Belynda Dorothy Eltzroth:1959, Marion, Indiana
Belynda Dorothy Eltzroth was born November 23rd 1949 to Omajean Shaw Eltzroth and Dwight Eltzroth. She had an older sister, Vicki, who was two when she was born. I imagine the two sisters were very close; like two peas in a pod.
Belynda was 9 years old in September 1959. She was probably looking forward to her 10th birthday coming up. I remember how getting to a double digit number seemed so exciting and important.
Belynda’s Mother had remarried a man named Ernest Sprong. (I wasn’t able to find any details on what happened to Dwight Eltzroth exactly. There seems to be a few men with that name.) The Sprong family lived in Marion, Indiana.
On September 22nd 1959, Belynda disappeared while walking to a local store to buy some candy. She had a little money and wanted to go pick out a treat. She never made it home from that quick errand.
Her step-uncle Henry Sprong packed a bag and left town that evening. The entire family was searching for Belynda but 42 year old Henry couldn’t take time out to look for Belynda. He apparently had places to go.
Her parents, neighbors and friends continued to search for her. They might have thought Henry Sprong’s disappearance odd or even suspicious but they were focusing on finding Belynda.
On September 23rd, 1959, Belynda Eltzroth was found in the Mississinewa River near 38th Street near Marion, Indiana. She was half dressed. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled before being thrown in the river. It was determined that the site of her attack and murder had been there on the riverbank.
Henry Sprong fled town. An all points bulletin had been issued and police all over Indiana were looking for him. He had no means of transportation except walking or hitchhiking. It was thought that he might head for St. Louis. He didn’t make it very far and was captured in Peru, Indiana on October 6th, 1959. That’s only about a 30 minute drive from Marion, Indiana.
Sprong was arrested and questioned. He pled guilty to the rape and murder of little Belynda. Henry Sprong was sentenced to life in prison. But, he didn’t live out his life in prison.
By 1966, he had been a model prisoner and was made a “trusty”. He was on a work detail on Tuesday, February 14th, 1967 at the Soldier’s Home in Lafayette, Indiana when he escaped.
The Indiana State Soldier’s Home had been established after the Civil War to care for disabled Union veterans. It consisted of several large homes called cottages.
Police and prison guards searched for Henry Sprong. But to no avail. It was thought for a while that he had successfully fled the state.
But then on March 15th, 1967 a badly burned man clad only in his underwear flagged down an Indiana State Police patrol car near Lafayette. That badly burned man was Henry Sprong. He had been staying near Lafayette that entire time in an improvised “lean to”shack. He had tried to ignite a fire in the shack in a homemade stove with gasoline and his clothes caught fire. He had third degree burns over 90% of his body.
Police transported him to a hospital. He developed an infection and eventually septicemia. Henry Sprong lingered in the hospital but eventually died on May 24th, 1967. Because he had been a veteran of WWII he was eligible for a marble headstone. He is buried at Knox Chapel Cemetery in Grant County, Indiana.
Belynda Eltzroth was just 9 years old. What dreams had she held for her future? We don’t know. She wasn’t allowed to live out her life. She was probably memorizing state capitals and multiplication facts in 1959. She might have known all the words to a favorite song. She might have been good at jumping rope or hopscotch. Maybe she liked playing with dolls with her sister.
Belynda Eltzroth is buried in Grant Memorial Park in Marion, Indiana. (Grant County)
Rest in peace, Belynda.
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