IL IL - Richard Griener, 13, Pekin, 17 Jan 1972

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Did the friends or parents ever speak to the press? Something I could read? Was Guatney the only suspect they had?
 
Guatney is about the only one you hear mentioned but I assume the police looked at others. I personally doubt that Guatney did it although I can't really come up another name that's better.
 
Was the sled or any other belongings of Richard ever recovered? Has the possibility of an accident been discussed?
 
Satch said:
Is it known who among Richard's relatives are still living? If his parents are deceased, when did they pass away? It is heartbreaking that there is so little known on this case! All that I think is sort of remembered, is a sled found in some bushes or in a yard? Standreid, isn't that what you remember reading?

Satch
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it looks like his mom, Helen passed away in 2012, his dad Merle Richard died in 2016

Dad:

info from findagrave

Birth: Dec. 19, 1927
Death: Dec. 20, 2016

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Merle Richard Griener was born to Joseph Frederick ad Edna Marie Pick Griener on December 19, 1927, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a graduate of Rankin Trade School in St. Louis. He worked as a pattern maker all his life, retiring from Gardner-Denver. Merle was a US Army veteran of both WWII and the Korean Conflict. He was a member of the VFW and the American Legion. Merle was also an accomplished watercolor painter having served as past president of the Great River Watercolor Society, Quincy, Illinois. He was a past member of the Sedalia (Missouri) Visual Arts Club. He won numerous awards in art shows in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, including the Best of Show Award in the Professional Division at the Missouri State Fair in 2002. In December 1955, Merle married Helen J. Long. They were married 56 years. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his brother, Joseph; his sister, Audrey Weber; his son, Richard; and his son-in-law, Robert Snoddy. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jeanne and Randy Haraldson, and his grandson, Daniel Snoddy, and several nieces and nephews. Visitation is at 9:30, followed by the funeral service at 10:00 is Tuesday, December 27th at the John Knox Village Chapel,400 NW Murray Road, Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Burial will be at the New Lebanon Cemetery, Pilot Grove, Missouri. Memorials are suggested to the Disable American Veterans: DAV, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Springs, KY 41076, or www.dav.org .

[/TD]
Mom:

info from findagrave

Birth: May 14, 1932
Pilot Grove
Cooper County
Missouri, USA
Death: Feb. 11, 2012
Columbia
Boone County
Missouri, USA

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Helen J. Griener, 79, of Marshall, MO, died Saturday, February 11, 2012, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, MO. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, February 16, 2012, at Campbell-Lewis Chapel in Marshall, with Rev. Kathleen Schmidtke officiating. Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in New Lebanon Cemetery in New Lebanon, MO. Born May 14, 1932, in Pilot Grove, MO, she was the daughter of the late William David Long and Mabel Anona Rothgeb Long who survives of Marshall. She was a graduate of Granite City High School in Granite City, IL and the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis later she trained as a trauma specialist. On December 10, 1955, she married Merle R. Griener who survives of the home. She had lived in Marshall since 2001 moving from Quincy, IL and was a member of the First United Methodist Church. She was a retired registered nurse and received a 50-year pin as a registered nurse. She was a lifelong American Red Cross member, an avid gardener, seamstress and loved to sing. In addition to her mother and husband, she is survived by one daughter, Jeanne (Snoddy) Haraldson and husband Randy of Grandview, MO; one grandson, R. Daniel Snoddy; and several aunts and cousins. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by one son, Richard W. Griener; and a son-in-law, Robert Snoddy.
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i do think it was his sled, iv just recently started looking at this case, being from the general area i became interested, if you have learned anything new about this case i would really like to know, hope you still check on this page, ill be creating a video for my youtube account to try to get any info i can out in the public.

thanks you,
ThingsKnown
 
The case file I received is over 800 pages long. There was definitely more than 1 serial killer looked at. Looks like law enforcement did feel that this case was linked with Mark Helwig. There were several psychics and plenty of people that came forward with suspicions. At the end of the day, those 3 serial killers are deceased and other suspects came and went. There were several sleds that were similar to Richard's but nowhere does it show any confirmation that any of them were ever confirmed his. Back then DNA wasn't a factor for years to come. If I find more updated information I will post here.
 
Satch said:
Wow!

Creepy and very sad coincidence. Maybe related. At "Find a Grave.com" there is a Richard William Griener who was born in 1958 and died the same day that our Richard Griener went missing: (January 17, 1972)

Richard William Griener (1958-1972) - Find A...

This can't be him. Or can it? The cemetery is in Missouri, so I think this is not related. But when I saw the same name and death date, I got goosebumps down my back and they are still there as of this writing!

Satch

PS. Oh My! Was missing Richard Griener's mother named Helen? Helen spent time in Quincy, Illinois. How far is that from Peoria? If that is Richard's grave, how devastatingly sad!
Click to expand...
I think this is a cenotaph.
I found this (you can read the article text OCR): The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois on August 21, 1979 · Page 3
It mentions several of the cases where Guatney was a suspect. I wonder what evidences the police had to arrest him and acusse him of murder, kidnapping and sodomy in the Hanrahan case. Were there any witnesses? Was he already a suspect before this last crime?
William J. “Frieght Train” Guatney (1922-1996) -...
There's also certain confusion about Guatney's death. Find a grave says it was in 1996.

I would like to know more details about the previous minutes of Richard's disappearance. He was surrounded by other children, but the only statement is the last sighting... Did they see someone else? Why did Richard go up the hill alone? Was he about to go sledding or was he coming back home?
 
I know this is an old subject, but I wanted to chime in. Next week it will be 50 years since Richard disappeared. He sat right next to me in class at Edison school, when he disappeared. It was horrible sitting there every day next to his empty desk, hoping to see his shy, smiling face come in the door. Several of us that went to school with Richard have our own theory, which was investigated by the Pekin Police. We had a teacher at Edison that was very, very odd, and creepy. He gave special attention to boys, often taking them into a back room in his office, and shutting & locking the door. Most of us students had this teacher, so I’m quite sure Richard did too. He would have gone with him undoubtedly. Either way, everyone knew him. We are very that he was responsible for Richard’s disappearance, and probable death. A while later, police did search his home & cabin, but found nothing to implicate him. I understand that they do believe that he did it. One of them wrote a book called “Slayer of Innocence”.
And……the teacher died in 2010, and they still haven’t found Richard. His parents move away from Pekin not too long after this happened, and I’m not sure where his Sister is now. I can’t think of a way that this story can continue from here, although most of us that knew him would be overjoyed with an ending. RIP Richard, we think of you often.
 
laginog said:
I know this is an old subject, but I wanted to chime in. Next week it will be 50 years since Richard disappeared. He sat right next to me in class at Edison school, when he disappeared. It was horrible sitting there every day next to his empty desk, hoping to see his shy, smiling face come in the door. Several of us that went to school with Richard have our own theory, which was investigated by the Pekin Police. We had a teacher at Edison that was very, very odd, and creepy. He gave special attention to boys, often taking them into a back room in his office, and shutting & locking the door. Most of us students had this teacher, so I’m quite sure Richard did too. He would have gone with him undoubtedly. Either way, everyone knew him. We are very that he was responsible for Richard’s disappearance, and probable death. A while later, police did search his home & cabin, but found nothing to implicate him. I understand that they do believe that he did it. One of them wrote a book called “Slayer of Innocence”.
And……the teacher died in 2010, and they still haven’t found Richard. His parents move away from Pekin not too long after this happened, and I’m not sure where his Sister is now. I can’t think of a way that this story can continue from here, although most of us that knew him would be overjoyed with an ending. RIP Richard, we think of you often.
Click to expand...
Hello laginog and welcome. Thank for sharing this very personal experience and information of Richard on the thread. I could only imagine how hard it was to be sitting next to his empty seat day after day. It is heartbreaking that after all these years he still has not been found especially since the person of interest lived for so long. Hope one day you all receive the news you have been hoping for.
 
Last edited:
Missing for 50 years...

Richard William Griener
griener_richard.jpg

Richard, circa 1972
  • Missing Since 01/17/1972
  • Missing From Pekin, Illinois
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 08/15/1958 (63)
  • Age 13 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'0, 90 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A gold-colored hooded nylon jacket, a long brown ski mask, blue jeans, and green rubber insulated boots.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Dark brown hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance

Richard left his home on the north side of Pekin, Illinois at approximately 4:00 p.m. He planned to go to the snow sledding hill at the local park, four blocks away. His friends last saw him at the hill at 5:30 p.m. He was carrying a blue plastic roll-up toboggan-style sled at the time of his disappearance. He has never been heard from again.

An extensive search of the local area turned up no sign of Richard. A skull found in Michigan was originally thought to be his, but it turned out not to be.

Authorities believe Richard is deceased. One suspect in his case is William "Freight Train" Guatney, who confessed to the murders of several children, including a nine-year-old boy who was abducted only 200 yards from where Richard was last seen.

However, Richard disappeared during the winter, and Guatney's other suspected victims were all attacked during the warmer months. Guatney was committed to a mental institution after being found incompetent to stand trial for murder. He died in 1997. He was never charged in Richard's case.

The child remains missing and his case is unsolved.


95967643_782f24f0-d257-4073-a5f0-b663c026989e.jpeg


Investigating Agency
  • Pekin Police Department 309-346-3132
Source Information
 
Last edited:
Laginog....thank you for posting. Do you happen to remember the condition of Richard's teeth? Missing, buck teeth, etc. There is an unidentified skeleton on Doe that does bear some resemblance. Hard to tell the teeth on the only photo I have seen. Serious long shot, but it's something. 2128UMFL
 
laginog said:
I know this is an old subject, but I wanted to chime in. Next week it will be 50 years since Richard disappeared. He sat right next to me in class at Edison school, when he disappeared. It was horrible sitting there every day next to his empty desk, hoping to see his shy, smiling face come in the door. Several of us that went to school with Richard have our own theory, which was investigated by the Pekin Police. We had a teacher at Edison that was very, very odd, and creepy. He gave special attention to boys, often taking them into a back room in his office, and shutting & locking the door. Most of us students had this teacher, so I’m quite sure Richard did too. He would have gone with him undoubtedly. Either way, everyone knew him. We are very that he was responsible for Richard’s disappearance, and probable death. A while later, police did search his home & cabin, but found nothing to implicate him. I understand that they do believe that he did it. One of them wrote a book called “Slayer of Innocence”.
And……the teacher died in 2010, and they still haven’t found Richard. His parents move away from Pekin not too long after this happened, and I’m not sure where his Sister is now. I can’t think of a way that this story can continue from here, although most of us that knew him would be overjoyed with an ending. RIP Richard, we think of you often.
Click to expand...
Laginog....thank you for posting. Do you happen to remember the condition of Richard's teeth? Missing, buck teeth, etc. There is an unidentified skeleton on Doe that does bear some resemblance. Hard to tell the teeth on the only photo I have seen. Serious long shot, but it's something. 2128UMFL
 
Both of Richard's parents have passed away. He is mentioned in the linked obituary.

Merle Richard Griener
Merle Richard Griener
BIRTH 19 Dec 1927
DEATH 20 Dec 2016 (aged 89)
BURIAL New Lebanon Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Pilot Grove, Cooper County, Missouri, USA

LINK:

www.findagrave.com

Merle Richard Griener (1927-2016) - Find a Grave...

Merle Richard Griener was born to Joseph Frederick ad Edna Marie Pick Griener on December 19, 1927, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a graduate of Rankin Trade School in St. Louis. He worked as a pattern maker all his life, retiring from Gardner-Denver. Merle was a US Army veteran of both WWII and...
www.findagrave.com www.findagrave.com
 
Possible suspect:

William J. “Freight Train” GuatneyPicture of Picture of

William J. “Freight Train” Guatney
BIRTH 14 Feb 1922
DEATH 31 Mar 1996 (aged 74)
BURIAL
Fairview Cemetery
Cherryvale, Montgomery County, Kansas, USA

Possible connected case:

54b5e1_acbe520519e042b4b8f25e2881bfb543~mv2.png

Mark Helmig, age 9, Murdered 1 August 1976

LINK:

www.missinginillinois.org

Mark Helmig, 9, August 1, 1976, Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois

Robert Bee Junior, Richard Griener and Mark Helmig may not have been the only children missing in Pekin, but Richard is the only one still missing. Robert was found murdered in 2018. Mark was found murdered in 1976. Detectives in the area joined in a span of several different agencies of law...
www.missinginillinois.org www.missinginillinois.org
 
Hello, I am sorry for not posting this until now.

My mom was great friends with Griener and was at the sledding hill when he disappeared (the top starts where the Pekin high school staff parking lot is and it ends where the road is, although when I went sledding we never had enough momentum to make it to the road).

Now I'm only recalling this from what my mom told me, but she passed away in 2021, so my info is not complete. This case haunted my mom for the rest of her life and strongly influenced the way she raised me. I want to pass along any info that I do recall in hopes of hopefully solving this case once and for all, for my moms sake as well as his.
So my mom grew up on Fairlane Ave in Pekin, not far at all from where he grew up. I grew up in the house next door to where she grew up on Fairlane as well, with my moms mom living next door to me in the same house my mom grew up in. I know the folks around my moms age that lived in that neighborhood were very close and I could name a few names of people who are still around that definitely could have been there that day but I can't imagine they wouldn't have already told the police everything they know and I don't want to go poking around and stirring up bad memories if it won't get this investigation any further.


My mom told me that they were all at the hill sledding, which even to this day there is always a huge group of kids out there with a fresh snow. She said that she saw him on the hill one minute and then just completely gone the next without a trace. She told me her and her friends would go out searching for him every single day after school for hours and hours with no sign.

Now, from my neighborhood there are two ways people usually walk to get towards Broadway - you either go down Sherwood, turn on Market and walk by the Pekin Housing or you can take a short cut THROUGH the Pekin Housing - otherwise you have to go the long way towards 18th street. My mom kept a very very tight leash on me because of this case, I was never allowed to leave the small neighborhood on my bike EVER. I ESPECIALLY was never allowed to ever go to the Housing under any circumstances. Of course, I was rebellious and had a school friend that lived there and I walked to go visit her one time. When my mom found out, you would have thought I had just gotten back from a bomb disabling mission - she was SHAKEN. This was the first time she told me about her friend that disappeared, although she didn't mention anything about it happening in the housing, just that she wanted me to stay closer and safer.

Now, I am not entirely sure when the housing was put in place so I could be going a wrong direction here, but if you take the shortcut through the housing, the housing development is cut off from Manor St by a dead end and big stop signs. To get Brentwood CT where he lived, you HAVE to go down Manor St.

If they did find his sled, would anyone know if the address it was dumped at would be a part of the housing or close?

If you go a few blocks over to Windsor, the road ends behind what is now NAPA autoparts. Between the NAPA and the end of Windsor is some woods that over time people have made into dirt bike ramps/trails. Not sure how long the trails have been there, but they are also right next to the Housing and a good way to cut through to get into this neighborhood.


I hate to throw the housing folks under the bus, but truly it is the best way to cut through to get back to this neighborhood from the park and my moms fear kinda made me wonder. Were there any child predators in this area at that time?

I feel like I saw something mentioned about 4H at the barns right where the rail yard use to be - my mom was a multiple time 4H queen, do you think he may have been at one of her 4H events while freighttrain was there? Could he have scoped him out?

I know this doesn't add much to what's already known, but maybe it can help tie things together.
 
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