Anatomy of Murder Podcast

Episode: "Vicky and Ricky (Vicky Purdy & Ricky Dodson)"

Release Date: December 2, 2025
Hosts: Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi & Scott Weinberger
Guest: Holly Willoughby (Franklin County Sheriff's Office, VA)

Episode Overview

This episode dissects the complex and tragic double homicide of Vicky Purdy and Ricky Dodson in the rural community of Bassett, Virginia, in 2013. Through interviews with lead detective Holly Willoughby and detailed case reconstruction, hosts Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi and Scott Weinberger unpack the layers of the investigation—touching on small-town dynamics, love triangles, drug trade dangers, informant retaliation, and the persistence required to solve a 'cold' case.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Small Town, Big Secrets

• The case unfolds in Bassett, Virginia—a close-knit, rural town where "everyone knows each other’s business and their secrets."
• Lieutenant Holly Willoughby was hired specifically to breathe new life into this cold case (03:13).

2. Discovery of the Crime

• On October 6, 2013, a burned car containing human remains was found off a rural road (04:34).
• The body is identified as 53-year-old Vicky Purdy, found in her own car, in the backseat, with a gunshot wound to the head—murder, not accident (06:20).

3. Early Suspects and Relationships

• Vicky's husband, Robert Purdy, did not report her missing for three days, but provides an alibi.
• Vicky had an ongoing relationship with Ricky Dodson, raising the possibility of love-triangle motives (08:42).
• Ricky Dodson, also 54, was reported missing; he and Vicky were "virtually inseparable" (10:12).

4. Wider Threat: Informant Status and Drug Trade Involvement

• Both Vicky and Ricky were familiar with local drug circles. Vicky was a confidential informant, set to testify in federal court against a trafficker named Allen Osborne (15:49–16:19).
• Leaked discovery documents named Vicky and “her boyfriend” as informants—putting both at grave risk (16:19).

"Just before a major meth dealer was about to face charges in federal court, the names of two potential cooperating witnesses... were leaked to the public." — Scott Weinberger (16:40)

5. Tracing Ricky Dodson’s Fate

• Focus shifts to Daniel Duncan, Ricky's nephew, with the last known contact with Ricky and Vicky (18:41).
• Daniel details on-record that he saw them late at night, borrowing tools to steal a well pump (20:17).
• Daniel is evasive and expresses ominous worry: "I'm worried that something's happened to both of them." (21:44)

6. Turning Attention to Daniel Duncan

• Duncan had possible motives: ties to drug trade, fear of informants, and a recent personal conflict with his uncle Ricky (22:44, 28:06).
• Search of Daniel’s property uncovers Vicky’s distinctive silver recorder, typically used for her informant work (24:07).
• Evidence circles him but remains circumstantial—no direct forensic tie or murder weapon (38:19).

7. The Second Murder Unfolds

• On December 5, 2013, a tip leads to Ricky's decomposed body found near a well pump, killed execution-style with a .25 caliber firearm—the same as used on Vicky (25:40, 26:15).

8. Expanding the Investigation: The Drug Pyramid & ‘Aunt Peggy’

• A local dealer known as Peggy or ‘Auntie’ emerges, high in the local hierarchy and closely associated with Daniel Duncan (29:41).
• Phone records show Daniel contacting Peggy right after Vicky's murder (30:12–30:28).
• Peggy agrees to a proffer: she claims Daniel confessed and she witnessed him torching Vicky’s body (34:14).

"She witnesses him light something and throw it into the car and set it on fire. And then when he got in the car with her, he told her... that he’d shot her." — Holly Willoughby, quoting Peggy (34:14–34:58)

9. Key Evidence and Witness Hesitation

• Police are able to find burned clothing at Peggy’s home, corroborating her story (35:21).
• Witness intimidation is significant; Peggy later recants and lawyers up, stalling the case for years (36:31–38:42).

10. Persistence & Breakthrough

• Investigator Willoughby reopens the case years later, locating new witnesses, including women who place Daniel at the scene and with crime "souvenirs" (Toyota emblem) (41:33, 42:18).
• Connection is made that Daniel acquired a .25 caliber gun matching the murder weapon’s description (43:53).

11. Securing the Confession and Conviction

• Once Peggy is re-approached and agrees to testify (as grandmother, now with less to lose), the case solidifies (46:00).
• On October 4, 2024 (coincidentally the murder’s anniversary), Daniel Duncan is charged and arrested for both murders (47:06).
• He pleads guilty, receiving 28 years (14 for each murder, consecutively) (48:01).

"We actually arrested him on October 4, 2024. Wanted to do it on the anniversary date of the homicide." — Holly Willoughby (47:43)

12. Family Impact and Reflections

• Victims’ families express the complexity of closure in impact statements—"closure doesn’t take the pain away or the loss" (49:15).
• The episode closes reflecting on Vicky and Ricky’s humanity, their struggles, and the cost of courage when standing up against criminal elements (50:10–50:59).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Small Towns:

  "If you think nothing happens in a small town, well, you probably haven’t spent much time in one."
  — Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (02:11)

• On Being an Informant:

  "It’s a painful reminder of how manipulation and lies can trap people in a cycle they’re desperate to escape, and how the truth... can sometimes come with a devastating price."
  — Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (50:59)

• On Investigative Persistence:

  "I started it as though it happened yesterday, and I started at the very beginning and started going back, interviewing these people and pulling out more information."
  — Holly Willoughby (40:22)

• On Justice:

  "It took a long time, but investigators didn’t give up until they closed the case by getting them the justice they both deserved."
  — Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (52:20)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 06:20: Identification of Vicky Purdy’s body.
• 10:44: Ricky Dodson is reported missing, last seen same night as Vicky.
• 15:49 – 16:19: Vicky revealed as confidential informant.
• 21:44: Daniel Duncan’s alarming statement to police.
• 24:07: Discovery of the crucial silver recorder in Duncan’s possession.
• 25:40: Ricky's body is found, execution-style murder is confirmed.
• 30:12 – 30:28: Daniel’s communications with Peggy after the murders.
• 34:14: Peggy’s account of Daniel torching the car.
• 38:42: Case stalls due to lack of witness cooperation.
• 40:22: Holly Willoughby explains reopening the case.
• 47:06: Duncan arrested on the homicide anniversary.
• 48:01: Duncan pleads guilty, receives 28-year sentence.
• 49:15: Holly on the emotional truth of closure for families.
• 50:59: Reflection on the wider costs of cooperation and justice.

Episode Takeaways

• The case underscores how informant exposure and drug trade violence can have lethal consequences—even in small, tight-knit communities.
• Solving cold cases can take years of tenacity, revisiting leads, and securing the courage of intimidated witnesses.
• Though the legal conclusion brings a sense of justice, families must continue to grapple with profound loss.

This summary was crafted to mirror the direct, empathetic tone of the Anatomy of Murder hosts and guests, ensuring a clear and comprehensive understanding for listeners and non-listeners alike.