smm31822
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This is my first post here. I am looking for any help or suggestions for finding information on this unsolved murder. It happened in my hometown of Clayton, Alabama 9 years before I was born, but my grandmother new this boy and it has always bothered her greatly that nothing has ever been done to find out what happened to him.
On the night of July 28, 1968, Donald Franklin Lankford (Frankie) was 16 years old. He had spent the evening at his girlfriend's house with her and her parents. At the time, Frankie and his brother Freddie and sister Freda were living with their aunt since their mother had died 6 years earlier. On this night, Frankie's cousin Tony Wood was playing poker with my grandfather. Frankie was suppose to meet Tony at my grandparents house to catch a ride home with him. The house Tony and Frankie lived in was approximately 8 miles north of town.
According to Frankie's girlfriend and family, he left her house on foot at appoximately 10:30 pm walking toward my grandparents' house. At about 11:00 pm a police officer spotted Frankie at the intersection to the road leading to my grandparents' home. He was leaned into a car talking to three other teens. I have two of their names, but I am not sure of the rules about naming suspects on here.
The police officer road about 2 miles down the street and turned around. He said that when he came back by Frankie and the other teens were no longer at the intersection.
At about 12:30 am, my grandfather and Tony arrived back at my grandparents' house. Tony asked my grandmother where Frankie was. She stated that she had not seen him. Tony called his mother, Louise, to see if Frankie was there. She stated he was not.
Tony had had too much to drink, so he went to sleep at my grandparents'. Freddie, Frankie's brother, went looking for him. He left Louise's house headed south toward town at approximately 1:00am. He did not see anything strange. He went to the girlfriend's house and learned that he had left on foot toward my grandparents house. He road all over town and could not find him. He went home about 2:00 am. Again he saw nothing strange.
At about 3:30am my grandmother got a call from Louise. Frankie had been found dead. At about 3:00am a man from Midway, the next town north of Clayton was headed from Midway to Clayton to bring the morning newspaper to town. About 2 miles south of Louise's house, he ran over Frankie's legs. He was laying in the center of the road.
Frankie's body was split in two from his crotch to his sternum. However, there was hardly any blood where he was found. There was also no trails of blood on the road that would indicate that he had been dragged down the road. He also had deep cuts and scratches on his body.
My grandmother was told by the funeral home director, who was the one to pick him up, that it appeared as if he had been dragged behind a vehicle down a dirt road, of which there were numerous ones in the area (and still are).
The police immediately thought that he had been murdered. They tracked down the three teens that he had been seen talking to. They stated that they talked with him for a few minutes and that he left walking toward my grandparents'. The police then came to my grandparents' to question Tony. Apparently, they suspected him for some reason. My grandfather was his alibi. They had been playing poker at another friend's house.
I don't think that much investigation was done other than this. I do know that they searched one of the teen's truck and that it had been recently washed.
For some reason, which I am guessing is because they could not solve this, the police decided that he must of been hit by a car while walking home. There are numerous reasons this makes no sense. First, Frankie lived about 8 miles north of town. He would not have tried to walk this. Second, we know that Frankie had no intentions of walking home because he was last seen headed to my grandparents' home to get a ride home. Third, no blood was found where Frankie was found or anywhere nearby. You can't tell me that someone gets split from crotch to sternum and there would be no blood. Fourth, Frankie's brother Freddie had already passed the place where Frankie was found twice and had no seen him laying there. He was obviously placed there. My theory is that whoever did this knew where Frankie lived and placed his body in that spot to make it look like he was hit by a car by walking home.
I have attached a picture from Google Earth that has these locations labled on a map.
Again, any suggestions any of you could give me would be greaty appreciated.
On the night of July 28, 1968, Donald Franklin Lankford (Frankie) was 16 years old. He had spent the evening at his girlfriend's house with her and her parents. At the time, Frankie and his brother Freddie and sister Freda were living with their aunt since their mother had died 6 years earlier. On this night, Frankie's cousin Tony Wood was playing poker with my grandfather. Frankie was suppose to meet Tony at my grandparents house to catch a ride home with him. The house Tony and Frankie lived in was approximately 8 miles north of town.
According to Frankie's girlfriend and family, he left her house on foot at appoximately 10:30 pm walking toward my grandparents' house. At about 11:00 pm a police officer spotted Frankie at the intersection to the road leading to my grandparents' home. He was leaned into a car talking to three other teens. I have two of their names, but I am not sure of the rules about naming suspects on here.
The police officer road about 2 miles down the street and turned around. He said that when he came back by Frankie and the other teens were no longer at the intersection.
At about 12:30 am, my grandfather and Tony arrived back at my grandparents' house. Tony asked my grandmother where Frankie was. She stated that she had not seen him. Tony called his mother, Louise, to see if Frankie was there. She stated he was not.
Tony had had too much to drink, so he went to sleep at my grandparents'. Freddie, Frankie's brother, went looking for him. He left Louise's house headed south toward town at approximately 1:00am. He did not see anything strange. He went to the girlfriend's house and learned that he had left on foot toward my grandparents house. He road all over town and could not find him. He went home about 2:00 am. Again he saw nothing strange.
At about 3:30am my grandmother got a call from Louise. Frankie had been found dead. At about 3:00am a man from Midway, the next town north of Clayton was headed from Midway to Clayton to bring the morning newspaper to town. About 2 miles south of Louise's house, he ran over Frankie's legs. He was laying in the center of the road.
Frankie's body was split in two from his crotch to his sternum. However, there was hardly any blood where he was found. There was also no trails of blood on the road that would indicate that he had been dragged down the road. He also had deep cuts and scratches on his body.
My grandmother was told by the funeral home director, who was the one to pick him up, that it appeared as if he had been dragged behind a vehicle down a dirt road, of which there were numerous ones in the area (and still are).
The police immediately thought that he had been murdered. They tracked down the three teens that he had been seen talking to. They stated that they talked with him for a few minutes and that he left walking toward my grandparents'. The police then came to my grandparents' to question Tony. Apparently, they suspected him for some reason. My grandfather was his alibi. They had been playing poker at another friend's house.
I don't think that much investigation was done other than this. I do know that they searched one of the teen's truck and that it had been recently washed.
For some reason, which I am guessing is because they could not solve this, the police decided that he must of been hit by a car while walking home. There are numerous reasons this makes no sense. First, Frankie lived about 8 miles north of town. He would not have tried to walk this. Second, we know that Frankie had no intentions of walking home because he was last seen headed to my grandparents' home to get a ride home. Third, no blood was found where Frankie was found or anywhere nearby. You can't tell me that someone gets split from crotch to sternum and there would be no blood. Fourth, Frankie's brother Freddie had already passed the place where Frankie was found twice and had no seen him laying there. He was obviously placed there. My theory is that whoever did this knew where Frankie lived and placed his body in that spot to make it look like he was hit by a car by walking home.
I have attached a picture from Google Earth that has these locations labled on a map.
Again, any suggestions any of you could give me would be greaty appreciated.