Former fast-food building linked to unsolved crimes in 1978 to be demolished

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — A building that used to be a fast food restaurant linked to the murders of four young people in 1978 and was most recently a pawn shop in Speedway, Indiana, is expected to be demolished over the next few weeks.

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The building that used to be a Burger Chef was where four workers were abducted in 1978, according to The Associated Press.

The bodies of Jayne Friedt, 20; Daniel Davis, 16; Mark Flemmonds, 16; and Ruth Ellen Shelton, 18, were found a couple of days later in the next county, WTHR reported.

Friedt, Davis and Shelton were reportedly shot in the back of their heads, the AP reported. Officials said that Flemmonds died choking on his own blood.

At first, investigators believed that it was a case of petty theft. According to WTHR, the four murders have been unsolved for 45 years.

The day after the murders, the restaurant was cleaned and reopened, the news outlet eported.

“People drive by and see the building and they’re always reminded of what happened here,” said Bill Jones, a former Speedway police officer, according to WXIN. Jones was starting his career as a patrolman a little less than a year before the murders.

The building is near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is expected to be demolished and eventually replaced by a dental office, town officials told local news stations, according to the AP.

“It’s been a couple of shops over the years that never caught on for more than a couple months and we’ve talked about redeveloping over time but that hasn’t happened,” Speedway Town Council President Vince Noblet told the Indianapolis Star, according to the AP.

The building was recently a CashLand pawn shop, which closed in 2016, according to WTHR.

Burger Chef was a fast-food chain that used to have locations across the country, the AP reported.