Woman says baby sister’s ‘brutal murder’ 59 years ago ‘haunted’ her for years. After ‘horrible’ upbringing, she’s searching for brother she’s never met

IDAHO FALLS – Charlene Goetz was conscionable a young woman erstwhile she heard nan news that’s haunted her each her life.

The 53-year-old Wisconsin female says her mom was progressive successful nan execution of her 5-month-old sister successful eastbound Idaho astir 60 years ago. Though it happened earlier Goetz was born, she didn’t perceive astir it until years later.

“The specifications of her sadistic execution and her caput being crushed haunted maine each these years,” Goetz tells EastIdahoNews.com.

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EastIdahoNews.com highlighted nan lawsuit successful a communicative past year. Goetz saw it for nan first clip past month, and paid a sojourn to Idaho Falls to stock further accusation astir really it’s impacted her, her ain “horrible” upbringing and nan find that her mom had a boy whom she’s ne'er met.

To begin, here’s a look astatine what happened, according to rule enforcement.

Left: Newspaper photograph from 1965 showing Ellen May Jones’ funeral astatine Rose Hill Cemetery successful Idaho Falls. Right: Ellen’s headstone | Courtesy Charlene Goetz

Ellen’s story

In nan summertime of 1965, Pansy Jones and her boyfriend, Leo Daniels, of South Dakota, sewage a occupation moving astatine an pome orchard successful Idaho Falls. She had a babe named Ellen May Jones from a erstwhile narration who was conscionable a fewer months aged astatine nan time. On August 4, they crossed nan separator into Wyoming, wherever rule enforcement wished nan babe was killed.

After 3 days of searching, past Bonneville County Sheriff Lester Hopkins, pinch nan thief of Boy Scout troops, volunteers and different rule enforcement agencies, recovered nan baby’s assemblage buried successful Idaho adjacent Palisades. His written relationship of nan incident says it was “covered pinch wood debris and limbs.”

An autopsy later revealed nan baby’s tummy was quiet astatine nan clip of decease and location was terrible trauma to nan body, Hopkins wrote.

“I figured (Daniels) hit nan kid to decease complete a play of weeks aliases months,” Hopkins’ individual relationship says. “The babe cried each nan clip because it was hurting and its tummy was quiet because it could not eat.”

When Hopkins questioned Jones, she initially said nan babe died from pneumonia but yet admitted Daniels had been beating her.

“The last rustle to nan babe was erstwhile Daniels took it by nan feet and swung its caput against nan car fender,” Hopkins wrote.

Daniels and Jones some went to prison, but Jones only served a 3 twelvemonth sentence. There were different factors surrounding her engagement successful nan baby’s death.

“It seemed to maine that Pansy Jones was an immature young female of beneath mean intelligence who was easy dominated by a man. I knew little astir Daniels but I was judge he was easy emotionally upset and a basking head,” Hopkins’ written history says.

Hopkins indicated he didn’t judge Jones wanted to termination her babe and was sympathetic to her loss.

Hopkins passed distant past twelvemonth astatine property 92. It was 1 of his astir memorable cases, and his 54-year-old daughter, Shelley Ramey, who lives successful Idaho Falls, says it was a lawsuit he ne'er sewage over.

Up until his death, Ramey says it’s thing her dada brought up astatine slightest erstwhile a year.

“He’d opportunity thing like, ‘I’ve ne'er stopped reasoning astir her’ aliases ‘She ne'er had anyone but america to look aft her grave.’ It seemed for illustration each item (caused) truthful overmuch trauma for him,” Ramey explains.

Hopkins resigned arsenic sheriff respective years aft this incident, but he and his family visited Ellen’s gravesite each year. Ramey has memories of placing flowers connected nan headstone arsenic her dada softly stood location for a fewer minutes.

“He recognized that different group were astir apt still suffering from nan trauma (of her death),” says Ramey.

Charlene Goetz, left, and Shelley Ramey airs for a photograph adjacent to Ellen’s sedate astatine Rose Hill Cemetery successful Idaho Falls. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

A person look astatine nan case

Over nan weekend, Goetz met Ramey successful Idaho Falls and saw her sister’s gravesite for nan first time. She shared further specifications astir nan lawsuit successful an question and reply pinch EastIdahoNews.com.

Goetz was calved 5 years aft Ellen’s decease and didn’t cognize astir her execution until she was 8-years-old.

“It wasn’t until I was successful grammar schoolhouse that Pansy sat america (me and my different sister) down and told america her type of what happened,” Goetz says. “It was a sugar-coated (story that painted) her arsenic nan victim.”

Jones is now 80-years-old, surviving successful Tulsa, Oklahoma. We reached retired to get her broadside of nan story, but she didn’t reply our calls.

Goetz says Jones told her nan beating of Ellen May was a one-time occurrence. After claiming to person buried nan babe successful a 30-inch sedate successful Swan Valley, Jones said she stopped astatine nan adjacent state position and told rule enforcement what happened.

That’s erstwhile Jones said nan babe had died of pneumonia. Authorities recovered blood-stained babe apparel successful their car and they reportedly told them she had fallen retired earlier her death.

There wasn’t capable grounds to apprehension them astatine nan time, Goetz says, truthful constabulary kept a adjacent surveillance connected them.

“The truth of nan matter is that they were connected nan tally arsenic fugitives for days,” Goetz explains.

Daniels and her mom buried Ellen connected nan broadside of nan road, according to Goetz, and near her ft hanging out.

They sold nan car they were driving successful Washington for $10 and hitchhiked to Bend, Oregon, wherever they were later recovered and arrested.

It was nan proprietor of nan pome orchard Jones and Daniels were moving for who alerted constabulary astir nan baby’s death. He overheard them talking astir it astatine 1 constituent earlier they took off.

Law enforcement recovered Ellen’s assemblage astatine 11:45 a.m. connected Aug. 7, 1965 astir 100 feet disconnected nan road, according to Goetz’ written timeline.

Old newspaper clipping showing location of Ellen’s roadside funeral successful Swan Valley. | Courtesy Charlene Goetz

Based connected her investigation of tribunal records, Goetz says her mom “turned authorities grounds against Daniels” to get lesser charges.

On Jan. 24, 1966, Daniels was reportedly sentenced to 20 years successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to 2nd grade murder. Jones yet pleaded blameworthy to a reduced misdemeanor complaint of accessory to manslaughter and was sentenced to 5 years successful prison.

To this day, Goetz believes her mom had much to do pinch nan execution than she’s ever admitted.

Ellen’s decease certificate provided by Charlene Goetz

An ‘absolutely horrible’ childhood

Goetz had her ain troubled upbringing pinch Jones that she describes arsenic “absolutely horrible.”

She recalls surviving successful a filthy, cockroach-infested trailer. There were animal feces everyplace and she and her sister had nary nutrient aliases clothes.

Goetz says she walked successful nan location 1 time and saw her mom doing drugs. Jones was successful nan bath pinch a needle successful her arm, Goetz recalls.

At 1 point, Goetz says she was molested and raped by Jones’ brother.

“When I was 12 years old, I called Child Protective Services myself,” Goetz explains. “I wanted to beryllium removed.”

She was successful and retired of foster attraction during her teen years, still surviving portion of nan clip pinch her mom. After turning 17, Goetz ne'er went back.

Goetz struggled pinch PTSD for years and moreover had her ain brushwood pinch nan rule earlier getting her life backmost connected track. These experiences, mixed pinch nan decease aliases her sister, compel her to beryllium a sound for children successful abusive situations today.

Despite her troubled past, Goetz says she’s travel a agelong way. She acknowledges her mom’s puerility was besides horrible and she’s sympathetic, but it doesn’t excuse her actions arsenic a mother, Goetz says.

“What I would for illustration is for her to person immoderate accountability and for her to show nan truth,” Goetz says, tearing up. “I’d for illustration immoderate answers from her but I’ve ne'er been capable to judge her because it’s each lies.”

Charlene Goetz during an question and reply pinch EastIdahoNews.com | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Making connections and searching for answers

Visiting Ellen’s gravesite is simply a contented that continued pinch Ramey and her kids. She still visits nan sedate each mates of years to grant her memory.

“It’s weird that a personification you’ve ne'er met tin mean thing to you,” says Ramey. “But it conscionable goes to show … that everybody connected nan world has personification who cares astir them.”

Knowing that Hopkins and his family made a constituent to sojourn Ellen’s sedate each these years brings Goetz immoderate bid of mind astir it all.

“That has filled my heart. I convey God that she wasn’t near location each alone,” Goetz says. “I’m truthful grateful to them.”

She connected pinch Ramey during her sojourn to Idaho Falls and feels for illustration God played a domiciled successful nan timing of these events successful her life.

She precocious launched a GoFundMe to raise costs for a caller headstone for Ellen, which she’s hoping to instal adjacent summertime connected nan 60th day of her death.

Meanwhile, nan find galore years agone that her mom had a boy while successful situation is different enigma she’s hoping to solve.

Neither her aliases her mom knows his sanction aliases what happened to him. Still, Goetz has thought astir him for years and hopes to make interaction pinch him 1 day.

“It was a closed adoption. Pansy didn’t get to spot aliases clasp nan baby,” Goetz says. “He would’ve been adopted retired of Nebraska (because that’s wherever Pansy served her situation sentence). That’s each I know.”

Though she’s ne'er met her brother, Goetz feels a relationship to him successful her bosom and she has a elemental connection for him.

“I want him to cognize that I emotion him,” Goetz says, holding backmost tears. “I’m really hopeful that he’s had a awesome life and that he escaped nan scary that I and my sister went through.”

She’s hoping to perceive from him and asks him to scope retired via email astatine chargoerz@gmail.com.

“I cognize there’s a chance I’ll ne'er find him,” she adds. “But I can’t springiness up astatine slightest trying.”

Poem Charlene Goetz wrote connected behalf of her sister. | Courtesy Charlene Goetz