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.

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

Daniel Reaves, 4 a.m. Hike

On May 3, 2008, Daniel and his girlfriend Sara were having a quiet night in. After seven years together, they were enjoying a date night watching a movie at Sara's house in Madison, Indiana. Sara dosed off at approximately midnight (May 4).

Daniel had been wearing either a light blue or white t-shirt, long tan shorts, and brown suede tennis shoes. He might have been wearing a black, leather-like jacket.

Sara awoke around 4 am on May 4. She had received a text from Daniel saying that he loved her.
Within five minutes of receiving his text, she tried to call him back, but he did not answer. This was the last contact anyone had with Daniel.

A week later, Daniel's 1999 Gold Chrysler Sebring Convertible was found on Green Hill Drive. Greenhill Drive is located near Clifty Falls State Park. The park is a great place for hiking and many students from the local college hike the area during the early fall and spring months.

Daniel was raised in the area and was believed to know the area well. So he was known to have hiked the area in the past. Why would Daniel go hiking at 4 in the morning? It would have been about 42 degrees at this time in the morning and hiking in shorts would be uncomfortable.

The car was not locked when the car was found. Daniel's wallet, credit cards and Identification were found in the vehicle. Meanwhile, his keys and cellphone were not found in the vehicle. Daniel's parents said that it was out of character for Daniel to leave his car unlocked. Daniel would even lock his car even if it was parked in the driveway of their home.

The car was gone through by Indiana State Police crime scene investigators, but no evidence was found in the car that could lead to figuring out what happened to Daniel Reaves.

A search of Clifty Falls State Park was conducted on May 10 of 2008. The park is filled with caves, railroad tunnels, and waterfalls that make the area treacherous. The park covers approximately two square miles.

Authorities found nothing in the park that was tied to Daniel Reaves. They believe that someone knows what happened to Daniel Reaves. Anyone with information is asked to contact one of the following:

Jefferson County Sheriff's Department

812-265-2648

Indiana State Police

812-689-5000

__________________Sources___________________________

"Daniel Reaves: No Clues in Disappearance." Courier Staff Reporter. May 3, 2012. Madison Courier. https://madisoncourier.com/Content/News/News/Article/Daniel-Reaves-No-clues-into-disappearance/178/961/69420

"Daniel Reaves." Indiana State Police. http://www.in.gov/isp/2882.htm

Daniel Reaves. The Charley Project. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/reaves_daniel.html

"Family Still Hopeful 4 Years After Disappearance." RTV6 The Indy Channel. April 30, 2012. http://www.theindychannel.com/news/family-still-hopeful-4-years-after-disappearance

"S. Indiana Man Missing for Nearly 3 Weeks." Radio. WDRB. http://www.wdrb.com/story/8362484/s-indiana-man-missing-for-nearly-3-weeks?clienttype=printable

Weather. https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/madison/indiana/united-states/usin0386/2008/5

Melinda Creech

People don't just disappear. They cannot vanish into thin air. How can no one know when someone was last seen? Most missing person cases have at least a solid last sighting, but not this case. In fact, nothing about this case is solid.

The case of Melinda Creech is that of a 13 year old girl being rebellious. She was trying to grow up too fast. On a September night in 1979, Melinda Creech and male teenager were arrested for trying to steal a motorcycle from a local dealership in Anderson, Indiana.

The boy was taken to an all male facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana; meanwhile, Melinda was taken to a facility in Anderson. Melinda was taken to the Blake house, which was a branch of the Bronnenberg House.

The Bronnenberg house was the last orphanage in Madison County. The Bronnenberg home was in operation until the 1980's. It was located on Mounds Road just East of Anderson. The building was torn down and a new facility built. The new facility still stands and I pass it every day on my morning commute.

It turns out, at the time of Melinda Creech was taken to the Blake house, my aunt worked at the Bronnenberg. She was able to confirm that the girls home was indeed located on the campus on Mounds Road in Anderson, Indiana.

The Blake house was an all girls juvenile facility. There are conflicts between sources. Some sources say the arrest and booking was on September 4, while others claim that it was the 5.

An old police report stated that when police returned to Blake House to talk to Melinda Creech about the attempted burglary, they were unable to locate her. So at some point in the two month window of dropping her off at the Blake House and returning to question her, Melinda had vanished.

No records are avaliable from the juvenile home or the Bronnenberg Home after 1959. These records have not been released because it is believed that the records being provided would violate the privacy of individuals named in the documents.

Shirley Creech told her other children that Melinda had run away from the Blake House in September of 1979. Later in the 1990's, Shirley would tell her family that a badly decomposed body found on the East Coast was that of Melinda. Melinda's brothers and sister were leery to believe their mother. No service was ever held for the girl.

Shirley, who suffered from Dementia, passed away in 2003. As her remaining children cleaned out their mother's home. They made a horrifying discovery.

In a box, letters were found. Three letters from 1990 were found. These letters were correspondence from a New Jersey Police Department. The letters informed Shirley that Melinda's dental records did not match those of the badly decomposed body that had been found.

Why would a mother lie to her children about their sister being found dead? Was she trying to end their hurting for their sister? Or was her motivation something more sinister? It would later come out that Shirley had been abusive to all of her children. This would bring back questions about what really happened to Melinda.

Along with the letters about the remains not belonging to Melinda, there were letters regarding Melinda's arrest and soon-to-happen court dates. Letters were found that advised Melinda's mother to get an attorney on her daughter's behalf and that she, Shirley, would be responsible for the cost. Another letter stated that Melinda's court date would be on of the following days in April of 1980: the 2nd, 8th, or 9th.

The court would not have issued a letter about an upcoming court date if they were aware the child had runaway or was missing from their custody without good cause. So did Melinda really disappear from government custody or did something else happen?

Darryl Creech, Melinda's older brother, began searching again for his sister when he found the letters in his mother's home in 2003. He began posting online asking for information. Soon after, he was put in touch with the Doe Network.

Working with the network, he looked through thousands of composite photographs and sculptures, never finding a match for his sister. Her dental records were given to the network and no matches were made. When this was done, a member of the network encouraged the family approach Madison County Police about "re-opening" the case.

A missing persons report was never filed on Melinda. Police had to start from scratch in 2004. With no solid facts, they had very little to go on. The police took the dental records and entered them into their databases. They also took DNA from the family members in hope of finding a match, sadly to no avail.

So, what do police have to go on? They know that two months after police dropped Melinda off at the Blake House she was no longer there. They don't know if Shirley signed over her parental rights so that she would not have to deal with a delinquent daughter or a debt to the state. They know that the boy she was arrested with never saw her again.

Melinda's remaining family has relocated to Oklahoma and no longer comments on the case.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Madison County Police Department at (765)646-4017 or (765) 646-4014.

(Photo on the left is an actual photo of Melinda. The photo on the right is an age progression.)

_____________________Sources________________________________________

"Anderson Missing-Teen Case Reopened After New Discovery-Mother lied about Finding Girl's Body." The Associated Press. The Journal Gazette. September 6, 2004. http://www.doenetwork.org/media/news172.html

"Indiana Missing: Girl Disappeared From Anderson Juvenile Detention Center." Kristine Guerra. January 7, 2014. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/01/07/indiana-missing-girl-disappeared-from-anderson-juvenile-detention-center/4357865/

Interview: November 6, 2017. Former Bronnenberg Employee.

Melinda's Candle. March 2007. Darryl Creech. http://www.oocities.org/mindyscandle/

"Melinda Creech." Whereaboutsstillunknown. https://whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/melinda-creech/

Melinda Creech. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. http://api.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1036765/1

Melinda Karen Creech. The Charley Project. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/creech_melinda.html

The Bronnenberg Children's Home. Digital Archive of the Anderson Public Library. https://digital.library.in.gov/Record/ISL_p1819coll7-178

April Marie Tinsley

When I first found out I was pregnant with my oldest child, I immediately wanted a girl. I knew her name from the moment those two lines appeared to me. Her middle name was going to be Marie. Maybe that was part of the reason this case hit me so hard, or maybe it was because this case is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Like most Good Fridays in Indiana, the Good Friday of 1988, was chilly only in the mid to low forties. The chilly weather never stops the children from going out to play. It is the time of year when the kids have become restless and want to run around outside unhindered by their bulky winter coats.

That year Good Friday fell on April 1. A small eight-year-old girl asked permission from her mother to walk to a friend’s home. This little girl was April Marie Tinsley. April lived on the 300 block of West Williams Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was going to walk to a friend’s house in the 2300 block of Hoagland Avenue. According to sources, she was going to retrieve her umbrella, which had been left there previously. 

An hour after April departed from her home; dinner was ready and April’s mother, Janet, had begun to worry because April had not returned home. Within the hour, a missing person’s report was filed. That evening, more than one hundred people, including police and civilians, mounted a search for April in the area surrounding her home.

While searching the area, police found a witness. The witness stated that April had been pulled into a truck by a man in his 30’s. Some accounts say that the truck was light colored while others say that the witness claimed it was dark. The witness helped the police create a composite sketch of the perpetrator.

Those searching would make no progress. Three days later on April 4, in neighboring DeKalb County, a jogger came across the body of April Tinsley. No attempt at hiding the body was made. Instead, the girl’s clothed body was in the open.

An autopsy would reveal that the small girl had died two days before the jogger discovered her body. The cause of death was suffocation and she had been raped. DNA was found with the body and was ran against all existing databases the police had access to at the time.  It is theorized that since the body had not been discovered earlier, it had to have been placed on the side of the road sometime in the late hours of April 3 or in the early morning hours of April 4.  

The case would grow cold. People began to slip back into daily life, but the case was still alive and well in the minds of the Fort Wayne Detectives. For two years, no progress was made in the case. When they received a call from someone about a graffiti on a barn, they never expected the two would be linked. That was until they saw the message.

A teenager had claimed he had seen a man writing on the barn, which prompted the call to Police. The message was allegedly written in three media: pencil, crayon, and permanent marker. This message appeared shortly after a local paper had run a story on the two-year anniversary of April’s disappearance. The message claimed the writer was responsible for the murder and rape of April. Along with message, the perpetrator left behind his DNA.

The case then went cold again, with no new action for fourteen years. In 2004, notes began to appear in the Fort Wayne area. In total, four notes were found. Two of the notes were found on little girls’ bicycles. Another one was found in the basket of a little girl’s bike. The final note was placed in a mailbox.

The notes that were placed with the bicycles were all discovered by little girls; meanwhile, the note in the mailbox was discovered by a letter carrier before the girl could get the mail. Every note was inside a Ziploc bag and written on yellow legal pad paper. Every note began with the phrase “Hi Honey” and had some version of I have been watching you. One note in particular, stated that if it was not on the local news the writer would blow up the child’s house.

Along with these letters some other things were found. With one of the notes a used condom was found. The DNA taken from the condom matched that found at the barn where the message was written and on April’s body. Polaroid photographs were also found with some of the notes. The photographs depicted a naked white male masturbating. The photos were disturbing.

 

The photo above shows a bedspread from one of the polaroid photographs. Authorities released it in hopes that someone might be able to identify the bedspread. Police went to local hotels and bedding stores in search of the blanket in the photograph. The pattern is similar to those often seen in cheap hotels.

In 2009, five years after the notes were left Fort Wayne police began to work more closely with the FBI. The FBI brought in experts from the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Unit (CARD). This unit is divided into teams that are made up of behavioral analysists, crime against children specialists, coordinators from the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes and persons from the violent criminal apprehension program.

The same year April Tinsley’s case would be featured on America’s Most Wanted, hosted by John Walsh, for the first time. During this time, the FBI released their full profile of the suspect to the public. Authorities set up a hotline that the public could call in order to hear the full description. It was believed the man was probably not a parent. He more than likely befriended people with children and was seen as being good with children. Sometimes, he might be perceived as overly friendly.

Again, the case would grow cold after it received more than 50 tips thanks to America’s Most Wanted. The suspect list for the case was made up of over 600 people. America’s most wanted revisited Fort Wayne and the April Tinsley case in 2012.The FBI also released this map relating to April's case while working with America's Most Wanted. 

When covering the case this time, America’s Most Wanted were told of a piece of information the police had never released to the public. When April’s body was found a crude sex toy was found near the body. The object had been wrapped in a sears bag and had DNA on it. This information led to new outrage among the community over the case, but sadly leading nowhere.

New hope would spring up in 2015. A company called Parabon offered its services to the Fort Wayne Police Department. The department jumped at the offer. Parabon has a tool that they call Snapshot.

Snapshot uses the genetic traits that are found in DNA to produce the physical characteristics of an individual. From just nanograms of DNA, they are able to tell eye, hair, and skin color. The limitation is that they are unable to tell the height, weight, or age of the individual whose DNA has been tested. 

 In 2016, Parabon partnered with the Fort Wayne Police released this DNA composite sketch. From the DNA, they knew the suspect had brown or black hair, hazel or green eyes, and a bone structure similar to the one in the sketch above. A forensic artist took the information from the computer program and produced this sketch. The sketch on the left would have been the suspect at the time of April’s abduction going off the age the witness gave to police. The face on the right is supposed to show the age progression of the suspect on the left.

This technology led to the arrest and conviction in a double-murder out of North Carolina in 2017. The suspect had previously been cleared and taken off the list of suspects until the parabon sketch was produced in that case.

The Snapshot sketch provided by Parabon allowed the Fort Wayne authorities to narrow the suspect list. It went from having 600 suspects to having between 120 and 150 persons of interest.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the authorities. You can contact the Fort Wayne Police Department with information regarding the April Tinsley case at (260) 427-1222.

As a way to honor April’s memory, in 2012, her neighborhood constructed a memorial garden for her. Her mother receives comfort knowing that April’s little brother shares many of the same mannerisms that her daughter possessed. Even almost 30 years later, a community and family deserves answers.

____________________Sources________________________________________

WANE TV NEWS Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57R9Y57yu8M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIww37p5aRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSf1moc92nc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm4Fpu2fpoQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dcjtt2B54Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiT83ed3aTk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfF2L8ITc-M

Podcast:

True Crime Garage. Episode 7. “April Tinsley.” Available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.

True Crime Guy. “A Monster in Fort Wayne; The Murder of April Marie Tinsley.” http://truecrimeguy.com/april-marie-tinsley/

Articles:

“April Tinsley Kidnapping and Murder Still Baffles Police.” Traciy Reyes. The Inquistr. July 5, 2015. https://www.inquisitr.com/2227504/april-tinsley-disappearance-and-murder-still-baffles-police/

“Cold Case Heats Up: Help Solve 1988 Murder, Part 1.” The FBI. April 3, 2009. https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/april/tinsley_040309

“Help Us Solve These Crimes: April Tinsley.” The Fort Wayne Police Department. July 5, 2016. http://www.fwpd.org/help_us_solve/april-tinsley-investigation/

“Hitting the Airwaves, Help Solve Cold Case, Part 2.” The FBI. April 14, 2009. https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/april/amw_041409-part-2

“In Search of a Killer. Help Solve Cold Case, Part 3.” The FBI. May 19, 2009. https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2009/may/april-tinsley-murder-pt.-3

“New Forensic DNA Analysis Produces Image of Cold-Case Killer at Large.” Andrea Isom. Crime Watch Daily. June 2, 2016. October 16, 2017. https://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/05/02/young-girl-murdered-police-receive-series-of-disturbing-taunts/

“Parabon’s DNA Phenotyping had Crucial Role in North Carolina Double-Murder Arrest, Conviction.” Seth Augenstein. Forensic Magazine. January 5, 2017. October 20, 2017. https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2017/01/parabons-dna-phenotyping-had-crucial-role-north-carolina-double-murder-arrest-conviction

“Police Release Updated Rendering of Suspected Tinsley Killer.” WANE Staff Reporters. May 3, 2016. http://wane.com/2016/05/03/police-release-updated-rendering-of-suspected-tinsley-killer/

” Putting a Face to DNA: How New Tech Gives Hope in Cold Cases.” Kate Snow. NBC NEWS. June 30, 2015. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dna-mugshot-how-new-tech-gives-hope-cold-cases-n384771