Evening star., 1955-06-16

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 was 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 IL
Ientry 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
Iof the bodies. and their points
Eof 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 score of detectives
combed the roped-off area of the
grove. others sought out residents
to find out if anyone had heard
a shot. Workmen were at the
lother 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
Ithing-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
of Nancy. also cutting through
the park to get their report
cards. started out about Sis.
They passed through the grove
but they noticed nothing either.
Could Have Hidden
But the killer, or killers, might
have noticed them and hidden.
Giving some support to that
theory was a 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
planned to use the table to COLI
ceal the body but abandoned the
attempt perhaps because he
| was frightened off before he
could complete the job.
The questioning began. So
did the search for the murder
weapon. While suspects were
being rounded up on the SLIM
: NEST possibilities, volunteer Are
, men were damming the creek
! beside the road to make drag
} ging for the gun easier in
shallower water. They found
, nothing.
! And up on West Park drive
the Ryans and Shomettes sat
in their houses and waited.
Her father and / we're right
here, not 800 feet from her when
: it happened" said Mrs. Sho-
Imette in a voice dull with weep
ing. "It wasn't a secluded spot.
Nancy was a friendly child,
: but not to the point Of talking
to a strange man. She wouldn't
: do that. All the kids went
Through those trees to school. I
/ could see them, but I didn't see
: Nancy go. / was in the kitchen. "
/ For a moment. she couldn' I
} face the present.
Her whole life was the Riggs
/. Lane Teen Club. A group Of kids
organized it, and she was secre-
S tary. The children elected us
advisers and every Saturday