In the small town of Washington, Indiana, the early morning hours of September 5, 1988, were shattered by the glow of a house fire on Oak Grove Road. A neighbor reported the blaze at Steven Hendricks' rental home around 3:30 a.m. When emergency services arrived, the fire was so intense it was causing the paint on cars in the driveway to bubble and crack. Inside the home, firefighters made a tragic discovery in an upstairs bedroom.
The body of 18-year-old Rebecca Harvey, Steven's girlfriend of just a few weeks, was found on a bed. It was later determined that an accelerant, believed to be gasoline, had been used to start the fire under the bed and that Rebecca had been doused with it. While some initial reports were conflicting, the official cause of death was attributed to the fire.
Amid the chaos and tragedy, 22-year-old Steven Hendricks was nowhere to be found. Investigators quickly realized that all of his personal belongings were left behind. His wallet, keys, boots, and clothing were all at the scene. His car remained in the driveway, and he never returned to his job at Craney's Body Shop to pick up his final paycheck or his tools, valued at $2,000. This led authorities to believe that he had met with foul play. In the initial stages of the investigation, Rebecca's ex-boyfriend was questioned, but he had an alibi and was cleared. Over the years, various leads and rumors have been pursued, including a tip in 2019 that led police to search a local cemetery, though the results of that search have not been publicly disclosed.
The disappearance of Steven Hendricks and the death of Rebecca Harvey have remained a painful mystery for their families and the community for over three decades. Described by his boss as a hard worker and by his sister as caring, funny, and protective, Steven was reportedly excited about his future with Rebecca, to whom he had recently gotten engaged. The couple had only been living together for about two weeks before the fire. The prevailing theory among law enforcement is that Steven was a victim of foul play the same night Rebecca was killed. Despite the passage of time, his case is classified as an endangered missing person, and both his disappearance and Rebecca's death remain unsolved. The lack of answers has left a void in the lives of those who knew them, a silent testament to a tragedy that has yet to find its final chapter. The case is an enduring local mystery, a story of young love cut short by a brutal act of violence and the subsequent vanishing of a young man with a promising future.Last Seen: Sep 3, 1988
