Overview of MURDERED: Josiah Moore Family (Up and Vanished Weekly)
This episode revisits the notorious 1912 Villisca (Villisca) axe murders — the brutal slayings of Josiah “J.B.” Moore, his wife Sarah, their four children and two visiting girls — and pairs that case summary with an interview featuring Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes (hosts of the podcast Buried Bones). The conversation focuses on how modern forensic tools (especially genetic genealogy) and investigative methods can re-examine historic unsolved crimes, what’s possible now versus then, and ethical considerations when retelling old crimes.
The Villisca axe murders — what happened
- Date & place: Early morning of June 10, 1912, Villisca, Iowa (house at 508/502 East 2nd St. — later restored as a museum).
- Victims: Josiah B. Moore (J.B.), his wife Sarah, their four children, and two visiting Stillinger girls; all bludgeoned to death, fatal head trauma.
- Discovery: Neighbors found the house locked with curtains drawn; J.B.’s brother Ross used a key, smelled blood, saw a child’s hand; marshal and coroner arrived; scene described as horrific.
- Key crime-scene observations:
- A coal axe (belonging to J.B.) found against a wall; blunt end used for killing.
- Mirrors covered, windows and bodies covered with sheets/clothing.
- Spent cigarettes found in the attic; a dim gas lamp set for minimal light.
- Imprint in hay in the barn suggesting someone watched the house from there.
- A keychain fragment not belonging to the Moores.
- Time of killings estimated between midnight and 2 a.m.
- Burglary ruled out (wallet and cash left).
- Scene contamination: Townspeople freely handled and disturbed the scene; rudimentary scene management and primitive forensics limited investigators.
Main suspects and theories
- William Mansfield: Alleged hired hitman connected to other axe murders; arrested in 1916 but had a payroll-backed alibi.
- Frank Jones: Local businessman rumoured to have motive tied to workplace rivalry and alleged affair; theorized to have hired Mansfield.
- Reverend George Kelly: Traveling preacher with voyeurism allegations; left town the morning of the murders; tried twice (hung jury + mistrial), small stature argued as casting doubt on physical ability to do the crimes.
- Serial-killer/railroad-travel theory: Investigators noted similar Midwest axe attacks in the 1910s and considered a transient serial offender regionally.
- Outcome: Despite national attention and multiple investigations, the Villisca axe murders remain unsolved; case fractured the town and church, and the house changed hands many times before becoming a museum.
Interview highlights — Kate Winkler Dawson & Paul Holes (Buried Bones)
- Backgrounds:
- Kate: True-crime journalist/historian and author; focuses on historic cases (1800s–early 1900s).
- Paul: Retired cold-case investigator involved in the Golden State Killer case and early adopter of genetic genealogy techniques.
- Podcast approach:
- Combine historical storytelling (Kate) with modern investigative analysis (Paul).
- Victim-forward storytelling: emphasize victims’ lives and contexts, avoid glamorizing perpetrators.
- Rely on careful sourcing; many historic cases are excluded if documentation is unreliable.
- Sourcing & limits:
- Historic cases often lack photographs, solid documentation, or preserved physical evidence; this limits the investigative inferences that can be drawn.
- Investigators weigh the credibility of period experts and coroners (some were good, some wrong).
- What modern forensics bring:
- Genetic genealogy transformed cold-case solving (Golden State Killer is a watershed).
- Companies like Othram are advancing capability to work with highly degraded, old forensic samples.
- Other steady improvements: fingerprint technology, ballistic databases, and high-tech investigative tools (cell-phone geolocation).
- AI is likely to improve genealogy workflows (automating family-tree building and candidate prioritization).
- Limits and realism:
- Not every historic crime is solvable — cases lacking objective preserved evidence (like reliable DNA) may remain unsolvable (e.g., Jack the Ripper vs. Zodiac).
- Some types of crimes (e.g., distant shootings with no transference evidence) may remain intractable.
- Ethical considerations:
- Be victim-focused, avoid sensationalizing or glorifying killers.
- True-crime consumers should remember real human costs behind stories.
- Cases they still want solved: both mentioned interest in Zodiac and the Black Dahlia among others.
Key takeaways
- The Villisca axe murders are a classic early-20th-century unsolved mass murder with multiple credible suspects but no definitive resolution.
- Crime-scene contamination and limited forensic tools in 1912 severely hampered the investigation.
- Modern forensic advances — especially genetic genealogy and labs capable of working with degraded DNA — have made it possible to re-examine many historic unsolved cases, though not all are solvable.
- Historical investigation requires careful source evaluation, a commitment to victim-centered storytelling, and acknowledging evidentiary limits.
- AI and improved lab techniques will continue to accelerate genealogical and forensic workflows, but technology is not a universal fix.
Notable insights / quotes (paraphrased)
- “Crime is consistent over time — weapons or eras change, but motives and patterns often repeat.” — Kate/Paul
- Genetic genealogy has been “revolutionary” for cold-case resolution; labs like Othram are pushing capabilities further.
- Ethical reminder: “Don’t wear T‑shirts with the killer’s face on it” — true-crime interest must respect victims and families.
Practical / follow-up items & resources
- If you want to follow the guests:
- Paul Holes: Instagram @Paul.Holes
- Kate Winkler Dawson: Instagram @KateWinklerDawson
- Buried Bones: search the podcast (Buried Bones) for historic-case episodes.
- Up and Vanished Weekly: tenderfoot.tv and their podcast feeds for more episodes.
- Missing-person bulletin mentioned in the episode: Lorraine Sundquist (Draper, Utah) — if you have information contact Draper Police Dispatch: 801-840-4000; see UAV Weekly Instagram @UAVWeekly for photos and shares.
Short aftermath note
- The Villisca house was neglected for decades but was restored and opened as the Villisca Axe Murder House museum in the 1990s; the case remains an infamous, unresolved piece of American true-crime history.
For listeners who want deeper context: the episode pairs a concise reconstruction of the 1912 scene and investigation with a broader, modern perspective on re-investigating historical crimes — what can be learned, what’s changed, and what ethical responsibilities come with resurrecting old tragedies.