Bernard Daniel Ewen, a 64-year-old retired resident of Hardwick, Vermont, was found dead in his Bemis Block apartment on Main Street on Saturday, July 16, 1977. Neighbors had heard groaning and a commotion in the early hours that day; his best friend and neighbor, Archie Parkhurst, checked when Bernard didn’t emerge by mid-afternoon and the body was discovered in the kitchen. A folding metal chair was propped on a table with one of Bernard’s slippers caught in it, a scene that at first suggested an accidental fall.

The local police chief noted bruising to Bernard’s face and neck that did not fit a simple fall, and the Vermont State Police were called in. An autopsy later confirmed the death was a homicide. Investigators learned Bernard had bought radio batteries the day before and cashed a state rent rebate check for $138 at the IGA; that money was missing from the apartment and robbery was considered a possible motive.

The next day another resident, Joan Rogers, was found strangled in a hayfield; authorities reported they did not believe the two killings were connected, though both victims had been strangled. No arrests or publicly identified suspects have been announced, and the case remains unsolved. Did anyone in Hardwick at the time see Bernard leaving his apartment the night before or notice anyone unusual near Main Street that weekend?