A woman is found deceased at her business In the winter of 1958, the community of Barre, Vermont, was unsettled by a brutal and unresolved crime. On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 19th, Doris E. Baker, a 45-year-old wife and mother of two, was discovered lifeless in the family business, the Floor Covering Store, Inc. A customer, John A. Corrigan, entered the store at approximately 4:40 p.m. to pick up a linoleum order and found the premises empty.
His concern grew as he ventured further into the shop, where he made the grim discovery of Mrs. Baker's body sprawled behind the counter.
The investigation that followed painted a grim picture of her final moments. Doris Baker had been violently attacked, beaten with a hammer and her throat had been cut. The scene suggested a possible sexual assault, though the primary motive appeared to be robbery. A sum of $50 was missing from the store's cash register, yet perplexingly, Mrs. Baker's purse, containing $150, was left untouched at the scene. A bloodstained $10 bill was later found, believed to be connected to the stolen money. The brutality of the crime sent a wave of fear through the small Vermont city. Residents became increasingly anxious, with many rushing to purchase new locks for their doors and viewing strangers with suspicion. The sense of security in the community was deeply shaken by the violent death of one of their own.
In the ensuing investigation, several individuals were considered persons of interest. One notable suspect was a deaf-mute man named Parran Youngblood, who had been seen in Barre on the day of the murder. However, no concrete evidence was ever found to definitively link him to the crime. Youngblood was later shot and killed in Georgia in an unrelated incident involving the alleged kidnapping of a child. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, no one was ever prosecuted for the murder of Doris E. Baker. The case grew cold, leaving a lasting scar on the community and a painful lack of closure for her family. The violent act that ended her life remains an unsolved mystery, a chilling chapter in the history of Barre.
