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Sheila Wiseley:1974, Toledo, Ohio

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       Sheila Wisely was born in Detroit. She grew up there and in the neighboring city across the Michigan/Ohio border, Toledo. She had a sister named Stephanie.    Her parents lost nine infant boys to Leukemia but Stephanie and Sheila survived. This was before the pill came along. There was no such thing as birth control pills. A couple could buy condoms but most married couples did not. Most married couples after WW2 were all about having children. So, they just kept trying. How does a family endure losing nine baby boys? They probably focused on caring for their surviving children as much as they could. They probably tried not to dwell on the losses.    Sheila’s mother passed away in 1967 after a tough battle with cancer. Her father, Paul, worked in the auto industry as an executive at General Motors.  His job moved the family to Toledo where Sheila went to Start High School.    She wanted to study act...
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Donna Jean Brown:1975, Dayton, Ohio

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   Donna Jean Brown was born on October 18th, 1954. I wasn’t able to find a photo of her, sadly. I couldn’t find any mention of her family or where she grew up.    She lived in Dayton in 1975. Her stepfather, R.W. Nicodemus told reporters that she lived at 749 Academy Place. (That doesn’t seem to be an actual address. Academy Place is a real street but 749 is not a house along that street.) The coroner’s office listed her address as Linda Vista Avenue. (No house number was named.) That is a street near Academy Place. Both are located on Dayton’s northwest side.   In a separate article her stepfather, R.W. Nicodemus of 4808 Leston in Huber Heights, Ohio, said that he didn’t know if Donna Jean was working anywhere at the time of her death. I wondered how far away Huber Heights was from Linda Vista and Academy Place. Perhaps he and Donna Jean’s mother lived very far away? No, It’s not far away at all. Just about a 10-15 minute drive. Huber Heights is a north...
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Raymond Springer Sr:1972, Dayton, Ohio

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Raymond Springer Sr. was born on October 9th, 1942 to Reverend and Mrs. David Springer. Raymond  was called “Jabo” by his family and friends.    He served our country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He  married Ernestine and they had two sons, Raymond Jr. and Leslie.  He worked at Delco Moraine. Raymond was also a member of the Mt. Nebo Baptist Church.    On Tuesday, July 11th, 1972, Raymond was at Madden Park in Dayton. It is located southwest of downtown Dayton.     It’s hot and humid in July in Ohio. No one had air conditioning then. Staying up late and going out to the park to socialize is a good idea. At least the breeze will find you out there. If you work odd shifts at a factory, sometimes you find your friends out and about at unusual hours. If you grew up in a factory town; you know this. Not everyone works 9-5. But, Raymond wasn’t out at the park at midnight or three in the morning.  This shooti...
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