Overview

Full name: Samantha Nicole Burns

Age at disappearance: 19 years old

Date last seen: November 11, 2002

Last known area: Huntington Mall in Barboursville and the Huntington area, West Virginia

City and county: Barboursville, Cabell County; vehicle recovered in Wayne County, West Virginia

Home: West Hamlin area, Lincoln County, West Virginia

Case classification: Endangered missing person; criminally established abduction and homicide

Current status: Convictions obtained; remains not recovered

Main circumstances: Samantha disappeared on November 11, 2002. Her burned vehicle was discovered early the next morning. Two escaped inmates later pleaded guilty to federal carjacking charges resulting in her death.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Samantha Nicole Burns: The 2002 Abduction and Murder of a West Virginia College Student Whose Remains Are Still Missing

On November 11, 2002, 19-year-old Samantha Nicole Burns disappeared in the Huntington, West Virginia, area. The Marshall University student had spoken with her mother that evening, but she never returned home. Hours later, authorities discovered her car burning on a secluded road in Wayne County.

The investigation eventually connected Samantha’s disappearance to two escaped inmates, Chadrick Fulks and Brandon Basham, who were responsible for a violent multistate crime spree. Both men pleaded guilty to federal charges involving Samantha’s abduction and death.

Although the criminal case resulted in convictions, Samantha’s remains have never been recovered. Her disappearance remains a painful and unresolved loss for her family, even though responsibility for her death was established in federal court.

Case Summary

Full name: Samantha Nicole Burns

Age at disappearance: 19 years old

Date last seen: November 11, 2002

Last known area: Huntington Mall in Barboursville and the Huntington area, West Virginia

City and county: Barboursville, Cabell County; vehicle recovered in Wayne County, West Virginia

Home: West Hamlin area, Lincoln County, West Virginia

Case classification: Endangered missing person; criminally established abduction and homicide

Current status: Convictions obtained; remains not recovered

Main circumstances: Samantha disappeared on November 11, 2002. Her burned vehicle was discovered early the next morning. Two escaped inmates later pleaded guilty to federal carjacking charges resulting in her death.

Sources: The Charley Project, CUE Center for Missing Persons, and United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Samantha Burns: Background and Life Before Her Disappearance

Samantha Nicole Burns was born in April 1983 and was 19 years old when she disappeared. Known to family and friends as Sam or Sammy, she lived in the West Hamlin area of West Virginia and attended Marshall University in Huntington.

She also worked at the JCPenney store in Huntington Mall. Court records describe her involvement in a school fundraising effort that included selling boxes of candy.

On November 11, 2002, Samantha met her aunt at JCPenney to shop for clothing for one of her nieces. The two had parked separately at the mall. Her aunt reportedly last saw her around 6:30 p.m.

According to the Charley Project, Samantha was approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 110 pounds. She had brown hair, hazel eyes, a butterfly tattoo on her lower back, a chickenpox scar on the right side of her forehead, and pierced ears and tongue.

Her reported clothing included an orange fuzzy sweater, a tank top, flared jeans, and light tan suede shoes. She carried a leopard-print purse and wore a heart-shaped ring and diamond stud earrings.

These identifying details remain important because Samantha’s remains have not been located.

Sources: The Charley Project and Fourth Circuit Court Opinion.

November 11, 2002: The Night Samantha Disappeared

The last known hours of Samantha’s life became central to the federal investigation.

At approximately 9:45 p.m., Samantha spoke with her mother by telephone. Missing-person summaries report that she said she had been visiting friends near Marshall University and was heading home.

Federal court records describe the call somewhat differently, stating that Samantha indicated she was staying at a friend’s house that night. This discrepancy between accounts is important and should not be treated as a settled detail.

What is established is that Samantha made a telephone call that evening, disappeared, and never contacted her family again.

In the early hours of November 12, her burgundy 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier was found burning in a secluded area near German Ridge and Haneys Branch Roads in Wayne County.

The vehicle had a distinctive tiger sticker in its rear window and West Virginia license plate 5X9326.

Authorities found no sign of Samantha near the burning vehicle. The discovery prompted an investigation into what had happened after her final known contact with her family.

Sources: CUE Center, The Charley Project, and Federal Court Opinion.

Investigation History and Evidence

The Connection to Two Escaped Inmates

The investigation eventually focused on Chadrick Evan Fulks and Brandon Leon Basham, who had escaped from the Hopkins County Jail in Kentucky in November 2002.

After their escape, the men traveled through multiple states, committing crimes that included carjackings, kidnappings, and murders.

Federal court records establish that the men were in the Huntington area on November 11, 2002.

According to statements Fulks subsequently gave investigators, the pair traveled to the Huntington Mall area intending to commit thefts. Fulks described seeing Basham driving Samantha’s car with Samantha in the passenger seat.

Fulks also described traveling to automatic teller machines and withdrawing money from Samantha’s bank account.

These details come from statements recounted in federal judicial proceedings. They should be understood as evidence considered in the criminal case, rather than independent eyewitness confirmation of every movement the men made.

The investigation connected Samantha’s disappearance to the pair’s wider crime spree, which also included the abduction and murder of Alice Donovan in South Carolina.

Source: Fourth Circuit Court Opinion.

Physical Evidence and Court Testimony

The burned Chevrolet Cavalier was a significant physical discovery in the investigation.

Federal court proceedings also described property connected to Samantha that was recovered during the investigation. Among those items was a candy box associated with the fundraising activities she had been conducting before her disappearance.

Samantha’s brother, Wesley Burns, testified about the candy box, his interactions with his sister, and the telephone call she made on the night she vanished.

His testimony provided additional information about Samantha’s final known activities and her family’s attempts to locate her.

The published court record contains testimony and investigative statements linking Fulks and Basham to Samantha. However, the recovery of her remains has remained a separate, unresolved objective.

Source: Basham v. United States.

Federal Charges and Guilty Pleas

In June 2003, federal charges were brought against Fulks and Basham in connection with Samantha’s carjacking and death.

In July 2005, the defendants pleaded guilty to federal carjacking-resulting-in-death charges.

The convictions established criminal responsibility for Samantha’s death despite the absence of recovered remains.

Both men were also prosecuted for the killing of Alice Donovan in South Carolina. Their other federal convictions and sentences are distinct from the legal proceedings involving Samantha.

The guilty pleas were a major development in the investigation, but they did not answer the family’s most enduring question: where Samantha’s body had been left.

Sources: CUE Center, Fourth Circuit Court Opinion, and Associated Press reporting.

The 2013 Search in Wayne County

More than a decade after Samantha disappeared, investigators continued searching for her remains.

On March 27, 2013, WV MetroNews reported that the FBI and West Virginia State Police had resumed searching in Wayne County following a tip.

The search focused on wooded terrain near Buffalo Creek Road and West Virginia Route 75.

Associated Press reporting later described an FBI search involving Fulks, who had been temporarily transferred from federal custody to assist investigators in locating a possible burial area.

The search did not result in a publicly confirmed recovery of Samantha’s remains.

Sources: WV MetroNews and Associated Press via KSL.

The 2017 Search Near Chesapeake, Ohio

Another significant search took place in July 2017.

Investigators examined property near Chesapeake, Ohio, after a man posted a Facebook video alleging that Samantha’s remains were buried there.

According to Associated Press reporting, the man claimed his wife had told him bodies were buried on the property. These allegations were unverified and did not establish that Samantha was buried at that location.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office contacted federal authorities, and the FBI led the search.

Investigators reportedly used digging equipment, hand tools, and other search methods to examine the property.

The search ended without the discovery of Samantha’s remains.

The 2017 investigation demonstrates that authorities continued examining potential leads years after the convictions, but the underlying social media allegations were not substantiated by the search results.

Sources: Associated Press via WCPO and Associated Press via KSL.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

What Happened After Samantha Was Abducted?

The central question of criminal responsibility has been resolved through federal guilty pleas and convictions.

However, the precise sequence of Samantha’s final movements, the circumstances surrounding her death, and the location of her remains have not been fully established in the publicly available record.

Investigative statements and court testimony provide a partial reconstruction of the crime. Those accounts should not be expanded into unsupported descriptions of Samantha’s final moments.

Where Are Samantha’s Remains?

The location of Samantha’s remains is the most significant unresolved question.

Investigators have searched areas of West Virginia and Ohio, including locations identified through tips and statements connected to the convicted perpetrators.

None of the searches described in the reviewed reporting resulted in a confirmed recovery.

It remains possible that additional information exists in investigative files that has not been made public. That possibility, however, is not evidence of a new lead or breakthrough.

Could Additional Information Still Help?

Although the perpetrators were convicted, credible information about travel routes, disposal locations, or observations from November 2002 could still help investigators locate Samantha.

The fact that a criminal case has been prosecuted does not eliminate the importance of recovering a victim’s remains.

For Samantha’s family, that recovery would provide an opportunity for a burial and a measure of answers that the convictions alone could not supply.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

Research reviewed through October 19, 2026

The most recent substantial search operation located in the reviewed news coverage was the July 2017 search near Chesapeake, Ohio.

That search was prompted by a tip circulated through Facebook and was conducted with FBI involvement. Authorities did not recover Samantha’s remains.

The Charley Project continues to maintain a profile for Samantha under the classification Endangered Missing. Community missing-person resources also continue to document her disappearance.

These continuing listings do not mean that the criminal case remains unsolved. The perpetrators’ responsibility was established through federal convictions, while the whereabouts of Samantha’s remains remain unknown.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located in the reviewed sources for 2024, 2025, or through October 19, 2026. Specifically, no verified new recovery of remains, DNA identification, genetic-genealogy breakthrough, or newly announced search operation was found.

This does not establish that investigators have stopped working on the case. It means that no such new development could be independently confirmed from the publicly accessible sources reviewed.

Sources: The Charley Project, CUE Center, and Associated Press search reporting.

Remembering Samantha Burns and the Continuing Search for Answers

Samantha Nicole Burns was a 19-year-old college student with a job, a family, and plans for her future when her life was taken in November 2002.

The investigation into her disappearance produced federal convictions and extensive court proceedings. Nevertheless, the search for her remains has continued to define the case for those who loved her.

Her story is a reminder that a conviction does not always bring every answer a family needs.

Anyone with credible information concerning Samantha’s remains, particularly information connected to the Huntington area, Wayne County, or the movements of Fulks and Basham in November 2002, is encouraged to contact the West Virginia State Police.

West Virginia State Police, Huntington Detachment: (304) 528-5555

Information may also be submitted to the FBI through tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Even after more than two decades, reliable information could help bring Samantha home.