Cold case arrests: 2 charged with murder in 1975 death of northeast Indiana teen
Two men were arrested Monday and charged with murder in connection to a decades-old cold case involving a northeast Indiana teen, according to an Indiana State Police news release.
On Monday, members of the Indiana State Police and Noble County Sheriff’s Department arrested Fred Bandy Jr., 67, of Goshen, and John Wayne Lehman, 67, of Auburn, in connection to the death of Laurel Mitchell of North Webster, who went missing after leaving work at a church camp in 1975.
Mitchell, 17, was found floating in the Elkhart River on the north side of Diamond Lake by two fishermen, according to an article that appeared in the Kendallville News-Sun dated Aug. 7, 1975. Authorities initially believed Mitchell's death to be a case of accidental drowning.
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An autopsy found Mitchell "showed signs that she had fought for her life," according to the release, prompting a criminal investigation.
Roughly 47 years and six months after her body was discovered, investigators have made an arrest.
“This case is a culmination of a decades long investigation … and science finally gave us the evidence we needed," said Indiana State Police Captain Kevin Smith in the release. "Playing a significant role in charges being filed was the Indiana State Police Laboratory Division. We simply could not have filed these charges without them.”
Lab personnel were able to make a break in the case after finding "an evidentiary correlation" leading investigators to the two suspects.
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Bandy and Lehman were taken into custody at their respective homes Monday morning without incident, according to the release. The men were charged with one count of murder each and are being held without bond in the Noble County Jail.
During a press conference held Monday, Smith also thanked the news media, whose coverage over the years he said "led to many citizens coming forward with valuable information."
Noble County Prosecutor Jim Mowery commented, “While the arrest of these two individuals is a very important step, this isn’t the end. The investigation of this crime is still ongoing and the prosecution of these defendants has just begun.”
What happened to Laurel Jean Mitchell?
Around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 1975, Laurel Jean Mitchell left work at the Epworth Forrest Church camp on the north side of North Webster Lake in Kosciusko County. She never arrived home.
Mitchell's parents contacted police to report her missing. Around 10:30 a.m. the next day, Mitchell's body was found in the water, approximately 17 miles to the northeast of North Webster at the Mallard Roost public access site in western Noble County, according to the release.
Investigators with the Indiana State Police began a murder investigation that would stretch decades and involve the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, Noble County Sheriff’s Department and Noble County Coroner’s Office.
Bandy and Lehman are tentatively scheduled to have their first hearing Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the Noble Circuit Court.
John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana cold case: 2 charged with murder in Laurel Mitchell's death
