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

[shadowangel]

joellegirl-I'm impressed with your knowledge of this case. Do you know if anything was ever heard or found of the two girls (16 year-old Helen Owens and 15 year-old Barbara Brown) who disappeared from Rhinelander, 200 miles from Lacrosse, the week before Evelyn vanished?

I look forward to the book.

 

[joellegirl]

I was very very young when I first heard about Evelyn, and her case is what sparked my interest in unsolved disappearances. I have family who lived in LaCrosse at that time (and still do live there), so that is how I first learned about the mystery of Evelyn Hartley. I have researched her case for years, seen the house (from the outside)she was abducted from, and the house she lived in. I am very glad the book will be finally coming out this fall.

Shadowangel, amazingly I have never heard of those two missing girls from Rhinelander. That is very interesting. Do you have more details? I have a vague memory of reading about another missing girl in Wisconsin around that time but I can't remember her name. I wonder if these two girls were found shortly after? I know there was a very extensive search for Evelyn and things were done like opening new graves to see if she had been buried in one, so I think they would have looked into the case of the two missing girls as a connection. Where did you first read about the two girls?

Thanks for posting!

 

[shadowangel]

The story of the two girls was basically a footnote to an article about Evelyn when her disappearance occured. As the article goes, the two girls were hitching a ride with three boys when the car they were travelling in had a flat tire. The three boys left the girls and went to get the tire repaired. When they returned, the girls were gone.A later article, a few weeks into the Hartley investigation, stated the sherriff believed the girls had ran off to Milwaukee, since one of the girls had once mentioned to a friend that she would like to go to Milwaukee.
How's that an in-depth investigation? Seems like the typical '50s good girls wouldn't ride with boys anyway thing to me...

 

[joellegirl]

The story of the two girls was basically a footnote to an article about Evelyn when her disappearance occured. As the article goes, the two girls were hitching a ride with three boys when the car they were travelling in had a flat tire. The three boys left the girls and went to get the tire repaired. When they returned, the girls were gone.A later article, a few weeks into the Hartley investigation, stated the sherriff believed the girls had ran off to Milwaukee, since one of the girls had once mentioned to a friend that she would like to go to Milwaukee.
How's that an in-depth investigation? Seems like the typical '50s good girls wouldn't ride with boys anyway thing to me...

Very interesting. I must have missed this story in all my Evelyn Hartley research. Is it in Newspaper Archives? I only had a brief membership and remember lots of Hartley articles. I sure hope their disappearance was given more attention that it appears and that they were found. I did a google search but didn't find anything.

 

[shadowangel]

Yes, the articles were in NewspaperArchives.com. I couldn't find anything further. I can try to link the articles somehow.

Is it true that the only door or window found open was the one used by the kidnapper?

 

[joellegirl]

Yes, the articles were in NewspaperArchives.com. I couldn't find anything further. I can try to link the articles somehow.

Is it true that the only door or window found open was the one used by the kidnapper?

Yes, when Evelyn's father went to check on her,(because she hadn't phoned home as was her usual practice an hour into her babysitting job-after two hours he went to see why she wasn't answering the phone) he found all the doors and windows locked. As he walked around the house he found a side basement window gaping open. That is how the father entered the house. He saw one of Evelyn's shoes at the foot of the stairs, then when he went upstairs, all the lights were still on, the radio playing, and Evelyn's other shoe and eyeglasses on the carpet. There was fresh mud on the carpet and obvious signs of a struggle. After finding the baby unharmed in her crib, he called police and they found the blood outside by the basement window as they shined their flashlights around. The next morning a trail of blood zig zagging through yards was found and it ended at the street. Another splash of blood was found on the side of another house. It is believed Evelyn was badly injured as she was pushed out of the basement window, perhaps someone struck her head. That is why it is believed it is very possible there were at least two abductors. While one had a hold of her and pushed her out the window, the other was waiting to pounce on her. Neighbors did hear screams, but looked out their window and didn't see anything(it was dark by then) and dismissed it as children playing.

I've never understood why the abductor(s) dragged Evelyn back down into the basement and out that window. Why didn't they use the front or back door?

I believe the book, "Where's Evelyn" has some crime scene pictures in it (shoes and eyeglasses on floor...). I saw a newsclip from a LaCrosse tv station (online) and they were paging through the book. I have ordered the book, but it is not due out until next month.

 

[shadowangel]

A very curious circumstance, this...to quote Poe. I read several articles on the case, and what is available on the web. Why would this one window be open? A house in 1953 would, most likely, have casement windows with locks on top, which are virtually impossible to open from outside. Breaking the window I can understand. Was it ever considered a possibility that Evelyn was expecting a visitor that night? One difficulty in checking into this case is the newspapers' tendency to write opinion in place of fact. If one were to believe the stories of the time, every girl in America was a virgin until the age of 30 (with the exception of the tramps who rode in cars with boys...)

It appeared to me that the police were primarily concerned with stranger abduction, most especially Ed Gein (who I seriously doubt had anything to do with this, as he concentrated on "replacements" for his mother for victims and was about the same size as Evelyn was at the time...)

 

[Richard]

A very curious circumstance, this...to quote Poe. I read several articles on the case, and what is available on the web. Why would this one window be open? A house in 1953 would, most likely, have casement windows with locks on top, which are virtually impossible to open from outside. Breaking the window I can understand. Was it ever considered a possibility that Evelyn was expecting a visitor that night? One difficulty in checking into this case is the newspapers' tendency to write opinion in place of fact. If one were to believe the stories of the time, every girl in America was a virgin until the age of 30 (with the exception of the tramps who rode in cars with boys...)

It appeared to me that the police were primarily concerned with stranger abduction, most especially Ed Gein (who I seriously doubt had anything to do with this, as he concentrated on "replacements" for his mother for victims and was about the same size as Evelyn was at the time...)

Police, at the time of Evelyn's 1953 disappearance, did not know anything about Ed Gein. He was arrested in 1957 for the murder of Bernice Worden, a 58 year-old woman who disappeared in 1957. When arrested, Gein talked freely about the many bodies and body parts found in his home - most of which had been stolen from graves in cemeteries. There were at least 15 bodies found in his home. He also confessed to the 1954 murder of Mary Hogan, whom he had shot and beheaded. Although police suspected him of at least three other murders, Gein claimed that he had not killed anyone else. Ed Gein was declared criminally insane and spent the next 27 years of his life in a state mental holpital, where he died of natural causes in 1984.

The circumstances of Evelyn's disappearance would indicate that at least two persons were involved in her abduction. It is indeed strange that an intruder would enter a basement window and then force her out through that same window, rather than exiting more quickly and easily through a door. To get her out of the basement and for her not to run away, she would have had to have been subdued by an accomplice outside. Also, the perpetrator who entered the house would probably have needed a hand to get out of the basement window himself.

A blood trail which went through several yards would indicate a cut artery or a head wound which continued to bleed profusely. An experienced deer hunter and tracker would have been able to identify the type of wound, and whether the person were running, walking, or being dragged. It is likely that she was guided by her abductor(s) to a waiting vehicle and driven away if the blood trail ended abruptly.

The abductor would have been fairly agile and strong to have entered the house as he did, and to drag a struggling girl down the stairs and out a basement window. The likelyhood of an accomplice would tend to argue against Gein being the perpetrator.

 

[joellegirl]

About the one and only window being open I'm guessing maybe it was an oversight by the homeowner. I do believe the home was brand new and they had just moved in recently. That is the reason the ground was so muddy.

Police found pry marks on one of the bedroom windows, so it appears the abductors tried other windows first. Maybe this basement window was accidentally not locked all the way and it wasn't hard to open.

I believe the police looked into the possibility that the abductor(s) may have been a boyfriend or classmate. According to Evelyn's parents and friends, she didn't have a boyfriend at that time and had only had a few dates prior. Of course 15 year old girls can be full of secrets and she may have a had a boyfriend, but I guess they were just going on her personality profile that everyone gave. She was an honor student, involved in various school activites, was friendly but quiet and appeared quite mature and dependable. Her family appeared close and on top of what their daughter was up to, but of course anything is possible. Because of the police thinking it may have been a male classmate, they conducted lie detector tests on all junior and senior boys the following spring. Nothing came of that. It really appeared that she was not expecting anyone, with all those signs of a violent struggle, or at the very least if she were expecting someone she didn't think she would be harmed.

I have never thought the abductor was Ed Gein. As other posters have mentioned, Evelyn just wasn't his type of victim,I don't think he would have been able to subdue her himself, he denied involvement in her case, and it just seems too easy and simple-blame every Wisconsin mystery on Ed Gein. And as Richard mentioned, Ed Gein was unknown to police in 1953, so he wasn't thought of until 1957 when his grisly crimes were discovered.



Part of the mystery is trying to figure if this was a total random abduction or someone had been stalking Evelyn and waited for the right moment.

Even though the neighborhood was brand new, like something out of "Leave it to Beaver"--full of young families, bad things can happen anywhere.

 

[joellegirl]

"Where's Evelyn" is now available. I have my copy and have read it. It is a very good solid account of Evelyn's disapperance, the aftermath etc. Also includes many pictures, and remembrances from friends and classmates etc.. You get to learn more about who Evelyn was, not just that she is someone who disappeared.

The book also covers some new clues.

I highly reccomend this book if you are interested in Evelyn's disapperance, and even if you are simply interested in any very old unsolved cold case.

Contact Susan Hessel, (the author) at shessel3248@charter.net, if you are interested in purchasing a copy.

 

[joellegirl]

Just bumping since today, October 24, marks 52 years since Evelyn vanished.

 

[docwho3]

I post this tentatively because I haven't looked into the case at all yet and have only read a post or two:

About the one and only window being open I'm guessing maybe it was an oversight by the homeowner. I do believe the home was brand new and they had just moved in recently. That is the reason the ground was so muddy.

Police found pry marks on one of the bedroom windows, so it appears the abductors tried other windows first. Maybe this basement window was accidentally not locked all the way and it wasn't hard to open. . . .

I watched a TV show on where they hired a burglar to test peoples home security by burgaling their home while they were away(with their permission & knowledge.) One of his favorite tactics was to look for a window that was unlatched, even if it was on an upper floor of a 2 story home. I guess I am wondering if this was done by someone with experience in home breaking.

. . .Even though the neighborhood was brand new, like something out of "Leave it to Beaver"--full of young families, bad things can happen anywhere.

I agree. In fact I believe it was even more likely to happen given the fact that it was a "brand new" neighborhood. I am wondering if it was one of the new families or if this was more something done by someone that was working over the new burglary pickings of a recently built neighborhood. Its almost guaranteed to have stuff worth taking since all things are new.

And in a new neighborhood that was recently built (if thats the case) I would be looking at who would have been burgling the homes. I don't know whether people should be looking at some local (but not part of that neighborhood)burglars or whether this would have been some part of a more pro bunch that moved around to follow new neighborhood building. I don't have experience in that.

Was burglary the main objective here or was the perp just someone with burglary in their background? If he had that background but had stepped "up" to bigger crime then he might have a local burglary record.

I will read more about the case as I still have a couple more questions such as :Where was the home situated? Was it the first home or one of the first homes to be seen if you came into the neighborhood? Was it just the newest? Was there anything to make it a better first choice for a burglary than choosing another home on that date? Who moved them into the home?

Guess I better go do some reading.

 

[joellegirl]

Interesting thoughts Docwho3.

Investigators have looked at all angles of this case, and it seems burglary wasn't the motive, as nothing material was missing. Whoever broke into that house that night seemed intent on getting Evelyn as there was a violent struggle and they seemed determined to get her out of that house and away with them. Maybe at first they had burglary on their mind, then saw this young girl in the house alone and had other ideas. If it was rape, they could have done it right there(not sure if they knew about the baby in the house) but they seemed intent on taking her to another place. As mentioned before, it appears Evelyn fought her attacker(s) and one would think they might have given up at this point as it was getting too hard but it appears they were not going to let her go and they hurt her badly (with all the blood left behind). It is such a mystery, was it for burglary, or rape, did they know Evelyn or were they looking for any young girl, was this a spur of the moment crime or a long thought out one? One of the many things mentioned in the book is Evelyn wasn't this family's usual babysitter, and investigators wonder of the usual babysitter was the supposed target.

I have been to the neighborhood and the house is near a corner, and at that time since the neighborhood was so new, there were no trees, and gravel roads. It was very stark, and one could have seen the house from a ways away. Today , of course there are trees everywhere and the arealooks quite different than it did 52 years ago. All of the houses were new at that time, so there seemed nothing special about this house.

 

[Richard]

Evelyn Hartley
Missing since October 24, 1953, from La Crosse, Wisconsin
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: November 21, 1937
Age at Time of Disappearance: 15 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 126 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; brown, straight hair. Hartley wears eyeglasses, but did not have them on when she disappeared.
Clothing: She was last seen wearing size 16 red denim White Stag jeans, a size 34 plain white Ship n' Shore blouse, and white bobby socks.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Hartley, a 15-year-old Central High School student disappeared October 24, 1953, from the home of a La Crosse State College professor where she was baby-sitting. She was supposed to call her parents during the evening but did not. Her father tried to call several times that day and never got an answer. He became worried and went to the house to check on his daughter.

Hartley's father found all the windows in the house locked except a basement window in the back. Bloodstains were found around that window and in the grass of the yard, and there was a bloody handprint on the side of the house next door. The furniture inside the living room was disarranged. Hartley's eyeglasses, which were broken, and one of her shoes were on the living room floor. Her other shoe was found in the basement. There was no other trace of Hartley inside the home. The twenty-month-old girl she had been baby-sitting was found unharmed, sleeping in her crib.

Tracker dogs traced Hartley's scent as far as the street, leading authorities to believe she had been taken away in a car. They believe she disappeared at approximately 7:15 p.m. She never was found though there was an intensive search. It remains one of La Crosse's greatest unsolved mysteries.

Police suspect Edward Theodore Gein may have been involved in Hartley's case. He was visiting relatives in La Crosse, just blocks from the home where she was babysitting, on the night of her disappearance. In 1957, authorities in Plainfield, Wisconsin arrested Gein for murdering a local female tavern keeper. Gein confessed only to the murders of two tavern keepers. He was declared insane and sent to a mental hospital, where he died in 1984. Gein is also considered a possible suspect in the disappearance of Georgia Jean Weckler , who was abducted from from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin in 1947. Neither of them have ever been found. They do not fit the profile for Gein's known victims; both of the people he killed were middle-aged women.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: La Crosse Police Department 608-785-5962
Or
FindEvelynHartley.org Source Information:
La Crosse Tribune
FindEvelynHartley.org
The Charley Project
Case Updated on: May 28, 2005

 

[Marilynilpa]

Evelyn Hartley
Missing since October 24, 1953, from La Crosse, Wisconsin
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: November 21, 1937
Age at Time of Disappearance: 15 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 126 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; brown, straight hair. Hartley wears eyeglasses, but did not have them on when she disappeared.
Clothing: She was last seen wearing size 16 red denim White Stag jeans, a size 34 plain white Ship n' Shore blouse, and white bobby socks.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Hartley, a 15-year-old Central High School student disappeared October 24, 1953, from the home of a La Crosse State College professor where she was baby-sitting. She was supposed to call her parents during the evening but did not. Her father tried to call several times that day and never got an answer. He became worried and went to the house to check on his daughter.

Hartley's father found all the windows in the house locked except a basement window in the back. Bloodstains were found around that window and in the grass of the yard, and there was a bloody handprint on the side of the house next door. The furniture inside the living room was disarranged. Hartley's eyeglasses, which were broken, and one of her shoes were on the living room floor. Her other shoe was found in the basement. There was no other trace of Hartley inside the home. The twenty-month-old girl she had been baby-sitting was found unharmed, sleeping in her crib.

Tracker dogs traced Hartley's scent as far as the street, leading authorities to believe she had been taken away in a car. They believe she disappeared at approximately 7:15 p.m. She never was found though there was an intensive search. It remains one of La Crosse's greatest unsolved mysteries.

Police suspect Edward Theodore Gein may have been involved in Hartley's case. He was visiting relatives in La Crosse, just blocks from the home where she was babysitting, on the night of her disappearance. In 1957, authorities in Plainfield, Wisconsin arrested Gein for murdering a local female tavern keeper. Gein confessed only to the murders of two tavern keepers. He was declared insane and sent to a mental hospital, where he died in 1984. Gein is also considered a possible suspect in the disappearance of Georgia Jean Weckler , who was abducted from from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin in 1947. Neither of them have ever been found. They do not fit the profile for Gein's known victims; both of the people he killed were middle-aged women.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: La Crosse Police Department 608-785-5962
Or
FindEvelynHartley.org Source Information:
La Crosse Tribune
FindEvelynHartley.org
The Charley Project
Case Updated on: May 28, 2005

About the bloody handprint - was LE able to determine whose blood it was? I'm assuming it was Evelyn's, although it could have belonged to one of the kidnappers. She probably put up quite a struggle.

It appears Evelyn was not a little petite girl (at age 15 wearing a size 16 pants and a size 34 top), so it seems like dragging her through that window definitely would require two people.

I can understand the perpetrators getting into the house through an unlocked basement window, but why use that same window to carry Evelyn out of the house? Going through the front door would have been much easier. The tracking dogs tracked her scent to the street in front of the house, leading LE to assume she was taken away by car.

I wonder how dark it was at 7:15 p.m. in the latter part of October? Were there streetlights in that neighborhood?

 

[joellegirl]

About the bloody handprint - was LE able to determine whose blood it was? I'm assuming it was Evelyn's, although it could have belonged to one of the kidnappers. She probably put up quite a struggle.

It appears Evelyn was not a little petite girl (at age 15 wearing a size 16 pants and a size 34 top), so it seems like dragging her through that window definitely would require two people.

I can understand the perpetrators getting into the house through an unlocked basement window, but why use that same window to carry Evelyn out of the house? Going through the front door would have been much easier. The tracking dogs tracked her scent to the street in front of the house, leading LE to assume she was taken away by car.

I wonder how dark it was at 7:15 p.m. in the latter part of October? Were there streetlights in that neighborhood?

Actually, Evelyn was only 125 pounds and stood at 5 feet 7 inches. I think the sizes were different then. A size 16 wasn't the same as today's size 16. It sounds to me she was tall and slim. I have seen full length pictures of her in the high school yearbooks (copies obtained from LaCrosse Library) and she appears slim.

About how dark it was, I was just emailing back and forth the other day with the LaCrosse Library and asking what the weather was like that day, time of sunset etc. The newspaper from that day states the evening was fair skies, and a low of 37 degrees. Wisconsin didn't observe daylight savings time until 1957, so the sun set at approx. 4:48pm. So, it must have been quite dark at 7-7:30pm, except there was a full moon that night.

There were not any streetlights yet, as the neighborhood was still so new.

In the book, other scenerios are mentioned about how Evelyn was taken out of the house, since taking her out of the basement window doesn't make much sense. On thought was maybe she threw her shoe down into the basement when she heard some noise, and she ran out the front door (with abductors behind her) and the door locked as it shut behind her. She may have been running towards the side of the house when she was pummeled by the abductors as they struck her, most likely her head, due to all that blood. The blood trail led across back yards and stopped at a street in front of a house that was sort of kiddy-corner to the back of the house she was babystting at. So she was dragged through backyards and past garages and houses before supposedly put into a car. They do believe the blood on the house was Evelyn's.

In the book it mentions a man who was driving past the house around 7:15 (on his way to pick up his brother in law )and saw two men supporting a woman who was staggering through the yards. He dismissed it as people partying as it was the college homecoming that night(Actually, that is where the family who Evelyn was babysitting for was, at the game). A few minutes later he saw the same people in a car passing by him (still in the neighborhhood) and one of the men was in the backseat with the woman and she seemed to be leaning forward. This witness is still alive today wand was interviewed in the book. He remembers the night clearly and wishes he would have thought more about what he had seen but of course didn't think much of it until he had heard the next day about Evelyn vanishing.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Actually, Evelyn was only 125 pounds and stood at 5 feet 7 inches. I think the sizes were different then. A size 16 wasn't the same as today's size 16. It sounds to me she was tall and slim. I have seen full length pictures of her in the high school yearbooks (copies obtained from LaCrosse Library) and she appears slim.

About how dark it was, I was just emailing back and forth the other day with the LaCrosse Library and asking what the weather was like that day, time of sunset etc. The newspaper from that day states the evening was fair skies, and a low of 37 degrees. Wisconsin didn't observe daylight savings time until 1957, so the sun set at approx. 4:48pm. So, it must have been quite dark at 7-7:30pm, except there was a full moon that night.

There were not any streetlights yet, as the neighborhood was still so new.

Thanks so much for that information. I figured there probably were no streetlights in this new neighborhood. Without many trees, however, the full moon probably made it light enough to see where you were going.

I didn't realize that sizes were different in Evelyn's day, I appreciate you pointing that out to me.

So Evelyn was pretty tall for a 15 year old girl. I wonder if someone watching her might have thought she was older?

It's just hard to figure out how/why she was targeted. Was there any investigation of the family she was babysitting for? I wonder if someone might have had some grudge against them.

 

[docwho3]

Good resource page!
This leads to actual pictures of the newspaper reports of the day.
If you magnify these you can actually read the reports of the time.
I found this very helpful.
http://lplcat.lacrosse.lib.wi.us/digitalproject/hartley.htm


Also,since someone mentioned ED Gein, I found s site about Ed Geines that mentions that although it was '57 before the law officially knew much about him they are sure his first victem(that they know of) was in '51 or '52 or maybe as early as '47
http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/gein/vanish_4.html

Also since there was some speculation about the shoe print showing possible link to a whizzer motorbike here is some links about the bike
Whizzer bike current pic:
http://www.extreme-scooters.com/whizzerindex.htm
Whizzer website
http://www.geocities.com/whizzer_17044/main.html
New AND old whizzer pics
http://www.geocities.com/whizzer_17044/images/

 

[joellegirl]

Evelyn's case file on The Charley Project:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/h/hartley_evelyn.html

For those of you interested in this case I again highly recommend the new book "Where's Evelyn?". It is a self published book and can be bought by contacting Susan Hessel (author) at shessel3248@charter.net

It includes a chapter about some new clues that have come to light in the past few years. Law Enforcement has investigated these new clues but are so backed up with currect cases that Evelyn's cold case is on the backburner which is frustrating. The new clues are basically a tape recording that has come to light of some men talking in a bar in 1968 and one of the men(now deceased) is practically admitting he was involved in Evelyn's disappearance and that she is buried in such and such a location near LaFarge, Wi. I'm not sure if that exact location is known though. The book mentions that even if the location is someday found, there is no guarantee Evelyn is still there. Due to passage of time, the fact that she may not have been buried very deep and what animals can do, and the fact that the area has had flood problems though the years. I do hope if they ever find the location, maybe something will still be there and they can identify her. The idea of her still being alive and suffering from amnesia has been discussed, but is highly unlikely. It is sadly believed who ever took her that night murdered her and disposed of her body somewhere in the wilderness.

The LaCrosse Tribune website has several recent articles on this case. if you go their site just put Evelyn Hartley in the archive search and many of these articles will come up, including one about this tape recorder "confession".

 

[Marilynilpa]

Thanks joellegirl and docwho3 for the links.

The Crime Library mentions that Ed Gein may have killed Evelyn, but I agree with other posters on this thread - it just doesn't seem likely.

I have a question that someone might be able to answer - had Evelyn ever babysat for the family in that house before? I wonder how she was referred to them.