Penick: “I just put my hands around her neck and didn’t let go.”

While recounting burying the two victims’ bodies together in one shallow grave, “I just put my hands around her neck and didn’t let go,” he said.

Those are the words Joshua Alan Penick reportedly uttered to his father, a man that knew him and also knew something was very wrong with his son soon after picking him up in the local area. It was those words that his father repeated to police during their investigation of his son, according to the probable cause affidavit filed with the court.

It will likely be the same words used by local prosecutors in the future when they attempt to put the man in prison for years to come. It also explains why now two lifeless bodies were uncovered from a grave near a local mine property, known as Bear Run. The bodies were located in a tree clearing approximately 185 feet from a guardrail with the aid of cadaver dogs – and directions from Penick, the man that confessed to his father that he had buried them there.

The probable cause affidavit reads that it was technology that led police to the eventual arrest of Penick, who was considered a missing person himself at one point early in the investigation — just like the two eventual victims were. Family members and co-workers thought something was ‘off’ about the whole situation, though, and a smart phone app known as “Life360” helped confirm that, in small part. Security cameras, “pinging” cell phones, and even XM Sirus radio played a role, too, in beginning to unfold the story of this sad ordeal. From showing police when one of the victim’s phones was turned off, to showing that victim’s vehicle passing by on the roadway towards Dugger, to locating that vehicle hidden in a wooded area, various technology helped place Penick as a person of interest for police while he otherwise eluded police in the meantime.

Also recounted in the court-filed affidavit, Penick’s father said the younger Penick was upset about the prospects of going back to jail, as Penick has had other recent run-ins with the law in this and other counties, too. Those include multiple sex-related charges with a minor in Harrison County, which were filed in June earlier this year. Most recently, a marijuana charge filed days ago in Warrick County, and then there were the domestic battery charges in Greene County stemming from November 2023 also pending.

Those prior charges were seemingly heavy on his mind during the current events because his father said that “he felt like Joshua was ‘losing his shit’ and he’s been depressed lately.” He recounted his son saying to him, “Shit went south, and I can’t talk about it on the phone,” as well. In fact, the affidavit goes on to state Penick left a note to the household, too, writing:

“Dad’s sorry I don’t know what is wrong with me and you all deserve better, I leave you three with my reminder life material items, any money I owe you, and everything belongs to you. Sam, I love you, you have always been the happiest part of my life, and I hope, and I have adored my feelings for you my whole life. Let go it’s okay now Breathe live love laugh prosper be at peace, numb Josh.”

Now, the newest charges alleged against the 35-year-old Penick in this double-murder case include: