Murder in Battle Creek: The Mysterious Death of Daisy Zick

Author Interview with Blaine Pardoe: Murder in Battle Creek: The Mysterious Death of Daisy Zick Q: Why did you write this book (what got you interested in the story)?

A: What drew me to this book was the fact that after fifty years people were still talking about the crime and the victim. I was researching another true crime book (Secret Witness), and it seemed that most of the interviewees brought up the Daisy Zick murder. Everyone seemed to have a theory or their own thoughts as to what happened and who committed the crime. Because it remained unsolved, it piqued everyone’s interest.

Q: How did you go about your research?

A: My research started with talking to Richard Stevens. For anyone that has met Dick, he’s an encyclopedia of the Calhoun County legal system from the 1960s to now. Dick was at Daisy’s house with the investigators the day of her murder.

He told me some wonderful details and his experiences with the people that were investigating the crime. I then executed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the state police to get a copy of the case file. The material was not really organized so I created a system for organizing it. This helped me figure out time lines and people I needed to track down. Some folks were hard to find; sadly, many are dead. I also spoke with the surviving original investigators to get their thinking and capture their memories. I also located Jim King, Daisy’s son, who helped me really get his mother’s life story into the book. My research stretched from Florida to Arizona and as far north as the UP of Michigan.

Q: Any surprises or notable challenges along the way?

A: I was shocked that people were willing to reach out to me through social media like Facebook and provide tips. You have to remember, this is an open murder investigation. I received several legitimate tips which I passed onto to the state police to follow up on.

For a writer, this was new territory for me. I was not used to working on an open case like this, which meant I needed to establish some sort of relationship with the state police. My wife was nervous that the killer was still out there, but I reminded her that even if he was a young man (or woman) in 1963, he/she would be in his/her mid-seventies or older now.

Perhaps the biggest challenge I faced was people’s memories after fifty years had become skewed. It’s perfectly natural, but it is amazing how we remember something one way when in reality, it was very different.