MA MA - Joan Risch, 30, Lincoln, 24 Oct 1961

[Cedars]

As her daughter was not too far from turning five, she was probably old enough accurately report what she saw or didn't see. She didn't see a visitor. So we can probably assume she was hustled across the street before Joan's "visitor" arrived. Joan didn't even give a heads up to the neighbor. This would seem to indicate Joan expected the arrival of someone she didn't want her daughter to see (or just didn't want her daughter involved with in any way). But it also would tend to indicate this was a short-notice visit as she had made no advance plans with the neighbor. Did she not want to have to explain anything to the neighbor? Did she think it would be so brief a visit visit that she'd be back to get the little girls in a few minutes?

I have no memory of whether phone records were checked at the time, but I do seem to recall that back then only long distance calls could be traced after-the-fact. Local calls weren't billed but were instead part of flat fee billing. So it may be safe to assume the visitor was either local or called Joan from a pay phone to let her know he would be coming by.

However, the timing of taking the kids across the street coincides with her strict 2 pm schedule when the baby would wake up from his nap.

We also don't know what the kids were up to, for example, if they'd started bickering over something - a wise mother would distract them by quickly changing their location/play focus, but rushed back so her baby wasn't upset and wailing in his crib. Young kids have no memory about their own behaviour.

I believe this was a genuine homicide/abduction. Experienced police officers, then and now, saw/see an authentic crime scene that ordinary people don't know how to stage. Or even if they studied crime scene photos in grainy tabloids of the day, it is an actual bleeding body that produces certain pools/drips/smears, not a cloth wiping blood around.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

“From the Daily News article: "He [Droney] wanted Harnois and State Police Detective Chief Michael J. Cullinane to question Risch again and to get Mrs. Risch's medical records from Ridgefield, "because certain key persons are not telling all they know." Well, one "key" person who was talking was 4-year-old Lillian Risch. She said "mommy" sent her to the Barkers”

Thank you, Steve H for retrieving this article. I had seen this before, but I was having trouble finding it. Again, I will say that I do not believe Martin Risch had anything to do with the abduction of his wife, Joan. However, I truly believe law-enforcement felt that he was not 100% forthcoming in his information about his wife. I think one of the people Attorney Droney is referring to in the article is Martin. What I’m saying is I believe that he was concerned about her reputation. If there was any negative information about his wife, I believe he was holding that back. I think he was cooperative, but not overly cooperative.

On another note, I don’t know if anyone else picked up on this. Maybe it was the way the transcript of his interviews were translated but for someone who is well learned and a Harvard graduate, I found his interviews and speech patterns, quite stiff and grammatically awkward. For example, I found Martin Risch's answers to some of the police interview questions odd, like the one where LE asked about whether Joan was possibly pregnant and whether that would have been good or bad news. Instead of saying, "She would have been happy or overjoyed" or better WE would have been happy, he answered it in a clumsy manner with a negative sentence structure. "She would not have been unhappy."

Back in the 60's when they had little forensic techniques to go on, LE were stumbling in the dark. Rather sadly, they sometimes used leaks to sensation-seeking tabloid media like the NY Daily News to try to put pressure on people just to see if they could get them to confess.

Imagine today, if police believed a husband knew more than what he he was saying - would they chat about that to the NY Post? If you recall, a prosecutor in Colorada was disbarred because of talking to the media.

IMO, LE had no real leads and were hoping for a miracle. Like the 1959 Clutter family home massacre documented by Truman Capote- LE would probably never have solved it if they hadn't gotten a tip from the prisoner who'd told the killers all about family...

JMO

 

[HarmonyE.]

However, the timing of taking the kids across the street coincides with her strict 2 pm schedule when the baby would wake up from his nap.

We also don't know what the kids were up to, for example, if they'd started bickering over something - a wise mother would distract them by quickly changing their location/play focus, but rushed back so her baby wasn't upset and wailing in his crib. Young kids have no memory about their own behaviour.

I believe this was a genuine homicide/abduction. Experienced police officers, then and now, saw/see an authentic crime scene that ordinary people don't know how to stage. Or even if they studied crime scene photos in grainy tabloids of the day, it is an actual bleeding body that produces certain pools/drips/smears, not a cloth wiping blood around.

JMO

I'm not sure why Joan would have necessarily wanted to bring Lillian across the street just because the baby was crying or ready to wake up, but I suppose it's possible she wanted the kids out of her hair. It's just odd to me that she didn't mention anything to the neighbor about bringing the kids back or when she'd be back for Lillian. Up until her mother's disappearance later that day, she'd never crossed that street alone before and it just seems that quick knock on the door with a "hey, I'll be back for her by 3" would have been the more typical/normal thing to do. It wasn't a busy street, but a potentially very dangerous one for 4 year old to cross on her own and I'd want the neighbor to also know her own kid was back in the yard. The neighbor said she was not immediately aware her son was back.

I don't think Joan left on her own. I do think mental illness of some sort remains a possibility, and something Martin may have been aware of. She'd had a very tough time growing up. And if this happened today and the husband was cleared, I think LE would have spent much more time on the possiblity of a lover. I also think the neighbor girl's and the mailman's sightings of an unknown car - one that the mailman believed he'd seen there days before as well - are potentially very important sightings.

 

[Cedars]

I'm not sure why Joan would have necessarily wanted to bring Lillian across the street just because the baby was crying or ready to wake up, but I suppose it's possible she wanted the kids out of her hair. It's just odd to me that she didn't mention anything to the neighbor about bringing the kids back or when she'd be back for Lillian. Up until her mother's disappearance later that day, she'd never crossed that street alone before and it just seems that quick knock on the door with a "hey, I'll be back for her by 3" would have been the more typical/normal thing to do. It wasn't a busy street, but a potentially very dangerous one for 4 year old to cross on her own and I'd want the neighbor to also know her own kid was back in the yard. The neighbor said she was not immediately aware her son was back.

And yet, later that same day, Barbara took Lillian back across the street, opened the door and just left her there. Otherwise, she'd have discovered the crime scene. Clearly, Barbara had no concerns whatever about something being "off" with Joan's behaviour.

There's an analysis of the evidence by Paul Holes, who was a cold case investigator for years before catching the Golden State killer, so he's very familiar with analyzing crime scenes from this era.

"This does not look like a staged crime scene, at all. This looks like a legitimate crime scene: staged crime scenes are usually very obvious."

The podcasts are long and full of ads, so this links directly to where he comments on the crime scene photos and detailed information:

https://omny.fm/shows/buried-bones-a-historical-true-crime-podcast-with/vanished-pt-2?t=13m1s

13 minutes into Part 2 of Vanished, Buried Bones podcast Oct 30, 2024.

He also talks about the coat hanger, until 15:45, when there's yet another ad.

In general, he favors the theory she was taken away by a vehicle, and says the alleged highway sightings shouldn't be given much weight, since no one actually stopped and helped the woman at the time, leaving them unverified.

 

[Betty P]

And yet, later that same day, Barbara took Lillian back across the street, opened the door and just left her there. Otherwise, she'd have discovered the crime scene. Clearly, Barbara had no concerns whatever about something being "off" with Joan's behaviour.

There's an analysis of the evidence by Paul Holes, who was a cold case investigator for years before catching the Golden State killer, so he's very familiar with analyzing crime scenes from this era.

"This does not look like a staged crime scene, at all. This looks like a legitimate crime scene: staged crime scenes are usually very obvious."

The podcasts are long and full of ads, so this links directly to where he comments on the crime scene photos and detailed information:

https://omny.fm/shows/buried-bones-a-historical-true-crime-podcast-with/vanished-pt-2?t=13m1s

13 minutes into Part 2 of Vanished, Buried Bones podcast Oct 30, 2024.

He also talks about the coat hanger, until 15:45, when there's yet another ad.

In general, he favors the theory she was taken away by a vehicle, and says the alleged highway sightings shouldn't be given much weight, since no one actually stopped and helped the woman at the time, leaving them unverified.

I’m glad to hear his opinion on this, especially that it was a real crime scene in the kitchen. I’ll bookmark the link for future reference, as there are some people who insist otherwise. Same for the various sightings of a bleeding woman staggering down the shoulder of the highway.

Interesting theory about the clothes hanger. Very plausible. It would explain the blood drops going into the master bedroom. He also debunks the idea of Joan “staging” her own disappearance. So many of the oddball theories about this tragic case target the victims for some reason, blaming them for the tragedy. The “abortion” theory is wholly unfounded, misogynistic and offensive. Ditto for theories that Martin hired someone to kill his wife. I don’t know what people are thinking when they make such accusations, but they do look foolish, JMO.

 

[momcw]

Like most missing persons cases this one is frustratingly baffling. In spite of the unknown fingerprint in blood, I would lean towards the theory of some kind of unexpected disastrous medical event - possibly a serious debilitating fall with head injury or perhaps a miscarriage of a pregnancy she might not have been aware of. The photos to me look more so as if one person in a confused impaired or injured state was trying to figure out what to do at the moment -- the open phone book.. the phone receiver “hung” on the side of the wastebasket.. roaming upstairs to the baby’s room and also to her own bedroom.. the attempt to clean her kitchen floor of the blood with her kid’s clothes no less.. her running and shouting outside with arms outstretched (where she could have dripped those few blood drops on the driveway and car, and possibly left the hanger from her coat on the roof at this time) then back inside the house (the neighbor saw only something red - it may have been her bloody hands, as she wasn’t carrying anything).. I also can’t fathom that someone, intent on killing her, first merely injured her and then watched as she did all of that which is listed above, including allowing her to exit the house.

I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe those several neighbor witnesses who saw the unknown car, the most credible being the teenage neighbor arriving back from school. Also I think some of the sightings of her wandering confused and bloody, were possibly credible, however not sure how she got to 2A without leaving a trail, if not in a vehicle, which also supports the strange car sightings.

I feel there’s a link to the Air Force base, I’m not sure why.

Not sure who uploaded this (link below) but it contains some redacted information and police documentation.

https://www.docdroid.net/z72a3Eh/joan-risch-pdf

 

[jgfitzge]

I’m glad to hear his opinion on this, especially that it was a real crime scene in the kitchen. I’ll bookmark the link for future reference, as there are some people who insist otherwise. Same for the various sightings of a bleeding woman staggering down the shoulder of the highway.

Interesting theory about the clothes hanger. Very plausible. It would explain the blood drops going into the master bedroom. He also debunks the idea of Joan “staging” her own disappearance. So many of the oddball theories about this tragic case target the victims for some reason, blaming them for the tragedy. The “abortion” theory is wholly unfounded, misogynistic and offensive. Ditto for theories that Martin hired someone to kill his wife. I don’t know what people are thinking when they make such accusations, but they do look foolish, JMO.

Betty, very good summary. I’ve read just about everything on this case and early on I dismissed “she left on own accord starting a new life” and the abortion theories. The one thing I have evolved on a bit are the eyewitness sightings. The eyewitness sighting of her walking up Route 2A near Sunnyvale Road, maybe credible. This was very close to her house as old Bedford Road empties out to route 2A. The Risch house was the second house up on the right. I was actually over there this past summer biking in the area. I parked at the closest parking lot up the street (2A) and was able to walk down to Old Bedford Road and get a feel for the road.
As far as the highway, eyewitness sightings are concerned I am still on the fence. I’m leaning towards it not being Joan walking in the middle aisle of the highway. However, not to fall back on a cliché, but people saw something. I guess what makes me question. It is no eye witnesses saw her getting out of a car or crossing the highway to get to the middle aisle.

 

[Curiouser_&_Curiouser]

IMO, the scene tells the story of a panicked woman in preterm labor with plausible/painful complications. I’ve read nothing suggesting a pregnancy existed; quite frankly this thread and others show a bit of frustration at the mere idea of a botched abortion and/or unknown pregnancy. So please humor me, what if she conceived via an affair prior to their move to Lincoln? Perhaps her husband knew of the affair. Motive to move to Lincoln…? What if the baby unexpectedly survived? Motive to leave her other two children…? If the baby was healthy enough she could’ve gotten far enough away to claim a home birth, perhaps take the baby/lover’s name and start anew; with or without said lover, she had the education and a childhood which proved her resilient, and taught her to improvise, adapt, overcome, then adapt again. Has there been an attempt to seek DNA matches from Ancestry, 23&Me, etc…?

 

[HarmonyE.]

IMO, the scene tells the story of a panicked woman in preterm labor with plausible/painful complications. I’ve read nothing suggesting a pregnancy existed; quite frankly this thread and others show a bit of frustration at the mere idea of a botched abortion and/or unknown pregnancy. So please humor me, what if she conceived via an affair prior to their move to Lincoln? Perhaps her husband knew of the affair. Motive to move to Lincoln…? What if the baby unexpectedly survived? Motive to leave her other two children…? If the baby was healthy enough she could’ve gotten far enough away to claim a home birth, perhaps take the baby/lover’s name and start anew; with or without said lover, she had the education and a childhood which proved her resilient, and taught her to improvise, adapt, overcome, then adapt again. Has there been an attempt to seek DNA matches from Ancestry, 23&Me, etc…?

They moved to Lincoln to be close to Martin's new job. I don't think that's ever been in dispute. They'd been there over 6 months.

She showed no signs of pregnancy at the time of her disappearance. And there was no DNA testing at the time so Martin wouldn't have known for sure whether any of her kids were his or not.

As for the endless "must have been an abortion or miscarriage" theories - there were no bloody sheets or soaked towels. Nearly all of the blood was in the small kitchen only, and it was a relatively small amount when all was accounted for. No blood in the two bathrooms, including the one on the first floor near the kitchen. Where was the pregnancy terminination or child birth to have taken place?

 

[Same Old Stella]

IMO, the scene tells the story of a panicked woman in preterm labor with plausible/painful complications. I’ve read nothing suggesting a pregnancy existed; quite frankly this thread and others show a bit of frustration at the mere idea of a botched abortion and/or unknown pregnancy. So please humor me, what if she conceived via an affair prior to their move to Lincoln? Perhaps her husband knew of the affair. Motive to move to Lincoln…? What if the baby unexpectedly survived? Motive to leave her other two children…? If the baby was healthy enough she could’ve gotten far enough away to claim a home birth, perhaps take the baby/lover’s name and start anew; with or without said lover, she had the education and a childhood which proved her resilient, and taught her to improvise, adapt, overcome, then adapt again. Has there been an attempt to seek DNA matches from Ancestry, 23&Me, etc…?

We shouldn't be intimidated out of freely exchanging theories and ideas because someone is name calling and disrespecting other members points of view. Thumbs up to you!

 

[Austin023]

This case has long intrigued me. While I've entertained various theories over the years as I continued to read on the case, I generally lean towards foul play of some sort.

The crime scene is disorganized, yet apparently confined to a relatively small area (only the kitchen inside and smaller blood drops outside on driveway). The overturned wastebin, the open phone book to page for emergency services (police/fire/ambulance), phone cord ripped out and the paper towel roll on the floor that looks like a halfhearted attempt was made to clean up.

Aside from a couple of witnesses who said they saw an older blue sedan in the area in the days leading up to the disappearance, another curious thing: at least one newspaper article mentioned that a neighbor (Barbara Barker?) reported that she'd heard her garage door open and close the same afternoon, but before Joan vanished. Police also mentioned, in this same article, that it was suspected an unknown person had been "eyeing" Joan in the days leading up, but give little else to elaborate beyond the garage incident. I'll post the article soon when I find it. But it was a tidbit I hadn't been aware of till recently.
I think Joan was hurt during an altercation in the kitchen and in a panic, the assailant removed her from the scene and disposed of her remains somewhere nearby. I'm not necessarily saying she had an affair, but someone in town I would suspect was responsible.

 

[Austin023]

This is the link to the newspaper article I was referring to in my previous post: Boston Globe, Sunday, October 29, 1961, page 1. Note the mention of a neighbor's report about the garage (neighbor isn't named here and I'm unsure who it is).

Joan Risch

Clipping found in The Boston Globe published in Boston, Massachusetts on 10/29/1961. Joan Risch

www.newspapers.com

 

[Betty P]

This is the link to the newspaper article I was referring to in my previous post: Boston Globe, Sunday, October 29, 1961, page 1. Note the mention of a neighbor's report about the garage (neighbor isn't named here and I'm unsure who it is).

Joan Risch

Clipping found in The Boston Globe published in Boston, Massachusetts on 10/29/1961. Joan Risch

www.newspapers.com

Thanks for that link. That’s very interesting information and it seems credible. I’ve always felt she was surprised by her attacker. He must have been familiar with the neighborhood and knew the habits of Joan and the neighbors, especially if he knew the next door neighbors weren’t at home during the day.

If it was him, did he leave his car elsewhere until he was ready to attack her?

 

[jgfitzge]

Thanks for that link. That’s very interesting information and it seems credible. I’ve always felt she was surprised by her attacker. He must have been familiar with the neighborhood and knew the habits of Joan and the neighbors, especially if he knew the next door neighbors weren’t at home during the day.

If it was him, did he leave his car elsewhere until he was ready to attack her?

Yes, I have heard the story about the neighbor hearing the garage door open and close before. I’m 99% sure we are talking about Mrs. Keane. I believe her first name like her daughter is Virginia, the eyewitness to the blue/gray automobile in the Risch’s driveway. To be clear, the neighbor is talking about her garage door, not the Risch’s garage door. According to the article, apparently from the garage window you can get a good view of the comings and goings of the Risch house.

Another story I remember reading was that investigators looking in the woods behind the Risch’s house found a pornographic magazine(s). I do believe it is entirely credible that Joan was being watched in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Just an aside, as an 11 or 12 year-old in the late 60s walking around in the woods by my neighborhood. It was not unusual to find the stash of “Swedish” magazines hidden by the older kids.

 

[Betty P]

Yes, I have heard the story about the neighbor hearing the garage door open and close before. I’m 99% sure we are talking about Mrs. Keane. I believe her first name like her daughter is Virginia, the eyewitness to the blue/gray automobile in the Risch’s driveway. To be clear, the neighbor is talking about her garage door, not the Risch’s garage door. According to the article, apparently from the garage window you can get a good view of the comings and goings of the Risch house.

Another story I remember reading was that investigators looking in the woods behind the Risch’s house found a pornographic magazine(s). I do believe it is entirely credible that Joan was being watched in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Just an aside, as an 11 or 12 year-old in the late 60s walking around in the woods by my neighborhood. It was not unusual to find the stash of “Swedish” magazines hidden by the older kids.

I do recall the news reports about LE finding porn magazines in the woods behind their house. It always fit with the theory that someone was stalking her and surprised her with an attack that day. JMO. Reading about 2 instances of someone going into the neighbor’s garage adds, the last time on the day of the attack, makes the scenario more likely.

Joan must have fought back harder than they expected. If they hadn’t considered murder before, they did that day, to ensure she wouldn’t have a chance to identify them.

 

[HarmonyE.]

I do recall the news reports about LE finding magazines in the woods behind their house. It always fit with the theory that someone was stalking her and surprised her with an attack that day. JMO. Reading about 2 instances of someone going into the neighbor’s garage adds, the last time on the day of the attack, makes the scenario more likely.

Joan must have fought back harder than they expected. If they hadn’t considered murder before, they did that day, to ensure she wouldn’t have a chance to identify them.

Girlie mags in the woods left by kids were pretty common pre-internet. I don't see a reason to connect them to the crime.

One of the most frustrating things about this case is the lack of any sort of meaningful forensic investigation. We can't even say for sure that the blood in the kitchen all belonged to Joan.

 

[Austin023]

Girlie mags in the woods left by kids were pretty common pre-internet. I don't see a reason to connect them to the crime.

One of the most frustrating things about this case is the lack of any sort of meaningful forensic investigation. We can't even say for sure that the blood in the kitchen all belonged to Joan.

I think the Lincoln PD withheld quite a bit of information and potential evidence from the public (and continue to do so). There was mention of an unidentified bloody fingerprint found in the kitchen, but little else. I'm not even sure if any physical evidence from the scene still exists.
Here is why I think considerably more information was obtained by authorities but withheld: for one, and this I find glaring: the fact the PD, even long-retired members have consistently refused to discuss general theories and detailed information with the press, even decades later.
In one article from around 2013, a reporter interviewed a long retired officer of Lincoln PD, and he was asked about what theory or theories the authorities had about what happened. The retired officer said there were three theories yet declined to elaborate. That was in 2013 or thereabouts.

The town's police have long had a reputation for being very solicitous to its citizens, especially those who are prominent. This holds true for towns around the area as well, more or less. Their silence around even general theories makes me suspect some names of prominent people had come up in the investigation. Even if none were considered "interesting" let's say. Also, Mr. Risch had been silent for the remainder of his life. He only insisted that he believed Joan was still alive.

I think there was never any damning evidence found, but enough information and whatnot surfaced in the initial investigation to point towards someone or people to make PD privately suspicious.

 

[Austin023]

Here is the link to the Boston Globe article from March, 2013 that I mentioned in my previous post:

Unsolved mysteries of Boston - The Boston Globe

After Whitey and the Gardner, what’s left? Meet the vanished socialite, the million-dollar postal heist, the Dover Demon — and more from a city that knows how to bury its evidence.

www.bostonglobe.com

Unfortunately most Globe articles are now behind pay/subscription walls but it's the only link I can find for the article. There is also brief mention, in a speculative way, of human remains turning up someday or a deathbed confession perhaps. Those little statements make me think a particular person or persons were privately suspected by authorities.

My personal opinion leans towards Joan being the target of either a rejected "admirer" or someone infatuated/obsessed with her from afar (that is, a local man who hadn't actually interacted with her). I lean more towards it was someone she knew at least casually and had interacted with before.

The bloody and disorganized scene in the kitchen, and apparently nowhere else beyond that within the house also makes me think that the person responsible wasn't familiar with Joan or the house. That is, either Joan let him in after he came to her door or he let himself in and surprised Joan and an altercation ensued.

However, the open phonebook to emergency numbers, plus the phone cable being ripped from the wall, implies that there was some "lag" in whatever this encounter was. I think Joan tried to look up and phone the police for help after she was initially hurt and the assailant panicked. The injury might not have been intentional or didn't play out quite as planned (that is, say a blow to the head didn't knock her out right away) and that she attempted to flee the house after the phone received was pulled from the wall. And he intercepted her outside in the driveway, incapacitated her and took her away in his vehicle.
I'm not necessarily saying she was having an affair (as many people like to theorize) but that some sort of jealousy, rejection hurt or sex were the motive. But it was very likely that whoever was responsible lived and/or worked right in the area.

 

[jgfitzge]

I think the Lincoln PD withheld quite a bit of information and potential evidence from the public (and continue to do so). There was mention of an unidentified bloody fingerprint found in the kitchen, but little else. I'm not even sure if any physical evidence from the scene still exists.
Here is why I think considerably more information was obtained by authorities but withheld: for one, and this I find glaring: the fact the PD, even long-retired members have consistently refused to discuss general theories and detailed information with the press, even decades later.
In one article from around 2013, a reporter interviewed a long retired officer of Lincoln PD, and he was asked about what theory or theories the authorities had about what happened. The retired officer said there were three theories yet declined to elaborate. That was in 2013 or thereabouts.

The town's police have long had a reputation for being very solicitous to its citizens, especially those who are prominent. This holds true for towns around the area as well, more or less. Their silence around even general theories makes me suspect some names of prominent people had come up in the investigation. Even if none were considered "interesting" let's say. Also, Mr. Risch had been silent for the remainder of his life. He only insisted that he believed Joan was still alive.

I think there was never any damning evidence found, but enough information and whatnot surfaced in the initial investigation to point towards someone or people to make PD privately suspicious.

Well, it looks like maybe you and have been speaking with the same people. Over the years whenever I’ve spoken with anyone who lived or worked in/around Lincoln about the Risch case the general theme I get is the local police have always been of the opinion that the party responsible for the crime was “local.” The two groups I heard most often when they are talking about this would either be a resident or someone working at Hanscom AFB. One connection that could be the source of this opinion is I was told that a lot of Lincoln police personnel over the years worked (either part time or when they retired) at Hanscom Air Force Base.

 

[Simply Caustic]

One of the books Joan borrowed from the library, titled “Into Thin Air”, is often mentioned alongside her disappearance. One such reference details the relevant plot points as “a woman who disappears without a trace, only leaving behind blood smears and a towel.”

I don’t see how this book would be of much assistance in fleeing one’s life, however, seeing as the disappeared woman in question is murdered and shoved inside a settee; the book is more so about how the intrepid investigator uncovering the shenanigans. JMO for anyone as interested as I was in finding out the plot of this hard-to-find book.