On April 24, 2010, Kathy Goble seemed to be living an ordinary Saturday. The 64-year-old sales clerk arrived at work at a respected men’s clothing store in Charleston, West Virginia, where she had spent a decade building friendships with customers and coworkers.
Kathy was known as more than just a salesperson. She had a natural ability to connect with people, remember customers’ preferences, and make everyone feel comfortable. Many men in Charleston specifically visited the store because they trusted Kathy’s advice when buying suits and formal clothing.
But by the end of that day, the woman who had spent years helping others would become the center of one of West Virginia’s most disturbing missing-person investigations.
The Kathy Goble murder case began with a simple workday interaction, a mysterious disappearance, and a series of misleading clues that kept investigators searching for answers for two years.
Who Was Kathy Goble?
Kathy Goble was a 64-year-old sales clerk who worked at a high-end men’s clothing store in Charleston, West Virginia. For approximately 10 years, she built a reputation as a friendly and dedicated employee.
Her coworkers described her as someone who loved people and enjoyed creating personal relationships with customers. She was not simply selling suits—she was helping customers prepare for important moments in their lives.
Because of her warm personality and professional skills, many local customers specifically requested Kathy whenever they needed assistance.
However, behind her successful career, Kathy’s personal life had become complicated.
Kathy Goble’s Complicated Relationships
At the time of her disappearance, Kathy was in a long-term relationship with Fred Frell. The couple had been together for around two years, and Fred had recently proposed marriage.
However, Kathy was uncertain about taking that step.
Having already gone through two divorces, Kathy valued her independence and enjoyed living life on her own terms. She liked having her own home and worried about losing her freedom by entering another marriage.
When Fred proposed, Kathy did not immediately accept. Instead, she told him she needed time to think.
While she remained committed to Fred emotionally, Kathy was also involved in a secret relationship with another man.
The Secret Affair With Dr. Harry King
One of Kathy’s regular customers was Dr. Harry King, a successful radiologist who had visited the clothing store for years.
Although Harry was married and Kathy was in a relationship with Fred, the two began an affair.
Harry had significant financial resources and often showed his affection through expensive gifts. He even paid for renovations to Kathy’s kitchen and recently took her on a trip to San Francisco.
To hide the affair from Fred, Kathy claimed the trip was only a vacation with a female friend.
Although she felt uncomfortable about lying, Kathy believed that as long as the relationship remained secret, nobody would be harmed.
The Last Normal Moment at the Clothing Store
Around noon on Saturday, April 24, Kathy helped Harry choose a suit jacket from the store’s collection.
She carried the jacket over, helped him try it on, and watched as he looked at himself in the mirror.
Harry smiled and said the suit looked great.
After completing the purchase, Harry leaned toward Kathy at the register and casually asked:
“Do you want to grab lunch?”
Kathy agreed.
The two left together for lunch before she returned to work.
At that point, nothing suggested that Kathy’s life was about to take a tragic turn.
The Encounter With Jessica Fischer
When Kathy returned from lunch, she noticed a young woman standing near the back of the store.
The woman’s clothing looked worn and out of place compared with the store’s usual customers.
As Kathy approached, she recognized her as Jessica Fischer, the daughter of one of her coworkers.
Jessica struggled with a serious drug addiction and had previously come to the store asking Kathy for prescription Xanax.
In the past, Kathy had given Jessica pills because she felt sympathy for her situation. However, she knew that continuing to provide medication was only supporting Jessica’s addiction.
That day, Kathy decided to stop.
When Jessica asked if Kathy had any pills, Kathy refused.
Jessica reacted angrily.
A Public Argument That Changed the Investigation
Jessica became furious after Kathy refused to help her.
She began yelling inside the store, creating a scene in front of customers and employees.
The argument became so intense that the store manager rushed over to see what was happening.
Eventually, Jessica left the store, but the confrontation deeply disturbed Kathy.
For the rest of her shift, she could not stop thinking about what had happened.
She became worried that Jessica might return or try to confront her again.
Kathy Goble Leaves Work for the Final Time
After the argument with Jessica Fischer, Kathy spent the rest of her shift feeling uneasy. She worried that Jessica’s anger might continue beyond the store, especially because she knew Jessica struggled with addiction and had previously become desperate for medication.
When the men’s clothing store closed at 5:00 p.m., Kathy did not leave alone.
Concerned that Jessica might be waiting outside, Kathy asked her coworker Charles March, a shoe salesman at the store, to walk with her to her vehicle.
The two crossed the parking lot together, carefully looking around for any sign of trouble.
But the parking lot appeared normal.
There was no sign of Jessica or anyone else waiting nearby.
Kathy reached her silver Honda SUV, thanked Charles for walking her out, and climbed inside.
She locked the doors, started the engine, and drove away.
At that moment, no one knew that Charles March would later become the person at the center of the investigation.
Kathy’s Final Plans Before Disappearing
After leaving work, Kathy called her boyfriend Fred Frell, who was away on a fishing trip.
During the conversation, Kathy told Fred that she planned to stop by his apartment later that evening to clean it before he returned home.
Fred told her that cleaning was unnecessary, but Kathy insisted.
She wanted to make the apartment comfortable for him after his trip.
After ending the call, Kathy placed her phone back into her purse and continued with her evening plans.
Before visiting Fred’s apartment, however, Kathy had another important stop to make.
Kathy Visits Her Ex-Husband David McCartney
Although Kathy and David McCartney had divorced about 20 years earlier, they remained connected because they shared two children.
Over the years, Kathy continued to help David whenever he needed assistance.
A few years before Kathy disappeared, David had suffered a serious stroke. Although he survived, his health never completely recovered.
Because David lived alone and struggled with mobility issues, Kathy frequently checked on him.
That Saturday evening, Kathy planned to visit David, help him with household tasks, and make sure he was doing well.
Investigators would later confirm that David was one of the last people known to have seen Kathy alive.
Kathy’s Last Phone Conversation
Several hours after leaving work, around 8:30 p.m., Kathy was driving toward Fred’s apartment.
During the drive, she spoke on the phone with her friend Laura Henderson.
Kathy told Laura about her evening plans. She explained that she had already helped David with some chores and stopped at Walmart to buy groceries and cleaning supplies.
She sounded normal and relaxed.
Kathy told Laura she was looking forward to cleaning Fred’s apartment and enjoying some quiet time afterward.
Nothing in the conversation suggested that danger was nearby.
But when Kathy arrived at Fred’s apartment, something unusual happened.
The Mysterious Final Words
Kathy parked her SUV in Fred’s driveway while still talking to Laura on the phone.
She gathered her belongings and walked toward the entrance.
As she reached the door and began unlocking it, she noticed someone approaching.
Suddenly, Kathy told Laura:
“I have to go.”
She ended the call.
Moments later, she opened the apartment door.
That was the last confirmed conversation anyone had with Kathy.
After that night, she disappeared.
Kathy Goble Is Reported Missing
For two days, nobody realized the seriousness of Kathy’s disappearance.
On Monday morning, April 26, 2010, Kathy’s 36-year-old son Jason McCartney received a troubling phone call.
His mother’s employer told him that Kathy had failed to show up for work and was not answering her phone.
This behavior was extremely unusual.
Kathy was dependable and had never simply disappeared without explanation.
Jason immediately tried calling her himself, but she did not answer.
Concerned, he drove to his mother’s home in a quiet suburban neighborhood.
A Missing Mother and Missing Vehicle
When Jason arrived at Kathy’s house, nobody answered the door.
Using his key, he entered the home.
He walked through every room calling for his mother.
But the house was empty.
Something immediately felt wrong.
Kathy’s purse, an item she carried everywhere, was missing.
When Jason checked the garage, he discovered another important clue:
Kathy’s silver Honda SUV was also gone.
Jason quickly contacted Fred to ask whether Kathy had stayed with him.
Fred said no.
He explained that when he returned from his fishing trip on Sunday, Kathy was not there.
However, he had found several of her personal belongings inside his apartment:
- Her cellphone
- Spare car keys
- Medication
All of them were sitting on the kitchen counter.
Neither Kathy nor her vehicle was there.
Detective Brian Carper Takes the Case
Realizing something was seriously wrong, Jason contacted his childhood friend, Detective Brian Carper of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.
Carper had known Jason and Kathy for many years.
When he learned that Kathy had vanished, he immediately understood that this was not normal behavior.
Kathy had been missing for nearly 40 hours.
Her vehicle was gone.
Her personal belongings were left behind.
And nobody knew where she was.
Detective Carper decided to begin investigating immediately.
Questions at Fred Frell’s Apartment
Later that morning, Detective Carper arrived at Fred’s apartment.
Fred, a man in his mid-70s, invited him inside.
As they sat at the kitchen table, Carper asked Fred about the last time he had spoken with Kathy.
Fred explained that Kathy had called him Saturday night while he was away fishing.
According to Fred, Kathy told him she planned to clean his apartment before he returned.
Carper looked around.
The apartment was extremely clean.
It appeared as if Kathy had carefully cleaned the entire place.
But then Carper noticed something strange.
Several of Kathy’s important belongings were still inside.
Her phone.
Her medication.
Her spare keys.
A Suspicious Detail Catches Investigators’ Attention
Detective Carper asked Fred whether he found it unusual that Kathy would leave behind items she normally carried.
Fred responded that Kathy could sometimes be forgetful.
However, Carper noticed something about Fred’s behavior.
Fred avoided eye contact while answering.
More importantly, he referred to Kathy in the past tense.
Instead of saying:
“She is forgetful.”
He said:
“She was forgetful.”
To Detective Carper, this wording raised suspicion.
It sounded almost as if Fred already knew Kathy might not be alive.
Carper asked Fred to come to the station for further questioning.
Fred agreed.
Before leaving the apartment, Detective Carper quietly took Kathy’s spare car keys from the counter.
The investigation was officially underway.
Investigators Reconstruct Kathy Goble’s Final Hours
After speaking with Fred Frell, Detective Brian Carper returned to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office to examine Kathy’s final movements.
At first, investigators had several unanswered questions:
- Why would Kathy leave behind her phone, medication, and spare keys?
- Who was the person she encountered outside Fred’s apartment?
- Did someone close to Kathy know more than they were saying?
Carper began analyzing Kathy’s phone records to determine who she had spoken with after leaving work.
The records revealed two important calls.
One call was from her friend Laura Henderson.
The other was from her ex-husband, David McCartney.
Both people could help investigators understand what happened during Kathy’s final hours.
The Last Known Person to See Kathy Alive
Detective Carper first visited David McCartney at his home.
When David learned that Kathy was missing, he was shocked.
He explained that Kathy had stopped by his house after work on Saturday evening to help him with some bills and household tasks.
According to David, she did not stay long.
After helping him, Kathy left and continued toward Fred’s apartment.
David became one of the last confirmed people to see Kathy alive.
However, Detective Carper quickly realized there was little reason to suspect him.
David had a strong relationship with Kathy despite their divorce.
They shared children, remained supportive of each other, and David was grateful for everything Kathy did for him.
Because of his physical limitations following his stroke, Carper also questioned whether David was physically capable of overpowering Kathy or transporting her against her will.
David was eliminated as a major suspect.
Laura Henderson Reveals a Critical Detail
The next person Carper interviewed was Laura Henderson.
Laura was devastated when she learned Kathy had disappeared.
She told investigators that she may have been the last person to speak with Kathy.
Carper asked Laura whether Kathy had said anything unusual during their final phone conversation.
At first, Laura could not think of anything important.
But then she remembered a small detail.
Right before ending the call, Kathy had said:
“We’re going into Fred’s apartment.”
The statement immediately caught Carper’s attention.
Kathy had planned to clean Fred’s apartment alone.
So why did she say “we’re”?
Who was with her?
Laura explained that Kathy had not mentioned another person during the conversation.
The only unusual moment was that final sentence before she hung up.
For investigators, it suggested that Kathy was not alone when she arrived at Fred’s apartment.
Kathy’s SUV Is Found Abandoned
Shortly after leaving Laura Henderson’s home, Detective Carper received an important phone call.
An officer had located Kathy’s silver Honda SUV.
The vehicle was found approximately 15 miles outside Charleston near a wooded area along the highway.
When Carper arrived, he immediately noticed something unusual.
A white towel was hanging from the driver’s side window.
Normally, this signal suggests that a vehicle has broken down and needs assistance.
But something about the scene did not make sense.
The Vehicle Was Staged
The SUV doors were locked, so Detective Carper used the spare key taken from Fred’s apartment.
Inside the vehicle, investigators found no obvious signs of violence.
There was:
- No blood
- No evidence of a struggle
- No purse
- No sign of Kathy
Carper then tested the vehicle.
When he turned the key, the engine started immediately.
The SUV worked perfectly.
It had plenty of fuel and showed no mechanical problems.
This created a major question:
Why would someone place a towel in the window of a working vehicle?
Detective Carper concluded that the vehicle had likely been deliberately abandoned to confuse investigators.
Someone had staged the SUV to make it appear as though Kathy had simply stopped on the highway.
Instead, investigators believed she had been taken.
The Search for New Leads
By April 28, 2010, investigators had limited evidence.
They knew Kathy had left work alive.
They knew she visited David.
They knew she arrived at Fred’s apartment.
But they still did not know who had taken her.
Detective Carper returned to Kathy’s workplace to speak with her coworkers again.
During those interviews, two names stood out:
- Jessica Fischer
- Dr. Harry King
Both had connections to Kathy on the day she disappeared.
Jessica Fischer Becomes a Suspect
Kathy’s manager told Carper about the argument between Kathy and Jessica earlier that day.
The manager explained that Jessica had caused a scene inside the store after Kathy refused to give her prescription medication.
The confrontation made Jessica appear suspicious.
Investigators considered several possibilities:
- Could Jessica have returned after Kathy left work?
- Could anger over the medication have turned into violence?
- Did Jessica know where Kathy was going?
Carper needed answers.
But Jessica was not the only person connected to Kathy who required investigation.
The Hidden Affair Comes to Light
The store manager also mentioned something else.
Earlier that day, Kathy had gone to lunch with a regular customer:
Dr. Harry King.
Detective Carper decided to interview him.
When Harry arrived at the station, he appeared extremely nervous.
At first, investigators did not know why.
But during questioning, Harry finally admitted the truth.
He confessed that he and Kathy had been having an affair.
The revelation changed the direction of the investigation.
Now detectives had discovered another possible motive.
Dr. Harry King’s Secret Relationship With Kathy
Harry admitted that he and Kathy had been involved romantically despite both being in relationships.
He confirmed several details:
- They had traveled together to San Francisco.
- They had lied to their partners about the trip.
- He had given Kathy expensive gifts.
Detective Carper considered whether the affair could have played a role in Kathy’s disappearance.
Possible questions emerged:
- Did Fred discover the relationship?
- Did Harry and Kathy have a disagreement?
- Was someone trying to hide the affair?
However, Harry provided investigators with an important detail.
He claimed that on the night Kathy disappeared, he was home with his wife.
Although he was reluctant to involve her, he eventually provided her contact information so police could verify his story.
Investigators Face More Questions Than Answers
By the end of April 2010, the investigation had become complicated.
Police now had several possible suspects:
- Fred Frell, Kathy’s boyfriend
- Jessica Fischer, the woman involved in the store argument
- Dr. Harry King, Kathy’s secret lover
But there was still one major problem.
There was no physical evidence.
No body had been found.
No fingerprints connected anyone to the crime.
And Kathy’s disappearance remained a mystery.
Jessica Fischer Becomes the Next Focus of the Investigation
After learning about the argument at the clothing store, Detective Brian Carper turned his attention toward Jessica Fischer.
Jessica had a troubling connection to Kathy.
She had previously asked Kathy for prescription Xanax, and on the day Kathy disappeared, their interaction had ended with a public confrontation.
Investigators wanted to know whether Jessica’s anger had gone beyond the argument.
By May 1, 2010, Carper tracked Jessica down at a budget motel on the outskirts of Charleston.
When investigators found her, Jessica appeared extremely unwell.
She looked exhausted and unhealthy, showing signs of a severe drug addiction.
When Carper told her that Kathy was missing, Jessica immediately became nervous.
However, she strongly denied having anything to do with Kathy’s disappearance.
Jessica Explains the Store Argument
During questioning, Jessica admitted that she had asked Kathy for Xanax.
She acknowledged that Kathy had helped her in the past by giving her medication, but on that Saturday, Kathy finally refused.
Jessica explained that she became angry because she was desperate.
She admitted that she lost control and started yelling inside the store.
However, she insisted that after the manager stepped in, she left the building and never saw Kathy again.
According to Jessica, the argument was the last interaction she had with Kathy.
Detective Carper wanted to determine whether Jessica was telling the truth.
He asked her to take a polygraph examination.
Jessica agreed.
But when the scheduled appointment arrived, she never showed up.
Soon afterward, Jessica disappeared.
The Investigation Finds No Physical Evidence
As weeks passed, investigators struggled to find evidence connecting anyone to Kathy’s disappearance.
Forensic experts examined Kathy’s abandoned SUV carefully.
They searched for:
- Fingerprints
- DNA evidence
- Signs of violence
- Any clue that could identify the person who moved the vehicle
But the results were frustrating.
The only fingerprints and DNA found inside the SUV belonged to Kathy herself.
Whoever had handled the vehicle had carefully cleaned it.
The person responsible had removed almost every possible trace.
Suspects Are Eliminated
Despite suspicions surrounding several people, investigators slowly began ruling out some individuals.
Dr. Harry King’s Alibi
Police contacted Harry King’s wife to confirm his story.
She verified that Harry had been home with her on the night Kathy disappeared.
Although the affair was embarrassing and complicated, there was no evidence connecting Harry to Kathy’s disappearance.
He was removed from the list of possible suspects.
Kathy’s Sons Are Cleared
Kathy’s adult sons, Jason and Paul McCartney, were also investigated.
Because family members are often considered in missing-person cases, detectives needed to verify their involvement.
Both men cooperated fully.
They took polygraph tests and passed.
Investigators found no reason to believe either son had harmed their mother.
The Case Slowly Goes Cold
As months passed, Kathy’s family waited for answers.
But investigators had reached a frustrating point.
They knew Kathy had not disappeared voluntarily.
Several facts made that clear:
- She left behind her cellphone.
- She left behind her medication.
- She had no financial activity after disappearing.
- Her vehicle had been abandoned and staged.
Everything suggested that Kathy had been the victim of a crime.
But without a body or physical evidence, prosecutors had no way to file charges.
The case became inactive.
For two years, Kathy Goble’s family lived without knowing what had happened to her.
Two Years Later: A Break in the Case
On April 25, 2012, heavy rainfall hit the Charleston area.
The storms caused flooding in nearby rivers and creeks.
During the flooding, an unexpected discovery was made.
An officer received a 911 call reporting that human remains had been exposed near the edge of town.
Investigators rushed to the scene.
The location immediately raised suspicion.
The remains had been buried in an area where someone had attempted to hide them.
The Discovery Finally Reveals Kathy’s Fate
Forensic experts examined the remains and confirmed the identity:
They belonged to Kathy Goble.
After two years of uncertainty, investigators finally knew that Kathy had been murdered.
Now the challenge was determining who had killed her.
Using evidence from the burial site and the timeline of Kathy’s final night, detectives reconstructed what likely happened on April 24, 2010.
The Final Timeline of Kathy’s Disappearance
Investigators believed that around 8:30 p.m., someone was waiting outside Fred Frell’s apartment.
The person knew Kathy would arrive there.
When Kathy pulled into the driveway with groceries and walked toward the entrance while speaking with Laura Henderson, the person approached her.
Because Kathy knew the individual, she was not immediately alarmed.
She allowed the person to enter the apartment.
Inside, Kathy placed her groceries down and asked why the person was there.
The individual then asked Kathy to go for a drive.
Confused, but trusting the person, Kathy agreed.
After finishing some cleaning, she left the apartment.
She never returned.
The Killer’s Identity Is Finally Revealed
Investigators eventually discovered that the person responsible was someone who had been overlooked from the beginning.
It was not Fred.
It was not Harry.
It was not Jessica.
The killer was Charles March.
The same man who had walked Kathy to her car after work.
The man who appeared to be protecting her from danger.
The man investigators initially viewed as a helpful coworker.
But behind that friendly image was a disturbing secret.
The Man Who Walked Kathy to Her Car Was the Killer
For two years, investigators searched for answers in the disappearance of Kathy Goble.
They examined her relationships, questioned people close to her, and followed countless leads.
They looked at her boyfriend Fred Frell.
They investigated her secret relationship with Dr. Harry King.
They questioned Jessica Fischer after her angry confrontation with Kathy.
But the person who had been closest to Kathy on the day she vanished had remained mostly unnoticed.
That person was Charles March.
Charles was the shoe salesman who worked with Kathy at the men’s clothing store.
He was also the man who volunteered to walk her to her SUV after work because Kathy feared Jessica Fischer might be waiting outside.
At the time, his actions appeared kind and protective.
Investigators later discovered that his behavior was part of something much darker.
Charles March’s Hidden Obsession With Kathy Goble
As detectives reviewed the case after finding Kathy’s remains, they began looking more closely at Charles March.
They discovered that Charles had a disturbing history involving women.
He had previously shown obsessive and inappropriate behavior toward women and had developed an unhealthy fixation on Kathy.
While Kathy viewed him as a coworker, Charles saw their relationship differently.
Investigators believed Charles had become obsessed with her and used his position as a trusted colleague to get closer to her.
The fact that Kathy trusted him enough to accept his escort to her vehicle made him the perfect person to avoid suspicion.
Reconstructing the Night of the Murder
Based on forensic evidence and the location where Kathy’s remains were discovered, investigators created a timeline of what likely happened.
On the night of April 24, 2010, Charles allegedly waited near Fred Frell’s apartment.
He knew Kathy would eventually arrive there.
When Kathy parked her SUV and approached the entrance while speaking with Laura Henderson on the phone, Charles approached her.
Because she recognized him, Kathy was not immediately afraid.
She allowed him to come inside.
Once inside the apartment, Kathy reportedly asked why he was there.
Charles then convinced her to leave with him for a drive.
Kathy had no reason to believe she was in danger.
She had spent the day believing Charles was someone who wanted to help her.
The Attack That Ended Kathy’s Life
Investigators believe Charles took Kathy to a home outside Charleston.
At that location, he made unwanted sexual advances toward her.
When Kathy rejected him, Charles became violent.
According to investigators, he restrained Kathy, strangled her, and buried her body in a shallow grave on the property.
For nearly two years, Kathy’s family had no answers.
Her disappearance remained a painful mystery.
But the heavy rains of April 2012 finally exposed the evidence that investigators needed.
Charles March Is Arrested
After investigators connected Charles March to Kathy’s murder, he was arrested on April 25, 2012.
The arrest shocked Kathy’s family and the community.
The person who had appeared to be a helpful coworker was revealed to be responsible for a brutal crime.
Charles eventually pleaded guilty to Kathy Goble’s murder.
He was sentenced to life in prison.
The Final Years of Charles March
Charles March spent the remainder of his life behind bars.
Two years after his conviction, in 2014, Charles died from cancer while serving his sentence.
Although the legal process had ended, the impact of Kathy’s death remained with her family, friends, and the Charleston community.
Kathy was remembered as a caring woman who spent her life helping others.
Lessons From the Kathy Goble Case
The Kathy Goble murder case remains a tragic reminder that danger can sometimes come from unexpected places.
For investigators, the case demonstrated the importance of examining every possibility—even when a person appears helpful or trustworthy.
The investigation also showed how difficult missing-person cases can become when there is:
- No immediate evidence of a crime
- No physical evidence
- No clear suspect
- No confirmed location of the victim
For Kathy’s family, the discovery of her remains brought heartbreaking confirmation but also closure after years of uncertainty.
Conclusion: Remembering Kathy Goble
Kathy Goble’s life was defined by her kindness, her dedication to her work, and her ability to connect with people.
She was loved by customers, coworkers, friends, and family.
Her disappearance created a mystery that lasted two years, but investigators never stopped searching for the truth.
The discovery of her remains finally revealed what happened and brought justice for Kathy.
The Kathy Goble murder case remains one of West Virginia’s most haunting true crime stories—a case that began with a missing woman and ended with the shocking revelation that the person who seemed to protect her was the person who caused her death.