Tomiko Hassenbein:Indianapolis 1964

    


  On April 8, 1964 Tomika Hassenbein left the house early to head to the bus stop.  She worked at the RCA factory as an instrument operator and was always very punctual.  

   Her husband, Hyman, had left for work even earlier around 5 a.m.  He worked at the post office. 

   Tomiko’s son Allen,12, would be seeing himself off to school. Her daughter Alice was grown and married and did not live nearby. 

   Tomiko did not make it to the bus stop that morning.  The driver was surprised that she wasn’t there. She was always on time and very serious about getting to work. 

   Tomiko was 36.  She had grown up in Japan.  She met her husband there when he was serving in the armed forces. The newspaper’s liked to describe her as a “War Bride”. Tomiko had not been home for a visit in 20 years.  She was working and saving for the trip though. 

   Tomiko and her family lived at 604 East 34th Street in Indianapolis.  That morning on April 8th, Tomiko was grabbed and dragged through an alley into the backyard of 3402 Broadway. She was raped and strangled with a pink bath towel.  Investigators at the time theorized that the towel was stolen from a clothesline. 

   The neighbors heard nothing.  Tomiko was discovered when Don Renfro happened to glance out his window while getting ready that morning. 

   Tomiko fought back against her attacker.  He stole her gold watch and what little money she kept in her purse.  Some of the coins were rare but only had sentimental value from her homeland. 

   Several known rapists were interviewed by police.  One had a good alibi in that he was in jail in Bloomington at the time of the attack. He was jailed in another rape of an IU student. 

   No charges were brought against the other suspects. One was arrested for burglary charges later and some of the coins found in his home appeared to be Tomiko’s coins. Ultimately police felt that there was not enough evidence to bring charges. 

   But what if her clothes are still in a box in an evidence room somewhere?  What if they clipped her fingernails and saved those?  DNA could still be there.  

  What if the suspects they spoke to in 1964 have a DNA profile on CODIS?  

  News articles mentioned a hair on one of her gloves that might have belonged to the perpetrator.  

  There’s always hope that her case can be solved. 

  This murderer was bold.  He seems to have done this enough times to know he could strangle her and keep her silent.  He had done this numerous times before. This was not his first kill. 

  Tomiko’s husband and her son went on that long awaited trip back to Japan.  He wanted to tell her parents the news in person.  Instead of a joyful reunion they received the worst news any parent can hear. 



   Allen Hassenbein was only 12 when his mother was taken from him.  Alice, her daughter, was a young woman. They deserved to have their mother around for a long time.  Tomiko deserved a long and happy life. 

   Rest in peace Tomiko Hassenbein. T

    

    

   


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