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10 Puzzling Facts about the Villisca Axe Murders of 1912

The Villisca axe murders took place in the American town of Villisca, Iowa, between the evening of June 9, 1912, and the early hours of June 10, 1912. The six Moore family members and two visitors were discovered bludgeoned inside the Moore home.

All eight victims, including six minors, had suffered severe head injuries from an axe. Numerous suspects were identified after protracted investigations, and one of them was tried twice. The verdicts from the first and second trials were both acquittals. The crime has never been solved.

Members of the Moore family included 43-year-old Josiah B and 39-year-old Sarah Montgomery. Their four children were Herman Montgomery (11 years old), Mary Katherine (10 years old), Arthur Boyd (7 years old), and Paul Vernon (5 years old). The other two children included Ina Mae (8), and Lena Gertrude Stillinger (12) who were invited over to the Moore family home.

On 9^th June 1912, the Moore family and the visiting family attended the Presbyterian Church. They had participated in the Children鈥檚 Day Program which Sarah was coordinating. Here are the 10 Puzzling Facts about the Villisca Axe Murders of 1912:

1. The Moore Family was an Affluent Family who was Killed Alongside 2 Children

An article on Villisca axe murders in The Day Book, 14 June 1912. Author; The day book on

The Villisca Axe Murders involved the Moore family alongside two other children they had invited over to their home. Parents Josiah B, Sarah Montgomery, and their four children Herman Montgomery, Mary Katherine, Arthur Boyd, and Paul Vernon were killed alongside Ina Mae and Lena Gertrude Stillinger.

The Moore family was an affluent family that was well-known in their community during their time. They were well-liked by the community too with their murders raising several questions about why they were brutally murdered.

2 The Family and the other two Children had Attended a Church Service before their Murders

On 9^th June 1912, the Moore family as well as the invited children attended a church service. They had attended the Presbyterian Church where they participated in the Children鈥檚 Day Program. Sarah Montgomery was the coordinator of the Children鈥檚 Day Program.

The program ended at around 9:30 PM and the Moores and the Stillinger sisters walked home to their family house. It is believed that they arrived at Moore’s house between 9:45 and 10 PM.

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3. Josiah鈥檚 Brother and their Neighbour Discovered their Bodies First

On 10^th June 1912 at 7 AM, the Moores neighbor, Mary Peckham became worried after noticing the family was not up for their usual morning chores. She tried to knock at their house where nobody answered and even tried to open the door which was locked. Mary called Ross Moore, the brother of Josiah whose attempts of calling the family were met by no response.

Ross decided to unlock the door using a copy of the house key and entered inside leaving Peckham on the porch. He entered the parlor and opened the guest bedroom where he found Ina and Lena Stillinger鈥檚 bodies on the bed prompting him to call the police. They were the first ones to discover the murders of Moores’s family.

4. Josiah Moore鈥檚 Axe was used to Murder the Moores and the Stillinger Children

Double-bitted felling axe. Photo by Luigi Zanasi on

Ross Moore told Mary Peckham to call Villisca鈥檚 primary peace officer Henry Horton who arrived afterward. The officer searched the whole house and revealed that the entire Moore family and the two visiting children had been brutally murdered.

They were bludgeoned to death using an axe. Surprisingly, the murder weapon belonged to Josiah B Moore which was found in the guest room where the bodies of the Stillinger sisters were found.

5. The Killer(s) had Waited for the Family in their House鈥檚 Attic

Josiah B. and Sara Moore House. Photo by Jason McLaren on

Another astonishing revelation by the doctors was that the murders took place between midnight and 5 AM. The killer(s) had arrived at the house of the Moores earlier before they got back from the church event.

As the investigations went on, two spent cigarettes were found in the attic which gave a clear picture that the killer (s) had waited patiently. More cigarettes were searched in the house not to be found concluding that the Moores were waited for until they slept and then murdered.

6. The Moores were Killed First before the Stillinger Girls

It is believed that the killer(s) started the killings in the master bedroom where Josiah and his wife were sleeping. Josiah Moore was bludgeoned more than the others as his face had deep cuts. His eyes were missing from his body due to the blows he received.

Josiah was murdered using the blade of the axe while the others were killed using the blunt end. Their children were next as they were bludgeoned in the head the same way their parents were.

After killing the children, the killer(s) returned to the master bedroom where they inflicted more blows on the Moores. They then went to the guest bedroom downstairs and killed the Stillinger girls.

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7. All Victims were Asleep Other except Lena who tried to Fight Back

Blood splashed on the floor. Photo by Phoebe T on

The Villisca axe murders took place in the wee hours of the night when everyone was believed to be asleep. During the gruesome murders, it is believed that everyone in the Moores’ house was asleep except Lena Gertrude Stillinger.

The investigators believed that Lena Gertrude Stillinger was away during the incident. She tried to fight back but she was found lying crosswise with a defensive wound on her arm meaning she tried to fight back.

8. Investigators Speculated that Lena was Sexually Molested

Lena Gertrude Stillinger seemed to have fought back and went through a lot before she was murdered. She was found lying crosswise on her bed while her nightgown was pushed to her waist.

Lena never had her undergarments on which led to speculations that she was sexually molested. More details on what happened to Lena remain a huge puzzle.

9. Several Suspects Emerged but the Villisca Axe Murders were Not Solved

Newspaper excerpt containing a photo of Henry Moore, a serial killer suspected in Villisca axe murders. Photo by Unknown author on

Reverend George Kelly, Frank F. Jones, William Mansfield, Loving Mitchell, Paul Mueller, and Henry Lee Moore were among the numerous suspects who eventually came to light (no relation). Kelly faced two murder trials. While the second trial resulted in an acquittal, the first trial ended with a deadlocked jury. The investigations on other suspects were also cleared.

Reverend George Kelly had insisted in his confessions that he carried out the murders, but the jury never agreed due to his mental issues. He was later acquitted of the allegations.

10. A 2017 Book Named an Immigrant as the Villisca Axe Murders Assailant

The Villisca murders are discussed in Bill James and his daughter Rachel McCarthy James鈥� 2017 book, 鈥淭he Man from the Train鈥�. This was part of a broader string of homicides that they think were all committed by a single serial killer.

Bill and Rachel concluded that the murderer was Paul Mueller (or Miller), an immigrant who may have been from Germany. He was the sole suspect in the 1897 slaying of a family in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, who had hired him as a farmhand. Mueller was the subject of a fruitless year-long manhunt.

James began his investigation to solve the Villisca killings. Together with his daughter, they discovered old newspaper articles describing dozens of families who had been slain in similar ways across the US.

James and his daughter believed Mueller was guilty of the Villisca axe murders. This was because of the killing spree which had lasted for over a decade with at least 59 people murdered in 14 separate incidents. What made the Jameses make this conclusion is the common features of the murders which were found in the Villisca axe murders.

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