Russellville woman's murder still a mystery after 10 years

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Could a puzzling Putnam County cold case be heating up after a decade of frustration?

Apparently that is just what's happening in the baffling case of an elderly northern Putnam County woman who was killed in her Russellville home 10 years ago this week.

Investigators have been "looking hard at the case," Putnam County Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter told the Banner Graphic Wednesday afternoon.

David Meadows, an investigator in the Prosecutor's Office, has been retracing the steps of a criminal investigation that began with the Aug. 13, 2003 discovery of an unconscious Bernadine Webster on the floor of her rural home. She died from her injuries about a week later.

"With the help of (former Putnam County Sheriff's Department detective) Mike Biggs, who has retired, David Meadows has been asked to relook at this case," Bookwalter said.

The murder case sadly stands as a prime example of a senseless act of violence.

"It's probably the one (case) that bothers Biggs the most," Prosecutor Bookwalter confided. "When he retired, he made a point of saying something to me about it."

While the prosecutor has been urged to stay vigilant on the case, few new clues have emerged in the 10 years that have followed the 89-year-old Webster's death.

The victim's life was nearly as much of a mystery as her death.

Described as a reclusive woman who never married, she apparently had no known surviving family members anywhere in the area. Neighbors said she never let anyone into her modest home and always locked her doors, despite the rural nature of her homeplace.

Yet on Aug. 13, 2003, a neighbor driving past Webster's house took notice of a strange vehicle parked at the Russellville residence.

Moments later when that neighbor arrived at her own home, someone from the medical alert service Lifeline was calling her. She was advised that her elderly neighbor had activated her Lifeline panic button but reportedly had said nothing.

The neighbor, who had been designated as the victim's first contact in the event Webster pushed the panic button on her Lifeline pendant, rushed back to Webster's home but found that the strange vehicle -- described as a gray, "boxy-looking" late-1970s to 1980s midsize four-door passenger car -- was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Lifeline was trying to contact Webster via her pendant. No contact was made with the injured victim but voices reportedly could be heard in the background.

When the neighbor arrived, she found a near-lifeless Webster on the floor. She was rushed to Methodist Hospital but died several days later.

Initially authorities were uncertain whether Webster had fallen or was the victim of an attack.

However, autopsy results revealed evidence of blunt-force trauma to her chest as the cause of death. Webster also suffered head injuries.

Speaking to the Banner Graphic on the five-year anniversary of the case, Det. Biggs said what really happened that fateful day remains a mystery.

"The intruders may have believed the home to be vacant due to the outside appearance," he said, alluding to overgrown shrubbery that nearly hid the house from view. "When they found (Webster) there could have been an unexpected confrontation."

Over the years, a local cold case team has pursued leads in west-central Indiana as well as at least two other states without much luck.

Someone has to know what happened to Webster, authorities reason. That's why they continue to ask for the public's assistance in the case as it reaches the 10-year mark.

Anyone who may have seen anything that day in 2003 or has any information about the case in general is asked to contact the Putnam County Sheriff's Department at 653-3211.

Comments
View 2 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • What was her first name? I don't see it listed. Thanks.

    -- Posted by TwilightR on Thu, Aug 15, 2013, at 8:16 AM
  • Her first name was Bernadine. This happened just down the road from our house. I have always hoped they would catch the creep(s) that did this.

    -- Posted by putnammom on Thu, Aug 15, 2013, at 12:26 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: