An unsolved murder from the 1950s still hangs heavy over residents in the small town of Eaton, New York. It’s a case that New York State Police believe they might still be able to solve today, however, with some help from the public.
The newly released black-and-white photos unveiled by police of the business where the crime took place looks like something out of an old movie. You can see a worn-down one-lane stretch of road paved in front of a Gulf convenience shop. There are two small gas pumps out front and the cars parked outside were new at the time, but now they’d six decades on them. Although it looks quiet and peaceful, the shop holds a secret. The now-abandoned property — or someone who was nearby at the time — may hold the key to cracking a murder.
The police’s release of the photos is part of a new effort to have a fresh set of eyes and social media posts helping get the word out about the unsolved case. Peter Pavlovic commented on the State Police’s Facebook, saying, “This is so wonderful that you are still trying to solve this case. Someone knows something and the suspect or suspects might very well still be alive.”
It was September 22, 1958, according to a police press release, when a 63-year-old man named Ernest Chaney was working at that Gulf station. Chaney not only worked the overnight shift, but authorities say he also lived on the property. This was a time in Eaton when doors were left unlocked and crime generally wasn’t a concern.
Around 1 a.m., according to investigators, someone stopped at the station for help with their vehicle. Investigators know Chaney walked outside to help the motorist. At some point when Chaney was adding oil to the engine, he was attacked.
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Thirty minutes later, another motorist stopped for gas and found things amiss. The witness told police the lights were on at the station, but there was no one around to fill up their vehicle.
That motorist, who has not been identified to the public, said they got out of the car and went inside the station along the south side of route 20 to look around. When he walked in, the witness heard moaning, and discovered Chaney on the ground. Chaney was lying on the floor of an oil storage room and it appeared he had been hit in the head. Police say there was a “large amount” of blood at the scene.
An ambulance was called and the press release said Chaney was quickly transported to the Hamilton Community Memorial Hospital before eventually being transferred to Syracuse Memorial. Less than two weeks later, on October 2, Chaney died of his injuries. It’s unclear if his family lived in the area or if he left any children or grandchildren behind.
Based on the police investigation into what happened, they determined Chaney was struck nine times in the head. The suspect took only Chaney’s wallet – which held a mere $80 in cash. The suspect didn’t lift any cash from the register or anything of value from the station. At this point, it is not clear if the motive was robbery, or if the vicious attack was of a targeted personal nature.
Because there were no surveillance cameras in those days, investigators are hoping for more eyewitnesses — or anyone who may know something. A man named Charles Zawisza commented on the police’s Facebook page: “There is a decent chance that the killer was just passing through. Rt 20 was the main highway across that part of the state back then, as was Syracuse was a much larger city, by 70-80,000 people.”
You can continue following the case and updates on their Facebook page.
Read more: Syracuse.com
Read more: New York State Police
Photos: New York State Police
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