Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes. On June 27, 1937, Jeanette Stephens, 8, and her friends, Melba Everett, 9, and Madeline Everett, 7, were lured from Centinela Park in Inglewood. An extensive search ensued, with the police enlisting the aid of 500 Boy Scouts. Two days after their disappearance, a Boy Scout found the three bodies in a ravine in Baldwin Hills; the shoes of each girl were removed and placed in a pile near their bodies. From the moment news of the case broke, Albert Dyer, Inglewood resident and traffic guard at Centinela Elementary School where the girls were students, followed the story closely. He began keeping a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and offered the police theories about the case. As soon as the bodies were found, Dyer arrived on the scene in Baldwin Hills and began demonstrating strange behavior. Authories began to suspect Dyer and took him into custody. He was questioned at a jail in Los Angeles, as threats upon his life were being made in Inglewood. Dyer explained how he abducted the girls from the park and enticed them with the prospect of rabbit hunting in Baldwin Hills. Dyer confessed, "I had no other reason than sex" and he went on to describe how he strangled each girl. Despite that he later recanted his confession, Dyer was tried and convicted on August 26, 1937. Photograph, dated July 8, 1937, was used for an article dated September 16, 1938; it reads, "Haunted by memories of the three little girls he slew; Albert Dyer, today walked the 'last mile' at San Quentin prison and paid with his life for his crimes. Dyer was hanged for attacking and killing Madeline Everett, 7; Jeanette Stephens, 8 and Madeline's sister, Melba, 9, whose ravished bodies were found in a Baldwin Hills ravine. Dyer's last days were spent in pacing his cell and smoking endless cigarets [sic]. Often the Inglewood slayer mumbled words that indicated he saw 'ghosts' in the death cell."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Dyer, Albert Dyer, Albert--Trials, litigation, etc Everett, Madeline--Death and burial Everett, Melba--Death and burial Stephens, Jeanette--Death and burial Murderers--California--Los Angeles Criminals--California--Los Angeles Men--California--Los Angeles Portrait photographs Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
