Former Burger Chef building linked to 1978 unsolved slayings to be demolished

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (AP) — A former fast-food building linked to one of the most heinous unsolved crimes in Indianapolis-area history will be demolished, officials said.

The building that was Burger Chef in Speedway was the site where four young workers were abducted in 1978 and found slain two days later in a field a county away.

The free-standing building a short distance west of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be demolished and replaced by a dental office, town officials told local news outlets.

“It’s been a couple of shops over the years that never caught on for more than a couple months and we’ve talked about redeveloping over time but that hasn’t happened,” Speedway Town Council President Vince Noblet told The Indianapolis Star.

Most recently, the building at 5725 Crawfordsville Road housed a pawn shop that closed in 2016.

Forty-five years ago, it was where the four young fast-food workers were abducted at closing time on Nov. 17, 1978. Their bodies were discovered still dressed in their brown and orange work uniforms in a Johnson County field.

Jayne Friedt, 20, the assistant manager, was stabbed. Daniel Davis, 16, and Ruth Shelton, 17, were shot in the back of their heads and found lying next to each other. Mark Flemmonds, 16, died choking on his blood, authorities have said.

”People drive by and see the building and they’re always reminded of what happened here,” Bill Jones, a former Speedway police officer, told WXIN-TV.

Burger Chef is a now-defunct fast-food chain that once had locations across the U.S.