The wealthy Westfield, New Jersey family was shattered on November 9, 1971, when 45-year-old John Emil List killed five members of his household. Victims included his 84-year-old mother Alma Marie Barbara Florence List, his wife Helen, and their three children Patricia, Frederick, and John Jr. The bodies of his wife and children were later found arranged in sleeping bags in the mansion’s ballroom; the house stood undisturbed for weeks with lights left on until neighbors alerted police, prompting discovery on December 7, 1971.

According to accounts, List wrote letters to the children’s schools and the family’s pastor describing his motives and then disappeared, assuming a new identity. He remained at large for many years after the murders. If anyone knew the List family in Westfield or has information about their final days in that house, please share what you remember.