Eugene Sefton:1974, Williamstown, Indiana

    

   Eugene W. Sefton worked two janitorial jobs as a 58 year old man. He worked at the Sandusky School and at Decatur County REMC. He had retired from the printing business having worked for three different Indiana newspapers.He was an active member of the Indiana Typographical Union. 

  He was born January 31st, 1916 to Nettie May Brown Sefton and Charles M. Sefton. Eugene graduated from Rushville High School in 1935.

  He owned a small, white, wood-framed cottage in the tiny community of Williamstown, Indiana. It’s located roughly a 40 minute drive east of Indianapolis.  It’s between Greensburg and Muncie. Williamstown is located off Indiana State Road 3 on East County Road 800 North. It’s truly just a collection of a few houses on two short streets and doesn’t resemble a town as you might imagine. But, the small homes and yards are nice and neat. Mature trees offer a nice bit of shade. It looks like a nice quiet little rural neighborhood.

  Eugene W. Sefton had grown up in the Rushville area but never married. He lived alone and followed a quiet routine of work and church going. I think he found purpose and solace in his work. 

   When he didn’t show up to the United Methodist church on Sunday, September the 29th, his friends and neighbors were a little concerned. When the very reliable man failed to show up to either of his two jobs on Monday, September 30th, 1974; employers called his emergency contact, who was a cousin. His cousin, Mrs. Luella Graue then called the police. 

  Mr. Sefton’s home was just over the county line in Rush County. Decatur County had been called originally and upon arriving saw that they would actually need to summon the Rush County Sheriff’s Office. Once they arrived they entered the home and found Eugene Sefton dead of approximately 30 stab wounds. He was laying on top of a paring knife with a three inch blade that officers believed was the knife used to kill him. 

   There were no signs of a break in. Does that mean that Eugene W. Sefton knew the killer? Possibly. Sefton also might have left his doors unlocked. Many people did in the country in the 1970’s. The killer might have crept in the back door with the intention of getting the car keys and stealing the car. It was a new car and might have been very tempting to someone looking to steal a car or just go for a joy ride. 

   His 1974 black vinyl over midnight blue Chevy Malibu had been observed leaving his home around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night, September 28th, 1974. It was later found in Ft. Wayne off Interstate 69 hidden in a wooded overgrown area. The car was actually found before Eugene W. Sefton’s body was found. Because it hadn’t been reported stolen no immediate action was taken upon its discovery. It’s unlikely that fingerprint evidence was collected and preserved. 

   Williamstown is in a very rural area. If this murder was perpetrated by a stranger in the area they might have come from State Road 3. The collection of houses known as Williamstown can be seen a short distance from that highway. Even in the dark, lights from the homes would have been visible. 

   Two suspects that came to mind were Ernest Richard Tope and Timothy Allen Heckert. In April of 1974 the pair abducted, assaulted and murdered Cheryl Ann Felger. She was taken from Van Wert, Ohio to Decatur, Indiana. She was stabbed roughly 60 times. They had been arrested in April and were awaiting trial. I believe that they were not free on bond. If they were in jail then they couldn’t be responsible for this theft and murder. Decatur, Indiana is near Ft. Wayne and the fact that the car was left there and it was 1974 brought them to mind. But, I am not sure if they were free in bond or jailed until their trial. 

   Another possible suspect could be Galen W. Gethers Jr. He lived in nearby Greenfield and in 1971 was the last person to see Susan K. Hall Moir Dancer alive. The two coworkers had gone to Indianapolis to test drive a car. Susan withdrew $5000 from a bank to pay for the car and then disappeared. Galen Gethers returned the car to the dealership after several hours. Susan was found shot to death months later. Even though the caliber of the gun used; matched a gun Gethers was known to have owned…no charges were filed. Even though he was the last person to see her alive…no charges were filed. Even though his story had more holes than Swiss cheese…no charges were filed. 

    Did investigators save any evidence? Was any fingerprint evidence collected from the home or the car? Did they preserve the knife? Sometimes a knife gets slippery and a killer can cut themselves. 

    Was there someone living in the area suspicious to locals at the time? Maybe someone knows something.  Maybe they saw something or heard something that only made sense later. Maybe they felt loyal to someone then but no longer feel that same way. 

   If you have a tip that could help solve Eugene Sefton’s murder, please call the Indiana State Police Cold Case Investigators at (765)778-2121 or (800) 527-4752. 

   Rest in peace Eugene Sefton