Elderly women's deaths baffle N.C. police

2/6/04 | Paul Nowell

[CFW]

Elderly women's deaths baffle N.C. police By Paul Nowell, Associated Press Writer, 2/6/2004

SHELBY, N.C. -- Police Chief Charlie VanHoy isn't quite sure what he has on his hands, but he's worried.

From August to November last year, three elderly women were found dead in their beds, dressed in their nightclothes, with no sign of forced entry into their homes. Phone lines were severed, yet medical examiners found no foul play.

Further confusing matters, jewelry, pocket books -- even loaded guns -- were not taken.

"This is just baffling and very frustrating," VanHoy said Thursday.

Lottie Mae Ledford, 85, was found dead in August. The body of Margaret Tessneer, 79, was discovered about a month later. And Lillian Mullinix, 87, was found dead in November.

Their community, Shelby, is a working-class town of 21,000 people that once was home to a thriving textile industry. The town, located about 50 miles west of Charlotte, averages between five and seven homicides each year, so VanHoy is alarmed by the possibility there could be a killer on the loose in what he describes as "older, established neighborhoods."

The first death was discovered Aug. 23, when Ledford's niece tried to check on her aunt after she was unable to reach her on the phone for several days. According to a police report, she found the front door unlocked and no sign of forced entry, then went next door to a neighbor's house and called police.

Before officers arrived, the neighbor entered the small, one-story home and found Ledford lying on the bed, wearing a nightgown. VanHoy said the neighbor had seen Ledford on her back porch earlier that day.

"She had two loaded guns in her bedroom," the police chief said. "We learned it was normal for her to have them. In all the cases, pocketbooks were located with cash in them. We also found jewelry on their bodies that was undisturbed."

Bobby Fisher, Ledford's nephew, does not believe his aunt would have left her front door unlocked.

"Any time I went to see her, she had to unlock the door to let me in," he said. "And she had two guns and she wasn't afraid to use them."

His wife, Barbara Fisher, described Ledford as a "very independent woman" who never married and lived in the same house for 57 years until her death. She said she thinks Ledford was surprised by an attacker who had been staking out her house.

Investigators found the severed phone line after they searched the exterior of Ledford's one-story home. VanHoy said "red flags went up" when the discovery was made, and the concerns resurfaced when another severed line was found about a month later.

On the morning of Sept. 20, Tessneer's daughter and son-in-law went to her house. When there was no answer, they tried the front door, which was unlocked. Tessneer was found dead in her bed, with jewelry on top of the bedroom dresser and no signs of robbery.

An autopsy listed the cause of death "undetermined," VanHoy said. A second autopsy, performed by the state medical examiner's office, ruled out foul play, he said.

Just a few miles away, Lillian Mullinix, 87, lived in two-story brick house with a front porch shaded by large holly trees.

A neighbor called police when he noticed newspapers piling up in front of her house on Nov. 10. Like the others, Mullinix was found dead on her bed, dressed in a nightgown. There were no signs of forced entry and the phone line was cut.

Mullinix's body was sent to Chapel Hill for an autopsy. Again, VanHoy said, a forensic pathologist told him there was there was no foul play.

"To me, she was a lovely lady," said neighbor Teresa Vercher, as she watched her young daughter and her nephew play in her front yard this week. "She always stayed by herself and she would sit on her front porch every evening with her cats."

Police continue to check for connections between the three women, who were not known to be acquainted, although all worked in the textile industry.

Investigators have had no luck so far, after reviewing phone records and trying to determine if the women hired the same person for chores, such as yard work or home repairs. But VanHoy hopes that pending toxicology reports on Tessneer and Mullinix will offer some clues.

"You hope if you get that old, one day you can just lay down and die," Barbara Fisher said. "It's not fair to die in such a terrible way."

[CFW]

Okay...what do you make of this?

[whereasandsoforth]

Sounds like the Angel of Death has a key and hates to be interupted by a ringing phone.

[scouse]

Okay...what do you make of this?

Intergalactic flashers?????

[RAY]

Could be the work of another evil predator. However, seems much more subtle than the typical slime -- who has a nine yard long rap sheet.

[Blood of Tyrants]

A skeleton key?

[Luke Skyfreeper]

Police Chief Charlie VanHoy isn't quite sure what he has on his hands, but he's worried.

Since he's not sure, I'll tell him: a slick serial killer.

Phone lines don't cut themselves.

[diamondjoe]

Freaky. If I was an older woman in that area, or had a close family member that fit the profile, I'd be thinking hard of a way to install some sort of mechanism that would indicate--whether through an alarm, or something else--that the phone line has been cut. I have absolutely no idea if anything of this sort exists, though, but it sounds like something that could made.

[Sally II]

Too bad The X-Files was cancelled. This would have been interesting fodder for an episode.

[blam]

"Could be the work of another evil predator."

Some young guy trying to save social security?

[Prodigal Son]

Like some kind of Stephen King thing.

[CFW]

I would look for a connection at a doctor's office, nursing home, hospital, etc.

Some guy who sees himself as a 'god', but wasn't able to get into a medical school. He is not as intelligent as he thinks. Maybe a orderly or a nurse.

[Protagoras]

whether through an alarm, or something else--that the phone line has been cut. I have absolutely no idea if anything of this sort exists, though, but it sounds like something that could made.

A cell phone would work better. Older folks don't usually embrace newer tech, but I think that's the answer.

[diamondjoe]

My point was less that you need some method of communication, and more that you need some way of knowing that your line has been cut, because that is evidently the m.o. of this killer. But you are right that a cell phone would help.

Ok, here's some wild guesses: I'm going to speculate that the killer will be a middle-aged (40-45) man who, a la Norman Bates, had an unhealthy fixation on his mother. That would explain the killing of older women. I'd check for single men in the area with criminal records whose mothers have recently died. Perhaps the killer might even work for the phone company--he cuts the line, comes to the door, tells the women that their line is out (which they confirm by picking up the receiver and getting no dial tone), and that's how he gets in to the house.

[Protagoras]

He must have a so far undetectable method of murder as well, if he exists. Unclear at this point, very suspicious though.

[dawn53]

Watched an interesting show on Discovery Health last week. A male nurse was killing patients in a hospital for terminally ill patients by injecting cyanide into their IV's.

The patient's were so ill before they died, that nobody bothered to do an autopsy. After 9 or so had died, in a pretty short period of time, one of the victims had to be autopsied (because he was in the hospital as a result of an auto accident and they needed to get a cause of death for the court case).

Immediately the coroner knew it was cyanide poisoning from the autopsy, and that's when they went back and starting putting 2 and 2 together to figure out who had been assigned to each of the victims.

[cajungirl]

Creepy, I think of Norman Bates. Middle aged white man, never married, ambivalent relationship with mother who controlled and coddled him. Not very bright. Worked as librarian or clerk. No record. No one knows him well but everyone has seen him around. His mother is either in a NH or died in the last year or two or has gone to live with a daughter. I think he may have insulin or something he gives them to kill but is hard to detect. Then he sits around talking to the corpse. This is totally creepy.

[diamondjoe]

It is interesting. Obviously there are tons of scenarios, but here's one to try out: a man with phone repair experience (though finding and cutting a line would be pretty simple) finds out where his next victim lives, goes to her house late at night, and cuts the line. He then visits her a few hours later, acting like someone from the phone company who has received a report of a non-functioning line. She goes to the phone, and sees that he is right, that her line is out. He says he needs to check wiring in the house, and she lets him in. Voila. No forced entry, no opportunity to call the police, and that's that. I think the unlocked door thing is the biggest clue (at least, biggest clue they've released). It indicates some sort of trust given to the killer.

[Protagoras]

LOL,,,you have a vivid imagination! You should concider a career writing novels. You could be another Stephen King :^}

[CFW]

It indicates some sort of trust given to the killer.

Exactly. That's why I think it is someone from a doctor or hospital each victim had visited.

"Mrs. So-and-So, the doctor wanted me to stop by and leave you this medicine, etc."

Elderly people can be so trusting. She recognized him from the doctor or hospital, and let's him in.