Laurel Mitchell, far right, was active in many community events. She participated in pep club and a traveling musical group, and was often found at her neighbor’s home doting over several children. (Photo Provided)

NORTH WEBSTER — Aug. 7 marked 40 years a North Webster murder mystery has gone unsolved. Each year, Sarah Knisley reaches out to the media in the local community to remind them of her older sister’s untimely death.

The 1975 murder of 17-year-old Laurel Mitchell remains a cold case, but those on the case haven’t become cold. Knisley has been keeping the public interest alive after all these years, noting “Somebody saw something … somebody knows something.”

Kevin Smith, Indiana State Police, has been the lead investigator on the case for the past eight years. Much of the information he has on the case has come from newspaper clippings, reports passed down through years of time, piecing together the night of her murder. Here is what detectives know.

Mitchell was employed at a small restaurant in Epworth Forest, the Cokesbury Inn. Around 10 p.m., Mitchell left her job and headed to Adventureland, not far down the road. She waved at a friend as she passed by, but never made it to her destination. At some point on her short walk, she vanished into the night.

Laurel Mitchell

Her lifeless body was found the next morning by fishermen boating through a section of the Elkhart River in Noble County. The official results from the autopsy showed Mitchell had drowned, but her body showed signs of sexual abuse, too. The police speculate much of the evidence of the murder had washed off in the water, as only a small bruise was present on Mitchell’s hand and a few abrasions under her arms.

The Mitchell family was ripped apart by the news. Knisley remembers her time at a softball game was cut short when she saw her neighbor’s car pull into the spectator area to bring her the news. “I knew it wasn’t anything good,” said Knisley. When she came home from the game, her father was crying and she knew her sister was gone. “We went from a family to people that lived together,” said Knisley. Both of Knisley’s parents passed away without ever knowing who had ended their precious child’s life.

Knisley described her sister in many terms; Mitchell was boisterous and motherly, often doting on multiple neighborhood children. She was kind and smart; Knisley said everyone loved Mitchell, and she was a well-known member of the community. Her involvement in church choir groups, dance classes and other community events made her a recognizable face. Knisley said her funeral was testament to the North Webster community’s love. “There were so many flowers, there were no room for people,” said Knisley. Forty years after Mitchell’s body was found, the family still wants answers.

The case hasn’t gone cold yet, at least not in the eyes of Smith. “We’re in a whole different ball game now,” said Smith in reference to the clues discovered over the years. Police have kept the clothing and other evidence samples, and continue to try new methods when they become available. Smith feels confident the case will be solved.

A news release in 2014 brought attention to the case and led to a few phone calls, but nothing that added up to new information. “A simple time frame can be difficult to nail down,” said Smith, noting an event 40 years prior won’t jog the memory of most. Like any small town, rumors are a large part of daily life, especially when it comes to speculations about murder.

“I can’t personally ignore them,” said Smith, noting rumors can sometimes hold whispered truths. “I’ll listen to anything Sarah tells me.” Smith said he tries to approach the case with an open mind, and stays in touch with Knisley.

Although Smith continues to follow up on tips or leads that may develop, Knisley feels she has lost hope on finding the party responsible for the murder.

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