Katherine and Sheila Lyon | |
|---|---|
 Sheila (left) and Katherine Lyon | |
| Born | Katherine Mary Lyon March 29, 1964 Sheila Mary Lyon March 30, 1962 |
| Disappeared | March 25, 1975 Wheaton, Maryland, U.S. 39°02′12″N 77°03′18″W / 39.0367°N 77.0551°W |
| Died | c. March 26, 1975 |
| Cause of death | Undetermined. Homicide |
| Resting place | Unknown. Possibly Taylor's Mountain, Thaxton, Virginia[1] 37°23′24″N 79°40′02″W / 37.3899°N 79.6673°W (approximate) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | The Lyon Sisters[2] |
| Occupation | Students |
| Known for | Missing persons Murder victims |
| Height | Katherine: 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m) Sheila: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) |
| Distinguishing features | Katherine: Caucasian female. 85 pounds. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Birthmark on inside of upper thigh. Sheila: Caucasian female. 100 pounds. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Far-sighted. Wears spectacles with gold wire rims.[3] |
The murders of Katherine and Sheila Lyon were the abduction, sexual abuse and murder of two sisters – aged 10 and 12 respectively – who disappeared from a shopping center in Wheaton, Maryland, on March 25, 1975.[4]
Described as a crime which shattered the innocence of the suburbs of Maryland,[5] the disappearance of Katherine and Sheila Lyon initiated one of the largest police investigations in the history of the Washington metropolitan area, although their fate would remain unknown for thirty-eight years, by which time their disappearance had long become a cold case.[6]
A re-investigation of the sisters' disappearance in 2013 led detectives to charge a convicted child sex offender named Lloyd Lee Welch Jr. with the first-degree murder of the Lyon sisters. Welch was indicted for their murders in July 2015; he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in September 2017 via a plea bargain in which he admitted to participating in the girls' abduction, but not their sexual assault and murder. He was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 48 years' imprisonment.[7]
The bodies of Katherine and Sheila Lyon have never been found,[7] although authorities believe their bodies were burned and buried upon a remote mountain in Bedford County, Virginia.[7] Furthermore, prosecutors have named other members of Welch's family – including his uncle[8] – as persons of interest in the girls' abduction, abuse and murder, although no other individuals have been charged due to insufficient evidence.[9]
- ^ Roy, Eleanor (July 15, 2015). "Documents Reveal Grisly Details of 1975 Murders of Lyon Sisters in Bedford County: Revelations Come After Indictment in 40-year-old Maryland Case". The News & Advance. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ Ghose, Ishani (November 28, 2020). "Missing Lyon Sisters May Have Met Their end in Days-Long Taylor's Mountain Fire that Smelled of Burnt Flesh". meaww.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ "Case File: Katherine Mary and Sheila Mary Lyon". January 3, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ "Lyon Sisters Case: Man Pleads Guilty to 1975 Murders of 2 Maryland Girls". CBS News. Associated Press. September 12, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Lavoie, Denise (July 16, 2015). "Police: Lyon Sisters Investigation Enters New Phase". The Daily Record. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WP-20140211was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Andersen, Annie; Doss, Catherine (September 12, 2017). "Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Lyon Sisters in 1975, Will Serve 48 Years in Prison". WSET-TV. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WP 2015 storywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Lyon Sisters Case: Man Pleads Guilty to 1975 Murders of Two Maryland Girls". CBS News. September 12, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2023.