IN IN - Garnet Eleanor Ginn, 33, H.S.teacher, murder staged as suicide, Portland, 27 February 1950 *new developments 2019*

[dotr]

Photo of Garnet Ginn published in the newspaper following her death. (The Graphic, Portland IN, March 2, 1950
New evidence emerges in 1950 cold case murder of Indiana teacher
"PORTLAND, Ind. (WTHR) — There are new developments in a cold case murder that’s haunted the Jay County community of Portland for almost 70 years. Police say they have a person of interest.

In 1950, 33-year-old Garnett Ginn, a popular high school teacher, was found dead in her garage. Police immediately assumed it was a suicide. They didn’t preserve the crime scene or gather any evidence until much later, after Ginn’s body was exhumed. An autopsy determined she was beaten and knocked unconscious. The scene was staged to look like a suicide.

The case went unsolved.
Last year Portland Police detective Judson Wickey reopened the coldest of cold cases. He had to rely on newspaper reports and faded memories. Police reports, blood samples, fingerprints, and other evidence had been destroyed or lost.

His persistence paid off. A woman now in her 80s was a young teenager in 1950. She was among the many people who visited the crime scene. Wick said her recollections of the scene and possible suspect, never identified until now, all add up."

 

[dotr]

Lengthy article..
After 69 years, Indiana cold case has new life

This sewing machine belt was found wrapped around Ginn's
PORTLAND, Ind. (WTHR) — There is new light in a dark mystery that has haunted the Jay County city of Portland for as long as people can remember.

Sixty-nine years ago this month, school teacher Garnet Ginn was found dead in a garage she rented just half a block from the police station.

The garage where Ginn's body was found.
After all these years, detectives have a new lead they believe puts them closer to finding a killer.

“It’s our biggest cold case and there’s still a lot of interest,” said Police Chief Nathan Springer.

He and investigator Todd Wickey are putting new heat on the oldest and coldest cases. They took us along on their first trip into the 69-year-old crime scene.

“The car was right over there,” Wickey said as he pointed to a pile of debris.

The 1949 Pontiac belonged to Garnet Ginn. In 1950, she was found dead hanging from a sewing machine belt tied to a door handle.

“There it is," he said as he focused his camera on a broken wall support that appeared in a death scene photograph. He believes it may have snapped in a life and death struggle.

Up above he pointed to old wooden planks, resting on the ceiling joists. They fit a description in a new tip recently given to police.

The detective points to the area where he believes someone hid before they murdered Ginn.
“He would have been up there waiting and as soon as the car stopped, boom!” That was how Wickey described a death that would make headlines, stymie police and stir up controversy for decades.

To this day, “I can understand why people might be scared, concerned,” said Chief Springer.

Chief Springer grew up hearing the stories of Ginn, a home economics teacher, at Portland High School, single and dead at the age of 33."

"According to newspaper reports scoured by Kennedy and others, Ginn was a successful, well-liked teacher, excited about living on her own and proud of her nearly new car.

She was last seen alive leaving at a sorority meeting at the local country club. Ginn’s friends told reporters she had $40 (a lot of money in 1950) and offered to buy everyone soft drinks when she left the meeting."

“She was ambushed and she was strangled and killed, and the suicide was staged by the killer,” said Wickey.

Local and state police launched a belated death investigation. By then, gawkers had trampled though what was to become a crime scene."

 

[BFan60]

New evidence emerges in 1950 cold case murder of Indiana teacher

 

[dotr]

New evidence emerges in 1950 cold case murder of Indiana teacher

So the suspects might be a husband and wife?
Had thought that since Ms Ginn was a Home Economics teacher and was found hanging by a sewing machine belt, that her killer might have been a disgruntled student.
Scary to think that reporters ect were threatened if they pursued the story!
imo.
From link, thanks..
"I have theories, a person of interest," police investigator Judson Wickey said.

We met Wickey a year ago when he reopened the coldest of cold murder cases. For almost 70 years, no one has been able to say who killed Garnet Ginn."

"It looked like the high school teacher hung herself with a sewing machine belt tied to her car door."

"Wickey tracked both suspects to their graves.

He won't name them because he said there will never be enough evidence to prove their guilt.

The murder case will be closed and remained unsolved. In the death of Garnet Ginn, questions will live on forever."

 

[Richard]

Garnet Eleanor Ginn​

BIRTH 13 Oct 1916 Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana, USA
DEATH 27 Feb 1950 (aged 33) Portland, Jay County, Indiana, USA
BURIAL Akron IOOF Cemetery, Akron, Fulton County, Indiana, USA
PLOT Northeast Section, Row 7

LINK:

Garnet Eleanor Ginn (1916-1950) - Find a Grave...

Published in the Rochester(IN) News-Sentinel, Friday, April 14, 1950 The Feb. 27 death of Miss Garnet GINN, 33-year-old Portland high school teacher and former resident of Fulton County, has been revealed as murder--a cold blooded murder by a calculating killer who went to elaborate pains to...

www.findagrave.com

 

[crhedBngr]

Interesting.

JMVHO.

 

[Richard]

1949 Pontiac similar to the one owned by Garnett Eleanor Ginn.


A foot operated treadle sewing machine (in this case a Singer). Note the leather belt which goes from the right side of the machine down to the wheel behind the drawers. It was a sewing machine belt similar to this one that was found wrapped around Mrs. Ginn's neck.

 

[dotr]

Oct 24, 2019 rbbm snippets of lengthy article.

New suspect and details emerge, but Portland cold case may never be solved

One of the oldest cold cases in Jay County has new suspects and new details but will remain unsolved. WANE 15 breaks down the case.

www.wane.com

The garage where police found Garnett Ginn’s body.

'''Detective Todd Wickey presented his findings on the murder of Garnett Ginn to a packed room inside the Jay County Historical Museum on Tuesday night. There, the community learned of the two theories police believe happened and they all surround the town’s optometrist at the time.

“It could have been the optometrist or his wife,” Wickey said. “Maybe he wanted her quiet. Maybe she (the wife) wanted her out of the picture because she had something going on with the optometrist.”

“If I could have gotten DNA from the suspects’ children compared it to the evidence I think the lab could have given me something,” Wickey said. “But that’s not going to happen.”

''Police at the time believed her death was a suicide, so much so that authorities took the body themselves to the funeral home without waiting on the county coroner. It wasn’t until weeks later that Ginn’s family and the Indy Star newspaper had her body exhumed and sent to Indianapolis for an autopsy that they learned the truth. Autopsy results found that Ginn was beaten, most likely knocked unconscious by five to seven blows to her head.''

''Over the years reporters and officers have reopened and looked into the murder. Detective Wickey told those in attendance that he found articles staying those who looked into the case often received threats from unknown male callers over the phone. The calls told those working the case to back off the investigation. Threatening phone calls continue up until the early 2000s, according to articles.''

 

[Richard]

From the above link:

33-year-old Garnett Ginn was found dead March 1st, 1950.

Garnett Ginn attended a Psi Iota Xi Sonority Gamma Alpha Chapter meeting. After the meeting, she dropped off a friend around 10 p.m. and drove to the garage. Witness saw her park her vehicle in the north part of the garage. The garage is still standing to this day.

A witness said she heard Smith scream, and, when she looked out the window, could see a shadow in the garage. Then, the witness observed a cat running across the street and assumed the animal startled Ginn. It wasn’t until the next day when Ginn failed to report for work at Portland High School that the school’s superintendent went to both her apartment and garage and found Ginn dead. He called for the police.

Officers first on the scene found Ginn kneeling beside the passenger door of her vehicle. They also noted that Garnett’s wallet and driver’s license were missing from her purse.

However, it was a member of Ginn’s family that found blood splatters and stains both inside and outside of the car. They also found a muddy left-hand print on the vehicle’s fender.

When the state police began their investigation, they found 11 spots of blood on her white gloves. They also found her sleeves of the fur coat she was wearing had rips in each sleeve. Police later believe the killer gripped Ginn’s arms with his hand which lead to a struggle and caused the seam of her blouse to rip...

 

[Richard]

​

Street Map of Akron, Indiana

LINK:

Akron Indiana Street Map 1800748

Street Map of Akron Indiana 1800748

www.landsat.com

 

[dotr]

Author: Rich Van Wyk
February 18, 2019
Video at link.

After 69 years, Indiana cold case has new life

Sixty-nine years ago this month, school teacher Garnet Ginn was found dead in a garage she rented just half a block from the police station.

www.wthr.com

''After all these years, detectives have a new lead they believe puts them closer to finding a killer.''

''The 1949 Pontiac belonged to Garnet Ginn. In 1950, she was found dead hanging from a sewing machine belt tied to a door handle.
“There it is," he said as he focused his camera on a broken wall support that appeared in a death scene photograph. He believes it may have snapped in a life and death struggle.
Up above he pointed to old wooden planks, resting on the ceiling joists. They fit a description in a new tip recently given to police.''

The detective points to the area where he believes someone hid before they murdered Ginn.
“He would have been up there waiting and as soon as the car stopped, boom!”

''She was last seen alive leaving at a sorority meeting at the local country club. Ginn’s friends told reporters she had $40 (a lot of money in 1950) and offered to buy everyone soft drinks when she left the meeting.''

 

[rob525]

One question that I have is based upon the following excerpt from one of the articles.
“If I could have gotten DNA from the suspects’ children compared it to the evidence I think the lab could have given me something,” Wickey said. “But that’s not going to happen.”

I wonder why this is? Did law enforcement request the DNA sample from the children and they refused? Or, is there another reason why the DNA was not collected? I would imagine that grandchildren could also provide a sample for genealogical testing.

 

[Richard]

Looking at the photos of the garage - both exterior and interior: It would appear that this was a sort of "duplex" garage with two separate sliding doors. Garnet's car would have been driven into the one on the left side, and probably didn't have much clearance room on either side when parked.

Note that the workbench piled high with junk would be against the center dividing wall. The workbench would not have been there at the time. Since she was found tied to the car's passenger side door handle, she would have been very near that inner wall.

The attack likely took place inside that building in very close quarters. The idea of anyone committing suicide by hanging using a sewing machine belt and door handle of the car is absurd. Clearly a case of murder. Probably by a rather disorganized or inexperienced individual.

The sewing machine and/or belt was probably being stored in the garage and just happened to be conveniently available to the killer who wanted to make it look like suicide - or who wished to subdue the victim while beating her on the head with a blunt object (probably also found in the garage).

The sewing machine belt used to tie Garnet Ginn by her neck to the passanger door handle of her Pontiac. It appears to be tied with two half hitches.

 

[dotr]

''Two half-hitches is a type of knot, specifically a binding knot or hitch knot. One variety consists of an overhand knot tied around a post, followed by a half-hitch. This knot is less often referred to as a clove hitch over itself, double half-hitch, or full-hitch.''

Two half hitches is the commonest of all hitches for mooring in particular and also for general utility. Steel gives the name in 1794. The difference between two half hitches and the clove hitch is that the former, after a single turn around a spar, is made fast around its own standing part, while the latter is tied directly around the spar.
— The Ashley Book of Knots[1]

Two half-hitches - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dotr]

Mar 6, 2024
Portland Police revives Cold Case Unit for unsolved crimes with grant funding

 

[Richard]

Next month will mark 75 years...

 

[Richard]

Bumping this thread up. This case is now over 75 years old.

 

[dotr]

Who was missing a sewing machine belt, and/or who purchased a new one in town?

Garnet Eleanor Ginn (1916-1950) - Find a Grave...

Published in the Rochester(IN) News-Sentinel, Friday, April 14, 1950 The Feb. 27 death of Miss Garnet GINN, 33-year-old Portland high school teacher and former resident of Fulton County, has been revealed as murder--a cold blooded murder by a calculating killer who went to elaborate pains to...

www.findagrave.com

'Published in the Rochester(IN) News-Sentinel, Friday, April 14, 1950 rbbm.

'' The autopsy showed she was struck seven times on the head with a club or other weapon without a sharp edge. One savage blow over the left ear could have been made with a revolver butt. According to deductions, Miss Ginn was the victim of an assailant who sprang from the darkness in her garage to assault her murderously when she drove home from a sorority party the night of Feb. 27. Lending color to the original appearance of suicide was the report that a sewing machine belt found twisted around her neck, was missing from the machine in her apartment. The teacher's father, well-known in Fulton County, insisted from the beginning, however, that his daughter did not own a sewing machine. The autopsy solved the question of death, only to present another more baffling. Police are still without important clues or a motive for the murder.

''However, with the new DNA technology today investigators are ready to crack open the case again and test the evidence they do have''.
SOURCE:
Fulton County Indiana Obituaries - 1950
by Jean C. and Wendell C. Tombaugh

 

[Bernie54]

Unfortunately most evidence is lost. There were a couple suspects but they are all deceased now and this article says the case will never be able to be resolved.

New evidence emerges in 1950 cold case murder of Indiana teacher

There are new developments in a cold case murder that’s haunted the Jay County community of Portland for almost 70 years.

www.wthr.com

The crime scene was staged suicide so her body removed and scene tainted before suspicion arose.. so 100% closure is not possible.

 

[dotr]

Project MUSE -- Verification required!

• '20. THE STRANGE DEATH OF GARNET GINN''​

• Ray E. Boomhower , Larry Sweazy , Janis Thornton
• Indiana University Press

''Garnet was a popular teacher, well liked by students and faculty. Outside the school, she made friends easily. One of her neighbors, Addie Sonafrank , described Garnet as “a high type girl. Very careful of her actions and very precise.” While Garnet was known for her sunny disposition and upbeat, positive outlook on life, she was never frivolous. She kept her social life a private matter, dating only occasionally and never flaunting her male friends for public scrutiny at the risk of uncharitable scuttlebutt . She took herself and her place in the community seriously and never turned a blind eye to the influence a high school teacher wielded. On the evening of February 27, Garnet attended a Psi Iota xi party with her sorority sisters at the Jay County Country Club. One of the sorority members later reported that during a songfest at the party, Garnet had requested two numbers—“God Be with You Till We Meet Again” and “Goodbye, Sweetheart”—and sang along joyfully. Another said Garnet had been in good spirits all day.''
2019

New suspect and details emerge, but Portland cold case may never be solved

One of the oldest cold cases in Jay County has new suspects and new details but will remain unsolved. WANE 15 breaks down the case.

www.wane.com

''Over the years reporters and officers have reopened and looked into the murder. Detective Wickey told those in attendance that he found articles staying those who looked into the case often received threats from unknown male callers over the phone. The calls told those working the case to back off the investigation. Threatening phone calls continue up until the early 2000s, according to articles.

Since the revamping of the investigation, a new witness came forward to Wickey. The witness told Wickey that, before her death, Ginn went to the police department and told officials the optometrist was stalking her''