Harold W. Meade III: A Detailed Account of His Crimes
Early Life and Background
Harold W. Meade III was born in 1948 in Connecticut. His father owned a gas station in Bethany, Connecticut. As an adult, Meade married his first wife, Donna, and they had two children together. He worked in various occupations, including as a truck driver, milkman, and ice cream vendor. These jobs often took him across different regions of Connecticut, potentially providing opportunities for his alleged crimes.
Confirmed Murders: The West Rock Park Incident
On August 12, 1970, Meade committed a heinous act that led to his arrest and conviction. He bludgeoned three individuals to death in West Rock Park, New Haven, Connecticut. The victims were:
- Sandra Hedler, 15
- Donna Schlitter, 23
- William White, 20
All three were developmentally disabled residents of the New Haven Regional Center. Hedler and Schlitter's bodies were discovered behind a ventilator shaft in a park tunnel, while White was found alive in the nearby woods but succumbed to his injuries seventeen days later. Witnesses reported seeing a late-model blue car in the area, which led investigators to Meade. He was arrested on December 11, 1970, and later pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder, receiving a life sentence with the possibility of parole on April 27, 1972.
Suspected Murders
In addition to the confirmed murders, Meade is suspected of involvement in several other killings in Connecticut between 1969 and 1970. These cases include:
- Diane Toney, 11 – Disappeared on May 18, 1969, during the Freddy Fixer parade in New Haven. Her remains were found on September 13 in the Meshomasic State Forest; she had been bludgeoned with a rock.
- Mary Katherine Mount, 10 – Kidnapped near her New Canaan home on May 27, 1969. Her body was discovered on June 18 in Wilton near a reservoir; she had been bludgeoned and mutilated.
- Dawn Cave, 14 – Went missing on May 29, 1969, after leaving her Bethany home. Her body was found the next day in a hayfield in New Haven, arranged in a makeshift grave surrounded by stones.
- Jennifer Noon, 5 – Last seen on September 29, 1970, walking from her school in New Haven to her home. Her body was found eight days later in the woods in Hamden; she had been beaten to death with a rock.
While circumstantial evidence and witness statements linked Meade to these crimes, he was never formally charged due to a plea deal that prevented additional charges beyond the three confirmed murders.
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