Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
1,936
pages
in: Michigan, 1970, Murder,
and 4 more

John Burns

Edit
John burns with eleanor

John Burns with Eleanor Farver

Real Name: Unknown (at the time of the broadcast)
Aliases: John Edward Burns
Wanted For: Murder
Missing Since: September 1970

Case[]

Details: In 1969, John Burns, a high school custodian, fell in love with Eleanor Farver, a forty-five-year-old divorced woman with six children. A year later, on September 22, 1970, he murdered her. He allowed only two photographs to be taken of him in his entire life (including the one shown above). Now, these photos are virtually the only information anyone has on this shadowy man. The murder took place at Eleanor’s home, a small converted schoolhouse at 2931 Joy Road in rural Northfield Township, Michigan. Incredibly, for ten days afterward, he hid in a barn across the road just 100 yards away. Then, he disappeared forever. Authorities have since discovered that his identity was a complete fiction.
Burns vanished in 1970. Creating an accurate portrait of him is no easy task. On various official documents, he listed four totally different birth dates. Although he was believed to have been sixty-two at the time of the murder, his exact age is in doubt. Today, police are not only wondering where the man who killed Eleanor is, but also, just who he is.
In 1947, Burns drifted into South Lyon, Michigan, with little more than a name and the clothes he was wearing. He started out as a farm worker. While working as a custodian, he was known as a friendly, quiet man. He was well-liked and respected by his friends, coworkers, and neighbors. However, he never revealed much about his past to them, as if he had something to hide. Grant Dale was his neighbor for several years. He says that they rarely spoke to each other. Another neighbor, Ed Nugent, says that Burns was very careful about what he told others and what he would talk about. Ed feels that, if Burns did have something to hide, he did it very well.
Detective Bill Eskridge of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department knew Burns because he attended the school where Burns worked. According to him, Burns told some people he was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. He told others that he was from Cheyenne, Wyoming. He told some that he was one half Osage Indian from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He told others that he was from Colorado. Detective Eskridge is not sure where Burns was actually from. He is also not sure when he was born. He says he cannot even be positive that Burns was born in the United States.
One year after he arrived in South Lyon, Burns met Anna McMurray, swept her off her feet, and married her. Detective Eskridge does not know why Burns married Anna. Burns looked about twenty years younger than her. Detective Eskridge says that Burns may have loved her at the time. Or, he may have married her to help cover his identity and/or trail. During their years together, he rarely talked to her about his past, and she never met any of his relatives.
In 1969, after twenty years of marriage, Burns fell in love with Eleanor, who lived fifteen miles away. She had no idea that he had a wife in South Lyon. According to neighbor Danny Hock, the affair between Burns and Eleanor was common knowledge in the area; it was no "big secret." Danny says that almost everyone that knew Burns knew that he was having an affair with Eleanor.
Eleanor's love life had not been easy: her first husband disappeared, and her second one purposefully burned their house down. According to Melody Taylor, her daughter-in-law, Burns treated Eleanor very well at first. He was good to her children. He brought them a pony and other presents. He bought Eleanor animals and other things. He did jobs around her house and helped care for the animals. Overall, he "made her feel good." Melody says that Eleanor dreamed of having a farm and raising animals, such as chickens, on it. Melody says that it was nice to see Eleanor happy again. Eleanor felt like her dreams were going to come true. According to Melody, Burns was really good at making up "whatever he wanted you to believe." And Eleanor believed whatever he said.
According to Detective Eskridge, Burns told Eleanor that he was going to marry her. They made plans to get married and buy a chicken ranch. They even went to a local doctor in South Lyon to get blood tests in anticipation of getting a marriage license. Of course, that never took place. As time passed, Eleanor began to see another side of Burns. He became argumentative and started fights with her. At one point, she considered calling off the wedding. However, he was able to convince her to stay with him.
Five months before the murder, Burns was on a date with Eleanor and had to drop by his house. This was the first time she had ever seen Anna. He told her that Anna was his aunt. She had no reason to doubt him; Anna looked old enough to be his aunt. He also told her that Anna was hard to get along with, and that was his reason for not introducing the two. Since he spent most of his time with Eleanor, there was no reason for her to believe that he had a wife.
One day in early September 1970, Eleanor decided to go to Burns’ house and drop off some things that she was borrowing from him. Melody believes that Eleanor was also curious about Anna. While there, Eleanor introduced herself to Anna as "John’s fiancée." Anna laughed and said, "I’m his wife." Eleanor ran away in tears. Later that day, she sent a letter to Burns, saying that the relationship was over and that she never wanted to see him again.
Burns started going to Eleanor’s house at night. He would bang on the doors and windows, pleading with her to let him in so that he could explain. She refused to see him. This only seemed to make him more angry. He started writing violent letters to her, which he slipped under her door at night. He put sugar in the gas tank of her car. Twice, he tried to run her off the road. He even threatened to blow up her house with dynamite. She and her family went to the police, but they told her there was little they could do; they considered it more of a "lovers' quarrel."
On the morning of September 22, 1970, Burns left home and told Anna that he was "going hunting up north." Instead, he went to a hardware store owned by Bud Martin. He told Bud that there was a German Shepherd in his neighborhood that was bothering him, and he wanted something to shoot it with. Bud asked if he wanted to just "dust it off" or if he wanted to kill it. He said that he wanted to kill it. Bud then sold him some shotgun shells. As it turned out, the shells were not for a dog, but for Eleanor.
At around 11:30am, Burns parked his battered blue Chevrolet station wagon across the road and walked to Eleanor's house. He saw an unfamiliar car outside. It belonged to her cousin, but he assumed it belonged to a lover. Carrying a 12-gauge shotgun, he approached Eleanor as she was feeding the chickens. She told him to go away. He yelled at her, saying that she was "holding out" on him and that she "had another man." Meanwhile, Melody's daughter ran inside and told Melody "John's here." Melody watched through the window as he loaded his gun and talked to Eleanor. She could see the anger in his face. She knew something bad was going to happen, so she ran for the family shotgun which was in a nearby closet.
But by the time Melody got to the closet, it was too late. Burns shot Eleanor once in the stomach and once in the head; a third shot missed. Eleanor's granddaughter, nine-year-old daughter, and nephew, along with a farmer working nearby, all witnessed the shooting. The nephew rushed outside and found her dead. Burns, meanwhile, drove off in his car. Melody believes that Burns felt that if he could not have Eleanor, then no one could. Burns’ neighbors were shocked when they learned that he had killed Eleanor.
After the murder, Burns disappeared from sight but not from the area. Many people believed that he was hiding in the woods and living off the land. But the police could not find him. He was seen in South Lyon on three separate occasions. Two days after the murder, he left his car in a neighbor’s garage. He visited Anna’s house at least twice, and, on one occasion, even hid in her basement and wrote her a note. A South Lyon used car lot owner saw him walking down Pontiac Trail in the direction of Eleanor's house. He was carrying a a long bedroll that may have contained the murder weapon. Still, the police could not find him.
It turned out that for ten days, Burns had been hiding in the barn 100 yards away from the scene of the crime. Through a crack in the wall of the barn, he could peek out and clearly see Eleanor’s house. The police speculate that he had been there for several days before the murder, stalking her. A few days after it, police officers searched the barn, but they did not find him. He had climbed to the loft using a rope and burrowed a cavern in the hay where he could remain safely out of sight.
It was not until two weeks later that investigators found Burns’ hideaway. The farmer that owned the barn noticed trash on the floor, along with a set of false teeth and Burns' hunting license. When police investigated, they discovered dozens of empty food cans and Burns' confession to the murder scrawled in crayon on the wooden slats at the top of the barn. It read: "1970 a.m. The little RED school across the way or road - I shot and killed the woman I loved. Eleanor Farvar - I was being made a fool. I rathe see her dead, Then for another have her. - I was here 10 days and nights. I could have killed the son meny times from here. He was a (skunk) The son hiped put his mother where she liea, today - I myself will be dead when this is discovered."
A local farmer later admitted to hiding Burns at his house and taking him to the main bus terminal in Detroit, where Burns purchased a ticket to Altoona. While in Altoona, he contacted a friend who loaned him several hundred dollars. He used some of that money to go to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and then to Houston, Texas. After that, his trail goes cold.
Since the murder, Detective Eskridge has doggedly pursued Burns’ past. He has searched through military records, birth and marriage licenses, dental records, and death certificates. He contacted the Bureaus of Vital Statistics in every state in the country and Canada. There is no record of a "John Burns" matching his description. In fact, there is no record of him anywhere prior to 1947.
Detective Eskridge contacted the Osage Tribal Council, since Burns had told people he was Osage; however, the chief had never heard of him. Burns told Anna that he was from Altoona, Pennsylvania, had previously married, and had children. However, no trace of him was found there. Detective Eskridge is certain that Burns was trying to hide his past. He believes that Burns was on the run from authorities in another state, possibly even another country, for a serious crime. He speculates that Burns may have deserted the military or was even a former Nazi. However, nothing has been found to support this.
In an effort to find additional pictures of Burns, Detective Eskridge went to the South Lyon High School where Burns had been employed and looked through their yearbooks. For eight years in a row, Burns called in sick on the day the pictures were taken. He almost never allowed himself to be photographed.
The last letter that Burns wrote to Anna, which she found two days after the murder, was both a confession and a "farewell letter." In it, he wrote that Eleanor's shooting was an accident; he also wrote that she "deserved to die." He then wrote: "You will probably never see me again, so God bless you and keep you. I’m going into another state. Maybe I can get another job. If I get work, I will send you money. Even though I was such a terrible husband, I still hold a large place in my heart for you. You were a good woman. Bye bye now."
Anna long ago moved away from South Lyon. She now lives quietly in a convalescent home and refuses to discuss Burns’ case. Eleanor’s house is now empty; she is buried several miles away in an unmarked grave. It is anybody’s guess where Burns is, or who he was, or if he is still alive.
In 1983, after a story about the case was featured in a local newspaper, six people came forward and contacted Detective Eskridge. They told him that a relative of Eleanor's had confessed to killing Burns. The relative allegedly said that he tracked Burns down to the barn and killed him with a bow & arrow. The informants claimed that he was buried within a five-acre woodlot and cow pasture in Washtenaw County. Burns' false teeth being left behind seemed to back up the story, as he was never seen without them. Interestingly, when the relative was later arrested on unrelated charges, he told deputies that he would take them to Burns' body. However, the deputies declined to go with him. The next day, when he was questioned by detectives, he denied everything.
Danny says that Burns was always a hard worker, a survivor, and a person that could get by "basically with nothing" if it was necessary. Detective Eskridge thinks it is very conceivable that Burns is still alive. He notes that Burns was a survivalist and was very crafty. He believes that Burns is "out there somewhere."
Burns has been described as "rather strange" and "a loner." He is a hunter, a trapper, and a "crack-shot" with either a rifle or a pistol. He is a "fanatic anti-Communist." He likes Western-style clothing. He is into physical fitness and health food, and likes to keep himself in top physical condition. In the past, he has dyed his gray hair. Although he was in his sixties at the time of Eleanor's murder, he appeared to be in his forties.
Burns could very well be alive today, in another town, with another identity, hiding his past.
Extra Notes:

  • This case originally aired on the May 25, 1987 Special #2 episode of Unsolved Mysteries with Karl Malden as host. It was updated on the September 24, 1987 Special #3 and February 11, 1990 episodes. It was later re-profiled in the Dennis Farina hosted series on the April 27, 2010 episode. It was excluded from the FilmRise release of Robert Stack episodes.
  • John Cosgrove, one of the show's creators and producers, learned of the case from a 1985 Free Press report.
  • Some sources spell Eleanor's last name as "Farber" and her first name as "Eleanore;" list the day of her murder as September 3; and state that Burns moved to South Lyon in 1948. One source says that Eleanor's son informed her that Burns was married.
John burns now

Burns after his 1987 arrest

Results: Captured. On the night of the broadcast, several viewers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, contacted Michigan police and identified Burns as a local recluse named "Steven Edward Vance" (Vance happened to be the last name of Eleanor's son). He had been living the life of a hermit in a secluded hunting cabin that he built near Logan Township, Pennsylvania. On May 30, 1987, police had a neighbor call him to ask him to come over. As he left his cabin, he was arrested without a struggle. He told reporters he was relieved his years of hiding were over. He said he "got tired of looking over his shoulder for seventeen years."
The police learned that Burns’ real name is Wilford Paul Cashman. He had previously lived in Altoona with his first wife and five children. In 1943, he was arrested and charged with passing bad checks, burglary, assault, and statutory rape of a teenage girl. He was convicted of the charges and received a seven-to-fourteen year sentence. On August 15, 1947, he escaped from Rockview State Prison by climbing over a fence. He arrived in South Lyon shortly afterwards.
Surprisingly, in 1970, shortly after Eleanor's murder, Cashman returned to his hometown and moved in with his father. He re-established contact with several relatives, including his siblings and children. He became extremely religious again, rejoining the Mennonite Church. He also took on several odd jobs at the homes of friends.
After Cashman's father's death, he moved into the hunting cabin. He never spoke with his family about the prison escape. Although they knew he was wanted in that case, they had no idea he was wanted for murder in Michigan. He rarely left the area and did not attend church services, apparently for fear of re-capture. When he suffered a heart attack in 1984, he resisted going to the hospital, but finally relented.
After Cashman was arrested, Detective Eskridge asked if he remembered Eleanor's murder. He said he did, but claimed that it was an accident and that he "loved" Eleanor. He claimed he was unfamiliar with his gun and that it had a defective safety and a "hair trigger." He said that after two shots accidentally discharged, she touched the gun barrel and caused a third shot to fire. Shortly after his arrest, he was returned to Michigan and charged with first-degree murder. On December 3, 1987, after less than a day of deliberations, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder. On January 6, 1988, just two weeks before he was to be sentenced, he was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital after complaining of chest pains. He died of a heart attack the next day. He was seventy-nine.
Cashman's capture was the second case solved as a result of Unsolved Mysteries, the first being Robert Weeks.
Sadly, in May 1987, Anna passed away, just one week before Cashman was captured. On November 14, 2008, Detective Eskridge passed away at the age of sixty-four.
Links:

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More Unsolved Mysteries Wiki