Newspapers across the United States started publishing reports as the identity of the murderer eluded law enforcement and the cases went unsolved.
Local police departments received hundreds of letters from citizens advising them of what steps to take to uncover the murderer, but few contained any valuable information.
The murders kept the city of Dayton in terror for a decade.
The victims
Based on different sources, it’s difficult to put an exact number on how many murders are attributed to the Dayton Stranger. Reports vary from five to nine or more. Here are some of them.
Ada Lantz: Lantz, an 11-year old, was the first victim. Her dead body was found in a vault in the rear of her home in 1900.
Dona Gilman. Gilman worked in the book-bindery department at NCR. In 1906, at age 20, she was assaulted, then strangled to death, and her body was thrown into a thicket across the street from her West Dayton home. It became clear this was not where the murder took place, because it could be seen from multiple houses. Her body had just been left there, along with her gloves and an umbrella. It was reported that thousands of morbidly curious people visited spot where Gilman’s body was found.
Credit: Lynch, Gregory (COP-Dayton)
Credit: Lynch, Gregory (COP-Dayton)
Anna Markowitz and Abe Cohan. On Aug. 4, 1907, Markowitz and her boyfriend, Cohan, were attacked in McCabe Park. He was shot and later died at the hospital, and Anna was raped and strangled. At the time, it was considered one of the most brutal and atrocious crimes ever in Montgomery County.
Credit: Lynch, Gregory (COP-Dayton)
Credit: Lynch, Gregory (COP-Dayton)
Mary Forschner. On Jan. 24, 1909, Forschner, only 15, was beaten, raped and strangled. Her body was left in a barn on the Grafton-Kennedy estate not far from her Keowee Street home. The coroner said that the killer had abnormally large hands, given what he saw from finger imprints on her neck.
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie” Fulhart. A few days later, on Feb. 8, 1909, Fulhart, 18, who went to Dayton to obtain employment, was believed to have been found strangled to death, and her body was found in a cistern behind a synagogue now known as Temple Israel. She had been reported missing on Dec. 30. An autopsy later noted that there were no signs of choking or skull fracture. Her body was found in a decomposed condition that made a definitive cause of death difficult to determine. Although, other reports said she was found with a bag over her head.
Credit: Lynch, Gregory (COP-Dayton)
Credit: Lynch, Gregory (COP-Dayton)
Anna Lloyd. In January 1910, the horribly mutilated body of Lloyd, a young bookkeeper employed by a lumber firm, was found in a vacant lot.
The suspects
Dozens of suspects were considered over the years, and each murder had its own unique set of characters. Some men were tried and convicted for individual crimes but could not be connected to multiple murders. To this day, there are theories and suspicions about who the Dayton Strangler was. Here is a list of some of the prime suspects.
Harrison Blessing. Blessing, 18, was arrested a year after the murder of Ada Lantz. Although he allegedly confessed to the murder, he was later released for lack of evidence.
Layton Hines. Also known as Layton Marion, he was charged with the rape and murder of Anna Markowitz. He had been seen at the scene of the crime earlier that day by a solider who lived at the nearby Soldiers’ Home. The day following his arrest, Hines made a detailed confession to the coroner, the sheriff and other county officials. He was found guilty of first-degree murder with a jury recommendation for mercy, meaning he avoided electrocution.
James Rogers. Rogers was arrested as a suspect in the murder of Dona Gilman but was released. He had been found with face and neck scratches and had newspaper clippings about the case in pocket. The sheriff later became confident Rogers knew nothing about the murder.
Jeremiah Cronin. Cronin, from Xenia, was also arrested as a suspect in the murder of Dona Gilman.
Markowitz family. Jacob, James and Bertha Markowitz were arrested in connection to the murder of Anna Markowitz and Abe Cohan. Police were under the impression that they had been following the couple the night of the murder. They were later released on the day of Anna’s funeral.
Hick White. A janitor at the synagogue where Lizzie Fulhart’s body was found, White was a suspect. He was arrested in 1910 after he choked and raped a Springfield girl at the synagogue. White did serve some prison time and died of natural causes.
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