Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Consolidated Road triple homicide, October 30, 1987


Late in the evening on Friday, October 30, 1987, three individuals were murdered by at least one gunshot to the head in a house located at 2188 Consolidated Road, in Eaton, Ohio. The names of the murdered individuals were David Smelser, Melinda Newcomb, and Donnie Marker. The bodies were not found until the following Monday, 3 days later, at approximately 5:30 p.m. The man who found the bodies was Smelser’s boss, Doug Crowell. After looking through the window and realizing the circumstances, Crowell went next door and called the police.
To this day, the case is open and remains unsolved. The authorities of Preble County believe that it was a professional hit, and that at least one of the victims was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, citizens whisper that there was heavy official involvement, and many witness statements support that theory.
At one point in time, the Ohio Criminal Bureau of Investigation was involved in the investigation, but have since phased out. Many rumors have circulated in the nearly 20 years since the murders, and many ideas as to what happened have developed. Many citizens feel unsafe in the community, and believe that the Consolidated Road murders were not an “unusual happening” and are related to other cases in and around Preble County. A lot of facts about the case have been overlooked by the local authorities, and evidence has gone missing. A few individuals have attempted to perform their own personal investigations into the case and have found some terrifying and disturbing information. This case has many twists and turns, and just as many unanswered questions. This case must be taken out of the hands of Preble County law enforcement if it is ever going to be solved.
One of the victim's daughters recently posted on a local Preble County forum seeking information. She received warnings of danger and sparked a community debate which continues to this day. Long lost friends, family, and witnesses surfaced in the discussions that evolved.... http://www.talkeaton.com/showthread.php?t=1038
The daughter went on to develop a forum devoted to her father's case as well as the many other suspicious cases in Preble County... http://triplehomicide.proboards55.com/

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