Episode 110: Chicago's Unsolved Tragedy: The Grimes Sisters

On the night of December 28, 1956, sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes, both passionate Elvis Presley fans, set out to watch his movie Love Me Tender at the Brighton Theater in Chicago. What should have been a routine trip soon spiraled into one of the city’s most haunting and unsolved mysteries. Despite a massive search, countless theories, and widespread media coverage, the sisters’ fate remained unknown for weeks, only to culminate in a tragic and chilling discovery on January 22, 1957.

In this episode, we dive deep into the complex case of the Grimes sisters, whose disappearance gripped the nation. With the investigation spanning multiple weeks and involving extensive questioning of thousands of people, early theories painted the girls as runaway teens—an idea quickly refuted by their grieving mother. Speculative sightings across the country added fuel to the fire, including reports that the sisters had gone to meet Elvis Presley, something that would captivate the public for weeks.

As the case progressed, an arrest was made, but things weren’t as they seemed. Edward “Bennie” Bedwell, a drifter, confessed to the murder but later recanted when his alibi was proven to be solid. The investigation stalled, but the eerie details surrounding the case only deepened the mystery. The bodies of the girls were found weeks later in a remote part of Illinois, frozen and covered in snow, their injuries suggesting possible abuse before death. Despite numerous theories, including a controversial connection to local gang members and more, no one was ever definitively charged in the case.

The haunting phone calls received by Lorretta Grimes, the girls’ mother, are among the most chilling aspects of the investigation. These calls, one of which came after the discovery of Bonnie Leigh Scott’s body—another victim of a child killer—led many to believe there could be a link between the two cases. The prime suspect, Charles LeRoy Melquist, a convicted child killer, was never charged for his possible involvement in the Grimes case due to legal and political reasons, adding another layer of frustration to an already painful situation.

This episode not only explores the tragic events surrounding the Grimes sisters but also examines the larger web of intrigue, missed opportunities, and unanswered questions that continue to haunt the case to this day. With over six decades having passed, there’s still a chance that new information could come to light, and retired officer Raymond Johnson is determined to keep the investigation alive through his own research and a documentary project he’s working on. His hope? To reignite public interest in the case and, perhaps, finally uncover the truth behind what happened to Barbara and Patricia Grimes.