There are many cases of "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me" in crime history such as Richard Marquette, who dismembered an Oregon woman, went to prison, and got out 13 years later to do it again but few were as shocking and perhaps avoidable as the double tragedy of Arkansas's Sally McKay and her daughter Martha, killed by the same man 24 years apart. Sally was born as Sara Snowden in Memphis, Tennessee on May 30, 1921 but would always be referred to by her childhood nickname. The Snowdens were descended from Robert Bogardus Snowden, who was the grandson of Revolutionary War general Robert Bogardus and enlisted in the Confederate army at the age of 25 when the Civil War broke out in 1861. He ultimately became a lieutenant colonel and served in both the Army of Tennessee and the Army of Northern Virginia, where he surrendered with the rest of the latter army at Appomattox. After the war Snowden settled in Memphis where he bought the Annesdale Estate that was passed down through the family for 160 years. Snowden became a wealthy and influential man who made his living through real estate speculation and investment in the iron and coal industries. He passed away in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1909 while vacationing there, twelve years before his great-granddaughter arrived.
Sally was born to Robert's grandson "Bob" Snowden and his wife Grace, who built an attractive veranda home and cotton plantation at Horseshoe Lake in Crittenden County. She was their first child and two other daughters, Edith and Dorothy, followed, all of whom had an idyllic childhood. As an adult, Sally was married twice and with her second husband David McKay had Martha, who was born in West Memphis, Arkansas on April 7, 1956. Sally and David divorced in 1982 and she moved back to Horseshoe Lake. A trained accountant, she was well-suited to oversee the family business that included 30 lakefront cabins. Her personal residence was near Snowden House, which was leased to a couple who ran a bed-and-breakfast out of it, and she also owned an antique shop.
Also living at Horseshoe Lake was Sally's nephew Joseph Baker; a high school teacher on weekdays and a blues musician on weekends. Born in 1944, he first gained attention in Memphis in 1969 playing guitar with his psychedelic rock group Moloch. After the band broke up, Baker formed other groups over the years. On August 12, 1996, his house caught fire while he was away. Investigation found it was deliberately set, probably to conceal a burglary. There had been a spree of burglaries in the wealthy neighborhood and Baker had a lot of cash in the house he'd saved up to print and press his band Lee Baker and the Agitators' latest record. The burglars also took a bunch of valuable keepsakes of his, including a priceless guitar owned by pioneering blues musician Furry Lewis.