The Untold Truth Of The Burger Chef Murders

On November 17, 1978, it was just another Friday night at a Burger Chef restaurant in Speedway, Indiana. While Burger Chef used to be a major chain, competing with the likes of McDonald's, it's largely forgotten today since it fizzled out in the early 1980s. In fact, the events of this particular night are probably one of the biggest reasons people still remember Burger Chef today.

Four employees staffed the restaurant that night, according to Indianapolis Monthly: 20-year-old assistant manager Jayne Friedt, 17-year-old Ruth Ellen Shelton, and Daniel Davis and Mark Flemmonds, both only 16. It had been an ordinary evening, and the four closed up the store for the night at 11 PM. This was the last time the four were confirmed to be in the store.

At midnight, an unnamed fellow employee who planned to meet up with the four later that night dropped by, but they immediately noticed that something seemed wrong. The rear door of the store, which should have been locked, stood wide open. When they entered the restaurant, they found the safe was also open and completely empty. The registers had also been cleared of cash. The four employees who were supposed to be working that night were nowhere to be found, and Jayne Friedt's white Chevy Vega wasn't parked outside, either.