PAULDING, Ohio — A mystery still hangs over the village of Paulding after six decades: Who killed Nancy Eagleson?
On a warm November day in 1960, 14-year-old Nancy finished a day at the movies with her 5-year-old sister, Sheryl. While walking the relatively short distance to their home, just after dark, a car pulled alongside the girls and asked if they needed a ride. The man eventually pulled in front of them, jumped out of the car, grabbed Nancy, threw her in the backseat and sped away.
Hours later, Nancy was found dead in what is now known as “Nancy’s Woods.” She was shot twice in the head and sexually assaulted.
Three to four years earlier, Cindy Geyer Keith said she had a similar experience.
“It was getting close to dark, and I remember him cuffing my hands,” she told 11 Investigates. “He took the cuffs and pulled me backward and pushed me into the backseat of a car.”
She said the man took her to the jail and sexually assaulted her.
“I remember being locked in the jail at this specific time, and he was holding a gun to my head," she said.
Keith, who grew up in Antwerp but now lives in Texas, said the year could have been 1958 when she was eight years old. But she is certain that the man was Clair “Bud” Paulus, a deputy for the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.
11 Investigates has looked into the death of Nancy Eagleson for nearly a year. In February, WTOL 11 aired a three-night investigation into the case. During that series, we interviewed a local man, Don Rhonehouse, who we had heard might have information about the case. He showed us a .22-caliber handgun and told us that he believed it could be the murder weapon.
After the series aired, a state investigator picked up the gun and tested it to see if a bullet recovered from Nancy’s body could be compared to the gun. There was no identifiable striping on the bullet that would allow for the comparison.
But during the ensuing months, 11 Investigates received several additional tips about the case. Multiple calls involved the suicide of Paulus.
On Nov. 5, 1987, Paulus was indicted by a Paulding County grand jury, accused of abusing a girl. A law enforcement source told us the girl was a family member. A record of that indictment doesn’t exist, but a law enforcement official and former prosecutor John Webb confirmed to us that it happened. Paulus then killed himself, shooting himself in the chest with a .38-caliber handgun. No police record exists of the incident, but a death certificate was signed by Dr. Don Snyder, who identified the caliber of the gun, interviewed witnesses at the scene, and provided the date of his death: Nov. 6, 1987.
More than 300 possible suspects in the death of Nancy Eagleson have been identified and investigated since 1960, according to a law enforcement official. Paulus was not one of them until a credible tip was reported to the sheriff’s office after our series aired. 11 Investigates was told that there is now a suspect card on Paulus in the case file.
Keith decided to come forward after seeing 11 Investigates' report, believing that Paulus could be responsible.
When asked if she truly believed that, she replied:
“I do. I definitely do, and I believe that for several reasons,” she said, then recounted those reasons, including his job as a deputy, his knowledge of the area where Nancy’s body was found and the fact that she believes he abused multiple girls.
A local newspaper mentioned that Paulus was a deputy “summer replacement” in 1957. He became a full-time deputy on Jan. 1, 1958. In newspaper accounts, he is mentioned as being a deputy until late 1959. In 1969, he is described in an article as being a special deputy for the Paulding County Fair.
One month before Nancy’s death, there is an advertisement in the Paulding Advantage for Bud & Jack’s Marathon Service, a service station that Paulus and Jack Vance took over at that time. It is roughly a quarter-mile from the movie theater that Nancy and Sheryl were at on the afternoon of her death.
Multiple family members and other residents have told us that they believe the sheriff’s department has covered up for the killer over the years. On the night of the abduction, Nancy’s family told us that they were directed away from the area where the body was found by Sheriff John Keeler, who said the area had already been searched. In addition, all the key evidence gathered from the scene disappeared at some point over the years. That evidence included blood, semen, clothing and hair.
In an interview earlier this year, Sheriff Jason Landers lamented the fact that the evidence was lost.
“Obviously something happened to it at some point, well before my career here," Landers said. "And you know what, again, in this case, it's unfortunate because there was great evidence, I believe at that time that would have brought a resolution to this case, probably before I started here."
During our initial investigation, we attempted to interview two former sheriffs -– Steve Porter, who was sheriff when Paulus committed suicide, and Robert Iler, who is a nephew of Bud Paulus. Neither man would make any comment about the case.
The only mention of Paulus in the original case file was when deputies responded to his service station six days after the murder to discuss with him a man who was acting strangely.
Keith said the alleged abuse occurred several times during a two-year period. The Paulus and Geyer families were close. Paulus' wife, Virginia, was the maid of honor at the wedding of Keith’s parents.
“Ginny didn’t have any children, so we were kind of like their substitute children, my brother Greg and I. They kind of lent us to them because they wanted children and didn’t have any,” Keith said.
During a 20-minute phone conversation, Greg confirmed that he and his sister spent a lot of time in Paulus’ home. Keith only told him that she was abused about three or four years ago.
“That surprised me, but it didn’t shock me,” he said, adding that he never felt comfortable around Paulus.
After talking to 11 Investigates, Keith gave a report to the sheriff’s office. She said she initially suppressed the memories, but has addressed them in recent years with the help of a therapist.
“The abuse destroyed my personality," she said. "It destroyed every part of my being. It made it really hard for me to trust anybody and it made it difficult for me to have friends. I’m still triggered by things that happen like people walking up behind me or putting anything in my face.”
Virginia Paulus declined to comment about her husband’s possible involvement, calling it “gossip.” Keith said Virginia later offered to meet with her if she would not go forward with her story. But she believes her story is part of the healing process.
“I am much more assured of myself these days and trying to heal as much as I can. I don’t know that I’ll ever heal completely, but I’m doing the best that I can," Keith said.
Sheriff Landers said he cannot comment publicly about suspects or witnesses, but he confirmed that his office continues to receive tips and that they are all investigated.
The sheriff’s office can be reached at 419-399-3791.