Vickie Lynn Harrell

Vickie Lynn Harrell was from Linton, Indiana. She was 25 years old and lived in Bloomington. Working as a clerk at k-mart in 1972, she was recently divorced. Some reports mentioned that she was a mother, while others leave no mention of her personal life.

Vickie Lynn Harrell was reported missing after not returning home on August 12, 1972. Her roommate reported her missing. It seems as though, in typical seventies fashion, the police immediately wrote the woman off as a run away or that she left on her own accord. From newspaper articles at the time, or really the lack thereof, there was no search for the missing woman. The only one searching was her poor roommate.

The day before what would have been her 26th birthday, Vickie was found by a member of the Owen County Highway Department. Her naked body was discovered at 1:30 on August 14, 1972. Her clothing or any of her belongings were not found with the body. Her car was found at a shopping center.

The body was three miles from Spencer. It was apparent from the area that the body had been dumped in the water filled ditch and that the murder had not been committed in this area. Upon examination of the body, it was determined that she had been raped and strangled. Initials had also been carved into Vickie's torso.

As quickly as Vickie's story became news, it quickly faded from the papers. Owen County had a lot happen that year. The investigation was put on the back burner because the jail caught fire, there was a jail break, and a suicide occurred at the jail. According to the "lead investigator" the Sheriff's department was under staffed.

Yet, three other agencies were also investigating the case and made no progress. Part of this is because Vickie was painted to be an unwed mother who was a known drinker and the public had no sympathy. Out of the four agencies, the Owen County Sheriff's Department, Bloomington Police, Monroe County Sheriff's Office, and the State Police, one of them believed that Vickie's killer was already confined to a mental facility and was untouchable as of 1974.

When Lt. Ralph Shumaker, of the Indiana State Police, took over the case he was working on a theory. The transient theory was a favorite. It was believed that Vickie might have fallen victim to a serial killer. Similar murders allegedly occurred in Pennsylvania and Maryland between 1969-1971, I was unable to find these when going through newspaper archives. The murders had the same method of killing and the victims were all taken from college towns. The bodies all had initials carved into them, but they were different letters.

With so much time gone, it is hard to believe and maintain hope that Vickie's case will ever be solved. In hopes that someone knows somethings and is ready to talk, I ask that anyone with information on Vickie's case to call the Indiana State Police.

_____________Sources_________________
"Columnist Calls for Jury Probe." The Terre Haute Tribune. January 1974.

"Initials Carved in Woman's Body." Journal and Courier. Lafayette, Indiana. August 1972.

"ISP Detective Asks Public to Help Solve Case." Stevens, Howard. The Terre Haute Tribune. October 1972.

"Murder Victim Also Raped." Anderson Herald. Anderson, Indiana. August 1972.

"Nude, Mutilated Body of Missing Woman is Found." The Indianapolis Star. August 1972.

"Slain Woman Formerly Lived Here." Linton Daily Citizen. Linton, Indiana. August 1972.

"Young Clerk's Death Still Haunts Lawmen." The Indianapolis News. September 1973

Maoma Ridings

It was August of 1943 and American patriotism is at a high. With World War II came new privileges and responsibilities for women outside of the home. Women could hold jobs and stay single longer. While divorce wasn't as accepted as it is now, it was more accepted than ever before.

During the war, the Women's Army Corp was created. This gave women the opportunity to serve the country in "appropriate" roles. The lovely, once-divorced Maoma Ridings was a member of the Women's Army Corps in 1943. She worked as a physical therapist at Camp Atterbury, just outside of Edinburgh, Indiana.

Maoma was born in Warm Springs, Georgia as Maoma Little. She worked as a therapist at the Warm Springs Infantile Paralysis Foundation in her early adult life before joining the Women's Army Corps. During her time at the foundation, she had the privilege of serving as a nurse to a patient who later became a notable figure of the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was treated for polio at the foundation and fell in love with Warm Springs, Georgia.

Once Maoma was stationed at Camp Atterbury and divorced from her husband, she would frequently take a trip to Indianapolis on her weekend furloughs. She was known to carry large sums of money on these trips. Many people said that Maoma would frequent parties during these trips.

On August 28, Maoma was granted furlough and she embarked on her normal trip to Indianapolis for a weekend of frivolity. She had scheduled a date with a Corporal Emmanuel Fisher, that was to take place around 6 or 6:30.

Upon her arrival in Indianapolis, Maoma purchased a fifth of whisky at a local liquor store. It was about 4:45 in the afternoon, when the purchase was made. She then checked into her room between 5 and 5:15. By 5:30, she was settled in and had called for room service.

Maoma was known to be a generous tipper, which may have been why the hotel staff seemed to remember her well. A bellboy arrived delivering the soda pop  that she had ordered. Happy with the delivery, she tipped him 25 cents.

Shortly after this encounter, Maoma would call and request  ice. It would be delivered by Robert Wolfington, a bellboy, at about 6:15. She also tipped him 25 cents. While delivering the ice, Wolfington claimed to have spotted a dark-haired woman dressed in black lounging on the bed.

Corporal Emmanuel Fisher had been running late that evening. He attempted to call Maoma's room at 6:30, but no one answered. He had assumed that since he was running late, she had simply found someone else to go out with for the evening. The two weren't going steady so it wasn't a big deal.

At eight that evening, a house keeper was doing her rounds on the seventh floor of the Claypool hotel. She came to room 729 and knocked on the door. With no response, she unlocked the door so that she could complete the tidying.

In no way was she prepared for the horrendous scene before her eyes. Next to the bed, in a pool of her own blood, was the body half-naked of Maoma Ridings along with a quarter not far from her hand. After rushing to call an operator so that the scene was reported to police, the housekeeper returned to room 729 and laid a sheet over the lower half of the body to preserve the woman's dignity.

Originally, the military had taken control of the investigation, but decided two days later that the case belonged to the Indianapolis Police Department. This complicated matters and it seems that vital evidence, such as finger prints because DNA wasn't being used yet, may have been lost or simply not collected.

Ultimately, after some debate, the cause of death was determined to be a blow to the head. The blow came from the very whiskey bottle that Maoma had purchased earlier in the evening. When an x-ray was taken, no skull fractures were found. There were lacerations on her neck, torso, and wrists. These were believed to have been made from the broken pieces of the whiskey bottle.

The examination revealed that while the jugular had been cut, it had not been severed. Also, the cuts inflicted on the victim's wrist were inflicted post-mortem. Police thought that this may have been done to try to stage the murder to look like a suicide. When the contents of Maoma's stomach was examined, it showed that she had consumed approximately 10 ounces of 100 proof whiskey shortly before her death.

The examination determined that prior to her death Maoma had intercourse. The experts said that they were unable to tell from the body whether or not she had been raped or had consented to the act. Investigators like Saul Raab believed that she had been raped prior to her death. This conclusion mostly came from the violent way in which she was murdered and the fact that she was found nude from the waist down.

Another possible motive other than rape was robbery. While Maoma was known for carrying large sums of money, only 46 cents was found in her room. This would not have been enough to cover the cost of her room at the Claypool.

At this point the investigation takes off and muddles itself very quickly. Police received a note on September 1, 1943 that they originally thought was a clue, but was later believed to just be a publicity seeker. The day after the murder a bloody pair of trousers were dropped off at a dry-cleaners and the shop-worker called police. The pants owner came forward and declared that he got blood on them when he had "a friendly scuffle" with his wife. Little pieces of information continued to pop up and blur the line between fact and fiction.

The Six Suspects

Robert A. Watts:

Wiona Kidd and William Luallen: photographs unavailable

Jack Anderson Wilson (the black dahlia theory):

Marie Simpson (drunk woman): Photograph unavailable 

Robert De Armon: photograph unavaliable

Robert Wolfington (the Bellboy):

As the investigation into Maoma's death continued, investigators ran out of steam quickly. Rumors swirled that the military was not cooperating and sharing information, as if they were trying to cover something up. Meanwhile, the federal government offered FBI lab services because President Roosevelt had been fond of Maoma when she was his nurse while he was being treated for Polio.

The suspect list grew quickly. Some suspects made the list for numerous reasons. Some fit the "profile," while others were in the wrong place at the right time. More bizarrely numerous individuals confessed to the crime and put themselves and others on the list. Stranger yet is the theory that Maoma's killer is the same man that some believe is responsible for The Black Dahlia Murder.

The first suspect that I wanted to talk about is Robert A. Watts. Watts appears to have made the list because he fits the profile and it would have been easy to pin the murder on him. He grew up in the slums of Indianapolis at the time. His father was absent and his mother was a known drunk, according to neighbors. Some would later attribute his long rap sheet to these factors.

Watts confessed to the murders of two Indianapolis women in 1948. These murders were classified as "sex-murders," meaning that the motive was rape. Interestingly, Saul Rabb was the judge for Watt's murder trial. Saul was also one of the head investigators in Maoma's case. The fact that the three murders had involved sexual assault was the connecting factor.

It was revealed upon Watts' arrest that he had a long rap sheet for sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. He was a city employee at the time. His conviction was the driving force behind the city requiring fingerprinting for all of its employees.

When Watts was found guilty of the murder of Mrs. Mary Lois Burney, he was sentenced to death. Hours prior to being put to death in the electric chair, Watts ate a last meal of fried chicken and met with a spiritual advisor. He was also questioned about the murder of Maoma Ridings at the time. He denied any involvement. With nothing to lose, there is no reason for him to not confess.

The next suspect I want to cover is actually a pair. William Luallen and Wiona Kidd had been married and in love, until William was sentenced to serve ten to twenty years for larceny. Upon his sentencing, Wiona filed for divorce.

Fourteen months after the murder of Maoma Ridings, William Luallen confessed to prison officials that he had killed Maoma and his wife had been the woman in black seen in the room at the Claypool. He claimed that they had met Maoma at a few parties on the weekends prior to her death. When he describing the murder to the police, he said that he did not get blood on his clothing, but only on his hands. He stated that he wiped his hands on the back wall of the closet in Room 729 of the Claypool hotel.

Meanwhile, Wiona Kidd had gone back to Knoxville, Tennessee where she was from. At this time Indianapolis Police officers had burglary charges pending against Wiona. Police had already picked Wiona up for the burglary charge. She waived her extradition back to Indiana.

She was quoted as saying "if he knows so much about it, he must have done it himself," when she was asked about what she thought of William's confession. She denied any involvement. William would later withdraw his confession and claim his ex-wife had not involvement. He stated that he didn't want her to be able to run around with other men while he was locked up.

Third possible suspect is the most unlikely in my opinion. Jack Anderson Wilson was not a police named suspect, or at least not that I could find after hours of research. Instead, Wilson has been the subject of many books and the fixation of many authors since his death in 1982.

In numerous books, Wilson has "been tied" to the Cleveland Torso Murders, the murder of Georgette Bauerdorf, The Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short), Maoma Ridings, and numerous others. Some authors even claimed that Wilson was a member of the mob. Wilson became sensationalized and it is as if truth and fiction co-mingle when telling his story.

In the book "Corroborating Evidence," which can be found in the source list for part one, the author claims that Wilson was a cross-dresser. His cross-dressing allowed for him to be the woman in black that had been seen in Maoma's hotel room just shortly before her murder. It seems like a stretch to me, but we will never know. Wilson died in a hotel fire in 1982.

The fourth possible suspect was Marie Simpson. Simpson admitted to the murder during a display of public drunkenness. Marie was charged with vagrancy at the time, so that police would be able to hold her. This charge was meant to discourage homelessness originally, but was often abused during this time. Police often used this charge to hold poor individuals when they were suspects in a different crime.

 She was 27 years old at the time and admitted to knowing Robert Wolfington, one of the Claypool bellboys, for three years. Her confession didn't match the facts or evidence in the case. So she was removed from the suspect list.

The final two suspects are the most compelling in my opinion. If one of these suspects committed the murder, he was not working with the other. I simply saved them for the end because the two were the most heavily questioned.

Robert Wolfington, the 23 year old bellboy, was a suspect of convenience. He was the last person to admit seeing Maoma alive in her room, when he delivered ice to the room. When police went through hotel records and didn't have paperwork for the ice request, Robert was made a formal suspect.

In order to hold Robert, the police charged him with vagrancy. A judge ordered that his bond be set at $2,500. Police officers would end up grilling him in 7 hour intervals without ceasing. It was during this type of interrogation that it was discovered that Wolfington had attempted suicide in the year prior to the murder. The reason for his attempt was the breakdown and eventual end of his marriage.

Police latched on to this information because whoever killed Maoma slit her wrist after her death to make it look like a suicide. It's important to note that Wolfington did not slit his his wrist in his attempt. From my research, it seems like he tried to poison himself.

Eventually, it was established that it was common practice for the bellboys to take room service orders directly, some of the heat was taken off of Wolfington. He had cooperated and been extremely straight-forward with investigators throughout the process. On September 3, 1943, he was released and no longer classified as a "serious" suspect.

Meanwhile, in the background of the newspaper articles, a more sinister suspect lurked. His name was Robert De Armond. The man worked at the hotel as a steward during the day and at a local amusement park in the evenings. On the day that Maoma was murdered he clocked out of the hotel at 3:18pm and didn't arrive for work at the amusement park until 7:34 that evening.

Robert's lack of an alibi is not the only the only thing that made him a compelling suspect. Maoma had intercourse, more than likely was raped, prior to her death. This fit Robert's bill.

Ten years earlier, in 1934, Robert was a 30 year old school teacher at Franklin County Schools. He was married and had a small child. Life was good. That was until, he raped a ten year old girl in Brookville, Indiana. He was tried, convicted,and sentenced to two to twenty years in a state prison.

In 1939, he was transferred from the prison to a state mental hospital to serve his sentence. The superintendent of the facility stated that Robert responded well to treatment, but still showed "marked sexual tendencies." One might speculate that these tendencies either involved rape, violence, or pedophilia. Robert also escaped the same facility during his stay, but was quickly recaptured.

In April of 1943, Robert was released into the custody of his father. His father was required to write and submit reports about him to the state. Robert began working at the Claypool Hotel two months prior to the murder.

He was arrested on September 3, 1943, on vagrancy charges, by the Indianapolis Police Department. He was now 40 years old. The judge set his bail at $1,000. Due to the vagrancy charge, Robert had violated his parole and was going to go back to prison. While in custody, he escaped, but was captured again without incident.

While in custody, Robert was questioned about the murder of Maoma Ridings. It was observed that he had a large cut on his left hand. He could provide no explanation of the cut. When officers questioned him about what he had done between the hours of 3 and 7 that afternoon, he was incoherent and evasive.

Officers even took Robert De Armond back to the Claypool. They asked him to walk them through what he had done on the day of the murder. He refused to take this serious and investigators were frustrated. As of October 1943, he was ruled out as a suspect without explanation. He was never able to account for his time that day.

The murder remains unsolved even today. Maoma Riding's murder most likely will never be solved. Her killer is more than likely dead him or herself. Anyone who has information is still asked to contact police and authorities.

________________Source_______________________

"At Your Leisure: The Downfall of a Landmark." Jeff Kamm. HistoricIndianapolis.com. January 2015. http://historicindianapolis.com/at-your-leisure-the-downfall-of-a-landmark/

"Bellboy Put on the Grill For Seven Hours." The Indianapolis Star. September 1943.

"Coded Letter in Chandelier Offers New WAC Death Clew." The Franklin Evening Star. September 1943. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3002822/clue_found_in_maoma_ridings_case/

"Corroborating Evidence." Rasmussen, William T. 2004. Available for Purchase.

"Divorcee Is Due Today For WAC Murder Quiz." The Indianapolis Star. October 1944.

"Ghost Hunter's Guide to Indianapolis." Page 89. Sankowsky, Lorri. Young, Keri. Pelican Publishing Company 2008. 

"Historic Indianapolis Crimes: Murder and Mystery in the Circle City." Fred D. Cavidner. The Historic Press, 2010. 

"Indiana Unsolved: The 1943 Murder of Cpl. Maoma Ridings at the upscale Claypool Hotel remains 

a mystery." Diana Penner. The Indy Star. October 2013. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2013/10/01/indiana-unsolved-the-1943-murder-of-cpl-maoma-ridings-at-the-upscale-claypool-hotel-remains-a-mystery/2901193/

"Indiana Unsolved: Maoma Ridings Murder at the Claypool Hotel." The Indy Star. October 2013. https://www.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/history/retroindy/2013/10/01/indiana-unsolved-maoma-ridings-murder-at-the-claypool-hotel/2902219/

"Jack Anderson Wilson." The Black Dahlia Murder: The 1947 Murder of Elizabeth Short. http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/jack-anderson-wilson/

"Maoma Little Ridings." Find a Grave.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125470671/maoma-ridings#

"Question Woman of WAC Slaying." The Call-leader Newspaper. Elwood, Indiana. October 1944.

"Sheriff Studies His Confession." Wildhack, William H. The Indianapolis News. October 1944.

"#TBT: August 8, 1943- The Corporal Maoma L. Ridings Murder; Case #24670-A." IMPD NEWS Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/IMPDNews/posts/954165531301345

"The Kingsbury Run Murders: a.k.a The Torso Murders." The Cleveland Police Museum. http://www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org/collections/torso-murders/

"WAC Death Tale Denied." The Times. Munster, Indiana. October 1944.

"Woman Held as Slaying Suspect." The Daily Banner. October 1944. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=TDB19441026-01.1.1

"7 Hotel Mysteries That Will Send Chills Down Your Spine." Janmejai Singh Rathore. Storypick. September 2015. http://www.storypick.com/unsolved-hotel-mysteries/

"Attempt at Suicide by Wolfinton, WAC Slaying Suspect, Is Disclosed." The Indianapolis Star. September 1943.

"Bellhop is Grilled in WAC Slaying." The Franklin Evening Star. September 1943.

"Court Guards Increased as Escape Tip is Given." The Indianapolis News. January 1948.

"'Drunk' Woman Who Admitted to WAC Slaying Is Questioned." The Franklin Evening Star. September 1943.

"Hotel Employe Questioned In Slaying of WAC." The Times. Munster, Indiana. September 1943.

"Jack Anderson Wilson." The Black Dahlia: The 1947 Murder of Elizabeth Short. http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/jack-anderson-wilson/

"Judge Orders Slaying Case to Open Monday." The Indianapolis News. January 1948.

"Murder Mase is Still Big News in Capitol City." The Tipton Daily Tribune. September 1943.

"Paroled Rapist, Sentenced at Brookville, WAC Slaying Suspect." Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. September 1943.

PODCAST:

The Trail Went Cold. Minisode 21. Maoma Ridings.

As always feel free to contact me via email at studyofindianacoldcases@gmail.com. Follow me on twitter @ColdIndiana. If you ever think that you have information related to a case please contact the proper authorities a tip made in good faith is always a positive thing. Thanks for reading and I am sorry that some of your emails did not get replied to, they were sitting in my spam folder for some reason.