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/
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