Body in the Barrel

Tuesday, June 6, 1978 was a normal day in rural Clayton, Indiana. Clayton has less than one thousand residents, even today. It was an average June day with the temperatures hovering in the upper 70s. 

Mary Ann Higginbotham was a 22 year old woman lived with her boyfriend of two years, Timothy Lee Willoughby. Tim was 25 in 1978. Mary Ann worked at Laughner's diner in Plainfied. Tim moved between odd jobs at numerous body shops in the area, but didn't have a known job at the time.

 June sixth was the last time Mary Ann was seen alive. No one bothered to report her missing. I find this concerning since she was not seen again until June 5 in 1979.

Nearly a year after Mary Ann was last seen, sixteen miles from where she lived in Clayton, a teen was enjoying a warm June day by White Lick Creek off of Sycamore Lane in Mooresville, Indiana.

The was walking along the creek bank and saw a 55-gallon barrel. This was pretty out of place, but not an immediate cause to call authority. He probably would have just thought that someone had dumped it there. When he approached the barrel, he discovered that it was welded shut. So, he had a hammer and decided to bust the side to see what was inside. Like most teens, he was curious.

After busting through the barrel, he put his eye to it to see what was inside. He was unpleasantly surprised with the contents of the barrel. A skull was the first thing the boy was. He promptly called authorities.

When authorities arrived and secured the barrel, they soon were able to examine the contents. Inside of three layers of carpet, one layer of plastic, and a sleeping bag, a the skeletal remains of a body were found. If the body had been wrapped in so much material, I am unsure how the teen was able to see the skull, but this is what numerous claims have stated.

The body was later confirmed to that of Mary Ann Higginbotham. There was no sign of her boyfriend Tim Willoughby, who hadn't been seen since the same day Mary Ann was last seen. Tim instantly became a suspect. Police thought that it was likely that Tim and Mary Ann had a disagreement which led to him murdering her, then he fled after disposing of the body.

This theory would persists for almost four years. Timothy's criminal history did not help this theory. A local deputy was quoted as saying "Tim was always wanted on a warrant somewhere." He was actually supposed to be serving time for an auto theft, he was given the option of serving a solid 40 days or serving 10 weekends. Serving on the weekends like this was an early version of work-release.

Tim stopped going after a handful of weekends. His last check in for his weekend lock-up was May 8, 1978. This was one month before he and Mary Ann would disappear. A rearrest warrant for Tim would not be issued until September 6 of 1978. Tim was also wanted for various traffic violations and other auto related charges that he had failed to appear for in Hendricks county.

For four years, Police focused on Tim as the only suspect in the case regardless of the fact that he had not been seen in four years. It took an informant coming forward to change the direction of the case in 1982.

The informant, who's name I was unable to find, was a woman who was close to the new suspects. She implicated two individuals in the case, Ronald C. Tomasik and James L. Kellam. She told quite an elaborate story. She stated the men were motivated to commit the murder to make sure that Tim didn't rat the men out to police in relation to a car theft ring. It was hypothesized that Tim was trying to extort money from the men.

She told officers that on that fateful day in 1978, Ronald and James allegedly showed up at Mary Ann and Tim's home on rural route three. Mary Ann would have recognized the men as friends or at least acquaintances of Tim's and invited them inside the home.

The informant alleged that the men created small talk to set her at ease and then when she wasn't expecting it launched their attack against Mary Ann. They hit her and then shot her execution style while she begged for her life. They didn't immediately dispose of her body.

Instead, the informant continued, the men then waited on Tim to return home. They waited outside in the truck and convinced Tim to join them before he was able to enter the house and see Mary Ann's dead body. Tim got in the truck with the two. She said the men then told her that they shot Tim less than a mile from his home. They stuffed his body in a barrel and welded it shut.

As proof to back up her statement, the informant provided Mary Ann Higginbotham's rings. She claimed that she had been forced to wash blood from the men's clothing. Police took both men in to custody relying on this woman's statement. Later, DNA was unable to link either of the men to any of the ten items provided to the state lab for testing in relation to case. 

The prosecutor at the time was forced to release the men in relation to a violation of their constitutional rights. The argument was that the men were denied the right to a speedy trial. The charges were also dropped due to insufficient evidence. Detective Randy Pratt said that he was disappointed with the decision of the prosecutor, but he respected it. He was so emotionally invested in the case that he said, "that family's pain was my pain."

Norma Higginbotham believes that the investigators in the case botched the investigation. She believes both of the men that informant turned in should be in jail.

The prosecutor in 2016 released the following statement:

 

"This case was investigated at the time of the occurrence and reopened at least three times in the past 20 years, and many leads were followed up. The family has been kept apprised of the investigations. Although it is frustrating there is not sufficient evidence to proceed with a prosecution."

(On the map above I have highlighted the three towns in question in this case. In some reports the home was actually located in Cartersburg. So I would infer that the house would've been between Cartersburg and Clayton.)

Tim's body still has not been found. No one has been found guilty in the murder of Mary Ann Higginbotham. Anyone with information is asked to call authorities.

Contact Information:

Indiana State Police
District Investigative Commander
8620 E. 21st Street
Indianapolis, IN 46219
1-317-899-8577 or 1-800-582-8440

________________Sources______________________________

"Cold Case Leaves Lingering Question: Who Killed Mary Ann Higginbotham and Tim Willoughby?" Bennett Haeberle. WISHTV. December 15, 2016. http://wishtv.com/2016/12/15/cold-case-still-leaves-lingering-question-who-killed-mary-ann-higginbotham-and-tim-willoughby/

"HNGN TRUE CRIME FEATURE: New Hope For Indiana's Most Infamous Cold Case? Crime Contributor Jon Leiberman Reports on Efforts To Solve a 1979 Double Murder." HNGN. 2017. http://www.hngn.com/articles/51762/20141204/hngn-true-crime-feature-new-hope-for-indianas-most-infamous-cold-case-crime-contributor-jon-leiberman-reports-on-efforts-to-solve-a-1979-double-murder.htm

Indiana State Police. IPS: Mary Ann Higginbotham. http://www.in.gov/isp/2869.htm

"Man Seized in Steel Drum Murders." UPI. August 6, 1983. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/06/Man-seized-in-steel-drum-murders/1795428990400/

Maps. Maps.google.com

Missing Persons Database. Timothy Lee Willoughby. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/willoughby_timothy.html

"Victim's Boyfriend Still Missing." Patrick T. Morrison. Rob Schneider. Indianapolis Star. July 1, 1979. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/107200094/

Weather History. June 6, 1978. https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KIND/1978/6/6/DailyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=

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As always, if there is a case you would like covered feel free to let me know and I will do my best to cover it. Contact can be made via email at StudyofIndianaColdCases@gmail.com