Volume 17 , Issue 30

1956 - Officers Check Stories Given In Death Case

It was on the front page of the Miami Daily News-Record, Miami, Oklahoma, dated 15 March 1956, Thursday, that we found this information concerning the death of Mildred Ann Reynolds, 13 March 1956. The headlines read: "Officers Check Stories Given In Death Case." Discrepancies' in accounts claimed.

Found on Newspapers.com

Alva, Okla. (AP) -- Officers trying to solve the mysterious burning death of a Northwestern State College coed today were checking discrepancies in the times given by those questioned.

At the same time, officers were studying closely a preliminary autopsy report which cast a heavier veil of mystery over the death of pretty Mrs. Mildred Ann Reynolds, 22 years of age.

The body was found in her blazing automobile on a lonely road in Woods County about four miles from her farm home at Avard and 12-1/2 miles south of Alva.

State Crime Bureau agent Ivan Gates said an effort was being made to resolve the discrepancies in the times given by Mrs. Reynolds' nephew, who was the last person to see her alive, a waitress and a cleaning shop proprietor.

Jerry Huckabee, the 20 year old nephew who also attended Northwestern State in Alva, said that after classes were dismissed at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday he and Mrs. Reynolds ate at a cafe, went downtown in her car to buy a quart of brake fluid and then returned to a cleaning shop across the street from the campus.

Sheriff Ed Doctor said a waitress told him she remembers serving Mrs. Reynolds and the youth before the noon hour rush, or about 11:30 a.m.

Professors say both were in class at that time.

Doctor also said Lionel Fullerton, who runs the cleaning shop, said he remembers distinctly the young man brought a pair of pants to be cleaned after 1:30 p.m. He said he returned form lunch at that time. Fullerton said he recalls asking Huckabee his name to put on the ticket.

Gates said Huckabeee told him he went to class again at 1:15 p.m. and didn't leave until shortly before class was to be dismissed at 2 p.m.

Found on Newspapers.com

The time of the slaying was fixed by the sheriff at between noon and 1:40 p.m. The body, charred in the front seat of the burning car, was found by a farmer, Loren Goucher. Goucher told police he got to Hopetoun - 3-1/2 miles from the scene - at 1:40 p.m. to call authorities. He said it took him about 5 or 6 minutes to get through tot he sheriff. Doctor said he got the call about 2 p.m.

The fire marshal report said Mrs. Reynolds was burned alive in a 1,700 degree fire. Fire Marshal Kyle Moorehead said his investigation disclosed windows of the car were melted and that glass melts at that temperature.

Gates refused to answer questions on a possible solution and said:

"We are checking alibis and leads and thus far all leads have led to nothing."

The body of the victim was idnetified by her husband, R. D. Reynolds, from jewelry and wearing apparel. Reynolds was the coach at the Avard High School.

Because of the difficulty in identifying the charred body, Mrs. Reynolds parents got the first report of their daughter's death from their radio. The parents were, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Newline who lived near Cherokee. Newline was in the milking barn and listening to the radio when he heard of the death.

The medical autopsy was performed by Dr. A. Max Shideler, pathologist at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine.

Shedder said his examination disclosed a fractured skull and a large quantity of carbon monoxide content in her blood. However, he said the fractured skull could have been caused from the intense heat and not necessarily from a blow on the head.

He said the high carbon monoxide content indicated the woman died in the flames and was not slain before the car was set afire.

Although score of state and county officers have been unable to establish clues to firm up their theory of murder. Woods County Sheriff Ed Doctor said he was "confident the slaying will be solved."
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