Deborah Sue Harden, age 3, female, White/Caucasian, died on May 28, 1968, in Lancaster, Kansas. That Tuesday, the Harden farmhouse in Atchison County fell silent when the family was attacked as they slept. Deborah and her sister, Julie Lynn, 5, were found in their beds, as was their father, William Scott Harden, 30. Contemporary reporting placed the events squarely in the night and early morning hours, with deputies concluding that the shots were fired while the victims were sleeping.
Investigators identified the family’s mother, Mildred Eileen Harden, 28, as the shooter. According to period accounts later summarized in public memorial records, she killed her husband and daughters and then died by suicide; her body was found separately in the bathroom. With the suspected perpetrator deceased, there were no arrests and no ongoing search for additional suspects. The three victims were memorialized locally, with records and memorial listings preserving the names, ages, and the date and place of the crime.
