William Arthur Haynor‘s daughter was just nine years old when her dad was shot in his chest with 5 bullets from a .22 caliber pistol.
His granddaughter is wondering if, with modern technology and the power of the Internet, there is anything that we can do to raise awareness that her granddad’s murder was never solved. I think we can.
Haynor
William Arthur Haynor (April 7, 1941 – Feb 19, 1975) grew up in Ludington, Michigan, and graduated from Mason County Eastern High School. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Theology from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.
He continued with an internship at the Seventh-day Adventist Church at Framingham, Mass. Then, after he was appointed pastor, he served as Public Relations Director for the Faith for Today Seventh-day Adventist Church TV Program and became Editor for Telenote Magazine.
At the time of his death, Haynor (33) was the Southern United States Divisional Director of the Scripto Corporation of Dallas. He died while on what appeared to be, a business trip. His remains were found in a ditch by a passing motorist around 3:37pm just outside the then-new Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Nobody was ever arrested for this crime. Nobody was ever convicted for this murder.
He left behind his wife, Tonilee A. Rogoski, daughter Sheri Lynn Haynor, and son Robert William Haynor. Tonilee and William had one other son who passed away as an infant.
The Scenarios
There are several possibilities in this case.
A: Grand Jury Testimony
Chief Nurse and his department investigated a rumour that came out of California. Haynor was supposedly en route to testify before a grand jury on real estate swindling. The United Press International Detroit Bureau tried to verify this but did not find anything.
B: Infidelity
Rumours galore about Haynor’s cheating and love for other women. The marriage was not perfect and Haynor was beloved by many. So, the possibility that a husband or partner took revenge is not impossible. However, the papers that I found don’t specify or confirm affairs. They simply note that ‘many loved him.’
C: Mariticide
It is not impossible that a wife, fed up with her husband’s affairs, gives him an ultimatum and upon not hearing the right answer, ends the marriage by homicide.
Haynor and his wife were seen at a Holiday Inn near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Feb 18, 1975. The hotel front desk told police that Haynor had a lot of luggage. It did not look like he packed for a short stay. From the hotel, Haynor should have gone to the airport. However, he never arrived there and never boarded any flight.
- Whether he was really going to the airport, which flight, etc. is not known. He could have arranged to be picked up and leave to start another life elsewhere. Remember he had a lot of luggage with him.
- Was his wife driving him to the airport? According to the Ludington Daily News of Feb 24, 1975, no.
- Was a limo/taxi called? Tonilee told her father-in-law that Haynor was going to call a limo. Was any such call made? Records checked?
- How did Tonilee get a gun?
- Did the Haynors have guns in the house?
- Was any weapon found near Haynor?
When he was found, Haynor still had his wallet with about $150 and several credit cards. That seems to rule out robbery. Weird enough, not all his luggage was recovered. What exactly is missing, I don’t know. But it gets weirder.
Upon coming home from class, his wife finds the house ransacked. After she left Haynor (where exactly is not clear) she attended class at Texas Women’s College at Denton. Nothing was stolen or, what was sought was not found.
Could Tonilee have done this herself? Did they have neighbours? Did anyone hear or see anything? Where were the children at that time?
What is clear is that there are gaps in the timeline and many unanswered questions. So, either it is an incomplete investigation or the authorities have kept all that they have found, under tight wraps.
Forensic Evidence
Chief Nurse stated in the Ludington Daily News of Feb 25, 1975 that his investigation was hindered by work overload and that he was still awaiting the ballistics report on the gun. So, does this mean a gun was found near Haynor? What was in the ballistics report? Any fingerprints? If preserved, we should run it again through the national databases.
Contact Information
If you have any information please call the Coppell Police Department at (972) 304-3600. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward, call Coppell Crime Stoppers at 972-436-TIPS.