In the early morning hours of February 17, 1988, the quiet of a Mishawaka, Indiana mobile home park was shattered by the sound of a gunshot. Responding to the noise, a witness discovered the body of 70-year-old Phyllis Eckert lying on 12th Street near Byrkit. Eckert, a resident of the nearby Village Green trailer park, had been taking her dog for a walk around 2 a.m. when she was tragically killed.
An investigation revealed she had been shot multiple times in her lower torso.
For decades, the murder of Phyllis Eckert remained a cold case, a puzzle with missing pieces that haunted investigators and the community. Law enforcement officials with the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit have long believed that the person or people responsible for her death were not strangers. The theory is that the perpetrator likely knew Eckert and may have even been a fellow resident of the Village Green trailer park at the time of the killing. Police have suggested the incident may have been a drive-by shooting.
Over the years, the investigation has seen renewed glimmers of hope. In 2014, detectives announced they had received new information that they described as 'great,' sparking a reopening of the case. This new lead brought with it the identification of potential witnesses, and authorities expressed confidence that an arrest could be on the horizon. Investigators urged anyone with information, particularly those who may have been present when the incident occurred, to come forward. Despite the passage of time and the renewed efforts, there have been no publicly announced arrests or named suspects in the murder of Phyllis Eckert. The case continues to be an unsolved homicide, with law enforcement still seeking the crucial tip that could finally bring justice for her death.
