Search For Missing Mom Ends After 8-Year-Old Son Makes Admission To School Counselor
A 50-year-old Indiana man has pleaded guilty to the killing of his wife just hours after being formally charged with murder, bringing an abrupt turn to a case that unfolded over several weeks and began as a missing person report. Judson Keith Hoover admitted responsibility for the death of his 38-year-old wife, Rebecca Ruth Hoover, after investigators pieced together evidence that contradicted his initial actions following her disappearance.
Rebecca was last seen on August 2. The following day, Judson filed for divorce, a move authorities later said occurred after Rebecca was already dead. Concern grew when Rebecca’s mother reported her missing on August 4, prompting officers to conduct a welfare check at the family’s residence on St. Joseph Road. At the time, police found no trace of Rebecca inside the home.
The case took a disturbing turn when the couple’s eight-year-old son confided in a school counselor that he had witnessed his father kill his mother. Investigators later confirmed that Judson’s guilty plea was entered to prevent the child from being required to testify in court.
New Albany Police Chief Told Bailey described the escalation of the investigation following new information weeks after the initial report. Bailey stated: “Fast-forwarding to Aug. 27, our criminal investigators were alerted that Ms. Hoover’s disappearance may very well have been criminal in nature. Based on that information, our criminal investigators took everything into high gear and spent countless hours uncovering the facts of this case.”
Investigators conducted a forensic interview with a family member and executed search warrants at the Hoover home. That same day, Rebecca’s body was recovered, and Judson was taken into custody on suspicion of murder. Formal charges were filed shortly afterward, and he entered a guilty plea before the day ended.
What investigators uncovered next—from the child’s detailed account to physical evidence inside the home—would further define the scope and brutality of the crime.