Kelley's favorite report is a woman's voice coming over a ballroom microphone saying 'howdy fellas', possibly a local madam.
“a microphone was set up that's when a cracking woman's voice came across the microphone saying howdy fellas”
Listen from 47:27 · Ghost sightings and hauntings

People

In the conversation

Alaina UrquhartCo-host of Morbid, autopsy technician and author of the Butcher novels
Ash KelleyCo-host of the true crime podcast Morbid

Discussed

Cheryl Flippo46-year-old West Virginia woman killed in Cabin 13 at Babcock State Park in 1996
James Michael FlippoReverend convicted of first-degree murder in his wife Cheryl's 1996 killing
Joel BogesChurch member baptized by James Flippo who lent him the red convertible found at the cabin
Aaron BurrThird U.S. Vice President linked to a treason conspiracy involving Blennerhassett Island
Harman BlennerhassettIrish-born aristocrat and Ohio River island landowner implicated in the Burr conspiracy
Margaret BlennerhassettWife and niece of Harman Blennerhassett, namesake of the Parkersburg hotel
William Nelson ChancellorColonel who managed construction of the Blennerhassett Hotel and is said to haunt it
John F. KennedyU.S. politician who campaigned at and stayed in the Blennerhassett Hotel in 1960
Patricia CornwellCrime novelist and creator of the Kay Scarpetta series
John KaltneckerBuilder of the 1889 Kaltnecker Building later merged into the hotel
Irvin M. SoferFormer chief medical examiner who testified about James Flippo's injuries

Topics

From the publisher

Weirdos! Pack your getaway bag and get ready to hit the road for a haunted roadtrip in West Virginia! Alaina starts a trend by telling us about a chilling crime at Cabin 13 in Babcock State Forrest in Babson, WV. Not only is this place's history haunted, what people have seen will give you goosebumps! Ash gives us the pallet cleanser about the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg where the haunting is a bit more whimsical and includes a spirit who may be our new spirit guide! UK Bookreaders! The Butcher Legacy & The Butcher Game are going to be available for you!

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime·Society & Culture·Places & Travel