Episode 169 The Bratcher Family Murders

In the spring of 1955, the quiet community of Warren County, Tennessee was shattered by the brutal murders of the Bratcher family. Henry Bratcher, his wife Vassie, their young daughter Lily May, and toddler granddaughter Charlotte Ann were found dead on their family farm outside McMinnville. As the investigation unfolded, it became clear the killer was not a stranger. The case would become one of the most haunting crimes in Tennessee history. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the lives of the Bratcher family, the events that led to their deaths, and how their loss changed a community forever.

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Episode Sources

• Four Found Slain in Warren. The Nashville Tennessean, March 28, 1955.
• 4 Found Slain in Warren; Murder Suspect is Jailed. Chattanooga Daily Times, March 28, 1955.
• Young Tennessee Farmer Confesses Brutal Slayings. Bristol Herald Courier, March 29, 1955.
• Warren July Called in Death. The Nashville Tennessean. March 30, 1955. 
• Gibbs Indicted in Warren Deaths. The Nashville Banner. April 2, 1955.
• Slayer of Four is Ordered to Asylum for Observation. Chattanooga Times, April 2, 1955.
• Trial on May 10 for Billy Gibbs. Chattanooga Times, May 3, 1955.
• Gibbs Blames Four Slayings on Drinking. Nashville Banner, May 25, 1955. 
• Billy Gibbs Dies in Electric Chair, Confessed Slayer of 4 in Warren. Chattanooga Times, May 7, 1957
• Find A Grave. Henry Bratcher. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33581745/henry-bratcher
• Find A Grave. Vassie Fields Bratcher. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33581724/vassie-bratcher
• Find A Grave. Lily May Bratcher. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33581700/lily_may-bratcher 
• Find a Grave. Billy Thomas Gibbs. Retrieved from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136592059/billy_thomas-gibbs

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.