Part One will deal with the facts, Part Two with my analysis. I would like to dedicate this entry to Evie Hartley & the Hartley Family, Jan Wiggert & The Rasmussens, A.M. Josephson, Sheriff Ivan Wright, Steve Bothun, The Rasmussens & my Grandma Burris. I've spent a better part of a year looking into this case. This entry will probably be continually updated with information. The information that I add will be a few details here and there. I have well over 1GB of information on this case and I always endeavor to be as accurate as possible. I believe I have the basics of the case outlined here.
Shurlock
LACROSSE
LIBRARY ARCHIVES (A MUST VISIT)
WIKI
CHARLEY
PROJECT
WEBSLEUTHS
LACROSSE
TRIBUNE ARTICLE
INFAMOUS
WISCONSIN
VANISHED
PODCAST EP
THIN
AIR PODCAST EP
THE
TRAIL WENT COLD PODCAST EP
THE
LINEUP
UNRESOLVED
MYSTERIES REDDIT THREAD
STEPHIE5741
LARRY
SCHECKEL
THE
LOST BABYSITTER
LIFE
DAILY ARTICLE
PEOPLE
MAGAZINE ARTICLE
CNN
ARTICLE
HUFFINGTON
POST
NEW-LACROSSE
TRIBUNE ARTICLE 10-24-2017
Date
Of Birth:
11/22/1938
in Texas
Disappeared:
Saturday,
10/24/1953 from La Cross County, Wisconsin
Height and Weight:
5'7 Around 128 lbs
Blood
Type:
A
Parents:
Richard
T. Hartley (Dr. Hartley was a Biology Professor at La Crosse State
College,Specialized in Embryology)and Ethel Hartley (Homemaker,
Sometimes spelled Ethyl)) (LaCrosse State University is now the
University of Wisconsin LaCrosse) Both
parents were formerly from Nebraska.
Siblings:
Thomas
Gordon Hartley (22). Carolyn Hartley (6) Richard Charles Hartley(Died
of Polio in 1946 while in the Navy. Other reports state 1950)
Nickname:
Evie
Residence:
1533Johnson St.
Student:
Junior
at Central High School
Wearing:
A
size 34-36 white broadcloth Ship N Shore blouse with pearl buttons,
Size 16 Heavy Red Denim White Stag Jeans (Heavy Denim Material) with
a side zipper and cuffs rolled up
* Evie
was an Officer at the Presbyterian Youth Program and Westminster
Fellowship at her local Church. Sang in Choir. Her Pastor described
her as “Quiet, Dependable and Devoted”.
* She
was popular with both Boys and Girls in her class. She did NOT have a
serious boyfriend and was described as shy regarding the opposite
sex. (I have a feeling that came from her parents.) Her
classmates stated that she would have liked to date but she wasn't
allowed to. Her father is quoted as saying SHE thought she was too
young. Sure. (Yeah all fathers think their daughters are too
young to date. I have 2 15 year old daughters. And they date. I can
relate to Mr. Hartley.)
* Evie
did wear eyeglasses. Didn't have them on when abducted. She had just
purchased new glasses that very day.
*
Evelyn attended a Presbyterian Youth Camp the prior summer.
* The
Hartley's moved to La Crosse from Charleston Illinois four years
prior.
* On
October 24th, 1953 a La Crosse State College Professor named Viggo
Rasmussen hired Evelyn Hartley to babysit his 20 month old daughter
(Janice) so he could attend a College Homecoming Game. (La
Crosse State College vs. River Falls)
(La
Crosse won)
* The Rasmussen's had a regular babysitter. But she had plans. And they hired Evie as a replacement. (Regular babysitter being Janice Lucille Cowley who was also a classmate of Evelyn)
*Fifteen-year-old Evelyn Hartley had never baby-sat for the Rasmusens, and when she arrived at the family’s home in the 2400 block of Hoeschler Drive, she was armed with a big bouquet of flowers. Lina saw her set them on the kitchen table. That was the last time she saw Evelyn. (Lina being Rozalyn)
Rasmussen Home: As you can see there is no indoor garage at the time. So if a burglar(s) happened to notice Evelyn inside. He would prob assume since there was no car out in the driveway that she was home alone. He could've verified it by staking the house out even for a short time. Or he didn't see Evelyn at the time and tried entering the house.
* Rasmussen's
left their house at 6:45 pm. (Mr.
and Mrs. Rasmussen (Madeline) along with their 7 year old daughter
Rozalyn.) This
was the last time she was seen.
* Evie's
mother Ethel was described as having a nervous feeling about the
night as early as 7pm.
* Evie
was instructed to put Janice down to bed at 7pm.
* At
7:15 she was instructed to place a blanket over Janice.
* She
was suppose to call her parent's at 8:30 pm that night. She never
did. (It was semi-common practice for Evelyn to call her
parents at 8:30pm whenever she babysat.)
* Mr.
Hartley tried calling the Rasmussen home several times and never
received an answer. (He even double checked the number in the
phone book.)
* Mr.
Hartley then proceeded to drive over to the Rasmussen home. He
arrived at 9:20pm.
* He
knocked on both doors and rang the doorbell. No answer. The doors
were locked.
* Through
one of the windows he noticed one of Evelyn's shoes and glasses on
the living room floor.
*He then walked around the house and noticed a basement window open. He then accessed the house through the basement window.
*Upon entering the basement he noticed one of Evelyn's shoes at the top of the basement stairs. There was also a stool placed near the window in the basement.
* He then ran upstairs and found the other shoe on the floor along with her new glasses (broken) and her textbooks scattered about. Furniture was disarranged. There was also blood on the living room floor.
* He then found the baby Janice asleep in her room unharmed. Still uncovered. (So we can assume that whatever happened occurred on or before 7:15pm.)
*Mr.
Hartley had a neighbor Frank Linder (From across the
street) phone the police at 9:49 pm. Mr. Hartley spoke to
authorities after Frank Linder dialed the number. (Source:
LaCrosse Tribune 10/24/1954)
* Police
Officers Don Schoenfeld and Ken Johnson arrived minutes later.
* Willard
Sill was one of the original detectives on the case.
* Sill
believes the prowler(s) saw Evie prior to breaking in.
*
Other newspaper accounts state other officials believe that Hartley's abduction was part of a botched burglary attempt. (Source: La Crosse
Tribune 10/24/54)
* 3
other windows had pry marks on them.
* An
attempted forced entry was found on a neighbors house.
* Footprints
from a Size 11 Shoe were found in the dirt by the window as well as
in the living room.
* Blood
was found on the inside and outside areas of the window.
*A
puddle of blood that measured 18 inches across was found outside the
basement window. The blood had Human Hair in it.
* Blood
was found on the side of the Rasmussen home. A Bloody Hand Print.
* Blood
was also found around the corner at a neighbors home at 2310 Coulee Dr. It was smeared on the side of the garage. (Eugene Downer
home)
* Blood
was also found at 2311 Coulee Dr. The blood was found seeped into a
window well. The Police believe that Evelyn may have been rested
there for a brief period of time. When Ethel Hartley saw the blood at
this address. She stated she knew her daughter was no longer alive.
* There
has been speculation that the blood amount left at all the locations
was not enough to be fatal. And the Police believe that the blood
left was from her nose. As if the perpetrator slapped or punched
Evelyn in the nose. Causing a hemorrhage.
* A
neighbor reported hearing screams at 7:15pm that night.
(Elvin
and Helen Saterback)
* Elvin
stated there were either 2 or 3 screams. With the last one muffled or
choked off in the middle. He assumed it was neighborhood children
being punished and didn't think much of it. He assumed that the
reasons one was muffled was that one of the parents took the child in
the house and the door was slammed.
* Helen
described the scream as a "Stop" or "Getaway from me"
scream.
* Helen
also stated she saw an Old Sedan that was a Dark Tan in color.
* The
same size 11 footprint was in other yards in the neighborhood.
Leading Detectives and LE to speculate that the suspect(s) was
prowling and came upon Evie. That she wasn't targeted.
* The
initial search for Evie lasted until around 1am (Early hours of the
25th) that night. And was called off until the next day.
* No
roadblocks were utilized that night. (Seriously?)
* The
Rasmussens were allowed to return to their house after that. Officer
Schoenfeld stated that the areas where evidence was left was
preserved until the next morning.
* The
next morning nearly a thousand supporters converged on the Rasmussen
home to assist in the search for Evie. The Police Department issued a
statement earlier requesting volunteers to assist in the search.
* There
was evidence that she was dragged down to the basement and lifted up
and out the same basement window the perpetrator presumably entered
the house by. The basement window according to police was 14
inches wide. (That was just one of the theories. This one
makes no sense imo.)
* There
was also evidence suggesting the suspect(s) left out the front door
as well. The front door was described as a "self locking door".
*
If she was lifted through the window its likely there were more than
one perpetrator. Likely 2. This is also validated by a neighbor Ed
Hofer ("Mister X") who nearly collided with a two toned
1941 or 42 two toned Buick speeding westward from the neighborhood.
Mr. Hofer noticed 2 men and a woman. A man driving. And a man in the
backseat with a woman. Mr. Hofer noticed the same 3 (presumably)
minutes earlier staggering down the street where the blood was later
found.
* Ed
Hofer was referred to as Mr. X in reports and articles for many years
after the abduction to protect his identity.
ED
HOFER'S AKA "MR. X" STORY
(La Crosse LE disputed the claim Ed Hofer stated he saw the same car since and recognized the driver.(Second Page)
MORE OF "MR. X" STORY
* The stains in the car turned out not to be blood.
* The County eventually hired A.M. "Joe" Josephson as the La Crosse County Criminal Investigator. (A new position was created) And he was to specifically work the Hartley case. Josephson was a 33 year old former Army Criminologist. And an expert with the polygraph.
* In
May 1954, (Under the direction of A.M. Josephson) mass lie detector
tests were conducted on La Crosse area high school boys in an attempt
to find more information about Hartley's disappearance. Authorities
planned to test 1,750 students and faculty, but the lie detector
testing was controversial and was halted after around 300 were
tested.
*Josephson
worked the Hartley case for years and eventually came up with an
outline of the suspects.
OUTLINE
OF SUSPECTS
1) There
were 2 of them
2) From
the Chicago Area, And at the time were working near the La Crosse
area.
3) Kidnappers
were Steeplejacks at one point
4) Larger
one wore size 11 shoes and operated a whizzer motorbike.
5) Smaller
one was 5'6 to 5'7 and around 130-140 lbs.
6) Over
several months Josephson tracked down receipts and sales records
related to whizzer motorbikes. But never had any worthwhile suspects.
THE EVIDENCE
The
Shoes and Jacket had been positively determined to have been in the
Rasmussen home. It had been determined by spectrographic
analysis. (Chicago
Tribune 7/14/57)
The
Shoes and the Jacket were shown in more than 30 towns in Wisconsin
and Minnesota but nothing came of this.
(LaCrosse Tribune
10/24/54)
Several
days after Evelyn's disappearance a bloodstained Bra and Panties were
found near the underpass of Highway 14. About 2 miles from the
Rasmussen home. They were Evelyn's size. Her mother was unable to
confirm if they were in fact her daughter's. It should be noted that
area was previously searched and the bra and panties were either
missed by the search party. Or placed there afterwards. LE believes
that they were thrown from a car and blown to their location. A
bloodstained pair of men's pants were also found along the same road
4 miles away from where the bra and panties were found. It was later
determined that the blood on the panties was menstrual blood. Evelyn
according to her father was menstruating at the time. The blood on
the pants as well as the panties was Type A blood. Same as
Evelyn's. (Source: Wausau Daily Herald 10/31/53) Also,
The State Crime Lab stated they found a good palm print in the blood
near the Rasmussen home. Tiny Threads of Cloth were found in the
print. And shreds of Red Cloth were found in a pool of blood found 10
yards away from the Rasmussen home. Evelyn was wearing Red Slacks at
the time of her abduction. (Source: The Daily
Chronicle of Dekalb Illinois 10/28/53)
THE PANTS
*
The shoes were manufactured by the Goodrich Rubber Company on or
around June 2nd, 1951.
* The
type of shoe, A Goodrich "Hood Mogul" were not sold in
Wisconsin in 3 years. The last place to carry such a shoe was a
village store in Viroqua.
* The
shoes were also sold in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois.
*
The shoes also had serial numbers inside which LE attempted to
trace.
*
The area where the shoes were found was previously searched. Which
lead LE to believe they were placed there to mislead the
investigation.
*
An African American Hair was said to be inside one of the shoes.
"We
know definitely that the shoes were placed there a short time before
they were found." Captain Leo Kihm
A bloodstained jacket was also found along Highway 14 shortly after Evelyn was abducted. It was picked up by a local farmer who then notified the Police of it being in his possession.
*It
was a Blue Denim Small Sized Overall Jacket. Size 36.
*Metallic
Buttons, 1 of 4 buttons missing. 2nd from bottom.
*It
was found around 800 feet North of where the shoes were located.
*It
was laying in sight of the highway and on the same side the shoes
were located on.
*It
was stained with human blood.
*Wear
mark running the entire width of the jacket under arm pits. Possibly
from a safety harness. 1 3/4 inches wide.
*Bast
Fibers, Like the kind used in scrubbing brushes were left inside the
left pocket.
* Metal
Paints Flecks on jacket.
* 3
inch vertical tear near the button holes had been machine sewn with
brown thread.
*Prior
to Evelyn's abduction there were 3 unsolved murders in LaCrosse in
recent years. (Source: Chicago
Daily Tribune: 1/12/54)
*A
prowler had been operating on the south side of town for the better
part of a year at the time Evelyn was abducted.
La Crosse Tribune 8-20-53
*The day of the abduction there was a Student Council Convention in LaCrosse. Over 400 Student Council Leaders from 100 Schools all over Wisconsin and Minnesota.There was an all day session on Friday and another at noon on Saturday. (And homecoming on top of that) (Source:Chicago Daily Tribune: 1/12/54)
*A
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Downer were residents of the adjacent home
where bloodstains were found on the outer wall. She stated she heard
no disturbance throughout the evening but had noticed at about 8pm
that a light colored automobile was circling the block. She saw the
car pass her home at least 3 times. She did not notice the occupant
or occupants tho. (Source:Chicago
Tribune 10/26/53)
* A Bernard J. Lauer was also questioned regarding Evelyn's abduction. He was described as a 43 year old salesman from Eau Claire. He was also fat. Reportedly weighing 235 lbs. He was already being held on a rape charge at the time. He was in the area at the time selling roofing. His alibi did indeed check out. (Source: The Commercial Mail: 10/27/53)
*On 10/30/1953 A LaCrosse man was questioned and cleared of any involvement after he was picked up on a rape complaint. (Accused of raping a 15 year old girl) News reports didn't name the person. (Source Green-Bay Press Gazette 10/31/53) In that same article they mention John J. Watson although not by name.
*On
10/30/53 The FBI informed LaCrosse County District Attorney John
Bosshard that they would not enter the case. Bosshard was informed by
an agent heading up the Milwaukee office, a Robert L. Murphy who
stated according to Bosshard "Murphy advised me that in his
opinion there is no federal offense that present evidence can
substantiate and that the FBI is unable to come in and give us
assistance." This was an idiotic technicality. From reading they
took Bosshard's description of the abduction as a Sex Crime rather
than a Kidnapping. A Kidnapping is a Federal Offense and a Sex Crime
isn't. Someone really needed to hit Murphy on the head with a tack
hammer because this case can be classified as both. Utter
Dipshitery. (Source:
Marshfield News-Herald 10/31/53)
*In 1954 Sheriff Ivan Wright died of a heart ailment. Which was aggravated due to overwork. His death was blamed on overwork from the Hartley case.
*Even
though Mr. Hartley praised LE's efforts. Many in the surrounding area
felt differently. A neighbor told a Chicago Tribune reporter two
months after the abduction that "What we need here is an
investigation of the investigators in the Hartley case." &
"If you want to get away with murder, Just move to LaCrosse."
(Source
Wisconsin State Journal-11/25/74)
(I needed to make a correction on the Watson and Tygue aspect to this entry. This was done through no fault of my own. I had them confused with ONE suspect. Watson was NOT guilty of the Madison attacks as my previous entry erroneously stated. Tygue was SUSPECTED of the attacks. Tygue who's name had a few different spellings according to which newspaper reported on him passed a polygraph and declared his innocence in the Madison attacks. Despite the victims picking him out of photos at the time. Tygue's last name was spelled as Tague and Tygue when reported in the newspapers. And I have a suspicion that the first name is actually Hayward and the last being Teague. But Ill go with the newspaper reports until I find out otherwise. Both man's prints however were looked into as suspects.)
UPDATE: 11/27/2017 Mugshots Looks like the same guy to me. And apparently, He continued to break into houses. Gives his birth date as 7/11/1931. I'll continue to research this. It would appear his name is HAYWARD TAGUE.
Hayverd Tygue was arrested in relation to two attacks upon women in Madison, Wisconsin. Attacks that were similar to Evie's. In one of the attacks he entered through a basement window and hit a woman with a Slapjack. The house entered was also in a newly developed part of town. (Source Wasau Daily Herald 10/31/53 In that article it states there were 3 attacks) He fled when in both attacks the woman screamed.(Source-Racine Journal Times 10-30-53) One of the women picked him out of a photograph. And there are interesting correlations with this man and Evie's abduction. When apprehended this man was driving a stolen car from CHICAGO.(See outline of suspects) It was tan in color with Illinois license plates. Similar to the one reported in the area at the time of Evelyn's abduction.(One such incident happened the night before Evelyn's abduction.)Within the car was a lead pipe with human hairs on it. (Remember LE found an African American hair in one of the shoes)
Another
African American suspect that was looked into was John J. Watson. His
prints were compared with the prints left at the Hartley crime scene.
Nothing apparently came of this. He was convicted in 1954 of Carnal
Knowledge and Abuse. He was paroled twice. He was eventually
convicted of the rape and murder of Edna Mauch in 1958. He was also
responsible for attacking 2 women with a hammer in 1980. Killing one.
He died on November 12, 2007 at the age of 86. Good
Riddance to this Sick Sunuvabitch. (Mr. Watson lived in Madison, Wisconsin at one point. And again remember LE found an African American hair in one of the shoes.)
He
was charged with the murder in 1959 based on some information
provided to police by some jail inmates. Weber wasn't sure what
caused the case's dismissal in 1960 and said his investigators can't
find those court files.
The
evidence and his department's records were 'just put away and left
alone' after 1960, he said. Roberts,
of the law enforcement services division, said it is unusual for a
police department to still have evidence that old that could still
yield a sample of biological material suitable for DNA testing.
Mauch's
daughter, Marcia Janke, said she hoped District Attorney E. Michael
McCann will take the case to court now that the DNA evidence is
available.'I
hope McCann feels that it's important enough that this man take
responsibility for what he's done,' said Janke, 74, of Wild Rose in
central Wisconsin. 'They pretty well knew when this happened who it
was, but somehow this terrible man was released.'
Janke,
who was 29 at the time of the murder, said she and her two younger
sisters have followed the case closely since they learned police
reopened it. 'Living
without my mother was terrible for me,' she said. 'She was in her
50s, which isn't that old. She could have had a lot of life yet. I
wish I could count the times I wished she were alive.'
December
11, 2003
DNA Evidence May Be Used
MADISON, Wis. -- A Madison man is behind bars in connection with a 45-year-old murder mystery.
Wed
12-10-2003
Edna Mauch was raped and beaten to death with a brick 45 years ago while she slept in her home with her husband in the next room. Now police say they have DNA evidence that solves the case. The evidence links the attack to the same Madison man who was charged with the murder in 1960 only to have prosecutors dismiss the case. Milwaukee County prosecutors are reviewing the new evidence but haven't yet filed new charges against the man, who now is 82, Assistant District Attorney Mark Williams said Wednesday. The case is the oldest in Wisconsin believed to be solved by DNA evidence and one of the oldest in the nation, said Mike Roberts, administrator for the state Division of Law Enforcement Services.
* After his arrest, Ed Gein was considered a suspect in Hartley's disappearance since he was visiting a relative a few blocks away from the area of Hartley's disappearance at the time. However, police found no trace of Hartley's remains during a search of his property. Gein denied involvement in Hartley's disappearance and passed 2 lie detector tests in November 1957, authorities announced that Gein had been cleared of any connection to the disappearances of Hartley and Georgia Weckler, an 8 year old that disappeared in 1947. After being committed to a mental institution, Gein was later declared insane, and died in 1984, yet some still consider him a suspect.
STEVE BOTHUN INVESTIGATES-
5 PART SERIES
ODD NOTES
*Note: Janice Cowley's Father Commited Suicide in 1986. Janice was the original babysitter that Evie subbed for. This has led to some conspiracy type claims that he may have been involved in Evie's abduction. I call bullshit.
12/26/67 JACK GAULTHAIR
Irony, Little did anyone know that years later Gaulthair himself would be a person of interest. Yet in the October 24th Edition of the Daily Telegram in 1955 Evie's story and Jack's are on the same page.
Hartley, Thomas Gordon (1931 - 2016)
Born 9 January 1931 in Beaumont, Texas, USA, died 8 March 2016, in Canberra, ACT. Tom Hartley was a long-term staff member of the Australian National Herbarium (CANB) and a valued colleague to those who worked there. Born and educated in the USA, Tom worked for CSIRO from 1961 to 1965 (as botanist for the Phytochemical Survey of New Guinea) and again from 1971 until his retirement. In the intervening period he was a curator at the Herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum (A) at Harvard University.
Post-retirement Tom continued to work at CANB, writing treatments for works including the Flora of New Caledonia and the Flora of Australia, until just a few years ago when forced to stop due to ill health. Tom's lifetime of research focused on studies of the family Rutaceae and he collected extensively in New Guinea, Australia and the Pacific. The specimens held at CANB are a valuable resource for research by staff and visiting scientists. In his private life Tom was also a talented jazz pianist.
LaCrosse Tribune- 5/5/68 (Uncanny Resemblance To Her Sis)
Jan Wiggert-Baby Janus (Present Day)
(Snapshot of the now defunct FindEvelynHartley.org webpage)
Evelyn Trailer-(Movie was never completed)
“So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty spaceAnd there's nothing left here to remind meJust the memory of your faceOoh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against the odds and that's what I've got to face”
