Indianapolis, IN

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

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

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

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.’

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.

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.

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.

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

Philip Rivers comes out of retirement for Indianapolis Colts: NFL world reacts

Published

12 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Philip Rivers comes out of retirement for Indianapolis Colts: NFL world reacts

The Indianapolis Colts have cooled considerably as the season has progressed, going from the NFL’s best record to out of the playoff picture entering Week 15 action.

But one of today’s notable storylines is the return of quarterback Philip Rivers after five years away from the NFL. He’s on the Colts’ active roster as they prepare to play the Seattle Seahawks.

The 44-year-old was on Lumen Field hours before kickoff, taking mental reps.

Colts QB Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending injury last week, and backup Riley Leonard suffered a knee injury, though he remains on the active roster. With Brett Rypien the only other QB on their roster and list of available QBs lacking, the Colts called the last signal-caller to lead them in a playoff game (after the 2020 season).

His comeback has piqued the interest of a former Colts coach and players, his former teammates on the Chargers, former NFL quarterbacks and even those from outside football.

Reaction to Philip Rivers being on the Indianapolis Colts today

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

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Indianapolis, IN

How much snow did Indiana get? Snow totals for Dec. 13

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

How much snow did Indiana get? Snow totals for Dec. 13

As snow begins to taper off through Indiana, the National Weather Service has begun receiving reports of snow totals.

Here’s how much snow has been reported so far on Dec. 13, according to the NWS.

Snow totals in the Indianapolis area

Carmel: 5.8 inches at 8:01 p.m.

Cumberland: 5 inches at 7:25 p.m.

Indianapolis International Airport: 5 inches at 7:06 p.m.

Brownsburg: 5.7 inches at 6:37 p.m.

Fishers: 5.5 inches at 6:28 p.m.

Westfield: 5.5 inches at 6:05 p.m.

Franklin: 5.1 inches at 5:26 p.m.

Avon: 4.8 inches at 5:25 p.m.

Downtown Indianapolis: 3.5 inches at 5:10 p.m.

Snow totals around Indiana

Dillsboro: 4.5 inches at 8 p.m.

Nashville: 5.5 inches at 7:40 p.m.

Hope: 5.4 inches at 7:33 p.m.

Greensburg: 5 inches at 7:10 p.m.

Rushville: 5 inches at 6:50 p.m.

Batesville: 4.7 inches at 6:30 p.m.

Selma: 6 inches at 6:20 p.m.

Anderson: 6 inches at 5:56 p.m.

Terre Haute: 5.4 inches at 5:50 p.m.

Thorntown: 6 inches at 5:05 p.m.

(This story will be updated)

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Colts sign Philip Rivers to active roster for Sunday’s game

Published

2 days ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Indianapolis Colts sign Philip Rivers to active roster for Sunday’s game

The Indianapolis Colts signed Philip Rivers from their practice squad to their 53-man active roster on Saturday, clearing the way for the 44-year-old coach of the St. Michael Catholic High School football team to start their NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.

Nearly five years after his most recent NFL appearance, the former Athens High School star and eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback answered the Colts’ distress call this week and, after three practices with the team, will be eligible to lead Indianapolis against the NFL’s No. 2 scoring defense on Sunday. NFL Network and ESPN reported the Colts would have Rivers in their starting lineup.

Rivers’ comeback began by signing with the Colts’ practice squad on Tuesday. Each NFL team has a 16-player practice squad. Its members do everything that the members of the 53-man active roster do except play in games.

PHILIP RIVERS ON HIS RETURN TO THE NFL: ‘I KIND OF THOUGHT THAT SHIP HAD SAILED’

On Saturday, the Colts announced they had signed Rivers to their active roster. Indianapolis had an open spot for the quarterback after it placed former Auburn All-American Braden Smith on injured reserve. The Colts’ right offensive tackle came out of the previous game with a concussion and a neck injury, and he was not able to practice this week.

At his Friday press conference, Colts coach Shane Steichen declined to name a starting quarterback, saying the coaching staff would work toward that decision now that Rivers had completed his preparation on the practice field for Sunday’s game.

During the week, Rivers took snaps with Indianapolis’ first-team offense, as did former Fairhope High School star Riley Leonard.

“He’s got great command in the huddle,” Steichen said of Rivers’ practices. “He was throwing it well. So, yeah, we’re excited for it. I mean, he’s fired up for the challenge, obviously, getting back into it, getting back into the fold. Feeling the pass rush, got some good work in that, just moving around seeing the defense. It was good. …

“I mean, a guy that hasn’t been out there in five years, to go out and practice the way he did this week was pretty impressive to watch.”

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The Colts lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles-tendon injury in Sunday’s 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and finished the game with Leonard at quarterback. The sixth-round rookie completed 18-of-29 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and ran two times for 5 yards and one touchdown.

In reaction to Jones’ injury, and with backup quarterback Anthony Richardson on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone, Indianapolis stunned the football world by signing Rivers, who made the most recent of his 256 NFL appearances at quarterback on Jan. 9, 2021.

CAM NEWTON: PHILIP RIVERS’ COMEBACK ‘A SLAP IN MY FACE’

Rivers is among the five players in NFL history with at least 60,000 passing yards, 400 touchdown passes and a passing-efficiency rating of 95 or higher, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.

Rivers also is among the modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. By joining the Indianapolis active roster, Rivers is no longer eligible for consideration. Because players must be inactive for five complete seasons before enshrinement, Rivers won’t be eligible for consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame until the Class of 2031, if he doesn’t play beyond this season.

Five players have thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game after turning 44 years old – Brady, George Blanda, Steve DeBerg, Warren Moon and Vinnie Testaverde.

The Colts and Seahawks square off at 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle. The weather forecast calls for a rainy game.

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