The Haunting Lynda McDaniel Cold Case
Elementary school teacher found bound up with Christmas ribbon and drowned in bathtub.
Indianapolis was shaken on December 1st, 1977 by the horrific murder of a young elementary school teacher, 32-year-old Lynda McDaniel. She was found dead in the bathtub of her second-floor apartment on West Lake Drive, a victim of foul play in a case that remains frustratingly unsolved over 45 years later.
Lynda’s body was discovered nude and kneeling over the tub, submerged in water. Her hands were visibly bound behind her back with a red ribbon in what investigators described as a murder staged to look like an apparent drowning. Lynda had no visible wounds except a single bruise on her upper left arm, presumed by police to be a grip mark from her killer.
The grisly scene was discovered when Lynda’s aunt came looking for her after the passionate teacher failed to show up to work at Maplewood Elementary School. She was known for usually arriving early, so her absence was troubling. After no answer at Lynda’s door, her aunt retrieved a maintenance worker who unlocked the apartment. Lynda was found deceased shortly after.
