A stereotype about small towns is that they’re so safe that the citizens keep their doors unlocked. Murders, especially random acts of violence, are more of an urban problem. But some small towns are so haunted by an unsolved murder that it has forever changed their landscape.
10The Saxtown Ax Murders
Saxtown is a small town outside of Millstadt, Illinois, and it was made up of mostly German immigrants. It is also home to a gruesome unsolved murder that took place during the night of March 19 and the morning of March 20, 1874.
It is believed that someone knocked on the door of the Stelzriedes’ farmhouse, and when Fritz Stelzriede responded to the knocks, he was killed with an ax. From there, the killer went through the house and killed Fritz’s father (Frederick), his mother (Anna), his grandfather, his three-year-old brother, and his eight-year-old sister. All of them were killed with an ax, and a few also had their throats slit. A neighbor found the bodies on the afternoon of March 20. He’d come over to check on the Stelzriedes since he hadn’t seen anyone working on the farm that day.
One theory regarding the motive was that the grandfather had hidden money and gold in the house. No money was found after the murders, but there was no way to know if money had been in the house in the first place.
Another theory was that Frederick Boeltz, who was married to Anna’s sister, killed the Stelzriede family to either collect their inheritance or to ensure that he and his wife would get an upcoming inheritance meant for the Stelzriedes. Boeltz moved to Nebraska after the murders, changed his name, and was never charged with the murders.
The third theory is based on the strength of the ax swings, which were quite powerful. It’s possible that a disgruntled farmhand, who had experience using an ax, slaughtered the six family members.
9The Be-Lo Murders
Lepanges-sur-Vologne is a small village in northeast France with a population of less than 1,000 people. It is also home to one of the most brutal unsolved mysteries in the history of modern France.
On October 16, 1984, the uncle of four-year-old Gregory Villemin received a call saying that Gregory had been kidnapped and murdered. Immediately, Gregory’s parents and the police were alerted. Shortly after the call, the body of the four-year-old was found floating in the Vologne River about 7 kilometers (4 mi) away from his home. Gregory’s hands and feet were bound, and he had drowned. The day after the murder, Gregory’s parents received a letter in the mail that read, “I hope you die of grief, boss. Your money can’t give you back your son. Here is my revenge, you stupid bastard.” The letter had been sent the day of the murder from the post office in town.
Gregory’s parents, Christine and Jean-Marie Villemin, knew who was responsible for the murder, but they didn’t know his true identity. It was a mysterious man whom the media nicknamed “The Crow.” The Crow had been harassing the Villemins for at least three years before the murder by making obscene and threatening phone calls. The couple even recorded some of the phone calls, but the voice was never identified.
There were a number of suspects in the case. The first was Bernard Laroche, Jean-Marie’s cousin. In February 1985, Laroche was cleared of all charges, which infuriated Jean-Marie. While speaking with journalists, Jean-Marie vowed that he would kill his cousin. True to his word, he shot Laroche to death on March 29 as Laroche was leaving work. Jean-Marie was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.
Gregory’s mother, Christine, was also a suspect in the murder. She was seen at the post office on the day of the murder, cords similar to those used to bind Gregory were found in the family’s basement, and the handwriting analysis from the letter implicated her. She was even held as a suspect in July 1985, but then a judge forbade any prosecution of her, a rare move.
Another interesting fact about the case is that there is plenty of DNA evidence, including saliva left on the stamp and DNA left on the cords. When the cords were tested in 2013, the results were inconclusive, which makes the likelihood of finding the identity of the Crow and the killer at the heart of “Affaire de Gregory” very unlikely unless someone comes forward with new information or clues.
By: Ahmad Alomda
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