In a quiet neighborhood in Buffalo, New York very small children were disappearing at an alarming rate. The person behind it was fifteen-year-old Chyrel Jolls. She went on a kidnapping spree, luring children away from their homes with candy and the promise of a trip to the zoo–with the intent of killing them later.
The Richard Edgington Abduction Led To A Full Description
It was June 22, 1961, and 5-year old Richard Edgington was playing hide-and-go-seek when a strange female approached him and claimed to be a family friend.
Richard knew he wasn’t supposed to go anywhere with strangers but she grabbed his wrists and threatened to drown him if he didn’t listen, so he left with her. She took him to the Buffalo Zoo and then into Delaware Park until a green-keeper yelled at her to get off the grass.
They walked along some railroad tracks until Chyrel stopped at a pool of water and told Richard, “This is where I’m going to drown you and you’ll never see your mother or father again.” Instead, she gave him candy and took his helmet. She had him strip down to his underwear and then she gagged him. She tied him up with butcher’s twine, wrapped a plastic bag around his head, and left him on the railroad tracks to die.
This amazing 5-year-old boy managed to remove the gag, rip the bag on his head with his teeth, and then break the ropes on his feet. He climbed up the embankment with his tiny hands still tied and that’s when a woman spotted him and got him to safety.
The First Kidnapping Victim Was Actually Susan Benedict
It turned out, Richard wasn’t her first victim, he was just the first able to give police a vivid description of the abductor and the series of events. On April 23rd, 5-year-old Susan Benedict had gone missing also. Thankfully police had found her alive, but she had also been gagged and tied to the very same railroad tracks. Now that police were able to tie both cases together, they realized it would only be a matter of time before this unknown madwoman struck again.
Then Three-Year-Old Andrew Ashley Disappeared
On Friday, June 23, one day after taking Richard Edgington, another little boy named Andrew Ashley was abducted. The three and a half-year-old left his home to go play with a friend and never made it. The timeline looked bleak, Andrew had left home around 3:30 pm and no one even knew he was missing until around 6 pm. His parents searched the neighborhood until 8 pm, then finally reported him missing to the police.
Buffalo Police canvassed the neighborhood, put information out through the media, and checked in with nearby mental hospitals for recently released patients, but could find no leads on Andrew or his abductor. They knew this was different from the first two kidnappings, far more time had gone by.
Andrew Ashley’s disappearance was front-page news and what felt like the whole town went out looking for him that weekend. The FBI was brought on the case that Saturday, they stationed an agent at the Ashley home and joined the hunt. A witness came forward and claimed to have seen Andrew heading towards the zoo with a woman who looked 35-years old. More witnesses came forward, all of them agreed Andrew was with a slender female about 5’5” in height, but her age varied between 28 to 40 years old. That could be anyone.
There Were Two More Kidnapping Attempts During the Search for Andrew
Mrs. Palermo called the police to report that a “big girl” was trying to lead her 6-year-old daughter away. Mrs. Palermo yelled at the girl and chased her down, however, a man named Robert Brown intercepted the girl. As it would turn out, he was searching for her as well. Earlier she had tried to lure his five-year-old daughter Patty away too.
At first, the girl lied about her name and address, but eventually she admitted her name was Chyrel Jolls. While local police agreed her behavior was strange (especially during a search for a missing boy), they saw no harm in a young girl offering kids candy and trying to play with them. Chyrel was after all just 15-years-old and they thought they were looking for a woman between 28 and 40-years old. They let her go.
Mrs. Ashley Received A Phone Call From The Kidnapper
Less than 24-hours later, Mrs. Ashley gets a call from a woman stating that Andrew was fine and would be returned to her if the investigation were called off. The FBI traced the call to a phone booth with none other than Chyrel Jolls inside. Chyrel claimed she was trying to “console” Mrs. Ashley and that it had all been a prank. The FBI had no idea the local police were just questioning her about this case 24-hours prior. They brushed the incident off as some misguided kid’s prank and she was let go a second time.
The Discovery Of Andrew Ashley’s Body
After remembering Richard’s comment about how his kidnapper threatened to drown him, they thought maybe she finally did act out that sick fantasy of hers. The FBI sent an underwater recovery team to Delaware Park Lake and to the two ponds in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
About seven-feet offshore in the Delaware Park Lake, 3-year old Andrew Ashley was found dead, floating in nothing but a T-shirt and underwear. He had been bound and gagged just like the other kids but this time she had thrown him into the lake. The medical examiner confirmed he had been thrown in that lake within one hour of the abduction.
A Sketch of Chyrel Jolls Was Released, Everyone Was On High Alert
Police knew it was the same perpetrator and used the media to warn all parents to keep their children close by. They questioned so many suspects their heads spun. Surely she had been in here already at some point, they just missed her. They began re-interviewing suspects and witnesses.
A newspaper released a sketch based on Richard Edgington’s description. Robert Brown and Mrs. Palermo, the parents who originally chased Chyrel down, called authorities again, insisting Chyrel was who they were looking for. Officials decided to take a closer look at Chyrel Jolls, even though they felt she couldn’t possibly be responsible.
Stacking Up The Evidence Was An Unnerving Task
Chyrel was brought in for questioning. She denied all involvement with the kidnappings and was extremely hostile towards the officers. She even accused them of following and harassing her. They put Chyrel in a lineup and Richard Edgington identified her as his kidnapper immediately. They also confirmed her hair was a match to the strands found inside Richard’s helmet.
They searched Chyrel’s home and found a journal that not only contained details about the Ashley investigation but also had a map sketched out and labeled “The way I went last Friday.” They also found a strange piece of writing titled, “An account of my life… and why I do things.”
Chyrel Had A Disturbing History
After running a background check, police discovered Chyrel had already been committed twice and had undergone electro-shock therapy. She was behind other kids her age, having only just completed the seventh grade at the age of 15. She was living with her parents, but had been in-and-out of foster care and was suspected of committing arson in one of those homes when she was 12.
Her aunt had reported finding her son tied up in a back room of their home years ago while Chyrel was staying with them. It seemed everyone in her family had something disturbing to say about her when questioned. Her uncle admitted to telling her, “not to get any babysitting jobs.” Her mother, Georgia Jolls went on record stating, “I’ve said there was something wrong with Chyrel for 10-years.” Mrs. Jolls made these claims to welfare agencies but never received any actual help for her daughter, they just placed her in foster homes.
Chyrel Jolls Turned Out To Be Too Crazy To Stand Trial
Chyrel was admitted for psychiatric observation and while in custody she admitted to the kidnappings. She claimed she left Andrew tied up oh shore, insisting he must have rolled into the water himself. On August 2, 1961, Chyrel was indicted but even the District Attorney, Carmen Bell didn’t think Chyrel would be able to stand trial. A judge had her committed her to Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane on January 12, 1962.
Chyrel was bounced between being committed, to being deemed fit to stand trial, and then to being re-committed after having fits in court.
Then in 1969, two doctors not only testified that Chyrel was no longer psychotic, but that a trial may send her spiraling back out of control and undo all their hard work so they recommended all charges be dropped against her. The court accepted this and dropped all charges against her. She spent some time in a civilian mental health facility but was allegedly cured and released back into society in 1971. Where she went and what became of her after that is unknown.
Follow On Social Media
About Author
