Do you know who killed Evelyn Halsey in 1984?
In the spring of 1984, a sense of unease settled over a quiet neighborhood in Yuma, Arizona. Seventy-four-year-old Evelyn Halsey, a woman known for her independence and self-reliance, had not been seen for a couple of days. Living next door to her sister, Lilian, Evelyn was a familiar sight, often tending to her own yard work and running her errands. The growing pile of newspapers on her doorstep was the first sign that something was amiss. Lilian, despite a strained relationship with her sister, grew concerned and reached out to Meals on Wheels, asking them to check in on Evelyn.
On the afternoon of April 16th, a Meals on Wheels worker arrived at the residence on South 11th Avenue and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The police were called to the scene. Upon entering the home, they made a grim discovery. Evelyn Halsey was found deceased inside her residence. The scene told a violent and disturbing story. Investigators determined that she had been the victim of a sexual assault, and the cause of her death was a broken back. Evidence at the scene, including drag marks and blood, suggested a brutal struggle.
Further investigation by the Yuma Police Department indicated that the attack on Evelyn likely began outside her home. It appeared she was killed in her driveway and then dragged into the house. Detectives explored various motives but ruled out robbery. In the months leading up to the murder, there had been reports of prowlers and 'peeping Toms' in the area, and while an arrest was made in connection to those incidents, a definitive link to Evelyn's murder was never established. The case grew cold over the years, leaving a lingering question in the community and no closure for Evelyn's family. Her death remains an unsolved homicide, a chilling chapter in the city's history.
