On November 18, 1987, in Ina, Illinois, a family of four was killed in their mobile home in a crime that remains unsolved. Thirty-year-old Ruby Elaine Dardeen was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat; the trauma induced labor and her newborn, Casey Elaine Dardeen, was born during the attack and died within moments after being beaten. The couple’s three-year-old son, Peter Sean Dardeen, also suffered fatal head injuries. All three victims were found tucked into bed together.

Russell Keith Dardeen, 29, was initially missing and later found the next day in a field about a mile from the home; he had been shot three times and mutilated. His vehicle was later located parked outside a police station in Benton with blood inside. There was no sign of forced entry, no theft of valuables, and no evidence of sexual assault, drug involvement, or infidelity noted in the investigation.

Convicted killer Tommy Lynn Sells later claimed responsibility but provided inconsistent details and no corroboration; he was never charged. No arrests have been made and investigators list the case as unsolved. Does anyone have information about the Dardeen family or their movements in November 1987 that could help bring answers?