The Burger Chef Murders: November 17, 1978 (aka The Speedway Murders)

Burger Chef murders, a 25-year-old mystery

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Burger Chef murders, a 25-year-old mystery

Who did it? Who robbed the Burger Chef restaurant? Who murdered four employees?

"That ended up, as of today, the only unsolved major case in my career." Ken York, former detective with the Indiana State Police, is one of the original investigators on the Burger Chef murder case.

He's retired now, a private investigator.

The case may be unsolved, but York thinks he knows who did it. "Unless someone proves differently or someone confesses between now and then, I'll go to my death bed believing I know who killed those kids."

It happened in November 1978 at the Speedway Burger Chef. A Friday night. Four employees on duty disappear; 16-year-old Daniel Davis, 16-year-old Mark Flemmonds, 20-year-old Jayne Friedt and 17-year-old Ruth Shelton.

"I worked on it from the very first day before the bodies were even found." Reporter Paul Bird, who covered the story for the Indianapolis News, said the crime shook the town of Speedway. "It left an entire community in panic. Everybody could relate to their children being abducted from a Burger Chef."

The Sheltons' daughter was one of the victims. They remember getting the phone call 25 years ago. Rachel Shelton recalls, "John woke me up telling me that they thought our daughter had been kidnapped."

John Shelton says, "I thought we'd never see her again alive."

Rachel reads from her diary the emotions she felt that night. "I was on the verge of falling apart."

The family clung together, hoping and praying. "The main thing I remember asking him was, 'Lord, put your arms around Ruth Ellen and let her know that you are there with her," says Rachel.

Initially, police in Speedway didn't have much to go on. Since there was $500 taken from the cash register some investigators thought the employees may have taken the money and went out for the night.

The Burger Chef Murders Mystery (aka The Speedway Murders) #speedwaymurders

Who did it? Who robbed the Burger Chef restaurant? Who murdered four employees?

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Decatur Central honors victim in 1978 Burger Chef murders with photography scholarship

Daniel Davis was a student at Decatur Central High School when he was murdered 46 years ago.

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Decatur Central honors victim in 1978 Burger Chef murders with photography scholarship​

The 1978 murders at a Speedway Burger Chef have gone unsolved for decades, becoming one of the biggest mysteries in our state. Now, one of the victims is being remembered in a special way.

Sixteen-year-old Daniel Davis was a student at Decatur Central High School when he was killed. Two current DCHS teachers found out Daniel was really passionate about photography at the time. It's why they decided to honor him by starting a photography scholarship in his name at the school.

Teachers Jason Schanzel and Robert Bowling spearheaded the creation of the fund.

"I said, 'Hey, he was an avid photographer, how about we create a scholarship in his name, because in his obituary, they tried to create one,'" Bowling said. "I was like, 'Let's get this off the ground, what a good way of something good coming out of something horrific.'"

Daniel was abducted and murdered along with three other restaurant employees. The brutal and mysterious murders have been at the center of conversations for years. Schanzel and Bowling hope the scholarship will open the door for a different conversation.

"I just think every time you hear about the Burger Chef, it's always bad, the murder itself. For once now, we can report on the Burger Chef, and it's something good," Bowling said.