Late on the night of November 17, 1978, Speedway, Indiana teenager Brian Kring stopped by his workplace, the Burger Chef fast food restaurant, to visit with his friends and offer them help closing up for the night. But when he arrived, he found the restaurant empty.
The four employees working that night, 20-year-old Jayne Friedt, 16-year-old Daniel Davis, 16-year-old Mark Flemmonds, and 17-year-old Ruth Shelton were all gone, but the door was unlocked and all of the lights were still on.
Unable to reach the assistant manager, Jayne, by phone, Brian finally called the police. But when the police arrived, they were surprisingly cavalier. In their opinion, a group of irresponsible teens had taken the cash from the till and gone off for a night of fun.
Join us at the quiet end for our discussion of the 1978 Burger Chef Murders. The next day, the police would realize that they had made a big mistake. None of the employees arrived home and their parents were frantic, but the police had not bothered to treat the abandoned restaurant as a crime scene. Two days later, four dead bodies were discovered about 20 miles south of the scene. The young Burger Chef employees had been stabbed, shot, and bludgeoned to death. Now, forty-three years later, no one has been arrested for these murders.
The Indiana Burger Chef Murder Victims
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Sources:
American Crime Journal, “Forrester Confession”
https://www.insider.com/burger-chef-murders-unsolved-speedway-indiana
Indianapolis Monthly, “Next in Line: The Burger Chef Murders”
The Burger Chef Murders in Indiana, by Julie Young
Comments
2 Comments
Thank you for doing this story. I live in Indianapolis, and have followed the case from the beginning. As you say, it is fascinating and frustrating. And so, so sad.
Nora
Hi guys listening to this reminds me of a murder similar that happen in Oklahoma City. In July 16, 1978 Roger Dale Stafford robbed a Steak n ale and he wasn’t caught until March 13 1979 , they found him in Chicago. He had someone that helped him. But it could be a long shop but it would be something to look into. Six people were killed and 5 of these were teenagers. I’m just wandering is it a possibility that they could have had something to do with it . Lora