Sunday, June 6, 2010

MARY SHOTWELL LITTLE AND DIANE SHIELDS

I am an attorney who has been investigating the disappearance of Mary Little and the murder of Diane Shields for 12 years. I have done this with the assistance and cooperation of law enforcement. We are trying to get the Atlanta Police Department to fund a complete reinvestigation of the case from the beginning.

63 comments:

  1. There is virtually no doubt that the cases of Mary Little and Diane Shields are related-somehow. Coincidences like this just rarely happen in real life. Diane went to the work at the bank in the same department as Mary Little shortly after Mary disappeared. Diane also had been roommates with some of Mary's roommates. These connections are just a little too tight to be coincidence.
    Diane's body was found, however. Stuffed in the trunk of her car, nearly decapitated by strangulation. Oh-and something never revealed at the time-a phonebook stuffed in her mouth.

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  2. There is no reason that these two cases should not have been solved by now. The VERY WORST mistake that can be made by a police department was made in this case. The chain of evidence was broken. Both of these cases resulted in evidence with DNA and other forensically valuable material. Some time in the seventies, the evidence from both cases was placed in the same evidence box and taken to the Atlanta Police Department evidence room. The evidence disappeared after that. Apparently there was some flooding, the office was moved, and the box could no longer be found. At least that is the story given to me and cold case detectives working on the cases in the last few years. I wonder, did the same thing happen in the Wayne Williams child murders cases? Is the evidence in that case gone too? Scary really, considering the media constantly brings up questions regarding his guilt.

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  3. After Mary Little disappeared, another woman reported that, on the same day, a man attempted to get in her car and she fled. She described the man to police. The next day, a man of similar description purchased three sets of clothing from a Lennox Square mens clothing store. He came in very scruffy, but had plenty of money to purchase the clothing.

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  4. A 20 yr old convict, now deceased, provided a detailed "confession" that two of his acquaintances were paid to kidnap Mary Little. According to the convict, he was just along for the ride. The story is so detailed it is hard to believe such a young man could make up this story. If the story is true, however, it brings terrible possibilities with it.
    The men lay in wait for Mary Little at the mall. The only person who knew she would be at the mall, and when she went back to her car, was her co-worker. The same co-worker who reported to the bank manager, Mary's boss, that she had not reported to work. the same bank manager who drove to Lennox Mall and found the car. Then disappeared and went back to work and called Mary's husband.

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  5. Not only did the Atlanta Police Department lose the evidence in both cases, they also lost the case file. In the 80's, the city was sued by a family who were considered suspects in the Little case. The case was dismissed, but the case file was never returned to the police department. When I finally received a copy of the file, it was barely a quarter inch thick and had very few pages. Upon reading about the law suit, I called the City of Atlanta legal office to find out what happened to the law suit. Lo and behold the clerk told me that the entire case file was there. She agreed to make me a copy (WOW) and I paid for the copies of course.
    In the meantime, I received 2 folders of documents from the FBI. Once I received the copy of the APD case file, I copied both files and sent them to the APD.
    Shortly after that time, I was notified by a contact there that the case was moved to the new cold case unit. I assumed that the case files went with the case to the cold case unit. It was not until about 18 months ago that I discovered the case file was not transferred with the case-so any work on the case was wasted. The documents were only recently found in a box at the atlanta police department.

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  6. After investigating only a few weeks, the FBI closed its formal investigation. The reason given was that there was no proof that she had ever been taken over state lines. At that time,, in order for the FBI to be involved in a kidnapping there had to be evidence that the victim was taken across a state line. Contrary to the FBI's findings, however, Mary certainly WAS taken to North Carolina after her abduction. It makes absolutely no sense, but she was. Two credit card slips showed up a month after she disappeared with her signature. The gas attendants even said an apparently injured woman signed the gas receipts. However, when the FBI compared the signatures they decided that they could not be certain that it was her signature.
    I have compare exactly the same signature samples and come to a different conclusion. Any anomolies in the signatures were surely due to the stress of being beaten about the head and being abducted. The signatures were actually quite the same, even in those circumstances. We still don't know who took her or why she was taken to North Carolina. Even the descriptions of the cars by the seperate gas attendants are confusing.

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  7. I remember when Mary Shotwell Little disappeared. I was 15. My family spent lots of time at Lenox Square - my mom was an artist and always participated in the festival there. I was terrified someone would kidnap her, too.
    During the arts festivals, my brother and I explored every inch of Lenox Square. This was when it was open air. There is a basement there and we would play "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and it was a perfect place for it. Under the shopping mall, there were dirt embankments that stretched for a hundred yards in all directions. My brother and I were sure Mary Little was buried there somewhere. But as we explored I never smelled anything like rotting flesh. I think we entered thru the big garage doors near the movie theater. It wasn't a crawl space, you could stand easily. Most of the time I couldn't relate where we were to what was on top, but there was one place where there were plexi-glass globes that we stood under.
    Also at this time we used to slide down the long escalator near the S&S cafeteria. Inbetween the hand rails was a perfect sliding board and my brother and I had a blast using it. I think we were instrumental in escalator engineers putting the round "bumps" up and down the slide to discourage kids like us.

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  8. I liked watching "Unsolved Mysteries" with Robert Stack. I don't believe the Little case was ever on the show, but they did have a similar case that happened ten years later in, I believe, Louisiana. A young woman disappeared from a shopping mall.
    After Little vanished, I read everything I saw in the A Journal/Constitution. It was - and IS - a captivating story.

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  9. Even from day one of the Little story, I was puzzled that her boss went to Lenox Square apparently to look for her when Mary didn't show up at work. I kept asking myself, why didn't he call her house? or go by her house? what on earth made him go to Lenox? Surely the creep knew something was up

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  10. another weird fact, "Little purchased groceries and then shared dinner at the Piccadilly Cafeteria with a bank co-worker; she was never seen again."
    She purchased perishable items. No person buys stuff that will melt and then eats! and Mary had to drive across town to South Dekalb with those groceries! No WAY!! Her co-worker is a LIAR

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  11. I really think so too. I do not find anywhere in the police record where they talked to anyone who saw the two women at the cafeteria. No one ever questioned the co-worker further. I cannot use her name here, but I am on that too. In regard to the boss, he says that he did call her house and did go by her house. Then went to Lenox per the word of the co-worker that was with her. I cannot use his name either, but he won't cooperate with police or any investigation.

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  12. another observation. perhaps the FBI didn't want to investigate (even tho there was evidence of kidnapping and interstate travelling) because the bank where she worked was involved with national security. looking back over the 1965 time line, this could have meant payments to informants with anti war protestors, draft dodgers etc. or even paying informants in the civil rights groups. stretching the line of credulity further, this might mean stalking Dr King in preparation for a hit. who knows?

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  13. There is something odd about the whole thing. I definitely think there may have been something hinky going on with the bank. Her husband was a bank examiner. She worked for the bank manager. There was a witch-hunt for lesbians and homosexuals going on at the bank. Many of the bank employees that were interviewed at the time will not respond to me now. What could they be worried about? Maybe something really embarrassing was going on.

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  14. or they were sworn to secrecy to protect the national security. witch hunts for lesbians and homosexuals sounds very much like an FBI vendetta

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  15. and north carolina is on the way to quantico

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  16. ONE STORY WE ARE INVESTIGATING
    No doubt the prison conference room at Georgia’s Reidsville State Prison was a dreary, unwelcoming place. Such venues usually are. They are certainly not conducive to extracting a confession from an unwilling criminal.

    Nevertheless, in October 1966, 22 year old (name redacted), inmate number XXXXX, sat there with two special agents of the FBI, and eagerly recounted in exquisite detail his involvement in the disappearance and murder of Mary Shotwell Little.

    (name redacted) was five feet, eleven inches tall, blonde, green eyed young man from Gainesville, Georgia. He was of medium build and weighed about 163 pounds when incarcerated. Prior to going to prison for multiple crimes, he worked as manager of the Royal Theater in his home town. He was married to wife(name redacted)with whom he had a young child.


    Georgia State Prison file number A-6xxxx reveals that (name redacted) (name redacted) was sentenced to life in prison for murder on May 10, 1966. But, this sentence was only one of a litany of multiple, serious, crimes. He was also serving a ten year sentence for arson, two consecutive, two-year sentences for larceny after trust, six four-year consecutive sentences four burglary, seventeen four-year concurrent sentences for burglary and a 12 month misdemeanor sentence for attempted burglary.
    (name redacted) was incarcerated on May 28, 1966 at Jefferson Prison Branch facility in Louisville, Georgia. He was transferred on September 9, 1966 to Reidsville State Prison for a psychiatric evaluation. It was after this examination, which found him to be of average intelligence, alert and non-psychotic, that FBI detectives ____ and ___ engaged him in conversation which resulted in a nineteen page document, recounting his version of Mary Shotwell Little’s violent abduction and murder.

    Considering the proven criminal activity in his short adult life, it is hard to believe that he found time to complete a 12th grade education at ___Gainesville High School, get married, have
    a child and maintain a management position at the local theater.
    Yet, In spite of the façade he created in his everyday life, (name redacted) was a very busy criminal, known to associate with some very bad characters. It is not at all surprising, then, that he might be involved in one of the most notorious cold cases in Atlanta history-the October 14, 1965 disappearance of newlywed, C & S Bank employee Mary Shotwell Little.

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  17. (name redacted) was five feet, eleven inches tall, blonde, green eyed young man from Gainesville, Georgia. He was of medium build and weighed about 163 pounds when incarcerated. Prior to going to prison for multiple crimes, he worked as manager of the Royal Theater in his home town. He was married to wife(name redacted)with whom he had a young child.


    Georgia State Prison file number A-6xxxx reveals that (name redacted) (name redacted) was sentenced to life in prison for murder on May 10, 1966. But, this sentence was only one of a litany of multiple, serious, crimes. He was also serving a ten year sentence for arson, two consecutive, two-year sentences for larceny after trust, six four-year consecutive sentences four burglary, seventeen four-year concurrent sentences for burglary and a 12 month misdemeanor sentence for attempted burglary.
    (name redacted) was incarcerated on May 28, 1966 at Jefferson Prison Branch facility in Louisville, Georgia. He was transferred on September 9, 1966 to Reidsville State Prison for a psychiatric evaluation. It was after this examination, which found him to be of average intelligence, alert and non-psychotic, that FBI detectives ____ and ___ engaged him in conversation which resulted in a nineteen page document, recounting his version of Mary Shotwell Little’s violent abduction and murder.

    Considering the proven criminal activity in his short adult life, it is hard to believe that he found time to complete a 12th grade education at ___Gainesville High School, get married, have
    a child and maintain a management position at the local theater.
    Yet, In spite of the façade he created in his everyday life, (name redacted) was a very busy criminal, known to associate with some very bad characters. It is not at all surprising, then, that he might be involved in one of the most notorious cold cases in Atlanta history-the October 14, 1965 disappearance of newlywed, C & S Bank employee Mary Shotwell Little.
    FBI agents William C. Tower and Nelson Klein, Jr. were no doubt skeptical of (name redacted)’s willingness to “confess” to his knowledge of the crime. Apparently, he had already offered up a similar story to Lt. Jack Perry of the Atlanta Police Department, but the relevant details differed from the account given to the FBI. He explained that he was reluctant to place himself at the scenes of the crime with the Atlanta Police Department and Lt. Perry. He had intended only to supply enough information to assist with the investigation.
    (name redacted) (name redacted)’s story begins with a chance encounter with an occasional partner in crime, Jerry (name redacted). According to (name redacted), he met (name redacted) in July 1965 when showed up at the theater looking for work. Even though he wasn’t hired, (name redacted) hung around the theater and he and (name redacted) became friends, even engaging in
    burglaries together. Hump-shouldered, (name redacted) claimed to be from Charlotte, North Carolina and was described by (name redacted) as twenty-one years old, white, five feet eleven inches tall, with brownish-blond hair and blue eyes. They regularly socialized during July 1965 through November 1965.

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  18. (name redacted) and (name redacted) frequented popular night spots in Atlanta, including the Domino Club at the Imperial Hotel. (name redacted) was living at the Dixie-Hunt Hotel in Gainesville in room 419. He drove a 1965 light blue Chevrolet with North Carolina license plates.
    According to (name redacted), he met a friend of (name redacted)’s, introduced as Dean (name redacted), in August 1965 at the Domino Club.
    (name redacted) was described as white, brown hair, green eyes, six feet tall, weighing about 150-160 pounds.
    (name redacted) and (name redacted) claimed to have committed several burglaries during this time, including a high class men’s sportswear shop at the new Lennox Square shopping center.
    What bound this trifecta of criminals together, according to (name redacted)’s story, was (name redacted)’s inability to keep his mouth shut-and (name redacted)’s consuming desire to be part of the action.
    On October 14, 1965, (name redacted) (name redacted) attended a matinee at Loews Grand Theater on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. According to (name redacted), he exited the theater around 3:30 0r 4:00 p.m. tJerry (name redacted), Dean (name redacted) and two male accomplices took Mary Shotwell Little from the parking lot at Lennox Square shopping center. He then met (name redacted) at the Henry Grady Hotel sometime after 4 p.m.

    (name redacted) and (name redacted) were standing in the lobby of the hotel, in conversation. The two invited (name redacted) to go to a movie with them at Lennox Square Theater. He thought it was a James Bond movie, but he wasn’t absolutely sure. Though he had just left a movie, he agreed and accompanied the two to the theater. The three arrived sometime around 4:30 p.m. (name redacted) remembered that (name redacted) and (name redacted) only stayed in the theater about 20 minutes, telling (name redacted) to stay put, and that they were leaving, but would return shortly.

    As requested, (name redacted) remained in the theater until about 8 p.m., when (name redacted) returned to the theater alone. (name redacted)’s only explanation at that time was that that they had been “working.”
    (name redacted) insisted that he needed to return to the hotel to “clean up.” He was carrying a large paper shopping bag with handles.
    The two men grabbed a Checker Cab and returned to the hotel.
    Jerry (name redacted) had taken a room on the third floor, telling (name redacted) he was registered under the assumed name of Dean Lucky, and (name redacted) was registered there under the name of Jerry Lucky. (name redacted) remembered that the room was the first on the left after exiting the elevator.
    (name redacted) was surprised to see blood on the right side of the yellow windbreaker worn by (name redacted) and on his pants leg. He realized he must not have noticed before because of the large bag (name redacted) carried.
    At first, (name redacted) thought (name redacted) was in a fight. (name redacted) cleared up that assumption, explaining that he had ‘just been working,” and had to fly to Mount Holly, N.C the same night to rendezvous with (name redacted). The hump-shouldered (name redacted) showered and changed into blue slacks, a sport shirt and a top-coat.

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  19. Before leaving for Mt. Holly that October 14, 1965 evening, (name redacted) accompanied (name redacted) to dinner at the restaurant in the Imperial Hotel. (name redacted) then got in a cab, ostensibly to go to
    the airport to fly to Mt. Holly, North Carolina, and (name redacted) hopped a Greyhound back to Gainesville.

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  20. (name redacted) reportedly next saw (name redacted) when he and (name redacted) appeared unexpectedly in Gainesville at the theater on October 17. Having arrived about 3p.m., they remained there with (name redacted) until he closed the box office at 4p.m. Then, according to (name redacted), the three of them drove in (name redacted)’s 1965 blue two door sedan to the Imperial Hotel in Atlanta. At that point, a friend of (name redacted)’s, known only as Mac McGregor, borrowed (name redacted)’s car.

    (name redacted), (name redacted) and (name redacted) ordered dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. Sometime during the dinner, (name redacted) left the table to make a phone call. (name redacted) said that he was calling North Carolina, but never explained how he knew this.


    While (name redacted) was making the phone call, (name redacted) reportedly flashed a large sum of money to (name redacted). (name redacted) told (name redacted) that it was $5000 and that he, (name redacted) and three other men were each paid that amount to kidnap someone. (name redacted) began talking about Lennox Square and the blood on his jacket, when (name redacted) returned to the
    table and (name redacted) changed the subject. (name redacted) said he had called ‘home” and everything was “ok.”
    According to (name redacted), after dinner he accompanied and (name redacted) in the hotel airport limo to the Atlanta airport and (name redacted) went up to the room to sleep. Once at the airport, (name redacted) opened a luggage storage locker and retrieved a large brown envelope. (name redacted) then followed (name redacted) to the area of the airport designated as a sightseeing ramp for people who want to watch the planes taking off and landing. (name redacted) recognized an old high school friend, Carol (redacted) there with her father and another man he believed to be her uncle. (name redacted) spoke to Carol for a moment, while (name redacted) stood to the side because he didn’t know (name redacted)’s friends.

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  21. (name redacted) then told (name redacted) that he and (name redacted) had been paid $5000 each to kidnap Mary Little. (name redacted) didn’t believe him until (name redacted) showed him a C & S Bank credit card belonging to Mary Little. (name redacted) couldn’t remember the exact colors on the card, only that it was green and white or blue and white. (name redacted) made (name redacted) believe that he did not want (name redacted) to find out that (name

    (name redacted) told the FBI agents that he told (name redacted) that they were sure to get caught, “everybody in the state of Georgia is looking for her.” (name redacted) reportedly replied, “They’ll never find her. We aren’t worried about her being found because she won’t be found.”
    (name redacted) returned to Gainesville that night by bus and did not see (name redacted) or (name redacted) again until 2 to 3 weeks later. (name redacted) was really never clear on the dates after October 14.
    They showed up at the movie theater again and, for some unexplained reason, (name redacted) accompanied the two men to North Carolina. (name redacted) described a house off a dirt road in the mountains near Mt. Holly, N.C. Apparently, (name redacted) stayed a couple of days at the house with the men, bragging about burglaries he was committing in and around Gainesville. He and (name redacted) discussed some of the jobs they had pulled together.
    (name redacted) was reluctant to discuss what happened at that house in Mt. Holly. He became more and more vague with the agents, telling them only that he knew that Mary Little was in the house.

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  22. Upon further prodding, (name redacted) provided more detail. He described three men who were at the house when they arrived. While he was rather vague on most of the descriptions, he described a red-headed man with freckles. These men were purportedly partners with (name redacted) and (name redacted) in several burglaries in Atlanta. These three left shortly after (name redacted), (name redacted) and (name redacted) arrived at the house.
    The rest of the evening was described as (name redacted) as a brag session. (name redacted) bragged about holding up a bank in Atlanta-Sandy Springs area and getting shot at as he got away. (looking for confirmation of a bank robbery in that area)
    (name redacted) and (name redacted) bragged about burglaries they committed. Looking at (name redacted)’s rap sheet and convictions, it is clear that most of his stories were more than just braggadocio.
    The way (name redacted) described the green, wood-framed house, it seems to have been one of those old houses with a “dog run.” Upon entry, there were rooms to the right and to the left. In this case, (name redacted) described a bedroom on the left and a bedroom on the right, as well as a living room in which they watched television.
    (name redacted) said that about midnight, (name redacted) went into the bedroom on the right hand side of the house. He and (name redacted) stayed up and talked until after 2 a.m, when (name redacted), said he had to drive to
    Charlotte, NC. (name redacted) went to sleep in the bedroom on the left side of the house.
    He was awakened around 4 a.m. by the sound of a man and woman arguing in the other bedroom. He knew the man was (name redacted), but did not know who the woman was. The woman was asking if or when she was going back to Atlanta. (name redacted) said that (name redacted) told her, keep on talking and you are never going back.”
    (name redacted) went back to sleep until about 10 a.m. when he awoke to find (name redacted) back at the house, and (name redacted) gone. (name redacted) questioned (name redacted) about the woman. (name redacted) seemed surprised that he knew there was a woman in the house. After (name redacted) explained what he heard early in the morning, (name redacted) reportedly told him, “it’s the Little woman we kidnapped from Atlanta. We are going to carry her back to Atlanta day after tomorrow.” (name redacted) went on to assure (name redacted) again that Mary would not be found.
    (name redacted) then led (name redacted) to the bedroom on the right and opened the door. (name redacted) reportedly saw a woman, covered only on
    the bottom half of her body by a sheet. She was of medium size (height?), dark haired with a fair complexion. She was
    apparently nude, and her hands were tied behind her back and he could see that her feet were also tied with white cord. She was lying on her right side facing the door. (name redacted) figured she was asleep. He could see that she had a bandage of white cloth-not gauze-taped to the right side of her eye area. She also had bruises all over her left forehead, jaw, neck and arm. (name redacted) told (name redacted) that the bruises were from the kidnapping-but (name redacted) told the agents that he thought they were fresh bruises, not 2-3 weeks old.
    (name redacted) reiterated that he and (name redacted) were to take Mary back to Atlanta in the next couple of days. (name redacted) also mentioned that he had her watch, but was worried about the dress. (name redacted) was not sure about the reason he was worried about the dress.

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  23. (name redacted) returned to the house soon thereafter. (name redacted) never left the house and ate the burgers and fries provided by (name redacted) and (name redacted) when they left the house for short periods of time. (name redacted) specifically remembered Burger King as one of the fast food restaurants used. (name redacted) took food into the bedroom where Mary was kept at least once a day for the two full days the three men and Mary were at the house.
    The three men spent time watching television and playing cards, and –no doubt-engaging in more storytelling. About eleven p.m., (name redacted) went to bed in the bedroom on the left, which he shared with (name redacted). He assumed that (name redacted) slept in the room with Mary again.
    The next morning, (name redacted) said he arose at about 9:30 and (name redacted) was still sleeping. (name redacted) spoke to him when he left Mary’s room about 11 a.m., asking him if he was about ready to go home. When (name redacted) got up around noon, he and (name redacted) went repeatedly in and out of the room where Mary Little was being kept, apparently readying her for the trip to Atlanta. When Mary appeared, she was wearing mis-matched brown skirt and button up brown shirt, covered by a heavy black coat.
    For the first time since arriving at the house, (name redacted) left the house and got into a waiting car in the driveway with (name redacted), (name redacted) and Mary Little. He remembered it to be a black, 1964 Plymouth sedan, four door. (name redacted) got in the drivers seat and (name redacted) seated himself in the front passenger seat. He noticed that (name redacted) put Mary behind the front passenger seat, while he sat behind (name redacted).

    From what (name redacted) remembered, it was a rainy afternoon, sometime in the first week of November, 1965 when the four set out on this ill fated trip back to Atlanta. It was to be Mary Shotwell Little’s last ride.

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  24. Mary's husband - in training in Alabama - had a solid alibi. But could he have hired the green eyed guy from Gainesville?
    Most murders of spouses are carried out by the partner.

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  25. The story of the violent death of Mary Shotwell Little, is as bizarre as it is devastating. (name redacted) (name redacted) recounted the story of her murder in clinical detail to FBI agents Tower and Klein. It is hard to know now how much of the seeming coldness of the story is due to (name redacted)’s demeanor during the meeting with Tower and Klein and how much is due to the typist of the statement that now exists as the only record.
    Before getting to that point in the story, however, (name redacted) reportedly participated in a sketch of the house in which Mary Little was held. That sketch is not part of the FBI record, or at least the sketch was never released. However, (name redacted) noted as they drove away from the little, green house, with its wrap around porch, that it was in a deep-wooded area of rolling hills, with no other houses nearby.
    (name redacted) pulled out of the driveway toward Mt. Holly, North Carolina, and (name redacted) heard a distant train whistle. (name redacted) then turned left on the highway, toward Atlanta. (name redacted) recalled (name redacted) telling him that he lived about 14 miles the other direction, toward Mt. Holly. It was a very quiet ride, with only the radio playing softly and the occasional sound of (name redacted) speaking in low tones to their hostage.
    Before entering the expressway to Atlanta, the group stopped at a Texaco gas station. (was there one?) It is after this stop, that (name redacted)’s willingness to continue the story began to waiver. First, he says that he slept most of the way to Atlanta, waking to find them driving along the street behind the Varsity restaurant, near Georgia Tech. He then said they traveled on Varsity Avenue about 5-6 miles and he was dropped off at the Imperial Hotel. He said that Mary seemed to be asleep when he got out of the car.
    The agents pressed further about Mary Little’s fate. But, (name redacted) seemed afraid to tell them the whole story. He said didn’t want to see (name redacted) and (name redacted) go “to the electric chair.” Probably though, he was more concerned about the publicity that would come from this story. He complained that after he tried to tell this story to the Atlanta Police Department, the newspapers got a hold of it-and inmates at the prison had figured out it was him who was bringing all of this out. It had “caused him considerable trouble at the prison.”

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  26. Yet, even though he told the agents that he was afraid that he would be implicated, and even afraid for his own life if he told the entire story, (name redacted) relented. According to (name redacted), (name redacted) cold heartedly murdered Mary Shotwell Little on the way back to Atlanta.
    During the trip, (name redacted) figured out that (name redacted) knew that he was aware that the hostage was Mary Shotwell Little. At one point, (name redacted) even asked him to turn around and get a good look at her. (name redacted) did not, becoming fearful that his own life was in danger. He knew that all three of them were armed with handguns, so began to feel a little better about his chances if he was forced to defend himself against Dean (name redacted).
    About fifteen minutes after they left the Texaco station, and were moving along the expressway, (name redacted) looked in the big rearview mirror and noticed Mary turn her head, in what he thought was an effort to look out the left rear window. He must have turned around when he saw (name redacted) quickly cover her by the mouth with his right hand and plunge a long knife into her neck with his left hand. The knife went in just below her ear, at from (name redacted)’s estimation, about six inches or more. Blood poured from the deep wound. The last sound Mary Little was known to have made was a soft moan as the life left her body.
    (name redacted) said (name redacted) pushed the body to the floor board and covered her with a heavy brown material, which may have been the rug from the floor board of the car. (name redacted) appeared to have
    witnessed the murder in the rearview mirror, but when (name redacted) turned back around he said only “Do you think this rain will change into sleet?” (name redacted) believed that (name redacted) was not surprised at the murder, and had fully expected it to happen. (name redacted) only instructed (name redacted) to step on it, but not too fast. He didn’t want to get stopped. (name redacted) further reminded (name redacted) that they had to meet “Bobby” at the airport at 6p.m. (name redacted) told Tower and Klein that he believed they were talking about Bobby Lee Reynolds, who by the time of (name redacted)’s interview was serving time on another crime in Leavenworth.

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  27. (name redacted) then said that, when Jerry (name redacted) accompanied him to the door of the hotel, (name redacted) told him that he, (name redacted) and (name redacted), were in a whole lot of trouble. (name redacted) didn’t seem concerned. When (name redacted) questioned the reasoning behind bringing them back to Atlanta, (name redacted) told him that the police already knew she had been in North Carolina, and Atlanta is the last place they would look for her. (name redacted) claimed not to have known what he meant about that at the time.
    According to (name redacted), (name redacted) got back into the car and drove off. (name redacted) himself was bothered by the murder and his association with it. So bothered, he did not wait for the 7:30 bus to Gainesville, but took a cab for the 53 mile trip to his grandmother’s house in Gainesville.
    (name redacted) did not see either (name redacted) or (name redacted) for another six days. (name redacted) showed up at the theater the next Friday around 6:30 p.m. wanting (name redacted) to go to Atlanta with him. (name redacted) was reluctant, at first telling him no. He was scared of any further involvement with (name redacted) or (name redacted). (name redacted) admitted to (name redacted) that (name redacted) was a little afraid of (name redacted) as well. He thought (name redacted) knew too much. Obviously, (name redacted) agreed.
    Nevertheless, (name redacted) convinced (name redacted) that (name redacted) had flown to New York City from Atlanta and would be gone a couple of weeks. So, (name redacted) once again accompanied (name redacted) to Atlanta, again to the Atlanta airport. In a bizarre story, (name redacted) showed (name redacted) to a viewing ramp overlooking some new construction on the runway. It was dark, but (name redacted) described blue runway lights and a strip of grass 1000 to 2000 feet from the ramp. According to (name redacted), (name redacted) had him look through the telescope provided for onlookers, pointed in that direction and said, “that’s where we put her.”

    ReplyDelete
  28. (name redacted) continued that, after (name redacted) purportedly left the airport for New York himself, (name redacted) took a cab back downtown to the Domino Lounge to catch comedian Dave Gardner. Then he took the bus home to Gainesville.
    (name redacted) never saw Dean (name redacted) again. (name redacted), however, was destined to pop up when least expected in (name redacted)’s life. There are some things about the relationship between (name redacted) and (name redacted) that do not seem genuine. Why did (name redacted) involve (name redacted) in this matter in the first place? Was their first meeting really by chance? Or was it part of the master plan to involve someone else to, perhaps, use as a patsy later?
    (name redacted) himself seemed to feel the need to prove his connection to Jerry (name redacted). He told agents Tower and Klein that he had some letters from (name redacted) at home, if he hadn’t destroyed them. Yet he was vague about the whereabouts of the letters, fearing that other items with the letters might incriminate him or cause him problems. There is really no explanation for his reticence, considering he was already serving long sentences on many, many crimes, including murder. And, for some reason, there is no evidence that the FBI or any other law enforcement agency
    searched (name redacted)’s house for the alleged (name redacted) letters. The existence and contents of those letters may have cleared up this mystery a long time ago. But the mystery of non-existent or disappearing evidence is a whole other story in this case.

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  29. When no one thought this case could get any more mysterious, on November 19, 1965, a news release added an entirely new dimension to Mary’s disappearance. The Charlotte, North Carolina Police department received information from Humble Oil Company, Charlotte, North Carolina that it had received two invoices for gasoline on the account of Mr. Roy Little, signed by MRS Roy Little. The invoices were both dated October 15, 1965, the day after she disappeared.
    This information was relayed to the FBI and to the Atlanta Police Department. When Atlanta’s Lt. W. K. Perry and Detective M.C. Faulkner flew to Charlotte to investigate, they found that the gas was placed in a vehicle with stolen NC license plates, reported stolen on October 15, 1965. The owner of the license plates, ----------stated that he first noticed the license plates missing about ____ on Oct_____.
    In those days the attendant still pumped the gasoline. On further investigation it was determined that the gas was pumped between midnight and 2:30 AM on October 15, 1965. The attendant told police that the automobile, a 19__ ___, ___ was occupied by a man and a woman, neither of whom left the car. The woman appeared to have a head injury and had blood on her clothing. She was lying on the front seat with her face covered with a road map. Yet, SHE was the one who signed for the gas.
    The mystery regarding the credit card purchases was not over, however. Later on the same day, another purchase was made in Raleigh, North Carolina with the same card.

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  30. so what was the motive here? that is the question

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  31. Havent gotten to that part yet. To shut her up about something or to send a message

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  32. maybe Mary complicated things. Suppose she was to be shut up by two thugs - working on behalf of either her husband or the bank.

    they kidnap her at Lenox. She gets in the car. "Don't hurt me. My parents will pay you whatever you want. Take me to Charlotte..." and off they go.

    they get to Charlotte and Mary balks at letting the thugs meet her parents. then she is snuffed and the thugs return to Atlanta.

    what do you know about the stolen license plate the thugs had? and where did Roy take his training? I first thought he took it in Alabama, but read just today it was "south of Atlanta"

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  33. and how many gallons did she pay for in NC? and who owned the stolen tag? what type of car was it taken from. where did that person live in relation to the gas station and the Little family?

    ReplyDelete
  34. The stolen license tag belonged to a NC college student. It was stolen off his car and he reported it. We have his name. Roy was in Lagrange, Georgia at training.

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  35. LaGrange is hardly a good alibi, even before I85 was built. Roy could have participated in an abduction and still returned to LaGrange. was he at the college there? not much else in LaGrange (my brother lives there)
    sorry to monopolize the site!!

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    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
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  39. I have wondered what happened to Mary Little since she disappeared. Not too long after, I was a teenager, working at a fast food restaurant and I thought I saw her in my line. I waited on the man who was with her. I was a teenager and told my parents and they convinced me it was not true. Yet I always wondered. This woman did not make eye contact and looked kind of out of it. I kept staring at her, trying to decide if it was her. Yes, please have the police reopen this case.

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  40. Interesting to find that someone is still trying to determine what really happened to Diane Shields. As a family member, we would really like to know. A reporter from the Atlanta Times Journal Constitution (I think that is the correct name of the paper) contacted us with questions and theories several years ago and she was convinced that the murderer was someone who worked at the bank but it could never be proven since all evidence had disappeared. The sister that Diane lived with at the time of her murder flat refused to discuss it and refused to allow her husband, a state trooper at the time to investigate the matter which tells me that she probably has an idea but is still to this day afraid to come forward for some reason. Shortly after Diane's death, she moved back to Alabama, married and changed her name so she couldn't be found.

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  41. Hello: My name is Ray Pate, w.m. 81 years old, retired ,health
    reasons.. Had a stroke, limited hearing, terrible phone
    hearing problems, but I am good at remembering.
    I am addicted to your blog because I worked in homicide
    At the A.P.D. during or 2years after these sad cases. Now,
    I know about all are dead now but you and I can make some
    blood pressures spike by you and I getting all the parties
    together and comparing notes. There is too much evidence
    floating around to ignore this mystery. prpate44796@ aol.com.
    Get back if you want to get involved again. Ray

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. has this been reopened? this is a very interesting case and i know it haunts a lot of people. i am sure they would like some closure.

      Delete
    2. has this been reopened? this is a very interesting case and i know it haunts a lot of people. i am sure they would like some closure.

      Delete
  42. So where's the body? Confessions are interesting, but a murderer should be able to tell you where the body is located.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They said buried at the airport. Years ago, it was said they believed she was buried in a construction site. Plausible.

      Delete
    2. They said buried at the airport. Years ago, it was said they believed she was buried in a construction site. Plausible.

      Delete
  43. C&S Bank was under investigation by the feds in 1965.

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  44. I think you should get police to reopen case and they should search the area of airport that was under construction at the time, to see if there is a body buried there.

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  45. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  46. I never understood Mary's boss going to the parking garage instead of to her house to see if she was ill or if her car was there.I thought it was strange that he would go there first even after he was told over the telephone that no car was there that fit the description of Mary's car.I always thought that looked like he was guilty of knowing where the car was supposed to be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The last person who saw her was the coworker she had dinner with. If I recall, the manager called her house and no answer. He then went to the parking lot because the coworker told him she last saw him walking to her car-SUSAN CARPENTER SCOTT

      Delete
    2. The last person who saw her was the coworker she had dinner with. If I recall, the manager called her house and no answer. He then went to the parking lot because the coworker told him she last saw him walking to her car-SUSAN CARPENTER SCOTT

      Delete
  47. These cases are now completely reopened. They are being looked at from beginning to end by a team of experienced detectives and investigative journalists

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Susan,

      I am the host of the podcast Southern Gone and was wanting to do a podcast on Mary. I would love to interview you on the show. Please email at Southerngone@gmail.com of yiu are interested. My name is Kristi.

      Delete
  48. The Trail Went Cold podcast released an episode on this case today.

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  49. The Trail Went Cold podcast sent me here.

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  50. Over on the websleuths discussion board a poster claiming to be Ray PAte has stated that a skeleton has been found behind a house near where an original person of interest lived at the time! http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?31907-GA-Mary-Shotwell-Little-25-Atlanta-14-Oct-1965/page24

    ReplyDelete
  51. Similar MO: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/48-years-later-a-cold-case-is-solved/ar-AArkqtG?ocid=ob-fb-enus-280

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  52. Who knows enough to help me write a book fiction, could be a true story I was a young woman ,when this happened

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  53. Has there been any developments from the East Point Police discovery?

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  54. The last information that was available on the skull found
    indicated that the remains were that of a homeless lady
    and when she passed away, her room mates just buried
    her and kept cashing her incoming checks. Sad

    ReplyDelete
  55. Amazing that science has advanced to where I am
    Getting D.N.A. Markers from dental records and
    Other means where I can identify the killer of Mary
    Shotwell Little and Diane Shields. After 4 years of
    hard work, I am soon going to. clear up the murders of
    the two lady secretaries from c and s bank .never sleep, always working..Refer to the D.N.A. arrest of the California
    serial killer. Stay tuned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here it is June of 2019 and a new twist of a sort
      is starting to unfold concerning Mary and Mt.Holly,
      N.C.
      When I went to Mt Holly looking for the old house
      described by this blog, I found one old house that
      captured my attention and has been the subject
      of 4 years of wonder and amazement. When I
      found the house, I was depending on a caretaker
      for transportation and my caretaker decided to
      be impatient with me and just decided to get out
      of the neighborhood quickly and by his loss of
      paying attention to my directions on driving, I lost
      some ability to investigate the old house. The
      caretaker did let me look to see if there was a way
      to check the old house just by viewing the location
      of the old house from the confront of our vichicle.
      The problem was trying that angle did not help me
      because all of the farm were the house was located had been neglected so long that trees
      and vines had grown to such an extent that all
      ways to enter the abandoned old house were
      prohibited. I soon found the reason the farm
      and old house were in such condition as I observed. The farm and old house had been
      Forclosed on by the City of Mt.Holly for back taxes
      and the old house had been burned down by the
      Mt.Holly fire department..This government decision
      was made so long ago that nature had reclaimed
      It's own and is still growing.
      You see, I can not get to the property, but the fact,
      right now is, when I do get there in time, if Mary's
      remains are there in the burned out shell of a house, the fire would not destroy bones.The old
      house had a basement and the kidnappers might
      have placed her in the basement which would
      protect her remains also. Taking the trees
      growing up around the shell of the house in
      consideration, if Mary was buried in or around
      the old house in the yard, trees growing and roots
      expanding would push the bones to the surface
      to be easily identified. You see, the reason I am
      so addicted to looking around that old house is
      because I found the owner of that farm and old
      house and he described exactly how that house
      looked as compared to the description that the
      F.B.I. Received from the prison inmate as given
      in this blog. No sleep,working too much excuse typos

      Delete