WI WI - Evelyn Hartley: Vanished While Babysitting, 15, La Crosse, 24 Oct 1953

[joellegirl]

The Rasmussen's were the first owners. They moved into the newly built house during the summer.

The perp(s) who took Evelyn appeared to have taken her through backyards and along the sides of other houses and eventually to another street(not the street the house was on) and into a car. The blood trail zig zagged through the yards so that is most likely why they found footprints near other basement windows. Or of course the perps may have cased some other houses before going after Evelyn.

[lilacwine]

Oh, thank you.

Have you seen the video on youtube? It's 4 parts. One of the LE interviewed seemed to say that there were footprints near other windows and that they definitely thought there was "casing" going on.

I just cannot believe she's never been found. So terribly sad.

[joellegirl]

Oh yes I have seen the videos, I posted them a while back but this thread is so long things get lost in the shuffle!
This case has haunted/fascinated me ever since I was a kid and my parents and grandma told me about it. My dad was a year behind Evelyn at Central High School. They all remember the time very clearly and how scared the town was.
I have been in the neigborhood several times and have driven past the house. The house has changed in looks but there are parts you can tell it is the same house. The famous basement window is still there, and driving around the corner I could see the spot they think the car was that took her away. I sure hope they can solve this case in my lifetime. It has almost been 60 years....

[punklove]

Originally Posted by joellegirl

The Rasmussen's were the first owners. They moved into the newly built house during the summer.

The perp(s) who took Evelyn appeared to have taken her through backyards and along the sides of other houses and eventually to another street(not the street the house was on) and into a car. The blood trail zig zagged through the yards so that is most likely why they found footprints near other basement windows. Or of course the perps may have cased some other houses before going after Evelyn.

The police felt that she was placed in the window well of a neighbors for several minutes because of the amount of blood that was found there.

[FrayedKnot]

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

Who was 'Gus' the old friend that supposedly helped Ed Gein ?

There's reference here to him Ed Gein - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Could Gus have been the accomplice who helped kidnap Evelyn ? It would be interesting to know if such a person was working in the area as a steeplejack or farmer driving farm equipment.

IIRC Gus was by that time in a hospital/home for mentally challenged. I believe I read that here and that he was described as "slow". In any case he had been there a couple or more years by the time of Evelyn's disappearance.

Funny how even though it really doesn't "fit", I can't quite shake Gein from my head when I come up with "solutions". He is probably the longest shot, and yet he just keeps popping up.

FWIW, I think it was an inexperienced rape/robbery attempt gone wrong.

[Claudette]

This is the one case that I will never forget and will keep checking for updates for the rest of my life. Everyone has a 'pet case' and this is definitely mine. It really bothers me, where the h - e - double hockey sticks did she go?!

I'm off of work for the next 2 weeks, I'm so tempted to go visit her home town even though it's like 4 hours away from me.

[Falcon500]

Originally Posted by blueclouds

GOD, I'd be begging the media to make more stories. Back then, this wasn't as big news as things are today.

hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Sorry that I am replying to a post that is seven years old. People need to understand that this case was HUGE news in 1953. It was in every newspaper in the country. The difference is that there was no 24 hour news cycle and people got their news mostly from the radio. Televisions had just become available to the average American consumer but not many households had them yet. Those television stations that did exist had a fifteen news program in the evening and another in the morning. That was it.

Most Americans got their news from newspapers and they were all over this case.

There was no Internet and no cable news stations.

I would refer you to the excellent "What Happened to Evelyn" written by Susan Hessel. It is available on Amazon.

[PFF]

http://s10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t7241.htm

If this is what happened to Hartley--I beleive I rember reading a list of remains found in Ed Gein's house-including some estimated as coming from a young-female-who was in Gein's house?

[punklove]

Originally Posted by MarylandObserver

People need to understand that this case was HUGE news in 1953.

Snipped by me!

Its also worth note that it would have been nearly impossible for people in that area to not know what was going on - they did 'mass' mandatory lie detector tests on over 2000 male La Crosse students alone. They also set up numerous license checks that required people's cars being searched since they knew with the amount she was bleeding they knew any car she was in would be bloody. Once the car was searched the police put stickers on them saying 'My car is ok".Considering the above and the fact that they had massive amounts of people searching for her it seems quite likely nearly all the people in that are area had at least heard something about her.

There was a witness that says he said her in a car with two men with her head "slumped against the front seat" - I never know what to think about him.. He says that he saw her walking way with two men and assumed she was drunk and being helped by the men yet the police reports showed that she was dragged from the scene. How could he have seen her with two men if she couldnt walk due to the amount of blood loss? Another issue I have is the fact that he says he thought she was drunk - she had to have been covered in blood and you think he would have seen it even if it were dark outside because there were street lights. He was able to see her in the car so I dont get how he didnt think something was wrong because she would have been bloody.

[punklove]

Originally Posted by PFF

http://s10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t7241.htm

If this is what happened to Hartley--I beleive I rember reading a list of remains found in Ed Gein's house-including some estimated as coming from a young-female-who was in Gein's house?

Its possible that the remains were one of the graves her robbed.

Im leaning more towards him not being involved than involved but its 1942 Buick that the car that the man saw leaving the area (1942 Buick) looks similar to Giens car.

His car

Type of car the witness says he saw

[Auramyst]

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/digit...y/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...

[amber1]

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.

[punklove]

Originally Posted by amber1

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.

[amber1]

Any word on if it was her found on the ed gein property?

[Robin Hood]

Hargraves detective agency runs out of funds, interesting read.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...+hartley&hl=en

Edited to add - complaint against Hargraves by brother

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...+hartley&hl=en

[punklove]

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

Hargraves detective agency runs out of funds, interesting read.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...+hartley&hl=en

Edited to add - complaint against Hargraves by brother

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...+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?

[Auramyst]

Originally Posted by amber1

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?

[STANDREID]

It is tempting to try to pin this one on Gein but it's so dissimilar to his other crimes that I would have to vote no.

[Marilynilpa]

I agree. LE checked Gein out closely and found nothing to indicate his involvement.

[Auramyst]

Originally Posted by Auramyst

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/digit...y/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.)

[punklove]

Originally Posted by Auramyst

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..

[punklove]

Page 3 (scroll to top of page 3) has a Ariel view of the path she was removed from the home.

[Hails]

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.......

[amber1]

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?

[punklove]

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.