The Gitchie Manitou Murders in Iowa: 10 Facts About The Unsolved Case

The Gitchie Manitou Murders in Iowa: 10 Facts About The Unsolved Case

The Gitchie Manitou Murders involved the attack of five teenagers by a group of four brothers. 29-year-old Allen Fryer, 21-year-old James Fryer, and 24-year-old David Fryer were the perpetrators of the murders. The teenagers who were attacked were: 17-year-old Roger Essem, 18-year-old Stewart Baade, 14-year-old Dana Baade, 15-year-old Michael Hadrath, and 13-year-old Sandra Cheskey.

On the fateful evening of 17^th November 1973, the five teenagers who were from South Dakota were attacked by the three brothers. They decided to kill the four males. The three brothers kidnapped Sandra and raped her before letting her go.

The testimony of Sandra Cheskey was very vital in the case against the Fryer brothers. It was used to bring justice to the four who were murdered, plus to herself for being raped. The three brothers were convicted for their crimes and handed life sentences without the probability of parole.

Here are the 10 Facts About The Gitchie Manitou Murders in Iowa:

1. Five Teenagers Aged Between 13 and 17 Were Victims

Cook County Police, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Gitchie Manitou murders involved five teenage friends who had gone out to the woods for camping. They headed out to the Iowa-South Dakota border which is east of Sioux Falls where they had set camp.

Seventh-grader Sandra Cheskey had joined his boyfriend Roger alongside Stewart, Mark, and Dana for the night away from home. They drove Stewart Baade’s blue van to the location where they never knew that their lives were in danger. On that Saturday evening, they made a campfire, smoked a few joints, and played guitar too.

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2. The Fryer Brothers Were Out For Hunting Before Killing the Teenagers

That fateful evening, another group of brothers was in Gitchie Manitou State Preserve for other business. Allen, James, and David had gone to poach for deer.

However, their efforts were futile as there were no deer to hunt. This is when they came across the teenagers sitting around the campfire, singing and enjoying their night.

3. David Fryer Spied on the Teenagers Before Ambushing Them

Denali National Park and Preserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

After coming across the five teenagers having merry, the Fryer brothers had to hatch a plan on how they could attack them. David Fryer was given a special role by his brothers before they made any move.

He had to spy on the teenagers from the back of a tree. David Fryer went back to his brothers and reported that the teenagers were smoking marijuana.

4. The Fryer Brothers Pretended to be Narcotic Agents as they Busted the Teenagers

David Fryer gave the full report that the five teenagers were smoking marijuana as they had fun around the campfire. This is when the three brothers came up with a bad idea that they had to accomplish.

They conferred and decided to confiscate the marijuana of the teenagers as they pretended to be narcotics officers. To make matters worse, the Fryers thought that the narcotics officers had the right to indiscriminately kill any drug users when they were caught.

5. The Brothers Opened Fire on the Five using their Shotguns Killing Roger

Tiburon Police Department, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Allen, James, and David went back to their truck after confiscating the marijuana of the five teenagers. They returned armed heavily with their shotguns.

They positioned themselves well on a ridge that was overlooking the victims and did the unimaginable. Allen, James, and David Fryer opened fire on the helpless teenagers.

They managed to kill Roger Essem on the spot, while Stewart Baade was wounded. The rest had scampered for safety in the nearby woods and trees to take cover from the bullets.

6. Allen Fryer Shot Michael in the Arm after Being Asked Who They Were

The remaining teenagers who had hidden behind the trees were ordered to come out of the trees. They were shaken by the turn of events and had lots of questions that they wanted to be answered.

Michael and Sandra emerged from the trees shaken, but Michael posed a question to the Fryer brothers. He asked them who they were which angered them.

Allen shot Michael in the arm and answered them that they were police officers. Michael and Sandra fell to the ground, but Allen forced them up as he stated that they were pretending to be dead.

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7. Dana, Michael, and Stewart were Executed with Shotguns

Photo by Faruk Tokluoğlu: Pexels

The Fryer brothers frogmarched Dana Baade, Michael Hadrath, and Sandra Cheskey away from the campfire. Stewart was also brought to the van from where he was lying down wounded.

Sandra was tied and driven away by Allen Fryer in the van they had come with to the campsite. After Sandra and Allen had left, the two brothers executed the three remaining teenagers using their shotguns.

Their bodies were left where they had been executed. The bodies were found in a couple who had driven to the site.

8. Allen Continued Lying They Were Police Officers as James Raped Her

As they drove about, Allen Fryer informed Sandra Cheskey that he was a police officer, that he was “The Boss,” and that the other two would follow his orders. After a little while, James and David Fryer in the pickup truck met them on the highway.

The bunch piled into the truck and headed to a farm after Allen and Sandy got in. James Fryer then sexually assaulted Sandra Cheskey.

In the wee hours of the following morning, Allen, still posing as a police officer, drove Sandra Cheskey home. While filling the car’s tank with gasoline from a sizable red fuel tank, he claimed that Sandra was “too young to get busted” and that she should be taken care of instead.

9. Investigators Questioned the Credibility of Sandra’s Testimony but Helped in Arresting the Fryers

Harris & Ewing, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Some investigators questioned Sandra’s reliability due to her coolness and composure regarding the rape. The fact that she remembered every detail remarkably well for someone so young (13 years old) was also questionable. She underwent numerous interviews and passed the polygraph.

Sandra Cheskey and Craig Vinson, the sheriff of Lyon County, Iowa, drove through the countryside on 29^th November 1973. They were in search of the farmhouse where Sandy had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted.

She recognized the farmhouse as being close to Hartford, South Dakota, by the huge red fuel tank that was positioned adjacent to the garage. The blue pickup truck that was used by the Fryers the night of the murders then happened to be driven by Allen Fryer by coincidence. Sandy alerted the officer who arrested Allen, and the other brothers were arrested later.

10. The Brothers Blamed the Four Murdered Teenagers of Attacking the First

During interrogation, the Fryer brothers had different stories. Allen Fryer claimed that Sandra and the deceased began attacking them first and they exchanged fire.

In the process, they accidentally killed them. However, during the 3^rd interview, Allen admitted that they murdered the four but maintained that they were trying to steal the marijuana.

David Fryer also gave the same story as Allen, but they later confessed. James Fryer who was serving a jail term during that moment tried to frame his brothers. He even claimed that Sandra was enjoying and having fun as she had sex with Allen and David.

On 12^th February 1974, David pled guilty to the charges and was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. On 20^th May 1974, Allen Fryer was found guilty of the murders of the four and handed four consecutive life sentences without parole.

James was also handed a life sentence without parole. He tried to escape from prison alongside Allen, but they were arrested later. The three Fryer brothers are still serving life sentences at the Anamosa Penitentiary (Allen), and the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility (David and James).

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