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The Haunted Librarian

~ Researching, investigating, and writing about the paranormal.

The Haunted Librarian

Category Archives: Unsolved Mysteries

Missing Sodder Children

11 Monday Apr 2022

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Haunted West Virginia, Unsolved Mysteries, west virginia

≈ 2 Comments

Christmas Eve 1946, Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Giorgio “George” and Jennie Sodder emigrated separately from Italy but found love in Smithers, West Virginia. They had 10 children and built a better life by moving to Fayetteville, settling on Route 16. With their older son serving in the military, the family of 11 (9 kids plus George and Jennie) celebrated Christmas Eve by opening a few gifts and tucking in early. Five of the children slept upstairs in two rooms. The three older children fell asleep downstairs near the Christmas tree. George and Jennie retired to their bedroom with the 2-year-old toddler, Sylvia. Nothing seemed amiss until a fire broke out at 1 am.

Reflecting back, there might have been signs of trouble brewing. George was an outspoken Italian who provided lively commentary about the recent downfall of the Italian monarchy. He was not a fan of “Il Duce,” Benito Mussolini, killed the year prior. Witnesses retold a heated argument George had with a life insurance salesman, who left casting an ominous threat: You will regret not purchasing the policies as your house will burn and your children shall perish. And just that evening, Jennie answered a telephone call shortly after midnight where a female asked to speak with a man who did not reside at the home. Jennie hung up noticing the unlocked front door and the downstairs lights still on. She closed up and returned to bed.

And then there were a series of failures when the fire erupted. George, Jr. (16), Marion (17), and John (23) easily escaped, as did George and Jennie carrying Sylvia. Stories differ as to how many people attempted to contact the fire department. One of the children ran to the neighbor’s house to call. No one answered. Another neighbor may have also tried. Again, no response.

George was desperate to reach the second floor. He couldn’t find the ladder. He devised a plan to drive one of his trucks to the house and then jump into a second story window. Neither truck would start. Panicked, the family watched as the fire blazed for 45 minutes. Still, the fire department had not arrived.

The fire burned itself out by the time the fire department arrived on scene at 8 am—nearly 7 hours after the fire started. The family began to grieve as it seemed obvious that the 5 remaining children perished in the flames.

But had they?

No human remains were found. Theories, however, began to circulate. One neighbor claimed that s/he saw a car carry the children off. As press reports ran about the strange disappearance of Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5), people outside of the area reported seeing them. A motel owner contacted police about a shy Italian family with 5 kids who matched their descriptions. Some pondered whether the mafia was involved. Wondered if the children had been taken back to Italy to live in an orphanage. Police investigated, but no evidence was uncovered. No children were found.

Once the police began a proper investigation, probably too late to be of value, they discovered that the telephone line was cut, as were the power lines. Fire Chief F.J. Morris explained the 7-hour delay in arriving. The firemen did not sleep at the station. Instead, a telephone tree was initiated when there were emergencies after hours. It took 6 ½ hours to round up a crew. The final police report listed the 5 children as dying in the fire. Their date of death was Christmas Day, December 25, 1946.

The surviving Sodder family grieved. They hired Private Investigator C.C. Tinsley. He uncovered that the salesman was a member of the coroner’s jury. Tinsley heard a rumor of a box with a human heart dug up during the investigation. He tracked down the source: Fire Chief Morris, who fessed up to burying the box hoping the family could move on in their grief. The organ was dissected; it was a beef liver. Not human.

George brought in fill dirt, and the family created a memorial. The dirt was processed, and a few human bones were discovered. However, it was not hardly enough for one child, let alone 5. Jennie was determined to challenge the police report. She researched the amount of heat required to burn a human body to ash. It became clear that the fire had not been hot enough, nor did it burn long enough. The children’s remains were not there.

In 1952, George and Jennie erected a large billboard offering a $5,000 reward. Over the years, the reward grew to $10,000. The family never had to pay out a reward. The children were never found.

Hope resurfaced in 1968. Jennie received an envelope addressed solely to her. It had a Kentucky postmark. Inside was a photograph of a young man. On the back was scrawled, “Louis Sodder, I love brother Frankie, Ilit boys, A90132 or 35.” The family hired another private investigator, located in Kentucky as not to draw media attention.

The PI took their money and disappeared. No man was found. George and Jennie updated the billboard and added the image. Still, the reward remained unclaimed.

Decades passed; people drove past the billboard retelling the tale of five missing children. George died in 1969; Jennie died in 1989. The surviving children grew up but never stopped searching. The youngest, Sylvia, was the last remaining child. Sadly, she died in 2021 at the age of 79.

Today, the billboard no longer exists. A private Facebook, Sodder Children. What Happened to Them?, (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1517621841830429) was created.

Will this mystery ever be solved? I think it may. With the advancement of DNA processing and more people uploading their samples, the mystery may be resolved. Should a descendent upload his/her DNA, it would be linked to other family members. This premise relies on Sodder ancestors uploading DNA profiles.

This tragic mystery hits close to home. My father’s maternal line was part of the Fayetteville community. When West Virginia was annexed from Virginia, the family was granted land and settled in the area. I have friends and family still in the region. I’m sifting through my DNA matches to see if there are any links to the Sodder family. It is a massive undertaking.

I’m drawn to this tragedy. I pray that the descendants ultimately find out what happened all those years ago.

To hear more about this case and three similar unsolved murders, check out Ghost Education 101 on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/GhostEducation101. I gave a presentation on March 30.

The Grimes Sisters: An Unsolved Cold Case

06 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Not Haunted, Unsolved Murders, Unsolved Mysteries

≈ Comments Off on The Grimes Sisters: An Unsolved Cold Case

Tags

Barbara Grimes, Bonnie Leigh Scott, Charles LeRoy Melquist, Edward Bennie Bedwell, Max Fleig, Patricia Grimes, Walter Kranz, William Willingham

The Grimes sisters

Barbara and Patricia Grimes were huge Elvis Presley fans. They had already seen his new film Love Me Tender 11 times. On December 28, 1956, the sisters sat through two screenings before heading home. Somewhere along the way, they were abducted, never to be seen alive again. This is one of America’s unsolved murders: A gruesome double murder of two young females.

So much remains unknown about this case. Their nude and frozen remains were discovered on January 22, 1957. An unseasonably hot spell came over the Chicago, Illinois area causing the snow to melt, revealing the bodies. If not for the change in weather, their bodies may have lay for months or even years.

Photograph from crime scene

Coroners were unable to answer several questions regarding the cause of death. They remained at odds over several details. Ultimately, the deaths were listed as “murder, secondary shock.” They theorized that the sisters died shortly after their abduction. The stomach contents consisted of remnants eaten on December 28th. Although the cause was not ascertained, the medical experts eliminated other causes.

For instance, they sisters were not stabbed or physically injured. While Barbara had sexual intercourse prior to her death, she and Patricia were not sexually violated. They were killed at different location and dumped along German Church Road near Devil’s Creek. Date unknown.

Interviews reached into the thousands, with several individuals held for further questioning. Edward “Bennie” Bedwell, age 21, was a semi-literate drifter who possibly resembled Elvis. He confessed to killing the sisters with William Willingham, Jr. Bennie claimed that he and William fed the girls hot dogs and then beat them to death. Based on the evidence, his story did not hold up. He was released.

Edward “Bennie” Bedwell with his mother
William Willingham, Jr.

Max Fleig, age 17, also confessed. Like Bennie, his story did not match up to the facts of the case. He, too, was released.

Walter Kranz was a 53-year-old steamfitter who had psychic abilities. He contacted the police after having a dream showing him how the girls were killed. He quickly became a person of interest. However, there wasn’t any evidence to detain him.

Years later, another individual came to light. Charles LeRoy Melquist was a 23-year-old stone worker. Two years after the disappearance and murder of the Grimes sisters, Melquist was arrested for killing Bonnie Leigh Scott, age 15. Melquist was not a master criminal. No, he was another inept criminal.

Bonnie was a sophomore at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school district includes Addison, where Bonnie lived. Bonnie’s parents were divorcing; therefore, she resided with her Aunt Jean and Uncle Robert Schwolow, along with their 15-year-old daughter Sue and grandmother Doris Hitchins. She was last at 6:30 pm on September 22, 1958. Melquist contacted police claiming to be a witness to Bonnie Leigh’s abduction.  

Bonnie Leigh Scott
Charles LeRoy Melquist

Bonnie’s nude and decapitated body was discovered on November 15, 1958. Police brought Melquist in for another voluntary interview. While he was with one group of detectives, police officers were executing a search warrant on his 1958 silver Chevrolet. They found enough evidence to charge him. Melquist wrote out a 7-page confession. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison but served only 11 years.

Bonnie’s body was dumped a few miles from where the Grimes sisters were found 2 years prior. Because of the location and broad similarities in the cases, people have theorized that Melquist may have gotten away with additional murders. Further, he did resemble Elvis—but that wasn’t difficult given Elvis’ popularity. To be clear, the basis for the connection is very thin and a stretch. A very long stretch.

Joseph and Lorretta Grimes died without knowing who committed these heinous murders. Sadly, the deaths of Barbara and Patricia were not the first instance of a child predeceasing Joseph and Lorretta. Older sister Leona Grimes Freck died at the age of 26 in 1954. Three children remained: Shirley, Theresa, and Joseph James.

Side note: There are a couple of pronounced errors online. The mother’s name is spelt Lorretta. There are 2 Rs. The other relates to Patricia’s age at the time of her murder. Patricia was born on December 31, 1943. She was 12 years old at the time she disappeared. Even though her remains were found in January the following year, her age is listed as 12. This is because coroners were unable to determined when she died but theorized based on her stomach contents that it was before her birthday. Further, there wasn’t any evidence to suggest that the girls were held captive.

This case is a reminder that there are many unsolved murders in America. In a 2019 NPR story, it was reported that there were 250,000 unsolved murders per year in America, with 6,000 added annually. The FBI estimates that 40% of homicides go unsolved. These are terrifying numbers!

For more information on this case or 3 additional unsolved murders/disappearances, please see my presentation on Ghost Education 101, https://m.facebook.com/GhostEducation101/posts/293007789193183?locale=ne_NP. Scroll down to find the video.

For Halloween, Read Shirley Jackson

29 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Books, Movies, Unsolved Mysteries

≈ Comments Off on For Halloween, Read Shirley Jackson

Tags

Paula Jean Weldon, The Haunting, The Haunting of Hill House, The Lottery

Jackson with the book covers of various books.

American writer Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (1948) is studied in nearly every public high school in the U.S. The short story was published on June 26, 1948, in The New Yorker, and generated so much hate mail, that the magazine had parcels sent up to Jackson. Although Jackson lived her adult life struggling with severe anxiety and depression, she is one of America’s premier American Gothic writers. Her stories remain popular, with several adaptations produced. For Halloween, read one—or more—of her stories.

Shirley Hardie Jackson’s stories are dissected and studied, as is her unhappy and albeit short life. Shirley was born on December 14, 1916, in San Francisco. Her relationship with her mother, Geraldine, was acrimonious and strained. Jackson fled to Syracuse University, graduating in 1940. Shortly thereafter, Jackson married Stanley Edgar Hyman, replacing her mother’s verbal abuse with his infidelity. They had 4 children. On August 8, 1965, Jackson died unexpectedly from heart failure at the age of 48. Her journal entries provide much insight into her struggle with mental illness. However, it seemed she may have been turning a new corner and writing in a new genre at the time of her death.

Jackson with her 4 children.

Jackson’s legacy is her writings. She considered herself a “practicing amateur witch” and was curious about witchcraft. Her most well-known novel is probably The Haunting of Hill House (1959) which was made into 2 full-length motion pictures and adapted into the 10-episode Netflix series created by Mike Flanagan in 2018. (Note: Start with the 1963 movie titled The Haunting and work from there.) I’m drawn to 2 lesser-known stories: Hangsaman (1951) and “The Missing Girl” (1957).

Jackson’s most well-known work is probably The Haunting of Hill House (1957). Here are 3 adaptations: The Haunting (1963), The Haunting (1999), and The Haunting of Hill House (2018).

Jackson begrudgingly accepted her open marriage to Hyman. His infidelity is notorious; however, there is much speculation that he had numerous affairs with students while employed as a faculty member. He taught at Bennington College in Vermont. Bennington was founded as a liberal arts, all-female college in 1932. In 1969, it became coeducational.

Both stories touch upon the mysterious disappearance of Paula Jean Weldon, a sophomore at Bennington College who went for a hike and never returned. Weldon was born on October 19, 1928 and declared dead as of December 1, 1946. Her body has never been discovered. During the span 1946-1950, at least 4 other people disappeared. In 1992, Joseph A. Citro coined the term “Bennington Triangle” to include these disappearances and other folklore.

Missing Person flyer for Paula Jean Weldon in 1946.

Ghost stories and horror stories are part of our Halloween tradition. This year, read a story you haven’t read before. Start with one of Jackson’s.

Read “The Lottery” here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery

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Archer Paranormal Investigations

Archer Paranormal Investigations

The Haunted Librarian

Gainesville, Florida

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