This is not the story of a brutal man that terrorized his family and did bad things. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. McWilliams Media Tulsa, OK Website Design. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. He was very cunning, MacLean told Patch. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. After her husband's death, Mrs. McElroy moved away. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? McElroy slumped forward onto the steering wheel. Learn more about managing a memorial . While parked in front of the D & G Tavern on Main Street, in broad daylight, with a crowd estimated at 45 people around his pickup truck, Ken McElroy was shot in the head with a high powered rifle, while his wife sat in the seat beside him. But Skidmore is still Skidmore. Failed to delete flower. She ran away back into the arms of Ken Rex McElroy. McElroy had been indicted a total of 21 times for crimes such as: child molestation, arson, cattle rustling, and stealing. Anywhere from 30 to 90 people watched the 47-year-old McElroy die in an act that ended his decade-long reign of terror over the people of Skidmore. In April 1980, two of McElroys daughters were shopping at a local corner store. McElroy was arrested and charged with arson, assault, and statutory rape. (Editors Note: Patch Deputy National Editor Beth Dalbey grew up on a farm about 10 miles from Skidmore, Missouri.). Please enter your email and password to sign in. There were plenty of eyewitnesses, as well as the At least some of the witnesses surely knew who fired the bullet that shattered the back window of McElroys truck and blew off the back of his head. 6. Learn more about merges. KENNETH MCELROY OBITUARY. Cite This Collection "British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries." A lot of old timers complain that they dont know many of the other residents, a lot of whom work in surrounding communities. Unresolved: The Town That Killed Ken McElroy Somebody would hear his name, and the legend grew bigger. I was in and around Skidmore for three days and two nights, and encountered no trouble. Born in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 1, 1934, McElroy was the fifteenth of Tony and Mabel McElroys sixteen children. However, a new cafe opened across the street, in the old post office, in front of which the shooters were standing when they opened fire. Your email address will not be published. While driving down a gravel farm road that abutted his property, Henry came upon a figure and a vehicle that he recognized instantly, Ken Rex McElroy. Last summer he was killed in a barrage of gunfire after climbing into his air-conditioned Silverado pickup truck, with his wife Trena and a six-pack of beer at his side. McElroy got a divorce from Sharon (or Alice, honestly Im not sure who he was married to at the time) and married Trena so that she would not be compelled to testify against him. First Names. Why are you doing this? 24 Jan 2012 (aged 55) Conway, Laclede County, Missouri, USA. He spent the night in jail before posting bond, then sauntered menacingly back into the D&G tavern and pool hall and took his usual spot. By some miracle Romaine Henry lived. You can always change this later in your Account settings. ; Oleta McElroy-Anderson of Conway, Tammy Wertenberger of St. Joseph, Teresa Dorris of Helena, Mo. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. -. (This was Dels mother, Barbara Clement, who died herself just a month or so before my visit. Debbie Ann McElroy, age 54 of Conway, Missouri, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020 at her home in Conway. Skidmore is down from 450 (when I was there) to 325. A polite person would say that Ken Rex came from humble beginnings, but politeness doesnt fit in a story about Ken Rex McElroy or the Town of Skidmore, so we will forego any. Contact Wagner & Lynch today to set up a free initial consultation! The FBI entered the case stiff-arming and threatening people, is how Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, relates it. As a result, he was no stranger to the Nodaway County Sheriffs Dept. British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries Oops, we were unable to send the email. Trena Louise McNeeley McElroy Williams (1957-2012) - Find a Around forty of them stood outside, while another twenty crowded into the small tavern. On his release, McElroy strolled into the D&G Tavern, holding a rifle with a bayonet attached. One assumption Skidmore hasnt been able to shed is that McElroys killing was an act of vigilante justice. They slept in shifts, with some friend or family member keeping an eye on the street. Get out of town, they said. U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Was justice served? Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Please try again later. McElroy was in town and behaving belligerently. He specialized in stealing cattle and anything else he could get his hands on. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. That was the last failure of criminal justice.. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. She let it be known that she had gone ''somewhere in Missouri'' because someone might try to kill her. The law wasnt going to help the people of Skidmore. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. They were witnesses. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? You have chosen this person to be their own family member. You just didnt do that.. McElroy for the most part escaped prosecution and, certainly, conviction for various crimes. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. SKIDMORE, MO Four decades after Ken Rex McElroy was gunned down on the main drag of Skidmore, Missouri, in one of Americas most infamous cold cases, the story of the notoriously brutal town bully has refused to die with him no matter how much the farmers and blue-collar workers who live in the small farming town wish it would. Joyce Monte, daughter of injured grocer. He would follow the bus route that took Trena to school in his pickup truck. Try again later. Ken Rex McElroy was murdered on July 10, 1981, in one of the most bizarre cases authorities had ever encountered. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Every school has a bully or bullies, and every small town has that family or families. By the time McElroy was shot dead under the glare of the morning sun on July 10, 1981, everybody feared his hair-trigger temper and brooding presence. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. It was not the kind of justice they shouldve gotten, 60-year-old Joyce Monte, the Bowenkamps daughter, told Patch in a telephone interview from her home in Oklahoma. ''I can't think that anyone feels any different than you would about the people who invented penicillin. You know how he oppressed and threatened us. That it was a vigilante killing is not true for a lot of reasons; if they had decided to kill him, they wouldnt have stood in the street to watch the murder unfold, he said. True and tried, Ken Rexs tactics did work. This is a collaborative project with FindMyPast.com. Made A Vigilante Pact To Kill Ken Rex McElroy Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Am looking forward to your next post and the pictures you spoke of. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Ken Rex took, and the only thing he ever gave was fear. McFadin was a highly skilled attorney who got McElroy off the hook time and time again. The truck engine burned up in the half-hour he was left slumped in the cab, his foot lodged on the accelerator. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. However, he had gotten away with all of them. based on information from your browser. He went to Trenas parents home, where he viciously beat Trena and Alice, then burned the McCloud house to the ground. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Add to your scrapbook. However, most of his sexual affairs werent with women, but rather underage girls, with whom he collectively had at least ten children. When he caught up to the bus, Ken Rex would start honking his horn and driving up to the window where the bus driver could get a good look at him. Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) - Genealogy Despite two grand jury investigations, no one has been charged in the killing. McElroy was charged with arson, rape and brandishing a deadly weapon. Add to your scrapbook. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Database with images. With the businesses gone, the Punkin Festival defunct, it has little vibrancy. Everyone was keeping an eye on us. When word spread that McElroy was in town, a couple of the men walked from the Legion hall to the D&G. Please try again later. Why were they diligently carrying out this investigation into the killing of the man who had made their lives miserable for so long? People Projects Discussions Surnames He had time to work his system and get what he wanted. I went to his gravesite a few years after he died , & took a piss on his grave, thats how much I thought of him", https://www.harrymaclean.com/blog/no-death-bed-confession/. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. There are a bar, a grain elevator, a bank, Mom's Cafe, B & B Groceries and a hardware store, but agriculture is the main business. WebThe next day, McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street. What happened in Skidmore that day wasnt much different than the completely predictable result from shaking a carbonated beverage until the top finally blows. When Estes and state troopers arrived back in town, the streets were empty and quiet, save the rumbling, smoking engine of McElroys truck. , Not long after moving into McElroys farmhouse, both Trena and Alice (Ken Rex and Alice remained together despite him moving Trena in) fled to Trenas parents home. They became disenchanted with the legal processes, yet frightened by Mr. McElroy's volatile disposition. Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 July 10, 1981) was a resident of Skidmore, Missouri. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Try again later. Unsurprisingly, Skidmore residents were upset by the police presence in town. The fact that he was always armed and had no issue with pointing the barrel end of any firearm at a person didnt hurt either. The Story of the trials, life and death of Ken Rex McElroy and the Town of Skidmore, Missouri. Again, there were no indictments, and the McElroy murder case was tossed back to Baird. Family members linked to this person will appear here. , . You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. 31 Mar. It was widely reported that he was illiterate, but he did not let this hold him back from getting what he wanted in life. ; six sisters, Tina Chapman of Savannah, Mo. It has a bar, and music on the weekend. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Stratton, the only lawman in northwest Missouri ever known to stand up to McElroy, hunted McElroy down and arrested him on an attempted murder charge. This account has been disabled. Before I left on my trip to Skidmore, I wondered on this blog if I would encounter any difficulty with local residents who had recently expressed concern, to put it lightly, over my characterization of shooter Del Clement as a short, hot-tempered drunk. She went right back to the McElroy farmhouse with her son. 'A Really Nice Truck', ''It's really a shame about the Silverado,'' said Dave Dunbar, a former marshal who said Mr. McElroy once threatened him with a highpowered rifle. But it was too late. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? The courts would not help us or Skidmore. In Broad Daylight Classic Print Edition. Each time anyone brought charges against him (which happened a total of twenty-one times), he would intimidate his accusers into dropping the charges, leaving them terrified and fearing for their lives. You can always change this later in your Account settings. McElroy and Trena got into their truck. Alices stepfather, in so many words, told McElroy to shove it. Even after all that had happened between McElroy and her family, Alice moved back into the McElroy family home with her son. It wasnt the kind of murder which goes unsolved for decades and eventually someone comes forward with the tip that breaks the case open. This browser does not support getting your location. But if tried by a jury of their peers, I doubt anybody around here would have convicted the shooters. They delivered messages in code. Try again later. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. His foot fell to the accelerator when he was shot, causing the engine to run at full bore. Fidelity wasnt a strong suit of Ken Rex, or of any interest to him at all for that matter. . Ive never thought there was a series of phone calls that went around dont say this or that. Those farmers have known each other since they were children. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Adoption, paternity, divorce, or guardianship? A couple of times, he got out of the truck and fired his shotgun into the air - all this over a couple pieces of candy. You dont have a town full of people who were hiding a guilty conscience, he said. SLAIN BULLY'S TOWN LOOKS BACK WITHOUT PITY Henry stopped the truck and Ken Rex approached the passenger side, the window rolled down, the barrel of the 12-gauge trained on Henry. Still, the panel didnt return an indictment, giving rise to conspiracy theories about a law enforcement coverup, also a theme in No One Saw a Thing.. We went to the courts. McElroy moved Sally onto the family farm with Sharon and their two children. However, there was more to Ken Rex than his size. He lived to satisfy his own desires, and abided by his own sense of self-serving justice. Place. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. GREAT NEWS! Ken Rex McElroy Secretly, Skidmore was extremely thankful to him. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. The children had little parental supervision, and for the most part ran free around town. Being shot in the stomach wasnt enough though. The D & G Tavern, most recently the Skidmore Tavern, in front of which Ken was sitting in his Silverado when the bullets tore through the window glass and shattered his skull, was also closed. At over six-feet tall and nearly 300 pounds he was a formidable presence by sight alone. The Craziest Cold Case in History The Murder of Ken Rex McElroy got in his truck and drove away, leaving the farmer to whatever fate. A pact of silence was made between the witnesses. There is no denying that McElroy was a skilled criminal; his long career of breaking the law resulted in pockets permanently stuffed with $100 bills. Oops, something didn't work. There was a problem getting your location. Kenneth Rex McElroy "Bully" Murder - Getty Images The older daughter paid for her items, but as they were leaving, the younger daughter grabbed some candy out of a jar and headed for the door. He neutralized an entire criminal justice system.. Our law enforcement never went after him very hard, he said. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. WebGenealogy for Ken Rex McElroy (1934 - 1982) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. The townspeople resented the constant feeling of anxiety McElroys presence left them with. True Crime and the Satisfaction of the Unsolved Mystery . When the shooting ended, McElroy was slumped over the steering wheel. McElroy raised the barrel of the gun and pointed it at the cab of the approaching truck. ''It doesn't make for a real talkative environment. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. (D & G stood for Del and Greg Clement. McElroy tracked the women down, beat them both severely, and brought them home. As the story has been told by MacLean and others, McElroy showed up at the D&G tavern and pool hall the next day toting a rifle with a bayonet a violation of his bond and threatened to finish off the Bowenkamps. WebKen Rex McElroy (1934-1981) - Find a Grave Memorial McElroy for years had terrorized the small town of Skidmore Missouri, and was considered the town bully. He had been Although Ken Rex was married to his second wife Alice, he could not help but notice the pretty girl with long blonde locks. No one was ever accused of shoplifting, or stealing. Skidmore townsfolk may not all have liked how he was killed it was murder, after all but when he died, most of the towns 435 residents let out a heavy sigh of relief. Ken McElroy, town bully and victim (photo: thelineup.com) From the beginning of his life, on June 1, 1934, Ken Rex McElroy seemed destined for a trouble and cruelty. He didnt just like being with many women, he did have a type, young girls. After McElroy fired a gun outside her house, Evelyn Sumy appealed to Dave Dunbar, the town marshal. That they had guns at the ready wasnt unusual. Horton, Brown County, Kansas, USA. Verify and try again. He returned when Trenas parents were away, shot the family dog and burned down the house. In order to stop him from doing so, McElroy carried on with his usual scare tactics he told him he would kill his entire family if he testified, followed him and sat outside his house for hours. Dunbar talked to him, and [McElroy] pulled a gun on him, Monte said. A system error has occurred. ''That was a really nice truck.''. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Ken Rex grew into a large and intimidating figure. McElroy would just sit and glower at you just stare at you and youd never know what he was thinking.. He was known as "the town bully", and his unsolved killing became the focus of international attention. He was struck by bullets from at least two This is when the rage amongst locals reached boiling point. Ken McElroy was a middle-aged married man with out of control sideburns and a burly physique. In the summer of 1981, a jury handed McElroy his first-ever felony conviction for the lesser charge of second-degree assault. The clerk thought nothing more of it, until Ken and Trena McElroy showed up. Skidmore is a town of 440 people, 80 miles northwest of Kansas City. Verify and try again. When he got off on a trial, it grew even bigger. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. The justice system had failed them once again. Then one day, McElroy drove to the corner store, found Bo Bowenkamp around the back, and shot him in the neck. 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