A woman is killed by a large rock thrown from an overpass In the early hours of August 27, 1991, Marsa Gipson, a 28-year-old Caucasian female, was driving westbound on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, Indiana. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, Stanley Hamby, on their way to Terre Haute to pick up her two young daughters. As their car passed under the Manhattan Road overpass at approximately 1:13 a.m., their journey was violently interrupted.
At least two individuals were seen on the overpass as two large rocks, each weighing over 15 pounds, were thrown, crashing through the windshield of Gipson's vehicle. One of the rocks struck Gipson, inflicting fatal blunt force trauma to her head and chest. Despite her catastrophic injuries, she managed to bring the car to a stop before she died at the scene. Her boyfriend sustained only minor injuries.
The death of Marsa Gipson was the tragic culmination of a series of similar rock-throwing incidents from the Manhattan overpass and others nearby in the preceding months. While none of the previous eight reported incidents had resulted in serious injury, they had created a climate of fear. After Gipson's death, the rock-throwing incidents abruptly stopped. Law enforcement officials believe they have identified the individuals responsible for her death, a group of local men between the ages of 19 and 23 known for their disruptive behavior, which included drinking, theft, and vandalism. This group was frequently seen congregating on the overpasses.
Despite the police's belief, no one has ever been officially charged with Marsa Gipson's murder. Years after the incident, a member of the suspected group came forward in a newspaper interview. He admitted to participating in throwing objects from overpasses with the group on other occasions but denied being present on the night of Gipson's death and claimed to not know who was responsible. Reportedly, after interviewing all members of the group, only two individuals lacked alibis for that night. A witness reported seeing two men in a pickup truck, matching the description from a separate rock-throwing incident, stealing a large rock from his yard on the same day Gipson was killed.
In a surprising turn of events in August 1997, an arrest was made in the case. However, this action was taken against the advice of the prosecutor, who warned in a memo that there was insufficient evidence to file murder charges. The case remains a cold case, a source of enduring pain for Gipson's family. Her father maintains a small memorial cross at the site of her death, a poignant reminder of a life cut short. He noted that at some point, a smaller cross was carved into the larger one, an act he interprets as a sign of guilt from someone with knowledge of the crime. Marsa Gipson left behind two daughters who were just 9 and 10 years old at the time of their mother's tragic death.
