On a rural road in Orange County, Indiana, 31-year-old John E. Thacker was ambushed and killed on November 2, 1984. A pine log had been placed across the road to force him to stop; when he exited his vehicle to remove the obstruction he was fatally struck by shotgun slugs fired from a 12-gauge.

The killing was planned and carried out by several people, led by John’s wife, 26-year-old Lois A. Thacker. Investigators say she enlisted three accomplices — Donald R. Buchanan Jr., James L. Hart, and Charles Matthew Music — to stage the roadblock and ambush. The probe also revisited the 1983 death of Lois Thacker’s first husband, Phillip E. Huff, which had earlier been ruled self-defense.

The case produced high-profile trials in the region. On May 17, 1985, a Dubois County jury found Lois Thacker guilty of murder and she was sentenced to death. Does anyone have information about John Thacker, his movements that day, or contacts who might shed light on the conspiracy?