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Cold Case: Indiana ‘Slasher’ has a name 48 years after three girls left for dead in cornfield

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Cold Case: Indiana ‘Slasher’ has a name 48 years after three girls left for dead in cornfield


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Thomas Edward Williams has been named the suspect behind the 1975 cold case that involved three girls and a man who detectives at the time said was ‘hunting.’

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Williams — dubbed the ‘Slasher’ by police and the victims — died at age 49 in November 1983 inside a prison in Galveston, Texas. At the time of the abduction, Williams lived near the site of the kidnapping. DNA from pieces of evidence further confirmed through testing against Williams’ daughter led to his identification as the suspect, police said Thursday.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police announced the major break in the nearly 50-year-old case Thursday.

Background of the ‘Slasher’ case

In 1975, three girls trying to reach an amusement center hitchhiked along the 800 block of East Washington Street when a man picked them up. They soon realized something was wrong when the front passenger door was missing an inside door handle.

The man, suspected to be in his 40s, drove the girls past the teen hangout and continued east into Hancock County, eventually heading off a county road and into a cornfield.

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There, he raped the youngest girl, 11 years old at the time, stabbed her three times in the throat and another 15 times in her chest. He then slashed the throats of the 13-year-old and 14-year-old and left them all for dead.

“I heard him wrestling around, the car door shut and the car start,” the oldest victim told IndyStar during an interview in February 2018. “I was trying to see which way he was going to go because I wanted to get the heck out of there and (13-year-old) grabbed my leg and it scared me so I fell down, I didn’t know which way he went.”

The two couldn’t find the youngest victim, who was the oldest victim’s sister. The man had dragged her further back into the field. The oldest two girls said they thought he took her.

“He picked me up and tossed me into the cornfield,” the youngest victim told IndyStar. She then passed out.

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The two oldest victims crawled out of the field and onto US-40 in an attempt to wave down help. Three men pulled over to pick them up, took them to a motel and phoned authorities.

One officer, who arrived first on the motel scene, compared the cuts to the girls’ necks as appearing similar to that of an accordion.

Law enforcement then returned to the field to find the youngest victim.

A manhunt ensues, but the case goes cold after charges dropped

A manhunt for the assailant ensued for years. Newspaper clippings shared leads and provided suspect sketches from what the girls relayed to artists. A police detective in one news article stated the picture matched the description of a suspect known for abducting and raping girls from east-side schools. The Marion County Sheriff at the time detailed 12 detectives to the case.

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In December 1975, roughly four months after the attacks, Marion County prosecutors told The Daily Reporter that they had identified a Homer man as a suspect but no charges had been brought.

The search continued but the case eventually turned cold.

Marisa Kwiatkowski and Mykal McEldowney contributed to this report.

Contact Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com



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Indianapolis, IN

Cooler temps Friday with some afternoon sun, warmer weekend | March 27, 2026

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Cooler temps Friday with some afternoon sun, warmer weekend | March 27, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH-TV) – All of the rain has moved off to the south and east of us. Cooler temperatures have settled in and will be here through the first part of the weekend. We warm back up late in the weekend and into much of next week.

Moderate to heavy rain fell yesterday and into the overnight hours. Some locations across parts of Central Indiana picking up an inch or two of rainfall. This will definitely help where drought conditions are in place for northern sections of Indiana.

TODAY: We will hang on to you some cloud cover early this morning before more sunshine peeks out later in the afternoon. Look for breezy conditions with winds out of the North and Northeast gusting at times near 20 mph. Temperatures later this afternoon will be right around 48 degrees.

TONIGHT: If you are heading to the Pacers game or the home opener of the Indianapolis Indians you will not need the rain gear. Bring along the layers though because we will see chilly conditions. Either at first pitch or pregame those temperatures will be into the middle forties. Readings will fall around 28 degrees overnight under mostly clear skies. 

TOMORROW: You will need the jacket in the morning early Saturday however with lots of sunshine for the afternoon temperatures warm up a little bit more. It will be seasonally cool with light and variable winds and high temperatures near 50. 

7 DAY EXTENDED FORECAST: Clouds increase on your Sunday Look for partly cloudy skies with high temperatures a little warmer. Look for readings right around 61. 

Temperatures continue to climb heading into next week. Look for a partly to mostly cloudy sky Monday with highs near 71. On Tuesday we get close to 80° but our rain chances do increase especially late Tuesday. We’ll see temperatures above normal with more rain possible on Wednesday and Thursday.



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Colts free agent running back signs with Atlanta Falcons

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Colts free agent running back signs with Atlanta Falcons


ATLANTA (WISH) — Tyler Goodson, who played for the Indianapolis Colts the past three seasons, is joining a new team.

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Thursday that they have signed the free agent running back.

Goodson appeared in 33 games during his time in Indy, rushing for a total of 234 yards. He had one rushing touchdown back in 2024.

The rushing touchdown came during the Colts’ win over the Miami Dolphins that season. The rushing touchdown in that matchup was Goodson’s first career NFL touchdown during the regular season.

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“For me it was a lot more exciting,” Goodson said following that game. “A moment I’ve been waiting for and it’s just surreal for me to be in this position. And I just thank God for it.”

Goodson also had 103 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown with the Colts. The receiving touchdown also came during the 2024 season, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The move to the Falcons will be a homecoming of sorts for Goodson, who is a native of Suwanee, Georgia. He also attended North Gwinnett High School.



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Butler PD seeks help identifying suspects in Hinkle Fieldhouse break-in

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Butler PD seeks help identifying suspects in Hinkle Fieldhouse break-in


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Butler University Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a group of people who broke into and vandalized Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The incident happened sometime Saturday, according to a post from Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.

Security camera video of the group – four males and one female – shows them entering the fieldhouse through a side door, entering one at a time before turning and disappearing out of view.

Crime Stoppers says the group vandalized a concession stand, stole alcoholic drinks, and then stole a $12,000 headset. Butler PD estimates the stolen communication equipment is valued at around $15,000.

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Anyone with information was asked to contact Crime Stoppers. Officials say a reward of up to $1,000 will be offered for details leading to any arrests.



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