Michael Andrew Abner: Kentucky Serial Killer Case
Overview
Michael Andrew Abner is a convicted serial killer from Somerset, Kentucky, who was linked to three murders committed between 1983 and 1988. Investigators determined that Abner targeted elderly women living alone in rural areas of Pulaski County, Kentucky. His known murders involved strangulation, and in at least one case he attempted to conceal the crime by setting the victim's residence on fire. Abner was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Authorities have identified three confirmed victims.
Background
Born in Kentucky in 1963, Abner lived in the Somerset area during the period in which the murders occurred. His crimes remained only partially understood for many years because at least one homicide went unsolved until he later admitted responsibility. Investigators eventually connected him to three killings that occurred in Pulaski County. The murders generated significant concern in the local community because the victims were elderly women attacked inside their own homes.
The Murder of Mamie Mercer
The first known victim attributed to Michael Andrew Abner was Mamie Mercer, an 80-year-old woman from the Saline community near Somerset, Kentucky. On October 12, 1983, Abner entered Mercer's residence on South Hart Road. According to case information, another woman who lived in the home was taking a shower and was unaware of the attack. Abner strangled Mercer to death inside the residence. The murder remained unsolved for many years and was not fully resolved until Abner later confessed to the crime.
The Murder of Mae Stringer
Abner's second publicly identified victim was Mae Stringer, age 83. On December 2, 1988, he entered Stringer's home on Ringgold Road in Pulaski County and strangled her. After the killing, he set the house on fire in an apparent effort to destroy evidence and disguise the homicide. Initially, the circumstances surrounding the death were obscured by the fire, but investigators later determined that Stringer had been murdered before the blaze. The case became one of the most notable crimes associated with Abner.
Known Victims
- Mamie Mercer (80) — murdered on October 12, 1983; South Hart Road, Saline community near Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky; cause of death: strangulation.
- Mae Stringer (83) — murdered on December 2, 1988; Ringgold Road, Pulaski County, Kentucky; strangled and her home was subsequently set on fire.
- Third confirmed victim — authorities have reported a total of three confirmed victims, but publicly available sources reviewed do not identify the victim's name, date, or location.
Investigation and Confession
For years, portions of Abner's crimes remained unresolved. Investigators later obtained admissions from Abner that connected him to murders that had gone unsolved for decades. His confession to the killing of Mamie Mercer provided investigators with answers in a case that had remained open since 1983. The resulting investigation established a series of murders spanning from 1983 to 1988.
Conviction and Sentence
Michael Andrew Abner was ultimately convicted of murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment. Publicly available case summaries identify him as a serial killer responsible for three confirmed victims in Kentucky. He remains one of the more obscure serial killers associated with the state, but his crimes had a lasting impact on the Somerset and Pulaski County communities because of the vulnerability of the victims and the fact that the attacks occurred within their homes.
Legacy of the Case
The Abner case is remembered as a series of murders targeting elderly women in rural Kentucky. The murders highlighted the challenges faced by investigators when violent crimes remain unsolved for long periods and demonstrated how later confessions can help resolve cold cases. Although only limited public information is available regarding all three victims, the known cases of Mamie Mercer and Mae Stringer remain central to understanding the scope of Abner's crimes and their impact on the local community.
