WI WI - Evelyn Hartley, 15, La Crosse, 24 Oct 1953

Duh!! Forgot about how old this case is:) hopefully her siblings will change their mind and there might be a match someday--having no closure would make me crazy!
 
I know she wasn't Gein's usual type. But just knowing that he was only 2 blocks away from her the night she went missing--that makes me shudder. I think he might be the one responsible for her death.
 
Why don't they want to give DNA? I have never heard of anything so stupid.

I can't speak for them of course, nor do I understand really either, but many decades had passed before DNA testing became available and they're all elderly. I don't think they feel they can handle it, or have completely moved on with their lives to the point that they would rather pretend it never happened. MOO.
 
What proof do we have that Gein was blocks away on the night of the murder? I've seen that stated in many accounts but they never give any evidence to back it up. Maybe someone has seen a more comprehensive report that tells why this is considered a certainty.
 
I have never read any proof Gein was nearby that night. I just don't feel he did it.
It also bugs me the siblings will not give DNA. But I can understand they have their reasons.Then again maybe they have by now and it never made the news. Not much has been written about Evelyn's case in many years now.
 
What proof do we have that Gein was blocks away on the night of the murder? I've seen that stated in many accounts but they never give any evidence to back it up. Maybe someone has seen a more comprehensive report that tells why this is considered a certainty.

iirc - there was a judge who wrote a book about it and made that claim but it wasn't substantiated by anyone, including gein who claimed he was nowhere near there. in fact, the idea that he was visiting relatives seems far-fetched given who he was.
 
Exactly. It was just that judge's opinion and there was no proof. As you said, Gein himself stated he was not in La Crosse, he was at his farm in Plainfield when Evelyn was abducted. Of course it is hard to believe anything he said, but I still do not feel Gein was involved. I believe I read in the book "Where's Evelyn" that his nearest relative lived in Onalaska. which is only a few miles north, but not 2 blocks like some accounts say.
 
iirc - there was a judge who wrote a book about it and made that claim but it wasn't substantiated by anyone, including gein who claimed he was nowhere near there. in fact, the idea that he was visiting relatives seems far-fetched given who he was.

Yeah, that always seemed off to me too, him visiting family. He was a hermit.
 
What proof do we have that Gein was blocks away on the night of the murder? I've seen that stated in many accounts but they never give any evidence to back it up. Maybe someone has seen a more comprehensive report that tells why this is considered a certainty.

I don't believe I have ever seen anything to substantiate that Gein was within blocks of Evelyn on the night she disappeared. That's just something I felt was possible since I read it in several accounts.

I don't feel Gein was involved with Evelyn's disappearance. JMO
 
iirc - there was a judge who wrote a book about it and made that claim but it wasn't substantiated by anyone, including gein who claimed he was nowhere near there. in fact, the idea that he was visiting relatives seems far-fetched given who he was.

Since he was born in La Crosse Ive always assumed someone started that rumor to "spice" things up a little.

What relatives was he supposed to be staying with? His father was adopted by a family that wanted nothing to do with him and his mother had long since cut ties to her family so I dont get who he was meant to be staying with?

Breaking into someones house and taking a screaming, kicking girl that was bigger than he was just wasnt his thing - which is why he liked dead people.
 
o/t, but why did the the family who adopted gein's dad want nothing to do with him?
 
Did we know a traveling salesman was arrested at one point?

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yRFFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ArsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6245,2888216&dq=lacrosse+evelyn-hartley&hl=en

Bernard Lauer, 45 at the time. He was arrested for raping a house wife and sold roofing and siding supplies (....would this explain the weird markings on the clothing, maybe he did roofs on the side?). His wife Cecilia was questioned, provided an alibi and broke down and couldn't answer any more questions. His wife said they were at a rest home at Eagleton at the time Evelyn disappeared and they left to go home at 7:30. Shaky alibi at best, wouldn't pass today. What's a rest home, a hotel? We've seen women cover for their men in the past. Lordy.

Lauer's territory included La Crosse, so reason to be in the area. He was from Eau Claire.

Also at the time the people heard the screams someone's dog growled and ran to the widow.

Have we read this article before, this Bernard guy is really suspicious to me. I don't trust the alibi.

Also in the article a mysterious car was impounded and may have had blood evidence.
 
I'm going to ask the genealogists if they can find info on him and his wife.
 
Ok I couldn't find this guy and his wife being discussed here before. I really, really get a good feeling about this.

Motive? Obvious. Not robbery.

Have we seen husband and wife teams target kids? Yes, the Garridos. The Homolkas. Reasonable to assume this happened in the 50s.

This MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. Let's look at our lingering questions.

How did they get in? Wife went to door, who would be threatened by a lone woman? Husband waits in the shadows by the basement window, may or may not have gone in the house. Before wife goes to door they plan out exit strategy, hence the pry marks. Wife or husband attacks Evelyn, wife leads Evelyn out basement window and husband pulls her out - any witnesses would have seen only woman let into house so that's why they went this route. Evelyn's family was probably right when they said someone non-threatening came to door asking for help.

Mess in the house - wife and Evelyn same-ish size, Evelyn puts up a big fight but wife is stronger. A man more than likely would have been able to contain Evelyn enough to not allow such a mess at the house.

Baby left alone - didn't care because they only came for Evelyn and knew baby couldn't talk OR wife's maternal instinct is to leave a baby alone.

Weird size difference between clothing? Female and male.

Jacket marks - husband sold roofing and siding supplies, makes sense these marks tied into that. If I recall the jacket was the smaller of the clothing evidences, perhaps it was an old jacket of his when he was younger and did roofs and siding or other home work. His wife wears it for dirty work now. That's why all the colored lint - family man so multiple clothes in washer, don't have a lot of money so never tossed it. Also why he knew about the area, probably sold supplies to the builders in the new hood, or at least most likely knew about it. He sold in the area and it was a huge new development, at least probably bid the job. May have been familiar with home layouts.

Witness saw two men - it was dark out, totally plausible wife could have been mistaken for a man if she wasn't wearing a dress and was tall like Evelyn.

Why that night? He knew of the game and they were out looking for an easy target.

We knew this couldn't have been done by one person, helper was a smaller woman hence why it was possible to go out the basement window.

Eau Claire is north of La Crosse, but evidence south of La Crosse? Easy, disposal done in opposite direction of where they live.

Wife's behavior at questioning - either a pawn and abused and scared or playing up the innocent good housewife illusion.

In the words of Emeril - BAM!!!
 
Claudette, this might be him

LAUER, BERNARD was born 31 January 1910; received Social Security number 391-14-0673, which corresponds to Wisconsin; and died August 1973. 1,404,550

The 1940 census gives a person of the above name living with a Cecelia

There's a Cecilia (diffrerent spelling) on the death index

LAUER, CECILIA was born 06 November 1908; received Social Security number 393-18-6995, which corresponds to Wisconsin; and died 14 March 2002. 1,404,784

These might be two different folk but it's worth noting IMO

Edited to add that news accounts give differing details of Bernards age.
 
Good thinking! I have no major issues with your theory but I would have to wonder how they would know that a babysitter would be there alone. It was a new home so there would not likely have been a need for new siding or a roof.
 
Good thinking! I have no major issues with your theory but I would have to wonder how they would know that a babysitter would be there alone. It was a new home so there would not likely have been a need for new siding or a roof.

Assuming they knew about the game (or not it still would work) they were probably prowling. I think all along we have been thinking the front windows were open. Perhaps they were visiting someone in the area and happened to see her arrive and the Rasmussens (sorry, sp) leave. Just a few theories.

I would love to find more of the past with these two. We know he was arrested for raping a 20 year old house wife, where I don't know but maybe it was in her own home when she was alone? I'm sure he's done other things as well.
 

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