More than 47 years after a young girl went missing and was eventually discovered dead in northern Indiana, authorities say that two men have been detained and charged in connection with the crime, owing in part to a recent DNA match. In an announcement made on Tuesday morning, Indiana State Police announced the latest revelations in a homicide case that has spanned more than half a century.
On August 6, 1975, Laurel Jean Mitchell, who was 17 years old at the time of her death, did not return home from her job at the Epworth Forrest Church camp in Kosciusko County, located on the northern side of Webster Lake.
Mitchell’s parents reported her missing to authorities, but the next morning, her death was discovered in water around 17 miles from her house. Mitchell’s cause of death was determined to be drowning, but the autopsy report indicated that she “had fought for her life,” prompting authorities to launch a murder probe.
“The initial investigators spent thousands of hours trying to solve her murder,” an Indiana State Police spokesperson stated in a Tuesday news release. “Over the next five decades numerous detectives would continue to work on her case, all the while her family would suffer with no answers.”
This week, investigators finally apprehended two people in connection with Mitchell’s killing, according to authorities. The suspects, Fred Bandy, Jr., 67, and John Wayne Lehman, 67, of Goshen and Auburn, Indiana, respectively, were apprehended at their residences on Monday without incident, according to law authorities. Both guys are currently being held without bond at the Noble County Jail on one count of murder.
Fred Bandy Jr. (left) and John Lehman were arrested and charged on Monday, February 6, in connection with the 1975 death of Laurel Jean Mitchell, a teenager from Indiana. Noble County Lockup
Several months ago, lab workers with the Indiana State Police were able to match a DNA sample taken from Mitchell’s clothing to one received from Bandy at the end of last year, which altered the investigation into Mitchell’s death.
The strong correlation led detectives to Bandy and Lehman, who, according to a tip provided with the Noble County Sheriff’s Department about a decade ago, admitted to committing a felony with Bandy, his friend, in 1975. At least two persons, whose identities were withheld, previously told detectives that Bandy had admitted to the crime on multiple occasions.
“This case is a culmination of a decades-long investigation,” said Indiana State Police Captain Kevin Smith at a news conference on Tuesday, adding that “science finally gave us the answers we needed.” Smith also thanked the “many citizens” who came forward over the years with tips and other pertinent information, which he described as “was key to solving this case.” to the resolution of the case.
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