A 42-year-old cold case was solved thanks to the true crime YouTube Channel Explore With Us.
Murder cases from the 80s without any suspects often remain unsolved. But with new investigative methods and technology, even these cases can be solved - like this incident, that led to an arrest 42 years after it happened thanks to the crime YouTube channel Explore With Us.
42 Year Old Murder Solved
On March 30, 1984, 26-year-old Lisa Ann Carnes was found dead in a field in Massac County. She was shot and left for dead. For 42 years, no one knew who committed this awful crime and her family was left wondering and questioning.
They have had to endure a lot over the last 42 years. But we appreciate the assistance they have provided, and the fact that they have kept this case on the forefront, for law enforcement, and in the news, over the course of the last 42 years.
State’s Attorney Josh Stratemeyer said in a recent press conference.
This is where a new player enters the game: The crime media network Explore With Us, with several YouTube channels, Podcast and more. The network documents truecrime interlaced with actual police footage, calls, interrogations and narration. Their main YouTube Channel has 7.4 million subscribers.
On April 30, 2026, 42 years after the murder, Illinois State Police issued a statement announcing the arrest of now 76-year-old George E. Bradfield of Owensboro, Kentucky and revealed that Explore With Us (abbreviated EWU) helped fund the investigation.
The Massac County Sheriff’s Office, the Owensboro (KY) Police Department, the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, and Parabon NanoLabs Inc., with funding from EWU Media LLC, assisted with the investigation.
The investigation had led to evidence regarding Bradfield's involvement. The then 34-year-old had been working in Joppa at the time. The YouTube channel itself also made a community post detailing their help with DNA funding.
After more than 42 years, this is a major step toward justice for Lisa and her family. EWU Media funded the DNA testing that assisted law enforcement in the investigation leading to the arrest. (...) Our thoughts remain with her family, loved ones, and the entire community as the case moves forward.
Bradfield was then put into custody at the Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro, KY, indicted by a grand jury and is now charged with five counts of murder. He has pleaded not guilty and has been extradited from Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro, Kentucky and brought to Southern Illinois.
The State Attorney Stratemeyer thanks Owensboro Police Department for all their help in this case but insists he cannot give more details.
And thanks to them for all their assistance. They’ve been instrumental in the investigation of the case, as well as taking Mr. Bradfield into custody.
I know the question is, after 42 years, how did we get to this point? And I would love to be able to give you details about the investigation, and sometime we will be able to. But today is not that day.
More than four decades after Lisa Ann Carnes’ death, the case has finally taken a decisive turn, offering a measure of long-awaited answers to her family and community. While many details remain undisclosed, the arrest marks a powerful statement that time does not erase justice, and that persistence can ultimately bring even the coldest cases back into the light.
