Showing posts with label linda sherman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linda sherman. Show all posts

8/20/21

Skull In The Window And Case In Limbo l Linda Sue Sherman '85 St. Louis Missouri

 Linda Sherman then 27 years old and mother to a 9-year-old daughter, vanished on April 22nd, 1985 following an argument with her husband. No trace of her was found minus her car parked at the local airport. Five years later her skull appears on the grounds of a Mexican restaurant. Linda's killer and the rest of her body have never been found. 

This case is a re-write of my previous work and it's been updated with more information and to better fit my personal standards. I'm not the best with grammar and spelling and if you need to correct I am not offended. I also use initials and redactions to offer a thin layer of protection to friends/family involved. I encourage people to take my work if they wish! I would love credit but that's not my goal.  I like to ask that you pretend a family member involved in the cases is going to read whatever you comment. Just a gentle reminder to be sensitive. Lastly, if you like to google cases but are worried about graphic visuals this case is safe. 

Key = Upstairs info means any source that is credible and Downstairs Info is any source that is second-hand. LE = Law Enforcement, POI = Person of Interest

7/10/2020* I noticed Linda did not have a profile on Namus. So, I contacted the regional specialist to see if that was something that could be done. They said after they research it some more they might look into doing that! It is currently 7/15/2021 and I have received no updates nor do I see her in Namus. Feel free to help with this! How will we find her remains if no one knows to look for her? 

The Story

Linda Sue Sherman disappears on April 22nd, 1985 sometime around 6:00 PM. Most of the information we have is based on what Linda's husband says and according to him, Linda came home around 2:00 AM after her work shift. (Depending on the sources the times for the scenario change by a few hours)  Donald Edward Sherman (Known as Don Sherman) said the pair had an argument that lasted until around 4:00 AM and it ended with Linda sleeping on the couch and Don sleeping in their bedroom. 

That day Linda did not wake to take their daughter P.S. to school. P.S. saw Linda laying on the couch with her face to the back. P.S. has said that it was very unusual that her father took her to school and that her mother didn't wake to even say goodbye and in some accounts, P.S. said that her mother wasn't moving. 

With next to few leads her case dwindles until years later on June 28, 1990, when her skull was discovered at a local Mexican restaurant. This also had no leads besides confirming her demise and pointing the investigation in the direction of homicide. 

The Story Expanded / Investigation (Usually I split this into segments and break down what LE has done for the case but it just didn't work out for this case!) 

April, 22nd, 1985 Linda arrives at her home around 2:00 AM from her work shift and engages in an argument with Don until around 4:00 AM where allegedly she sleeps on the couch and he sleeps in their bedroom. Also, according to Don, the argument had been about her affair. This home is a brick house in Vinita Park sometimes described as a five-room bungalow on a dead-end street, 8300 block of Monroe Avenue. According to the weather history, the daytime high would have been around 80 degrees with an unknown low. The weather was cloudy that day. Sunrise and Sunset were at 5:15 AM and 6:46 PM. 

Later that morning P.S. their daughter finds it unusual her mother does not wake nor take her to school. Don takes P.S. to school a chore that he rarely did and went to work. Later that day he returns home around 6:00 PM and according to Don his wife is running late for work and she was angry and antsy. Linda did not phone her older sister F.M. of [Redacted], Missouri and it was their custom to talk on the phone every night. Linda then goes to work around 6:00 PM with no witnesses seeing this event take place. Linda did not report to work and was not seen again. According to Don Sherman, Linda was wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, a blue jersey emblazed with the number 76. 

Don did not report her missing until one full day later on April 24th and it was at the urging of Linda's family did he do so. Don stated that he waited because this behavior was typical for her and pointed out her overnight bag was gone. Investigators did say they had found evidence of some missing items from the home. The weather on this day would have been mostly cloudy, with some wind and some fair spots. The High was 70 with an unknown low but the average was 50.   

Linda did have a history of leaving and was having a confirmed by LE affair with a man from her work. This boyfriend had an alibi and was cleared from the investigation. This would have also been the day Linda's car would have been marked as parked over 24 hours at the airport. 

Linda's family however were very concerned because while Linda had a history of leaving she had never done so without P.S. Linda did not trust Don Sherman with their daughter as he had made threats to murder the entire family before. Linda's family also knew that Linda had been making plans to secure her independence from Don Sherman. Linda was routing her mail to her sisters and sending her paycheck money there and the family knew she was going to attempt to leave for good and they were aware of Linda's affair. Linda's last paychecks when to her sister's and brother-in-law's house. They kept them unopened for years in a file with all the newspaper clips they could on this case. 

The family began making major search efforts on their own and created flyers with 1,000 dollar rewards for information. 

One lead was found entirely on a hunch by Linda's brother-in-law S.M. and wife F.M. According to S.M. he thought about a story where the victims car appeared at the airport so the pair headed to the local airport in the evening (St. Louis Lambert Airport) to search the cars and there they found Linda's 1971 Volkswagon Beetle parked in short-term parking. No signs of a struggle and the doors were locked. The family said they could see school books and hat in the backseat of the car. The family was afraid her body would be in the trunk so they didn't touch anything and called for help. They called the airport security and they opened the front compartment trunk but nothing was inside. Allegedly, the trunk had been unlocked. The airport tracked the cars parked longer than 24 hours and this one was marked on April 24th. It is at this time LE suspect that Linda might have met with foul play.

The airport had no records of a Linda Sue Sherman that had left on any airplanes. Linda's family points out the possibility of walking back to the Sherman home from the airport. According to google maps, this would have been a one-hour and thirty-minute walk. 

Michael Webb, the Vinita Park Police Cheif becomes the lead investigator for this case. Webb becomes obsessed and dedicated to this case. Starting from the start all over again he interviews everyone that he can. Webb is known to have studied this case in detail up until he died nearly twenty years later on February 4th, 2009. Webb was convinced Don Sherman had been the killer and he wanted justice for Linda and interviewed Don repetitively but no solid evidence ever surfaced even after one of Don't ex-girlfriends allegedly came forward to say that Don confessed to her murdering Linda.  

Family and friends involved in the case slowly began to live their lives as the case went cold. P.S. Did not live with her father but moved in with her maternal grandmother and saw Don Sherman only on the weekends. Don became depressed and began to heavily drink he was legally still married to Linda and he attempted to divorce her on the grounds that she was cheating and abandoned him. However, this was overturned, the judge saying they would wait until Linda was able to consent.

No arrests were made in regards to this case but law enforcement did declare Don Sherman as the sole suspect of the case. 

The Skull

Five years pass and on June, 28th,1990, a skull was found in Bridgeton, MO, and being held by St. Louis County Medical examiner's office. Two TWA flight attendants make the discovery from their table by the window around noon on a hot Thursday. According to historical weather, the high was 94 with a low of around 70 degrees. The weather was mostly cloudy. Sunrise and sunset were 5:40 AM and 8:31 PM. 

The flight attendants chose to have lunch at Casa Gallardo a chain Mexican restaurant. According to an employee of another location, this chain did not use any skull motifs in decorations. In my sources below, you can see this statement is true by an article talking about the closing of the restaurant as it has photos of the inside. This Casa Gallardo is now permanently closed and removed but at the time it was only 7 minutes from the airport the location had been on 12380, St. Charles Rock Road. 

The skull was spotted peeking out from beneath a yucca plant in a rocked landscape strip outside. The skull was positioned with the face at the window on the building's east side. Described as an ocher color with dirt lodged in the teeth and jawbone askew.

12:47 p.m. the manager was called over because the flight attendants assumed it was a prank. The manager pulled the blinds and called the police.  

The scene is described by the then-police chief W.M. “It’s a very well-manicured area. Plants and gravel and what have you.  And the way it was situated, it would give one the impression that you know, somebody put it there so you would see it. During that time period, there was the relocating of a cemetery that was in the area, and a lot of bodies were being exhumed, graves were being moved, so it gives you the impression now that this may be a prank, and there would be no reason to suspect that there was any foul play.” - Unsolved Mysteries Gallery 

The LE took photographs and an anthropologist was consulted. They said the bones were of recent origin and female but nothing else could be determined. They did not declare a crime scene as nothing else had been disturbed. The event was classified as 'found human remains'. The LE dismissed the event as a prank. In the area, a local cemetery was being exhumed and moved. There had already been an incident with teens breaking into the area and taking photos of skeletons. Linda's skull was then taken to a morgue and sat on a shelf with no name. 

Don Sherman was at the Casa Gallardo that day in the evening after the event. This was one of his favorite drinking spots and he allegedly heard reports of the skull is found. “It was scary. And somebody that put those remains here at the restaurant obviously knew me or knew that I hung out there. We’re not talking about a place that I casually visited. We’re talking about a place that I would visit two, three times a week.” -Don Sherman Unsolved Mysteries Gallery 

Only 14 months later, on September 6, 1991, an unsealed envelope arrived Vanita Park Police department. Inside is a flyer from the restaurant dating it to the day the skull was found there. Some sources say it was a Superbowl flyer. One side of it in purple ink sometimes described as rubber-stamped was the sentence. "THE BRIDGETON POLICE HAVE L. SHERMAN'S SKULL." in capital letters.

The LE matched Linda Sherman's dental records to the skull and it was a match. Unfortunately, the letter and skull were both voids of evidence. The letter had even been sent to an FBI crime lab in Washington. The investigation has now ruled a homicide. 

Don Sherman and P.S. were informed of the find and match at home. P.S. is now 16 years old and said that her father informed her by simply saying "They found your mom" and then he went to his room. P.S. had to learn of the details later from a cousin. 

January 05, 1993, LE seek help from the public by going to the news-press. "All Leads have been exhausted, Lt. Webb said. "but we have reason to believe that there are members of the public who may know something about it." - Police appeal for clues in 1985 Murder by Thom Gross. 

Webb was so desperate with any leads he would go to police conventions and pull aside famous detectives. They were not able to help with tips or ideas. When technology advanced enough Webb pursued soil sample tests that were on the skull. 

August 20th, 1999 The case and investigation are reopened. Linda's skull is exhumed from a grave near Fulton, Mo. Linda's skull was sent to Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute in Mercyhurst, Pa. The examination was lead by a soil scientist and forensic archaeologist. They hoped the trace evidence will help find Linda's full remains. They also send Linda's skull to the University Of Columbia, Missouri. They concluded the skull had been buried in a large wooded area in Missouri and that the plant matter that was found was common purple morning glory. 

Webb sent cadaver dogs to Perryville, Mo where he thought matched the description and a rumor. However, nothing turned up there. This town is outside of St. Louis. 

July 01-2nd, 2001 Lt. Webb appears to herald the rerun episode of  "Unsolved Mysteries". I highly encourage you to watch this episode as it has interviews with Linda's family, P.S., and even Don Sherman. 

Currently, there have been no more leads and nothing to propel this case further. The lead investigator passed away, many of Linda's family pass away and Don Sherman relocated, remarried, became estranged from P.S., and also passed away. The surviving member P.S. relocated and now has her own daughter. 

Linda Sue Lutz Sherman 

Linda Sue Lutz Sherman is also known as Linda Sue Sherman. Linda does not have alias names but her name is often shortened into Linda Sue. Linda was born October, 19th 1958 in Saint Louis City, Missouri. Linda's death date is listed on her gravestone as April 22nd, 1985. Linda's skull was laid to rest in Steedman Cemetery in Steedman, Callaway County, Missouri. At the time of her disappearance, she was working at the U.S. Government Records Center in Saint Louis, Missouri. It has been renamed at National Personnel Records Center. Linda lived in Vinita Park, Missouri. 

Linda is sometimes described as sheltered, quiet, and reserved other times she's described as outgoing, classy, and athletic. She was the youngest of her large, religious and loving family of four older siblings. Linda's family advocated for her in her personal life and after her disappearance. Linda had dark brown hair cut into a popular layered bob style of the 1990s and she wore fashionable makeup of the time. 

Linda grew up in Florissant or by some accounts Dadebride Court in Ferguson. Attended McCluer High School in the Saint Louis area. This high school was where she met her future husband Don Sherman. 

Married February 10th, 1975, at Christ Memorial Baptist Church, Linda was 17 years old at the time. The wedding theme was powder blue and it was not a large ceremony. Afterward, they went to Noah's Ark Restaurant in Saint Louis, Missouri. 

They rented a home next to Linda's parents W.L. occupation of carpenter and E.L. occupation of homemaker. They are both now deceased and buried in the same cemetery as Linda. Later that year Linda gives birth to child P.M.S. around August but is determined to finish her education and relies on her mother to watch P.S. Linda graduated from high school and pursued more education. The couple often worked opposite shifts and this strains the marriage. Linda juggled many jobs over the years; Sears, Site Oil Company, and as a cocktail waitress at the Flaming Pit restaurant.

Don Sherman was upset and jealous of Linda's job at the Flaming Pit and claimed she flirted with men and changed there. The marriage lasted 10 years even with the obsessive nature of Don and physical abuse.  “Don was very possessive of her.  ‘When I get off of work if I’m not home within five minutes, he wants to know what’s goin’ on, who are you seein’?  What are you doin’ out that late?’ He was always hitting her and things just weren’t right.” - D.L. Linda's older brother Unsolved Mysteries Gallery 

Linda filed for divorce in October of 1977 and wanted to take them home and sole custody of her daughter. However, they reconciled in 1979 and moved to Vanita Park together into a five-room bungalow a short time after that. 

Then in 1980 Linda had a miscarriage or stillbirth and was diagnosed with epilepsy and seizures. The couple chose to not have any more children, something Don reportedly was upset with. This event seemed to be a catalyst for discontentment with the marriage.

1982 The marriage becomes strained again to the point Linda leaves the home into an apartment in Saint Ann, Missouri making sure to take their daughter with her. This year in September Linda files for protection from Don because he had threatened to murder-suicide the family and tampered with Linda's car. 

The protection was granted but it didn't last long. One month later Linda wrote a letter to the judge to discontinue it herself as they had reconnected.  "Please acknowledge the fact that my husband, Donald E. Sherman, and myself, Linda S. Sherman, are presently working things out," Linda wrote the judge on Oct. 21, 1982. -Body Of Evidence Riverfront Times

After their 10th wedding anniversary Linda planned to leave Don again but this time she wanted to make it permanent and she started to make quiet moves to do so safely. April 11th, 1985 she filed for divorce. F.V. was her attorney. "I just remember her as being very nice, very polite, and an attractive lady," he says. "She was not sophisticated or anything, but I think she was kind of classy... I remember her as having class and being a person of stature." -Body Of Evidence Riverfront Times

In the early months of 1985 before she vanished Linda began to set up her life in such a way as to leave Don Sherman for good. April 11th she filed for divorce with her lawyer F.V. with the intent that the papers wouldn't be served until sometime later. 

Donald Edward Sherman 

Donald Edward Sherman with no known alias but the name is often shortened to just Don Sherman. Born April 6th, 1957 in Missouri and died May 7th, 2015 at 10:54 AM on Thursday at the Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mt. Vernon Illinois at the age of 58 years old. Don has sandy brown hair, one pierced ear, light-colored eyes, caucasian, and often sports beards with styled hair parted in the middle. Older photos show him with darker hair and mustaches. 

Don had continued to live in the home he had shared with Linda for nearly 14 years after her vanishment. In that time he had girlfriends and shared the home with them as well. Then he eventually moved and married. We know he lived in Nashville according to his obituary and then eventually Illinois with his new wife S.G. and her children J.G., R.G., and T.G. 

In Don's obituary, there is a mention of another daughter but the name is wrong and so is the hometown address. However, I assume this was supposed to mention daughter P.S. On Don's memorial page a virtual candle stays lit and its inscription reads, "One and only daughter".

Don was also survived by 4 grandchildren; J.G., J.G., N.G., and E.G. A brother; K. Sherman of Missouri, and numerous friends. Don had other siblings but I do not know if they passed away or not. R. Sherman of Florissant MO, B. Sherman of Cool Valley Mo, and two sisters B.B/B.J. of St. Charles and lastly. P. Sherman of Florissant. 

Don was a manufacturing machinist and built things. Don liked to hunt and spend time with loved ones. Lastly, he was not laid to rest but instead cremated. 

Don had many jobs; gas station attendant, manufacturing machinist, and various factory work.

Don was described as controlling, verbally abusive, physically abusive, and very jealous of Linda's family. Linda's brother said he would have fits if Linda and he went out to lunch. During the time of her disappearance, Don was working dayshift at a machine shop and according to him Linda started smoking again, wouldn't be at work when he called or didn't come home after her shifts. A truck driver friend of Don's confirmed an affair after seeing Linda with a co-worker. 

Don had wild theories about what happened to his wife and often convoluted the casework with them. Don seemed offended that the police had made him the main suspect of the case but other times seems to accept this. Only one week after Linda's vanishing he told the police that he had seen her in a truck or van with another man and she had ducked out of sight when he chased and yelled. Then on another occasion, he said she had been killed for her involvement in a cocaine ring at her workplace. This was his reasoning for why Linda's skull had been placed at his favorite restaurant because it was there to frame or intimidate him. Don would deflect the topic by saying things like  "I don't remember exactly what was going through my head," he says now. "It's way too long ago to remember that." - Body of Evidence by the Riverfront Times. 

Don got a lawyer right away after Linda's vanishment and refused polygraph testing. The lawyer was F.A. but it was strange he chose this person as it was the same lawyer that represented his mother in a murder charge. Don's mother A.S. shot her husband on February 25th, 1974 in their family home. A.S. claimed someone was breaking into their house and the murder weapon was found in the air duct. A.S. served 6 months in jail. According to Don both, his parents were alcoholics and that was the real reason behind his father's murder. Don said his choice of a lawyer was simply because he knew him. 

Daughter Of Linda and Don Sherman P.M.S.

was born in August of 1976. P.S. is now P.H. of Attica, Indiana. P.H. has blond hair, pale, eyes, is caucasian. P.H. has recurrent nightmares of the last day she had seen her mother. P.H. believes that her mother was already dead that morning when she lay on the couch with her face to the back. Though she is aware her father is the main suspect of this case she still hopes for closure and wants to bring all of her Mother's body home to rest. “In my heart, I think that he might’ve done it. You know, I can’t think of anybody else who would’ve.” -Interview from Unsolved Mysteries.

Theories / Notes / Brainstorms

This section in no way claims or accuses anyone of anything. All people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The theories reported in this section are exactly that. Just theories and reporting common ideas of the public. 

Alex from Unsolved Mysteries posted Linda's case to the Unsolved Mysteries Facebook. In there he expresses his opinion that Don killed his wife plain and simple. Many people agree with him and this is the top and most prevailing theory one even supported by Don's own daughter. Many spin off theories have come off of this main idea with thoughts like; Don had help hiding the body or maybe he threatened his daughter to keep quiet about certain details or information. Motivation theories on why range from jealously, to accidental, to possessiveness. 

Speaking of possessiveness while watching the Unsolved Case interview with Don Sherman I found it interesting that he shook his head no over most of what he was saying. Most of the time he used his wife's full name and just seemed overall distant. Strange for someone who was reported to have been so jealous his wife wasn't able to have lunch with her own brother. I hardly imagine a man this intense would be OK with his wife's disappearance and I feel like he'd search for her high and low out of needing to know where she was... unless... he already knows where she is. I got the distinct impression Don was the sort of person that wraps a tiny nugget of truth up into lies. If you watch or think of the case with that idea in mind it could conjure up some interesting theories. Such as he said he thought Linda's skull was placed at his favorite restaurant as a way to intimidate him or frame him. What if that is a half-truth? What if it was done by someone he knew to make sure he had an alibi for when it was found? 

Most people were also very convinced that Linda was already dead or dying that morning when P.H. went to school and saw her on the couch. Considering P.H. still has nightmares about this moment it's implied that she agrees with this theory. 

Most people agree that the motivation for Linda's skull reappearing seemed to be out of the need to prove her death for their marriage to finally dissolve. Leaving Don legally able to pursue marriage. However, most missing persons are declared dead after a certain period of time. Why the need to speed up this process when the average declared time period is 7 years? 

A.N.Sherman is Don Sherman's mother who lived in Bridgeton Missouri and was formerly of Crosstown Missouri. A.S. died June 6th, 1996 at the DePaul Health Center, St. Louis Missouri. Wife of C.K.S. whom she murdered. A.S. has three sons and two daughters.

A.S. lived in Bridgeton Missouri and that is the same town where Linda's skull had been found at Don's favorite drinking restaurant. The Casa Gallardo would have been a roughly estimated 29-minute walk or 4-minute drive from A.S. house. 

Also, Linda's car had been found in short-term parking at the Lambert airport. That probably would have been terminals 1 or 2. These terminals are a roughly estimated 5-minute drive or a 30-60 min walk to A.S.'s house. The address A.S. had listed in '93 according to the census is 12001 Farnclar Dr. Bridgeton Mo and it no longer exists due to the airport expansion, which is why I feel it's safe and fair to share this location.

I don't often bring spiritualism into a case but I went to sleep thinking about Linda. That night I dreamt that Don packed Linda's body up into a suitcase and put her in her car and drove her to the airport. It reminded me when I woke up that Don had made it a point to investigators that Linda's overnight bag and items were missing. I wonder how large this bag was and if any other luggage was missing. Anything large enough to hide a petite woman? Linda's car had been found with the trunk compartment unlocked at short-term parking but the car doors locked. 

Lastly, it was reported that Don lawyered up very quickly and that he used the very same lawyer that had gotten his mother off on murder charges. Don was asked why he used that lawyer and he said it was because he knew him and no other reason. That lawyer advised Don to never take any polygraphs and it was advice he followed. 

Was Linda's favorite color blue? It's a random thought but the outfit she went missing in is blue, the photos she is most often seen in shows her with blue eyeshadow and a blue turtle neck. Also, I wonder what sports jersey she was wearing? Was it a Royals jersey? This is something good to document if we can get her a profile on Namus. If this is indeed the outfit she was murdered in perhaps she was buried in it as well so if her remains are found it could help identify her. 

Did Don lie to his new wife about the details of his daughter? Why would his obit have wrong information then and even be included in the obit? 

Conclusion

The key to this case is going to be a witness or finding the rest of the body. So, if you have any information or a tip, please call the Vinita Park Police Department in Vinita Park, Missouri, (314) 428-7373 or call Unsolved Mysteries at 1-800-876-5353 (If you call the unsolved it just growls at you. It's now a disconnected number.) Also, if you can please share her story! I know I usually say fliers but this time... she has NONE. I would love to try and get her into Namus or other missing person sites. How can you find a body if nobody knows your looking for it? 



My Podcast Episode Just Audio! 



Upstairs


https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13038307/linda-sue-sherman

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36098283/audrey-naomi-sherman
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10550337/st-louis-post-dispatch/
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/michael-webb-vinita-park-police-chief-pursued-murder-case-for/article_af4d26e9-195a-5206-ba1c-4bad8557c3c9.html
https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/body-of-evidence/Content?oid=2475396
https://peoplelegacy.com/linda_sue_lutz_sherman-3s1L16
https://www.styningerfuneralhomes.com/notices/Donald-Sherman
https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/body-of-evidence/Content?oid=2475396
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/michael-webb-vinita-park-police-chief-pursued-murder-case-for-years/article_af4d26e9-195a-5206-ba1c-4bad8557c3c9.html

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62015879/st-louis-post-dispatch/

https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/casa-gallardo-bridgeton/Location?oid=2692811

Subscription Sources

https://www.newspapers.com/image/142550372/?article=c7a7e2cd-7ad8-460b-b136-d9822ed3cff7

https://www.newspapers.com/image/142448633/?terms=Bridgeton%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/139959485/?terms=Bridgeton%20Murder&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/140985747/?terms=Bridgeton%20Murder&match=1

Downstairs


https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Linda_Sherman
https://unsolved.com/gallery/linda-sherman/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B01N4B4WCP/ref=dv_web_auth_no_re_sig/134-2742397-0828646?ie=UTF8&autoplay=1&

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B076BT8V18/ref=dv_web_auth_no_re_sig?ie=UTF8&autoplay=1&t=0&
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/apc6m4/the_unsolved_disappearance_of_linda_sherman/
https://medium.com/true-crime-by-cat-leigh/womans-skull-placed-outside-of-restaurant-35cf547edd4e
https://truecrimearticles.com/2019/02/11/the-unsolved-disappearance-of-linda-sherman/
http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/skull-staring-back-unsolved-homicide-linda-sherman/
http://trailwentcold.com/2019/05/01/the-trail-went-cold-episode-122-linda-sherman/

https://web.archive.org/web/20180617015316/http://blazingtalons.blogspot.com/2007/10/spooky-story-linda-sherman-mystery.html

https://www.listennotes.com/top-episodes/linda-sherman/

https://www.trailwentcold.com/2019/05/01/the-trail-went-cold-episode-122-linda-sherman/ *Podcast appears on Podcast row for Crimecon 

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/553o1q/linda_sherman_who_killed_her_who_sent_the_note/

7/9/20

The Skull In The Window


This one is a strange case because it seems very obvious. Except for one issue, the skull of the victim is identified and now laid to rest but her body is missing.


I do not like this case. It is old enough that a proper paper trail is non-existent. I personally think this is the intention of the killer and the era of the time was on their side. Most of my write up is based on other people's blogs. The links and sources are below. I will edit my post and date with any updates I find or more information. Sometimes I add your theories so the next time I post it will be with updated ideas.

The key to this case is going to be a witness or finding the rest of the body. So, if you have any information or a tip, please call the Vinita Park Police Department in Vinita Park, (314) 428-7373  Missouri, or call Unsolved Mysteries at 1-800-876-5353 (If you call the unsolved it just growls at you. It's now a disconnected number.)

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Linda Sue Sherman officially vanished on April 22nd, 1985 around 6 pm. According to her husband Donald Edward Sherman, Linda came home after her 2 am work shift. According to Don, they had an argument until around 4 am in the morning which ended with her sleeping on the couch and Don sleeping in their bedroom. Linda did not wake to take their daughter Patty to school. Patty saw her mother laying on the couch with her face to the back. Patty remarks that it was very unusual that her father was taking her to school and that her mother did not wake to even say goodbye.

Don took Patty to school and went to work. He arrives home a little before 6 pm where he states that his wife was running late for work. They didn't speak much and according to him, she was angry and antsy. Linda left for work around 6 pm with no witnesses seeing this event take place. Linda did not report to work that evening and was never seen again.

Don did not report her missing until at least one more full day. The family of Linda had to urge him to do so and Don stated that this was a regular occurrence of her to leave and pointed out that her overnight bag was gone. (Investigators said they did find evidence of missing items from the home) Don stated that she had been cheating hence why they had the argument the other day. Linda's sister Fran of Hazlewood, Missouri talked on the phone every single night with Linda but not get their usual phone call on the 22nd.

Linda did have a history of leaving and she was having a confirmed by law enforcement affair with a man from her work. However, the man had an alibi and was cleared. Linda's family also pointed out that Linda never left Patty alone with Don Sherman because he had threatened to murder the entire family on a previous occasion. Linda had been making moves to secure her independence such as routing her mail to her sisters and sending her paychecks there. Linda's family was aware that she was attempting to leave for good and was having an affair.

Linda's family began a search and made flyers along with offering a 1,000 dollar reward for any information. The next clue was found entirely on a hunch by Fran and her husband Dennis. They went to the St. Louis Lambert Airport and discovered Linda's '97 yellow Volkswagon on the first turn into the short-term parking garage. No signs of a struggle and the doors were locked. They could see her school supplies and hat in the car. The trunk was unlocked but there was nothing else there. The airport kept track of cars that were parked longer than 24 hours and this car was marked on April 24th. There was no Linda Sherman that left on any airplanes either. At the time one could just buy a ticket with cash. Linda's family points out it would have been possible to walk back to the Sherman home from the airport and on google maps, it says it would be about a 1 hour and 30-minute walk.

Around this time the case switches lead investigators and Michael Webb began to work the case. It became his obsession and his family's obsession because he pursued this case until he died nearly twenty years later. It is well known that Webb looked into every tiny detail or lead that he could. It is of public opinion that the case was never solved because law enforcement did not care. I think this is untrue.

Everyone tried to move on with their lives at this point because nothing was moving this case forward. Patty moved in with her Maternal Grandmother and saw her father on the weekends. Don became depressed and starting heavy drinking. He attempted to divorce Linda on the grounds that she was cheating and abandoned him. It was overturned, the judge saying they would wait until Linda could consent.

Five years later on 12:30 p.m. on June 28, 1990, Linda's skull was recovered. Casa Gallardo Mexican Restaurant which is now permanently closed and removed. It is only about 7 minutes from the airport. Two flight attendants happen to look out the window that was on the east side and see a skull placed underneath a yucca plant that was positioned so it was staring back.

The police did not declare the scene a crime as nothing else had been disturbed. The event was classified as 'found human remains' and quickly dismissed as a cruel teenage prank. In the area, a local cemetery was being exhumed and moved. There had already been an incident with teens breaking into the area and taking photos of skeletons. The skull was taken to the morgue and sat on a shelf.

Don was actually at the restaurant that day in the evening. This was his favorite spot to go and drink and he heard reports of the skull being found.

14 months later, on September 6, 1991, a letter arrived at the police. It was an unsealed envelope with a flyer from the restaurant and the day the skull was recovered. One side of it in purple ink sometimes described as rubber-stamped was the sentence. "THE BRIDGETON POLICE HAVE L. SHERMAN'S SKULL."

The skull was taken off the shelf and matched to Linda Sherman's dental records. There were no further clues to gain from the skull or the letter. Both were void of any evidence.
Don was informed at his home and Patty was there as well. Patty said all he told her was "They found your mom" and went to his room. Patty was 16 years old at the time and didn't learn the details until much later through a cousin.

Webb desperate with any leads begged the public for information with a news article. Anytime he went to a police convention he would pull aside detectives that worked the world's most difficult and famous cases. They were not able to provide any more tips or ideas.

When technology had finally advanced enough Webb tried to test the soil samples that were on the skull. They also tested the plant matter growing on the skull. They exhumed Linda's skull and sent her to the University of Columbia in Missouri. They concluded the skull had been buried in a large wooded area in Missouri and that the plant was common purple morning glory. Webb sent cadaver dogs to Perryville, MO where he thought matched the description and a rumor but nothing turned up there.

Unsolved Mysteries aired an episode about the case on July 2, 2001. You can see in-person interviews with her family, Patty, and even Don.

With nothing else to propel the case forward, everyone moved on with their lives. Webb passed away with the case unsolved. Many people from Linda's family passed away as well. Patty Sherman relocated and had her own child. Don relocated, remarried, and passed away.

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Profiles

Linda Sherman is also known as  Linda Sue Lutz Sherman. There are no other alias or nicknames that I could discover except for that people may have just called her Linda Sue. Birthday is 19th Oct 1958, St. Louis City, Missouri, and her death is listed as 1985 from her gravestone and April 22nd, 1985 on the find a grave memorial site. Linda's skull is currently buried at Steedman Cemetery in Steedman, Callaway County, Missouri. Linda was working at the U.S. Government Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Renamed National Personnel Records Center) and lived in Vinita Park, Missouri at the time of her disappearance. Linda had a large and loving family who tried to support her and advocated for her. Linda was the youngest of the group with her personality being described as sheltered, quiet, and reserved. (Sister Fran Miller, Brother Dennis Through interviews of family, friends, and co-workers they determined Linda did not have any enemies. The opposite of what Don describes her as. Linda was raised in Florissant on other accounts grew up  Dadebridge Court in Ferguson and attending McCluer High School which is still in the St. Louis area. There at McCluer High School, she met future husband Donald Sherman.

They wed on  February 10, 1975, at Christ Memorial Baptist Church. Linda was 17 at the time. The couple rented a home next to Linda's parents Walter and Elenora Lutz (both now deceased and buried in the same cemetery as their daughter) Linda gave birth to  Patricia Marie Shermanat at 17 years old in August of 1975. Linda still graduated from high school and pursued education. It is noted that Linda's family said their marriage was always strained. During the early years, the often worked opposite work shifts to make ends meet and it was hard on them. Linda worked many jobs; Sears, Site Oil Company, and as a cocktail waitress at the Flaming Pit restaurant. Don was particularly upset by Patty working at the Flaming Pit and said she flirted with many and changed there.
 Linda filed for divorce in 1977 in October important to note she wanted the home and custody of Patty. They reconciled and moved to Vanita park in a five-room bungalow it may have been at this address 8300 block of Monroe Ave.

1980 Linda had a miscarriage or a stillbirth and was diagnosed with epilepsy and seizures. The couple chose to not have any more children, something Don reportedly was upset with.  This event seemed to be a catalyst for discontentment with the marriage.
Linda suspected Don had tampered with her car and Don told the court he did because it was in his name. The reasons were because he was suspicious of her movements and whereabouts. It was reported he was even jealous of her spending time with her own family. Eventually, she got a protection order and moved to a small apartment in St. Ann, Missouri with Patty after Don threatened suicide and murder of Patty and Linda. The order was granted but after only a month Patty discontinued it on the grounds they were back together.

In the early months of 1985, Patty decided to finally start putting things together to leave. This time however she saved money, re-rerouted her mail, and then on April 11, 1985, she filed for divorce with Frank Vatterott as her lawyer.

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Donald Edward Sherman born April 6, 1957, in Missouri and died 10:54 a.m. on Thursday, May 07, 2015, at Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mt. Vernon Illinois  Don's memorial page says he lived in Nashville along with his wife Sue Gale and her children; John "Jake" (Rebecca) Gale and Tiffany Gale. The memorial mentions a daughter but lists her name as Hanna Sherman of St. Charles, Mo, and not Patty. I assume this was Patty and maybe whoever wrote the obituary did not realize all the details about this daughter. On his memorial page there a virtual candle lit by his "One and only daughter". He was also survived by  4 grandchildren; Jax, Jasmine, Noah, and Emmalyn Gale.  A brother; Ken Sherman of Missouri and numerous friends. His obituary also describes him as a "manufacturing machinist and loved to build things.  He enjoyed hunting and spending time with loved ones." Interesting as he has no final burial spot as he was cremated.

Don worked as a gas station attendant, a manufacturing machinist, it's reported as well as various factory jobs.

Don is described most often as controlling, verbally abusive,  physically abusive, and very jealous. Linda's brother said Don would have a fit even she even went out to lunch with her own brother. There was a confirmed incident in which Don admits to disabling his wife's car. Don has an interview on the unsolved mysteries episode. I would appreciate anyone with good body language skills to watch it and leave their thoughts. Body language is not my strong suit.

Don had wild theories about what happened to his wife and often convoluted the casework with them. He also was offended that that police made him the main suspect. One week after his wife's disappearance he told police that he had seen her in a truck/van with another man and had ducked out of sight when he chased after/yelled. At one point he said she had been killed for her involvement in a cocaine ring at her workplace. Then he said the skull was placed at his favorite restaurant to frame him or intimidate him. sometimes he'd deflect the topic entirely by saying things like "I don't remember exactly what was going through my head," he says now. "It's way too long ago to remember that."

Don lawyered up right away with Frank Anzalone and refused polygraph testing and even his choice in lawyers was Bizzare because it was the same lawyer that represented his mother. February 25, 1974, his mother Audrey shot her husband and tried to say someone broke into the house. They found the gun in the air duct. His mother went to prison just after they were married and served 6 months in jail. Don says the murder happened because they were both alcoholics. Don also said his choice in lawyer was simply because he already knew him.

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Lieutenant Michael Webb started his way as a patrol officer in 1974 and ended up being a Police Cheif of Vanita park police in 2001. Webb also was an investigator for the Major Case Squad. Webb refused to allow the case to rest and investigated it for over twenty years. February 4, 2009, due to pancreatic cancer he passed away in his own home of St. Peters. Webb had a son Sean Webb who spoke of the fact his father didn't want this case to be forgotten so that he could get justice for Linda. "Frankly, this has become a sort of an obsession for us and for the family," Mr. Webb told reporters in 1993. "In addition to his son, survivors include his wife, Donna J. Webb of St. Peters; two other sons, Nicholas Webb of San Diego and Daniel Webb of St. Peters; a stepdaughter, Dawn Waters of Stillwater, Okla.; a stepson, Tim Nolting of St. Charles County; his mother, Maryann Webb of St. Peters; a brother, Gene Webb of Creve Coeur; two grandchildren; and five stepgrandchildren." - Obituary Webb was buried at St. Charles Memorial Gardens and any memorial contributions can be made to the BackStoppers.

Michael Webb was a true-crime memorabilia collector and also a supporter of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

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Patrica Marie Sherman was born in August of 1976. Patty is now Patty Harvell of Attica, Indiana. Patty still has recurrent nightmares of the last day she had seen her mother. Though she is aware her father is the main suspect of this case she still hopes for closure and wants to bring all of her Mother's body home to rest. “In my heart, I think that he might’ve done it. You know, I can’t think of anybody else who would’ve.” -Interview from Unsolved Mysteries.

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Notes/Thoughts/Theories/Loose Ideas

Watch the interviews from Unsolved Mysteries; Patty Sherman's body language is interesting. When speaking about the last time she had seen her mother she shakes her head adamantly no. It was obviously a traumatic moment because in other news articles she says she has recurrent nightmares about this moment even into adulthood. When speaking in the rest of the interview she does not shake her head no but is not steady and adamant. 

I wonder if she doesn't know just a little more than she is letting on? Did Don threaten her to never speak of something? After all, he did previously threaten to murder Linda AND Patty. It's an interesting theory to think about especially since a lot of people seem to think Don had an accomplice at least with hiding his wife's body.

Most people seem to think Linda was dead on the couch that morning or dying.
Did Patty actually go to the school that day? What time did she come home? Did she not encounter her mother at home after school?

Don's jealousy went from insanely persistent and intense to none after her disappearance. I wonder if that's because he knows where she is.

Interesting that her skull appears at a restaurant especially since Don particularly got jealous of her going out to lunch with her brother. I wonder if this was one last dinner/lunch date that she could not refuse.

The fact her car was locked but the trunk unlocked was also interesting.

If I understand the timeline of events correctly... Don would have had a day or so to hide Linda's body but I think it would have been done a little at a time to avoid long periods of absentees.
Linda's death date listed on her memorial website is April 22nd. Obviously, Patty or Linda's other family would have had to choose this date. I find that interesting that they believe she had died on that day and not a few days after.

Don uses his wife's full name during the interviews. Just a strange quirk. I'm not sure what to make of it. I read someone thought this might indicate his dissociative nature to her at this point.
Don may not have kept contact with Patty as his obit either omits her or mistakes her information. Indicative someone wrote the obit that didn't have much information about Patty. They lived in different states.

Many people seem to agree that Don killed his wife and had to have evidence of her death in order to remarry/divorce from her legally.
People rumor that the skull was placed at that particular restaurant simply because Don knew it well enough to take the risk of placing it there. It's interesting he even had a flimsy reason on why at the ready.

My impression of Don is that he is the kind of man that mixes a whole lot of truth with a little bit of a lie.


https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Linda_Sherman
https://unsolved.com/gallery/linda-sherman/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13038307/linda-sue-sherman
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10550337/st-louis-post-dispatch/
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/michael-webb-vinita-park-police-chief-pursued-murder-case-for/article_af4d26e9-195a-5206-ba1c-4bad8557c3c9.html
https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/body-of-evidence/Content?oid=2475396
https://peoplelegacy.com/linda_sue_lutz_sherman-3s1L16
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/apc6m4/the_unsolved_disappearance_of_linda_sherman/
https://www.styningerfuneralhomes.com/notices/Donald-Sherman
https://medium.com/true-crime-by-cat-leigh/womans-skull-placed-outside-of-restaurant-35cf547edd4e
https://truecrimearticles.com/2019/02/11/the-unsolved-disappearance-of-linda-sherman/
http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/skull-staring-back-unsolved-homicide-linda-sherman/
http://trailwentcold.com/2019/05/01/the-trail-went-cold-episode-122-linda-sherman/

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