Adair County woman charged with solicitation to commit murder, sexual abuse of a juvenile

COLUMBIA, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Kentucky State Police have charged an Adair County woman with solicitation to commit murder, among other charges, following an investigation at the Adair Juvenile Detention Center.

According to a release from KSP, detectives began investigating allegations that 27-year-old Elena Bardin of Columbia solicited a male juvenile at the detention center to kill her husband.

Officials say the investigation began on March 27, when the Adair Juvenile Detention Center conducted a routine search of juveniles’ living units. During the search, letters and explicit materials allegedly sent by Bardin, an Adair County School teacher assigned to the facility, were found in a male juvenile’s possession.

The detention center confiscated the material and contacted KSP, prompting a broader investigation.

KSP detectives say they discovered evidence that Bardin not only solicited the juvenile to murder her husband but also subjected him to illegal sexual contact and provided him with sexually explicit images of herself.

On April 2, Bardin was arrested and lodged in the Adair County Detention Center. She faces the following charges:

• Murder (Solicitation)

• Sexual Abuse – 1st Degree

• Distribution of Obscene Matter to a Minor – 1st Offense