IN IN- Darlene Hulse, 28, abducted @home by disguised' delivery man', found murdered (blunt force trauma), 6 miles from home,17 Aug;1984, *Sketch/DNA*.

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rbbm

'Witnesses described the suspect as a white man in his mid to late 20s, between 6 feet tall and 6’2″, with blond hair combed to the side, a long nose and long face. The car was described as a 70s style 4-door, greenish in color with rust, possibly an Oldsmobile or Pontiac.'
August 16 2025

https://www.wane.com/top-stories/isp-asking-for-publics-help-to-solve-1984-cold-case-of-womans-abduction-murder/

'MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) – Indiana State Police detectives are asking for the public’s help to piece together details of a 1984 cold case in Marshall County.'

Darlene Hulse (Courtesy Indiana State Police)
''Nearly 41 years ago, Darlene Hulse – a 28-year-old wife and mother – was abducted from her rural Argos home and murdered. The culprit was never caught.

On the morning of Aug. 17, 1984, Hulse and her three daughters were about to leave their house on 20B Road when a man disguised as a delivery driver forced his way into the home, according to a press release from ISP. Investigators determined there was a struggle between Hulse and the attacker; meanwhile, her two older daughters – at 6 and 8 years old – ran to the nearby home of a family member to report the attack.

When police responded to Hulse’s house, her 11-month-old daughter was inside, but Hulse was nowhere to be found. Investigators determined Hulse was “brutally attacked and abducted” and was driven away in the man’s car.''

 

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rbbm August 2025

Remembering Darlene Hulse and her unsolved murder 40 years later

MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind.-- Saturday marks 40 years since the murder of Darlene Hulse, a 28-year-old Marshall County mother. And 40 years later, her case remains unsolved.

www.abc57.com

''An intruder entered Darlene's family house, just outside Argos, while her husband was at work, two little girls in the bathtub, a baby at home. As the man attacked their mom, Darlene screamed her last words to her girls-- to run.

Naked and wet, the girls ran the short distance to their grandparents, who called for help, but it was too late. Darlene's body was eventually found in the woods about six miles away.

"That day, things changed," Earl said. "All the sudden, you had people that were afraid, people that weren't letting their kids out to play."

The case went cold; the killer was never named.
Kristen Rooks is Darlene's daughter. She was the baby left at home while her mom was being attacked.''

''Rooks is fighting for answers, and several years ago she learned a partial DNA profile was collected from Darlene's clothing. It's not a full profile that could be entered into a national system.
"But what they can do is one-on-one testing with known suspects," Rooks said.
She also wants more of Darlene's items tested for DNA''.

 

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By Christine Karsten Apr. 17, 2023

Michiana Unsolved: The Murder of Darlene Hulse

Christine Karsten went through this case with Ashley Flowers — a Michiana native who is now the voice behind very popular true crime podcasts.

www.wndu.com

'The 1-year-old was fine, but covered in her mother’s blood. That blood left a trail from the living room, out the front door, down the sidewalk to where the suspect’s car was potentially parked.

“Old green rusted car, it was a 4-door like 70s style boat car that they still have never been able to find,” Ashley says.

Also missing from the house, a fireplace poker rod, leading police to believe the suspect beat Darlene, caused massive bleeding and potentially incapacitated her before loading her into his car''.
“In that first year, in 1984, they had a couple of suspects. A guy in Texas, they had some locals, a guy in Alabama, all of them basically ruled out and then the case just kind of stalled,” Ashley says.

(WNDU)

 

[PGHJW]

Was there really never a Websleuths thread on her before last Friday?

A podcast called "The Deck" did a very long series on her. Mixed feelings on it although I come away with a different thought than I do on most cold cases. I mostly think that named "suspects" in a cold case usually aren't the culprit. It's been proven a lot. That being said there are so many solid ones, especially as presented in the podcast, that I think it has to be one of them. And in most cases it's more than proximity.

I think that proximity as a main "lead" has to be thrown out after Jacob Wetterling was solved. We know how that went.

The prosecutor in charge of this case is worthless, or is at least painted as such. The creators are very much like every other host in the small number of true crime podcasts that I've listened to (cops are bad/inept, we couldn't BELIEVE what we found, sensationalism disguised as concern for the families and I won't get into the same tone of voice used by every host) but I don't think there's any way possible that they could've manipulated this prosecutors words and actions here. He's a politician looking for fame or retirement, whichever comes first. The podcast hosts are just looking for fame.

After listening to the entire run I came across an Instagram post of just yesterday from the show's page announcing that there is a new lead investigator on the case.

 

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Aug 15, 2025
This Sunday marks 41 years since the abduction and murder of Darlene Hulse from her rural Argos home in Marshall County.