In the sprawling plains of Osage County, Oklahoma, the life of Eugene Claremont 'EC' Mullendore III, a 32-year-old male heir to a vast cattle ranching empire, came to a violent and mysterious end on September 26, 1970. On that fateful night, Mullendore was found in the den of his ranch home, having been severely beaten and shot between the eyes. The only other person present at the time was his bodyguard and assistant, Damon 'Chub' Anderson, who himself had sustained a gunshot wound to the
shoulder. The events of that evening would unravel into one of Oklahoma's most enduring unsolved murder mysteries, a tale of wealth, debt, and unanswered questions.
Anderson's account of the incident painted a picture of a home invasion. He claimed to have been upstairs drawing a bath when he heard a gunshot. Rushing downstairs, he said he discovered Mullendore bleeding on a couch. As he approached his employer's body, Anderson stated he was shot by one of two men who then fled the scene. He claimed to have returned fire as the assailants escaped. However, from the outset, the investigation into Mullendore's death was fraught with errors. The crime scene was disturbed before a thorough collection of physical evidence could take place, and, critically, Mullendore's body was removed and embalmed before an autopsy could be performed, a decision that would permanently hamper the inquiry.
In the years that followed, speculation and theories swirled around the case. Mullendore, despite his family's wealth, had accumulated substantial debts, reportedly around $12 million, fueling theories of a possible Mafia connection or a contract killing. Adding another layer of complexity was a $15 million life insurance policy on Mullendore, with his estranged wife, Linda, named as the beneficiary. She had recently moved to Tulsa with their children and was planning to file for divorce. The insurance company eventually settled with the family for $8 million. Despite the swirling rumors and potential motives, no arrests were ever made, and the case officially remained cold.
For decades, the prime suspect in the public's eye and for many investigators was Chub Anderson. His version of events was met with skepticism by many, including the Osage County Sheriff at the time. Anderson, a man with a criminal history that included cattle rustling, maintained his innocence. After the murder, he largely disappeared, living under an assumed name for many years. However, in 2010, a private investigator named Gary Glanz came forward with a stunning revelation. Glanz claimed that an ailing Anderson had confessed to him that he had killed Mullendore during a heated argument after Anderson had assisted deputies in serving divorce papers on his boss. According to this alleged confession, Anderson then had his brother-in-law, a ranch hand named Lonnie Joe Brown, help him stage the scene to look like a home invasion, which included shooting Anderson in the arm. Shortly after this purported confession, Damon 'Chub' Anderson died, taking any further secrets of that night to his grave and leaving the death of EC Mullendore officially unsolved.
