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

Poor Evelyn! This is a case that haunts me. I find myself going over scenario after scenario in my mind and never comfortably settling on one or the other. There are so many variables.

This is a passage from the Lacrosse Tribune date October 26th, 1953 (middle of the 2nd column):

"The area surrounding the Rasmusen home lacks street lights. Although the area is dark, a large picture window offers a good view into the Rasmusen living room from a distance of about a block. Police have had several reports of prowlers in the neighborhood in the past few weeks."

http://www.lacrosselibrary.org/digitalproject/images/hartley/00020002.jpg

This makes me wonder if Evelyn was, unfortunately, a random victim. I'm beginning to think that any girl who was babysitting that night could have just as easily been targeted. I haven't found any follow-up news report regarding the prowlers. I wonder if the police ever figured out who they were.

Praying for Evelyn and all who are missing...
 
any updates?
I'm fearing this is one for the books. But it'd be nice to at least give her a proper burial. I doubt she's still with us, I lean more towards the possibility that she lost her life that night.
 
any updates?
I'm fearing this is one for the books. But it'd be nice to at least give her a proper burial. I doubt she's still with us, I lean more towards the possibility that she lost her life that night.

The police felt fairly certain that she was in the process of dying while being removed from the home because of the amount of blood left on scene.
 
Any word on if it was her found on the ed gein property?
 
Hargraves detective agency runs out of funds, interesting read.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AIBAJ&pg=3617,1866378&dq=evelyn+hartley&hl=en

Edited to add - complaint against Hargraves by brother

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...5876,1139616&dq=hargrave+evelyn+hartley&hl=en


Wow that would have made me nuts - How could they think there could be ANY chance that she left on her on accord when there was massive amounts of blood everywhere AND a struggle? :what:
 
Any word on if it was her found on the ed gein property?

I've searched and searched for this answer... The best I can find is that no one knows for sure the identity of all the bodies found on Gein's property. The common theory is that they were all middle aged women who's corpses were dug up in the local graveyard (in addition to the two women he admitted to killing).

There have been several theories linking Gein to other missing persons, but again there was no definitive proof. His house burned down in 1958.

Maybe there would be a way for today's investigators to check the land that Gein used to own? That would be interesting... I wonder what's on that land now?
 
This is a passage from the Lacrosse Tribune date October 26th, 1953 (middle of the 2nd column):

Police have had several reports of prowlers in the neighborhood in the past few weeks."

http://www.lacrosselibrary.org/digitalproject/images/hartley/00020002.jpg

This makes me wonder if Evelyn was, unfortunately, a random victim. I'm beginning to think that any girl who was babysitting that night could have just as easily been targeted. I haven't found any follow-up news report regarding the prowlers. I wonder if the police ever figured out who they were...

I'm still curious about these prowlers... I wonder what types of reports were called into the police in the weeks before Evelyn's disappearance.

Were they peeping toms? I wonder what these reported 'prowlers' were doing...

BTW, I do not believe Gein was involved. This doesn't fit his MO... (this is off topic, but I do wonder what would be found if his old property was dug up.)
 
I'm still curious about these prowlers... I wonder what types of reports were called into the police in the weeks before Evelyn's disappearance.

Were they peeping toms? I wonder what these reported 'prowlers' were doing...


Article saying that there were reports of a 'window peeper' at the Rasmusen home in the months before she was taken - How interesting that only the Ramusen home that had this issue!

Since the area was newly developed I wonder if the person that took her was one of the workers? That could account for the steeplejack jacket as well as a new home having 'peeping' issues directly after it was built? It could also account for the paint specks found on the jacket as well as the person never getting caught since he could have just moved from town to town working..
 
Page 3 (scroll to top of page 3) has a Ariel view of the path she was removed from the home.
 
Is it possible there was someone waiting in the basement? Maybe Mrs. Rasmussen was the initial target and her husband came home with Evelyn. Then the adults left and Evelyn became the target. Just a random thought that occurred b/c of the "peeping tom" report.......
 
Possibly, maybe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time? I don't think there were any other cases similar to Evelyn's in the area?
 
Interesting facts:


1) Evelyn was only asked to babysit because the normal babysitter didn't call or show up the night in question - this was the first time the other babysitter was a no show.

2) Hoeschler Drive or the surrounding area had no street lights and was sparsely populated.

3) The Rasmussens only lived in that home for 3 months.
 
Very interesting, almost seems like she wasn't chosen at random, it's almost like she was targeted. I wonder if anything is a cover up here.
 
Random facts about the shoes/jacket per the FBI/Police.

Both the jacket and shoes were VERY worn (police listed them as 'shabby') but in immaculate shape.

The shoes were very clean but worn in the sole portion around the right big toe and sized 11D. There were wear marks on the shoes from the "drive pulley" of a "motor bicycle."

The jacket was also very clean other than blood stains that couldn't have come from the person wearing the jacket - blood type on the jacket was Type A which is the same as Evelyn's. The FBI tested the jacket and says there were paint specks on the jacket that were tested and were found to be the same makeup of of metal paint - there were fibers in one pocket that were identified as those used in chemical scrub brushes. There was a mark of exactly 1 3/4 inches that went the entire length of the jacket that the FBI felt was caused by some sort of safety harness worn by the wearer of the jacket.

The FBI found a shop in La Crosse that made two such belts - 1 of leather and 1 of webbing. The shop owner said that he remembered making the belts in the summer of 1952 for two men he thought were working in the La Crosse area but could not remember what either man looked like.

With the paint, harness and fibers on the jacket the FBI feels this person worked in advance of a paint crew using the brush to clean. They also felt this person was frugal because the jacket had been 'tattered' and mended many times and if it belonged to and "ordinary" sort of person it would "undoubtedly be discarded."

They also felt this was a "family man" because there were white, pink, black, yellow, brown and red fibers in one of the pockets which they felt meant it had been washed in the 'family' wash, thus the fibers were from the others clothes. Im not sure I agree with this, there could have been other reasons for the fibers.
 
Random facts about the shoes/jacket per the FBI/Police.

Both the jacket and shoes were VERY worn (police listed them as 'shabby') but in immaculate shape.

The shoes were very clean but worn in the sole portion around the right big toe and sized 11D. There were wear marks on the shoes from the "drive pulley" of a "motor bicycle."

The jacket was also very clean other than blood stains that couldn't have come from the person wearing the jacket - blood type on the jacket was Type A which is the same as Evelyn's. The FBI tested the jacket and says there were paint specks on the jacket that were tested and were found to be the same makeup of of metal paint - there were fibers in one pocket that were identified as those used in chemical scrub brushes. There was a mark of exactly 1 3/4 inches that went the entire length of the jacket that the FBI felt was caused by some sort of safety harness worn by the wearer of the jacket.

The FBI found a shop in La Crosse that made two such belts - 1 of leather and 1 of webbing. The shop owner said that he remembered making the belts in the summer of 1952 for two men he thought were working in the La Crosse area but could not remember what either man looked like.

With the paint, harness and fibers on the jacket the FBI feels this person worked in advance of a paint crew using the brush to clean. They also felt this person was frugal because the jacket had been 'tattered' and mended many times and if it belonged to and "ordinary" sort of person it would "undoubtedly be discarded."

They also felt this was a "family man" because there were white, pink, black, yellow, brown and red fibers in one of the pockets which they felt meant it had been washed in the 'family' wash, thus the fibers were from the others clothes. Im not sure I agree with this, there could have been other reasons for the fibers.

Agree with your last statement and I think modern profilers would agree as well.
 

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