June 26, 2016
On August 14, 2004, 78-year-old cattle rancher, Cleo Burdette’s battered body was found in his own home in Sissonville, West Virginia. The day before, witnesses say that Mr. Burdette had gone to an auction to sell cattle and his killer may have seen the victim with a substantial amount of money, leading detectives to suspect robbery as a motive.
Mr. Burdette’s residence had been ransacked, including broken windows and a cut telephone line. While investigators remain tight-lipped about the case they have confirmed that they are still looking to identify the driver of a red or orange Toyota truck that was parked near Mr. Burdette’s home the night before the murder.
Mr. Burdette’s family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this murder. If you have any information, no matter how small, you are asked to contact the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office at (304) 357-0169.
If you have a loved one that is the victim of an unsolved homicide please submit their case here for consideration in a future Cold Case Spotlight post.