Evening star., 1955-06-16

NdIlCy SILldu pearl tAdIlulcu
pocket knife, it's blade closed, was
under the log. Her white pocket
book was found some 80 feet
from her body, as if it had been
thrown there. Nothing was left
in the pocketbook but her comb,
although Mrs. Shomette thought
Nancy had carried a wallet with
her and the 50 she had earned
baby sitting. She vas going to
use the money to get her hair
cut and set.
A large spot of blood was
found on the grass near the dirt
road. across the grove from
where Nancy's body was found.
Three spent bullets were found
near the blood spot. Another
bullet was imbedded in the
ground under Nancy's body, in
dicating that at least one shot
was fired into her body as she
lay dying.
Two cartridge castings were
picked up about Is feet from
the blood spot.
Shot Many Times
At first police thought the
girls had been stabbed. But an
autopsy late last night settled
that point. They had not been
knitted. Instead, they had been
shot many times. Nancy had II !
entry wounds, Michael had three.
Some of the slugs, all .22-caliber,
were recovered from the bodies. |
Most of the wounds were
about the heads and upper parts |
of the bodies, and their points
of entry showed the girls had
been shot from both the front
and the back.
Nancy was shot in the top of
the head, in the middle of her
chest, in the stomach, left fore
arm, right thigh, under the jaw,
left calf and in the spine. The
shot that killed Michael was
fired into her left breast and
went through her chest. She
was also shot above the left
ankle and to the left of the spine.
Neither girl had been criminally
assaulted.
While a score of detectives
combed the roped-of area of the
grove, others sought out residents
to find out if anyone had heard
a shot. Workmen were at the
other end of the park building
a road, and houses lined the east
end of the park less than a block
away, but no one had heard any,
thing-no screams, no shots.
And no one had seen the girls |
in the park before Tiny found
them. A neighbor of the Sho-
mettes had been walking her dog /
in the park minutes before |
Nancy and Michael started
through it, but she saw and
heard nothing. Two schoolmates 1
of Nancy, also cutting through
the park to get their report
cards, started out about 8:15.
They passed through the grove
but they noticed nothing either.
Could Have Hidden
But the killer, or killers. might |,
have noticed them and hidden.
some support to that |
theory was picnic bench which
had been dragged some so feet
toward Nancy's body from a fire.
place where it regularly stood.
Police theorized that some one 4
planned to use the table to co.,
ceal the body but abandoned the
attempt perhaps because he
was frightened off before he
could complete the job.
The questioning began. So
dld the search Tor the murder
While suspects were
being rounded up on the Slim
NEST possibilities, volunteer hre-
men were damming the creek
beside the road to make drag
ging for the gun easier in ,
shallower water. They found
!
And up on West Park drive !,
,he Ryans and Shomettes sat Il
n their houses and waited. i
"Her father and were right L
here, not 800 feet from her when
t happened" said Mrs. Sho- 4
nette in a voice dull with weep /
ng. 1T wasn't a secluded spot.
Nancy was a friendly child, "
,ut not to the point of talking q
o a strange man. She wouldn'tt t
10 that. All the kids went
through those trees to school. lis
:ould see them. but didn't SEES
Nancy 60. / was in the kitchen. !" 9
For q moment. she couldn t F
ace the present. I
"Her whole life was the Riggs s
Iane Teen Club. A group of kids h
rganised 1t. and she was secre-