KILLER GRANNY NABBED AFTER 35 YRS ON THE LAM
Everyone loved Linda
McElroy.
Cheerful and helpful,
the devoted mom
and grandmother was involved
in her community and school
- and was always willing to lend
a helping hand.
She went to church, baby-sat
the neighbors' children and had
a kind word for
everybody.
But she also had
a secret that exploded
into the
open when the
police came roaring
up to her front
door.
It turns out she
had escaped from
an Indiana prison
35 years ago after
shooting her husband
dead and
then setting his
body on fire.
After fleeing prison, she carved
out a quiet and exemplary life in
a small Tennessee town, where
she started a new family, raising
two children and doting on her
grandkids.
The tight-knit community was
shocked to learn the 64-year-old
grandmother had escaped in
1972 by climbing over a prison
fence.
In her previous life she
was known as Linda Darby
and had been sentenced to
life imprisonment in 1970
for gunning down her second
husband.
Linda wrapped
his body in garment
bags and
then set fire to
the home they
shared in Hammond,
Ind.
"No one here had any idea
she was a fugitive," her neighbor
Alex Harwell told The
ENQUIRER. "She was a really
sweet, gentle woman."
How did Linda finally get nabbed
after 35 years? Indiana set up a new
task force this past spring specifically
to hunt down escaped prisoners.
They found her by matching the
name and Social Security numbers
of fugitives with the names of people
who had been in contact with police
agencies. Linda reported an assault,
and that triggered her recapture.
Pick up this week's ENQUIRER for more details!
Published on: 11/01/2007
