A few days before Christmas 1939, Stephen Melkey was struck by a car near South Bend, Indiana, and thrown nearly 40 feet through the air before landing. When the police arrived, they found that someone had tied his hands behind his back and taped his eyes and mouth shut. Had someone meant for him to be struck by a car on the highway, or had they left him to die in the freezing temperatures?
Sources
Stephen Samuel “Steve” Melkey. Findagrave.com
Kidnap Victim Killed by Car. South Bend Tribune, 12/22/1939
New ‘Woman Angle’ Traced in Melkey’s Kidnap Death. South Bend Tribune, 12/23/1939
Kidnap Death Theory Traced. South Bend Tribune, 12/24/1939
Kidnap Clews Lacking. South Bend Tribune, 12/26/1939
Find New Lead in Melkey Case. South Bend Tribune, 12/28/1939
Melkey Probe at Standstill. The South Bend Tribune, 12/29/2939
Probe Renewed in ‘Blind’ Death. The South Bend Tribune, 1/7/1940
Pair Cleared in Lie Test on Melkey Test. South Bend Tribune, 1/8/1940