Adair County Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Soliciting Juvenile to Commit Murder

Columbia, Ky. – A Kentucky State Police investigation has led to the arrest of an Adair County woman accused of soliciting a juvenile detainee to kill her husband.

According to KSP Post 15, the case began on March 27 when staff at the Adair Juvenile Detention Center conducted a routine search of the facility’s living quarters. During the search, authorities discovered letters and explicit material in the possession of a male juvenile. The materials were allegedly sent by Elena Bardin, 27, of Columbia, an Adair County School teacher assigned to the facility.

Detention center officials immediately confiscated the items and contacted KSP detectives.

Investigators determined that Bardin had solicited the juvenile to murder her husband. Further evidence also revealed that she had engaged in illegal sexual contact with the juvenile and had sent him sexually explicit images.

On April 2, 2025, Kentucky State Police arrested Bardin. She has been lodged in the Adair County Detention Centerand faces the following charges:

The case remains under investigation by Detective Mike Dubree.