The Dardeen Family Murders: A Brutal Crime That Haunts Southern Illinois
On the evening of November 18, 1987, police officers in Jefferson County, Illinois, prepared to conduct what they assumed would be a routine welfare check. Russell Keith Dardeen, a reliable 29-year-old water treatment plant operator, had failed to show up for his shift at the Rend Lake Water Conservancy District without calling in sick or providing any explanation. When his supervisor's calls to the Dardeen home went unanswered throughout the day, and neither of Keith's divorced parents had seen or heard from him, authorities decided to investigate.
What they discovered in the small trailer home outside Ina, Illinois, would become one of the most brutal and disturbing crime scenes in the region's history. The murders of Keith Dardeen, his pregnant wife Ruby Elaine, their 3-year-old son Peter, and their newborn daughter would shock the rural community and launch a decades-long investigation that continues to this day.
A Young Family's Simple Life
Keith and Elaine Dardeen represented the quintessential young American family of the 1980s. Keith, who preferred to go by his middle name, was born on June 22, 1958, in Mount Carmel, Illinois. He married Ruby "Elaine" Cowling in August 1979 in Albion, Illinois, when both were young and full of hope for their future together. Elaine, who was 30 at the time of her death, was from Albion, a small town closer to Ina than Keith's hometown.
The couple lived in a beige-and-white mobile home that Keith had purchased in 1986 after completing the training required for his position at the water treatment facility. They rented the land from a nearby farming couple, establishing roots in the small community outside Ina, a town with a population of just over 2,000 people. The trailer sat nestled among woodland beside Route 37, just north of the Franklin County line, offering the family privacy while keeping them connected to the main thoroughfare.
Keith worked steadily at the treatment plant while Elaine found employment at an office supply store in Mount Vernon, the Jefferson County seat. Their 3-year-old son Peter, born on July 5, 1984, was described by family and friends as a happy, energetic child who brought joy to his parents' lives. When not working, the couple were active members of a small Baptist church in the village, where Keith sang lead vocals while Elaine played the piano for the musical ensemble.
By November 1987, the family was eagerly anticipating the arrival of their second child. Elaine was seven months pregnant with a daughter they planned to name Casey. The pregnancy had progressed normally, and the couple was making preparations to expand their small family. They had even begun discussing a move back to Keith's hometown of Mount Carmel, seeking a safer environment for their growing family.
A Climate of Fear
The Dardeens' desire to relocate wasn't born from simple nostalgia or family ties. Jefferson and Franklin counties had been experiencing an unprecedented wave of violence in the two years preceding the family's murder. More than 15 homicides had occurred in the area, creating an atmosphere of fear and paranoia that deeply affected residents. One particularly shocking case involved a teenager in Mount Vernon who had killed his parents and three siblings, demonstrating that even the most seemingly stable families weren't immune to sudden, inexplicable violence.
Keith had become increasingly protective of his family as the local crime rate escalated. Friends later recounted how his concern for his family's safety had grown to what some might consider paranoid levels. In one telling incident, when a young woman came to their door asking to use the telephone, Keith refused to let her into the home. This level of caution was entirely out of character for the formerly trusting and hospitable man, but it reflected the very real fear that gripped the community.
Despite Keith's heightened vigilance, his mother Joeann later revealed that her son had been worried about something specific in the days before his death. During their final weekend together, Keith had told her that the family would be moving by January. "He said there's just too many things happening down here," Joeann recalled. The exact nature of Keith's concerns remained unclear, but his urgency to leave the area suggested he may have sensed a particular threat.
The Night of Horror
November 17, 1987, began like any other day for the Dardeen family, but it would end in unimaginable tragedy. Keith was scheduled to work the night shift at the water treatment plant, a routine he had followed reliably for months. However, when evening came, Keith never reported for duty. This absence was immediately concerning to his supervisor, as Keith was known for his dependability and had never failed to call if he couldn't make it to work.
Throughout the night and into the following day, calls to the Dardeen home went unanswered. Keith's supervisor contacted both of his parents, Don and Joeann Dardeen, who lived in Mount Carmel but had divorced years earlier. Neither parent had heard from Keith, and both expressed immediate concern about his uncharacteristic absence. As the hours passed without any word from the family, the worry deepened.
By the evening of November 18, Don Dardeen agreed to drive to Ina with a key to his son's trailer and meet deputies at the scene. When police and Keith's father arrived at the mobile home, they immediately noticed that Keith's car was missing, though his work truck remained parked outside. The trailer appeared quiet and undisturbed from the exterior, giving no hint of the horror that awaited discovery inside.
The Gruesome Discovery
When authorities entered the Dardeen trailer, they were confronted with a crime scene of unprecedented brutality. In the bedroom, they found the bodies of Elaine Dardeen and 3-year-old Peter, both victims of savage beatings with a baseball bat. The bat itself, ironically a birthday present Keith had given to Peter earlier that year, was found at the scene, covered in blood and other biological evidence.
The violence inflicted upon Elaine was particularly horrific. The 30-year-old pregnant woman had been beaten so severely that the trauma had caused her to go into premature labor. Investigators discovered that she had given birth during or shortly after the attack, but the newborn daughter the couple had planned to name Casey had also been beaten to death. The killer had shown no mercy even to the helpless infant who had entered the world only to face immediate, senseless violence.
Adding to the disturbing nature of the scene, investigators found that Elaine had been sexually assaulted with the same baseball bat used to kill her and her children. Both Elaine and Keith had been sexually mutilated, with Keith's genitals having been severed. The brutality suggested a level of rage and sadistic pleasure that went far beyond a simple robbery or even a typical family murder.
Despite the extreme violence, the crime scene showed signs that the perpetrator had taken time to arrange the bodies. All three victims in the trailer had been placed in bed together and covered, suggesting either remorse or a twisted sense of care on the part of the killer. The scene had also been partially cleaned, indicating that the murderer had spent considerable time at the location after committing the crimes.
The Search for Keith
Initially, Keith's absence from the home made him the primary suspect in the murders of his wife and children. Police immediately began searching for him, even alerting investigators in Colorado where his lifelong friend Kevin Harris had relocated, based on Keith's previous mention of wanting to visit him. "They said, 'Have you seen Keith,' They said, 'We're told that he had mentioned he'd always wanted to come and see you,'" Harris later recalled.
The search for Keith ended the following day when hunters discovered his body in a wheat field just south of the Franklin-Jefferson County line, near Rend Lake College, not far from the family's trailer. Keith had been shot three times in the head, and like the bodies found in the trailer, he had been sexually mutilated with his genitals severed. The location of his body, approximately one mile from the family home, suggested he had either been killed at that spot or transported there after death.
Even more puzzling was the discovery of Keith's red Plymouth sedan, found parked outside the police station in Benton, Illinois, approximately 11 miles south of the Dardeen home. The car's interior was spattered with blood, indicating it had likely been the site of Keith's murder. The deliberate placement of the vehicle at the police station seemed to be a message or taunt directed at law enforcement, adding another layer of mystery to an already complex crime.
The Massive Investigation
The brutality of the Dardeen family murders prompted one of the largest criminal investigations in Southern Illinois history. Thirty detectives were assigned to work the case full-time, coordinating efforts between local police agencies and the Illinois State Police. Over the course of the investigation, more than 100 people were interviewed, and authorities tracked down more than 1,000 leads in their desperate search for answers.
The crime scene yielded nearly 150 pieces of evidence, many of which were sent to laboratories for extensive testing. However, despite the thorough collection of physical evidence, investigators were unable to develop any viable suspects in the immediate aftermath of the murders. DNA samples were preserved from the victims, but in 1987, DNA analysis was in its infancy and could not provide the investigative tool it would later become.
The sexual mutilation of both Keith and Elaine led investigators to explore various theories about the motive for the crimes. Because of the ritualistic nature of some aspects of the murders, authorities even consulted with experts on cult activity, wondering if the family had been targeted for some form of satanic ritual. However, no evidence was found to support such theories.
Early in the investigation, police briefly considered the possibility that the murders were connected to drug activity. A small amount of marijuana was found in the trailer, but there was no evidence that the Dardeens were involved in drug dealing. Keith's mother, Joeann, later suggested that the marijuana might have belonged to the killer rather than her son's family.
Tommy Lynn Sells: The Controversial Confession
For more than a decade, the Dardeen family murders remained unsolved, with no viable suspects and no clear motive for the killings. The case began to gather dust in the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, despite the best efforts of investigators and the persistent pleas from Keith's mother, Joeann Dardeen, who called the sheriff's office at least once a week to ensure the case wasn't forgotten.
The case took a dramatic turn in 2000 when Tommy Lynn Sells, a serial killer who had been arrested and sentenced to death in Texas for murdering a teenage girl, began confessing to numerous unsolved murders across the United States. Sells claimed responsibility for killings from coast to coast, earning him the nickname "The Coast to Coast Killer." Among the dozens of murders he confessed to was the slaying of the Dardeen family.
According to Sells' confession, he met Keith Dardeen at either a truck stop near Mount Vernon or at a local pool hall, depending on which version of his story was being told. Sells claimed that Keith invited him home for dinner, and that during the evening, Keith propositioned him for a sexual encounter involving himself, Sells, and the pregnant Elaine. Sells alleged that this proposition triggered his violent response, leading to the brutal murders of the entire family.
The confession initially excited investigators, who felt they might finally have answers to one of their most frustrating unsolved cases. Sells provided details about the crime that seemed to match the evidence, and his general account of the murders was consistent with what investigators knew about the case. Most compelling of all, Sells mentioned the presence of watermelon ceramics inside the Dardeen home, a detail that had never been released to the public.
Doubts and Inconsistencies
Despite the initial enthusiasm surrounding Sells' confession, serious doubts began to emerge as investigators scrutinized his account more carefully. The most significant problem was Sells' inability to maintain consistency in his story. He changed crucial details about how he met Keith, where the murders took place, and even basic facts about the crime scene that should have been permanently etched in the memory of someone who actually committed such brutal acts.
When pressed about specific details that had been withheld from media coverage, Sells often provided incorrect information before sometimes correcting himself, which investigators interpreted as lucky guesses rather than genuine knowledge. His claims about which seat of Keith's Plymouth he was shot in contradicted the physical evidence, and when asked how Elaine's body was positioned, he initially answered incorrectly before providing the correct information.
Friends and family members of the Dardeens expressed strong skepticism about key elements of Sells' confession. The claim that Keith would have invited a stranger home for dinner, let alone propositioned him for sexual activity, contradicted everything they knew about Keith's character and his protective instincts regarding his family. Keith's friend noted that "If he wouldn't let a young girl in to use the phone, he wouldn't let a 22-year-old man in," referring to Sells' age at the time of the murders.
The allegation that Keith made homosexual advances toward Sells was particularly disputed by those who knew him. Family and friends stated that they had never perceived Keith as having any interest in his own sex, and police had found no evidence of such inclinations during their thorough investigation of his personal life. Many believed Sells had invented this detail to make the crime seem more justified, as he had done in confessions to other murders.
The Execution and Lingering Questions
Despite the confession and the belief of some investigators that Sells was responsible for the Dardeen murders, the Jefferson County State's Attorney ultimately declined to charge him with the crimes. The decision was based on too many inconsistencies between Sells' claims and the actual evidence from the crime scene. Prison authorities in Texas also refused to allow Sells to leave the state to assist with the investigation in Illinois, further complicating efforts to verify his confession.
Tommy Lynn Sells was executed by lethal injection in Texas on April 3, 2014, for the murder of 13-year-old Kaylene Harris. At the time of his execution, authorities had confirmed his responsibility for 22 murders, though he had claimed to kill more than 70 people. The Dardeen family murders were not among those for which he was definitively linked, despite his repeated confessions.
Following Sells' execution, Jefferson County officials remained divided about his guilt in the Dardeen case. State's attorney Douglas Hoffman stated that Sells "remains the No. 1 suspect" in the family's murder, while Sheriff Roger Mulch expressed similar confidence in Sells' responsibility. However, other investigators continued to harbor doubts about the confession's reliability.
Keith's mother, Joeann Dardeen, experienced her own evolution of belief regarding Sells' guilt. Initially convinced of his responsibility when the confession first emerged in 2000, she gradually developed doubts as inconsistencies in his story became apparent. By the time of Sells' execution in 2014, she expressed significant uncertainty, telling the Associated Press, "Tommy deserved to die for what he did, but I wanted him to stay alive until I know positively he didn't do it."
The Cold Case Continues
More than three decades after the brutal murders shocked the small community of Ina, Illinois, the Dardeen family case remains officially unsolved. The investigation has passed through the hands of multiple detectives over the years, with each bringing fresh perspectives and utilizing advancing forensic technologies in hopes of finally solving the case.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office maintains more than 20 thick binders of evidence and investigation materials related to the case. DNA samples from the victims remain preserved, though no suspect DNA has been identified. The case files have been shared with the FBI's cold case unit, which has provided additional expertise and resources to the ongoing investigation.
Current investigators continue to follow up on new leads and re-examine existing evidence using modern forensic techniques. Detective Captain Scott Burge acknowledged that progress feels slow, even to those working the case. "To me, when you solve cold cases, it's going to be more from the evidence than the people," he observed, emphasizing the importance of physical evidence over witness testimony in cases that are decades old.
The advancement of DNA technology offers perhaps the best hope for eventually solving the case. Techniques that were unavailable in 1987 can now extract and analyze minute amounts of genetic material, potentially identifying previously unknown contributors to the crime scene evidence. However, the passage of time has also created challenges, as some evidence may have degraded beyond the point of useful analysis.
A Mother's Unwavering Determination
At 81 years old, Joeann Dardeen continues to be the most persistent advocate for solving her son's murder case. She has spent more than three decades pushing investigators, media outlets, and anyone who will listen to keep the case alive in public consciousness. Her efforts have included gathering more than 3,000 signatures in an unsuccessful attempt to get The Oprah Winfrey Show to feature the case, which was deemed too graphic for daytime television.
Joeann's relationship with investigators has evolved over the years. While she once maintained close contact with detectives working the case, she has expressed frustration with what she perceives as a lack of active investigation in recent years. When asked if anyone was actively working the case to her knowledge, she replied simply, "no."
Despite her advanced age and the passage of decades, Joeann remains committed to finding answers about what happened to her son and his family. She has stated that she will discuss the case with anyone who might have information and has encouraged people to contact her directly if they're uncomfortable speaking with law enforcement. Her dedication serves as a reminder that behind every cold case is a family still seeking closure and justice.
The Lasting Impact
The Dardeen family murders left an indelible mark on the small communities of Southern Illinois. The brutality of the crimes, combined with their unsolved status, created a lasting sense of unease among residents who had previously felt safe in their rural environment. The case became a touchstone for discussions about violence in small-town America and the vulnerability of even the most innocent families.
Local establishments like Bonnie's Cafe in Ina still serve as gathering places where residents discuss theories about what happened to the Dardeens. The case has become part of the community's collective memory, passed down through generations as both a cautionary tale and an unsolved mystery that continues to demand attention.
The murders also highlighted the challenges faced by small law enforcement agencies when confronted with complex, high-profile cases. The investigation required resources and expertise that stretched the capabilities of local departments, necessitating cooperation between multiple agencies and outside experts. The case served as a catalyst for improvements in inter-agency cooperation and the development of specialized cold case units.
Theories and Speculation
In the absence of a definitive solution, numerous theories have emerged over the years about who might have killed the Dardeen family and why. Some investigators believe the family was specifically targeted, possibly due to something Keith had witnessed or learned through his work or personal life. The deliberate placement of his car at the police station suggests the killer wanted to send a message or demonstrate contempt for law enforcement.
Others theorize that the murders were the work of a transient or someone passing through the area who saw an opportunity for violence. The location of the trailer, visible from Interstate 57 and near railroad tracks, would have made it accessible to someone traveling through the region. This theory aligns with Sells' confession, though it doesn't resolve the inconsistencies in his account.
The sexual nature of the violence has led some to suggest the crimes were committed by someone with a personal grievance against Keith or his family. The level of rage and the time spent at the crime scene indicate a perpetrator who felt comfortable remaining at the location for an extended period, possibly suggesting familiarity with the area or the family's routines.
The Search for Justice Continues
As the case approaches its fourth decade without resolution, investigators and the Dardeen family refuse to give up hope that justice will eventually be served. Advances in forensic technology continue to offer new possibilities for analyzing old evidence, while the development of genetic genealogy has provided law enforcement with powerful new tools for identifying suspects through familial DNA connections.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office continues to accept tips and information related to the case, encouraging anyone with knowledge about the murders to come forward. The passage of time may have changed circumstances for potential witnesses, making them more willing to provide information they may have withheld decades ago due to fear or other concerns.
The case remains a priority for investigators who understand the importance of providing answers to the Dardeen family and closure to a community that has lived with this unsolved tragedy for more than 30 years. Each new detective who takes on the case brings fresh eyes and modern techniques to evidence that has been examined countless times before.
A Legacy of Unanswered Questions
The Dardeen family murders stand as one of the most brutal and perplexing unsolved cases in American criminal history. The savage nature of the crimes, the apparent lack of motive, and the controversial confession of a serial killer have combined to create a case that continues to fascinate and horrify true crime enthusiasts and investigators alike.
Keith, Elaine, Peter, and baby Casey Dardeen deserve to have their story told and their killer brought to justice. They were an innocent family whose only crime was living in the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming victims of a violence so extreme it challenges our understanding of human capability for evil.
As long as the case remains unsolved, the Dardeen family murders will continue to serve as a reminder that some questions remain unanswered, some crimes go unpunished, and some families are left to grieve without the closure that justice might provide. The hope remains that someday, somehow, the truth will finally emerge, and the Dardeen family will receive the justice they have been denied for far too long.
Sources
Wikipedia - Dardeen Family Homicides
Missing in Illinois - "Dardeen Murders Keith, Elaine, Peter & Casey Dardeen November 18, 1987"
People Magazine - "Inside the Chilling Dardeen Family Murders: Who Killed Them?"
The Line Up - "The Chilling, Unsolved Dardeen Family Murders"
KFVS12 - "Heartland Unsolved: Never Forget part 2"
Morbidology - "The Dardeen Family Murders"
All That's Interesting - "The Disturbing Story Of Tommy Lynn Sells"
