A 10 year old boy and his stepmother are murdered in their Franklin, IN home On a summer afternoon in Franklin, Indiana, the tranquility of a suburban neighborhood was shattered by a brutal act of violence that left a young woman and her stepson dead. Twenty-six-year-old Chynna Dickus, a Caucasian female, and ten-year-old Blake Dickus were found murdered in their home on July 24, 2006. The discovery was made by Chynna's husband and Blake's father, Sean Dickus, when he returned from work to a scene of unimaginable horror.
Both Chynna and Blake had been repeatedly stabbed. Further investigation revealed that Blake had also been beaten and smothered.
In the initial stages of the investigation, there were no signs of forced entry into the Dickus home. Investigators looked into a series of unsolved burglaries that had plagued the area in the months leading up to the murders. A distinct pattern emerged in these burglaries: a T-shaped cut was made in window screens to gain entry. One of these burglaries occurred on the same day and on the same street as the murders. Authorities have considered a possible connection between the burglaries and the double homicide, theorizing that the perpetrator may have been interrupted during a break-in at the Dickus residence.
Despite an extensive investigation that has spanned over a decade and involved local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, the case remains unsolved. Hundreds of leads have been followed, and a significant amount of physical evidence has been collected and tested, yet no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The Franklin Police Department continues to treat the Dickus murders as an active investigation, holding out hope that advancements in forensic technology or a new tip will lead to a breakthrough. A reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the deaths of Chynna and Blake Dickus.
