“Follow the Money”: How a Cold Case Quadruple Murder Was Finally Solved After Eight Years

On the morning of November 1st, 2015, Anderson County, South Carolina, was rocked by a horrific scene: the bodies of Mike and Kathy Scott, along with Kathy’s mother Barbara and Mike’s mother Violet, were discovered in their trailer home. All four victims had suffered the same chilling fate—stab wounds, slit throats, and a gunshot to the head, executed postmortem. The grisly scene was not only bloody but deeply personal—there were signs of a struggle, handprints smeared in blood, and clear evidence that some of the victims had tried to escape.

The quadruple homicide appeared to have no immediate motive. Valuables were untouched. There was no forced entry. The brutality suggested personal rage, not random violence. But with limited evidence, no arrests were made, and the case eventually went cold.

Unbeknownst to the grieving community, the killers were hiding in plain sight: Ross Valard and Amy Scott—Amy, the daughter of two of the victims. The same Amy who made the frantic 911 call, sobbing as she described finding the lifeless bodies of her mother, father, and grandmothers.

A Family’s Dysfunction and the Seeds of Violence

Amy’s relationship with her parents was strained, at best. Publicly, on Facebook, she described them as narcissistic and emotionally abusive. One video showed Ross, her husband, arguing viciously with Kathy. At one point, Ross snapped, “Why don’t you have Grandma come out here real quick? I don’t think your grandma wants to deal with this trash.” It was a bitter line—one that would gain horrifying context years later.

More telling, however, was Amy’s deep-seated resentment. She allegedly blamed her mother for “pulling the plug” on her father years earlier, creating a lifelong grudge that may have festered into something much darker. Add financial desperation into the mix, and a motive began to form.

The First Clues: Cash, Lies, and Circumstance

Two days before the murders, Mike Scott sent a coworker a photo of several $100 bills. That same set of bills—with identical serial numbers—was found hidden in Ross and Amy’s home years later. It was not a stretch to conclude the money had come from the crime scene.

Even so, at the time, these connections were considered circumstantial. Ross and Amy were known in the community and not seen as violent. With no physical evidence placing them at the scene and no eyewitnesses, suspicion wasn’t enough. The case languished.

However, Ross and Amy’s financial records told a different story. In 2013, the couple made just over $25,000—but in 2014, they spent over $130,000 on luxury vehicles, including a RAM truck, two Harleys, and a Mustang. They claimed their mobile pet grooming business had boomed, but bank records didn’t support that. It was clear: their lifestyle couldn’t be sustained legally. Something was off.

A Case Reopened

By 2023, Anderson County detectives decided to reopen the cold case. What they lacked in early evidence, they now hoped to replace with persistence, new technology, and old-fashioned detective work. They reinterviewed friends, neighbors, and former employees.

One key interview came from Roxy Vores, a former employee at Ross and Amy’s grooming shop. She revealed frequent arguments about money and shared Amy’s deep resentment of her mother. Even more chilling, Roxy recalled Amy once joking, “You want me to kill them?” At the time, she laughed it off. In hindsight, it was anything but funny.

Detectives also heard from neighbors who confirmed that Mike was known to carry large amounts of cash and keep gold and valuables at home, making him a prime target. The theory that the motive was both personal and financial gained traction.

The Smoking Gun: Shoes and Surveillance

What broke the case wide open, however, wasn’t words—it was shoes. Reviewing surveillance footage from a gas station the night of the murders, police spotted Ross wearing a pair of Asics Gel Speedstar 5s. These sneakers had a unique sole pattern—one that perfectly matched bloody footprints left at the crime scene. The match was later confirmed by the manufacturer. Ross had been inside the trailer that night. No more speculation—this was physical evidence.

Couple this with the found cash, prior threats, and a crumbling alibi, detectives knew they had enough to confront the couple directly.

The Confrontation

On December 11, 2023, Anderson County detectives knocked on Ross and Amy’s door. Calmly, politely, they told Ross that the 2015 case had been reopened. Ross, initially cooperative, soon began to falter. He claimed he hadn’t been inside the trailer that day—an outright lie, as the footprint evidence would soon prove.

Detectives baited Ross, letting him believe the conversation was routine. They watched as he stumbled through answers, contradicted himself, and struggled to maintain eye contact. They weren’t ready to confront him yet—they wanted to speak with Amy first.

When Amy joined them, she, too, portrayed herself as a victim, grieving and traumatized. She insisted she’d made peace with her mother before the murders and barely remembered the funeral. But the façade didn’t hold. Detectives gently pushed, asking about money, about the family dynamic, about that weekend. Slowly, Amy revealed her longstanding resentment—and her financial desperation.

Behind the scenes, detectives were coordinating a more direct approach. With the shoe evidence in hand and Ross’s lies piling up, the net was closing.

The End of the Lie

Once police confronted Ross with the evidence—especially the shoes—his story began to collapse. They had his footprints, his lies, his motive, and the stolen cash. They knew he was involved, and they believed Amy was, too.

The case that once haunted Anderson County now had its resolution. Not through a tip or a confession, but through persistence and technology. The lesson was clear: follow the money, and the truth will follow.

Epilogue

Ross Valard and Amy Scott had seemingly gotten away with murder. For eight years, they lived free, hiding in plain sight. But time, as it does, caught up. What began as a horrific mystery ended in an inevitable reckoning. Four lives were lost senselessly. But in the end, justice was not.

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