Cold Cases of Indiana: A Study of Unsolved Cases in the Heartland

Heidi Jones

August 25, 1978 was a warm night with the temperature hovering in the low seventies. A gently breeze caressed the air. Heidi Jones, a soon-to-be single mother, lived alone with her son in a trailer located on South Franklin Road in Marion County Indiana. She called a babysitter, a teenage girl looking to earn some money, to come sit with her child so that she could run over to a friend's home.

The babysitter was under the impression that Heidi would be gone for no longer than an hour. Soon though, one hour turned to two with no sign of Heidi. As the night wore on, the babysitter decided it was best to call Heidi's parents to have them come collect their grandson so that she could return to her own home.

Heidi's parents agreed and collected their grandson. Her parents knew that it was out of character for Heidi to leave her son. Before Heidi had become pregnant with her son, she had been known to party and drink. All of that changed when she found out she was pregnant. She had gotten her General Diploma and a job. She wanted to provide a great life for her little boy.

When night turned into the morning of August 26, Heidi's parents decided that something terrible had to have happened for Heidi to not have returned. Heidi's father, Thomas Fulkerson, filed a missing person report with the police department. He did not want to waste anytime in finding Heidi, hopefully safe.

Meanwhile, at the corner of Thomas and 5 Points Roads, two boys found a purse. The purse was missing the shoulder strap. The only items inside were three cents and a social security card for a Heidi Jones. Police officers quickly made the connection between the purse and missing woman.

Foul play was officially suspected in the disappearance of the young mother. When questioning the babysitter that Heidi had hired, they were able to find out the name of the friend Heidi had intended on visiting. Upon further investigation, it was quickly established that Heidi never made it to her friends home and that her purse was found five miles from Heidi's home and seven miles from her friend's residence.

Police knew that Heidi had over $100 in her purse when she had left her home on the night of August 25, so robbery quickly became an expected motive. Heidi's car had not been found, which was another sign of foul play. Officers also took an interest in Heidi's estranged husband.

Heidi's husband had moved out of the trailer, that Heidi's father had bought the couple, a few months prior to Heidi's disappearance. The couple had married young after finding out that they were expecting their son. The union never seemed to truly be a happy one. Heidi filed for divorce shortly after her husband moved from the trailer and it not appear as though the divorce was going to be quick or painless.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office was investigating the disappearance. As days turned into weeks, and weeks into month, leads stopped coming in. The case was at a standstill. Heidi's car hadn't been located, which left investigators wonder if the young, mother had really just run away.

This all changed on May 2, 1979. Skeletal remains were found not far from Five Points, where Heidi's purse had been found. Police almost immediately assumed the body was that of Heidi Jones. The area in which the body was found was known to be a dumping ground for stolen cars and property. Police had previously searched the area for Heidi Jones' vehicle.

Her body was "hog-tied." Her feet were bound with an electrical cord, while her hands were bound with the strap missing from her handbag. The clothes Heidi wore when she disappeared still adorned her remains.

Police stated that it appeared as though a gunshot from a 38 revolver to the left side of the skull was the cause of death. They had recovered a slug from a 38 revolver at the scene. With these new pieces of information, they started to again question people that knew Heidi.

Within six days of recovering the remains of Heidi Jones, her estranged husband was charged in her death. He was arrested and originally held without bond. The arrest came on the tail of the questioning police had been conducting. Statements made by individuals during these interviews directly implicated Heidi's estranged husband in her murder.

At first, it seemed as though a victory was imminent and that the police had an open and shut case. On May 24, 1979, Heidi's estranged husband was granted bail at $5,000. He was granted bail as part of a negotiation for the prosecutor and police to have more time before a trial had to begin.

Sadly, the investigators ended up having to drop the charges. It is unclear how this took place, but the last article published about Heidi's husband facing charges was the same article announcing his bail release.

Heidi's car would never be found. A boy would grow up and not even remember his own mother. As of 2013, Heidi's mother was still alive wishing she had answers. Heidi's father had passed away without seeing justice for his daughter. Her son became a father and Heidi never had the opportunity to play dotting grandma.

Anyone with information is asked to call crime stoppers at (317)262-8477.

_______________Sources__________________

"Estranged Husband Charged In Young Woman's Murder." Morrison, Patrick. The Indianapolis Star. May 1979. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17241825/the_indianapolis_star/

"Found Body May Be City Woman's." The Indianapolis News. May 1979. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17241310/the_indianapolis_news/

"Husband Charged In Missing Wife's Death." The Indianapolis News. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17241577/the_indianapolis_news/

"Jones Released on $5,000 Bond." The Daily Reporter. May 1979. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17241438/the_daily_reporter/

"Seven-year Unsolved Murder of City Woman Topic of Crime Stoppers." The Indianapolis Recorder. June 1986. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=INR19860607-01.1.2

"Who Killed Heidi Jones: Indianapolis, Indiana." Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana. September 11, 2012. http://crimestoppersweb.com/655/Pictures/120911SR%20%20Special%20News%20Release%20Heidi%20Jones%20Homicide.pdf

"Woman Never Returned from Errand." Penner, Diana. The Indianapolis Star. July 14, 2013. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17242674/the_indianapolis_star/