Cold and Missing: Linda Weldy

WEBVTT

00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.789
The views and opinions expressed in Cold and

00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:13.710
Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All

00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:16.129
parties mentioned are considered innocent until

00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:18.929
proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing

00:00:18.929 --> 00:00:22.390
also contains adult themes and languages. Listener

00:00:22.390 --> 00:00:26.230
discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin

00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.010
-Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski.

00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:31.289
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover

00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:35.149
cold cases and missing person cases. Hello, everyone,

00:00:35.170 --> 00:00:37.560
and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your

00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:40.299
host, Ali, and it will just be me coming to you

00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:43.320
this week. So right at the top, some exciting

00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:46.159
news here in our household. But as many of you

00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:50.100
may remember, Eli is an actor. And he's booked

00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:53.100
a gig here in our city. So for the next few months,

00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:55.579
he may be kind of in and out of the podcast since

00:00:55.579 --> 00:00:58.140
his nights are kind of filled up with rehearsals

00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:00.780
now, which is very exciting. We're very happy.

00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:04.200
But he just may be a little in and out. So that's

00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:06.939
just a heads up there. So it'll just be me this

00:01:06.939 --> 00:01:09.219
week. And then also, I just wanted to apologize.

00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:12.370
I know there was no episode. last week and you

00:01:12.370 --> 00:01:14.969
know every other time I have been really good

00:01:14.969 --> 00:01:17.430
about updating our Instagram letting you all

00:01:17.430 --> 00:01:20.629
know but last week I didn't even update the Instagram

00:01:20.629 --> 00:01:23.450
so I just I want to apologize just from the top

00:01:23.450 --> 00:01:26.150
for not communicating with you all about why

00:01:26.150 --> 00:01:29.549
there was no new episode. Quite honestly last

00:01:29.549 --> 00:01:33.069
week my mental health was just not doing the

00:01:33.069 --> 00:01:37.030
best. I was having a very bad like anxiety week.

00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:42.409
Lots of panic attacks. So I was just having a

00:01:42.409 --> 00:01:44.430
really difficult mental health week last week.

00:01:44.530 --> 00:01:47.530
And even things like updating the Instagram just

00:01:47.530 --> 00:01:51.629
felt overwhelming. So I again, I apologize, but

00:01:51.629 --> 00:01:55.849
I hope you will grant me grace and some understanding.

00:01:55.870 --> 00:02:00.209
And if any of you suffer with anxiety like that,

00:02:00.310 --> 00:02:03.950
I totally get it. And I'm sure. this relates

00:02:03.950 --> 00:02:07.430
to you but um yeah you know it's it's just part

00:02:07.430 --> 00:02:11.909
of life and it's part of my life but I'm doing

00:02:11.909 --> 00:02:14.129
much better this week really was able to take

00:02:14.129 --> 00:02:16.750
care of myself and kind of get myself back in

00:02:16.750 --> 00:02:19.930
a good mood um and getting back into a routine

00:02:19.930 --> 00:02:22.310
is always really helpful for me so that means

00:02:22.310 --> 00:02:24.770
getting back into cold and missing so even though

00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:28.129
Eli is a little busy this evening I still wanted

00:02:28.129 --> 00:02:31.030
to get on here and bring you a new episode So

00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:33.650
we'll just go ahead and get into it. I know we're

00:02:33.650 --> 00:02:35.509
normally pretty quick to get into our stories,

00:02:35.550 --> 00:02:38.009
but I just wanted to give you all a quick update

00:02:38.009 --> 00:02:41.490
at the top. But this week we are covering a cold

00:02:41.490 --> 00:02:48.250
case and we are on episode 156. And just as a

00:02:48.250 --> 00:02:50.310
bit of a content warning at the top, this case

00:02:50.310 --> 00:02:53.270
does involve a young person and there are mentions

00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:57.689
of sexual assault. Today, we are talking about

00:02:57.689 --> 00:03:01.310
the cold case of Linda Weldy. And this takes

00:03:01.310 --> 00:03:05.389
place in February of 1987 in La Porte, Indiana.

00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:10.229
But first, a little bit about Linda. Linda Weldy

00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:14.330
is 10 years old in 1987. And she was exactly

00:03:14.330 --> 00:03:17.789
like a lot of other third graders. She was funny,

00:03:17.969 --> 00:03:21.169
easygoing, and a genuine light to her family.

00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:25.550
She loved watching comedy shows and had a happy,

00:03:25.669 --> 00:03:29.699
playful personality. She was a Girl Scout. a

00:03:29.699 --> 00:03:33.659
good student, and a loyal friend. Linda was born

00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:40.280
on August 13, 1976. In 1987, when our timeline

00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:43.259
picks up, she lived with her mother, Karen, and

00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:46.060
her older brother. Also living with them was

00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:48.560
her mom's boyfriend at the time, Robert, but

00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:52.300
her mom would later go on to marry him. They

00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:55.280
all lived in a small home at the end of a dirt

00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:00.719
lane at 181 West McClung Road in La Porte, Indiana.

00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:04.539
The house sat beside railroad tracks near Fishtrap

00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:08.300
Lake and was surrounded by trees. But luckily

00:04:08.300 --> 00:04:10.740
for Linda, there was another house on the lane

00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:14.439
and there lived her best friend, Anna. When our

00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.839
timeline picks up, Linda is around 4 feet 10

00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:20.160
inches tall and weighed about 80 pounds. She

00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.439
had blue eyes with light brown or dark blonde

00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:27.129
hair, depending on who you talk to. She attended

00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:29.329
Critchfield Elementary School, where she was

00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:32.529
in the third grade. Her mother, Karen, worked

00:04:32.529 --> 00:04:34.850
at a factory, which meant Linda and her brother

00:04:34.850 --> 00:04:36.949
were often home in the evenings with Robert.

00:04:37.949 --> 00:04:40.889
One unique thing about the home at the time is

00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:44.029
that the home did not have a telephone. Communication

00:04:44.029 --> 00:04:47.589
was done using a CB radio. Their mother had a

00:04:47.589 --> 00:04:49.769
CB radio in the car, so that's primarily how

00:04:49.769 --> 00:04:54.069
they communicated. And now a timeline of events.

00:04:55.420 --> 00:05:01.699
Tuesday, February 24, 1987. So that Tuesday afternoon

00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:06.899
was an ordinary day. By all reports, school was

00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:09.220
normal and nothing out of the ordinary took place.

00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:12.839
Linda rode the school bus home from Critchfield

00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:16.220
Elementary. Again, no students or the driver

00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:18.819
recalled anything unusual happening during the

00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:23.000
ride. She got off the bus around 3 .30 p .m.

00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.579
at her usual stop on McClung Road. She only had

00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:30.199
to walk about 200 yards to get to her home. However,

00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:33.459
the dirt lane that she had to walk on was curved

00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:36.339
and surrounded by trees, so you couldn't see

00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:41.740
her house from the main road. Witnesses at a

00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:45.439
body shop on McClung Road saw her walk from the

00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:48.480
bus to the mailbox and then start down the dirt

00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:52.089
lane towards her home. Several students on the

00:05:52.089 --> 00:05:55.870
bus reported Linda doing the same thing. She

00:05:55.870 --> 00:05:58.769
was wearing a long brown coat, yellow pants,

00:05:58.990 --> 00:06:01.970
and pink tennis shoes. Her older brother Bill

00:06:01.970 --> 00:06:04.730
had gotten home about 30 minutes before her since

00:06:04.730 --> 00:06:07.949
he wasn't in elementary school. At the time that

00:06:07.949 --> 00:06:11.209
Linda got off the bus, Bill and Robert were outside

00:06:11.209 --> 00:06:15.069
of their home installing a radio antenna. Even

00:06:15.069 --> 00:06:17.430
though they were both outside, Neither one of

00:06:17.430 --> 00:06:20.509
them saw Linda get off of the bus because the

00:06:20.509 --> 00:06:22.250
dirt lane was curved. They wouldn't have been

00:06:22.250 --> 00:06:25.250
able to, but they never saw Linda appear. And

00:06:25.250 --> 00:06:28.610
neither one of them heard anything. Linda's best

00:06:28.610 --> 00:06:32.050
friend, Anna, who also lived along that same

00:06:32.050 --> 00:06:35.389
dirt lane, she rode a different bus, but they

00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:38.930
typically got home around the same time. Anna

00:06:38.930 --> 00:06:42.829
says that she never saw Linda that day. At some

00:06:42.829 --> 00:06:46.199
point during that short walk, From the road to

00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:50.860
her house, Linda vanished. Because Karen, Linda's

00:06:50.860 --> 00:06:54.699
mom, worked nights, no one immediately realized

00:06:54.699 --> 00:06:58.339
that Linda was critically missing. Robert and

00:06:58.339 --> 00:07:00.500
Bill assumed she had gone to a friend's house,

00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.319
something that she had done occasionally, though

00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:05.339
she had always let someone know where she was

00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:08.220
going. But maybe she had just forgotten this

00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:11.100
time. Or maybe she had just told her mom, Karen,

00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:14.639
who was at work. As it got later and later...

00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:17.779
Robert and Bill thought that Linda must be staying

00:07:17.779 --> 00:07:20.620
the night with a friend. Because there wasn't

00:07:20.620 --> 00:07:23.019
a phone in the home, they couldn't quickly call

00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:26.199
Karen to check to see if Linda had told her anything.

00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:32.160
So finally, at around 11 .30pm, Karen left work

00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:36.540
and went into her car. Over the CB radio, Robert

00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:41.100
told her, quote, Linda did not come home. Immediately,

00:07:41.769 --> 00:07:44.069
Karen knew something was deeply wrong and her

00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:47.829
daughter had been missing. At this point, it

00:07:47.829 --> 00:07:50.170
had been eight hours since Linda was last seen.

00:07:50.949 --> 00:07:53.990
Karen did not go home first. She drove straight

00:07:53.990 --> 00:07:56.569
to the police station and she reported her daughter

00:07:56.569 --> 00:08:00.269
missing that night. Just after midnight on Wednesday,

00:08:00.389 --> 00:08:04.589
February 25th, 1987, Linda was officially reported

00:08:04.589 --> 00:08:08.569
missing. Police began searching the area around

00:08:08.569 --> 00:08:12.259
the house immediately. As daylight broke, a helicopter

00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:14.639
was launched over the rural landscape to help

00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:19.100
cover more area. Robert told investigators it

00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:22.180
was unlike Linda to not come home or at least

00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:25.959
inform someone where she was. Investigators briefly

00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:28.279
considered whether her biological father could

00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.220
be involved, but Robert dismissed this idea,

00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:34.799
saying he had not seen Linda in a long time and

00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:38.490
likely would not even recognize her. Fish Trap

00:08:38.490 --> 00:08:41.230
Lake sat near the home, but it was covered by

00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:44.990
a thin layer of ice. Authorities did not initially

00:08:44.990 --> 00:08:48.649
search the lake, though later they will. At the

00:08:48.649 --> 00:08:50.990
time, they assumed that if she had gone into

00:08:50.990 --> 00:08:53.990
the lake, the ice would have been broken. While

00:08:53.990 --> 00:08:56.909
they're searching, police also learned that Anna,

00:08:57.169 --> 00:09:00.909
Linda's best friend who lived next door, her

00:09:00.909 --> 00:09:03.649
family had been receiving threatening phone calls.

00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:07.220
It does appear that police investigate this,

00:09:07.299 --> 00:09:10.360
but they don't think the calls are related. According

00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:13.120
to Anna's family, they knew the relative that

00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:15.120
was kind of making these harassing phone calls,

00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:18.639
so they don't think it's related. Despite the

00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:21.159
helicopter searches and the massive ground search,

00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:25.539
no trace of Linda was found. The next day, Thursday,

00:09:25.740 --> 00:09:29.059
February 26th, so Linda has been missing for

00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:32.320
two days now. Authorities set up a roadblock

00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:36.139
on McClung Road. And they began stopping hundreds

00:09:36.139 --> 00:09:39.159
of drivers who traveled that route around the

00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:42.960
time Linda disappeared. Sheriff Kenneth Layton

00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:45.879
later expressed disbelief that no one had seen

00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:48.639
anything suspicious on such a heavily traveled

00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:52.019
road. But that seemed to be the case. They couldn't

00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:55.279
find one witness that had seen Linda that afternoon.

00:09:56.899 --> 00:09:59.659
Police continue searching and interviewing people

00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:03.779
for days. On Sunday, March 1st, so... Linda has

00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:07.000
been missing for five days, investigators begin

00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:10.399
retracing their steps. Every known lead that

00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:14.659
they had had been exhausted. At this point, police

00:10:14.659 --> 00:10:17.460
publicly stated that they did not believe Linda

00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.820
had been abducted. Their reasoning was that an

00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:23.379
abduction would likely have been heard by her

00:10:23.379 --> 00:10:27.740
brother or Robert or employees at the nearby

00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:31.500
body shop. Furthermore, the heavily traveled

00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:33.980
McClung Road would have left witnesses to the

00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:38.220
abduction. However, there was also no indications

00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:41.740
that she had run away. Linda had never done that

00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:44.840
before, and there were no problems at home or

00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:47.659
at school. There was nothing reported missing

00:10:47.659 --> 00:10:50.259
from her room, and none of her friends reported

00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.700
saying that she had talked about running away.

00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:55.659
So if she wasn't abducted and she didn't run

00:10:55.659 --> 00:11:00.169
away, then where was Linda? On Tuesday, March

00:11:00.169 --> 00:11:02.870
3rd, so Linda has been missing for one week now,

00:11:03.110 --> 00:11:06.110
and police say that they have interviewed thousands

00:11:06.110 --> 00:11:09.509
of people by this point. Officers from multiple

00:11:09.509 --> 00:11:12.309
agencies assisted in the search and interviews,

00:11:12.629 --> 00:11:15.549
and still no leads on what happened to Linda.

00:11:16.649 --> 00:11:19.970
Sheriff Layton admitted frustration, saying investigators

00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:23.210
had gone over the case repeatedly and still could

00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:27.149
not come up with anything. On March 12th of 1987,

00:11:27.509 --> 00:11:31.200
so this is 16 days she's been missing now, police

00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.919
searched the railroad tracks that ran just west

00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:36.940
of the home. They began walking them and then

00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:40.320
walked them about a mile past Linda's house looking

00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.200
for any clues, but again, they turned up nothing.

00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:48.860
A few days later, on Tuesday, March 17th, Linda

00:11:48.860 --> 00:11:51.879
had been missing for 21 days at this point. At

00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:55.299
approximately 1 .30 p .m., A farmer planting

00:11:55.299 --> 00:11:58.720
oats in a field discovered a small body in a

00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:02.639
brushy area. The girl's fully clothed body was

00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:07.440
found about seven miles south of La Porte. Police

00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:10.240
said the area was near railroad tracks southeast

00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:14.840
of Kingsbury, but north of US 6. The highway

00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:19.059
is about a mile south of Kingsbury. Ultimately,

00:12:19.059 --> 00:12:22.799
it was Linda. She was found face down, fully

00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:25.990
clothed. still wearing the same outfit she had

00:12:25.990 --> 00:12:28.669
on when she stepped off the bus about three weeks

00:12:28.669 --> 00:12:32.809
earlier. One of her hands clutched a handful

00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:36.250
of grass, according to reports. Police think

00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:38.309
that this suggests that she had tried to run

00:12:38.309 --> 00:12:42.309
or fight back. According to police, no significant

00:12:42.309 --> 00:12:45.809
effort had been made to conceal her body, but

00:12:45.809 --> 00:12:49.309
her body was placed in an area that could not

00:12:49.309 --> 00:12:51.850
be seen from the nearby road, which was only

00:12:51.850 --> 00:12:55.389
about 50 yards away. This led investigators to

00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.029
believe that the killer likely knew the area.

00:12:59.230 --> 00:13:01.809
When they first discovered the body, investigators

00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:04.190
said that she had been dead for several days

00:13:04.190 --> 00:13:08.049
but declined to be more specific. Later conclusions

00:13:08.049 --> 00:13:11.549
suggested that she likely had been killed shortly

00:13:11.549 --> 00:13:15.590
after she disappeared. A footprint was found

00:13:15.590 --> 00:13:19.149
on the back of her coat. An autopsy is conducted

00:13:19.149 --> 00:13:22.509
overnight to determine the cause of death. which

00:13:22.509 --> 00:13:26.470
was strangulation, likely by hand. Linda didn't

00:13:26.470 --> 00:13:29.350
have any broken bones, but she had been beaten,

00:13:29.470 --> 00:13:33.470
according to police. The autopsy will also show

00:13:33.470 --> 00:13:37.009
that she had been sexually assaulted. The next

00:13:37.009 --> 00:13:40.330
day on March 18th, one day after the discovery,

00:13:40.730 --> 00:13:43.649
investigators head back to the farm and conduct

00:13:43.649 --> 00:13:46.389
an extensive search of the area, looking for

00:13:46.389 --> 00:13:50.080
any clues, any evidence that they can bag. We

00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:52.620
know from later reports that police are able

00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:55.080
to gather evidence from the scene, but there

00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:58.279
aren't specific details at this time on what

00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:02.440
they were able to collect. On Friday, March 20th,

00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:05.299
just three days after her body was found, memorial

00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:08.820
services were held for Linda. Hundreds came out

00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:13.960
to pay their respects. On Sunday, March 22nd,

00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:18.889
this is five days after the discovery, Police

00:14:18.889 --> 00:14:21.210
expressed confidence that they were moving in

00:14:21.210 --> 00:14:24.750
the right direction. Investigators believed Linda

00:14:24.750 --> 00:14:27.370
knew her killer and that the person was familiar

00:14:27.370 --> 00:14:29.809
with the remote area where her body was found.

00:14:30.789 --> 00:14:33.450
However, this location was kind of known to a

00:14:33.450 --> 00:14:36.990
lot of people. It was known locally as kind of

00:14:36.990 --> 00:14:40.210
a lover's lane spot and was a popular deer hunting

00:14:40.210 --> 00:14:45.409
area. At this point, the investigation really

00:14:45.409 --> 00:14:49.490
does seem to be heating up. But then it stalls.

00:14:50.610 --> 00:14:54.750
The next update comes in June of 1987. So that's

00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:58.090
nearly four months since the murder. Police acknowledge

00:14:58.090 --> 00:15:01.250
that they have suspects in the case, but there

00:15:01.250 --> 00:15:03.549
have been no arrests and they don't name the

00:15:03.549 --> 00:15:06.090
suspect. So we don't know who they're looking

00:15:06.090 --> 00:15:11.610
at. In September of 1987, so six months since

00:15:11.610 --> 00:15:15.679
the murder, Sergeant John Thorpe publicly stated

00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:18.080
he believed only one person was responsible,

00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:21.759
someone who was well -known to the Weldy home.

00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:26.139
He theorized Linda went with the person voluntarily

00:15:26.139 --> 00:15:30.200
because she knew him and trusted him. Police

00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:32.379
believed she had been approached while walking

00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:35.080
down the dirt lane from the road to her house.

00:15:35.700 --> 00:15:38.220
Whoever was able to take Linda away from her

00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:41.039
home was able to do so without raising any alarm

00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:44.970
or suspicion. Despite this confidence that police

00:15:44.970 --> 00:15:49.169
seem to have, no suspects are named and no arrests

00:15:49.169 --> 00:15:53.090
are made. And very quickly, the case goes cold.

00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:57.190
For years, there doesn't seem to be any updates

00:15:57.190 --> 00:16:02.649
on the case until July of 1998. So that's over

00:16:02.649 --> 00:16:07.269
11 years since the murder. And in 1998, investigators

00:16:07.269 --> 00:16:10.250
sought federal assistance to review evidence

00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:13.879
using new technology. So at this point, they

00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:18.419
were hoping to get DNA. And police say that among

00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:22.299
the items examined were strands of copper speaker

00:16:22.299 --> 00:16:26.399
wire found on Linda's clothing and in the trunk

00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:29.960
of a suspect vehicle. So they wanted to test

00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:33.940
those items. And then they also wanted to test

00:16:33.940 --> 00:16:36.419
the footprint impression that was on the back

00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:39.840
of her coat to see if the dirt from that impression

00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:44.549
could... give them any more clues. Despite a

00:16:44.549 --> 00:16:48.350
significant amount of physical evidence, it doesn't

00:16:48.350 --> 00:16:50.789
appear that any conclusive results come back

00:16:50.789 --> 00:16:55.210
from this testing. After that, the case really

00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:58.909
seems to go cold. Linda's family does an incredible

00:16:58.909 --> 00:17:01.610
job, specifically her mother does a really incredible

00:17:01.610 --> 00:17:05.069
job of keeping her story in the media and advocating

00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:08.539
for her daughter. Karen has talked publicly over

00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:10.799
the years about the pain of losing her daughter

00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:14.200
and how she's still seeking justice in this case.

00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:19.319
But that is truly all we know about the murder

00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:23.160
of Linda Weldy. So if you know anything about

00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:26.640
the murder of Linda Weldy in February of 1987,

00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:31.720
please call the LaPorte County Police at 219

00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:39.859
-326 -7700. So that is the cold case of Linda

00:17:39.859 --> 00:17:43.500
Weldy. I say this a lot on this podcast. I had

00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:46.119
never heard of this case before. In fact, most

00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:48.900
of the cases on this podcast, I've never heard

00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:51.039
of before. But it just always feels shocking

00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:54.960
to me that I don't know these stories. So I just

00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.900
always feel like I have to say it. But it rings

00:17:57.900 --> 00:18:01.200
true here. I never heard of this story. But it's

00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:04.259
also strange because I grew up not that far from

00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:09.180
La Porte. I grew up in Indiana, and Laporte,

00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:12.420
you know, would be in the local news if something,

00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:14.339
you know, kind of crazy had happened there. So,

00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:17.559
like, it's strange that I wasn't familiar with

00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:19.680
this case. I had never heard of it, not even

00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:24.119
vaguely. So when I came across it, I wanted to

00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:26.079
get into this case and really research it and

00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:30.380
understand what happened for myself. And I was

00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:34.450
really excited to learn about Linda. Right away,

00:18:34.549 --> 00:18:38.470
a lot of people spoke about how funny she was.

00:18:38.970 --> 00:18:43.390
And, you know, she had all these other very amazing

00:18:43.390 --> 00:18:46.990
qualities. You know, she was kind, loyal friend,

00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:51.789
good friend, easygoing, a Girl Scout. But she

00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:54.170
was funny. That's something that I read again

00:18:54.170 --> 00:18:57.829
and again about her. So I just really enjoyed

00:18:57.829 --> 00:19:01.099
that fact. And I felt like I kind of... knew

00:19:01.099 --> 00:19:04.420
that funny kid, that funny 10 -year -old. But

00:19:04.420 --> 00:19:07.799
I also think that her heart, how good her heart

00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:11.420
was, just really underscores how tragic this

00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:15.460
case truly is and what a light that was taken

00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:20.539
from this world. Truly a horrific case, as any

00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:23.559
child's murder is or missing child. Like, they're

00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:26.839
all horrific. But, man, again and again, I'm...

00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.700
I feel floored that there are monsters like this

00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:34.759
in this world that would do this to anybody,

00:19:34.940 --> 00:19:39.160
let alone children. But that really brings us

00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:43.859
right into Linda's case. Lots of questions in

00:19:43.859 --> 00:19:47.160
this case. One of the first things I did was

00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:49.619
kind of pull up McClung Road and just kind of

00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:58.009
get a visual. Where Linda was living in 1987

00:19:58.009 --> 00:20:00.809
is no longer there. There's actually like a like

00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:05.569
a veterans post, like a VF hall. But there's

00:20:05.569 --> 00:20:07.710
like a building there now. But there used to

00:20:07.710 --> 00:20:12.289
be homes there, at least two for sure. Linda's

00:20:12.289 --> 00:20:15.329
home. And then we know her best friend Anna lived

00:20:15.329 --> 00:20:17.869
there as well. So I kind of pulled it up just

00:20:17.869 --> 00:20:19.710
so I could get the visual because there's this

00:20:19.710 --> 00:20:22.549
busy McClung Road that's traveled on frequently.

00:20:22.890 --> 00:20:26.690
And then off of it is this. you know, longish

00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:31.549
but not too long dirt path that kind of curves

00:20:31.549 --> 00:20:33.609
through the trees. So I just really wanted to

00:20:33.609 --> 00:20:38.390
get the visual because that small dirt lane,

00:20:38.490 --> 00:20:41.509
that small stretch is really where this case,

00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:44.509
so much of it takes place and where all the questions

00:20:44.509 --> 00:20:48.150
are. We know she gets off the bus. The bus driver

00:20:48.150 --> 00:20:52.849
sees her. Students see her. And there's a body

00:20:52.849 --> 00:20:56.029
shop kind of across the street from where the

00:20:56.029 --> 00:20:58.869
dirt lane is where workers also see her get off

00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:02.210
the bus. And according to multiple witnesses,

00:21:02.410 --> 00:21:05.089
she gets off the bus, she walks to the mailbox,

00:21:05.170 --> 00:21:09.130
and then she starts down the dirt lane, presumably

00:21:09.130 --> 00:21:15.289
towards her home. And to just make it all even

00:21:15.289 --> 00:21:19.309
stranger, her older brother is outside with...

00:21:19.819 --> 00:21:23.440
Her mom's boyfriend, who later becomes her her

00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:27.859
mom's husband, Robert. So her older brother and

00:21:27.859 --> 00:21:30.960
Robert are outside and they don't hear anything.

00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:37.380
They don't see anything. So what happened? So

00:21:37.380 --> 00:21:40.440
many questions. And I really just I keep going

00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:50.700
in circles around this. To get her to go without

00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:54.920
creating a commotion, suspicion, you know, even

00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:57.140
getting somebody to look twice or register what

00:21:57.140 --> 00:21:59.019
they're seeing, like it would have to be like

00:21:59.019 --> 00:22:03.460
a pretty normal encounter. So that's why police

00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:06.299
go down that road. But, you know, I have to question,

00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:09.980
like, is there a chance that somebody ambushed

00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:12.779
her and, you know, was able to... Make sure she

00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:15.579
couldn't scream out, you know, put a hand over

00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:17.859
the mouth. Like, is there a world where that

00:22:17.859 --> 00:22:20.099
happened? I didn't include this in the timeline,

00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:22.059
but I just wanted to talk about it here because

00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:25.420
her family does talk about this. But the family

00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:28.519
thinks that there's a chance that Linda could

00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:32.420
be the victim of the serial killer Larry Hall.

00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:36.079
He appears to have operated in the Midwest and

00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:40.099
he has. If I'm not mistaken, he has two for sure

00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:43.200
victims that he had a trial for or committed

00:22:43.200 --> 00:22:46.200
of, but there's suspicion that there were more.

00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:49.440
He confessed to a lot, but, you know, sometimes

00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:52.619
the confessions aren't always true. So that is

00:22:52.619 --> 00:22:55.039
something that her family has heavily considered

00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:57.779
over the years. And there are some things that

00:22:57.779 --> 00:23:00.880
with Larry Hall's MO that kind of fit into place

00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:06.240
in Linda's case. However, police seem to dismiss

00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:09.220
this and they say they looked into it, but they

00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:13.880
they still think and, you know, as late as like

00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:17.380
2014, like saying that they believe that Linda

00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:20.839
knew her killer. And they seem to have some evidence

00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:26.180
that suggests this as well. I also wonder if.

00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:30.539
The person that police suspected is because it

00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:33.579
really sounds like they have a specific person

00:23:33.579 --> 00:23:36.740
in mind or definitely at certain parts. They've

00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:38.539
had it seems like they've had a specific person

00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:40.720
in mind. So, you know, if I could know anything

00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:44.000
about the case, I would wonder, you know, has

00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:49.380
the suspect. Has it been a specific person since

00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:52.759
1987 when we first kind of hear about, you know,

00:23:52.779 --> 00:23:55.740
a specific suspect the police have in mind? Or,

00:23:55.740 --> 00:23:58.059
you know, has that changed over the years? Has

00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:00.519
it shifted from one person to the next for one

00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:03.200
reason or the other? So I would be just curious

00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:05.940
to know who that person is. But, you know, that

00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:09.359
one piece of evidence that they mentioned, the

00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:16.210
copper speaker wire. So I think that's... a pretty

00:24:16.210 --> 00:24:21.650
significant detail that was reported on and according

00:24:21.650 --> 00:24:26.089
to reports that wire was found on Linda's clothing

00:24:26.089 --> 00:24:31.789
and then police also say they found similar wire

00:24:31.789 --> 00:24:37.990
in the trunk of a suspect's car so you know it's

00:24:37.990 --> 00:24:40.130
mentioned it's speaker wire I don't know how

00:24:40.130 --> 00:24:42.569
common of a speaker wire it is I don't know if

00:24:42.569 --> 00:24:46.349
it would be in a lot of trunks but that detail

00:24:46.349 --> 00:24:48.769
definitely stood out to me and so I would be

00:24:48.769 --> 00:24:53.670
so curious to know what else police have done

00:24:53.670 --> 00:24:57.950
to look at that suspect if they've learned anything

00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:01.069
else about this wire it does seem like police

00:25:01.069 --> 00:25:04.029
are pretty firm the wire was not used in the

00:25:04.029 --> 00:25:06.230
murder it just seems to have been something that

00:25:06.230 --> 00:25:09.130
like got on her clothing like through transfer

00:25:09.130 --> 00:25:14.940
so That's a huge question I have. But to me,

00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:18.220
that also suggests that there's maybe more evidence.

00:25:18.339 --> 00:25:21.440
And, you know, I know they tested, you know,

00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:24.920
they were looking at this wire in, I think it

00:25:24.920 --> 00:25:28.259
was 1990. Let me double check my notes. 1990,

00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:32.880
1998. That's when they were looking to get all

00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:36.079
this stuff retested. I would think they've gone

00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:38.440
back to look at the evidence and see if anything

00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:41.200
else could be retested. But I would be so curious

00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:46.380
if in 2026, with the technology advances we have,

00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:49.740
is there anything that was collected that could

00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:53.740
potentially be tested? I would be so curious

00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:57.940
to know if we have a DNA hit in this case. I

00:25:57.940 --> 00:26:00.460
presume it's, if there is, you know, there's

00:26:00.460 --> 00:26:04.160
never been a match. I just I really want to hold

00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:08.000
out hope that in, you know, 2026, we could test

00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:10.539
something and find out something new. You know,

00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:13.119
I know police even wanted to, like, look into

00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:16.900
the dirt that was on the the back of her coat,

00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.140
like the footprint that was left on the back

00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.960
of her coat to look into the dirt of that footprint

00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:27.059
to see if that could lead them anywhere specific.

00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:29.140
Like, is there anything in that dirt that is

00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:31.990
just like. Super specific to one area. So I would

00:26:31.990 --> 00:26:34.289
be curious to see if anything ever came from

00:26:34.289 --> 00:26:39.589
that. Ultimately, I just I really want resources

00:26:39.589 --> 00:26:42.670
put into Linda's case. This feels like a case

00:26:42.670 --> 00:26:45.930
that absolutely could be solved. It almost feels

00:26:45.930 --> 00:26:50.750
like there's maybe a suspect that could be held

00:26:50.750 --> 00:26:53.450
accountable. You know, just that that detail

00:26:53.450 --> 00:26:55.890
of the footprint on the back of her coat, like

00:26:55.890 --> 00:26:59.420
that makes me sick to think that somebody. you

00:26:59.420 --> 00:27:03.039
know stepped on her I just somebody needs to

00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:06.220
be held accountable for taking this little girl's

00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:11.079
life and discarding her and taking her away from

00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:14.640
her family it's really hard to think about this

00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:17.299
little girl's killer just being free for so many

00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:20.559
years people who commit these crimes they have

00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:22.819
to slip up at some point you know they have to

00:27:22.819 --> 00:27:26.259
mention something in a fit of rage you know when

00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:30.460
they're drunk or high even when they're sleeping

00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:32.319
if they talk in their sleep like something has

00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:34.920
to be mentioned that somebody else just picks

00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:40.460
up on I I really believe that because um I at

00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:41.619
the end of the day I just don't think they're

00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:44.180
that smart uh to like get away with this you

00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:46.480
know they're not um criminal masterminds I think

00:27:46.480 --> 00:27:50.910
it's dumb luck that they've gotten away um gotten

00:27:50.910 --> 00:27:53.309
away with it this long but I feel like it's only

00:27:53.309 --> 00:27:55.809
a matter of time until somebody comes forward

00:27:55.809 --> 00:27:58.890
with what they know before technology catches

00:27:58.890 --> 00:28:01.390
up with what the evidence is and we're able to

00:28:01.390 --> 00:28:04.670
get more information from what we have ultimately

00:28:04.670 --> 00:28:07.289
I have to believe those things will happen in

00:28:07.289 --> 00:28:11.150
all of these cases that we cover here but I have

00:28:11.150 --> 00:28:12.650
to believe it's going to happen in Linda's case

00:28:12.650 --> 00:28:16.180
I really believe that it can but again if you

00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:18.799
know anything about the murder of linda weldy

00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:23.099
in february of 1987 please call the laporte county

00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:56.099
police at 219 -326 -7700 Um, I... am committed

00:28:56.099 --> 00:28:58.579
to keeping updated and I've been doing it really

00:28:58.579 --> 00:29:02.079
good for over three years so I plan to keep you

00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:04.599
updated if we ever need to take a week off unexpectedly

00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:08.019
in the future. If you or someone you love needs

00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:10.440
transcripts to follow along because you are hard

00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:14.099
of hearing we have them on our website www .coldandmissing

00:29:14.099 --> 00:29:17.240
.com along with all of our past episodes so if

00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:19.059
you're looking for something specific it might

00:29:19.059 --> 00:29:22.180
be on there. And then if you have some time,

00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:24.380
if you could leave us a five -star review, it

00:29:24.380 --> 00:29:26.720
goes a long way in getting others to find our

00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:29.279
podcast, to listen to the podcast, to give it

00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:31.599
a chance. And so that means ultimately it gets

00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:34.819
stories like Linda's out there and all the other

00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:37.200
stories that we covered that maybe don't get

00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:39.660
the most coverage in the podcast world or, you

00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:42.140
know, just in the true crime world. So five stars

00:29:42.140 --> 00:29:44.440
really goes a long way. And if you've done it

00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:47.180
already, thank you, thank you, thank you. If

00:29:47.180 --> 00:29:49.200
you haven't done it yet. That's totally okay.

00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:53.019
Today's a new day. Maybe do it today. But that

00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:56.079
is all I have for you this week. Thank you so

00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:58.059
much for listening to Cold and Missing, for sticking

00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:01.359
with us, for being patient with me. I genuinely

00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:05.039
so appreciate it. I'm your host, Ali. Have

00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:06.480
a good week and stay safe, y 'all.