Just this month, the cold cases of the I-65 Killer finally came to a close. Using genetic genealogy, investigators were able to connect the cases to Harry Edward Greenwell, who died of cancer at 68 in 2013. The news came as a shock to Greenwell’s wife, Julie Jenkins, now 73, when it broke. Jenkins spoke of meeting Greenwell after living through an abusive relationship, and that while he had a temper, she never believed he was capable of killing anyone. It was Jenkins who, after being contacted by the FBI, pointed investigators in the direction of Greenwell’s biological son from one of his two previous marriages to confirm the genetic analysis already conducted (Flynn, 2022)(Vigdor, 2022)(Nelson, 2022).
It began back in the late 1980s, with the murder of Vicki Heath. Heath, a 42-year old mother of two, worked as a night clerk for the Super 8 motel in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. On February 21, 1987, local authorities were called by guests at the motel about the missing clerk and the lobby of the motel being torn apart. Authorities arrived to investigate and soon found the missing clerk, by a trash bin behind the establishment. Heath had been assaulted before being shot twice in the head (Flynn, 2022)(Vigdor, 2022)(Nelson, 2022).
Two more murders would occur in 1989, on the same day approximately two and a half hours apart. Margaret Gill, also known as Peggy, 24, was working at the Days Inn in Merrillville, Indiana at the time. She worked as a night auditor, similar to third victim Jeanne Gilbert, 34. Gill was found by a passing motorist in the parking lot of the motel on March 3, 1989. Gilbert, a mother of two much like Heath, worked as a part-time auditor for the Remington, Indiana Days Inn motel. She was abducted at gunpoint and found later, 15 miles from the abduction site. Her remains were found in a ditch near a local farm. Both victims were killed with the same .22-caliber handgun, and over $400 had been stolen from the motels by the attacker (Flynn, 2022)(Vigdor, 2022)(Nelson, 2022).
The final confirmed victim of Greenwell, and the only known survivor, was attacked in January of 1990. The unnamed victim, listed only as Jane Doe, worked at the Days Inn motel in Columbus, Indiana at the time. The 21-year old was raped at knifepoint and the motel was robbed, before the young woman was able to escape her attacker. At the time of the attack, Doe was able to give investigators a description of her attacker that generated a sketch. She described her attacker as a man with greasy hair and a beard, as well as a lazy green eye, and wearing a hat. Later, DNA evidence would link this attack to the other victims and Greenwell (Flynn, 2022)(Vigdor, 2022)(Nelson, 2022).
Greenwell had a criminal history going back to the 1960s. He was sentenced to two years in reformatory and five years of probation for armed robbery in Kentucky in 1963, and arrested for sodomy charges in 1965. He was paroled in 1969 from Kentucky State Penitentiary and later served time in Iowa for burglary. He reportedly escaped and was recaptured twice during this time and was eventually released from prison in 1983. One of his wives reportedly died in a fire, but it is not currently believed that she is one of his victims. As of right now, the case remains open, as more cases could be connected to Greenwell through DNA. As Jenkins said, serial killers aren’t known to just stop, it is likely that he had more victims we do not yet know of (Flynn, 2022)(Vigdor, 2022)(Nelson, 2022).
Flynn, S. (2022, April 7). Exclusive: Wife of I-65 serial killer reveals Secret life that let him go undetected. The Independent. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/i-65-killer-harry-edward-greenwell-widow-b2052394.html
Vigdor, N. (2022, April 5). ‘I-65 killer’ who terrorized motel clerks in the 1980s is identified. The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/us/i65-killer-indiana-kentucky.html
Nelson, S. (2022, April 5). Man known as the ‘I-65 killer’ has been revealed, bringing closure to Decadeslong Search. USA Today. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/04/05/interstate-65-serial-killer-identified-harry-edward-greenwell/9470242002/
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