Laurel Jean Mitchell of North Webster, Tippecanoe Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States was 17 when she was found dead on August 7, 1975. At the time, her brother Bruce Mitchell was 18 and her sister Sarah Mitchell was 12 while their parents Richard D. “Dick” Mitchell and Wilma May Mitchell were both 44.
Born in El Paso, Texas, USA, Dick was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He died on January 16, 2012.
Wilma, who was born in Noble County, Indiana, started working at the Deli/Bakery at Augsburgers in North Webster in 1971. She died on April 24, 2012.
Laurel worked at a church camp snack bar in North Webster. At 10:00 p.m. on August 6, 1975, she finished her shift at work and walked down to Adventureland, an amusement park about a half-mile away from the snack bar.
That night, Laurel was supposed to meet friends at Adventureland but she did not show up. She did not make it home either.
At 4:16 a.m. on August 7, 1975, Dick and Wilma reported Laurel missing. At around 10:30 a.m., Glen Dixon, 31, and his son Hager Dixon, 12, were about to start fishing in the Elkhart River near Diamond Lake Road bridge in Noble County when they found Laurel’s body.
Later that day, Dr. P.L. Sankey performed an autopsy on Laurel’s body at the Goshen General Hospital in Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana, which was witnessed by Indiana State Police sergeant T.P. Malone. The doctor determined that the cause of Laurel’s death was drowning.
Sankey concluded that Laurel made a violent struggle to survive and her death occurred rapidly. The pathology report released on August 18, 1975 showed signs of sexual assault and drowning.
Authorities have yet to come up with any suspects or substantial leads concerning Laurel’s death. At 3:15 p.m. on August 15, 1975, a female caller tried to give the Indiana State Police a tip but hung up before giving her identity and completing her message.
On February 6, 2023, John Wayne Lehman, then 67, of Auburn, DeKalb County, Indiana and Fred Bandy, Jr., then 67, of Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana were arrested. They are accused of killing Laurel.
Both Lehman and Bandy were booked into the Noble County Jail in Albion, Noble County. On February 8, 2023, Brandy appeared in Noble Circuit Court for their initial hearings.
On July 14, 2023, Noble County sheriff Max Weber asked that Lehman be ordered into the custody of the Indiana Department of Corrections. At around 8:41 p.m. on June 28, 2023, Leman fell from the top bunk of the cell he shared with another inmate in the IDOC, striking his head, although he was supposed to have the bottom bunk.
Lehman was transported to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. On June 30, 2023, Lehman was released to a rehabilitation center.
On July 17, 2023, Noble Circuit Court Judge Michael Kramer issued the order for Lehman to be transported to the custody of the IDOC, which refused to comply. On July 27, 2023, Lehman was released from the hospital and returned to the Noble County Jail.
CONAN Daily 