Keyla Weddel:1988, Medora, Indiana

    

   Keyla Weddel was born Keyla Freeman on October 11th, 1954 in Seymour, Indiana. Her parents were Wanda and Glenn Freeman. Keyla graduated from Columbus High School. After highschool she went off to Bloomington, Indiana to study at Indiana University. She became a teacher. 

   On Saturday, October 4th, 1980 she married Billy Lee Weddel at the Brownstown Christian Church. Billy had grown up in Lynchburg, Ohio and graduated from highschool there. He was working for the Ben Franklin retail store in Medora when the two married. Keyla was 25 when they married and Billy was 23. 

   The couple had three children in the following years. Keyla continued to teach at Medora Elementary. She was a beloved second grade teacher there. 

    I wonder what their marriage was like. Was it peaceful? Was he violent? Were there other difficulties in the marriage?

    In 1984 Keyla filed for divorce. The two seem to have tried to reconcile because that was dismissed. In 1985 she filed again and on November 5th, the divorce was granted. 

    In 1988, Keyla was still teaching and managing life as a single Mom in 1988.  She had moved into a trailer that was not far behind her parents house in Medora. 

   

   On the evening of August 17th, 1988 Keyla was last seen alive. This was reported to be sometime in the early evening hours. 

  Keyla was bludgeoned to death sometime that night  by an intruder in her own home. Basal skull fractures and cerebral hemorrhage from multiple blows to the head were listed as the causes of her death. A basal skull fracture is a fracture to the base of the skull. Where exactly was she found? Was she in bed and asleep when the killer approached her. Did she sleep on her side or her stomach? Or was she awake and walking through the trailer when this happened? Either way, someone ambushed her and wanted her dead. 

  

  That seems intensely personal. To inflict such blows to the head and face is overkill. This typically indicates a killer with a personal relationship with the victim. 

   I could not find a detailed article about the incident. Were there signs of a break in? Was anything taken? Were there signs of a sexual assault? 

  A baseball bat was found a day later at a softball field about a block away from Keyla Weddel’s home. Indiana State Police were reported to have sent the bat for testing. 

  Keyla’s oldest son played little league baseball. I did not find a report of a bat missing from the home. 

  I imagine that her children were not at home at the time of the murder. That would probably have been mentioned in the newspaper articles. Were they at their father’s house that weekend?  Who would have know that Keyla was alone in her home that night? 

  We know that women are most likely to be murdered in their lifetimes when they are either pregnant or going through a breakup in a relationship. 

  Keyla was found by family members the next morning just after 7 a.m. How awful that must have been. 

  Keyla Freeman Weddel was buried at White River Valley Cemetery in Medora, Indiana. 

   Keyla’s parents and her three children deserved to have her in their lives. Keyla deserved a long life with many happy memories. Keyla was only 33 when someone murdered her in her home. 

    Maybe you know something. This is a small town. Maybe you’ve heard something in the years since. Maybe you know the killer. Perhaps you felt loyal to that person once. Perhaps you feared them. But, maybe you no longer feel scared or loyal. 

   A memorial scholarship fund was set up Keyla Freeman Weddel’s name by those who knew and loved her at her school. She has been dearly missed.

   If you have information about the murder of Keyla Weddel, please call the Indiana State Police at 1-(800) 566-6704 or (812)-689-5000