The Dardeen Family - Ruby, Keith, Pete, & newborn. Nov. 1987.

[cnmccarthy]

I was so surprised to not see a thread for them. I hope it’s not because of family wishes and that I may be stepping on any toes. I will report this new post to make sure that isn’t the case.

[…]“Keith failed to show up for work for his night shift, and nobody could reach his family. Concerned, his parents contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and headed south with a key to the trailer. Police met them at the scene. Keith’s car was missing, and they went inside. What they found was indescribable.

Elaine was sexually mutilated and bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. So was her son Peter. Baby Casey, due in two months, arrived during the beatings. She too, was beaten to death. There was no sign of Keith. […] <MORE AT LINK>

Many people believe that the serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells was involved but I don’t know if I agree.

<modsnip> I just don’t see how any of his family would’ve allowed Tommy through the door (there were no signs of forced entry). They had even put their house up for sale to move to a safer area.

<modsnip: not approved sources>
Gruesome murder of an Illinois family remains unsolved as the main suspect is executed

 

[cnmccarthy]

Here are some more news articles about the case.

Unsolved murder still haunts Tri-State family two decades later.

13-YEAR VIGIL OF FEAR EASES IN ILLINOIS TOWN

I have no comfort with this guy," she said of Sells through teary eyes. "I am absolutely terrified. My husband says, `Why are you afraid? He's in jail.' Well, then why am I so nervous?"

It could be because local investigators had never heard of Sells before his confession. They had even warned family members not to be surprised if one of their own was responsible.

Heartland Unsolved: Never Forget.

The unspeakable brutality of the crimes immediately raised questions about a possible cult-related attack. Investigators quickly ruled that out, along with robbery, since there was no forced entry to the trailer and nothing missing.

 

[Richard]

The Dardeen Family: Elaine, Keith, and Peter. 1987



LINKS:

Ruby Elaine Cowling Dardeen (1957-1987) - Find a...

Ruby Elaine Dardeen, 30, Ina, and formerly of Albion, died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1987. Private services will be 2 p.m. Saturday in the Olive Congregational Christian Church in Albion. There will be no visitation. Mrs. Dardeen was born Aug. 10, 1957, in Fairfield, the daughter of Lee and Inez...

www.findagrave.com

The Dardeen Family Murders • Morbidology

The name “Dardeen” resonates with the residents of Ina, Southern Illinois, who think back to a gruesome quadruple murder that took place in their sleepy hamlet in the late 1980s. Life in Ina was simple. There was a store, a gas station, a firehouse, a bank, a post office and little all else. But...

morbidology.com

The Chilling Mystery Behind The Dardeen Family Murders - Grunge

Quiet life in Ina, Illinois, was irreversibly changed in 1987 when Keith and Elaine Dardeen, their son Peter, and their newborn child were murdered.

www.grunge.com

Unsolved Murders: Dardeen family and Joel Kirkpatrick

The unsolved murders of the four members of the Dardeen family in 1987 as well as the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick in 1997 are still unsolved.

www.14news.com

 

[cnmccarthy]

The Dardeen Family: Elaine, Keith, and Peter. 1987



LINKS:

Ruby Elaine Cowling Dardeen (1957-1987) - Find a...

Ruby Elaine Dardeen, 30, Ina, and formerly of Albion, died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1987. Private services will be 2 p.m. Saturday in the Olive Congregational Christian Church in Albion. There will be no visitation. Mrs. Dardeen was born Aug. 10, 1957, in Fairfield, the daughter of Lee and Inez...

www.findagrave.com

The Dardeen Family Murders • Morbidology

The name “Dardeen” resonates with the residents of Ina, Southern Illinois, who think back to a gruesome quadruple murder that took place in their sleepy hamlet in the late 1980s. Life in Ina was simple. There was a store, a gas station, a firehouse, a bank, a post office and little all else. But...

morbidology.com

The Chilling Mystery Behind The Dardeen Family Murders - Grunge

Quiet life in Ina, Illinois, was irreversibly changed in 1987 when Keith and Elaine Dardeen, their son Peter, and their newborn child were murdered.

www.grunge.com

Unsolved Murders: Dardeen family and Joel Kirkpatrick

The unsolved murders of the four members of the Dardeen family in 1987 as well as the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick in 1997 are still unsolved.

www.14news.com

Thank you so much!!

 

[cckp72]

I was so surprised to not see a thread for them. I hope it’s not because of family wishes and that I may be stepping on any toes. I will report this new post to make sure that isn’t the case.

[…]“Keith failed to show up for work for his night shift, and nobody could reach his family. Concerned, his parents contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and headed south with a key to the trailer. Police met them at the scene. Keith’s car was missing, and they went inside. What they found was indescribable.

Elaine was sexually mutilated and bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. So was her son Peter. Baby Casey, due in two months, arrived during the beatings. She too, was beaten to death. There was no sign of Keith. […] <MORE AT LINK>

Many people believe that the serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells was involved but I don’t know if I agree.

<modsnip> I just don’t see how any of his family would’ve allowed Tommy through the door (there were no signs of forced entry). They had even put their house up for sale to move to a safer area.

<modsnip: not approved sources>
Gruesome murder of an Illinois family remains unsolved as the main suspect is executed

Thank you so much for making a thread about this family. This is one case that truly keeps me up at night.

I wonder if testing DNA has been done since advancements in DNA have been made.

I agree I don't believe it to be the serial killer, it seems way too brutally personal.

The Dardeens deserve justice even if the perp is deceased.

 

[morf13]

If you want to share your thoughts, and theories on the Dardeen case, join us live tonight March 5, at 9PM Eastern as we discuss the case on the Citizen Detective Podcast.
Our panel includes a retired homicide detective, a DNA lab director, and a criminologist.

Join live via our Facebook homepage:
Citizen Detective Podcast

or in our Facebook group:
Citizen Detective Podcast Discussion | Facebook

On Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSgvqIuf4-sEF2aDdNGip2w

On Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CitizenDPod

You can also leave us a voicemail that we may play on the air
Send a voice message to citizendetective

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Keith's friend Kevin Harris — who was the best man at the couple's wedding — told KFVS-12, that Keith and Elaine were "two of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet.”

“They were such loving, caring people,” Harris added. “It’s hard to imagine how somebody can do something like this.”

Years later, serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells claimed he was responsible for the murders, but he was reportedly known to falsely confess to multiple crimes across the U.S., and the Dardeen family murder is still considered unsolved. In 2014, Sells was executed for murdering a 13-year-old girl.

Kieth's mother, Joeann Dardeen, told KFVS-12 in 2019 that she'll never give up searching for her son and his family's killer.

"[Investigators] told us in the beginning that we need to keep the story out there," Joeann told the outlet. "We need to keep it going."

A Couple and Their 2-Year-Old Son Were Brutally Murdered — More Than 30 Years Later, The Case Is Still Unsolved

Russell Keith Dardeen and Ruby Elaine Dardeen shared a 3-year-old son named Peter and had another child on the way in 1987. In November of that year, the young married couple, who both went by their middle names, were brutally beaten and murdered along with their son.

people.com