1958 incident report

YOKNAPATAWPHA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT 

Lead investigator: Detective J. McPhail
Date: Friday, 4/11/58
Weather: Clear, mild, temp at 64 F
Arrived on scene: 1505 hours

Responding: Deputy L. Kuhn, Deputy G. Lamb, Deputy P. Moffett; Detective D. Lyon, County Ambulance from Baptist w/C. Bartell, arrival 1501 to 1505

Location: Richard and Lisa Izard, County Road 106, Box 209, Oxford, two-story and finished attic dormer third floor, brown wood frame structure with white trim, 5 windows front second, 4 windows and door first, five windows south side 3 upper, 2 lower facing scene

Situated: West side County Road 106, .62 miles south intersection County Road 129, .53 miles north of bridge at Hurricane Creek.
Summons: phone call from location by Thomas Hinkley, RR # 3, Box 109, Oxford, at 1452 to Sheriff and county ambulance service reporting possible double homicide and missing children

On scene at first response: (Lamb and Moffett 1501 hours) T. Hinkley located in area south of scene, near fence line at Hawkins Creek to southwest of garden.

Witnesses: No eyewitness known. Bodies discovered at approx. 1445 hours by Thomas Hinkley mail carrier.

Missing Persons: children LeAnne Izard (DOB: 6/21/55, age: 2 years, 10 months), Richard "Ricky" Izard, (DOB: 3/17/52, age: 6 years) assigned to Detective D. Lyon with Deputy P. Moffett.

Homicide Victims:

Victim One:

Richard Izard, DOB: 8/29/25 (32 yrs.), approx. 6 ft., 180 lbs., blonde hair, light build, found lying face up in approx. southwest to northeast orientation with head to southwest between house and vegetable garden.

Appearance of heavily bleeding wounds inflicted to top and left side of head area, evidence of cutting wounds to arms and chest, extensive wounds to mouth/jaw. Possible dislocation of left jaw, missing teeth on left. Bloodstains under head and neck area indicate profuse bleeding, pooling remains liquid, red to brown in color, measures an area approx. 18 by 13 inches with what appears to be broken tooth fragment. Wounds appear to be a combination of blunt force and cutting wounds.

Victim One appears to have fallen and bled where found. Blood spatter patterns extend to north / northeast up to 48 inches from body, to west extending up to 39 inches from body.

Body shows early lividity to right side facial area. The body is still warm to the touch. Victim One appears to have been dead for a short time before discovery.

Witness T. Hinkley reports finding no pulse or respiration in Victim One when he arrived on the scene at approximately 1445 hours. Body was found by Hinkley lying in the same location slightly to the right side. Hinkley reports rolling the body to prone position to check for pulse in carotid artery and listened to chest and mouth for respiration and heartbeat. Hinkley reports the body was warm.

Victim One is wearing white button-down shirt with sleeves rolled to elbow, ragged tears in wound areas, top two buttons torn away; denim work pants; brown steel-tipped work boots. Boot soles and heels appear to be dirt-encrusted, likely from the garden. Pants pockets are found turned out with no contents. There is dirt on Victim One's white shirt, possibly from being kicked or hit in the left ribs.

Manner of death appears to be homicide.

A garden shovel measuring 58.75 inches in overall length situated 2 feet from the body to the northwest appears to be the murder weapon. Shovel is covered with dirt, blood, and hair evident on both handle and shovel blade. Hinkley reports he did not touch the pockets or search the victim, did not touch or move shovel.

Brown garden gloves, well-worn and dirt-encrusted, are found near Victim One, appear to be Bowlan-made gloves. Victim One appears to have been working in the vegetable garden 2.75 feet to the south of body at the time of the attack. There is some area of disturbed dirt in the bed at 3.75 feet and two crushed tomato plants, possibly indicating a struggle. No clear footprints are found at that location.

Shoe prints that appear to match Victim One's boots are found in the rows nearest the body. Castings made.

Victim One's right hand appears to have a clod of dirt in the fist. Both hands show dirt on the hands and under nails. Appearance suggests Victim One may have grabbed up handfuls of dirt at some point in the attack.

There is a thin gold wedding band on Victim One's left ring finger. There are wounds to the hands and forearms suggesting defense wounds.

Victim Two:

Lisa Izard, DOB: 2/2/31 (27 yrs.) approx. 5' 5", 100 to 105 lbs., light build, brown hair, found lying face up, slightly to left, legs bent to left, left arm perpendicular to body to left, right arm crosses chest. Body is oriented with head to northwest, feet diagonally oriented to southeast approx. 4.5 feet from victim one. Shovel lies roughly equidistant between bodies.

Victim Two is wearing a blue print dress with white flowers, trim and buttons, full white butcher's-type apron, white belt, white shoes. Left earring is crushed, appear to be small seashells or pearls.

Victim Two appears to have sustained fatal blunt force injuries to head and shoulder area, particularly to the left side. Left side of head and shoulder covered with blood. Bloodstains on left arm and chest area. Little pooling under body approx. area 6 inches by 4 inches, drying and brown in color.

Lividity developing on left cheek, underside of left arm and legs. Body is warm to touch. Hands are empty and appear clean. There is a thin gold wedding band on the left ring finger. There is a wound on the right forearm, possible defense injury.

Hinkley states he did not move body, felt for pulse in neck and listened for respiration and heartbeat finding none.

Victim Two appears to have been hanging wash on the clothesline to the rear of house. Probable that Victim Two was not initially in view of assailant. Supposition that victim two came to the aid of victim one and was then struck down. Wet wash is found in a southeast diagonal path from clothesline to scene. It appears the shovel was the weapon used against victim two and that little opportunity existed for struggle or self-defense prior to death.

Coroner William Graves, MD arrived on scene 1635 hours, removed victims at 1740 hours to Baptist Hospital morgue. Preliminary opinion: homicide due to head trauma, time of death estimate between 1345 and 1445 hours.

Measurements:

Victim One, Richard Izard, is found lying 150 feet south of house measured from front southeast corner of house to feet, head is 151 feet 8 inches south, head is 2.75 feet north of garden edge, body is 510 feet due west of County Road 106, head is 2 feet to southeast from victim's head.

Victim Two, Lisa Izard, is found lying 149 feet south of house, 2 feet 10 inches from shovel to southeast, feet are 4 feet 6 inches northwest of chest of victim one, body is found 390 feet southeast of clothesline situated behind the house.

Wet clothing is found between the clothesline and Victim Two on the 390-foot diagonal path from clothesline: at 120 feet a white shirt, 180 feet a child's pink dress, at 210 feet two entwined kitchen towels.

Crime scene is located 720 feet south of Catlett house measured from southwest rear corner of house near kitchen window, scene view is obscured by fence and trees. Scene is located 510 feet due west of County Road 106 view obscured from roadway by stand of trees. Due west of scene to Hawkins house measures distance of 900 feet to front southwest corner, 1080 feet to rear southeast kitchen area. View obscured by numerous stands of trees.

Driveway measures 210 feet from County Road 106 to south direction curve, location Elroy Murphy reports last seeing missing child Ricky Izard, south direction section measures 120 feet, scene visible at 118 feet. Line of sight to body of Victim One from this location measures 660 feet, west curve measures 360 feet to northeast corner of house and a total of 540 feet to end of drive. Total drive length measures .16 miles. Box 209, Izard house is set back 570 feet from County Road 106.

County Road 106 property distances: Bland Box 213 lies 420 feet north of Catlett Box 211, Bland set back is 315 feet. Catlett Box 211 lies 360 feet north of Izard Box 209, set back at 420 feet to porch. Izard Box 209 drive at County Road 106 lies .24 miles north of pasture gate used as bus turn. Waithers Box 210 lies 240 feet north of Izard drive Box 209 and 600 feet north of Hawkins Box 208, set back is 510 feet.

Evidence collected

Outside Izard residence:

Shovel: Shovel is 58.75 inches in overall length. Wood handle measures 47 inches and is 1.25 inches in diameter, steel shovel blade and sheath measure 19.75 inches. The blade is 11.5 inches in length and measures 8.25 inches wide at widest point handle end, 2 inches across at tip of blade. Measuring from top of handle farthest from blade, two areas are devoid of blood or spatter and likely indicate where the handle was held, these areas are located at from 3.75 inches to 8 inches (4.25-inch span), and at 29.5 to 34 inches (4.5-inch span). Blood spatter is clearly present at all other locations. Blade base and edges have coagulated blood and hair embedded along with caked soil.

Tooth recovered in blood pool under left facial area of Victim One, Richard Izard. Blood samples collected from pool.

Wash consisting of man's white shirt, child's pink dress, two kitchen towels taken from yard.

One full footprint cast and one partial cast taken from garden area near Victim One, Richard Izard.

Samples of soil taken from garden, body locations, driveway near house. Victim One's shoes bagged to preserve evidence and soil for comparison.

Garden gloves found near Victim One, Richard Izard.

Child's school bookbag, blue and red with red vinyl shoulder strap and Mickey Mouse emblem found near driveway at 210 feet from roadway, identified as belonging to Ricky Izard, containing school papers bearing child's name and library book with Hamblett Elementary School library stamp.

Driveway: two vehicles registered to Richard Izard are located in the driveway, one Rambler parked and unlocked at end of drive to north side of house, front bumper at 375 feet from curve. Directly behind Rambler is Ford pickup registered to Richard Izard, unlocked, keys in vehicle, front bumper at 359 feet from curve. At location 263 feet from curve are found several partial tire tracks in sparse graveled dirt, tread pattern differs from Izard vehicles. Three casts taken.

Package addressed to Richard Izard from Sears and Roebuck containing one pair brown steel-toe work shoes, size 11.

Inside Izard residence:

Front and rear doors are unlocked. Rear door open with screen door unlatched. Search of house shows no evidence of robbery or vandalism, orderly appearance. Dirt tracks are found on kitchen floor near playpen located 10 feet from the rear door to the southwest corner of the room. Traces of blood on the top railing of the playpen and one drop of blood found on floor of playpen suggest that younger child, LeAnne Izard, was taken from this location by person or persons unknown. Playpen taken into evidence, photographs of dirt prints and dirt taken into evidence.

In master bedroom, front room to northeast corner of second floor, envelope bearing the label of United Garment Workers containing $500 in $20 bills is found in 5-drawer men's dresser, third drawer from top. Taken into evidence.

From living room bookshelf, a family photo album is taken into evidence containing photographs labeled through March 1958.

No additional evidence removed from house.

Victim One, Richard Izard's wallet was not found on the scene, on the victim's person or in the house, presumed stolen from body by assailant.

Evidence chain Detective J. McPhail logged in YCSD lockers 2020 hours.

Scene secured by Detective D. Lyon and Deputy P. Moffett at 2100 hours.