The Dardeen Family Murders

Citizen Detective

Episode 43 The Dardeen Family Murders
In November, 1987, a shocking crime happened in the small community of Ina, Illinois.
After failing to show up for work, police were called to a secluded mobile home to do a welfare check on 28 year old Russell Keith Dardeen, and his family. When police entered the trailer through an unlocked door, they were greeted with a gruesome scene. In the bed of the Dardeen bedroom, police found the bodies of 30 year old Ruby Elaine Darlene, and her son 2 year old Peter. They had been beaten to death with a baseball bat that belonged to the Dardeens. Sadly, Elaine was pregnant with the couple's second child; a daughter, and during the beating, Elaine went into labor and delivered her daughter. Coldy, the newborn baby was also beaten to death. Missing from the home was Keith, and his car. Police first suspected that Keth had killed his family and fled, but the mystery deepened when he was found shot to death in a field a mile from his home. His penis had been cut off. It was a ghastly scene. His car was soon found parked very close to the local police station.
The Dardeen family murders shocked Ina residents. An investigation by police could reveal no motive for the murders. There was no sign of infidelity, or anything shady in the Dardeen's lives. Robbery also was ruled out because valuable items were left behind, and there was no sign of forced entry. In the weeks and months leading up to the murders, Keith reportedly had been very concerned about crime in the area- so much so, that he planned to move his family out of Ina without even having a new job lined up. Some people would theorize that Keith was worried about a very specific threat, but what that threat was if there was one, eluded detectives. Because Keith was very wary of letting people into his home, it seemed possible that the Dardeens knew their killer or killers, and let them in.
Without clear suspects, it wasn't long before a violent serial killer named Tommy Lee Sells became a potential POI in the case. He had a history of similar crimes, and admitted to killing the Dardeens. But Sells's story kept changing, and the facts of the case that he gave police had been published in newspapers. So was he the killer of the Dardeens, or a red herring? Police have been tight lipped about the case and what evidence the have, but to date, there have been no arrests.
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Want to listen to this episode, and every episode of Citizen Detective AD-FREE plus get VIP bonus access to our show 'The Scrum'? Visit Apple Podcasts to get an AbJack Insider subscription that will grant you VIP access not only to this show, but to every other show on the network; access that includes early and ad-free content, and bonus episodes.
Continue the conversation about this case with fellow Citizen Detectives over at Websleuths:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/forums/citizen-detective-true-crime-podcast.719/
The Citizen Detective team includes:
Co-Hosts- Mike Morford, Alex Ralph, and Dr. Lee Mellor
Writing and Research- Alex Ralph
Technical Producer- Andrew Gray
Production Assistant- Ashley Monroe
Suzanna Ryan- DNA Expert
Cloyd Steiger- Retired Seattle PD Homicide Detective