A Tragic Accident

Download the story as a PowerPoint presentation

Nine days ago, during the night of a sudden summer thunderstorm, the Mondelo family car went over the side of Backbone Mountain and caught fire on impact. The wreckage was found and examined in the morning; three bodies, an adult woman, a teenage male, and a female child were found in the wreckage; all were severely burned and unrecognizable. By personal effects that survived the fire, the three victims were identified as Louise Mondelo and her children Wally and Jan.

Pictures of the scene were recorded, but, due to the storm, it was initially believed to be simply a tragic accident and was not treated as a crime scene. When Lyle Mondelo could not be reached and was found to be missing, he was immediately considered a suspect and the wreckage was thoroughly processed. However, the scene had been substantially disturbed and some evidence was undoubtably lost. The bodies, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, were kept in the county morgue.

The small town of Highland Park was shocked, as nothing this terrible had ever happened in the area. Tips from neighbors and friends poured into the police department, but none of the tips were eyewitness accounts or provided specific information regarding the car accident. Lyle was the likely suspect, but was nowhere to be found. An all points bulletin was issued for everyone to be on the lookout for Lyle Mondelo. He was presumed armed and dangerous and to be driving a missing blue 1993 Ford Ranger with Tumbling Water Land Development Co. logos. Four days ago, Lyle Mondelo’s credit card was used to purchase gasoline and food at a gas station in Texas.

When contacted, business associate John Wayne Gretzky told investigators that Lyle had been slipping into a deep depression because of trouble at their jointly owned business, Tumbling Water Land Development Company, and he also implied that there had been problems at home. At this time, investigators noticed that John had a large bite mark on his upper arm. Asking him about it, John claimed to have gotten it during a bar fight the night before and allowed the bite to be photographed. He was not held or charged with any crime.