The Burger Chef Murders: Four Employees Vanished During the Dinner Rush and Were Found Dead Two Days Later

It was Friday, November 17, 1978. Just another dinner shift at the Burger Chef restaurant in Speedway, Indiana — a suburb of Indianapolis. Four young employees were working the closing shift: Daniel Davis (16), Mark Flemmonds (16), Jayne Friedt (20), and Ruth Shelton (17).

Around 11:00 PM, when the restaurant should have been closing, something went terribly wrong.

The Discovery

The next morning, the assistant manager arrived to open the restaurant and found the doors unlocked. Inside, the place was in disarray — but not like a typical robbery. The registers were open, with some money still inside. The safe was open, but only a few hundred dollars were missing.

More disturbing: The restaurant had been partially cleaned. Someone had mopped the floors and wiped down surfaces. Personal belongings of the four employees — including Jayne's car keys and Ruth's jacket — were still there.

But the four young workers were gone.

At first, investigators theorized the employees had simply left with the money — maybe a prank or a joyride. But their families knew better. These were responsible kids. Something was very wrong.

Two days later, on Sunday, November 19, a horrifying discovery was made in a wooded area about 20 miles from the restaurant, near Johnson County. The bodies of all four employees were found.

• Jayne Friedt had been stabbed twice in the chest.
• Daniel Davis had been shot execution-style in the face.
• Mark Flemmonds had been shot twice.
• Ruth Shelton had been killed by a shotgun blast at close range.

The Crime Scene Disaster

The Burger Chef murders could have been solved — if the crime scene hadn't been catastrophically compromised.

Before police were called, concerned employees arrived at the restaurant Saturday morning and, seeing the disarray, cleaned up. They mopped the floors, washed dishes, threw away trash. They essentially destroyed any physical evidence that might have been left behind.

By the time detectives arrived, the scene was useless.

No fingerprints. No blood. No clear signs of struggle. Just a cleaned-up restaurant and four missing teenagers who would soon be found dead in the woods.

Theories and Suspects

Theory 1: Armed Robbery Gone Wrong

The most common theory is that one or more armed robbers entered the restaurant near closing time, forced the employees into a vehicle, drove them to the woods, and executed them.

The partial cleanup suggests the killers tried to buy themselves time before the bodies were discovered.

Theory 2: A Grudge Killing

Some investigators believed the murders were personal — that someone targeted Jayne Friedt specifically. She was the oldest employee and the assistant manager. Perhaps she had rejected someone's advances, or witnessed something she shouldn't have.

Theory 3: Organized Crime Connection

Speedway was known for its proximity to Indianapolis crime networks. Some speculated that the restaurant was being used for money laundering or drug deals, and the employees were killed to send a message or eliminate witnesses.

Suspect: The Two Men in a Van

Shortly before closing time, a witness reported seeing two suspicious men in a dark van parked near the Burger Chef. The van had been seen circling the area multiple times.

One of the men was described as tall, thin, with reddish hair. The other was shorter and stockier.

They were never identified.

Suspect: The Speedway Police Officer

In the 1990s, a shocking new theory emerged: A former Speedway police officer may have been involved.

A man named Donald Forrester — who had been a police officer in Speedway in the 1970s — was investigated after witnesses claimed he had bragged about getting away with murder. Forrester had been convicted of other crimes, including rape and kidnapping.

Police looked into the connection, but no charges were ever filed. Forrester died in 2006, taking his secrets with him.

Suspect: The Drifter Who Confessed

In 1984, a drifter named Thomas R. Schoeck confessed to the murders while in custody for another crime. He claimed he had been high on drugs and committed the killings with an accomplice.

But his confession was riddled with inconsistencies. He couldn't accurately describe the crime scene or the victims. He later recanted, claiming he had been coerced.

Police dismissed him as a false confessor.

Why This Case Still Haunts Investigators

The Burger Chef murders remain unsolved for several reasons:

1. The Compromised Crime Scene
The cleanup destroyed critical evidence. Without forensic data, investigators had almost nothing to work with.

2. Multiple Suspects, No Proof
Over the years, multiple suspects have been investigated — from drifters to dirty cops to organized crime figures. But no physical evidence ever linked anyone to the crime.

3. The Passage of Time
It's been nearly 50 years. Most of the original witnesses and suspects are now dead. Memories have faded. Evidence has been lost.

4. The Mystery of Motive
Why kill four teenagers over a few hundred dollars? If it was a robbery, why execute them? If it was personal, why kill all four? The motive has never made sense.

The Legacy

The Burger Chef murders shocked the nation. It was one of the first high-profile cases involving the abduction and murder of fast-food workers, and it led to sweeping changes in restaurant security protocols.

In the years since, Burger Chef as a brand has disappeared — absorbed by Hardee's in the 1980s. But the memory of what happened that November night in Speedway endures.

Four young people went to work on a Friday night and never came home.

Their killer — or killers — has never been caught.

Today, the Burger Chef murders remain one of America's most haunting cold cases — a reminder that sometimes, evil walks in, takes what it wants, and vanishes into the night.