Unsolved Cold Case Murders

[burg resident]

I grew up in harrisburg, and was questioned by police shortly after the murder of Beth Ann Headrick. Does anyone know if they developed at least a suspect in her murder, and who that suspect was????

[Sundance Kid]

This was in the paper a year or so ago:

Authorities at the time believed Headrick was strangled. There were no broken bones or skull fractures to point to another cause of death, former Coroner Wendell Lambert said at the time.
Police had a person of interest in the case at the time. An off-duty police officer said he saw Headrick get into a car with William Reinbold the night she disappeared, Pelhank said.

Harrisburg Police questioned Reinbold before Headrick's remains were found, but he denied knowing the girl. Pelhank didn't believe him -- the off-duty officer saw Reinbold park the car and officers knew his license plate number, which Pelhank is able to recite to this day, he said. Pelhank also saw Reinbold around Headrick's trailer.

According to Pelhank, Harrisburg Police arrested Reinbold and charged him with an ordinance violation -- contributing to the delinquency of a minor -- in order to keep him around Saline County. The charges were dismissed, however, and Reinbold left for California. According to a July 27, 1978 Daily Register article, Reinbold ended up in prison in California on an aggravated battery charge for attacking a young woman. He had been released from prison by the time the article was published.

Reinbold is now serving a life sentence at Menard Correctional Center for a 1989 murder in Knox County.

"The case was just not worked very good. We had no probable cause to arrest him for the death of that girl," Pelhank said.

There was criticism of the handling of the case at the time,

burg resident wrote:

I grew up in harrisburg, and was questioned by police shortly after the murder of Beth Ann Headrick. Does anyone know if they developed at least a suspect in her murder, and who that suspect was????

[Danny]

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concerned in arizona wrote:

I heard a story about a 14 year old and was dating an older man, her name was Jamie Yarber. He broke off with her and her being so young she wanted to keep it going, he got mad and tried to choke her and then set her on fire and burned her up. I heard that their was some witnesses to the whole thing.Does anyone really know the REAL story? what really happened? And if they did anything about it.

"I work for the newspaper that covered the Yarber case. If you will write me at P.O. Box 328, Elizabethtown, IL 62931, I will send you the whole story as we covered it in the newspaper." (Danny) 8/15/09

[Town idiot]

What can you expect from shittyburg?

[fatback]

what happened to channel 3 angie wyatt

[kid412]

my dad Robert Paul was murdered on December 16, 1987 in the Ledford community there were 2 death certificates issued by the coroner 1. suicide which is a lie 2. undetermined. I know there was more than one person involved in my father's murder if anyone out there still around knows or remembers anything help me it's been almost 22yrs. since my father has been gone

[Lisa]

I seen in the Register a few weeks ago about a man who has been arrested for violating 60 restraining orders,and you all wonder why Saline county is a joke when it comes to handling crime? I can hear the response from courthouse if god forbid this individual kills somebody,oh he must have slipped through the cracks,yeah a crack 10 miles wide.

[SIR LANCELOT]

Murder&violence, a southern Illinois tradition.