Donna Hyde, a 34-year-old white female beautician, was brutally murdered on December 3, 1977, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. She lived with her husband, Richard Hyde, and their two young daughters, Kelli and Kari. Richard was the principal of Fern Hollow Elementary School, and Donna operated a beauty salon from their home. That night, Richard was speaking on the phone when he heard glass shatter in another part of the house. As he investigated, he passed a loaded gun on a nightstand but did not take it. Moments later, he was shot in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun and collapsed in the kitchen.
Donna, who had been in the hallway bathroom, attempted to flee the scene. She ran barefoot through snow and mud, trying to reach her father-in-law's nearby home. However, the terrain proved too difficult, and she changed course toward other houses. Tragically, she never made it. Her body was discovered the following day in a wooded area about two miles from her home, lying face-up under a pine tree. She was clothed only in a sweater and one sock, with her pants and underwear balled up nearby. Donna had been bludgeoned to death with a blunt object, possibly a blackjack. The injuries to her head were so severe that, had she survived, she would have suffered permanent brain damage. Authorities found no evidence of sexual assault.
The couple's daughters were unharmed. Reports vary on whether they hid during the attack or slept through it, but Kelli discovered her father's body the next morning and contacted authorities. The murders shocked the community and intensified fears in the region, which had already seen a string of unsolved killings. The slayings of Richard and Donna Hyde were the 26th and 27th in southwestern Pennsylvania since March 1976.
Investigators linked the shotgun shell found at the Hyde residence to another double homicide in Beaver County, suggesting a possible connection. The prime suspect in the Hyde murders was Edward Surratt, a former truck driver from Aliquippa who was suspected in at least 18 killings across Pennsylvania and Ohio. Although widely believed to be responsible for the Hyde murders, Surratt was never charged in their deaths. He later confessed to other homicides but denied involvement in the Hyde case. He remains incarcerated in Florida, serving multiple life sentences.
Despite decades passing, the murders of Donna Hyde and her husband remain officially unsolved. Their deaths left a lasting impact on the community, and the school where Richard worked was renamed Richard J. Hyde Elementary in his honor.
