In the summer of 1995, eight-year-old Sarah Lynn Paulsen was a bright and somewhat shy second-grader at Aylesworth Elementary School in Portage, Indiana. A curious and gentle child, she had a love for playing softball and was fascinated by insects and frogs. Her quiet life in the small community was tragically cut short, sending shockwaves of fear and grief through her neighborhood and beyond.
On the morning of August 22, 1995, Sarah was riding her bicycle in a church parking lot near
her home. A short time later, a person walking their dog discovered her body in a nearby wooded area, placed under a pine tree. Her bike and sandals were found nearby. The devastating loss of the young girl left her family and the community reeling. More than 400 mourners, many wearing pink ribbons in her memory, attended her funeral to grieve the sudden and violent end to such a young life.
The investigation into Sarah's murder continued for months, leaving parents in the area fearful for their own children's safety. A crucial clue came from about 20 blue and green polyester fibers found at the crime scene. Investigators eventually matched these fibers to the uniforms worn by employees of the Hardee's restaurant chain. This lead pointed them toward Eugene Victor Britt, a 38-year-old man who worked at a local Hardee's and had been sent home from work on the day of the murder.
On November 3, 1995, police arrested Britt on suspicion of Sarah's murder. A few days later, Britt confessed to killing Sarah to the pastor of the homeless shelter where he was living. The pastor, Clyde Smith, persuaded Britt to turn himself in and confess to law enforcement. During an eight-hour interrogation, Britt not only admitted to killing Sarah but also confessed to a string of other murders, ultimately claiming a total of ten victims.
Eugene Victor Britt, who became known as "The Gary Strangler," was a convicted rapist who had been paroled in 1993 after serving half of a 30-year sentence for a previous attack. His 1995 killing spree targeted at least seven girls and women in the Gary and Portage areas. He told investigators that he would attack his victims in desolate areas, rape them, and then strangle them.
In May 1996, to avoid the death penalty, Britt entered a plea bargain for Sarah's murder and was sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years. Following this conviction, investigations into his other confessed crimes continued. In 2006, Britt pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the murders of three other victims: 14-year-old Nakita Moore, 24-year-old Tonya Dunlap, and 41-year-old Maxine Walker, as well as the rape of a 13-year-old girl. For these crimes, he received an additional sentence of 245 years. A judge had previously ruled that Britt was intellectually disabled, making him ineligible for the death penalty. At his sentencing, Britt, who uses a wheelchair due to a failed suicide attempt after the killings, expressed remorse for his actions. He is currently serving his sentences at the Indiana State Prison.
