In the small town of Norwalk, Iowa, a deeply unsettling tragedy befell the McAninch family in the autumn of 1937. The youngest of the children, a two-year-old boy named Richard Otto McAninch, was among the victims of a horrific event that transpired on October 30th. The family had been facing considerable hardship, a common plight during the Great Depression, which was further compounded by personal struggles.
The father, Garness McAninch, was incarcerated at the time of the incident, leaving his wife, Elma, to care for their seven children alone.
Elma McAninch had been suffering from a severe decline in her mental health, a condition that had noticeably worsened after she experienced a miscarriage earlier in the year. Her husband had even expressed his concerns about her well-being to the local sheriff, which had led to the temporary removal of the family's shotgun. However, the firearm was later returned. On that fateful October day, while her two eldest sons, Ray and Gail, were out at a Halloween party, Elma's internal turmoil culminated in an unthinkable act.
In the quiet of their home, Elma used a single-shot. 410 shotgun to end the lives of five of her children: Cora Belle, 14; Geraldine, 8; Murris, 7; Max, 4; and little Richard. After carrying out these acts, she turned the gun on herself. The two surviving sons returned home to a scene of unimaginable horror. A note left by their mother expressed her despair, stating, "I have stood all I can take and best to take the kids along."
The community was left in a state of shock and disbelief. There were no arrests to be made, as the investigation concluded that Elma McAninch was solely responsible for the murder of her children and her own suicide. The tragedy was attributed to her severe depression, exacerbated by the family's difficult circumstances. The father, Garness, was left to grieve the catastrophic loss of his family while still in jail. The funeral for Elma and her five children was a somber affair, with the six of them being laid to rest together in a single, large grave.
