Elias M. Whitcomb (born September 1792) was remembered as a steady, honest sheriff—just one who got buried under a kind of trouble Blackwood wasn’t built to handle. Appointed at twenty-eight, he spent years doing the work the right way: riding out in bad weather, taking statements, keeping notes, organizing searches, and trying to calm people down when fear started turning neighbors against each other. The problem wasn’t laziness or corruption; it was volume, and it was strangeness—dozens and dozens of murders and missing-person cases that never tied together clean, never left witnesses that lived long enough to talk, and never gave him the neat evidence folks wanted. Over time the town’s patience curdled into blame, and the same people who once looked to him for guidance started treating every unsolved case like proof of incompetence. By 1849, the pressure turned into a public push to remove him, and he was forced into retirement—not as a disgraceful villain, but as a man the town decided had failed them. The sting got worse when William Nyman II took over and started clearing cases at a much higher rate; fair or not, it made Whitcomb look even weaker in hindsight, like he’d been the wrong man for the job, when the truth was simpler and crueler: he was a good sheriff who ran into something bigger than him, and the town needed somebody to blame.

1820 - 1846

BWC-1820-001

Incident Date: June 14, 1820
Incident Time: 11:32 PM
Location: Northern Settlement Road
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Thomas Hargrove (Civilian)
Response Time: 18 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Adult male found supine adjacent to roadway. No visible trauma or weapon present.
Case Status: Unresolved
Last Updated: June 15, 1820

BWC-1820-002

Incident Date: September 3, 1820
Incident Time: 2:11 PM
Location: Western Creek Bank
Incident Type: Missing Person
Reporting Source: Family
Response Time: 26 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Subject last observed evening prior. Personal boots recovered at water’s edge.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1820-003

Incident Date: September 27, 1820
Incident Time: 3:58 AM
Location: Southern Agricultural Plot
Incident Type: Livestock Death — Unexplained
Reporting Source: Local Farmer: Edwin
Response Time: 31 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Two cattle located deceased. No signs of predator activity.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1820-004

Incident Date: December 12, 1820
Incident Time: 5:14 PM
Location: Same property, adjacent tree line
Incident Type: Biological Material Found
Reporting Source: Sheriff Observation
Response Time: Immediate
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Blood located approximately 200 feet from livestock site. No source identified.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1822-005

Incident Date: May 4, 1822
Incident Time: 12:42 PM
Location: Settlement Chapel
Incident Type: Blood Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Reverend Thomas Hale
Response Time: 14 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Blood observed near altar flooring. No forced entry.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1824-006

Incident Date: December 3, 1824
Incident Time: 3:02 AM
Location: Public Water Well
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Civilian
Response Time: 15 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Adult female recovered from well. No witnesses.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1826-007

Incident Date: May 19, 1826
Incident Time: 4:44 PM
Location: Northern Tree Line
Incident Type: Missing Person
Reporting Source: Family Member
Response Time: 21 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Footprints located terminating abruptly.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1826-008

Incident Date: August 2, 1826
Incident Time: 1:18 PM
Location: Agricultural Barn Structure
Incident Type: Biological Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Property Owner
Response Time: 17 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Blood present on interior wooden flooring. No victim present.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1829-009

Incident Date: November 18, 1829
Incident Time: 3:33 PM
Location: Western Settlement Road
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Traveler
Response Time: 22 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Adult male located roadside. Cause undetermined.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1829-010

Incident Date: November 19, 1829
Incident Time: 8:02 PM
Location: Western Settlement Road
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Passing Traveler
Response Time: 22 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb
Environmental Conditions: Cold, clear sky

Scene Summary: Adult male found supine roadside. No visible weapon or trauma.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1830-011

Incident Date: July 9, 1830
Incident Time: 01:52 AM
Location: Southern Agricultural Property
Incident Type: Blood Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Property Owner
Response Time: 19 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb
Environmental Conditions: Dry soil, no recent rain

Scene Summary: Blood present across barn entrance threshold. No victim identified.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1830-012

Incident Date: December 21, 1830
Incident Time: 02:08 PM
Location: Settlement Well Structure
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Civilian
Response Time: 16 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Adult male recovered from well shaft. No witnesses present.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1832-013

Incident Date: March 14, 1832
Incident Time: 12:37 AM
Location: Blackwood Creek Bank
Incident Type: Missing Person
Reporting Source: Family Member
Response Time: 21 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb
Environmental Conditions: Heavy fog

Scene Summary: Subject last seen walking toward creek area. Tracks located, terminating near waterline.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1832-014

Incident Date: October 28, 1832
Incident Time: 03:49 AM
Location: Settlement Chapel Grounds
Incident Type: Biological Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Reverend Samuel Pike
Response Time: 11 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Blood present on stone walkway. No signs of struggle.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1833-015

Incident Date: January 3, 1833
Incident Time: 04:26 PM
Location: Northern Agricultural Field
Incident Type: Livestock Death — Unexplained
Reporting Source: Farmer
Response Time: 29 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Two cattle deceased. No tracks present.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1833-016

Incident Date: May 17, 1833
Incident Time: 01:11 PM
Location: Eastern Tree Line
Incident Type: Missing Person
Reporting Source: Civilian
Response Time: 24 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Footprints located, terminating abruptly in open ground.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1833-017

Incident Date: September 22, 1833
Incident Time: 02:44 AM
Location: Creekside Road
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Civilian
Response Time: 18 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Adult female located roadside. Cause undetermined.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1833-018

Incident Date: December 1, 1833
Incident Time: 03:18 AM
Location: Agricultural Storage Barn
Incident Type: Blood Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Property Owner
Response Time: 14 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Blood located on interior wooden wall. No victim located.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1834-019

Incident Date: February 8, 1834
Incident Time: 04:03 PM
Location: Western Boundary Road
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: Traveler
Response Time: 20 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Adult male located prone. No visible weapon.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC 1834 - 1842 Archives Lost [DAMAGED IN FIRE]

BWC-1842-043

Incident Date: June 2, 1842
Incident Time: 01:59 PM
Location: Creek Crossing Bridge
Incident Type: Biological Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Civilian
Response Time: 12 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: Blood present across wooden bridge planks.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1843-052

Incident Date: March 19, 1843
Incident Time: 03:36 AM
Location: Northern Settlement Perimeter
Incident Type: Missing Person
Reporting Source: Family
Response Time: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb

Scene Summary: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1843-056

Incident Date: April 19, 1843
Incident Time: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Location: Agricultural Property
Incident Type: Livestock Death
Reporting Source: Farmer
Response Time: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb (Presumably)

Scene Summary: Three cattle deceased without signs of predator involvement.
Case Status: Archived — Unresolved

BWC-1844-070

Incident Date: August 27, 1844
Incident Time: 02:15 AM
Location: Settlement Roadway
Incident Type: Body Recovery
Reporting Source: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Response Time: 19 minutes
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb (Presumably)

Scene Summary: Adult male found lying beside roadway. No weapon, tracks, or disturbance observed.
Case Status: Unresolved

BWC-1846-078

Incident Date: March 3, 1846
Incident Time: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Location: Creekside Clearing
Incident Type: Blood Evidence Found
Reporting Source: Civilian
Response Time: [DAMAGED IN FIRE]
Responding Officer: Sheriff Whitcomb (Presumably)

Scene Summary: Random large basin filled with blood discovered on the outskirts of the city.

Unresolved Case Archives from 1846 - 1869, as well as some from 1834 - 1842 were lost in a mysterious fire on January 16th, 1871. This fire was labeled an “Accident” though Authorities suspect foul play. This event was titled: “The fire of 71”