Murder in the Heartland on ID: What happened to Jessica Currin?

The story of the 18-year-old Mayfield, Kentucky resident Jessica Currin, will be the focus of the Murder in the Heartland episode titled Mom’s Night Out. Jessica's decomposed and burnt body was discovered behind the Mayfield Middle School on August 1, 2000, burnt to the flesh.

The crime scene was left with evidence that could potentially solve the case completely by now. Unfortunately, besides the case going cold for over three years owing to the incompetence of the case officer, there had been reports of mishandling of key evidence. However, with the constant efforts of Jessica's father, Joe Currin, and the investigative efforts of a local sleuth, Susan Galbreath, and the BBC investigative journalist, Tom Mangold, the case concluded with the conviction of Quincy Omar Cross.

The first episode of Season 6 of Murder in the Heartland briefly states the synopsis,

"An inexperienced police department handles the tragic murder case of young mother Jessica Currin, leading to critical errors and false accusations. The case goes cold until Jessica's father protests the state of Kentucky to re-investigate."

The episode re-airs on November 22, 2023, at 8 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.

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The Jessica Currin murder case - Details explored

Who was Jessica Currin?

Jessica Currin was born to Joe and Jean Currin on November 29, 1981, in the small town of Mayfield, Kentucky. Allegedly the eldest of four Currins, Jessica was a young mother who gave birth to baby Zion seven months before the unfortunate event took place.

A still of Jessica Currin (Image via BBC)

Jessica Currin had moved out of her parent's home in early July 2000 and was living in an apartment where she wanted to have some alone time with her friends on the night of July 29, 2000.

Joe Currin was the fire chief of Mayfield when his daughter went missing.

What happened to Jessica Currin?

Jessica's body was discovered in a spot behind Mayfield Middle School charred to death on August 1, 2000 - two days after her disappearance. The body was decomposed before it was set on fire and the clothes along with the skin were charred beyond recognition. However, the details present within the crime scene hinted at something more sinister.

Jessica was found with her underwear told and left next to her along with a plastic bottle smelling of gasoline, a burnt black belt around her neck, and a tuft of hair. Her nose was broken, the back of her head had swellings, her eyes bulged out and her tongue hung out of her mouth.

A still of Joe and Jean Currin (Image via Currin family)

However, Currin's murder date or cause of death could not be determined due to the degree of decomposition in the Kentucky heat and the lackadaisical manner of evidence collection. The estimated date of death is between July 29, 2000, and August 1, 2000. It was assumed that the belt that was found around her neck was the reason behind her death - hinting at strangulation.

The case was handed over to Tim Fortner a patrolman and ex deputy-jailer with no working knowledge as a detective by Ronnie Lear, Mayfield’s assistant chief of police. Fortner thought he had come across a mannequin in the field till he came across the flies buzzing around the corpse.

With the efforts of Susan Galbreath, a local homemaker in Mayfield, the investigation picked up pace in collaboration with Tom Mangold, British broadcaster and investigative journalist with the BBC Panorama following Fortner's resignation in 2003.

A still of Quincy Omar Cross (Image via Kentucky Department of Corrections)

Quincy Omar Cross had been convicted of six charges including kidnapping, r*pe, murder, sodomy, evidence tampering, and abuse of corpse on April 8, 2008. He has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.