On January 25, 1967, 35-year-old Lois Ann Williams and her teenage daughter, Karen Williams, disappeared from their apartment in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their absence was not immediately noticed, and it was Lois's parents, who lived out of state, who reported them missing on February 9th after being unable to contact them for two weeks. When authorities entered their apartment in the 7100 block of East 21st Street, they found a scene that suggested a sudden and unplanned departure.
A lamp had been left on, and one of Karen's schoolbooks was open on a table. Adding to the ominous atmosphere was the fact that both Lois's and Karen's coats were still in the closet, a peculiar detail given the cold January weather. All of their personal belongings appeared to be untouched, indicating they had not packed for a trip.
The investigation into their disappearance soon focused on a local service station owner named Melvin Chelcie "Ted" Carr. Lois was acquainted with Carr as she frequently took her car to his station located at 21st Street and Shadeland Avenue. After she and her daughter vanished, Lois's 1957 Pontiac was found at Carr's service station with mud on the tires. A neighbor of Carr's, who also worked at the station, told authorities that he saw Lois and Carr leave together in Carr's vehicle on the evening she disappeared. According to the witness, Carr returned about two hours later, alone and appearing angry. Further raising suspicion, Lois had written a letter to her parents shortly before her disappearance, claiming that Carr had sexually assaulted her and offered her a significant amount of money to remain silent. In the letter, she also mentioned that Carr had expressed a desire to marry her.
Despite the mounting circumstantial evidence against him, authorities lacked the direct proof needed to charge Carr in connection with the disappearances of Lois and Karen Williams. The case grew cold over the next decade until a gruesome discovery in 1977 brought Carr back into the spotlight. On April 20, 1977, Carr was found deceased in his garage from carbon monoxide poisoning. In the trunk of his car were the bodies of a 24-year-old woman with whom he was having an affair, her young son, and a 17-year-old girl. Investigators determined that Carr had kidnapped and sexually assaulted the two females before killing them with exhaust fumes, accidentally succumbing to the poison himself in the process. This event solidified the belief that Carr was a serial predator. In the wake of his death, police excavated his property in an unsuccessful search for the remains of Lois and Karen. This case is an overview of the events surrounding the disappearance of Lois Ann Williams. To this day, Lois and her daughter Karen have never been located, and it is presumed they met with foul play.Last Seen: Jan 25, 1967
