Trisha Meredith

On his twelfth birthday, Brandon Meredith buried his older sister. The event would forever set the tone of his birthdays.  The loss of his sister forever changed Brandon's family.

A year later, Brandon lost his mother. His mother died due to a heart attack. Brandon claimed that it was caused by a broken heart. Their mother was unable to heal after the loss of her daughter.

April 7, 1989 was beautiful day in Indianapolis, Indiana. So nice that a group of people were playing golf on the west side of the city, not far from the Springhill Apartments. Sadly, the peaceful day would not stay that way.

Trisha Meredith was 19. Two weeks prior, she had moved into her first apartment with her boyfriend. She was looked up to by her siblings and other young girls in her neighborhood. Everyone who attended Ben Davis High School with Trisha only had good things to say about her.

At about 6 pm that night, Trisha and her boyfriend left their apartment and walked to the shared laundry facility at the apartment complex. The laundry facility is building one of the complex and has large bay windows, leaving the facility open to the view of the public. Trisha and her boyfriend placed their laundry into a washer.

While waiting on the laundry in the washer, which would take approximately 20 to 25 minutes, Trisha had her boyfriend return to the apartment to complete part of his "honey do list." While he was at the apartment, a relative called and he spoke the relative for about 30 to 45 minutes. Once he was off the phone, he decided to return to the laundry room. It appears as though it was so that Trisha would not have to carry the laundry back to the apartment alone.

Trisha's boyfriend immediately knew something horrible had occurred when he entered the laundry room. The linoleum floor was covered in blood. All of the blood led to a small utility closet, when he opened it, he found Trisha's body inside.

Bill Reardon was one of the first detectives on the scene and assigned to the case. Reardon noted that it appeared that Trisha had attempted to get away from her attacker by squeezing behind washing machines. The scene was heartbreaking.

Upon medical examination, it was determined that Trisha's murder was excessive. She had been stabbed approximately 24 times and her throat had been slit. She had not been sexually assaulted, but the manner in which her clothing was found suggests that it was the original intention of her attacker.

Bill Reardon has had two key suspects over the years. Originally, the boyfriend was a suspect, but he was quickly cleared leaving two suspects. Both suspects were men that lived in the apartment complex. One man was outside working on his vehicle. The other was seen on his balcony over looking the scene watching the investigation unfold. Both suspects have given statements putting themselves in laundry near the time of Trisha's murder, but neither has confessed.

With both of these suspects living in the complex, it would easily explain away any physical evidence attached to them being found in the laundry room. While DNA was not readily tested in 1989, investigators did follow up on it prior to 2012. With over 100 pieces of evidence, hope that the case would be solved was strong. Sadly, nothing came of it.

Despite this, Brandon Meredith vowed that he would not stop hunting for his sisters killer until he died. Bill Reardon, who is now the police chief at the Indianapolis International airport, also stated that he would never let the case go. In fact, he still keeps her file on his desk. Reardon covered more than 100 homicides in his years, but none stuck with him the way Trisha's did.

In 2012, Brandon Meredith passed away. Reports I read, stated that he died due to a heart attack and was found in his sisters home. With Brandon's passing it seems as though, Trisha's case has been forgotten by all, but Bill Reardon.

Reardon believes that someone knows something. In the words of Brandon Meredith, "you don't commit these types of crimes and never talk about it again...brag about it." Over the years people confide in others and relationships change. Hopefully someone the killer confided in, no longer is close to the monster and will turn him in.

Anyone with Information is asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at (317) 327-3811. You can also contact crime stoppers at (317) 262-8477.

______________Sources____________________________________
"Brandon Meredith." Youtube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz9BbUrpnfcPaQ4hGQN-4Qw

"Brutal Murder of City Woman Subject of Crime Stoppers." Indianapolis Recorder. August 1986. http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/cdm/ref/collection/IRecorder/id/48696

"Cold Case: Westside Homicide remains unsolved 25 years later." Courtney Essett. The Flyer Group. http://www.flyergroup.com/news/local_news/cold-case-westside-homicide-remains-unsolved-years-later/article_4d4875b6-cc73-54e8-bf44-07f9ead1908f.html

"Detective Still Investigating 1989 Murder of Indy Teen." Russ McQuaid. Fox 59 News. http://fox59.com/2016/07/13/detective-still-investigating-1986-murder-of-indy-teen/

"Trisha Key Meredith was stabbed more than 20 times." Diana Penner. The Indianapolis Star. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/107933714/

A House Fire

On October 31, 2008, family and friends gathered at an Indianapolis funeral home to bury a loved one, who at only 30 years old was gone too soon. Angela Fulcher left behind her parents and a daughter. She was permanently taken from her family on October 10, 2008.

In the early morning hours of October 10th, firefighters responded to a house fire on the East side of Indianapolis. The house was believed to be empty, until neighbors informed responders that an individual might be inside. It was then that the firefighters found the body of an approximately six-months pregnant woman.

Police believed early into the investigation that Angela, who had yet to be identified, was the victim of homicide. When K-9's were brought into the house it was indicated that a accelerant had been used.

It would be almost two weeks after the fire before investigators would announce that the remains had been identified as those of Angela Fulcher. DNA test were conducted to see if Angela was the victim after family came forward. Family members contacted police after they had lost contact with Angela and seeing news coverage of the finding of the remains.

It was later determined that Angela Fulcher had been strangled prior to the home being set on fire. The fire was more than likely a means of covering up the murder.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Indianapolis Metro-Police Department. You can reach them at (317) 327-3375.

_____________Sources______________________________________________________

"Angela Fulcher." Obituary. The Indianapolis Star. October 29, 2008.

"Angela Fulcher." Indiana Cold Cases & Missing Persons. RTV 6 The Indy Channel.

"Body of Pregnant Woman Found in Burned House." October 10, 2008. The Indy Channel RTV6.

"Pregnant Woman Identified as Fire Victim." October 24, 2008. WTHR 13.

Nancy Lyons

On June 17, 2002, Beverly Tallent-Lyons got a call she would never forget. She was at her home in Louisville, Kentucky when she received a call that her younger sister, Nancy Lyons who was 46 at the time, missing. Her younger sister's car had been found on a rural road in Indiana. 

The car had been found at the corner of County Road 700 west and County road 500 north in Rush County. Idling in park, the car had been abandoned. One tire on the vehicle was flat and the car was unlocked. Nothing in the vehicle looked to be disturbed.

Nancy's purse, ID, and cellphone were present. Along with her personal affects, the recent purchases she had made from Wal-Mart were still in the car. Nancy was the only thing missing.

The family, community, and police began searching for Nancy immediately. Within the first two weeks, no progress was made. Cadaver dogs were brought in to the area where the vehicle had bee located, but they were unable to locate any traces of Nancy.

It would be October of 2002 before the family would hear anything about where Nancy might be. On October 2 in Bartholomew County, a farmer reported to police that he had found skeleton remains in his soybean field. The field was approximately 30 miles from where her car had been located months earlier.

These remains would later be identified as those of Nancy Lyons. Upon further examination of the remains, it was apparent that she had succumbed to blunt force trauma to the skull. It was not apparent as to whether or not sexual assault had occurred. This might have been due to the advanced stages of decomposition of the remains.

Beverly began to feel that the investigation had been hindered. She made it known that believed that mistakes early in the investigation led to the case not being solved in a more timely manner. In order to draw attention to her cause she launched a letter writing campaign. Over 500 letters were written according to my research. The letters were sent to politicians and people of power all over the United States. One of these letters even was sent to Canadian authorities. 

 Beverly won the time of the State Police in late 2006 or early 2007. State Police turned over evidence to the FBI's crime lab for investigation. They had hoped that by getting assistance with the case, the case would be solved. Upon the return of the results, Beverly was scheduled to meet with investigators and the prosecutor, nothing came from this meeting. 

No person of interest has been publicly named in the case and the case is still considered active by State Police. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Indiana State Police. They can be contacted at 1-812-689-5000 or 1-765-778-2121. 

________________Sources___________________________

"6 Years Later, Family Hopes Woman's Killer Will be Caught." RTV 6. June 12, 2008. https://www.theindychannel.com/news/6-years-later-family-hopes-woman-s-killer-will-be-caught

"Cold Cases: Lyons Homicide not only unsolved investigation." Caitlin VanOverberghe. Daily Reporter. June 27, 2017. http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2017/06/28/cold_cases/

"Family Hopes for Break in Case." Jeff Eakins. The Banner. June 27, 2007. http://thebanneronline.com/archive_news/2007/06/27/family-hopes-for-break.htm

"Family Marks Anniversary of Unsolved Slaying." Caitlin Overberghe. Greenfield Daily Reporter. June 27, 2017. http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2017/06/28/still_searching-2/

"Nancy Lyons." Indiana State Police Database. http://www.in.gov/isp/2620.htm

"The Nancy Lyons Project." Frank Denzler. Rushville Republican. June 13, 2012. http://www.rushvillerepublican.com/news/local_news/the-nancy-lyons-project/article_a467cef1-c4f5-54ef-a540-d4548afa4992.html

When Does Existence End?

On September 5, 1988 at three in the morning, it was about 57 degrees. The quiet early morning hours in Washington, Indiana were interrupted by a house set a blaze. Oak Grove Road runs through the town and into the rural area around the town.

The house that was on fire was rented by 22 year old Steven Hendricks. Steven had moved his girlfriend into the home approximately two weeks prior to the morning in question. His girlfriend was Rebecca Harvey who was 18 at the time. 

Upon responding the fire, authorities found that the house was burning at such a high temperature that it scorched and caused the paint on the vehicles in the driveway to crack and pop. Steven's vehicles were all accounted for in the driveway.

The presence of the vehicles and the lack of anyone being outside the home led authorities to looking for individuals in the home that was on fire. Once the fire was put out, a single set of remains were found inside the home.

The remains that were found on the bed in the bedroom of the home belonged to Rebecca Harvey. Upon further examination it was determined that she had been doused with gas prior to the fire being set and her death. Ultimately, it was determined that Rebecca was killed due to injuries from the fire.

Investigators were able to determine that the fire that had called them to the home in the early morning hours of September 5 of 1988 was arson. The fire was started under the bed where Rebecca's remains were found.

Steven was not found in the home; meanwhile, all of his personal belongings were found in the home. His wallet, boots, and clothing was in the home at the time of the fire. None of Steven's vehicles were missing. He never showed up to collect his last check from the body shop where he worked or to collect his tools.

Police believe that Steven is a victim of foul play. My first instinct with this case is that the Steven should be looked at as a suspect, but the more research I did (with very few resources) I realized that officers must be keeping a crucial piece of information close to the vest when it comes to determining Steven's involvement or lack thereof.

The more puzzling piece of this case is the lack of articles, television news coverage, and family interviews. I found two interview statements total for the case. Both were about Steven Hendricks.

One of the statements was given by Mr. Hendrick's boss. He said that Steven was a hard worker and never caused problems. Steven's cousin years later gave the only other statement I could find. She begged that anyone with information come forward so that the family could find out what had happened with Steven.

None of Rebecca's family gave statements that appeared in newspapers in the time or even years later. In fact, even using the genealogy information I was able to gather, I couldn't find any relatives. I found one woman who might have been her mother, but she passed away in 2001.

It was like these young people popped up for two weeks in 1988 Washington, Indiana and ceased to exist after the last article ran on September 8, 1988. With most stories, you can find stories from friends that the victims knew from high school or even a sibling that misses them dearly. Instead, it is like everyone has forgotten that these young people existed, let alone murdered.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Indiana State Police. You can reach them at (812) 482-1441.

Rebecca has been laid to rest in the Providence Cemetery located in Francisco, Indiana. Rebecca was born in Princeton, Indiana on June 30, 1970. I lived in Princeton for a short period of time in the late 1990's to early 2000's. The local community is small.

___________________Sources______________________________________

"Fire Killed Teen: boyfriend still sought." Evansville Press. September 7, 1988. local.evpl.org/views/viewarticle.asp?ID=583210

"Queen of Clubs." Indiana State Police Card Deck. www.in.gov/idoc/files/2ndEditionCLUBS.pdf

"Steven W. Hendricks." The Charley Project. June 26, 2011. www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hendricks_steven.html

"Steven Hendricks: Missing from Indiana since 1988." Missing Persons of America. February 1, 2014. www.missingpersonsofamerica.com/2014/02/01/steven-hendricks-missing-from-indiana-since-1988/

"Rebecca Harvey." Indiana State Police Cold Case Database. www.in.gov/isp/2610.htm

"Fire Death Being Investigated." The Indianapolis Star. September 8, 1988. Page 22. www.newspaper.com/newspage/05949833/

'3923 DMIN- Steven W. Hendricks." The Doe Network. March 17, 2017. www.doenetwork.org/cases/3923dmin.html

"Washington, Indiana." American Fact Finder. United States Census Bureau. factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productive.xhtml?src=bkmk

"Rebecca Sue "Becky" Harvey." Grave location. www.findagrave.com/memorial/173800994/rebecca-sue-harvey

"Hendricks, Steven 9-4-1988 IN." Porchlight International for the Missing and Unidentified. October 12, 2008. z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t38422.htm

"Weather History For Washington, IN." The Old Farmer's Almanac. September 5, 1988. www.almanac.com/weather/history/IN/Washington/1988-09-05