Vanished After Texting “I’m Scared”?! The Disappearance of Brookelyn Farthing

If you have information on Brookelyn’s disappearance, please call the Kentucky State Police: (859) 623-2404 Facebook:/ missingbrookelynfarthing https://www.facebook.com/MissingBrookelynFarthing/ Website: https://www.findbrookefarthing.com/brookes-story/ E-mail Address: [email protected] Subject: Request for FBI Assistance in the Missing Persons Case of Brookelyn Farthing To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to respectfully request that the Kentucky State Police consider formally seeking assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the ongoing missing persons investigation involving Brookelyn Shae Farthing, who disappeared on June 22, 2013, from Madison County, Kentucky. More than a decade has passed since Brookelyn was last seen, and despite extensive investigative efforts, the case remains unresolved. Given the passage of time and the continued lack of answers, additional federal resources may significantly aid in furthering the investigation and potentially generating new leads. I understand and appreciate the diligent work the Kentucky State Police have devoted to this case. My request is made in the hope that a partnership with the FBI will enhance ongoing efforts and bring renewed momentum to the search for the truth about Brookelyn’s disappearance. Thank you for your consideration of this request, and for your continued commitment to seeking justice for Brookelyn and her family. Respectfully, [Your Name] Crystal Rogers case https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y11kvw2ZRJTWCfanW9f9E?si=21f90213cf1a47cc This episode is sponsored by: Aura https://auraframes.com/digital-frames/color/carver-mat?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=truecrimewithkendallrae&discount=TCKR - promo code: TCKR DIME Beauty https://dimebeautyco.com/ - promo code: CYBERMONTH SKIMS https://www.skims.com/ - After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows. Nutrafol https://nutrafol.com/ - promo code: KENDALLRAE EarnIn https://app.earnin.com/ - when you download the EarnIn app, type in TRUECRIMEWITHKENDALLRAE under PODCAST — Check out my foundation: Higher Hope Foundation: https://www.higherhope.org/ Watch my documentaries: 530 Days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjUWkmOjNLk Apartment 801: https://bit.ly/2RJ9XXr True Crime with Kendall Rae podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3rks84o Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3jC66pr Shop my Merch! https://kendallrae.shop Check out my other podcasts: Mile Higher (True Crime) @milehigherpod YouTube: https://bit.ly/2ROzJcw Instagram: http://instagram.com/milehigherpod The Sesh (Current events, a little true crime, pop culture, and commentary) https://bit.ly/3Mtoz4X @the_seshpodcast Instagram: https://bit.ly/3a9t6Xr *Follow My Social!* @KendallRaeOnyt Instagram: http://instagram.com/kendallraeonyt Facebook: https://bit.ly/3kar4NK True Crime TikTok: https://bit.ly/3VDbc77 Personal TikTok: https://bit.ly/41hmRKg REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://zfrmz.com/yg9cuiWjUe2QY3hSC2V0 Form for people directly related/close to the victim: https://zfrmz.com/HGu2hZso42aHxARt1i67 Join my discord to chat with other viewers about this video, it’s free! https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN C O N T A C T: For Business Inquiries - [email protected] mailto:[email protected] Send me mail: Kendall Rae 8547 E Arapahoe Rd Ste J #233 Greenwood Village, CO 80112

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  ChatGPT for Teens is designed to help teens learn, think critically, and grow their skills. ChatGPT for Teens supports active learning by breaking concepts down rather than giving teens the answer. Study mode helps teens work through problems, and interactive quizzes test their knowledge and provide immediate feedback. Safety protections are on by default, and parental controls offer families additional options like setting study hours and quiet hours. Visit chatgpt.com/parents to learn more.

• 0:27Speaker 01

  Cash Flow Crunch on Deck's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds, up to $200,000, right when you need it. Covers seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat. With flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment, get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at ondeck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

• 0:57Kendall Rae?

  Hi, everyone. It's Kendall.

• 0:59Speaker 03

  And Josh from Mile Hire Media.

• 1:01Kendall Rae?

  And as most of you guys know, last September, we launched our foundation, the Higher Hope Foundation. And honestly, it's been pleasantly surprising how much we have been able to do in our first year, thanks to all of you. The amount of grants that we have been able to offer to victims, families of victims, as well as similar-minded nonprofits in the advocacy space, it's just been an amazing first year.

• 1:23Speaker 03

  Yeah, we just wanted to thank you so much for all of your support out there, whether you've given a donation, whether you've purchased merch, which again, all merchandise at milehiremerch.com, 100% of proceeds goes to the Higher Hope Foundation. So that's been absolutely huge for the foundation since we've made that change. But also, just by viewing our content, listening to our content, or supporting any of our sponsors, all of that goes into funding the grants that the Higher Hope Foundation is able to give.

• 1:52Kendall Rae?

  And so far in 2025, we've dispersed over $210,000 in grants, scholarships, and projects, and we've also processed over 25 grants.

• 2:02Speaker 03

  And right now, we are in our season of giving, and we're only $40,000 shy of reaching our full impact goal. So obviously, we'd love to meet this goal, and we intend to meet this goal. Closing this gap means helping eight more families or organizations that are still waiting for the help that they deserve.

• 2:21Kendall Rae?

  And so every gift, no matter the size, and by the way, every single cent that you donate goes directly to grants, 100% of that. And every little bit of it makes a huge difference for us, and will help people who are still waiting.

• 2:33Speaker 03

  And during our season of giving, we're going to be matching every dollar, up to $50,000, of donations that are made during this time. And if we reach our goal, we'll also reach our year-end impact goal, which will be huge for the foundation and huge for all of those out there who need help.

• 2:50Kendall Rae?

  Yeah, and it will allow us to start 2026 strong.

• 2:53Speaker 03

  You can get involved directly and place a donation over at higherhope.org/donate, or you can start your own fundraiser and get your family, your friends, your coworkers involved over at higherhope.org/getinvolved.

• 3:07Kendall Rae?

  Thank you and happy holidays.

• 3:16Kendall Rae?

  Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much for joining me today. And if you're new to the show, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you here. So you guys, today we're talking about a case that has not gotten nearly enough coverage, which actually really surprises me because when you hear the details of this case, I think you're going to be bothered, of course, frustrated, but also intrigued because it's just bizarre. I cannot believe this case has not been solved, and I really cannot believe that it's had really no coverage. A few things here and there, mostly articles. You know, a couple creators have covered it, podcasts, things like that. But there hasn't been any, like, major media production.

• 4:02Kendall Rae?

  Or even like a 2020 Dateline, nothing like that, which I just really surprised me. And I truly believe that this case could be solved. It seems like it should have already been solved. And for whatever reason, it's been over a decade and it still hasn't been. Today, we're talking about the super strange disappearance of Brooklyn Farthing. And I'm hoping that by talking about it today, we can kind of reignite some attention and interest in her case. And maybe one day, there will be answers for her loved ones. Brooklyn Shay Farthing was born on August 24th, 1994 to her mother Shelby. And she grew up in the small town of Berea, Kentucky.

• 4:43Kendall Rae?

  And based on what I was able to find, it seems like her biological father was not in the picture. But when Brooklyn was four years old, her stepfather Randall came into her life and he and Shelby raised her together. Also, it seems like everyone in her life just called her Brooke, so that's what I will be calling her today. So anyways, Brooke was the middle child of three girls. She had an older sister named Tasha and a younger sister named Paige. And it's very clear that Brooke had a really loving and close relationship with everyone in her family. And I loved this detail, but Brooke also loved to bake. And so one of her favorite things to do was to just bring up a whole plate of whatever it is she baked up, whatever goodies she made to her mom's room. And they would just lie on her bed, snacking and chatting for hours.

• 5:28Kendall Rae?

  It just sounds like such fun girl time. And I'm sure it's something that her mom really will always look back on and treasure. And Brooke wasn't always just there for the good times. She was also someone that really could be depended on through the hard times as well. She was known to be a fiercely loyal person. And her family even said, when arguments would break out, you know, between whoever in the family, Brooke was normally the one that would come along and smooth things over, kind of mend it. People also describe her as a very laid back person, someone who was very easy to talk to. She was very friendly, kind and loving. And it seemed like everyone she came across experienced this side of Brooke.

• 6:12Kendall Rae?

  Growing up, she was active in the Girl Scouts and also participated in volunteer events like making care packages for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and also spending time at senior living facilities. And in her free time, Brooke really liked to do a big mix of things. She definitely had this rugged outdoorsy side to her and enjoyed going fishing and four-wheeling and even hunting. But a lot of people also describe her as a quote girly girl who enjoyed doing her hair and makeup. People who knew her said that she was a country girl who wore pink and sparkles, but also could rock her camp. And as she grew up and became a teenager, she had the idea that maybe she wanted to get into cosmetology and do hair and makeup. That was something that she always really loved to do and maybe she wanted to turn it into a career.

• 6:55Kendall Rae?

  But she wasn't entirely sure if that's what she wanted to pursue quite yet. Also, it's important to note around this time, Brooke was in a relationship with a boy named Jared and it became very serious. I've even seen reports that the two of them lived together, although I wasn't able to confirm that, not entirely sure. But they definitely had a serious relationship going on. They were together for about three years and eventually they got engaged when they were 18. However, eventually they did break up. I'm not sure why. I don't know the details behind the breakup, but it sounds like it was pretty amicable and they wanted to stay in each other's lives as friends and that they, you know, genuinely still cared about each other. And shortly after this, Brooke graduated from Madison Southern High School in May of 2013.

• 7:40Kendall Rae?

  But she still hadn't decided exactly what she wanted to do in her future. She told her mom she wanted to take about a month to just be free and also have some time to think with a clear head about whether or not she wanted to go to school or if she wanted to just jump right into working. And her parents were very supportive of her taking this time to make this decision. And in the meantime, she was just enjoying her last summer as a teenager.

• 8:08Speaker 04

  Hi, I'm Jenna Oshkowitz. You might know me from Glee. This is At the Table, the food allergy podcast, a show about food, connection, and what it really looks like to live with food allergies. Each episode, we hear stories from real people like Daniel.

• 8:22Speaker 05

  People would always think I was lactose intolerant, so I just kind of shortened my explanation to I'm deathly allergic in a big way that defined a lot of my childhood.

• 8:33Speaker 04

  And while there are challenges, there are moments that remind you you're not alone.

• 8:38Speaker 06

  One of the best guys that I dated, he made a point to memorize all my food allergies.

• 8:44Speaker 04

  So join us and hear their stories and more, because living with food allergies isn't just about what you can't eat. It's about still having your seat at the table. Brought to you by Genentech and Novartis. Listen to At the Table, the food allergy podcast on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow At the Table and start listening on the free iHeart Radio app today.

• 9:04Speaker 00

  ChatGPT for teens is designed to help teens learn, think critically, and grow their skills. ChatGPT for teens supports active learning by breaking concepts down. Rather than giving teens the answer, Study Mode helps teens work through problems and interactive quizzes test their knowledge and provide immediate feedback. Safety protections are on by default, and parental controls offer families additional options, like setting study hours and quiet hours. Visit chatgpt.com/parents to learn more.

• 9:32Speaker 01

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• 10:02Speaker 07

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• 10:35Kendall Rae?

  She even told her sister Tasha that she wanted to make it the best summer ever. But she never got to make that happen because Brooke went missing only a couple of weeks after graduating. And to this day, nobody knows what happened to her. And that brings us to June 21st, 2013, which started as a good day for Brooke's family, actually. She and her younger sister Paige wanted to take their driver's license test together. So that morning, their mom Shelby brought them to go do it. Now Brooke ended up passing, but Paige didn't. And they handled it about the same way that most sisters would. They were joking around about it pretty much all day. And even though they were bummed that Paige didn't pass, they were very happy that Brooke did.

• 11:19Kendall Rae?

  And I can still remember how exciting that felt to have your license, especially in the summer months. I mean, all the freedom coming out, it's a very, very thrilling time. And they were pumped that at least one of them had their license. And so afterwards, they went to the restaurant that their other sister Tasha worked at to tell her the good news and have a little celebratory moment. And while they were there, Brooke was in such a happy mood. She was even excitedly talking about how she had hoped her stepdad would maybe give her one of his old cars now that she could drive. And then after they left the restaurant, Brooke spent the entire day with her family, which in hindsight, I'm really glad she had so much family time that day. Brooke, Paige, and another one of their cousins went to a family get together

• 12:03Kendall Rae?

  to celebrate their grandpa or papa's 70th birthday. Apparently he had been in very bad health and the family was really concerned that maybe this would be his last birthday. But what they never could have imagined is that it would be the last family event that Brooke would make it to because it was later that night that she disappeared. After the birthday party ended, Brooke, Paige, and their cousin all got ready to go to another party that night. And from what I was able to gather, this was a field party. That was in a rural, isolated area on the outskirts of town on Red Lake Road. Now, if you didn't know, a field party is basically what it sounds like. Sounds like an outdoor gathering in a secluded area that usually involves,

• 12:48Kendall Rae?

  you know, drinking around a bonfire, that type of situation. And it seems like most of the people that were attending this field party were either high schoolers or recent graduates like Brooke. So she arrived at the party with Paige and her cousin, but shortly after they arrived, around 8:00 PM, the two of them wanted to leave, which wasn't a big deal to Brooke at all if they left because she was planning to spend the night at a friend's house. And the friend was already at the party, so it's not like they were leaving her there without a ride or anything like that. And so the two of them left, but then as the night went on, Brooke's plans changed. That friend decided that she actually wanted to leave with a guy. So Brooke couldn't spend the night with her after all. Some witnesses have even said that Brooke was upset by this and the two of them got into an argument before her friend left.

• 13:33Kendall Rae?

  So now, at this point in the night, Brooke was trying to find a ride home and she ended up coming across a guy that she knew from high school and he was way too drunk to drive home. And Brooke, being the kind person that she was, decided to find a ride for him as well, which is when she comes across an old friend of Jared's, her ex-fiance. And this guy is very significant in this case. And I'm just going to tell you upfront that there are some sources that don't even name him and there are some sources that do. So his name is definitely out there. Law enforcement has never named him as a suspect or even a person of interest. And of course, he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Anyone I talk about in this episode is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

• 14:17Kendall Rae?

  But I have decided to use his name today because in my opinion, and I think you'll agree, he is not a good person and you'll understand that more later on. But I think even if he didn't have anything to do with Brooke's disappearance, people should still be very cautious about this guy and know his name. So his name is Joshua Hensley. And as I mentioned, Brooke knew him through Jared. And I also want to say that it's pretty weird to me that he was even at this party because like I mentioned, it was mostly high schoolers and people who had just graduated, but he was 23 years old and just hanging around this high school party.

• 14:58Kendall Rae?

  But anyway, Josh ends up offering a ride to Brooke and her intoxicated friend. And so the three of them left the field party at around 2:00 AM. And I've seen a couple of different things reported about what exactly happened next. As you can probably tell, there's some conflicting reports, which has made this a little bit confusing. But some reports say that the three of them stopped somewhere on Floyd Branch Road to look at horses. And others say that they actually rode them. And I'm not sure. I mean, I don't live a country lifestyle by any means. I have ridden a horse a few times in my life here and there.

• 15:38Kendall Rae?

  But correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe this is very common in horse riding communities. But it's hard to imagine riding a horse that late at night, especially with one of the people being very drunk. So I don't know if that actually happened. And if it did, I think it's odd. And this might seem like a weird detail that I'm including here, but this isn't the first time that horses will be brought up. So just keep that in mind. And also, yeah, it's like sometime after 2 a.m. that they're supposedly riding horses. But anyway, whether they rode horses or they just stopped to look at them. Afterwards, Josh brought the other friend home.

• 16:21Kendall Rae?

  But then he didn't bring Brooke home. He brought her to his house. Or I guess you could say what used to be his house. Because it was actually in foreclosure and didn't even have electricity or running water. It's located in a small neighborhood on a cul-de-sac in a rural area, and it backs up to a forest. So it's pretty isolated. And it sounds like a place that you wouldn't want to be at night, especially if you couldn't even turn on a light. And I'm sure you're wondering why he brought her there instead of just bringing her home. And that's something that everyone wonders. We have no idea. But what is obvious is that as soon as she got to the house, Brooke wanted to leave. And we know that because shortly after getting there, she called her sister Paige to pick her up. But she wasn't able to because, like I said earlier,

• 17:06Kendall Rae?

  Paige didn't pass her driver's test. And the cousin she was with had been drinking. So they're obviously in a tough spot there. They, of course, wanted to help Brooke, but they also wanted to be responsible about driving in safe. And no one can fault them for that. They did offer to wake up. Their mom, but Brooke said no, and she told them that she would ask her ex Jared to pick her up. And what's interesting is that Paige would later say that Brooke sounded okay on this call. She didn't sound intoxicated or scared. Um, she even asked Paige to unlock the front door of the house because she figured she would be home soon. And after the two of them got off the phone, Brooke started looking for a way home.

• 17:48Kendall Rae?

  Apparently she made calls and sent texts to several different people saying that she felt uncomfortable at Josh's house and wanted to leave. And I'm not sure what exactly she said in those messages or on those calls because not all of her communications from that night have been released. But the ones between her and her ex Jared have been. And, uh, they paint a very chilling picture, to say the least. At around 4:00 AM, she texted him asking if he could come get her. But he was working a shift at a local factory and told her that he wouldn't be able to until he got off around 6:00 AM. And she responded saying that she would just wait at Josh's until he could pick her up.

• 18:33Kendall Rae?

  And then just a couple of minutes later, her tone shifts dramatically into desperation. At 4:26, she texted him, "Can you hurry?" Immediately followed by, "Please hurry." And then she said, "I'm scared." Which is just beyond concerning and disturbing to think about her being so young and terrified in this weird house that doesn't have electricity or running water even late at night with this man that she barely knows. And then it gets weirder because an hour later, at 5:00 AM, she texts Jared again and her tone shifted dramatically once again.

• 19:15Kendall Rae?

  It said, "Never mind, I'm going to a party in Rockcastle County." Now Jared had gotten busy at work, so he didn't see any of these text messages until later on. And when he finally did, he responded asking who she was going to this party with. But Brooke never responded. In fact, she never responded to another text message or a call ever again. And as for what happened the rest of the night, nobody has any idea. And that is still the case over a decade later.

• 19:52Speaker 04

  Hi, I'm Jenna Oshkowitz. You might know me from Glee. This is At the Table, the food allergy podcast, a show about food, connection, and what it really looks like to live with food allergies. Each episode, we hear stories from real people like Daniel.

• 20:07Speaker 05

  People would always think I was lactose intolerant, so I just kind of shortened my explanation to I'm deathly allergic in a big way that defined a lot of my childhood.

• 20:18Speaker 04

  And while there are challenges, there are moments that remind you you're not alone.

• 20:23Speaker 06

  One of the best guys that I dated, he made a point to memorize all my food allergies.

• 20:29Speaker 04

  So join us and hear their stories and more, because living with food allergies isn't just about what you can't eat. It's about still having your seat at the table. Brought to you by Genentech and Novartis. Listen to At the Table, the food allergy podcast, on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow At the Table and start listening on the free iHeart Radio app today.

• 20:49Speaker 00

  ChatGPT for teens is designed to help teens learn, think critically, and grow their skills. ChatGPT for teens supports active learning by breaking concepts down. Rather than giving teens the answer, Study Mode helps teens work through problems and interactive quizzes test their knowledge and provide immediate feedback. Safety protections are on by default, and parental controls offer families additional options, like setting study hours and quiet hours. Visit chatgpt.com/parents to learn more.

• 21:16Speaker 06

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• 21:47Speaker 07

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• 22:21Kendall Rae?

  The next morning, Brooke was supposed to meet her friend at a car show at 9:00 a.m., but she never came. And when he tried to get ahold of her, of course, like I said, she wasn't responding. And that concerned him right away because it was completely unlike her. And he was so concerned that he went ahead and reached out to her family. And as soon as they heard that he couldn't get ahold of her, they were concerned as well because, of course, they start reaching out to her and no one can get ahold of her. And so they are frantically trying to figure out what happened to Brooke after the party. They start calling everyone in her life, everyone she could have been with the night before. And of course, they called Jared and he told them about those texts that she sent while she was out at Josh's house. And then he gave them Josh's number. So Brooke's older

• 23:03Kendall Rae?

  sister, Tasha, decided to call him. And if you already have a bad feeling about this guy, which how can you not based on the things that I have already told you, just wait until you hear about their conversation. Okay, it's so weird. So Josh tells her that he didn't know where Brooke was because at around 6:00 a.m., he left his house because he felt uncomfortable being alone with Jared's ex-girlfriend and also didn't want to be there when Jared came to pick her up. So he claims that he went to go tend to his horses so he could get out of there. And he says that when he left, Brooke was sitting on his couch, having a cigarette and talking about a party in Rockcastle County that she

• 23:45Kendall Rae?

  was going to. And then other than that, he says he doesn't know anything and their call ended, which for as weird of an explanation as that was, it actually gets even more bizarre because just a few minutes later, he calls Tasha back. And this time, he tells her that actually Brooke left a lot of her belongings at his house, including her purse, her overnight bag, and the cowgirl boots she was wearing. And I'm sure Tasha was like, what? Why would she leave all of that there? But she asks him if he could take a look at her purse to see what was in there, which is when he tells her that he's actually standing outside of his home, looking at the items through a window, and he can't get to them. Why

• 24:28Kendall Rae?

  can't he get to them, you may ask? Well, Turns out there was a fire in his home. And yeah, for some reason, he didn't mention that to Tasha anytime before this, that there was a fire in his home. Didn't even bring it up in their first conversation. And it gets even more suspicious because this was a very specific fire. The only thing that was on fire in his home was the couch. The exact same spot where he said Brooke had been before she disappeared. And the flames didn't spread anywhere else, but they were definitely intense. The couch was burned down to the metal frame and there was damage to the floor underneath it as well.

• 25:11Kendall Rae?

  But nothing else in the entire house was damaged, which makes no fucking sense, right? And what's even more weird is that I couldn't confirm whether or not Josh even called 911 about the fire. We do know that after the call with Tasha, she called the police, but I wasn't able to determine whether she was the first one to report the fire or if Josh had already called about it. But either way, responders did go to the home and a missing persons report was officially filed, which is when law enforcement started their search for Brooke. And one of the first things they investigated was the supposed party in Rock Castle County that Jared received the text about. But they were unable to verify if this party even happened.

• 25:53Kendall Rae?

  And I don't think it did because not a single person they spoke to knew anything about it. No one in Brooke's life, none of her family, friends, any locals that they spoke to had ever heard of it happening. And what's even more concerning, and even more so tells us that this party did not occur, is that they went through Brooke's phone and there was no evidence that she had been told anything about this party. So how would she have known that she wanted to go? And even if this party did exist, why on earth would she all of a sudden want to go to it? It was so late at this point and she was trying to get home. This party was 15 miles away. It just makes no sense. And that wasn't the only weird thing that her phone revealed.

• 26:34Kendall Rae?

  They also found out that her phone wasn't shut off for two to three days after she disappeared, which was likely Just because the battery had died by that point. And during that time, Brooke literally got thousands of texts and calls and she didn't respond to anything. There was no outgoing activity on her phone whatsoever. And they were also able to determine that her phone last pinged in the Blue Lick area, which is approximately 30 miles west of both Josh's house and Rock Castle County. And obviously their next step at that point is to figure out how the phone got out there. And also if Brooke was out there too. So the Kentucky State Police conducted extensive ground searches around the Blue Lick area.

• 27:17Kendall Rae?

  And this was very difficult because the Blue Lick area is a very rough rugged terrain. That's also very unsafe. There are cliffs, lakes, ponds, drop offs, even very dense forests with wild animals and snakes, which of course makes it extremely hazardous for people to search through. However, the Kentucky State Police still did their best by bringing out horses and cadaver dogs. They also had divers out there that were combing through different bodies of water. And overall, 16,000 acres were searched around three different counties. But unfortunately, no evidence was uncovered. And only about a month after Brooke's disappearance, all regular ground searches were called off.

• 27:59Kendall Rae?

  Law enforcement issued an alert in four different counties, including Rock Castle, asking people to check their property or land for any signs of Brooke. But that didn't turn up anything either. Now, I have someone on my team who knows two people who live in the Berea area. And they were able to give us some insight into what it was like around town during that time. And like I said in the beginning of the episode, it's a very small town where a lot of people, most people just know each other. And also very little crime happens there, especially any violent crime. So I guess when Brooke first went missing, it was really hard for people to wrap their minds around anything violent happening to her.

• 28:42Kendall Rae?

  But in the weeks that followed the disappearance, it was hard to deny that possibility when there was no sign of her. From my understanding, it didn't take long for pretty much everyone in town to know about Brooke. And everyone wanted to know what happened to her. And unfortunately, all these years later, people in town and most importantly, Brooke's family and her friends, all of her loved ones are still. Waiting for answers. There haven't been any significant updates in Brooke's case since she first went missing in 2013. However, years later, some major news dropped about Josh. It turns out he is a bad person, and that becomes all the more clear in 2020,

• 29:25Kendall Rae?

  when the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch learned that three men in Berea possessed and distributed child sexual abuse images, and one of those men was Joshua Hensley. He was arrested and charged with crimes related to possessing CSAM, as well as harmful behavior towards a minor. And while I was reading through all of his charges, it was very clear that this man does not care about harming others, and he's, in my opinion, a danger to society. Based on what I could find, it appears that Josh was convicted in 2021, and then he was released in August of 2025 and is under supervision until 2030.

• 30:08Kendall Rae?

  And you would think that his arrest would have been major news, right? I mean, the last known person to have been with a missing younger girl. Remember, he was 23 at the time, and now he's facing charges like this? It's a big deal, or it should be. However, one of the other two men arrested was actually a professor at a local college, and he ended up taking his own life in the midst of everything, which just sort of overshadowed Josh's involvement. So there was barely any media attention given to his connection to Brooke. And those two locals that I mentioned earlier that we spoke to said that when the news of this first came out, there was this, I mean understandably, feeling of hope

• 30:51Kendall Rae?

  that maybe the arrest would lead to more information, or maybe they would finally find out what happened to Brooke. But unfortunately, that didn't happen, and they are still left wondering what happened. All of these years later, here we are in almost 2026, and that brings me to all of the theories surrounding this case. And obviously, the most prominent one is that Josh did something to her. That night. And in my opinion, it is not hard at all to jump to that conclusion. Of course, the man's innocent until proven guilty. We know. But given what we do know here, it's just too weird.

• 31:29Kendall Rae?

  I mean, first of all, we can't ignore Brooke's own words when she texted Jared saying that she was scared while at Josh's house. To me, and I'm sure you agree, it's extremely telling that something bad or at the very least inappropriate had happened. For her to have sent these three very urgent text messages to Jared, very close together. Please hurry, you know, I'm scared. And then suddenly shift her tone so drastically to never mind, I'm going to a party. Just doesn't add up, which is why people speculate, and I'm sure you're thinking the same thing as me, that that last text about the party in Rock Castle may not have been sent by Brooke. And there's no proof that this party even took place.

• 32:12Kendall Rae?

  In my own theory, in my opinion, I think Josh did something to her, something bad. And then he went through her phone either before or after that happened. And he saw that Jared was planning to come pick her up and he knew, I can't let him come see what's going on here. So he sent that text message to get Jared not to come to think that Brooke had left his house. And then of course, it gets even weirder when you look at the conversation he had with Tasha and telling her that he wanted to go tend to the horses because he knew that Jared was coming and didn't want to be there. I mean, all of that's bizarre, but the weirdest thing of all is the fact that his couch and only his couch

• 32:55Kendall Rae?

  was on fire and that's the last place that he says Brooke was. And then another thought, if he was so concerned about being there with his friend's ex when his friend arrived, why wouldn't he just take her home? Seems like he could have dealt with that really easily.

• 33:15Speaker 04

  Hi, I'm Jenna Oshkowitz. You might know me from Glee. This is At the Table, the food allergy podcast, a show about food, connection, and what it really looks like to live with food allergies. Each episode, we hear stories from real people like Daniel.

• 33:30Speaker 05

  People would always think I was lactose intolerant, so I just kind of shortened my explanation to I'm deathly allergic in a big way that defined a lot of my childhood.

• 33:41Speaker 04

  And while there are challenges, there are moments that remind you you're not alone.

• 33:46Speaker 06

  One of the best guys that I dated, he made a point to memorize all my food allergies.

• 33:52Speaker 04

  So join us and hear their stories and more, because living with food allergies isn't just about what you can't eat. It's about still having your seat at the table. Brought to you by Genentech and Novartis. Listen to At the Table, the food allergy podcast, on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow At the Table and start listening on the free iHeart Radio app today.

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• 34:43Kendall Rae?

  And here's something else interesting that I wanted to mention. Take it with a grain of salt because it only comes from one source. It's an article in a local newspaper. But it said, "At one point, the Dylan Court man told police that he left farthing at the house and went to a nearby gas station. But when he returned, she was gone and his couch was on fire." Now, I haven't seen this report anywhere else. I don't know if it's just misreporting or what, or if maybe he's telling different sources, different things. He's telling Tasha, "I went to tend to the horses." He's telling police that he went to the gas station. I don't know. And speaking of the horses, I also tried to figure out if he was tending to the horses at the same spot that he took her and her friend. Earlier that night, if that even happened, I wasn't able to determine.

• 35:28Kendall Rae?

  And it does make me wonder if the story that he told Tasha came from, you know, recalling what he had done earlier in the night and then using like bits of the truth, while also making up lies at the same time, because there were a lot of strange coincidences in that phone call with her, like when he told her that he heard Brooke talking about the party in Rockcastle County, which just so happened to be her last text. And he claimed that when he last saw her, she was smoking on the couch that was on fire after he got home. To me, and I'm sure to you, it's hard to believe that this story is anything other than him just covering his tracks. And there are so many other reasons to believe that he is suspicious. Like all her stuff being left behind, why would she leave all of that?

• 36:13Kendall Rae?

  And then Josh not even telling Tasha about the fire right away. Of course, his arrest years later would show his true disgusting character. So all of this sketchy shit leads people to think that he harmed Brooke and then concealed it. And this is what Brooke's family has said they believe happened. They also stated they believe that he would know how to hide her remains because he had worked for the county's road services. So he knows that area well, and unfortunately, there's a lot of areas of wilderness where she could have been hidden and not ever have been found. I'm sure you're all thinking the same thing as me when it comes to the couch fire. I'm sure something bad occurred there and he lit it on fire to hide the evidence.

• 36:57Kendall Rae?

  In my opinion, I have to say, once again, the police have never even named him as a person of interest, let alone a suspect. So yeah, innocent till proven guilty, but drives me insane. And God, it makes me crazy thinking about that. I cannot imagine what it's like to live a day in the lives of her loved ones. How they must just know that this is what happened and they can't do anything about it. They can't prove it because at the end of the day, even with all of the weirdness surrounding Josh and his house and the later charges, we can't Definitively say that he harmed Brooke, right? So let's talk about some of the other theories that have floated around about what could have happened to her.

• 37:41Kendall Rae?

  One being that someone else harmed her, which I don't know. I think that really feels like a stretch. Of course, it's possible. As I mentioned earlier, the house is located in a rural area. So it's hard to imagine that a random person would just happen to come across it and do something to her. But I guess it is possible if maybe Brooke finally just got scared enough at the home that she left. I don't know. That sounds crazy to me to even say. Or even maybe she wanted to walk until she could hitchhike to this party. But I don't think the party even existed. I don't think she wrote that last text, but could she have left the house and become a victim of stranger abduction?

• 38:26Kendall Rae?

  I guess it's possible. Of course, we know from her text that she really wanted to leave. So maybe she did get desperate enough to just walk out of that house. But then you think about the fact that all of her personal belongings were left behind, even her shoes. She really just left without her shoes? And how would his couch being on fire make any sense if he had nothing to do with it? To me, the only way it might make sense is if something bad happened in the house. And then she ran out of the house to get away from Josh and then happened to run into someone else out there. I mean, maybe it's a stretch, though. And keep in mind, it's about five in the morning when this happens in a rural area. Someone just happened to some violent criminal just happens to be wandering around.

• 39:11Kendall Rae?

  I don't know. I don't know. You could say that she ran out of the house into the surrounding area out of fear and then got lost or hurt. But that doesn't make any sense either. I mean, that area has been searched and she would, I think they would have found her. Plus, she probably would have had her phone with her, maybe. And you think that she would probably have tried calling for help. So I don't know. That doesn't check out for me at all either. And if that happened, it doesn't explain how her phone ended up pinging off of a tower 30 miles away. Plus, like I said, none of these theories explain the couch being Set on fire. Now, let's entertain for a second that maybe she did set the couch on fire and then she ran away because she was worried about Josh being mad at her for it.

• 39:55Kendall Rae?

  But again, why wouldn't she call for help or go to one of the nearby houses? And would she really be that concerned about setting this dude's couch on fire in his like abandoned house? I don't think so. In fact, her mom later said that one of Brooke's Sunday School teachers lived in that cul-de-sac. So there was someone right there that she could have gone to for help, which is interesting to think about as well because I'm sure she didn't want to bother this person if she just wanted to ride home because it's the middle of the night. It's her Sunday School teacher, but if she was really in a desperate situation was able to run out of that house, she would have gone to someone's house that she knew was safe, no matter what time of night it was. And it's also weird to think

• 40:36Kendall Rae?

  about the fact that Josh is trying to sell the story that Brooke smoking a cigarette on the couch is what led to the whole thing burning to shit. I mean, I'm no fire marshal, but I don't think dropping a cigarette on a couch would quickly lead to flames like that intense flames burning the entire thing down to the floor. Uh, no way. If someone started a fire on a couch because of a cigarette, I think you could easily put it out, right? What makes more sense is if someone burned that whole couch down to conceal evidence. But what do I know? And speaking of the couch, I'm not sure if any testing was ever done on it, but if it was, no information from that testing has been released and I really,

• 41:21Kendall Rae?

  really hope they did some kind of testing on it. But again, just like how it feels with everything in this case, the answer seems like it would be right in front of us, but it's still unknown. I truly believe that this case could be solved. It seems like it is solvable. I mean, I don't know what information they have and what they don't, but it seems like the investigation has unfortunately been at a standstill for a while. Brooke's family has waited far too long to get answers, to get the truth and

• 41:53Kendall Rae?

  Something needs to be done and maybe we can all help with that. Maybe it's time for the Kentucky State Police to ask for the FBI's assistance. This is definitely something that some locals in Berea want to see happen, and they have very good reason to believe it could help. You may recall the Crystal Rogers case, which I covered years ago, and I'll link that episode in the description if you're interested in hearing more of the details. But that case happened in Bardstown, Kentucky, which is only about an hour and a half away from Brookstown. And while Crystal disappeared in 2015, the FBI didn't get involved until 2020. And once they did, there was a lot of movement in the case, which eventually led to an arrest and conviction of her former boyfriend, as well as two other men for her murder.

• 42:37Kendall Rae?

  So it's possible that involving the FBI in Brooke's case could lead to some answers, but the Kentucky State Police would have to request the assistance, which is where maybe we can help push them in that direction. I'm sure you're probably familiar with the email campaigns that we have done here on this show in years past. But if you're not, I will basically include an email template that's already written for you. So it's super easy in the episode's show notes or description box, whether you're watching on YouTube or listening on Spotify or Apple. And then you can simply copy and paste that along with the address to send it to. It could not be easier and it could make a huge difference.

• 43:19Kendall Rae?

  So if you have a few minutes, it could be a great way to politely, of course, let the authorities know that people have not forgotten about Brooke and they want to see more movement in the investigation. Because at the end of the day, the answers are out there, right? And additional resources from the FBI could help find those answers. And if you don't want to send an email, but you still want to give your support, you can visit findbrookefarthing.com or follow the Facebook page, Missing Brooklyn Farthing, both of which I'll have linked in the episode description or show notes. And maybe you can just send them some words of encouragement, especially after it's been this long, it can...

• 43:58Kendall Rae?

  Just start to feel so hopeless and just knowing that there are people out there who haven't forgotten, who still care about Brooke will probably help their family a lot. And before I go, I want to share the official description of Brooke. She is a white female who is 5'1", approximately 105 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes. She was last known to be wearing a gray t-shirt with a Madison County Future Farmers of America logo and blue denim shorts. At the time of her disappearance, Brooke was 18 years old and she would be 31 today. And anyone with information should call the Kentucky State Police at 859-623-2404.

• 44:38Kendall Rae?

  And I just have to say, it's just, no matter how many years I have been covering these cases, it's so disturbing to me that even with what feels like so much obvious evidence here, evidence I'm using loosely, but just so many strange circumstances, so much weird shit surrounding someone, that they wouldn't even be listed as a person of interest or suspect. I understand it's more complicated than that, of course, but it's just so bothersome to think that something could happen to you or to someone you love. And there could be circumstances like that, which look very obvious.

• 45:21Kendall Rae?

  And a decade later, nothing has been done. No one's held accountable. No one's even named a person of interest. It's just beyond disturbing. I don't know. Definitely want to hear what you guys think. So leave me a comment. Let me know your thoughts on this one. And to Brooke's family and friends, I am just so sorry you've had to go this long without answers. It must be incredibly painful every single day. I truly can't imagine what it would be like.

• 45:57Kendall Rae?

  That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.

• 46:26Kendall Rae?

  She's been thinking about this sleepover all week, but I think about her food allergies all the time. Fortunately, her doctor prescribed Zolair, omalizumab. It's proven to significantly reduce allergic reactions if a food allergy accident happens.

• 46:39Speaker 05

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