The lake country straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border has a quiet, majestic beauty.
asserted
country → straddle → beauty
But in September 2022, that vast landscape seemed to have swallowed up Mike Harding, a California transplant who disappeared without a trace.
asserted
who → seem → trace
Mike's wife Julie Harding, a captain with the California Highway Patrol, began to place urgent phone calls to the Kentucky State Police from her home in Sacramento.
asserted
wife → begin → Sacramento
I can't get any information.
asserted
I → get → information
And I just, I need your help with this …
asserted
I → need → this
The calls led her to a sheriff she knew — Brandon Boone of Clay County, Tennessee, whose office was spearheading the missing person's case.
asserted
office → lead → case
But the answers were few and far between and Boone says Julie Harding grew frustrated.
asserted
Harding → say → ?
She got very angry with a couple of — of my people, uh, because we wouldn't disclose certain information to her …
asserted
we → get → her
In a moment recorded on a body camera, she immediately apologized for being rude.
asserted
she → record → camera
JULIE HARDING (bodycam): Let me first apologize.
asserted
me → let → ?
My assumptions, umm, and my emotions in this, umm, killed my reasonableness so I apologize for how we spoke the other day.
asserted
we → kill → reasonableness
So, from now on, I, I hope it's calm.
asserted
it → hope → ?
I hope it's cooperative.
asserted
it → hope → ?
Umm, because all I want is Mike to come back in and go …
asserted
Mike → want → ?
I was in wherever fishing.
asserted
I → fish → ?
Boone sent her to a sheriff in Kentucky who had taken over the investigation.
asserted
who → send → investigation
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office has called us.
asserted
Office → call → us
They need you there.
asserted
They → need → you
That's all I can tell you.
asserted
I → tell → you
They went room to room at a vacant, three-building property — unaware of what lay ahead.
asserted
what → go → property
David Hammersley: … the rest of the party had gone to this building here …
Hammersley wandered into the garage and was surprised that there was a large pickup truck parked inside.
asserted
Hammersley → go → garage
The rest of the family has moved on to this cottage.
asserted
rest → move → cottage
What do you hear from the garage?
asserted
you → hear → garage
Well, as they're attempting to open the door, I hear this awful screech and, "Oh, it's — it's terrible.
asserted
it → attempt → screech
Hammersley says his family figured some sort of animal must have wandered in and never got out.
asserted
sort → say → animal
David walked over and stopped just inside the cottage's front door.
asserted
David → walk → door
It was over 100 degrees at the time, I believe … and I was just attacked, if you will, by flies.
asserted
you → believe → flies
What he then saw was far worse.
asserted
saw → see → What
I saw a man on the floor, his arm outstretched … obviously, dead from gunshot wounds … (sighs) Ah, sorry. …
asserted
arm → see → wounds
his life is gone under violent circumstances and just left there.
asserted
life → go → circumstances
The
, says prosecutor Ann Marie Gordon Anderson.
asserted
Anderson → say → ?
It seemed like he had probably been there for a week, from September 19th [to] the 26th.
asserted
he → seem → 26th
The Cumberland County Sheriff immediately called in the Kentucky State Police.
asserted
Sheriff → call → Police
Detective BJ Burton was assigned to lead the investigation.
asserted
Burton → assign → investigation
He learned that Mike Harding had been shot four times, twice in the torso and twice in the head.
asserted
Harding → learn → head
It kind of looks like somebody that wants to be a professional hit man — but is not quite there.
asserted
that → look → somebody
Burton said the killer removed evidence from the scene, including the murder weapon and three shell casings.
asserted
killer → say → weapon
But the assassin left behind one distinctive shell casing; investigators determined it was from a Hornady Critical Defense bullet.
asserted
it → leave → bullet
Back in Sacramento, Mike's son Steven Harding, from Mike's first marriage, was told his father had been murdered.
asserted
father → tell → marriage
And can you put into words the horror of this news for you?
asserted
you → put → you
…and 289 more, not listed.
The Aporia
