Angered, the two robbers woke the family: Herb, 48; his wife, Bonnie, 45; and their two teenage children Nancy, 16, and Kenyon, 15. The agency issued a press release, noting Hickock and Smith were the most likely suspects. He drowned the toddler in this water. The Dardeen Family Murders Morbidology This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal Archive. On November 15, 1959, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock broke into the home of Hetb and Bonnie Clutter in a failed robbery that ended up with the brutal murder. One by one, Kenyon, Nancy, and Bonnie were executed with a shotgun blast to the head. . ", "Did 'In Cold Blood' killers murder Sarasota's Walker family in '59? Deputies were already working hard in the Walker home when the sheriff arrived. He implicated an old girlfriend in his confessions, speaking specifically about her in his confession for the Walker murders. memorial page for Clifford "Cliff" Walker (16 Oct 1934-19 Dec 1959), Find a Grave Memorial ID . 10 Worst Unsolved Mass Murders In US History - Listverse The actual cause of death is unknown, and she could have been shot in the bathtub. Despite this, many still believe that Hickock and Smith are the most likely suspects in the slaying. She had never been able to fully put the case aside. Cliff didnt take the time he would ordinarily take to unload the cattle feed he had bought in town before going inside. He still spoke with the previous detective, who remained convinced Capote's killers were responsible. Evidence is the exact same in both cases. The pair were among the many suspects given a polygraph which they both passed, being dismissed from the inquiry. 4 The Walker Family Murder. The bartender never called again. In He went on a killing spree in 1959, confessing after his capture. For example, in 1994, a woman called the Sarasota County Sheriffs Office and claimed to be a bartender in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. On December 19th, 1959: The entire Walker Family was shot to death as the suspect left the home, Christine walker was home at the time of the attack to fight off her attackers as police believe that she was raped and shot, her husband; Cliff Walker was also shot as he came home along with their three year old son Jimmie and Debbie, who was two years old was drowned in the family's bathtub. The best piece of evidence they obtained was the semen sample left behind from Christines rape, though that kind of bodily fluid was of no use to police in 1959. She settled in and smiled. When she was well, Ella had vocally supported his efforts to find answers. Authorities acted on a lead that connected the 1959 murder of the Walker family with an earlierand much more famouscrime: the slaying of the Clutter family, the very case that inspired Truman Capote's groundbreaking book, In Cold Blood. Eyewitnesses have placed men matching their description in Sarasota that day. The notes for the planned book ran to 8,000 pages. There are countless other rumors about other individuals or groups who could have committed these crimes. The year before, she had convinced a judge in Kansas to exhume the remains of Hickock and Smith to see if their DNA matched an unknown profile in Christine's underwear. However, in 2012, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office once again began to . To be sure, Clark had told Myers, scientists would have to pinpoint Christine's DNA and remove it from the mixture. Finding out who had murdered Christine had consumed his family for decades, and now, with many of them dead or far-flung, it had fallen on him to keep up the pressure. It sounds like his night could have been too busy to carry out the crimes. But you need dedicated detectives primarily working on cold cases, and across the country in law enforcement, we're not seeing that.". And if he didn't push for this, who would? Unable to find a safe, they obliterated all four members of the Clutter family. But national clearance rates have sunk. Could the two men behind the infamous Clutter family murders have killed the Walkers as well? He just wanted someone to write it in a report, to confirm it, to put it to rest. They are also the main suspects for the massacre of the Walker family in Florida a month after the Clutter murders. Unfortunately, the results proved inconclusive. In a recent interview, retired Sarasota Lt. Dario Valente recalled speaking with one of Boyer's chief investigators, who told him that while one of the Kansas killers denied the Walker murders, another confessed. He was shot from a considerable distance as he entered his home. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders He hooked up his horse trailer, loaded his horse, and set off in good spirits for the day ahead. Christine had grown up in one of those households. He was seeking permission to exhume her from her grave. 50 Years After 'In Cold Blood,' a New Look at the Clutter Family Murders Hopes of solving 1959 quadruple murder cold case are dashed as police fail to connect 'In Cold Blood' killers with slain Florida family By Ap Reporter 05:43 14 Aug 2013, updated 09:22 14 Aug 2013 One witness said that the taller of the two men "had a scratched-up face. Giasone wasn't sure why previous leaders didn't pursue additional testing 10 years ago. High among them: The killers made infamous in Truman Capote's true crime classic "In Cold Blood.". It was quiet, which was odd as the family was known to rise early. What started as a robbery ended in the violent deaths of the mother, father, and two teenaged children. A chilling account of two murders with multiple victims. The other two main suspects that people usually bring up are Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who were hanged for the murder of the Clutter familya crime that occured just weeks before the Walker massacre. The husband was stabbed, while the wife was raped and shot. A bloodied high heel shoe was found at the scene, suggesting that Christine fought hard against her attacker, and possibly injured him. As late as the 1990s, police got a tip from a woman that an elderly gentleman she served at a bar had confessed to her about committing the murders. However, like all states, we have seen our fair share of bad folks, including these 10 infamous Kansas serial killers and homicides that won't soon be forgotten. He said the agency remains committed, however long it takes. Here are 10 revelations from the series: 1. "Behind every good woman, there's a good man," he said, as he filled her cup. Smith's tooth returned a female DNA profile - that of the examiner who analyzed the bones. Initial suspects in the case included Daniel McLeod himself, a local by the name of Wilbur Tooker, and a cousin of Cliff by the name of Elbert Walker. Many people at the time thought Christine dressed too provocatively, and because of that, was likely cheating on her husband.(?!?) "It was them, the 'In Cold Blood' killers," he'd said. Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are notorious as the perpetrators of one of the most grisly mass murders of the 20th century: the slaying of four members of the Clutter Family in Kansas in 1959. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. 2023 The Associated Press. On November 15, 1959, Richard Hickock, 28, and Perry Smith, 31, slipped through an unlocked door into Herb and Bonnie Clutter's house and cut the phone lines. Hickock, a car mechanic and father from Kansas, had suffered a severe head injury in a car accident when he was 19. McLeod knocked at the front door, getting increasingly louder as he became more alarmed at the lack of response. The day before, the Walker family had driven into nearby Sarasota to run errands. Within hours, a crush of cars crawled down the shell road just to see where the family had lived. Mystery with local connection captures headlines in 1959 There was no shortage of suspects. Christine was 24. With a little investigation, however, it was determined that so much information had been leaked to the media that any civilian could have that kind of knowledge of the crime. Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders: With Beth Tedrow, Larry Welch, Kevin Bascue, Gwyneth Frack. On the night of the murders, at least seven men had been fishing at a nearby creek. Will genealogy sites help solve cold cases? You are here: Home 1 / avia_transparency_logo 2 / News 3 / interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders June 7, 2022 / lawyers against mcfd / in charlie schlatter leukemia / by They found nothing. On a couch in an adjoining room was 15-year-old Kenyon Neal Clutter, bound, gagged and shot in the head. Alongside the items missing, there was also a significant amount of evidence left at the scene by the culprit. Cliff had threatened to kill him but he had a watertight alibi for the time of the murders. Parking his truck outside the Walker family home on the 100,000 acres Palmer Ranch, McLeod will have noticed the darkness emanating from the house. Perry Edward Smith - Wikipedia The details of their travels came out after their eventual capture in Las Vegas on Dec. 30, 1959, during interviews with investigators and other law enforcement. Did the Clutter Murderers Kill Again? - WSJ However, the best suspect at the time was possibly Curtis McCall, a man described as a troublemaker with a history of violence. Unfortunately, the sheriff noticed when he walked in that several things had been done to contaminate the crime scene. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders They did some grocery shopping, then visited a couple of car lots to look for a new vehicle. Meanwhile, the head of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation told a reporter that, had he been facing a similar situation, "I'd have had an investigator down here weeks ago.". She was at Myers' home when he spoke with the detective on the phone. The Wilbur Tooker theory also holds some merit, but theres just no real evidence for it. That's when she noticed that the supposed suspect's DNA was remarkably similar to Christine's own incomplete DNA sequence, gathered from her dress. Neither of their children ever got an opportunity to go to school or play on a sports team, or kiss a person they loved. Now, this case remains officially unsolved and will likely stay that way forever. In Colder Blood: On the Trail of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith A ranch worker for the Palmer Ranch, McLeod started his morning by getting ready, and then travelling to the home of his coworker Cliff Walker. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders on June 16, 2022 on June 16, 2022 Two suspects. Police never identified a motive, and 587 people were suspects at one time or another. Oct 24, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkZUtJDbwn8. Several problems. "I've got mothers calling me who want to get their sons out of prison. [1] Her husband Cliff, 25, then arrived with their 3-year-old son Jimmie and 1-year-old daughter Debbie. Herbert Clutter, 48, his wife, Bonnie, 45, their daughter, Nancy Mae, 16 and son Kenyon, 15, were bound hand and foot and gagged. Sixty years ago, a prosperous farmer, his wife, and two of their children were murdered in their rural Kansas home in the middle of the night, by a pair of strangers. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. His sister's murder was never far from his mind. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders. McLeod later stated that it was odd . Boyer interviewed suspects in at least five other states. While that book devoted several pages to the Walker case, it dismissed a possible connection to Hickock and Smith, asserting that the two men had an alibi for that day. With the DNA testing in shambles, McGath turned to boot prints. In every direction McGath turned, she was met with blunders and blurred results, common problems in cold cases. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders. There have been minor developments in the case in the years since the scent went cold. Myers had grown up around people devastated by the family's deaths, relatives who also made trips over the years to the sheriff's office, who visited Christine's and Cliff's graves and held them close. Indeed, the Walker family killings are given several pages in In Cold Blood, the author dismissing any connection. After calling out and making further attempts to ascertain the problem, Daniel looked further around the property. Along with Richard Hickock, Smith took part in the burglary and multiple murder at the Clutter . The Walkers were looking for a car. The floors were soaked with their blood. Read on to learn about the Walker Family Murders, who were found brutally murdered in their home on December 20, 1959. Shell casings were found at the site, but the murder weapon was never retrieved. Walker family murders - Wikipedia After committing the "In Cold Blood" murder of Herbert Clutter, his wife and two children on Nov. 15, 1959, Smith and Hickock hit the road, hiding out from law enforcement in Mexico and Florida . The Christmas tragedy that fell on Osprey in 1959 was an unimaginable horror and one that by all rights deserved justice. We saw the caution tape scene. Smith stopped his friend from raping Nancy first but was likely responsible for pulling the trigger on all four killings. When officers arrived, Herb Clutter, 48, lay sprawled on a mattress in the basement, stabbed, his throat slashed and a shotgun charge fired to his head. Cliff and the kids followed a half hour later in his work Jeep. And the day after the murders, in Nocatee, east of Sarasota, three people said they had seen the men, one with a "scratched-up face," seeking U.S. 27, the main road north. The ex-cons thought that the Clutters, who owned River Valley Farm in Holcomb, Kansas, had a safe containing $10,000 in cash in their house. But I dont know. About a month earlier, Smith and Hickock slaughtered the four-member Clutter family in Kansas, creating the tragedy that was immortalized in author Truman Capote's 1966 true . Clutter Family Murders | Garden City Police Department Don McLeod got up at 5:30am on December 20th, 1959 in Osprey, Florida and headed over to his friend Cliff Walkers place so they could go out together to hunt wild hogs. 10 Haunting Unsolved Mass Murders - Listverse For all of the agency's early efforts, even obsession, investigators left stones unturned, resulting in dozens of men in the tiny Sarasota County town living under the frost of suspicion, many until their deaths. Police are said to have investigated Butchs father, but never even spoke to Butch. From grisly serial killers to unsolved mysteries, True Crime Detective is the place. Some were also bludgeoned . Rare photos show the "In Cold Blood" house in Holcomb, Kan., where the Clutter family was murdered was opened to the public in 2006 when the property was put up for sale. The notorious "Bloody Benders" were a German immigrant family who owned both a general store and small inn in the early 1870s in Labette County . Please enter valid email address to continue. 15) Tony von Carruthers: In February of 1994, Tony shot his mother, her teenage associate, and his drug dealer in the Memphis area. She had no hard feelings, she said, but wished the sheriff's office had allowed her to keep pursuing the men. Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkZUtJDbwn8. It was cold, but not expressly so, and he was headed to meet his friend and co-worker Cliff Walker to go hog hunting. Keep in mind that over 500 suspects have been questioned since 1959. He had no criminal record. Through the years there have been almost 600 suspects but to this date, the case remains unsolved. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders These 10 Kansas Serial Killers' Stories Will Chill You To The Bone Cliff, who earned $55 a week managing a herd of deep red cows, wanted to trade in his wife's 1952 Plymouth. [10], The Sheriff's Office admitted that Hickock and Smith had been considered suspects as far back as 1960. Officers found, beneath the car seat, a toddler shirt and a pink jacket that could have matched Christine's dress, as well as an Army gas can and burlap bags that could have come from Cliff's military-style Jeep. Or herself. Chilling crime scene photos within the book. He realized something must be wrong in the house and took the decision to enter, cutting through the screen door. What is the value of solving an older crime versus a newer one? interactive scene of 1959 walker family murdersgriffin park demolishedgriffin park demolished But she was inactivating the case until new testing or evidence could advance it. According to the sheriffs department, the Walkers had been considering buying a car of the exact make and model that Hickock and Smith had stolen. This was a very odd thing to do. interactive scene of 1959 walker family murders 'In Cold Blood' house: Rare photos show home where Clutters were She found it interesting that a car the Walkers were test-driving resembled the 1956 Chevy Bel Air the men had stolen in Kansas and driven to Florida. They were in the area at the time and had already committed one atrocity. The killer put two more bullets in the back of the childs skull. Kimberly McGath in 2013 and last summer. In 2010, however, over 50 years after the crime, the Sarasota County Sheriffs Office took another crack at the Walker family murders case. Months later in 2013, McGath was at her desk in Sarasota reading a report on the DNA from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Kansas authorities, hearing of the Walker murders, suggested Sarasota's sheriff take a look. At another, the cowboy test drove a Hudson Jet. They wondered if this could be some sort of revenge killing. Capote had insisted that the pair had an alibi for the time of the killings. Join Mike and Gibby for this 'Best Of' episode as they discuss the facts of the murders and walk through the various suspects. Yet, the test showed that he was highly likely lying when asked if hed withheld information. Some authorities were positive he was the perpetrator, and throughout the history of this case, he was a favorite suspect for many, although his window of time to commit the crime was small. The Walker family of Osprey, Florida, included father Cliff (25 years old), mother Christine (24 years old), a son named Jimmie (three years old), and a daughter named Debbie (two . Local gossip was that McCall was engaged in an affair with Christine Walker, and he was known to own a .22-caliber gun. This didnt alarm Christine, and logically, the occupant of that car was then known to her, letting them in before being attacked. Cliff, 25, lived with his wife Christine, 24, and their two young children, Jimmie, 3, and Debbie 1. In early January, Myers called Clark and his boss six times with no reply. The relief the 82-year-old felt had come through on the phone. But the killers, who had confessed to the Kansas murders, said they'd never been to Sarasota. A lieutenant told him that Clark had presented the plan to the sheriff. Tennessee has its own rough past, drenched in murderous stories that will keep you locking your doors. After the murder, rumors flew around that Christine was having an affair with Curtis McCall. [6], A serial killer named Emmett Monroe Spencer confessed to the murders, but the confession was discredited by Sarasota County Sheriff Ross Boyer, who labeled Spencer a pathological liar. In any case, a family was wiped out in the most terrible circumstance, and the killings remain yet another dark and unsolved stain in Floridas long and inglorious criminal history. Behind many closed doors, kerosene lamps and frying pans flew. In 2012, their bodies were exhumed to have DNA extracted to . He was photographed outside the house the day the bodies were discovered - with no marks on him, McGath commented. He had also been convicted of attempted rape. Tooker had apparently gone out to dinner, then went to perform in the violin section of the West Coast Symphony Orchestra. So when he called one day in late August 2022, she responded. (Staff Photo by BILLY HEFTON . They were robbed of all the things we bring children into this world to experience, and thats devastating. [2] Jimmie and Debbie were then murdered. Yes! Now, Clark was telling Myers, as he had several times before, that his suspicions lay elsewhere. "The morning of the murders all bus drivers were told to avoid that street due to the caution tape scene. His femur turned up another unknown female profile. He'd opened the place after two decades in the orange groves. Tooker, a 65-year-old retired railroad telegrapher, had made advances on Christine, which she rebuffed. Unsolved murder of two parents and two children in Osprey, Florida, "Did 'In Cold Blood' murderers kill Florida family, too? The surviving relatives of Bonnie Clutter who hated In Cold Blood because it portrayed her as emotionally impaired weren't necessarily just being defensive. But he decided he would wait until something actually happened. Hopes of solving 1959 quadruple murder cold case are dashed as police fail to connect 'In Cold Blood' killers with slain Florida family. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Sarasota Police sent out county deputies to investigate. It doesnt seem like thats what happened to me. The murder is of particular note because it potentially involved the suspects of the murders that inspired the creative non-fiction novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. A day after they were sentenced to death, Hickock and Smith answered questions about the Florida murders while strapped to a mid-century lie detector test. Afterward, he left the bodies in the house and left the scene. Out of ammunition, the killer took the baby to the bathroom and drowned her in the bathtub. However, most unusually, the couples marriage license had been stolen, leading some to suspect that perhaps an old fame of Christines had come to carry out an act of terrible revenge on the young husband and wife. Over the past decade, though, the Walker family murders have taken on another chilling dimension, as the prime suspects are, at present, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. In 2019, Clark was able to test the stain again. Wilbur Tooker, a neighbor of the Walkers, was thought to have an obsession with her. There was a bloody and discarded cowboy boot, a cellophane strip from a cigarette wrapper, and a fingerprint on the bathtub faucet. Perry Smith in the army. [13] Said relative was later proven innocent through DNA testing.[14]. Would he ever get an answer? Only partial DNA had been retrieved, and any conclusions were therefore uncertain. He'd made a promise. The pair shot and killed Herbert Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and two of their children in . Due to the passage of time, only partial samples could be retrieved from the bodies, and these could not be matched to samples taken from the Walker home. The culprits were eventually arrested six weeks after the killings in Las Vegas and ultimately executed by hanging on April 14, 1965. Described as wild, he was violent and boisterous when drunk, many believing him to be mentally unwell. 1959 murder case. On December 19th, 1959, an entire family was found brutally murdered in Florida. Peering through the windows, there was a very dim light on inside. He said . Hickock had once said his philosophy was to "leave no witnesses.". The discovery was interesting as it would be unlikely that a stranger to the area would know the shed. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat. Perry Smith. / AP. In Cold Blood: 1959 Walker family murders still unsolved as police fail Cliff Walker wanted to trade in the family car for a 1956 Chevrolet, a two-tone . Six decades later, one morning last June, Pat Myers hobbled into the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and sank into a seat across from a detective in a crisp white shirt. The Walkers and their two toddlers were murdered on December 19, 1959 in Osprey, Florida. Determined not to leave any witnesses, Smith cut Herb Clutters throat and then shot him. Maggie Murdaugh Facebook. Now . Dick Hickock, Perry Smith: DNA testing doesn't link In Cold Blood One assumption is that he was already waiting for her when she got there and that he was the one who was parked in her usual spot. Two men hanged almost five decades ago for a murder that inspired one of the greatest true-crime novels of all time could soon be unmasked as the perpetrators of another . But evidence suggests that it wasnt too long before the attack began. Both had relatively minor items stolen. Many justice experts recommend prioritizing cases where an arrest can be made. FL FL - Clifford & Christine Walker, both 23, & 2 kids, Osprey, 20 Dec 1959 1. Working at the scene, police began to search the home for evidence and soon discovered that items were missing; some of them seem quite bizarre. But McGath's supervisors shut down her efforts to gather the men's boots from Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab had pulled partial DNA from the men's femurs and teeth. [11] Hickock's and Smith's bodies were exhumed and DNA extracted. Some suspect Stanley Mauck, the man who read the meters for the Walker residence, as he was the same meter reader who serviced the home of another recently murdered family. Another three were seen drinking on the road to the Walkers' house. They were shot one by one. Truman Capote devoted several pages of In Cold Blood to the murder of the Walkers, but ultimately, concluded that Hickock and Smith couldnt have been the killers, as they had alibis. Kansas exhumes bodies of 'In Cold Blood' killers He caught a glimpse of Cliffs wife Christines feet on the floor, toes pointed toward the ceiling.