On August 24, 1979, Ricky Beard, 19, and his girlfriend Mary Leonard, 17, went out on a date in Akron, Ohio. That night, they visited the Astro Drive-In theater in Cuyahoga Falls to watch "The Amityville Horror." After the movie, they were seen chatting with friends in a bowling alley parking lot, and later, they were heard laughing on the front steps of Mary's home. The next morning, neither Ricky nor Mary were home, and concern grew among their families.
Shortly thereafter, Ricky's car was found partially parked in an abandoned garage a few miles away from their homes, showing signs of bullet damage. Despite extensive searches, their bodies were not discovered until nearly six years later.
In May 1985, their remains were unearthed by a utility crew digging a trench along Riverview Road, a secluded area in Akron that was commonly used as a "lovers' lane." The remains still had the clothes Ricky and Mary had worn the night they disappeared. Both had been shot and stabbed. Although police initially hoped that this discovery would provide clues, the case has remained unsolved for decades. Despite the passage of time, law enforcement continues to pursue leads and has kept the case open in an effort to achieve justice.
Several theories have been explored over the years. At one point, serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards was considered a suspect, given the similarity to other cases involving young couples. However, Edwards denied involvement in Ricky and Mary's deaths before his own death. Other potential suspects include a local "angry homeowner" who owned the property where the bodies were discovered, and members of a motorcycle gang that was rumored to frequent the area. Investigators have also looked into the possibility that the teens were killed near the garage where Ricky's car was found and later moved to the secluded area. However, no definitive evidence has emerged to confirm any of these theories, and the investigation remains active as a cold case in Ohio's unsolved homicide records.
