PAULDING, Ohio — The family of Nancy Eagleson has been told that a promising lead in the 14-year-old's murder investigation is not going to help solve the case
The 14-year-old was abducted, raped and killed in 1960. The crime has haunted and captivated the village for more than 60 years and was the subject of a three-night report by 11 Investigates in February.
During the decades-long investigation, more than 300 names have been documented as possible suspects. But during WTOL's investigation, residents and law enforcement sources were divided on whether the killer was a local man or someone who was just passing through and saw Nancy and her 5-year-old sister, Sheryl, walking home from the movies on a warm November evening.
The man, who was described by Sheryl as being nicely dressed and wearing a fedora and horn-rimmed glasses, threw Nancy into his car just yards from her home. Sheryl jumped on his back, but she was shaken off and then ran for help as the car sped away.
Hours later, her body was found roughly seven miles away in the woods.
In the fall, the family exhumed Nancy's body, hoping to find new evidence. Shockingly, a bullet was found beneath her head in her casket, meaning the girl had been shot twice, not once like the medical examiner originally ruled in 1960.
The original bullet recovered during the autopsy, along with bags of other evidence, was lost over the years, leading the family to exhume her body.
During our investigation, a purported witness to the crime produced a handgun that he believed could be the murder weapon. State investigators picked up the gun and hoped to compare it to the bullet found in the casket. The bullet was confirmed to be a 22-caliber bullet, but, unfortunately, the rifling marks are no longer identifiable. A 22-caliber bullet is a smaller caliber and its shape can become distorted upon impact.
Rifling marks are distinctive signatures that a gun leaves on a bullet as it leaves the chamber. A gun can be tested to determine if it produces the same type of signature.
The family was told of the development by Sheriff Jason Landers, who also confirmed the news to WTOL.
On Monday afternoon, the family told WTOL that it was disappointed about the news but thankful to members of the community who have offered prayers, support, and, in some cases, contributions toward the cost of exhuming and testing the body. They also expressed hope that another lead will develop over time and that the case will finally be solved.