Lillian Richey Mysteriously Disappeared. What Happened To Her?

Lillian Richey seemingly vanished into thin air in the early morning hours of February 9, 1964. There were very few clues left behind and the man who she was last known to be with was cleared as a suspect by police after extensive questioning. Though the case has been cold for many of the years that have since passed, there have been searches for Lillian as recently as 2018.

Lillian Richey who mysteriously disappeared off the face of the Earth. — Lillian Richey

Lillian Richey was a 51-year-old widow who had been living alone since the death of her husband, James Lavelle Richey. Mr. Richey died two years before on April 26, 1962 while traveling to California. The couple had two grown sons, William Eugene (Gene) Richey and Dr. James Richey.

The mystery begins on the night of February 8, 1964 when Lillian went out for dinner and drinks at the Ranch Club in Garden City, Idaho with an old friend who was in town from California. This man has never been publicly identified, but it seems that he was visiting for a cattle convention that was taking place in Boise.

The pair agreed that the man would use Lillian’s car to drive her to her home on the 300 block of Sherman Avenue in Nampa, Idaho. The man would then drive her car back to his hotel in Boise with the expectation that he would return the car the next morning with a friend who would drive him back. Lillian offered to take the two men out to breakfast the next morning when they came to drop off the car.

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Belle Gunness Wants Love, Only If You are Insured

Belle Gunness with her children. — Belle Gunness with her three children.

Belle Gunness was born Brynild Paulsdatter Størseth on November 11, 1859 near Selbu, Norway. In 1881, at the age of 21, she moved to the United States in search of wealth and gave herself the Americanized name of Bella (Belle) Petersen. Belle did indeed become wealthy, but not because she earned the money honestly. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It is believed that Belle killed at least 14 people, though some speculate that number could be as many as forty, earning herself a variety of nicknames including Hell’s Belle, the Black Widow, and Lady Bluebeard.

The truth of her crimes wasn’t known until her supposed death in 1908. In April of that year, the Gunness farmhouse in La Porte, Indiana burned to the ground. The body of a woman along with Belle’s three children were found and as investigators continued the search of the property, the partial remains of at least 11 other people were discovered.

But did she really die in the fire of 1908? After all, the body that was supposedly Belle’s was headless, making it impossible to positively identify during a time long before DNA testing. Also take into account the numerous sightings of her all over the country for decades after her “death.” It sure does make you wonder.

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The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders: So Wicked, the Town Changed It’s Name

The Wineville chicken coop murders involved the kidnapping and murder of at least four young boys, though authorities believe there could have been as many as 20 victims. These events took place between the years 1926 and 1928 in what was once the town of Wineville, California. Before these boys were murdered, they first had to endure both physical and sexual abuse. The town was so horrified and heartbroken by what had occurred that it changed its name so that it would not be forever associated with the murders that took place there.

In 1924, at the age of 17, Gordon Stewart Northcott moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California from British Columbia, Canada. Two years later, nineteen-year-old Northcott asked his father to buy a piece of land for him in Wineville so that he could build a house and chicken ranch. Northcott asked his fifteen-year-old nephew, Sanford Clark, if he would help with the building of the ranch. Clark’s parents gave him permission to go to California from their home in Saskatchewan, Canada. After all, he would be in the protection of a loving family member…or so they thought. Little did they know what young Sanford Clark would endure during his time at his uncle’s chicken ranch.

Gordon Stewart Northcott. Perpetrator of the chicken coop murders — Gordon Stewart Northcott

Nine-year-old, Walter Collins went missing on March 10, 1928 after his mother, Christine Collins, gave him money to go to the movie theater. A couple months later, on May 16, 1928 two brothers went missing on their way home from a Yacht Club meeting. Nelson Winslow was ten-years-old and his brother, Lewis, 12. A couple of bizarre letters were sent to the Winslow boys’ parents. One stated that they were going to Mexico, the other said they wanted to stay missing for as long as possible to gain fame. The authorities didn’t connect the two cases with one another. They also didn’t know that the headless body of a Latino boy found in February had a connection to these cases.

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The Strange disappearance of Joan Risch Remains a Mystery

“Mommy is gone and the kitchen is covered in red paint,” four-year-old Lillian Risch tells her neighbor. This starts the search for 31 year old, Joan Risch of Lincoln, Massachusetts on October 14,1961. Despite many bizarre sightings around the time she went missing, we’re none the wiser to what happened to Mrs. Risch 57 years ago.

Who was Joan Risch?

Life started out tragically for Joan Risch, born Joan Carolyn Bard, in 1930 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of nine, her family moved to New Jersey, and shortly after tragedy struck. One day while Joan was in school, her family’s home caught on fire and sadly her parents didn’t survive. She was sent to live with an aunt and uncle whom she barely knew. She found it difficult to adjust, but still managed to do well in school and go on to get an English literature degree from Wilson College in Pennsylvania. After graduating, Joan worked in publishing, first as a secretary, then worked her way up to editorial assistant. In 1956 Joan married Martin Risch and eventually left her job to stay home with their two children, David and Lillian. In April 1961, the Risch family moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts. Later that same year Joan would disappear.

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The Ruthless Villisca Axe Murders: An Entire Family destroyed

Sometime during the evening of June 10, 1912 or early morning hours on June 11, 1912 in the city of Villisca in southwestern Iowa a family of six and two house guests were brutally murdered with an axe. Though there has been many suspects over the years, even a couple trials, this gruesome case remains unsolved. This is the true story of the horrific Villisca Axe Murders.

The members of the Moore family include parents Josiah (43) and Sarah (39), along with their four children Herman (11), Mary Katherine (10), Arthur (7), and Paul (5).

The Moore family, all killed in the villisca axe murders. — Josiah and Sarah Moore with two of their children.

The other two guests were sisters Ina Mae (8) and Lena Gertrude Stillinger (12) who were invited by Mary Katherine Moore so spend the night at the Moore home.

On the evening of June 10, 1912, the Moore family along with the Stillinger sisters went to a church event which ended at 9:30 pm. Sarah Moore was co-director of this program called “The Children’s Day Service,” in which the Moore children performed in. Afterwards, everyone walked home, the journey being only three blocks long, and arrived between 9:45 and 10 pm. The family then enjoyed milk and cookies together before going to bed for the night.

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Lyda Southard: Killer of Husbands and Escapee of Jail

Lyda Southard was born as Lyda Anna Mae Trueblood on October 16, 1892 in Keytesville, Missouri, about 60 miles Northeast of Kansas City. She is known by many names including “Flypaper Lyda,” “The Black Widow,” and Anna E. Shaw. She is also known as being one of America’s first known female serial killers.

Lyda Southard, Flypaper Lyda, The Black Widow — Lyda Southard

She killed four husbands, a brother-in-law, and daughter. What could be the motive for doing such a thing? How did she get the nickname “Flypaper Lyda”? Read on to find out…

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A Murder on Halloween

It was late on Halloween night of 1957 in Los Angeles. Beauty shop owner, Peter Fabiano and his wife, Betty were turning out all the lights in their home to go to bed for the night when their doorbell rang. Mr. Fabiano went downstairs to answer the door, thinking it was a late trick-or-treater. Mrs. Fabiano, still upstairs, heard her husband ask “Isn’t it late for this sort of thing?” There was a muffled reply followed by a loud pop and then a thump. As Betty ran downstairs she heard the squeal of tires on pavement as a vehicle sped off. She found her husband sprawled on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest. Mrs. Fabiano called for help, but unfortunately her husband died on the way to the hospital.

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Murderer Sentenced to Hang Walks Away a Free Man

Frank L. Dinsmore spent only 19 years in the Nebraska State Penitentiary after being found guilty for the murder of his wife and his roommate.

Apart from murder, this case includes adultery, claims of hypnotic powers, a failed attempt on Dinsmore’s own life, a commuted death sentence and then the whole case being pardoned by the Governor and Dinsmore walking away a free man once again.

Dinsmore worked for the Omaha Elevator company, a job that required frequent travel, therefore he didn’t own his own home. He and his wife, Lillian, boarded with the Laue family in Odessa, Nebraska.

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Missing Boy Found…Or Was He?

Bobby Dunbar was a four year old boy from Louisiana who disappeared on a fishing trip while with his family in 1912. After months of searching, detectives believed they had found the boy and returned him to his parents. Years later with the development of DNA technology, the descendants of Bobby Dunbar were in for quite the shock.

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What Was the Fate of the Five Sodder Children?

From left: Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (10), Jennie (8), Betty (6)

On Christmas Eve of 1945 in Fayetteville, West Virginia, George and Jennie Sodder had been celebrating the Christmas season with nine of their ten children. Their son, Joe, was away in the Army. As the night grew later George retired for the night to bed followed shortly after by his sons John (23) and George Jr. (16). When Jennie decided it was time for the rest of the children to go to bed, they pleaded with her to stay up and play with their toys that their older sister, Marian (17), had gotten for them. After her children promised her that they would get a few chores done before bed, Jennie agreed to let them continue playing and then took her youngest child, Sylvia (3) to bed with her.

The phone ringing awoke Jennie a little past midnight. Jennie answered the phone and a woman asked to speak to someone Jennie didn’t know. When Jennie told her she had the wrong number the woman laughed and hung up. Jennie thought this was just a prank call and didn’t give it much thought. She then noticed that the lights were still on in the house and the doors were unlocked. She found this unusual because her kids were normally very good about attending to these things before bed. She turned off the lights, locked the doors and went back to sleep.

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