Evening star., 1955-06-26
BY JACK JONAS

Georges County police depart.
ment's history.
Today. a week and five days
later, after an intensive inves-
tigation which has fit some
pieces Of the puzzle into place
police still were missing the
answer to the most important
question:
Who is the slayer?
The mongrel's barks led H.
year-old Barbara Huff, on hel
way across Northwest Branch
Park to an Adelphi store, to the
discovery of the body Of Nancy
Marie Shomette. 16. propped
against a fallen tree beside the
parks picnic grove.
Homicide Called.
Police Pvts. William Kreitzel
and Everett Husk. responding to
a call from Barbara's mother
Immediately called homicide de-
tectiyes and identification ex-
perts.
Among the latter was Sergt
John F. Branzell, who arrived
shortly after noon and began
taking pictures Of the dead girl
"a routine move in homicide
investigations.
About 1928 pm, he handed
his camera to Detective Sergt
Richard A. Pearson and went to
check some grass nearby. The
grass had q peculiar. matted ap-
pearance.
As he moved toward the spot
he noticed q pair Of feet lying
In a path, approximately IS feet
from Nancy Marie's body. In
vestigation disclosed q second
body. that Of Michael Ann Ryan
II. daughter Of Washington Po-
lice Pvt. Thomas w. Ryan.
Identification Of the girls was
rapid. and detectives at once be-
gan looking for> the killer and
the murder weapon, in what has
become the case Of the countless
clues that didn't quite At.
DR.. John T. Maloney, county
medical examiner, called to the
scene, at first believed the girls
had been stabbed to death. Later
he said they had been shot down
with .22-caliber bullets.
They had been dead. he esti-
mated, less than three hours.
Many things were Immediately
obvious.
A crude attempt had beer
made to hide Nancy Marie'i
body. apparently interrupted in
some way before it was finished
Several small branches had beer
laid across the body.
A heavy picnic table had been
dragged IS feet from its original
spot beside Northwest Branch
to place nearer to where Nancy
Marie was found.
Farther away, there were
bloodstains beside the path lead
ing to rustic bridge across the
stream, between the bridge and
the girls homes a half a mile
away on West Park drive.
Nancy's open white purse, with
her pocket knife nearby. lay
close to her body. "a
Detectives. crawling over the
area on their hands and knees
in close formation, discovered
two small holes in the ground.
When they dug into them. they
found two .22-caliber slugs.
Another misshapen slug, mat
ted with hair and blood, was be-
side the older girls body.
A blue gabardine sleeve, ap-
parently ripped from Jacket,
also was found at the scene.
Aided by Firemen
Detectives, aided by firemen
and soldiers from Fort George
G. Meade, continued their crawl
ing search. They found two .22-
caliber shell castings in the i'm
mediate area, and a dozen more
near a tree close by.
Far away, as distances went
on the first day Of the inyesti-
CATION, was the parks Fireplace
No. 4. On the side Of the fire.
place, crudely scrawled in the
cement when it was new. was
the legend Nancy S." The fire.
place was to become important
later.
From Nancy Marie's mother
police learned that she had left
home in the company of Michael
Ann shortly before 8 o'clock tc
go to Northwestern High School
to pick up a report Of her grades
for her junior year there.
From the school they learned
she did not arrive.
About five minutes Is requiret
to walk from the house to thu
picnic grove where the bodie.
were found and where Nancy
Marie and Michael Ann spent
many hours last summer read.
ing stories to pre-school chill
dren as part of the county's rec.
reation program.
All Leave Cancelled
To speed the investigation
Prince Georges County Polio,
Chief George Panagoulis can
celed all leave for his men, ant
teams Of detectives went on 16
hour shifts.
Detectives began looking To-
Norman william Hager, 18-year
old Northwestern graduate, be-
cause, they said, his car hat
been seen in the area that morn
ing and because he once hat
dated the younger girl.
Pvt. Ryan pointed out youni
Hager in the crowd at the scene
and he was taken into custody
Police questioned him more thar
48 hours before attorneys TO
the family obtained his releas'
on q court order.
The important questions
meantime, centered around th,
time Of death, the murde
weapon and the motive.