Starved Rock Murders

It's seems every tragedy eventually "awakens" and demands to be known and imbeds itself in the culture, entwining itself with a mix of legend and fact. I'm not talking about the first few months and years following the event, but the full re-awakening where it seems`to be talked about "Everywhere".
Such is that time for the crimes` that took place around the Ides of March 1960 in the sandstone wonder known as Starved Rock State Park. I travel for business around the country and have to do a double take when realizing I'm from Chicago, someone out the blue asks me if I have ever been to Starved Rock " where the masacre occured".
Then I find out they are not talking about the indian wars but about the "other one" that happened almost 50 years ago and that area Il. folks try to keep buried like the legacy of bad seed of a relative. Not that area folks didn't talk about it. They do. Cold winter nights in the darkness of the taverns, a shot and a beer and then the theorys - and everyone has one......
But I'm just amazed that when I'm in minnesota or California I'm being asked about it and then you see grown men and woman suddenly press closer and resemble children around a campfire listening to a ghost story. Yah it's definitly it's time. For better or worse or whether we want it or not.
On my recent California trip I heard from reliable sources that some of the major bigshots in Tinseltown are perking their ears up with dollar signs in their eyes.
Seen any strangers sitting in the back of the local watering hole trying to be incognito?..

I worked at Starved Rock for almost 2 years. I never believed in the supernatural before. I knew nothing about the murders so I wasn't conditioned. The first time was in the diningroom after hours. I saw a lady sitting at one of the tables and from across the room I told her the diningroom was closed. I moved around from where I was sitting and by the time I started walking to her she was gone. no door near by she just disapeared. The next time was outside a couple hundred feet away I saw 2 ladys and a little girl all of them in summery white dresses like someone would go to Easter Sunday church in. The little girl liked right at me then they disapeared. I dont know how any of that stuff works but some people worked there for years and never saw anything and did not believe us. Frightened tourist came back after seeing disapearing ladys on the trails. Their were strange drafts and winds when none was posible. I was there and I know something is there to.

Whats funny is that if it happened a 150 years ago enough time went by where a city could brag about it and sell t-shirts. Being only 50 years ago, with tne familys still around, you might think that a park might avoid bad publicity and keep it hush hush. I bought my copy of "the starved Rock Murders" at the Starved Rock gift shop! Next they will be selling a drink specials. "yah, give me a 3 dead ladys on the rocks with a 151 floater"

Finally! A group o psychics lead by a world re-known medium will be doing a series of seance's over thew course of a couple weeks! This wil be done at the caves as well as in what was the infamous room 109 at the time. The spirits of Mildred Lindquist, Frances Murphy and Lillian Oetting will be contacted and who knows what new information will be revealed! As other posters and lots of others have witnessed, the spirits of those lady's do not rest. Theres going to be a lot about this and so much more as the 50th aniversary approaches. It's so exciting that it's all finally happening!

OK OK maybe I was out of line with my drink special at the Starved Rock Bar. Just whistling through the graveyard!
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"The nerve of some parents children"

My Grandparents were one of those tourist who were so shaken up that my Grandma almost needed medical attention. They saw a lady on the bridge of one of the trails standing there what looked to be flowers she was throwing over the side. They wanted to ask her for directions and within not even 20 paces away she faded away. I'm really excited as to what the medium will find. When is it?

On March 14,1960 three Chicago suburban women visiting Starved Rock State Park in Utica, IL were brutally murdered. At the time, the mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths focused both the state and national press on this small north central Illinois town and its scenic State Park. On the 50th anniversity of the event, author Steve Stout will discuss his book "The Starved Rock Murders" at Finnegan's Bookstore in Utica, IL. He will review his research, his conclusions, and address the controversy that surrounds the incident to this day.

Sarah wrote:

Finally! A group o psychics lead by a world re-known medium will be doing a series of seance's over thew course of a couple weeks! This wil be done at the caves as well as in what was the infamous room 109 at the time. The spirits of Mildred Lindquist, Frances Murphy and Lillian Oetting will be contacted and who knows what new information will be revealed! As other posters and lots of others have witnessed, the spirits of those lady's do not rest. Theres going to be a lot about this and so much more as the 50th aniversary approaches. It's so exciting that it's all finally happening!

The spritits are there because they cannot cross over because they have the wrong man in prison for these murders. NOBODY ever looked at the women's husbands. The ladies were the ones with all the wealth and money- not the men. How could a small man like Chester Weger kill 3 women? I have also read Mr. Stouts book and do not agree with all the "facts" in the book. What a tragic story

I also have thought the same. I wonder what the psychics will find? Their planning for end of next summer.

I think someone from there should call the TAPS investigators....how cool would it be to see this on the scifi channel....

I was from ottawa il and my family always had picknick,s at the park all summer long. I personaly have been out there all my life, and I was 10 years old when the killers murdered those women. one man could never have put those ladys in the cave, it is just to hard to do. the so called log that they say was the murder weapon [ laugh ] was cut from a tree that was in the canyon and yoused for fire wood. some people were worming themselves while looking for the bodys to come down the walter slid, that was all ice at the time.the fire was put out and the tree was cut down 2 weeks later and the publick never new that the log was burned, and in a very weakened condition. but they told the public it was the murder weapon anyway.when the real murder weapon is realy a knife we all know that. most of the wound,s are not to the head [ although their were plunty of wounds to the heads of these ladys ] most of the wounds were to the bodys.[ big secret ]. the silence of the murphys and the linquist family,s is unbelavable, why because they never caught the killers of there mom. if my mom was murdered and no one was ever tried and convicted for it. I would be hot...you would also. everybody be quiet and let the weger lie grow...

BOBP, just for clarification, you are aware that someone was tried and convicted for these murders. The murderer's confessional was pretty detailed. His reenactment of the murders in the canyon is available as it was taped by NBC. (See the Ottawa Times archive)

yes mike. he was convicted for one of those murders. there is a lot I can say but for now I WILL JUST SAY I HAVE TALKED TO 2 OF THE JURERS on this case and let me just say they were not convenst he did. thank you MIKE.

Mike wrote:

BOBP, just for clarification, you are aware that someone was tried and convicted for these murders. The murderer's confessional was pretty detailed. His reenactment of the murders in the canyon is available as it was taped by NBC.(See the Ottawa Times archive)

Do you know how many innocent men and women are in our prisons because of crooked cops and district attorneys that just want knotches on their belts. How many men have been set free in the past 5 years alone because of wrongfull convictions. Gov. Ryan commuted all of the people on death row because of innocent lives living like animals for something they did not do. Shame on your ignorance.

everybody says this was a sex case and a robbery case. well that is funny because there was no sex involved I have the aultopsy report. no sex. also nothing was ever taken, so how could it be a robbery. quess what? now we got no motive to arrest chester? is that not interesting. why was not chester tried for rape also you figure it out. they called this case a roberry and yet they never mentioned one thing that was missing from the women at the trial. WOW. it is time to DNA those underwear? AND BY THE WAY THE GURDELS WERE CUT WITH A KNIFE.the report also said the women died either on 3-14-1960 or 3-15-1960. is that not something to think about for a while

Well it is time to do the DNA on the underrwear and put an end to the swx lie`s about this case. you can be sure that if the women were rapted that would have been a major part of the trial but there was no sex in this case whatever. and if poeple want the truth then DNA the underwear. everybody that put chester away is afraid to DNA the evadence.

It is a known fact that the wounds to the bodies of the 3 women were in fact trauma wounds mostly about the head and shoulders..There were in fact no knife wounds whatsoever to be found on the bodies..only deep lobe lacerations..In fact the victims were in an advanced state of Hypostasis , not discounting stab wounds but making them highly unlikely due to the fact that blood had pooled inside the body on its lowest level..stab wounds would tend to bleed the body out making Hypostasis less of a possibility..besides the fact that the forensics expert had testified under oath that the pupils of one woman had in fact..." exploded " , due to the blunt force applied to the temporal lobe

This does not exonerate or convict the man accused of this crime however it does point to the log or some other wooden object being used to commit the crimes..due to the fact that wooden fibers were extracted from the scalps of all three victims , then summarily traced to the chunk of wood noted as a forensic exhibit..Again this doesn't point to a killer or a motive ,it only makes it more likely that the log in question had been used to commit the crimes

It should also be noted that the man convicted of the crimes was in fact a ' Boxer ' , probably giving him an edge when it came to ' upper body strength ' . It would seem that swinging a 2 foot log would not pose a great challenge to someone used to throwing punches or at least ' conditioned ' to do so .

CHESTER WAS NOT A BOXER. George spiros was the boxer and he had military training. there was found in MRS Oettings head some wood chips but not the other woman. the fact is these womam did have knife wounds a lot of knife wounds why do you think they dont want to have the bodys look at today?[ simple ]. the Committee to free Chester Weger HAVE THE PICTURES OF THE WOUNDS THEMSELF. Mrs oetting throat was cut from ear to ear.[ just the facks please ]