5 key details about the Melvin Griesbauer case on Killer Grannies

In Novinger, Missouri, a shocking crime unfolded in 2006 when Melvin Griesbauer, a Navy veteran and Army reservist, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head on his family farm. His wife, Elain ‘Kay’ Young, a former nurse and teacher who ran a dog-breeding business, and her friend Katherine Mock, a dog groomer, were at the center of the case. 

A friendship over shared interests in dogs turned into a deadly conspiracy driven by financial desperation and personal motives. Young, facing mounting debts and the risk of losing her 93-acre property, saw her husband's $1.2 million in life insurance policies as a way out.

The two women, both grandmothers in their 50s, meticulously planned the killing but soon turned on each other, accusing one another of pulling the trigger. This case of betrayal and greed has captivated true crime audiences, highlighting how ordinary lives can hide dark secrets.

The story is featured in season 1,  episode 6, titled Granny’s Word v Granny’s Word of the Oxygen series Killer Grannies, hosted by actress June Squibb, airing on December 17, 2025, on Oxygen, with streaming available on the Oxygen app or Peacock.

Killer Grannies: 5 Key facts about the Melvin Griesbauer case 

1. The motive: Financial desperation and a toxic friendship

Elain Kay Young and Melvin Griesbauer lived on a rural farm in Novinger, Missouri, where Young bred dogs to make ends meet. By 2006, the business was failing, and the couple faced foreclosure on their 93-acre property.

Young, a multiple divorcee with grown children, had enrolled Melvin Griesbauer in several insurance policies totaling about $1.2 million, including a $600,000 life insurance plan from his Army National Guard service and two accidental death policies worth $137,500 combined. 

She became the sole beneficiary of these plans. Friends later recalled Young confiding in online dating matches that she wished her husband were gone, painting a picture of marital strain. Young's friendship with Katherine Mock, a dog groomer from Cassville, Missouri, deepened when Mock visited the farm.

Young convinced Mock that Melvin Griesbauer was abusive, manipulating her into the plot. This bond, rooted in their love for animals, twisted into a scheme for quick cash, as per the FBI. 

2. Planning the scheme: Recruitment and failed hitmen

Young began plotting months before the murder, researching ways to hire a professional killer. Her personal journal detailed notes on costs, including a $10,000 fee for a hitman, and mentioned providing pills to Mock.

In early March 2006, Mock tried to recruit two separate people to carry out the killing, one for $6,000 and another for $10,000, but both attempts failed. With time running out, the women decided to act for themselves.

On March 22, Mock drove four hours from her home in Cassville to the Melvin Griesbauer farm. Young purchased a ski mask at a local Walmart just days earlier, which was captured on security footage. The pair rehearsed alibis, practicing identical stories about the night's events. Young supplied Mock with 180 Vicodin pills, later used in a supposed suicide attempt to avoid jail, according to Oxygen.

 3. The night of the murder: A deadly ambush

Late on March 22, 2006, Young drove to Kirksville to pick up Melvin Griesbauer after his work shift ended around midnight. The couple returned to their farm in the early hours of March 23. As they entered the home, Mock lay in wait and shot Griesbauer in the head with a .30-30 Winchester rifle owned by Young's family.

The bullet created a large wound in his left cheek, and a shell casing landed 10 feet away. The rifle was found reloaded nearby, ruling out suicide. Young and Mock seemingly discovered the body together around 1:30 a.m. and called authorities, initially claiming it was a self-inflicted wound.

Their stories matched too closely at first. Young said she heard a shot and found Mock crying in the bathtub, but inconsistencies emerged later. The women disposed of evidence like gloves, but overlooked key items, as the FBI reported.

 4. Cover-up efforts: Lies, pills, and insurance claims

Immediately after the shooting, Young and Mock made false statements to police, sticking to their scripted alibis to portray the death as a suicide. Young quickly filed insurance claims starting in late March 2006, using mail and phone services across state lines to process payouts.

To protect Mock, Young gave her the Vicodin pills, urging her to overdose and claim mental health issues for a lighter sentence. Mock's resulting hospitalization raised suspicions. In 2009, while awaiting trial, Young mailed letters to witnesses, instructing them to hide her escape plans to a non-extradition country.

DNA on the ski mask and gloves linked Mock to the scene, and security video confirmed the purchase. These desperate moves only deepened the evidence against them, showing how their attempts to evade justice backfired and prolonged the investigation, as per the FBI.

5. Investigation, trial, and sentencing: Justice served

Local authorities, including the Adair County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, grew suspicious due to mismatched evidence like the gun's position. Financial records exposed Young's debts, and her journal provided damning proof. Mock's son reported her confessions, and Young's online chats surfaced.

Indicted in October 2009 on federal conspiracy and murder-for-hire charges, the women went to trial in March 2012. Over six days, each blamed the other for the shooting. Mock testified that Young threatened her life if she talked. The jury convicted both on March 19, 2012. On June 18, 2012, U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey sentenced Young and Mock to life in prison without parole, according to Oxygen. 

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