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Murders of Katherine and Sheila Lyon

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Coordinates: 39°02′12″N 77°03′18″W / 39.0367°N 77.0551°W / 39.0367; -77.0551
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Not to be confused with Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon.

Katherine and Sheila Lyon
Sheila (left) and Katherine Lyon
Born
Katherine Mary Lyon
(1964-03-29)March 29, 1964
Sheila Mary Lyon
(1962-03-30)March 30, 1962
DisappearedMarch 25, 1975
Wheaton, Maryland, U.S.
39°02′12″N 77°03′18″W / 39.0367°N 77.0551°W / 39.0367; -77.0551
Diedc. March 25, 1975
Cause of deathUndetermined. Homicide
Resting placeUnknown. Possibly Taylors Mountain, Thaxton, Virginia[1]
37°23′24″N 79°40′02″W / 37.3899°N 79.6673°W / 37.3899; -79.6673 (approximate)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesThe Lyon Sisters[2]
OccupationStudents
Known forMissing persons
Murder victims
HeightKatherine: 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)
Sheila: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Distinguishing featuresKatherine: Caucasian female. 85 pounds. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Birthmark on inside of upper thigh.
Sheila: Caucasian female. 100 pounds. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Far-sighted. Wears spectacles with gold wire rims.[3]

The murders of Katherine and Sheila Lyon are the abduction, sexual abuse and murder of two sisters — aged 10 and 12 respectively — who disappeared from a shopping center in Wheaton, Maryland, on March 25, 1975.[4]

Described as a crime which shattered the innocence of the suburbs of Maryland,[5] the disappearance of Katherine and Sheila Lyon initiated one of the largest police investigations in the history of the Washington metropolitan area, although their fate would remain unknown for thirty-eight years, by which time their disappearance had long become a cold case.[6]

A re-investigation of the sisters' disappearance in 2013 led detectives to charge a convicted child sex offender named Lloyd Lee Welch, Jr. with the first-degree murder of the Lyon sisters. Welch was indicted for their murders in July 2015; he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in September 2017 via a plea bargain in which he admitted to participating in the girls' abduction, but not their sexual assault and murder. He was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 48 years' imprisonment.[7]

The bodies of Katherine and Sheila Lyon have never been found,[7] although authorities believe their bodies were burned upon a remote mountain in Bedford County, Virginia.[7] Furthermore, prosecutors have named other members of Welch's family — including his uncle[8] — as persons of interest in the girls' abduction, abuse and murder, although no other individuals have been charged due to insufficient evidence.[9]

Background

Childhood

Katherine and Sheila Lyon were born in Kensington, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., John and Mary Lyon. The girls were two of four children and the only girls born to their parents, with an older brother, Jay, and a younger brother, Joseph, completing the family. The Lyon children lived in a close, middle-class household on Plyers Mill Road;[10][11] their father was a well-known and popular radio personality at WMAL-FM, a local radio station operated by the then-owner of ABC affiliate WMAL-TV (now WJLA-TV) and the now-defunct Washington Star.[12][n 1]

By 1975, the oldest Lyon sibling, Jay, was 15-years-old; the youngest sibling, Joseph, was nine. Sheila was 12-years-old, and Katherine ten. Both sisters were days away from celebrating their thirteenth and eleventh birthdays.[3]

March 25, 1975

March 25, 1975, was the second day of school spring vacation; as such, the four Lyon children woke at approximately 10 a.m. Shortly after eating breakfast, the Lyon brothers visited a local basketball court; Katherine and Sheila opted to walk to the Wheaton Plaza shopping center (now Westfield Wheaton) to browse Easter exhibits and meet friends who frequently socialized at this location.[13] Upon hearing of her daughters' plans, Mary Lyon suggested: "Why don't you stop off and get some pizza?"[14]

The girls left their home between 11 a.m. and midday; each had approximately $2 to her name, and both were told to be home by their 4 p.m. curfew. At the insistence of a friend, Mary Lyon later visited a bowling alley; she was driven to the bowling alley by her husband, who — working a night shift — woke at midday.[15]

The Wheaton Plaza shopping center, seen here in 1965. Katherine and Sheila Lyon were abducted from this shopping center in 1975.

Disappearance

The Wheaton Plaza shopping center was located approximately half a mile from the Lyon household. The sisters are believed to have intended to eat lunch at a popular pizza parlor within the shopping center named the Orange Bowl.[16][17] Both girls were seen by eyewitnesses talking with an unidentified man close to the Orange Bowl less than an hour after they are believed to have arrived at the shopping center;[18] their older brother later informed investigators he had seen his sisters eating pizza together at this same eatery in the early afternoon.[15]

Shortly after 2 p.m., Katherine and Sheila were seen walking home from the shopping center. This would prove to be the final verifiable account of the sisters' movements.[18] By 5:45, Mary Lyon had begun preparing the family's evening meal of fried chicken; she later recollected feeling slightly annoyed her daughters had not returned home by this time. This annoyance rapidly developed into panic, and by 7 p.m., police were notified of the girls' disappearance. An extensive search was immediately initiated and the Lyon family initiated a round-the-clock vigil whereby a family member would be invariably within arm's reach of the family telephone.[6][14]

Police investigation

Police rapidly determined the sisters' disappearance was involuntary,[3] and an intense search to locate the children was immediately implemented.[19] Numerous witnesses were interviewed and hundreds of public tips pursued, house-to-house searches were conducted and an extensive search of terrain surrounding both the shopping center and the Lyon household implemented with the assistance of search and rescue dogs.[14] Scuba divers also searched lakes and ponds, and locations such as storm sewers, vacant lots and stream beds were also searched. Numerous civilian volunteers assisted these official searches, although all efforts proved fruitless.[20] A reward of $9,000 was also offered for the sisters' safe return.[21]

Suspecting a likely sexual motive behind the sisters' abduction, several known pedophiles and sex offenders were questioned in the weeks following their disappearance; all were eliminated from the inquiry upon verification of their alibis.[22]

Family efforts

The Lyon family themselves immediately pursued all tangible methods to locate their daughters, including conducting searches around their neighborhood, and printing and distributing missing persons flyers in addition to pursuing leads generated by psychics. Both the family and police received numerous calls from hoax callers, attention-seekers and extortionists claiming to be holding the girls for ransom in the immediate aftermath of their disappearance. One of these calls was received from an anonymous male caller on April 4, 1975; this individual demanded that John Lyon leave a briefcase with $10,000 (the equivalent of about $57,068 as of 2023)[23] inside an Annapolis courthouse restroom. With approval from police, the girls' father left $101 (the equivalent of about $576 as of 2023)[23] inside the briefcase as directed by law enforcement officials,[n 2] but the briefcase was never claimed. This individual later called John and said he had seen too many police around the courthouse and thus did not attempt to retrieve the ransom. In response, John said he would only follow further instructions if he heard his daughters' voices. This anonymous caller never attempted to re-initiate contact.[24]

Eyewitness accounts

"Tape recorder man"

A neighborhood boy known to both sisters reported to police that he had seen the girls outside the Orange Bowl speaking with an unidentified man, approximately six feet in height, well-groomed, conservatively dressed, aged between 50 and 60 and wearing a brown suit, sat upon a bench outside the eatery at approximately 1 p.m.[14] This man was carrying a briefcase with a tape recorder inside, and according to this witness, both the Lyon sisters and other children present spoke into a microphone the man was holding, believing their voices were to be broadcast live upon a local radio station.[14] The witness's description of the man carrying a briefcase outside the eatery led authorities to view the unknown person as a prime suspect in the case; he became colloquially referred to by investigators as the "tape recorder man." Two composite drawings of this individual were created.[25]

Younger male suspect

A friend of the sisters — a girl who was in their age bracket — also described to detectives how a young, long-haired man within the mall had stared at the sisters so long and so intently that she had confronted him. This sighting occurred at approximately the same time as the sisters and other children spoke into the older man's microphone. A police sketch artist also created a composite drawing based on this eyewitnesses description; this depicted a white male in his late teens or early 20s, approximately 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m), with acne on his face, scars on his left cheek, and wearing a light-colored Peters Jacket.[24] The description from the friend contrasted sharply with the initial, middle-aged suspect. Aside from the major differences in facial features, hair and clothing, the young male leering at the sisters and the middle-aged man encouraging children to speak into his microphone were several decades apart in age.[26]

Composite drawing of the younger suspect seen leering at the Lyon sisters in the shopping center on the afternoon of their disappearance

The composite drawing of the younger male suspect, however, appears not to have been widely disseminated as investigators devoted greater focus upon tracing the middle-aged man holding the tape recorder. Nonetheless, investigators followed subsequent public reports from several individuals who said they recognized either or both of the individuals within the composite drawings.[8][27]

Investigative timeline

By the week following the Lyon sisters' disappearance, investigators had interviewed and corroborated enough eyewitness accounts to establish a timeline of the sisters' movements on the afternoon of March 25. This timeline of the children's movements prior to their disappearance was released to the public:

  • 11 a.m. to midday: The girls leave their home to visit the Wheaton Plaza shopping center, having promised their mother to return home by 4 p.m.
  • 1 p.m.: A neighborhood child — a friend of both sisters — sees the girls sitting together outside the Orange Bowl speaking to an unidentified middle-aged man.
  • c. 2 p.m.: The girls' older brother, Jay, enters the shopping center to purchase a kite. He observes his sisters eating pizza at the Orange Bowl.
  • c. 2:30 - 3 p.m.: The final verified sighting of the sisters occurs when a friend observes the Katherine and Sheila walking westward down a street from the shopping center to their home.
  • 4 p.m.: The curfew set by their mother passes; the girls are expected home and do not arrive.
  • 7 p.m.: Police are called and an active search for the sisters is implemented.

Lloyd Welch

On the day the media first circulated a police descriptions of middle-aged man carrying a briefcase with a tape recorder — April 1, 1975[20] — an 18-year-old Appalachia native named Lloyd Lee Welch Jr. returned to Wheaton Plaza to inform a security guard he had seen a man matching the police description of the suspect at the shopping center on March 25;[10][n 3] he corroborated existing eyewitness descriptions of seeing the girls converse with this individual carrying a tape recorder and microphone, with Welch describing overhearing the man state to the sisters he "recorded people's voices and put them on the radio", adding the older sister had giggled upon hearing this.[28] Welch's statement further elaborated he had subsequently seen the man forcing the distressed children into a red Camaro with white upholstery before hurriedly driving from the scene.[29]

Initial witness statement

Welch was interviewed at a nearby police station; he provided a six-page statement detailing the account he had outlined and consented to a polygraph test. When informed he had failed this test, Welch admitted he had provided false information. Contemporary case documents indicate he was released by police as an unreliable witness—[8] possibly motivated by a desire to collect the publicized reward money for the arrest of the individual investigators considered a strong suspect in the case.[21][30]

A one-page report was placed on top of the transcript of Welch's statement, with the words "polygraph (lied)" written atop the document;[24] this document was filed among the voluminous records compiled by investigators pertaining to the investigation[31] and remained accessible only via a search of police records.[8]

Further leads

On April 6, 11-year-old boy named William Krebs reported he had seen the sisters inside a white two-door Pontiac sedan driving along U.S. Route 211 in Centreville, Virginia, shortly after they were believed to have been abducted. Krebs remained adamant one of the sisters, whom he identified as Katherine, had been weeping, while another blonde girl sat in the rear passenger seat. Although treated with caution, this sighting was given credibility, thus expanding the search radius.[25] Other contemporary press reports indicated that a man matching the sketch of the middle-aged individual had been seen seen a few weeks prior to the Lyon sisters' disappearance at the Marlow Heights Shopping Center and Iverson Mall, both in neighboring Prince George's County. Witnesses reported that he had approached several young girls and asked them to read an answering machine message typed on an index card into his hand-held microphone. The police never publicly acknowledged a direct link between these reports and the Lyon disappearance.

Two weeks after the sisters' disappearance, on April 7, 1975, a witness in Manassas, Virginia, reported seeing two girls resembling the Lyon sisters in the rear of a beige 1968 Ford station wagon. The witness stated that the girls were bound and gagged. The driver of this vehicle closely resembled the man in the publicly available composite sketch. The witness further claimed that when the driver spotted the witness tailing him, he ran a red light and sped west on Route 234 towards Interstate 66. The station wagon had Maryland license plates with the possible combination "DMT-6**"; the last two numbers are unknown due to the bending of the car's plate. The known combination was issued in Cumberland, Hagerstown, and Baltimore at the time. This supposed sighting inspired a small army of mobile citizen band (CB) radio users to scour the area throughout the night with a running commentary and chatter but without any tangible results. A search for matching plate numbers failed to produce any information. Although this witness' report was at first treated as credible, and a media firestorm erupted because of it, it was later deemed "questionable" by police.[32]

Although the media devoted considerable attention to the sisters' disappearance and press interest in the case remained intense for several weeks, no conclusive leads as to the girls' whereabouts emerged. On May 23, 1975, Maryland Lieutenant Governor Blair Lee ordered 122 National Guardsmen to participate in a search of a Montgomery County forest for the missing girls — again to no avail.[33]

Cold case

Despite intense investigative efforts, the disappearance of the Lyon sisters gradually became a cold case, although police inquiries remained active, with the middle-aged individual seen with the tape recorder a primary focus of interest. By the early 1980s, the Montgomery County Police Department continued to receive over a dozen annual public tips; although each was investigated, none of these leads bore fruit.[22]

In March 1987, a child molester named Fred Howard Coffey briefly became a serious suspect in the Lyon sisters' disappearance following his conviction for the molestation of three North Carolina children and learning of his impending trial for the July 1979 molestation, beating, and fatal strangulation of ten-year-old Amanda Marie Ray in Charlotte, North Carolina.[34]

Via researching Coffey's movements, authorities discovered he had been in Montgomery County in the week following the Lyon sisters' disappearance. In addition, Coffey is known to have attracted the initial attention of several of his victims using devices such as metal detectors and fishing rods to initiate conversation and gain their trust. Although Coffey was younger than the middle-aged individual described by eyewitnesses as initiating conversation with the Lyon sisters and others via his tape recorder, the method of ensnaring children via this modus operandi piqued investigators' interest.[35]

Although authorities were able to establish Coffey had been employed as a computer data employee at an Aspen Hill firm between April 24 and July 31, 1975, and that he had been interviewed for this position on April 1, investigators were unable to determine his whereabouts on March 25.[34] Ultimately, investigators were unable to establish any definitive link between Coffey and the sisters' disappearance. He was never charged in relation to the case.[36]

2013 re-investigation

By 2013, many of the original investigators on the Lyon case had retired or passed away, and although the case had received periodic reviews, little progress had been made. A decision was made to again review the archived case records with view to approaching the investigation afresh. Reviewing every record preserved from the original investigation, Sergeant Chris Homrock encountered Welch's original statement.[20] Critically, he noticed a mug shot taken of Welch in 1977 pertaining to a burglary closely matched the composite drawing of the young Caucasian man whom witnesses stated had leered at the Lyon girls within the Wheaton Plaza shopping center for so long that one of the girls' friends had actually confronted him.[24][6]

Having learned that Welch had accrued an extensive criminal history between 1973 and 1997 for offenses including rape, domestic violence, and assault with a knife[37] and was serving a 29-year[38] sentence for the molestation of a 10-year-old girl in Delaware,[10] detectives secured a prison interview with Welch. This interview was conducted on October 16, 2013, and lasted eight hours.[39]

Initial interview with Lloyd Lee Welch Jr.

Initially, investigators feared that Welch would refuse to speak with them; however, on the first day of formal interview, Welch spoke for many hours — beginning his conversation with the statement: "I know why you're here; you're here about those two missing kids."[20] In response, Detective David Davis placed a photograph of the Lyon sisters before Welch, stating: "These two little girls here have never been found, and their parents are damn near eighty years old and have no idea what happened to their daughters; that's why we're here to talk to you."[38]

Welch acknowledged observing the sisters near the shopping center on the date of their disappearance in this initial interview, although he denied being present within the premises; he expanded his admission to claim to have seen "a guy putting two girls in the back of a car. It didn't look right ... one of 'em was crying." Shown a photograph of Raymond Mileski Sr., Welch insisted he was the individual he had seen abducting the Lyon sisters. Asked his personal opinion as to what fate he believed had befallen the girls, Welch replied: "My opinion is that [Mileski] killed 'em and raped 'em ... he probably burned 'em. I don't know."[20]

Subsequent interviews

In his second interview with investigators, Welch acknowledged observing the girls leave the shopping center. He further elaborated he had known Mileski, and that the children had been taken to Mileski's home, where they had been "drugged up", molested and murdered by Mileski and two other individuals he claimed in this second interview not to know.[38]

Raymond Mileski Sr.

Raymond Rudolph Mileski Sr. (b. 1936), a resident of Suitland, Maryland, at the time of the sisters' disappearance, was a known child sex trafficker who lived close to the Lyon family in 1975. Mileski had been convicted of the November 1977 shooting deaths of his 35-year-old wife, Delores, and 17-year-old son, Raymond Jr. in addition to wounding his youngest son following a heated domestic argument. He was convicted sentenced to forty years in prison for these offenses.[11]

Contemporary eyewitness accounts of the individual with the tape recorder in the Wheaton Plaza shopping center and considered a likely suspect in the Lyon sisters' abduction indicated the man walked with a slight limp — as had Mileski. Furthermore, Mileski closely resembled the composite drawing. This information, coupled with Mileski's known history of child sexual abuse, had made him a strong contemporary suspect. Based on information later given to authorities by prison informants and Mileski's own subsequent claims to hold knowledge regarding the Lyon sisters' abduction, which he offered to share with investigators in exchange for more favorable prison conditions, authorities searched his former residence in early April 1982, although no evidence was discovered. Mileski died in prison in 2010.[40]

Further developments

Welch later denied Mileski's culpability in the sisters' abduction and murder; he also contradicted several other claims given in his initial interrogation in the twelve subsequent interviews granted to investigators — alternating between instances of denial of involvement in the sisters' kidnapping and murder, knowledge of relatives' culpability in the crime while maintaining his own innocence, and limiting his participation to the planning and commission of the kidnapping.[38] His constantly changing accounts as to whom he had seen abducting and/or molesting the sisters; his alternating accounts regarding his participation (or lack thereof); his failing of a polygraph test in one of the first interviews granted to investigators; and the fact his alternating accounts and admissions resulted either from his claims being disproven or challenged led to investigators rapidly viewing Welch as a participant in the crime as opposed to a witness. Welch would also inadvertently reveal details about the crime gradually proven to be known only to a direct participant.[24][41]

March 25 will mark thirty-nine years since Kate and Sheila were taken from our family. The fact that so many people still care about this case means a great deal to us. Throughout these years, our hopes for a resolution of this mystery have been sustained by the support and efforts of countless members of law enforcement, the news media, and the community ... The fact that so many people still care about this case means a great deal to us.

Statement released to the media by the parents and siblings of Katherine and Sheila Lyon following Montgomery County Sheriff's Office formally announcing Lloyd Lee Welch as a person of interest in the Lyon sisters' disappearance. February 11, 2014.[39]

Person of interest

In February 2014, investigators formally named Lloyd Lee Welch as a person of interest in the case. Investigators revealed Welch, who was eighteen years old in 1975, had been raised in both foster care and, later, by his father after his mother had been killed in a drink driving accident caused by his own father, whom he claimed had repeatedly molested him as a child.[42]

Welch had traveled extensively throughout the United States between the mid-1970s and the 1990s via his employment as a ride operator for a carnival company. Investigators also revealed he had been arrested and convicted of the rape of underage girls in three states in the years following the Lyon sisters' disappearance.[43]

Final account

By July 2014, Welch — who had largely remained consistent in his accounts to investigators the Lyon sisters had been "abducted, raped and burned up" — had revised his statement to concede that the day after the sisters' disappearance, he had observed his father, Lloyd Welch Sr. and his uncle, Richard Allen Welch, sexually abuse one of the sisters inside a dour, concrete basement at his father's residence in Hyattsville, Maryland.[44] This basement was accessible solely via a single door at the rear of the property and according to Welch, his father and uncle had threatened him upon discovering his encountering their abuse and murder of the sisters, prompting him to simply leave the children at their mercy at this location.[45] Welch further stated he had never again seen the children alive and also claimed that, upon learning of the sisters' murder, that he had been forced to participate in destroying evidence of the crime and burying the body of at least one of the girls upon family-owned land in Bedford County.[39][46]

Forensic corroboration

On September 20, 2014, police searched a forest in Thaxton, Virginia and Welch's deceased father's residence in Hyattsville, Maryland, in response to claims Welch had made two months previous to having witnessed his father and uncle rape one of the sisters and dismember the other in the basement of the property. According to Welch, the remains of at least one of the sisters were placed inside a large duffel bag, which he was then instructed to destroy.[47] Several items were seized in the search of the property, and the layout of rooms of interest perfectly matched that described by Welch in his statements.[48] Although luminol testing inside the floors and outer walls of the basement proved negative, the rear room of the household basement revealed extensive traces of blood from the floorboards to the ceiling, indicating a human, humans or an animal had at one point been slaughtered in this location. Further DNA testing revealed the bloodstains to be of human origin, although the samples were in such an advanced state of degraded no possible genealogical analysis tests could be conducted.[49] Also discovered were several small degraded bone fragments.[50] These developments proved sufficient to charge Welch with the murders.[2]

Further revelations

In December 2014, Welch's cousin, Henry Parker, informed detectives that he had met Welch at a family property on Taylors Mountain Road in Thaxton, Virginia, in 1975. According to Parker, he had helped remove two army-style duffel bags from Welch's vehicle; each covered in red stains, weighing "about 60 or 70 pounds and [smelling] like death".[51] Without questioning Welch as to their contents, Parker threw the bags into a fire.[8]

Sections of Parker's account were corroborated by a cousin of Welch named Connie Akers who informed investigators that at one point in 1975, she — then a teenager — witnessed Welch and his pregnant partner, Helen Craver, arriving at this property with a bulging "army green duffel bag" emanating a pungent odor he had claimed sourced from spoiled beef.[50] Akers also stated she had been asked by Welch to assist in washing two bags of bloodstained clothing but she had refused.[52] Although the FBI's evidence recovery team conducted a forensic search of the mountain, no human remains beyond a single tooth were found; this tooth was later lost.[53]

Indictment of Lloyd Welch

In July 2015, Welch was indicted upon two first-degree murder charges for his alleged involvement in the deaths of the Lyon sisters, whom he by this stage admitted to having abducted in order that both he and his uncle could sexually abuse in the basement of his uncle's home.[43][n 4] At a press conference held to announce this development, Bedford County Sheriff Michael Brown informed reporters the Lyon sisters had been sexually abused, then "killed in order for their captors to escape detection."[54]

Although investigators publicly stated members of Welch's family were considered persons of interest,[39] Lloyd Welch was the sole individual to be indicted with regards to the girls' abduction, abuse and murder due to other alleged participants in the crime either being deceased, or insufficient evidence existing to charge them with the crime.[46]

By the time of Welch's indictment, cold case investigators had devoted over 16,000 hours to the re-investigation of the sisters' disappearance, had issued over fifty search warrants, and conducted over one hundred formal interviews with family members, eyewitnesses, and other persons of interest.[55]

Conviction

Via a plea bargain in which he admitted to participating in the girls' abduction, but not to their sexual assault and murder, Welch pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder on September 12, 2017. He was held accountable for the children's deaths at this hearing because although he denied killing the girls, the sisters died in the commission of abductions with "the intent to defile".[46]

Welch was prosecuted in Bedford County (approximately 320km southwest of Washington) because authorities believe the children's bodies are most likely buried in this location.[49] Via a prior agreement with the Lyon family, the prosecution had agreed not to seek the death penalty in return for Welch's guilty plea on the understanding this plea would spare the family years of litigated pleas against the sentence.[5] The sisters' parents — both 77-years-old — and their brothers were all present at this hearing.[46]

Beyond speaking to enter his plea of guilty, Welch refused to speak throughout these hearings. This refusal included an offer by Judge James Updike Jr. to formally address the Lyon family.[5] He received two concurrent 48-year sentences in relation to two counts of first-degree murder;[7] he also received a concurrent 12-year sentence relating to two unrelated sexual assaults committed against children in Northern Virginia.[30] As per statutory requirements, upon Welch's completion of his prison term in Delaware in 2026, he will be transferred to Virginia to begin serving his formal sentence for his convictions in this state.[5]

As the sisters' abduction and murder was committed in 1975, prior to the passing of truth-in-sentencing laws, a possibility exists Welch may become eligible for parole by the time he reaches his mid-80s; however, officials have stated the chances of Welch being grated parole are slim to none.[56]

Aftermath

The ultimate location of the bodies of Katherine and Sheila Lyon remains unknown.[57] Had Welch been brought to trial without the girls' bodies entered into evidence, the case would have been the longest to have elapsed, with regards to time, between the commission of murder and a trial in which a defendant was convicted in the absence of a body.[8]

Referencing investigators' determination to uncover the truth regarding the Lyon sisters' disappearance and their success in securing the conviction of one of the perpetrators after forty-two years, an executive within the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Robert Lowery, stated in 2017: "I think what [the investigators] did was unprecedented", adding that although Welch did not plead guilty to the full extent of his involvement, investigators had achieved a measure of justice.[39] This sentiment was echoed by prosecutor Wes Nance, who stated following Welch's conviction: "In my heart of hearts, I know that we put one of the main perpetrators away."[58]

On behalf of his family, following Welch's conviction, John Lyon thanked cold case detectives and law enforcement officers for never ceasing in their efforts to bring those responsible for his daughters' abduction and murder to justice, stating: "We just want to say, 'Thank you'. It's been a long time."[46]

Media

Bibliography

  • Bowden, Mark (2019). The Last Stone. New York City: Grove Atlantic. ISBN 978-0-802-14731-8.
  • Bowden, Mark (2020). The Last Stone: A Masterpiece of Criminal Interrogation. New York City: Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 978-0-802-14891-9.

Television

  • The documentary Who Killed the Lyon Sisters? is directly based upon the disappearance of Katherine and Sheila Lyon, the investigation to identity the person(s) responsible for their abduction and efforts to locate their remains. Directed by Aaron Bowden (the son of journalist and writer Mark Bowden) and broadcast upon Investigation Discovery, this documentary was released in November 2020[59][60] and received several awards at the 2021 annual Telly Awards, including Best Documentary.[61][62]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ John Lyon would later work as a victims' counselor.[12]
  2. ^ This sum of money was sufficient to classify the crime as a felony.
  3. ^ The description Welch provided matched eyewitness descriptions circulated in newspapers and upon television news media.[8]
  4. ^ Richard Welch was never charged with any involvement in the Lyon sisters' abduction and murder due to a lack of corroborating evidence. Although Lloyd Welch had alleged, and later denied, others had been involved in the offense, his uncle had remained a constant individual named in his allegations. However, following Welch's conviction, Bedford County Attorney Wes Nance informed reporters: "Lloyd Lee Welch has identified a bunch of different individuals, and that cast of characters has changed over time."[41]

References

  1. ^ Roy, Eleanor (July 15, 2015). "Documents Reveal Grisly Details of 1975 Murders of Lyon Sisters in Bedford County: Revelations Come After Indictment in 40-year-old Maryland Case". The News & Advance. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Ghose, Ishani (November 28, 2020). "Missing Lyon Sisters May Have Met Their end in Days-Long Taylor's Mountain Fire that Ssmelled of Burnt Flesh". meaww.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Case File: Katherine Mary and Sheila Mary Lyon". January 3, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "Lyon Sisters Case: Man Pleads Guilty to 1975 Murders of 2 Maryland Girls". CBS News. Associated Press. September 12, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Lavoie, Denise (July 16, 2015). "Police: Lyon Sisters Investigation Enters New Phase". The Daily Record. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Jouvenal, Justin; Morse, Dan (February 11, 2014). "Inmate Lloyd Welch Named as 'Person of Interest' in 1975 Lyon Sisters Case". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d Andersen, Annie; Doss, Catherine (September 12, 2017). "Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Lyon Sisters in 1975, Will Serve 48 Years in Prison". WSET-TV. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Morse, Dan (July 15, 2015). "Imprisoned Sex Offender Charged with Murder in 1975 Lyon Sisters Case". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  9. ^ "Lyon Sisters Case: Man Pleads Guilty to 1975 Murders of Two Maryland Girls". CBS News. September 12, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Bowden, Mark (April 2, 2019). "The Cracking of a Cold, Cold Case". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Whitaker, Josephine (April 3, 1982). "Search in Lyon Sisters' Case Proves Fruitless". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia ISBN 978-1-467-15258-7 p. 59
  13. ^ Trost, Rachael (November 23, 2014). "The Mysterious Case of the Lyon Sisters". NBCNews.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Search For Two Girls Missing 15 Days Fails; Police Baffled". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. April 8, 1975. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Cimons, Marlene (August 24, 1975). "Missing: What Happens When They Never Return". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "Wheaton Plaza". The Washington Post. January 1, 1981. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  17. ^ "Women Say Suspect in Lyon Sisters' Murders Tried to Abduct Them". WRC-TV. February 14, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Freund, John (April 9, 2019). "Justice for the Lyon Sisters: How a 40-Year Cold Case Was Finally Solved". the-line-up.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  19. ^ The Last Stone ISBN 978-0-802-14731-8 p. 2
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  21. ^ a b "Suspect Pleads Guilty In 1975 Killing Of Lyon Sisters". CBS News. Associated Press. September 12, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Search Continues for Lyon Sisters". The Baltimore Sun. Associated Press. March 29, 1982. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "U.S. Inflation calendar". usinflationcalculator.com. October 3, 2023.
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  25. ^ a b "Girls Reported Seen in Prince William". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. April 7, 1975. Retrieved October 10, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Augenstein, Neal (September 7, 2017). "Guilty Plea Expected in '75 Murders of Lyon Sisters, '96 Rape in Pr. William County". WTOP-FM. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  27. ^ Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia ISBN 978-1-467-15258-7 p. 60
  28. ^ The Last Stone ISBN 978-0-802-14731-8 pp. 4-5
  29. ^ The Last Stone ISBN 978-0-802-14731-8 p. 4
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  31. ^ "Guilty Plea in 42-Year-Old Cold Case of Missing Lyon Sisters". swordandscale.com. December 4, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  32. ^ "Sheila Mary Lyon". The Charley Project. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  33. ^ Yaeger, Deborah Sue (May 23, 1975). "Md. Guardsmen to Join Hunt for Lyon Sisters". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2012 – via ProQuest.
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  35. ^ Hall, Charles W. (March 13, 1987). "Lead Found to Missing Lyon Girls". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  36. ^ Goodman, Alana (April 7, 2010). "35 Years Later, Lyons Sisters Still Missing". Washington Examiner. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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  42. ^ Parra, Esteban (February 19, 2014). "Police Talk to Sex Offender's Relatives in Md. Cold Case". USA Today. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
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Cited works and further reading

  • Bowden, Mark (2019). The Last Stone. New York City: Grove Atlantic. ISBN 978-0-802-14731-8.
  • Bowden, Mark (2020). The Last Stone: A Masterpiece of Criminal Interrogation. New York City: Grove Atlantic. ISBN 978-0-802-14891-9.
  • Branson, Jack; Branson, Mary (2011). Delayed Justice: Inside Stories from America's Best Cold Case Investigations. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-616-14392-3.
  • Collins, James J. (1999). Law Enforcement Policies and Practices Regarding Missing Children and Homeless Youth. United States: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. ISBN 978-0-788-18639-4.
  • Finkelhor, David; Sedlak, Andrea; Hotaling, Gerald T. (1990). Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children in America. New York: Officers of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. ISBN 0-788-12651-2.
  • Fisher, Bonnie S.; Lab, Steven P. (2010). Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. Los Angeles: Sage Publishing. ISBN 978-1-412-96047-2.
  • Greene, Dr. Karen Shalev; Alys, Llian (2016). Missing Persons: A Handbook of Research. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-409-46802-8.
  • Halber, Deborah (2014). The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths Are Solving America's Cold Cases. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-04145-5.
  • Katz, Hélèna (2010). Cold Cases: Famous Unsolved Mysteries, Crimes, and Disappearances in America. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-37692-4.
  • Mathis, Michael; Sullivan, Joanna Falcon (2022). Marple's Gretchen Harrington Tragedy: Kidnapping, Murder and Innocence Lost in Suburban Philadelphia. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: History Press. ISBN 978-1-467-15258-7.
  • Pettem, Silvia (2017). The Long Term Missing: Hope and Help for Families. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-442-25680-4.
  • Stewart, Erin (2021). The Missing Among Us: Stories of Missing Persons and Those Left Behind. New South Wales: NewSouth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-742-23679-7.
  • Tedisco, James N.; Paludi, Michele Antionete (1996). Missing Children: A Psychological Approach to Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Stranger and Non-stranger Abduction of Children. New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-791-42879-5.
  • Wright, E. Lynne (2012). Myths and Mysteries of Florida: True Stories of the Unsolved. Essex, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 978-0-762-79104-0.
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