When a beloved elementary school teacher is found dead in Maryland just off the Appalachian Trail,

news of his murder is met with disbelief.

Despite investigators' efforts, a puzzling case goes cold in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Music Thanks for listening to Last Seen Alive. I'm your host, Leah, crime analyst by day and true crime storyteller by night.

And as always, I'm your co-host, Scott.

Scott, we're kind of on a role here because our last episode took place somewhere where I once lived when I was young.

And this episode is even closer to home because this case unfolded in the area of my original hometown where much of my family still resides.

So many of the places we're going to talk about will be familiar to you because we've been there

together.

Okay.

However, while the places will be familiar, the people, names, and details of the case won't be.

This is a little known cold case, which has received no coverage or attention whatsoever

outside of the area in which it occurred. No documentaries, no podcasts, not even any news coverage

beyond a few papers in Maryland and West Virginia. And with the sole exception of one local writer

working to revive public interest in the case now, all of that coverage is more than 20 years old.

And of course, underreported cases are exactly what we prefer to cover. So here we go.

Jeff Rowland was last seen alive on November 14, 2002. He was 43 years old at the time and lived in

Charlestown, West Virginia.

Charlestown, not to be confused with the state capital of Charleston, is a small town

located in the easternmost part of the state, the Panhandle.

It's about an hour's drive from the D.C. metro area and is known for its proximity to

the Harper's Ferry National Historic Park and its horse racing tracks.

...