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

joellegirl said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esp5uXuK7o

This is the first of five videos of some older news investigations about the Evelyn Hartley case. They are very detailed, and interview people who were there when it all first happened. If you are interest in Evelyn's case, and have some time, these are worth it to watch. I only wish there were some newer updates.

Click to expand...

Wow, I've only had time to watch the first video and it was so interesting. Thanks for locating this and putting it on WS.

As I've said several times on this thread, I never have been able to understand why Evelyn was taken out through the basement window. It's evident from the video that the window was not all that large, which is pretty normal for a basement.

My best guess is that someone intending to burglarize the home came in through that window and was startled to find Evelyn in the house. The perp may have thought the house was empty due to the important homecoming game taking place that evening. The fact that the burglar took Evelyn, as opposed to just fleeing when he saw her, makes me think Evelyn might have recognized him. Most burglaries don't result in kidnapping.

Of course, it's always possible Evelyn was the main target, although you would think if that were the case, the perp could have planned a better entry/exit strategy.

I know all of this has been rehashed numerous times in this thread, but I just wanted to put my thoughts down once again!

I'm glad you find them so interesting like me! I was amazed to find them on You Tube. They have been there since January . I don't know how I missed it.
I agree with your points. The only thing though is I remember reading at some point the lights were found on in the house and Evelyn had the radio playing, so I would think the burglar knew some one was in the house, unless the burglar left it that way but I don't think he would have had time with the way it appeared Evelyn was violently taken out of the house.
When you watch the last video #5 it sounds like two men went to the police and thought this farmer they knew may have did it. I wonder if that was the same guy who was talked about more recently who was from LaFarge WI. I have a feeling they were really onto something with the LaFarge angle,but then it got quite again UGH!!! I have driven through the LaFarge area, and it is very hilly, full of trees and remote. Easy place to hide a body. I have also read the area has flooded numerous times, so she could be totally gone if buried there.

I'd forgotten about the music being on.

I'll watch the rest of the videos this evening. I'm so glad you found them!

One thing I noticed while driving past the house, looking at pictures of it and seeing the old news footage of the crime scene, is that the house had/has a reverse floor plan. Meaning, unlike most houses, the kitchen and bathroom face the front of the house and the living room faces the back. Bedrooms seem to be in normal spots though. The house has changed a lot since 1953, but if you look closely you can tell it is the same house.When I drove by it the first time I drove right past as I was picturing the 1953 version of the house. I wonder where the basement door was in relation to the living room.
It makes me wonder if the person who did this was lurking in the backyard and saw Evelyn through the livingroom picture window, as opposed to him seeing her from the street. There was evidence who ever did this may have tried to pry open a bedroom window, and a neighbors window, before finding the basement window to gain access to the home . Not sure if any of this matters, but it is just an observation.

joellegirl said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esp5uXuK7o

This is the first of five videos of some older news investigations about the Evelyn Hartley case. They are very detailed, and interview people who were there when it all first happened. If you are interest in Evelyn's case, and have some time, these are worth it to watch. I only wish there were some newer updates.

Click to expand...

Wow, what a great find, joellegirl. I just had time to watch all five videos and they were very interesting. I agree with Marilyn, and never understood why she was taken out through the basement window since it was so small. I do think though that Evelyn was seen in the house before she was abducted. Especially since you said that the living room faced the back of the house. If they found those size 11 tennis shoe prints in the back yard, then he must have seen her before entering the house.

I think the information about the farmer from the couple mentioned in the last video seemed pretty credible. If only they had come forward immediately after the jacket and tennis shoes were found! Even reporting it 20 years later in 1973 and having the DA dismiss their story was unfortunate, but still, I would have thought when the jacket and shoes were found, the couple would have recognized right away that they might have belonged to the farmer and reported it back in 1953. It's just a shame because that seemed like a pretty viable lead to me.

Thanks again for posting the link to those videos!

joellegirl said:

.
It makes me wonder if the person who did this was lurking in the backyard and saw Evelyn through the livingroom picture window, as opposed to him seeing her from the street. There was evidence who ever did this may have tried to pry open a bedroom window, and a neighbors window, before finding the basement window to gain access to the home . Not sure if any of this matters, but it is just an observation.

Click to expand...

This is interesting, I don't believe I've known this before. It could put a different "spin" on things, since Evelyn could have been seen from the backyard by someone lurking there. I always assumed anyone who saw her would have been hanging around the front of the house!

Thanks for that intriguing bit of info!!

I agree it does put a different spin on it. Also, as the neighborhood was very new, there were hardly any trees, so it was wide open. If the livingroom curtains were open, Evelyn could have been seen from quite a distance.

In my online searchings, I have discovered the newsman that put those 5 videos together, died just a few weeks after he put them up on You Tube.

I noticed in the old news crime scene films, there is a number on the couch, and on the wall. There must have been some evidence of the struggle at those places, in addition to the shoes, glasses and mud on the floor.

My current thought on why Evelyn was possibly taken through the basement window is that she ran down there trying to get away, and the perp just decided to exit with her the way he came in. Makes me think there were two men involved, since if Evelyn was pushed out the window, she couldn't run for help as the 2nd man was ready to pounce on her. That is most likely when she let out the screams the neighbors heard. When the one scream was cut short, I'm sure that is when she was hit very hard and bled profusely. Also, the one witness saw two men supporting a woman who appeared impaired near the Rasmusen home, and moments later seen driving away together.. so another clue that more than one man was involved. I'm sure I have mentioned this before, but since I have posted on this thread for 6 years, I kind of forget what I said where.

I'm glad others find these videos interesting as I do.

joellegirl said:

I'm sure I have mentioned this before, but since I have posted on this thread for 6 years, I kind of forget what I said where.

Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean!

I know I've said this several times on this thread, but the aspect of this case that bugs me the most is the basement window. Here are my thoughts:

1. If this was an intentional abduction (as opposed to Evelyn being in the wrong place at the wrong time), the perps most likely planned this in advance. They must have had a car nearby, for one thing. So if this was planned in advance, why pick the basement window as a way in and out of the house? Certainly it would have been easier to enter through the back door which, given the layout of the house, would have led into the living area of the house.

2. If the perps snuck into the house through the basement window and intended to take Evelyn by surprise, I still believe they would have gone out a door, not the basement window. I know it's possible Evelyn fled to the basement to escape them, but this doesn't seem logical to me. It seems she would have tried running out the door where she could get help, instead of into the basement.

It's the danged basement window that seems so out of place for this type of crime. I could understand using that window if it were behind bushes or other protective covering, but it's just out there in the open.:waitasec:

That's why I lean more towards the theory that the perps were taking advantage of the football game to burglarize a home, went in through the basement and were surprised to find Evelyn in the house. If they were locals, and feared Evelyn would recognize them, they may have panicked, struggled with her, knocked her out (maybe even thought they'd killed her) and took her to keep themselves out of trouble.

This is giving me a headache!

I'd truly enjoy your thoughts about this.

I also would think Evelyn would/should have run out a door on the main level as well. Running upstairs or downstairs is never good thing because you become trapped. Yet I see it all the time on those hokey Broadview (ADT etc) commercials...(I hate those commercials-they grate on my nerves!)
I'm just assuming in her moment of panic, maybe the basement door was open(because the perps entered the house that way) and she ran down without thinking. Maybe they had chased her all around the livingroom, they possibly blocking her way to the front door, and at that moment it seemed her only escape..The fact that her shoe was at the foot of the stairs though also makes me think she was dragged down the steps against her will, which would mean the perp(s) intended to exit that way... or the shoe fell off because she fell down the stairs trying to escape...I know it is so confusing!
I can see them entering the home that way as they found the basement window open.They may have tried the doors but found them locked. I remember reading someplace Mr Rasmusen recalled that that window had been open, he had forgot to lock it when he was painting down there..not sure if I remember that right. The thing that keeps me from thinking it was burglary was the lights and radio were supposedly on(how her father found it when he arrived to check on her). I really think they saw Evelyn in there through the window (and with it being night and if the curtains were open it would have been very easy to see her )and went in to get her, possibly to rape but it got out of hand.

I go back and forth with my theories.

Maybe because the house had a different layout the perps got confused as to where the doors were-sounds silly I know. I can see in the old video, the front door the house-the one that faced the street, is easy to see. It is behind the livingroom wall where the couch was against, down a hallway where I believe you would have passed the doorway into the kitchen on one side and the bathroom on the other. From old pics of the house from the air,I think the house also had a side door leading into a small screened in porch area, as opposed to a back door.

I wish I could just go and check the inside of that house!

I'll be back later with more thoughts...

This case has me going back and forth like a pendulum - was it a burglary, was it a rape/kidnapping?

The one thing that makes me think it was not an intended rape is, how would the perps know there was no one else in the house? For all they knew, there could have been a 250 pound man with a shotgun sitting in the living room!

But then, the same is true of a burglary - how would they have known there weren't more people in the house?:waitasec:

I think (1) the perps had been watching the house and saw the owners leave, or (2) knocked on the door to see if anyone answered, and Evelyn naively told them she was the babysitter and no one else was at home.

Whatever happened, this poor girl sure fought for her life.

Marilynilpa said:

This case has me going back and forth like a pendulum - was it a burglary, was it a rape/kidnapping?

The one thing that makes me think it was not an intended rape is, how would the perps know there was no one else in the house? For all they knew, there could have been a 250 pound man with a shotgun sitting in the living room!

But then, the same is true of a burglary - how would they have known there weren't more people in the house?:waitasec:

I think (1) the perps had been watching the house and saw the owners leave, or (2) knocked on the door to see if anyone answered, and Evelyn naively told them she was the babysitter and no one else was at home.

Whatever happened, this poor girl sure fought for her life.

Click to expand...

I don't think it was a burglary..I could be wrong, of course. But I do think she was being watched, or maybe someone was just watching the houses in the neighborhood and happened to see the Rasmusens leave. After viewing those videos and reading further comments on here, I'm starting to think there was more than one perp as well. For years I thought this was done by just one person. Two people could have gotten Evelyn out of the house much more quickly, even through that small basement window. And I tend to think the girl being supported by two men seen in the neighborhood aftewards was Evelyn and her abductors. You're right, this case makes you go back and forth!

Cambria said:

Wow, what a great find, joellegirl. I just had time to watch all five videos and they were very interesting. I agree with Marilyn, and never understood why she was taken out through the basement window since it was so small. I do think though that Evelyn was seen in the house before she was abducted. Especially since you said that the living room faced the back of the house. If they found those size 11 tennis shoe prints in the back yard, then he must have seen her before entering the house.

Click to expand...

These are the only reasons I can think of that would make sense in regards to her being removed via the basement window. My speculation is as follows:

Whomever the person was that came into the home that night saw her through the window or somehow knew that she (or any other girl) would be there alone babysitting that night.

That person got into the home and found Evelyn in the living room (maybe doing her homework or whatever) and a struggle ensued, considering the chaotic crime scene its certain that she fought for her life. Though we dont know the motive I think its very possible that within that fight, the man (assuming hes male) shoved her into the basement and locked/blocked the door in an attempt to keep her from fleeing OR fighting and wasnt aware that the basement window actually opened or that it would have been big enough to get out of.

Considering that one of her shoes were found in the living room and the other in the basement and that there was blood in the basement but none in the living room it seems very likely that she lost the first shoe in the living room during the stuggle (and broke her glasses as well) and the other after being shoved in the basement.

Second speculation:

She was babysitting and heard a noise in the basement and went to check things out, opening the door (or going down the steps to see what was going on) she ran into the intruder and attempted to get away from him, getting as far as the livingroom before he caught her, which would also account for the shoe placement.

According to police reports there as "indications" that she even made it as far as the front door though they dont go into detail about what that indication was. Neighbors also reported hearing a single scream at 7:15 but they dismissed it as children playing.

Cambria said:

I don't think it was a burglary..I could be wrong, of course. But I do think she was being watched, or maybe someone was just watching the houses in the neighborhood and happened to see the Rasmusens leave.

Click to expand...

I tend to agree, When her father want to the house to see what was going on he was clearly able to see the entire contents of the living room - he saw her broken glasses, her shoe and the mess that was left after the struggle so that means that anyone else could hae seen the entire live room area as well, which is most likely where she would have been spending most of her time.

Also in regards to the burglary, it doesnt seem that someone would would her with them if their intent was just to rob the house - the blood loss at the scene shows that she was very badly wounded and that apparently whomever did this had no issue with wounding someone so greatly, so why would you take a nearly dead girl with you? What would that benefit them? Also, when the bloody panties and bra were found (exact match to hers) you gotta wonder why someone would take someones panties and bra off if the intent was just to rob someone.

I dunno, I guess I just think that if it was someone trying to rob the place they would leave the body not take a mortally wounded person with them.

Though I tend to agree Gien had nothing to do with this, I find this coincidence creepy.

"...but the dogs were stopped cold at a spot about 2 blocks later. Apparently, the girl had been forced into a car at that point."

and..

"Ed Gien..was visiting family 2 blocks away."

I must be having a blonde moment because Ive read this article about 10 times and dont undertand what it means... What chest harness???

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AIBAJ&pg=6526,1471303&dq=evelyn+hartley&hl=en

Apparently this was the first time she babysat for this family in three months, was left there at 6.30pm and several neighbors heard a scream between 7:10-7:30. Seems like such a small time frame.

Im a little confused about the time line of the father (not that I think hes done anything wrong)..

He says he called her until 8:50, got to the home at 9:10 but the 911 call didnt come in until 9:40 - one would assume that he would have ran to call 911 as soon as he saw everything messed up in the living room with her glasses and shoe on the floor OR when he saw massive amounts of blood on and around the basement window, even if he didnt, how long does it take to crawl through a window?

Why not call 911 from the home he was in?


Another note - according to the District Attorney Evelyn was a last minute fill in for a friend of hers, that she hadnt babysat there in over three months. I wonder if there were a reason that she was no longer babysitting for them? Could the regular baby sitter been the intended victim? He was also quotes as saying "The chances are that Evelyn was an accidental victim."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...g=4240,233659&dq=evelyn+hartley+missing&hl=en

Although her disappearance, like Beverly Potts, seem old, I have all the faith in the world that they can still be solved-look at Dorothy Gay Howard and the Jeannie Melville cases-so old, but finally solved. The key is that they are not given up on.

punklove said:

I dunno, I guess I just think that if it was someone trying to rob the place they would leave the body not take a mortally wounded person with them.

Click to expand...

I think that's a very good point against this being a robbery gone wrong.

But it's hard to understand why Evelyn was targeted - if the perp(s) just wanted a girl Evelyn's age for their sexual/deviant reasons, there were certainly easily ways to obtain a victim without all of the hassles of breaking into a home and dragging Evelyn away.

amber1 said:

Although her disappearance, like Beverly Potts, seem old, I have all the faith in the world that they can still be solved-look at Dorothy Gay Howard and the Jeannie Melville cases-so old, but finally solved. The key is that they are not given up on.

Click to expand...

You are absolutely right.

Sometimes the passage of time actually helps - people move on with their lives, their loyalties change, and suddenly they no longer care if they rat out their former husband/boyfriend/friend. Or someone is near death and wants to clear their conscience before they die.

That's why websites like this are important - we keep these cases active!

punklove said:

I must be having a blonde moment because Ive read this article about 10 times and dont undertand what it means... What chest harness???

Click to expand...

The harness that left an imprint on the discarded cutoff denim jacket that apparently was worn by one of the abductors. It was of a type of safety harness that was worn when working from a boatswain's chair. That type of harness was worn by people working as steeplejacks in the area.

Interesting posts with very good points.

I still think Evelyn was seen though the window, and was a random victim. The perp(s) most likely intended on rape. They may have planned on raping her right there, but she put up such a fight, and maybe they lost their tempers and hit her hard as she tried to escape. Why they continued to take her with them puzzels me, unless they had hopes they could take her elsewhere and rape her. Sounds like something happened along RT 14 as her bra, underwear and one of the perps jacket were found. RT 14 is the way to La Farge, and I believe the stories that came out about her being taken there by these two men is what happened. Somewhere along the way she passed away from her injuries or they killed her. Her remains are most likely in the remote countryside of LaFarge, but since the area floods, it may be hard to ever find her.

I still have hope her case will be solved. She may even still be found. I wish I could know if anyone has ever actively searched the house and surrounding land she was believed to have been taken. From what I have read, they know the exact house! But no news on this in years. Why??