Bobby Greenlease Kidnapping – FBI Files & Court Records

Description

The Tragic Greenlease Kidnapping: Timeline and Characters

1953

• September 28, 1953, 10:55 a.m.: A woman, identifying herself as Bobby Greenlease’s aunt, confronts Sister Morand at the French Institute of Notre Dame De Sion school in Kansas City, Missouri. She claims Bobby’s mother had a heart attack and takes Bobby from the school. This marks the beginning of the kidnapping.
• September 28, 1953, 6:00 p.m. (postmark): The Greenleases receive the first ransom letter, mailed special delivery. It demands $600,000 in $10 and $20 bills, to be placed in a duffle bag, promising Bobby’s safe return within 24 hours if no “tricks” are involved.
• September 28, 1953 (shortly after abduction): Unknown to the Greenlease family, the kidnappers, Carl Hall and Bonnie Heady, kill Bobby Greenlease and bury his body near a house in St. Joseph, Missouri.
• September 29, 1953, 9:30 p.m. (postmark): The Greenleases receive a second ransom letter, which includes Bobby Greenlease’s Jerusalem medal. The letter reiterates the $600,000 demand and states Bobby is “okay, but homesick.”
• Late September/Early October 1953: The Greenleases receive over a half-dozen additional ransom notes and experience 15 telephone calls from the kidnappers.
• October 5, 1953, 1:00 a.m.: The Greenleases receive the final communication from the kidnappers – a telephone call at their residence. The kidnappers confirm they have received the $600,000 ransom money and assure the family that Bobby is alive and will be returned within 24 hours.
• October 5, 1953: Carl Hall is apprehended for the kidnapping and murder of Bobby Greenlease. He insists that most of the $600,000 ransom money was in his possession at the time of his arrest.
• October 7, 1953: Bonnie Heady is apprehended for the kidnapping and murder of Bobby Greenlease.
• December 18, 1953: Carl Hall and Bonnie Heady are executed together in Missouri’s gas chamber at the State Penitentiary, Jefferson City, Missouri. Hall is pronounced dead at 12:12 a.m., followed by Heady twenty seconds later. This occurs 81 days after the kidnapping.

1954

• March 31, 1954: Patrolman Elmer Dolan is convicted of perjury related to the missing ransom money and sentenced to two years in prison.
• April 15, 1954: Lieutenant Louis Ira Shoulders is convicted of perjury related to the missing ransom money and sentenced to three years in prison.

1962

• May 12, 1962: Lieutenant Louis Ira Shoulders dies.

1965

• July 21, 1965: Patrolman Elmer Dolan receives a full pardon from President Johnson.

Cast of Characters

Principle People Involved in the Kidnapping and Murder:

• Robert Cosgrove Greenlease, Jr. (Bobby Greenlease): The six-year-old son of a wealthy automobile dealer, kidnapped and murdered by Carl Hall and Bonnie Heady. His kidnapping and murder became one of the most tragic and fascinating crimes of the century.
• Robert Cosgrove Greenlease, Sr.: Bobby Greenlease’s father and a wealthy automobile dealer residing in Mission Hills, Kansas City, Missouri. He paid the $600,000 ransom, the highest in American history at the time.
• Carl Austin Hall: One of the two kidnappers and murderers of Bobby Greenlease. He was apprehended, interrogated multiple times, and insisted most of the ransom money was with him at his arrest. He was executed on December 18, 1953.
• Bonnie Emily Brown Heady: The other kidnapper and murderer of Bobby Greenlease. She disguised herself as Bobby’s aunt to abduct him from school. She was apprehended and executed alongside Carl Hall on December 18, 1953.

Law Enforcement and Judicial Figures:

• Sister Morand: A nun at the French Institute of Notre Dame De Sion school who handed Bobby Greenlease over to Bonnie Heady, believing her to be Bobby’s aunt.
• Lieutenant Louis Ira Shoulders: An arresting officer for Carl Hall with the St. Louis Police Department. He was federally indicted and convicted of perjury for testifying that two suitcases reportedly containing ransom money were not brought to the precinct station. He was sentenced to three years in prison and died in 1962.
• Patrolman Elmer Dolan: An arresting officer for Carl Hall with the St. Louis Police Department. He was federally indicted and convicted of perjury for testifying that two suitcases reportedly containing ransom money were not brought to the precinct station. He was sentenced to two years in prison and later received a full pardon from President Johnson in 1965.

Other:

• President Johnson: The President of the United States who granted Patrolman Elmer Dolan a full pardon on July 21, 1965.