(composite sketch of the suspect)
On March 3, 1989 in the
early morning hours, in Northern Indiana, two women were working as
night clerks at Days Inns located on I-65. Mary Margaret Gill was
working at the Merrillville location; meanwhile, Jeanne Gilbert was
working at the location near Remington.
Mary Gill was 24 and
full life. She lived in the rural area near the Days Inn where she
worked. Just after 2:30 in the morning, a heinous predator entered the
Days Inn near Us 30 on Interstate 65. The man robbed Mary of $179. Mary
was taken to a remote area of the second floor where she was shot in the
head twice.
Fifty-two miles south of
the Days Inn where Mary worked, was the Days Inn location near
Remington where Jeanne Gilbert was working that cold March night.
Gilbert was a divorced mother of two. She was going back to school and
trying to build a life for her and her children. Close to four hours
after the murder of Mary Gill, it is believed that the same man entered
the Days Inn where Gilbert was working.
(
Image shows both Days Inn locations on the map in relation to I-65)
This time the
robber-turned-murderer took $247 and Jeanne Gilbert. Her body was found
on rural road not far from the Days Inn. Many individuals have said the
body was about fifteen minutes from the Inn. The image below shows the
general area where her remains where found.
Upon further
examination, it was discovered that both women had been sexually
assaulted and shot with the same .22 caliber firearm. DNA was collected.
With the lack of organized national databases at the time, the DNA did
not reveal any matches. Three departments have been working the case
since the beginning; the Merrillville Police Department, the Jasper
County Sheriff's Department, and the Indiana State Police. Dan Demmon
was the Chief of Police and lead investigator for the Merrillville force
at the time the murders took place. 1989 was a year of dead
ends for investigators.
They looked heavily into three suspects. One was
in Pennsylvania, while another was in St. Louis. Sadly, no substantial
evidence was found to link the suspects to the murders. The $20,000
reward was made available by Nights Out Inc., and the Northwest Indiana
District Council of Carpenters the same year the murders took place.
Investigators looked at two other hotel slayings that were/are believed
to be linked. Two more, one in Florence, Kentucky and the other in
Rockford Kentucky. Both victims were night clerks at motels. Both
victims were robbed then shot in the head, but this time with a .44
caliber.
Progress was gained in
the 1990's. In mid-1991, a man from Michigan was the number one suspect
and was even confirmed by a witness during a police lineup. The major
problem with this is, the DNA sample the suspect gave did not match the
samples taken from either victim. Police never released the identity of
this suspect for obvious reasons. If they were unable to prove his
guilt, it would quickly result in a defamation suite.
The same year the police
looked to find links to slayings in the Southwest. These murders
occurred in July of 1989. The perpetrators in these slayings had been in
custody at the time of the March 3, 1989 slayings in Indiana.
The lack of results in
this case has been very disheartening for many investigators in Jasper
County as it is considered to be the only major crime that occurred
there that hasn't been solved. Over 38 people have been interviewed as
persons of interest in Gilbert's murder.
In April of 2010, a new
link was found. DNA from the two Days Inn Murders from 1989 was matched
to a murder of a woman in Elizabethtown, Kentucky in 1987. The victim
was Vicki Heath. She was 38 and worked as a clerk at the Super 8 hotel.
Her body was found on February 21 behind the dumpster at the hotel. Like
the other two victims, she was sexually assaulted and shot in the head,
but with a .38 caliber firearm rather than a .22. This connection was
made possible by new, more accurate technology.
This new technology also
linked an assault to these murders. An assault that occurred in
Columbus, Indiana resulted in DNA that matched the murders. The woman in
this case worked at a Days Inn was attacked at knife point on January
2, 1990. This assault and the victim's survival resulted in the
composite sketch at the top of this chapter. With no new crimes matching
DNA, it is believed the perpetrator is either incarcerated or dead.
Jeanne Gilbert's family
would honor her by putting her name and a birthday message in their
local paper every year on her birthday. Her father believes that police
have the wrong idea. Instead of a drifter, he believes that the murderer
knew both victims and is just sitting around watching and thinking they
got away with it. Gilbert's children are now adults and have their own
children.
Both Days Inn locations
increased security after the slayings. Mary Gill's family at one point
in time filed a wrongful death suite against the company because they
believed the company did not practice due diligence. Gilbert's family
would never comment on whether or not they had filed a suite. Gill's
family was also in talks with the television show Unsolved Mysteries in order to spread the word to hopefully drum up new leads.
Tips still come in on a monthly basis for this case. Individuals with information are encouraged to call or report any tips.
Indiana State Police
District Investigative Commander
1550 East 181 Ave.
Lowell, IN. 46356
1-219-696-6242 or 1-800-552-8917
_________________Sources___________________________________
"GILL, GILBERT: 'Days Inn Murders' Remain Unsolved." The Times: Northwest Indiana. Susan
Erler. November 30, 2009.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gill-gilbert-days-inn-murders-remain-unsolved/article_0db68b34-42b0-5722-844f-0cc41a4e5e0c.html
"Jeanne Gilbert." Indiana Case Overview. Indiana State Police. http://www.in.gov/isp/2925.htm
"Leads Sifted In Slaying At 2 Motels." The Chicago Tribune. Robert Koziol. May 31, 1989. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-05-31/news/8902050617_1_slayings-motel-desk-clerks
"New Connection Found in Cold Case." Rensselaer Republican. Amber
Tomlinson. April 5, 2010.
http://www.newsbug.info/rensselaer_republican/news/new-connection-found-in-cold-case/article_44409731-1cc0-559b-86cb-310ded8cff5e.html
"7 years, No Arrest in Motel Murders" The Times: Northwest Indiana. Meg
Murphey. March 3, 1996.
http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/years-no-arrest-in-motel-murders/article_e88c9072-7ecd-5e14-96f4-93ff6bbb4849.html
