Thriller writer Jax Miller‘s debut novel, Freedom’s Child earned her high praise for its gritty, emotionally bruising story. Her follow-up, Candyland promises to be even darker. Miller isn’t just a writer of crime fiction, though. She’s also a lifelong fan of True Crime, and her obsession with one particular unsolved mystery is currently leading her on a road trip into the American heartland and “the dark underbelly of Americana.”
Miller is writing a non-fiction book and filming an accompanying documentary, By the Dawn’s Early Light, about a double murder in Welch, Oklahoma. In December 1999 Danny and Kathy Freeman were murdered, and their mobile home was set on fire. The Freemans’ daughter, 16-year-old Ashley and her best friend, Lauria Bible disappeared the same night, and haven’t been seen since. “There are a lot of loose ends to this story,” Miller tells me. “There are several serial killers who have confessed to the crime and then recanted. There is talk of a police cover-up. There’s a Native American shaman who may be involved. We’re covering a broad range of suspects.” Miller and her partner, former Philadelphia detective Sarah Cailean, have been researching the cold case for less than six months, and in that time they have been told by the FBI that they have uncovered more than the FBI has in 16 years. Miller and Cailean are currently following up leads in West Virginia, before heading to Oklahoma.
