The Tragic Mystery of Elizabeth Andes: A Murder That Remains Unsolved

A Chilling Discovery

On December 28, Beth's boyfriend, Bob Young, returned to the apartment they secretly shared with another couple, Sue Parmelee and her boyfriend John. To their families, Beth and Sue had claimed they were roommates splitting rent, but the young women were also sharing the space with their significant others.

Bob arrived that evening to help clean up as the couples were preparing to move out. But as he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed the apartment's windows were dark. Inside, he expected to find a note explaining Beth's absence but instead stumbled upon a nightmare.

The bedroom was in disarray - blood spattered across the walls, a dresser overturned - and Beth lay lifeless on the floor. She had been strangled and stabbed multiple times.

A Small Town in Shock

With no phone in the apartment, Bob ran into the cold December night to find help. Oxford, Ohio, a quiet college town unaccustomed to violent crime, had not seen a murder in decades - certainly nothing as grisly as this.

Police arrived to find Beth's hands and feet bound, a cloth stuffed in her mouth. She had been stabbed with her own sewing shears, which were left wrapped in a sweater on the floor. Her robe sash was tied around her neck, and her body, which was nude except for a single blue sock, had been covered with a sheet by Bob before officers arrived. Blood stained the room, a testament to the violence of the attack.

The Boyfriend Under Suspicion

Within hours, police zeroed in on Bob Young as their primary suspect. A soft-spoken football player who had been in a three-year relationship with Beth, Bob was known as a devoted boyfriend. Friends described the couple as happy and close, but the authorities quickly decided he was responsible for her death.

After taking Bob to another town for a polygraph test, which he was told he failed, investigators pressured him into signing a confession. He recanted almost immediately, claiming it was coerced.

Bob's lawyer later highlighted glaring inconsistencies between the confession and the actual crime scene. "The pieces just didn't fit," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer. Despite these discrepancies, police remained confident in their theory and charged Bob with murder.

At his trial, however, the jury found Bob not guilty. Undeterred, Beth's family pursued a wrongful death suit against him in civil court. But even under the lower burden of proof required in civil cases, the jury again ruled in Bob's favor.

Missed Opportunities

Years later, investigative reporters Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossman revisited the case in the first season of their podcast Accused. Their findings pointed to critical errors by police. By fixating on Bob, investigators neglected other leads, prematurely labeled the case closed, and failed to include it in unsolved murder databases. To make matters worse, crucial evidence went missing after Bob's trial, leaving little hope for justice.

Other Possible Suspects

Beth's boss, Robert "Buzz" Caul, emerged as one of the alternative suspects. He told police that Beth had invited him to her apartment the night before her death - a first in their relationship. Caul claimed they drank wine, smoked marijuana, and watched TV, but Beth's friends described him as "creepy" and noted he had an unreciprocated crush on her.

There was also the building's maintenance man, whom Beth had confronted earlier that day for leaving her door unlocked. Another lead pointed to a former high school admirer who harbored lingering feelings for her.

Perhaps the strangest suspect was Boyd Glascock, a former coworker of Bob's. Days after Bob's arrest, Glascock visited him at home - an unusual move, as the two were not close. During the visit, Glascock professed his love for Bob and suggested that Beth's death had removed an obstacle to their relationship. Before leaving, he gave Bob a bizarre gift: a pincushion smeared with a red substance that could have been blood.

A Question Without an Answer

Sadly, none of these leads were properly pursued due to the police's tunnel vision. To this day, Bob Young maintains his innocence but carries the burden of guilt, believing his coerced confession distracted investigators from finding the real killer.

For Beth's family, the pain remains raw. Her father's anguished question at Bob's acquittal - "Then who killed my daughter?" - still echoes unanswered.

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