OH OH - Helen Stuart, 71, Newark, 20 April 1989

[Kat]

I thought that the few details in this cold case murder of a 71 year old woman from Newark Ohio were rather odd. JMHO.

LE believes she was strangled in her home yet her body was discovered naked in the backseat of her abandonded car the next morning five miles from her home.

Why would the unidentified suspect move her body to the car and move the car so far away? Doesn't make sense to me. Seemed to be unnecessary JMHO. I just found that detail odd. (Nevermind I found a second article. The next door neighbor would have reason to move her if he had commited this crime against her. I added it at the bottom)

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/jul/06/1/investigator-murder-cold-case-nightmare-ar-592233/

Investigator; Murder Cold Case a 'Nightmare'
By Tom Brockman
Published: July 06, 2011
Updated: July 06, 2011 - 8:03 PM

He says two people who have been considered persons of great interest are already behind bars serving prison terms for major crimes.

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/jul/06/1/investigator-murder-cold-case-nightmare-ar-592233/
A brutal end to a gentle life
Monday, November 29, 2010 02:52 AM

She was attacked in her home, raped, beaten and choked sometime after 8p.m. on April 20, 1989.

It appears that robbery wasn't the motive: Helen's purse was on her bed, $20 poking out of her wallet and $67.42 more inside. Police found $3,110 inside family Bibles.

There were no signs that anyone had forced his way into Helen's home and, at that time of night, she probably would have locked her doors

quickly zeroed in on a man staying next door to Helen. He had a violent past and a penchant for rape.

 

[bessie]

Helen Stuart had three sons. Murray, the youngest, was interviewed for the article.

"It just doesn't end. It bothers you all the time," he said.

A brutal ending to a gentle life

Tuesday August 30, 2011 3:13 PM
by Holly Zachariah
The Columbus Dispatch
Helen Stuart was an ordained minister who taught Sunday school and prayed for people she passed on the highway who had been stopped by police.

She was attacked in her home, raped, beaten and choked sometime after 8p.m. on April 20, 1989.

There were no signs that anyone had forced his way into Helen's home and, at that time of night, she probably would have locked her doors.

About the time the brothers were calling family members and friends to see what was what, an Ohio Department of Transportation highway crew was sealing cracks along Rt. 16 east of Newark, about 5 miles from Helen's home.
A crew member noticed that a gray 1981 Ford Fairmont had been parked on the berm all morning. He peered in a window and saw Helen's naked body in the back seat.

A reward is offered for information.

The Licking County Crime Stoppers is offering a significant reward for information leading to an arrest in this case.
If you have any information you can call 1-888-488-9058 or (740)349-6888.

http://www.whiznews.com/content/new...ard-for-information-on-unsolved-newark-murder

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/story...book-page-hopes-new-light-cold-case/21212119/

Lori Davis created the “Help Solve the Murder of Helen Stuart” page in late December to try and raise awareness about the cold case and hopefully generate new leads in the case...

There are people who know what happened to Stuart but won’t talk to police about what they know, he said.

“Nobody’s talking about it,” he said. “Right now, we’re in a holding pattern.”

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Solve-Murder-of-Helen-Stuart-Newark-Ohio-1989/777165669024753

 

[CastlesBurning]

"Killers Among Us": Ohio cold cases

 

[dotr]

Jun 6, 2025 #unsolvedcase #homicidecase #coldcase
'Police in Newark, Ohio are expected to make a major announcement on Monday, June 9, 2025 regarding an unsolved homicide case from 1989. On April 21, 1989, an Ohio Department of Transportation worker found the body of 71-year-old Helen Stuart in the back seat of an abandoned car on Ohio 16, east of Ohio 668 in Hanover Township in Licking County, Ohio.15 years ago in October of 2010, ABC 6 On Your Side Reporter Carol Luper spoke with Helen's son. At that time, Newark Police, the Licking County Crime Stoppers and the Stuart family offered a $20,000 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest in the case.'

June 6th 2025

Man charged in 1989 Newark cold case murder of Helen Stuart after 36 years

The Newark Police Department will hold a press conference on Monday with an update on a cold case linked to a 1989 murder.

abc6onyourside.com

''LICKING COUNTY, Ohio (WSYX) — For 36 years, the brutal murder of 71-year-old Helen Stuart has haunted her family and the community. Now, new court documents have revealed that Delbert Saunders Jr. has been charged with aggravated murder, murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, and rape in connection with her death.''
'Saunders Jr will appear in court regarding the cold case on June 10.'

 

[dotr]

Suspect indicted in 1989 murder of Newark woman

A suspect has been indicted more than 35 years after the murder of a 71-year-old Newark woman.

www.10tv.com

'According to Licking County Common Pleas Court records, 67-year-old Delbert Saunders Jr. was indicted by a grand jury for aggravated murder, murder, aggravated burglary, rape and two counts of kidnapping in the 1989 death of Helen Stuart.'

''According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Saunders is currently at the Noble Correctional Institution serving time for a separate case where he was convicted of kidnapping, rape and having a weapon while under disability. He has been there since 2003.''

 

[dotr]

 

[dotr]

'Officials say suspect in 1989 cold case murder was person of interest within a week of woman's death'​