In August 2022, the murder of Cynthia Mudd in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, shocked a close-knit community. We look into this sad case at Spiky TV, which was shown on Investigation Discovery’s See No Evil: The Green Carpet (Season 14, Episode 9, aired July 29, 2025). This episode uses scary surveillance footage and interviews with family and friends as well as investigators to piece together what happened before Cynthia’s death and how justice was served. In this article, I’ll tell you who Cynthia was, what happened to her when she was killed, how the investigation led to the arrest of Samuel May and Arnold Hiller, and what is going on with them now.
Who Was Cynthia Mudd?
Cynthia Mudd, known as Cindy to those close to her, was a 71-year-old woman born in 1951. She grew up surrounded by family love and became a kind, humorous person who lit up any room. Cynthia pursued a career as a virologist, a job she was passionate about, according to her family. She worked hard to give her daughter, Jessica Beane, a good life, even though she was a single mother and faced many challenges. Later, she became a loving grandmother to Hayley Breeding, who said she was the “perfect grandma” and gave the best hugs.
Cynthia was also a dog lover, showering affection on her loyal companion, Dusty. Sadly, by age 71, she began showing signs of dementia and early Alzheimer’s, which made her more vulnerable. She lived at 5135 Saulton Drive in Cross Lanes with Samuel May, her partner and caretaker, and later with May’s pregnant girlfriend, Michelle. For a while, things seemed stable, but everything changed in August 2022 when Cynthia vanished.
The Disappearance of Cynthia Mudd
Jessica Beane got worried on August 18, 2022, when she couldn’t reach her mother for days. She went to Cynthia’s house several times, but no one answered the door. Jessica found it hard to believe that one of Cynthia’s houseguests said she had gone on vacation because of her mother’s health. Jessica called 911 to report her missing because she was worried. A constable came to check on the family, but the house was quiet, with the curtains drawn and only Dusty barking inside. The constable looked around, but he couldn’t find Cynthia.
On August 19, 2022, the next day, a neighbour called the police to report something strange. Dusty had been going into her garden to eat cat food, which was strange. The dog kept going to a certain spot in the backyard and acting strangely when she brought him back to Cynthia’s house. This hint would soon lead to a sad finding.
A Shocking Find in the Backyard
When deputies responded to the neighbour’s call, Dusty’s behaviour guided them to a pile of logs in the backyard. Underneath the logs was a tarp covering a freezer, which was screwed shut. As they opened it, a wave of shock hit them. Inside was a green carpet, tied with white nylon rope. Unrolling it revealed decomposing human remains. The medical examiner confirmed the body was Cynthia Mudd’s.
An autopsy showed she had suffered blunt force trauma, with a fractured rib and sternum, injuries consistent with a severe beating or fall. Later, prosecutors said that she had been beaten badly, not given medical care, and died about a month earlier, in July 2022. It was a chilling attempt to hide the crime that her body had been in the unplugged freezer for about 30 days.
The Investigation: Following the Trail
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office started a full investigation into Cynthia’s death after it was confirmed that it was suspicious. At first, they didn’t have any witnesses or clear leads, so they asked Cynthia’s neighbours for help. Three weeks before, one neighbour said they saw Michelle, May’s girlfriend, climb through a window to get to the house and look for Cynthia. Jessica also spoke with Michelle, who said she hadn’t seen Cynthia in a month and noticed pillows missing from her bed. Michelle confirmed she had split with May a week before and no longer lived at the house.
Investigators learnt that Samuel May, 44, and his friend Arnold Hiller, 47, also lived with Cynthia. Both men’s phones were out of service, so they couldn’t be reached. Detectives made a big step forward when they looked at Cynthia’s bank records. In July and August 2022, her debit card was used many times, with the last time being on August 17. Surveillance footage from stores showed May alone in some instances and with Hiller in others, using Cynthia’s card to make purchases across Kanawha County. The footage always showed them heading back toward Cynthia’s home, except on August 17, when they went to a motel.
May and Hiller had left the motel by August 22, but a search warrant at Cynthia’s house found more evidence. Detectives found white nylon rope in the garage that was the same kind of rope used to tie up the carpet. They also saw a hole in the wall that looked like it had been made by a blunt object, which made them think that violence had happened inside. The video footage and physical evidence were starting to tell a very bad story.
The Arrests and Confessions
On August 23, 2022, a surprising development occurred. Charleston police reported that Samuel May had jumped into a river the previous day and was hospitalized. Once he was stable, Kanawha County deputies questioned him. May admitted to killing Cynthia but claimed he couldn’t recall details because he had blacked out after drinking heavily with Hiller at a bar. He said he woke up to find Cynthia badly bruised and still alive but didn’t call for help, fearing consequences due to prior assaults. May confessed that Cynthia died a few days later, and he and Hiller decided to hide her body in the freezer to buy time. He was arrested that day for concealment of a deceased human body.
Arnold Hiller was arrested on September 2, 2022, in Beckley, West Virginia, on charges of concealment and fraud for using Cynthia’s debit card, including withdrawing $1,100 from an ATM. The CCTV footage showed that both men were involved in the card fraud, which made the case against them stronger. At this point, neither of them had been charged with murder because the investigation into Cynthia’s death was still going on.
The Court Proceedings
In December 2022, Samuel May pleaded not guilty to charges of concealment and fraud. A grand jury indicted him on second-degree murder, concealment of a deceased human body, and seven counts of fraud for using Cynthia’s card after her death. His trial was initially set for February 2023. Meanwhile, in September 2022, a judge found probable cause to send Hiller’s concealment and fraud charges to a grand jury.
Arnold Hiller took a plea deal in January 2023 and admitted to hiding a dead body. He was sentenced to one to five years in prison after his fraud charges were dropped. Prosecutors pointed out that Hiller didn’t tell the police for at least a month while Cynthia’s body was hidden, and he helped May hide the crime. Cynthia’s daughter, Jessica Beane, told the court that Hiller was “deeply involved” and could have saved her mother’s life by acting sooner.
On June 5, 2023, Samuel May pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and his other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. He cried and apologised during the hearing, saying he was fully responsible even though he couldn’t remember what happened because he blacked out. Michele Drummond, the assistant prosecutor, said that Hiller saw May stomp on Cynthia’s face several times, which hurt her badly. On August 16, 2023, May was given the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Jessica spoke at the sentencing, saying, “Samuel May killed my mom and mutilated her body and set her out to rot,” expressing the family’s deep pain.
Where Are Samuel May and Arnold Hiller Now?
As of August 2025, Samuel May, now 47, is serving his 40-year sentence for second-degree murder at Southwestern Regional Jail in Holden, West Virginia. He’ll likely spend the rest of his life in prison due to his long sentence. His guilty plea and the longest possible sentence show how serious his actions were. They took Cynthia’s life and left her family heartbroken.
Arnold Hiller, who is now 50 years old, was released on parole on March 2, 2025, after serving part of his one-to-five-year sentence for hiding something. Since his release, there has been no public information about where he is or what he is doing. He is living a low-profile life right now. His lighter sentence has been criticized by some, including the sentencing judge, who called it inadequate given the crime’s gravity.
The Role of See No Evil: The Green Carpet
The See No Evil episode “The Green Carpet” brings this case to life, showing how Kanawha County detectives used thousands of hours of CCTV footage to track May and Hiller’s movements. The green carpet, which was caught in a single frame, was a key piece of evidence that linked the crime scene to the suspects. The episode also shows how important Dusty was—his strange behaviour led deputies to the freezer, where they found Cynthia’s body. This loyal dog may have helped the police find the crime much sooner.
At Spiky TV, we recommend watching this episode on Investigation Discovery to understand the investigation’s complexity and the emotional toll on Cynthia’s family. It’s a powerful reminder of how technology, combined with persistence, can solve even the most baffling cases.
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