IL The Dardeen Family - Ruby, Keith, Pete, & newborn daughter, Ina, 17-18 November 1987.

[INVETIGATION_HELPER]

The Susan and Paul angle is just one theory, although it does partly explain some of the specific... unusualities of this murder (is that a word?). I admit there are so many distinct possibilities with this case that it's impossible for the public to really know. I'm sure the Sheriff's Dept has a number of viable suspects but cannot pin it to any individuals conclusively enough to pursue criminal charges.

Keith seemed clearly worried by something, however. While the Jefferson-Franklin county areas did have fairly high violent crime relative to their population size in the months and years leading up to the Dardeen murders, I get the feeling that Keith's paranoia was something real in his personal life which he was concerned about, either with his community or his work, something he might have kept to himself (and possibly even from Elaine) in order to avoid potentially causing an incident.

I have done some research and I found someone else that was speculated to have been involved in this crime. The persons name is Angel Reséndiz also known as the "Railroad Killer", I am still trying to find out if Keith or any other of the Dardeen family members had a connection to this guy.

A timeline of Keith:

• Morning of Nov 17: Keith was seen in town and performed his normal routine.
• Late Afternoon/Evening: It is estimated Keith was abducted or lured away around this time. Forensic analysis later suggested he was killed within an hour of his family.
• 7:00 PM (Shift Start): Keith failed to show up for his night shift at the Rend Lake Water Treatment Plant. This was highly out of character, as he was a reliable employee.
• Night of Nov 17: His car, a 1981 Plymouth, was seen being parked near the police station in Benton, Illinois. Witnesses initially assumed it was Keith, but investigators later believed it was the killer leaving it there.
• Nov 18 (Discovery): After Keith missed a second day of work, his father and police entered the trailer and found the bodies of Elaine, Peter, and the baby.
• Nov 19: Keith's body was found by hunters in a wheat field about a mile away from the home. He had been shot three times and mutilated.

I also found another name Cecil Suntherland, A local man who was arrested for the 1987 murder of 10-year-old Amy Schulz in a neighboring town. Police initially looked for a link between the two brutal crimes, but no physical evidence connected him to the Dardeens.

 

[Abakua]

If there was a notable SK which I could say might have committed this attack, it would be Resendiz. In 1999 Resendiz murdered another couple in their homes in Gorham, IL, and his MO matches many of the details of this case. Gorham's railroad line connects to St. Louis and has a branch which travels directly through Benton and Ina, the same line which would have run parallel to the Dardeen trailer. It eventually feeds northward all the way to Chicago. But even though Resendiz confessed to other murders in order to commute his death sentence, he never admitted or alluded to this one, at least to my knowledge.

 

[Abakua]

Where did you get the original information? Through new articles or websites because I want to have a look when I have time. I also understand the fact that false or distorted details are in the Wiki.

Newspaper articles and news sites have the best information, though some information is omitted from the earliest newspaper reports of the incident (such as Keith's castration). Heartland Unsolved has a good two-part report on the case. Facebook posts about this case often bring in locals. For example, it was the current Chief of the Benton Fire Department who confirmed on Facebook that the Dardeen family red Plymouth was parked by the bank next to the fire station, and not next to the police station.

 

[INVETIGATION_HELPER]

If there was a notable SK which I could say might have committed this attack, it would be Resendiz. In 1999 Resendiz murdered another couple in their homes in Gorham, IL, and his MO matches many of the details of this case. Gorham's railroad line connects to St. Louis and has a branch which travels directly through Benton and Ina, the same line which would have run parallel to the Dardeen trailer. It eventually feeds northward all the way to Chicago. But even though Resendiz confessed to other murders in order to commute his death sentence, he never admitted or alluded to this one, at least to my knowledge

I will do some searching to find potential murders in Ina or areas around to see if I can connect those murders. I need some suggestions of news articles, videos and websites.

 

[INVETIGATION_HELPER]

The period around 1987 in Jefferson County was described by locals as a time of "intense fear," as the Dardeen murders were part of a broader spike in local violence. In the two years leading up to the Dardeen case, the county saw approximately 15 homicides.

Major Nearby Murders (1986–1988)
The most significant cases from that era include:

• The Amy Schulz Murder (July 1987):
  • Distance: Occurred in Kell, Illinois, roughly 15 miles north of Ina.
  • The Crime: 10-year-old Amy vanished while walking home. Her body was found in a rural oil field the next morning; she had been sexually assaulted and her throat slit.
  • The Connection: Police initially looked for a link between Amy's murder and the Dardeens due to the close proximity and sheer brutality. Cecil Sutherland was eventually convicted for her murder.
• The Mount Vernon Family Massacre (Late 1980s):
  • The Crime: A teenager in nearby Mount Vernon killed his parents and three siblings.
  • Impact: Though unrelated to the Dardeen case, this mass murder contributed to the feeling that "senseless violence" was taking over the region.
• The Kathleen Goebeler Cold Case (May 1986):
  • Location: Her remains were found near an abandoned railroad track off I-88, about 120 miles west of the area.
  • The Connection: Investigators often cross-referenced highway and railroad-side murders in the 80s to check for serial killers like Angel Reséndiz, who was a person of interest in the Dardeen case.
    

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Local Impact & Atmosphere
The frequency of these crimes changed the way people lived in Southern Illinois during 1987:

• Open Carry: Locals began openly carrying shotguns and rifles for protection.
• Locking Doors: Ina was previously a "doors unlocked" town, but that trust was shattered by these events.
• Stranger Danger: The county coroner famously stated that if he ran out of petrol on a country road, he wouldn't even knock on a door because people were too terrified to let a stranger in.

 

[INVETIGATION_HELPER]

Staging and the "Tuck-In"
One of the most haunting details is how the killer treated the victims after the attack:

• Staging: After the brutal assault, the killer neatly wrapped Elaine, Peter, and the newborn in bedding and tucked them into their waterbed.
• No Urgency: This indicates the killer felt comfortable enough to spend significant time at the scene after the murders.
• Mutilation: Keith’s body was found with his genitals severed and placed in his mouth. Profilers note that this specific type of mutilation usually indicates a deep, personal resentment or a desire to "shame" the victim.
• The "Knock at the Door" Lead
  Shortly before the murders, Keith reportedly told a friend about a strange woman who knocked on their door asking to use the phone.
  Reddit
  • Because the Dardeens were already paranoid about local crime, this encounter stood out to them.
  • Some investigators have theorised that this woman might have been a "scout" for the killer, or that the crime was committed by a male-female duo. This supports the theory that Keith was aware of something but didn't tell his family
    

 

[Abakua]

The previously mentioned affidavit of private investigator Bill Clutter, who interviewed Tommy Lynn Sells. It primarily talks about this case as well as the murder of the Rhoads couple in Paris, IL. Warning: it gets very disturbing.