Ruth E. Jones:The New Apartment

  


   Ruth E. Jones was born on March 11th, 1951. She lived near Irvington, Indiana growing up.  That’s a suburb of Indianapolis full of old Victorian houses and history. It’s a great place to go on Halloween these days. 

   Ruth graduated from Howe High School in 1970. She lived at home for a few years and worked as a cook and baker for Indianapolis Public Schools. She had been taking college classes lately and was looking toward a brighter future for herself.


   At age 26 Ruth was very excited to be striking out on her own and moving into a studio apartment in a converted garage in Southeast Indianapolis. Her new place at 1702 East Bradbury was just a few blocks North of the University of Indianapolis. 

   Like most Americans, Ruth had probably been a fan of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”.  Mary was a career girl living and working in Minneapolis and she had an apartment that everyone thought was so cool. I know I did.  The show ran from 1970 to 1977.  It was syndicated and continued to air in reruns for years after that. I can imagine Ruth was a fan and Mary may have inspired her to get out on her own. 

   November 1st, 1977 was going to be her first night in her new place. She left her parents house at 6 a.m and traveled by bus to her new apartment. She had a sleeping bag with her as her furniture was coming later. She was just going to drop off a few things and then head to work. 

   Just before noon that same day a man with “an old sounding voice” reported finding a body. Ruth was found beaten, strangled and stabbed in the neck with a fork. She had never made it to work that day. Ruth never even got to spend one night in her new place. 

   If you have read any of my earlier articles you will know that the area around Indianapolis in the mid to late 70’s had a big murder problem. 

   Pamela Milam, Kathryn Kaufman, Terri Jo Ann Darlington, Ann Harmeier, Monika Maria Mason, Linda Sue Ferry, Julie Ann Seyfried, and Kristine Kovik are just a few of the victims of that crime wave. 

   Police found that Ruth’s wallet was missing and theorized that robbery was the motive.  I disagree. I think murder was its own motive here. Her clothes were in disarray but police did not think she had been raped. I think the brutality of the murder shows us a killer who just wants to kill someone. It’s not even 7 in the morning yet and this guy is this violent.  If robbery was the motive wouldn’t he just grab the wallet after overpowering her and leave?

   Who was this violent?  Steven Timothy Judy was definitely this violent.  His first victim and his last victims were mother types. Ruth E. Jones might have looked very motherly if she was dressed in her cafeteria worker outfit. 

  Danny Rouse was this violent. I don’t Danny Rouse ever got too far south of his home base near Culver, Indiana. Jeffrey Lynn Hand was this violent. John T. Gibson, Jr. was as well. All four are now known for strangling victims. But, they weren’t the only Indiana killers out there. 

    I think Ruth might have been followed as she got off the bus. It was just after 6 in the morning. It was November so it was probably still pretty dark out at that time of the morning. There would not be many people walking on the sidewalks or up and about just yet.  Someone spotting her on the bus and following her seems highly likely. He would have the cover of darkness and fewer potential witnesses. 

   I wonder what evidence has been preserved in this case.  They said that Ruth fought for her life.  Did police take fingernail clippings or scrape under her nails? Her killer’s DNA could still be there. What other evidence did they save?  What was she strangled with? Was an improvised garrote used? Are there knots that can be compared? 

   Ruth E. Jones was only 26.  She was trying to make a life for herself. She was striving, hardworking and brave. 

   Rest in peace Ruth. 

   

   

   

    


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Danny Rouse:Serial Killer, Homegrown in Indiana

Image
       I think he liked seeing the damage he had inflicted. I think that might be a central reason why he killed.       After he strangled and stabbed his co-worker, Stephanie Wagner, in 2006; he went to work the very next day. He walked right into that restaurant like nothing was wrong.  I think he wanted to be there to witness the reactions people would have when the calls started coming asking if anyone had seen Stephanie. I think he liked seeing the devastation.    After he shot Nellie Mikesells through her window in the fall of 1974, he broke into her home. He didn’t steal anything. Police theorized at the time that he broke in to see what his bullet had done.    He shot Lela Hildebrandt as she drove by one night in October 1975. The shot to the left side of her face would cause her to veer off the road and total her car. Her injuries were first thought to be caused simply from the car accident....
Read more

Debra Wilhite:The Windmill Restaurant:Evansville

Image
         She worked at The Windmill Restaurant on Highway 41 and Highway 57. It was 1974. She was young and worked as a waitress like a lot of people do at that age.  It was hard work. She had long days on her feet carrying heavy trays of food. The Windmill was a busy restaurant at a busy crossroads.  They served home style cooking and were in business at that location for decades.     In addition to being physically demanding; waiting tables in 1974 was also emotionally draining. Men were always making passes at her, saying rude and lewd things and grabbing her. In 1974, many men didn’t see anything wrong with pinching a woman’s bottom.  It was seen as a flirtatious compliment.  They thought the woman should be flattered by the attention.     But Debra was just trying to earn a living.  She was only 19 and already had two daughters. She and her husband only had one car and were trying to ...
Read more

50:Brenda Banaski and Carrie Duncan

Image
                     Brenda Banaski    In my last post I wrote about a 15 year old girl from Gary. Annie Jean Powell had lived a life of crisis with seemingly no one in her corner.  She was murdered in Gary. Six months later and just a few blocks away another girl was murdered. The difference in how the newspapers covered the two stories is stark. One girl is black and her murder is dismissed because she is poor. One girl is white and her murder was covered extensively. It wasn’t fair. No one would begrudge the victims that got attention and resources. But, every case should have gotten attention and resources.     At the same time; police were stretched very thin and nothing in any of their training would prepare them for the huge rise in the numbers of violent crimes that the 1970’s and 1980’s would bring.    There isn’t anything we can do to change the past.  But we can go ...
Read more