Chicago’s Most Haunted: The Unsolved Murders of the Grime Sisters

Chicago has a violent and bloody history full of tales that would make your toes curl and your hair stand on end. One of the worst stories involving the city is one that remains unsolved even today. That is the story of the Grimes sisters, Barbara and Patricia. Their fate was so horrific and gruesome that some believe they still haunt the town today. In particular, they are believed to haunt a road known as German Church Road.

The day was Dec. 28, 1956, just a few short days after Christmas. Barbara was only 15, while Patricia was just 13. The two girls left home to see the Elvis movie Love Me Tender at the nearby Brighton Theater. The last time they were seen alive was 11 pm, catching a bus close to the theater.

Their brother and sister headed out to look for the two, but found no trace of them. All across the city people began coming forward with claims that they had seen the two sisters. A fellow student claimed to see them at Angelo’s Restaurant. At the same time the girls were supposedly seen at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. They were also seen asking for directions, and on board a CTA bus. A hotel clerk at the Unity Hotel stated that they tried to book a room there, and workers of a record store claimed the girls were there looking at Elvis records. All of those reports of potential sightings came after the girls disappeared.

Police assumed the girls were runaways, and most of the public believed the same thing. Elvis himself even issued a statement, urging the girls to come home. The only person who didn’t believe that story was their mother. Her worries seemed to come true after she received a ransom note. She followed the instructions carefully, but no one ever appeared. It was later discovered that an inmate at a mental institution had sent the letter.

One of the girls’ friends also claimed to hear from the girls, long after police assumed they were dead. A young girl called the classmate’s house late at night, waking both their parents. The mother heard only a few words spoken, but believed it to be Patricia.

The bodies of the two teenagers were discovered on Jan. 22, 1957. Police responded to a report from a construction worker who spotted something off to the side of the road. The two girls were laying on the edge of the road, near a creek, looking more like rag dolls than actual humans.

The examiners estimated that the girls had probably been killed elsewhere and then dumped at the spot. They even believed that they may have been there for nearly two weeks. Police also compared the murders to a similar case involving boys during 1955. Those three boys had disappeared after attending a movie. They were seen later that night, and found dead in a ditch just a few days later.

The bodies of the Grimes sisters were found naked on the side of the road. The location where they were found was so cold that the bodies actually had to be thawed before the autopsy. According to reports, Patricia suffered from a broken nose, three large wounds on her stomach, and a severe beating. Barbara had been stabbed repeatedly with an ice pick, and had some large bruises on her head. The doctors could not determine a time of death, nor a cause of death. Eventually the doctors decided that the girls died of exposure and shock, and listed the day of their death as the night they disappeared.

The police eventually quested more than 2,000 people who they believed were serious leads. One interesting suspect was a teenage boy who confessed to the crimes while taking a lie detector test. Unfortunately minors could not be given the test, and his confession was thrown out. Later, the same man killed a woman and spent time in prison.

A few months later one of the investigators began digging into more evidence regarding the girls, and pointing at holes in the case. He proved that the girls weren’t murdered the night they disappeared, but at least a week later. He further examined the coroner’s reports and claimed that the girls were severely beaten. He also pointed out that Barbara was molester prior to the murder. This led police to admit that the girls were probably kidnapped by someone who sexually abused them before murdering them. There were also reports that the girls were sexually active prior to the murders, and were known for frequenting bars in the area.

The murder of the two girls still remains unsolved, though there are some theories that exist as to his or her identity. One theory claims the girls were taken to the location by someone who wanted to lure the girls into prostitution. When they refused, the man killed them. Some even claim the girls may have already known the man. Others believe that an unknown stranger who offered them a ride that fateful night killed the girls.

Today some believe that the ghosts of the Grimes sisters haunt this stretch of German Church Road. Some claimed to see a man wandering through the woods. At one time there was a house behind the spot where the bodies were dumped. The family abandoned their house after the murders, and it was eventually torn down. Whether this was some type of spirit, or the owner of the house is unclear.

Another ghost story told about the area involves the ghost of the killer. Several people claim to hear the sound of a car stopping, the sounds of someone dropping something in the bushes, followed by the car driving away. This despite there not being a car there. Others claim to have actually seen a ghostly car. Then there are stories of those who see two bodies lying alongside the road. When the police were called, no signs of any bodies were found.

The murder of the Grimes sisters remain unsolved even today, yet some claim the tragedy of what happened has left its impact on the area. Even in death, the two girls remain.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_sisters

http://www.ghostguides.com/darkside.html