NM NM - Patty Pritz, 14, & Mattie Restine, 13, Carlsbad, 11 Aug 1961 - #1

[Ouiser]

And that is about what my mother did...."crawl away and die." She died at the early age of 55 yrs. which I'm sure was brought on by the death of her beloved daughter. There wasn't a day that went by that she did say something about Mattie. I can still hear her today. "I wonder if they have found who killed my girl." That is how she would start talking about Mattie. I hope and pray that my parents and brother Bill are with Mattie and my other sister, Mary Ellen ,...all in the arms of the Lord....happy....and that my mother has her children in her arms and is happy now.

I almost didn't include that quote because I knew how it would effect you. Then I realized that the impact of her statement was the truth as it was quoted. What I have written so far are the actual articles as they were written.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I almost didn't include that quote because I knew how it would effect you. Then I realized that the impact of her statement was the truth as it was quoted. What I have written so far are the actual articles as they were written.

The truth hurts...but I think the people need to know the truth. Especially the Eddy County Sheriff's Department. They need to know how the victims families are affected by the actions of these sick individuals who killed Mattie and Patty. The current investigator just as much told me this case was to old to bother with...
I have to disagree with him...he needs to understand that JUSTICE needs to be served...no matter how old the case is.
Just the other day...they had information about King Tut...how he died...and why. His DNA was what provided this information. He isn't to old to find out information provided by DNA testing...so I don't think Mattie and Patty's case is to old to find out what their DNA can provide...they just have to do the right tests.
Don't worry about me being upset or offended....I've really heard it all...so post it...the truth needs to be told.
Thanks Ouiser.

 

[Ouiser]

Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, New Mexico) August 17, 1961

CARLSBAD - Mattie Catherine Restine, for the first time in her life, was allowed to be away from home after dark last Friday. She never came home again.

Mattie was buried Tuesday, and her friend and companion on Friday's excursion. Patty Sue Pritz was buried Wednesday. Six law enforcement officers are working full time trying to find their killer.

Mattie had turned 13 only two days before she and Patty Sue, who lived a block away, were given permission to go to the Carlsbad Municipal Beach. She had 30 cents to spend.

At first, Mattie wanted to take her baby brother along, pushing him in his stroller. But her mother decided the baby should stay home.

Mattie called home from the beach at 8:30 p.m., saying her and Patty were coming home. That was the last her parents heard from her.

Late that night, the families called police. From the first, authorities expressed fear of foul play.

Then Sunday, two rabbit hunters saw Mattie's small body as they drove on an isolated road northwest of Carlsbad. They called officers, who then found Patty Sue's nude body near that of Mattie. Both girls had been shot.

Mattie, who stood only 4 feet tall, usually played with younger children, perhaps because of her size. On the morning before her trip to the beach, she had played dolls with other children in the neighborhood.

Patty was a larger girl, 5-feet-4-inches, and appeared somewhat older than her age. A neighbor described her as "normal, sweet, well-behaved". A fellow student, Margaret Warbel, said she was "a nice girl who liked to swim."

Patty Sue was to have been in her second year at Eisenhower Junior High School this year. Mattie attended Eddy Elementary last year and was to have entered Eisenhower Junior High School this fall.

Mattie was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Pete Restine of Carlsbad. Patty Sue is survived by her mother, Mrs. Cullen Davidson, and her father, Nelson Prtiz, in addition to two sisters, of Carlsbad.

 

[Ouiser]

MOTHER OF SLAIN GIRL FOUND SHOT

Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, New Mexico) September 11, 1963

CARLSBAD, Sept 11. (AP) -- Mrs. Cullen Davidson, 35, was shot and wounded the chest last night .

Police Captain Billy Gilt(Gill) said a 22-caliber pistol was found nearby. She was taken to St. Francis Hospital where she was in serious condition today. She made no statement to police.

Mrs. Davidson's daughter, Patty Sue Pritz, 14, and Mattie Catherine Restine, 13, were murdered in August 1961. Shot to death, their bodies were found in an arroyo near the city.

Franklin (Buddy) Parsons, under psychiatric examination at State Hospital and State Prison, is charged with murder in the deaths.

 

[Ouiser]

Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, New Mexico) August 19, 1962

LUBBOCK, TEXAS (UPI) -- Two San Antonio, Texas men were arrested and taken to the Department of Public Safety office here late Saturday night for lie detector tests in connection with the slaying of two Carlsbad teenage girls a year ago.

Sheriff Carl Hawkins and Chief Deputy W.C. McGrew of Carlsbad came to Lubbock for the tests.

Hawkins said one of the men picked up had been named by a material witness now being held in the Carlsbad jail.

Both men 24 and 26, admitted involvement in a hot check operation in southwestern Texas, Hawkins said.

The murder of Patty Sue Pritz and Mattie Catherine Restine in August 1961, has been unsolved. Their bodies were found on the prairie by two rabbit hunters. One of the girls had been raped and both were shot to death.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, New Mexico) August 19, 1962

LUBBOCK, TEXAS (UPI) -- Two San Antonio, Texas men were arrested and taken to the Department of Public Safety office here late Saturday night for lie detector tests in connection with the slaying of two Carlsbad teenage girls a year ago.

Sheriff Carl Hawkins and Chief Deputy W.C. McGrew of Carlsbad came to Lubbock for the tests.

Hawkins said one of the men picked up had been named by a material witness now being held in the Carlsbad jail.

Both men 24 and 26, admitted involvement in a hot check operation in southwestern Texas, Hawkins said.

The murder of Patty Sue Pritz and Mattie Catherine Restine in August 1961, has been unsolved. Their bodies were found on the prairie by two rabbit hunters. One of the girls had been raped and both were shot to death.

I haven't ever seen this article...you know most of the lie detector tests that they did ....somehow disappeared. The three guys they did lie detector test on in 1972 I believe...completely disappeared. The man that did the tests was gone for several days (from his office) and when he came back the tests were nowhere to be found. I find that very interesting.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I have a request and i hope someone can help me find this obituary.
W. C. (Dan) McGrew ....I heard that his brother had him buried under a different name...maybe W.C. Baker. In Louisana ....somewhere. I put a obit on her earlier...but it isn't a complete one. And I'm not sure which newspaper it was from. Charles Titus from Pecos, Texas sent me that one.

 

[Ouiser]

Hobbs Daily News-Sun (Hobbs, New Mexico) January 5, 1965

CARLSBAD (AP) -- Eddy County Deputy Sheriff W.C. (Dan) McGrew, 32, was killed Monday night by a bullet from his .38 caliber pistol, which stuck him in the chest, authorities said.

Assistant District Attorney J. Lee Cathey said the wound was apparently self-inflicted.

Cathey said a coroner's jury was called to view the body and that an autopsy was to be performed to permit an inquest as soon as possible.

The shooting occured in the sheriff's office, Cathey said. He said jailer Alvin Berryman was in another room, a few feet away at the time.

McGrew, a former State Police officer at Carlsbad, had been chief deputy since Carl Hawkins had been elected sheriff in June, 1962.

Cathey said McGrew had been despondent. He was in a hospital about a week ago. His physician recommended that McGrew see a specialist in El Paso, Texas, Cathey said.

Survivors include the widow, Grace; a sister, Mrs. Larry Garcia, Albuquerque; and a brother, Bill McGrew, Houston, Texas.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

MOTHER OF SLAIN GIRL FOUND SHOT

Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, New Mexico) September 11, 1963

CARLSBAD, Sept 11. (AP) -- Mrs. Cullen Davidson, 35, was shot and wounded the chest last night .

Police Captain Billy Gilt(Gill) said a 22-caliber pistol was found nearby. She was taken to St. Francis Hospital where she was in serious condition today. She made no statement to police.

Mrs. Davidson's daughter, Patty Sue Pritz, 14, and Mattie Catherine Restine, 13, were murdered in August 1961. Shot to death, their bodies were found in an arroyo near the city.

Franklin (Buddy) Parsons, under psychiatric examination at State Hospital and State Prison, is charged with murder in the deaths.

I don't remember this at all...I do remember when Mrs. Cullen (Betty) Cullen Davidson shot a man in here home...but I don't remember this happening at all. Will have to check this one out. Thanks for bringing this one forward Ouiser.

 

[Ouiser]

I know that most of these articles seem repiticious but I have chosen articles that include things different from the others. The following article was written one month after the girls were found and gives us an idea of the magnitude of this investigation. There must be huge files of material being held by law enforcement agencies involved in this case.

Hobbs Daily News-Sun (Hobbs, New Mexico) September 13, 1961

No charges have been filed against a 20-year-old Carlsbad man who is the most recent suspect in the slaying of two Carlsbad teenage girls.

Held for investigation of trying to pickup children and young girls, the man underwent lie detector tests in Lubbock, Texas. Results have been inconclusive, Eddy County Assistant District Attorney Charles Feezer said.

The lie detector test was the sixth given thus far in connection with the deaths of Mattie Catherine Restine, 13, and Patty Sue Pritz, 14. The girls were found dead of gunshot wounds August 13.

More than 1,000 persons have been interviewed and thus far 165 persons have been checked and tentatively cleared in the investigation, which is headed by Lt. A.J. Smith of the State Police. A reward fund of more than $1,500 has been established.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I know that most of these articles seem repiticious but I have chosen articles that include things different from the others. The following article was written one month after the girls were found and gives us an idea of the magnitude of this investigation. There must be huge files of material being held by law enforcement agencies involved in this case.

Hobbs Daily News-Sun (Hobbs, New Mexico) September 13, 1961

No charges have been filed against a 20-year-old Carlsbad man who is the most recent suspect in the slaying of two Carlsbad teenage girls.

Held for investigation of trying to pickup children and young girls, the man underwent lie detector tests in Lubbock, Texas. Results have been inconclusive, Eddy County Assistant District Attorney Charles Feezer said.

The lie detector test was the sixth given thus far in connection with the deaths of Mattie Catherine Restine, 13, and Patty Sue Pritz, 14. The girls were found dead of gunshot wounds August 13.

More than 1,000 persons have been interviewed and thus far 165 persons have been checked and tentatively cleared in the investigation, which is headed by Lt. A.J. Smith of the State Police. A reward fund of more than $1,500 has been established.

I believe this was the man that they released after the lie detector tests...they released him to his parent's telling them to get him into see a shrink...that he needed counseling. They never released his name that I know of. I would think being 20 yrs. old it would have been released.

 

[Bobbi]

Without reading back through 43 pages I am of the impression that it was DB who was referred to counseling and a psychiatrist, I think that's what I read but please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Without reading back through 43 pages I am of the impression that it was DB who was referred to counseling and a psychiatrist, I think that's what I read but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know...I want to believe it was D. Blair. But can't be sure. Like I said...this guy was 20 yrs. old...why couldn't they have put his name out?

Something came up today that made me think about this Earl Nichols guy again as a suspect. You know he left Carlsbad the morning after the girls were killed. Maybe he didn't kill the girls...maybe he saw who picked them up and he knew who killed them....and just maybe he had a fight with DB or WB when they found out he saw them with the girls. Just a new thought that came my way. Of course that is a lot of things happening in a short period of time. Wish we knew exactly what time Earl Nichols came in to his daughter's house that night. And when DB went home to his house that night. Might help with the timeframe here.:waitasec:

 

[Bobbi]

I have always thought that Earl Nichols was the prime suspect...I cannot fathom that another man would put scratches on his face, a cut from a blunt force with a fist yes, but scratches indicate to me that there was a struggle with a weaker more vulnerable person. If I remember correctly, DB's wife stated that he returned home shortly after midnight to pack for the sudden road trip to Texas and also that DB always had guns with him, that tells me that DB would have shot Nichols when faced with a confrontation. As far as the time EN came back to his daughters' house is probably unknown as she was most likely asleep. The report about the guy who was asleep in his parked car near the area makes me wonder if it was Nichols "looking at girlie magazines and doing his thing" as stated in the police report and he returned to his daughters' house early the next morning with scratches and remarks about what "he had done". hmmm.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I have always thought that Earl Nichols was the prime suspect...I cannot fathom that another man would put scratches on his face, a cut from a blunt force with a fist yes, but scratches indicate to me that there was a struggle with a weaker more vulnerable person. If I remember correctly, DB's wife stated that he returned home shortly after midnight to pack for the sudden road trip to Texas and also that DB always had guns with him, that tells me that DB would have shot Nichols when faced with a confrontation. As far as the time EN came back to his daughters' house is probably unknown as she was most likely asleep. The report about the guy who was asleep in his parked car near the area makes me wonder if it was Nichols "looking at girlie magazines and doing his thing" as stated in the police report and he returned to his daughters' house early the next morning with scratches and remarks about what "he had done". hmmm.

I think your thoughts are more in line with this Earl Nichols coming home that morning early. And there are reports that a guy was asleep in his parked car near the area where the bodies were found.
I had to run the other thoughts by you people...I just didn't see Earl Nichols being afraid of anyone anyway...after all he was a trained blacksmith...and his own grand-daughter said he was as strong as an ox...so I doubt DB could have beat him up. And like you said DB carried guns...so I'm sure he would have used them on anyone that got in his way.
I wish that old investigative report about the man sleeping in his car had a name attached. But I have found they left the names off most of these reports. Just seems like it's bad investigative skills to me.

 

[glitterghost]

Its unreal to me that so many people do not want to see this case resolved. I admire you, Sunshine1950 for sticking with it. Good Lord, there were 2 children murdered here, why the lack of support in pursuing this case? I just dont understand. I wonder if the family members who DONT want the case pursued have set the tone for the LE and their just going with it? How can you not want your childs murder solved? Keep this case going and sooner or later the right LE/investigator will come along and help. Sounds like you just need one good investigator on your side to help you end this.

 

[Sunshine 1950]

Its unreal to me that so many people do not want to see this case resolved. I admire you, Sunshine1950 for sticking with it. Good Lord, there were 2 children murdered here, why the lack of support in pursuing this case? I just dont understand. I wonder if the family members who DONT want the case pursued have set the tone for the LE and their just going with it? How can you not want your childs murder solved? Keep this case going and sooner or later the right LE/investigator will come along and help. Sounds like you just need one good investigator on your side to help you end this.

That makes two of us. I don't know why they don't want to solve this case. I can not comprehend why the sheriff's dept. or the FBI doesn't want to work on this case and get it solved. It sure would make the departments ratings go up if they would solve at least one of the unsolved murders in Eddy County. But if I say to much...they ban me from the current investigator...but since he hasn't answered my last two emails...I guess I'm already banned! Again thanks for the comments and support.

 

[justthinkin]

I found a website I thought may offer some insight into the murderer's mind. It's about serial killers, and whoever killed Mattie and Patty may or may not have been a serial killer, but I think the articles offer some insight into what may have gone on before this crime was committed and after whether the person who killed them was a serial killer or not.

I'm hoping these articles may gave someone an ah ha moment or two. I believe they will give us some things to talk about or rehash.

In the case of EDN, I think it's possible he was a serial killer, and this crime may the closest he ever came to getting caught.

http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/UBNRP/serialkillers/mindhome.html

 

[Sunshine 1950]

I found a website I thought may offer some insight into the murderer's mind. It's about serial killers, and whoever killed Mattie and Patty may or may not have been a serial killer, but I think the articles offer some insight into what may have gone on before this crime was committed and after whether the person who killed them was a serial killer or not.

I'm hoping these articles may gave someone an ah ha moment or two. I believe they will give us some things to talk about or rehash.

In the case of EDN, I think it's possible he was a serial killer, and this crime may the closest he ever came to getting caught.

http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/UBNRP/serialkillers/mindhome.html

This website is very informative. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It definitely opened up my eyes towards how serial killers think.
I use to think maybe Ted Bundy killed Mattie and Patty. But the Eddy County Sheriff's Department usured me that it wasn't possible. But now who knows what they even researched regarding the whereabouts of this man and others.
If you read the four phases on this topic...it shows me how DB was thinking. And why....maybe.
Thanks Justthinkin for the massive information regarding Serial Killers. And yes it will open up the floor for more research about EDN and of course DB and WDB.
This should also make the law enforcement agencies look at where this Earl Nichols was and how many unsolved murders are in the areas he was in.
I just think they don't care. You take the little boy we called the detective about...they didn't really check it out...or we would have heard something...surely. Just a thought....

 

[justthinkin]

I wish LE would give us more of a description of the victims' conditions without having to resort to the actual photos. I know I wouldn't want to visually see the girls. I wonder if serial killers are the only ones who might torture a victim? Anyone know? I get the idea from the files that Patty was tortured somewhat. It's that somewhat that I find odd. I mean, usually someone who tortures a victim really lays it on thick. So I'm very puzzled by Patty's wounds. I wonder if there was stuff we don't know about?

Sunshine, when I read the part about a murderer wanting to be the one to discover the body or bodies, it made me think of Willie D immediately. Of course since we know he had a morbid interest in little girls beforehand, it makes him doubly suspect in my mind.

One thing we don't know about the Nichols family is where all Earl's adult children may have lived. We know where they were living at the time of his obituary, but most likely some of them lived in more than one place. I wonder if GN would possibly know that about at least some of her aunts and uncles?

I also wonder what other crimes may have been happening in Carlsbad just before the girls were murdered, ya know? From those articles, http://www.macalester.edu/psychology/whathap/UBNRP/serialkillers/mindhome.html

it seems that's something to pay attention to.

And speaking of ED Nichols, do we know when he moved from Wichita Falls? He wasn't living there at the time of his death, and I'm left wondering if he moved right after the little Sims boy disappeared? It would be interesting to find out if he moved prior to the Sims boy's disappearance or afterwards!