Jo Anna Boughner, a 21-year-old female, left her family home in Belmont, Ohio, on the evening of November 28, 1977, to run errands. She was not seen again until her body was discovered more than a month later, on December 31, 1977, at Dallas Pike, West Virginia.
Jo Anna was a 1974 graduate of Union Local High School in Morristown, Ohio. She was well-liked, known for her beauty and popularity, and had been a member of the cheerleading squad. She pursued further education at Belmont Technical School and Jefferson Technical School. Additionally, she dedicated time as a volunteer worker at Barnesville Hospital and was employed in the records office at Martins Ferry Hospital.
Her cause of death was determined to be strangulation. The circumstances surrounding her murder have remained controversial, with her family believing that the wrong individual was convicted.
Jo Anna was the daughter of Kirk and Nell Boughner. She had a brother, Kent Boughner, and two sisters, Vicki Loveday and Becky Boughner. Her paternal grandparents were Cecil and Lillie Boughner, while her maternal grandparents were Albert and Amone Bohandy.
The case has continued to attract attention, with discussions about the investigation persisting over the years. Some individuals have expressed doubts about the conviction, suggesting that further inquiry may be necessary to uncover the full truth.
