The I-65 Serial Killer

 

(composite sketch of the suspect)

On March 3, 1989 in the early morning hours, in Northern Indiana, two women were working as night clerks at Days Inns located on I-65. Mary Margaret Gill was working at the Merrillville location; meanwhile, Jeanne Gilbert was working at the location near Remington.

Mary Gill was 24 and full life. She lived in the rural area near the Days Inn where she worked. Just after 2:30 in the morning, a heinous predator entered the Days Inn near Us 30 on Interstate 65. The man robbed Mary of $179. Mary was taken to a remote area of the second floor where she was shot in the head twice.

Fifty-two miles south of the Days Inn where Mary worked, was the Days Inn location near Remington where Jeanne Gilbert was working that cold March night. Gilbert was a divorced mother of two. She was going back to school and trying to build a life for her and her children. Close to four hours after the murder of Mary Gill, it is believed that the same man entered the Days Inn where Gilbert was working.  

(Image shows both Days Inn locations on the map in relation to I-65)

 This time the robber-turned-murderer took $247 and Jeanne Gilbert. Her body was found on rural road not far from the Days Inn. Many individuals have said the body was about fifteen minutes from the Inn. The image below shows the general area where her remains where found.

 

Upon further examination, it was discovered that both women had been sexually assaulted and shot with the same .22 caliber firearm. DNA was collected. With the lack of organized national databases at the time, the DNA did not reveal any matches. Three departments have been working the case since the beginning; the Merrillville Police Department, the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, and the Indiana State Police. Dan Demmon was the Chief of Police and lead investigator for the Merrillville force at the time the murders took place. 1989 was a year of dead ends for investigators. 

They looked heavily into three suspects. One was in Pennsylvania, while another was in St. Louis. Sadly, no substantial evidence was found to link the suspects to the murders. The $20,000 reward was made available by Nights Out Inc., and the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters the same year the murders took place. Investigators looked at two other hotel slayings that were/are believed to be linked. Two more, one in Florence, Kentucky and the other in Rockford Kentucky. Both victims were night clerks at motels. Both victims were robbed then shot in the head, but this time with a .44 caliber.

Progress was gained in the 1990's. In mid-1991, a man from Michigan was the number one suspect and was even confirmed by a witness during a police lineup. The major problem with this is, the DNA sample the suspect gave did not match the samples taken from either victim. Police never released the identity of this suspect for obvious reasons. If they were unable to prove his guilt, it would quickly result in a defamation suite.

The same year the police looked to find links to slayings in the Southwest. These murders occurred in July of 1989. The perpetrators in these slayings had been in custody at the time of the March 3, 1989 slayings in Indiana.

The lack of results in this case has been very disheartening for many investigators in Jasper County as it is considered to be the only major crime that occurred there that hasn't been solved. Over 38 people have been interviewed as persons of interest in Gilbert's murder.

In April of 2010, a new link was found. DNA from the two Days Inn Murders from 1989 was matched to a murder of a woman in Elizabethtown, Kentucky in 1987. The victim was Vicki Heath. She was 38 and worked as a clerk at the Super 8 hotel. Her body was found on February 21 behind the dumpster at the hotel. Like the other two victims, she was sexually assaulted and shot in the head, but with a .38 caliber firearm rather than a .22. This connection was made possible by new, more accurate technology.

This new technology also linked an assault to these murders. An assault that occurred in Columbus, Indiana resulted in DNA that matched the murders. The woman in this case worked at a Days Inn was attacked at knife point on January 2, 1990. This assault and the victim's survival resulted in the composite sketch at the top of this chapter. With no new crimes matching DNA, it is believed the perpetrator is either incarcerated or dead.

Jeanne Gilbert's family would honor her by putting her name and a birthday message in their local paper every year on her birthday. Her father believes that police have the wrong idea. Instead of a drifter, he believes that the murderer knew both victims and is just sitting around watching and thinking they got away with it. Gilbert's children are now adults and have their own children.

Both Days Inn locations increased security after the slayings. Mary Gill's family at one point in time filed a wrongful death suite against the company because they believed the company did not practice due diligence. Gilbert's family would never comment on whether or not they had filed a suite. Gill's family was also in talks with the television show Unsolved Mysteries in order to spread the word to hopefully drum up new leads.

Tips still come in on a monthly basis for this case. Individuals with information are encouraged to call or report any tips.

Indiana State Police
District Investigative Commander
1550 East 181 Ave.
Lowell, IN. 46356
1-219-696-6242 or 1-800-552-8917

_________________Sources___________________________________

"GILL, GILBERT: 'Days Inn Murders' Remain Unsolved." The Times: Northwest Indiana. Susan Erler. November 30, 2009. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gill-gilbert-days-inn-murders-remain-unsolved/article_0db68b34-42b0-5722-844f-0cc41a4e5e0c.html

"Jeanne Gilbert." Indiana Case Overview. Indiana State Police. http://www.in.gov/isp/2925.htm

"Leads Sifted In Slaying At 2 Motels." The Chicago Tribune. Robert Koziol. May 31, 1989. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-05-31/news/8902050617_1_slayings-motel-desk-clerks

"New Connection Found in Cold Case." Rensselaer Republican. Amber Tomlinson. April 5, 2010. http://www.newsbug.info/rensselaer_republican/news/new-connection-found-in-cold-case/article_44409731-1cc0-559b-86cb-310ded8cff5e.html

"7 years, No Arrest in Motel Murders" The Times: Northwest Indiana. Meg Murphey. March 3, 1996. http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/years-no-arrest-in-motel-murders/article_e88c9072-7ecd-5e14-96f4-93ff6bbb4849.html