Oakie's NW Corner...
Do you believe in Ghosts? There are a few ghosts that haunt a certain
location in Avard, Oklahoma. Some say the Old Avard Gym is a portal
for those ghosts that haunt that area.
I am not sure what all buildings have occupied that place where
the Old Avard Gym is now. Vina Rae's Grill & Graze Cafe occupies
a part of the Old Gym at the present. If you are ever in the Avard
area, stop by and chat with Nan while you graze during your lunch
hour. There resides some interesting stories and ghosts with unfinished,
unsettling business.
One of those ghosts is the charred, smell of the young lady that
was charred to death in a fiery car incident on a lonely country
road (Old Avard road) one mile south of Hopeton and 2.7 miles west
of highway 281, about 1.25 miles from Mildred Ann Reynold's home
near Avard. One of her legs was completely burnt off at the knee.
Mildred Ann (Newlin) Reynolds, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest
Newlin, Lambert, Oklahoma, was born December 25, 1933 and died 13
March 1956, 1:40 p.m. at the age of 22. Mildred Ann was a petite
(5' 2", 100 lb.) nice looking, young lady and a senior attending
Northwestern State College. College faculty described her as "rather
shy" and a good student. Mildred Ann Newlin married R. D. "Dee"
Reynolds nine months before her violent , fiery death. Dee Reynolds
was a basketball coach and teacher at the Avard High School and
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Homer Reynolds of Freedom, Oklahoma. Mildred
had a brother, Eddie Newlin. Mildred's body was burned beyond recognition
inside a 1949 Chevrolet Tudor Sedan. Her body was lying across the
frontseat with her head away from the steering wheel. The question
is Why and Was it Murder or an accident?
I would like to thank all of you who have come to my assistance
and helped supply me with death dates, and other information. I
have started a Cast
of Characters, News
Clippings on the Unsolved
Mystery of Ann Reynolds' Death. As you read through it, if you
know of something, someone who might have some factual clues and
would like to help the ghost of Mildred Ann Reynolds find the answers
to this unsolved crime, I would love to hear from you. I want to
assure you that if you would prefer to remain anonymous, I will
protect your confidentiality. Just let me know.
I am going to leave you here to view the Readers Mailbag and contemplate
some of the evidence as reported in the local Newspapers
of 1956 and Steve
Gilbert's Study of the case. Was this an accident or murder?
There have been lots of rumors, gossip about this case, but nothing
that can be published -- An intriguing, suspicous, fiery death of
a young lady, married for nine months and a Northwestern College
senior on her way back home to Avard about 13 miles SW of Alva.
Some reported that she left Alva around 12:30 p.m. after having
lunch with her 18 year-old nephew, Jim Hucklebee.
Thanks for helping us with our 1956 Unsolved Mystery. Here is hoping
you have a Good Friday and Happy Easter! This is also the 8th
Anniversary Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing (19 April
1995) in Oklahoma City and a Memorial
to those who died.
Have a great Easter weekend. See you all next weekend. Thanks for
your help this week.
~~ Linda "oaKie" ~~
NW OK Unsolved Mystery - 13 March 1956...
At about 1:45 PM, March 13, 1956, the body of 22 year old Mildred
Anne Reynolds was found burning in her 1949 Chevrolet Tudor Sedan,
bearing Oklahoma license plate 49-2685. The incident occurred one
mile South and two miles and seven tenths West of Hopeton, Oklahoma.
 One
of my readers said, "The car was very close to that hill on
the right of the photo. I recall some men on the hill looking at
the scene. The traffic going by that scene was busy considering
the population and anyone could walk up to the car and stare. They
didn't have any training in those days in proper law enforcement
techniques, particularly in the rural areas and didn't have the
benefit of television to learn even that way."
I wrote and asked Prof. Gilbert about some of his findings and
about the 9mm shell casings found at the scene of the crime. He
replied back, "Investigating agents discovered three 9MM shell
casings at the rise about 50’ in front of Reynolds’ first
attempt to turn. The owner of these shells, who was present at the
isolated scene, admitted to firing his weapon. This was verified
by firearms testing. No further mention was found in the investigation."
From reading the old newspaper archives of 1956, they did not mention
any 9mm shells. This perked my curiosity even more and lots of questions.
such as... Who was this person that was present at the scene and
expended the 9mm shells? Why was this semi-automatic pistol fired?
When was it fired? Who was this man with the 9mm semi-automatic
pistol at the top of the rise? Why was there no further information
divulged as to the owner of the shell casings? Was she shot prior
to vehicle burning?
Steve
Gilbert's Study of Reynolds' Case... Gilbert wrote me that
he reviewed the actual investigative documents, to include the coroner's
report. There were also some photographs and a film. He noted that
the three 9mm shells were at the top of the rise in the road. He
did not find any satisfactory answer as to why these shells were
fired. According to the Oklahoma report, the shooter was a local
man who had test fired his weapon a day or so before the incident.
It was noted that the local man had to walk about 3 miles to get
to this location as well. Which seemed odd. The shells were forensically
matched to his weapon. This is where that part of the story ends.
Apparently, the investigator was satisfied with his explanation.
There is no mention in the newspapers to any evidence that Mildred
was shot. Some say she was alive during the fire. Some say she was
already dead. There were speculation that the vehicle fire was attributed
to a dislodged plug under the car that allowed gas to leak and this
was caused by her erratic driving into the ditch where the car was
ultimately found.
What caused her erratic driving? Was someone waiting for Mrs. Reynolds
on top of the rise? Did Mrs. Reynolds backup and try to turn to
get away from her attacker? Was Mildred Ann Reynolds attempting
to turn the large 1949 Chevrolet Tudor Sedan while in a panic? Did
she crash it into a tree on the opposite side of the road - attempt
to run from the car, losing her shoe, and then get back in the car
and backed it up to where it burned?
I am told by others -- that if she had done this while attempting
an unhurried turn, none of this would have happened. No one reported
finding any bullet holes in the car. There was a recreation -- an
experiment held in an attempt to recreate the car burning. The 16mm
film in which they burned a similar sedan by throwing gas cans under
it and in it was no where near the fire that killed Mildred.
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