Family of slain schoolteacher put hopes in letter writer

The niece of Bonnie Huffman has a message to a letter writer who claims to have information about her aunt's murder 52 years ago.

"If his conscience bothered him enough to write a letter two years ago, then I hope it's bothering him more today," said Wanda Ross.

More than two years ago, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Department received an anonymous letter in which the writer provided details about what he saw the night of Huffman's murder.

On July 3, 1954, the Delta schoolteacher went to watch a movie in Cape Girardeau and never returned home. Her car was found in the middle of Route N, keys in the ignition, half a mile from Delta.

Two days later, Huffman's body was found in a culvert about two miles from where her car was found. The 20-year-old had died of a broken neck.

Huffman's case is the oldest unsolved murder in the state.

The writer of the anonymous letter said he was driving on Route N at approximately 1 a.m. and saw two men in a car stopped on the side of the road. Someone was in a ditch hollering for help.

Fearful of retaliation

But the writer was threatened by the two men and drove away. Fear of retaliation by Huffman's suspected killers kept the writer from coming forward earlier, the letter said.

Ross believes the anonymous writer is still frightened to come forward.

"I just want some answers. If that person is scared to go to the police, then he can call me," she said. "If you had enough courage to finally write that letter 50 years later, then I hope whoever it is has the courage to come forward again."

The writer has a chance to meet with Ross on Sunday, she said.

Huffman's surviving family members will hold a memorial at 1 p.m. Sunday at Delmonico's restaurant in Jackson. Ross encourages anyone with memories of her aunt to attend the event.

"I've heard a lot of stories about her throughout the years and I like hearing them," Ross said.

The Allenville resident was 6 when her aunt was murdered.

Like all unsolved murders, Huffman's case remains open because there is no statute of limitations. Sgt. Eric Friedrich, with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, is still investigating the case when he has time.

"He tries every chance he gets. There's so much more going on that I think her case kind of gets thrown on the back burner," Ross said. "I hope it eventually gets solved. All we can do now is speculate what happened that night."

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246