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the harbinger
Homicide relived 30 years later When Gini Colburn received a call on July 7, 1974 from Lizabeth Wilson’s mom asking if she was at her house, Colburn didn’t think much of it. The kids in the neighborhood were always in and out of each other’s homes, and Lizabeth had just started babysitting for the Colburns. When Colburn, an English teacher at East, received a second call, she started to get worried. “Liz was supposed to be home, but we’ve looked everywhere and we can’t find her,” Kay Wilson, Lizabeth’s mother told her. Colburn could tell Kay was getting scared, so she sent her husband, Larry Colburn a science teacher at East, to help look for 13-year-old Lizabeth. They never found her, and she was missing until her remains were discovered six months later in a Lenexa field. Thirty years later, Colburn and Lizabeth’s family are reliving the pain and grief of those six months as the case that questioned the safety of Prairie Village is reopened. Finally, John Henry Horton a former East custodian, has been convicted in the kidnapping and murder of Lizabeth in 1974. The day that Lizabeth disappeared in 1974, Horton approached another girl, 16-year-old Carrie Barnthouse. Barnthouse had been at cheerleading practice at East, and had walked up to the gym doors. Horton unlocked the door and asked if she wanted in. Barnthouse declined, and Horton told her there was a band concert that night and he was wondering if she was with that group. “I thought it was strange since it was a Sunday and the school was dark and empty, and there was no band concert that night,” Barnthouse said. Police assume that Horton lured Lizabeth inside of the school shortly after this. Lizabeth was walking home from the Prairie Village pool when she disappeared. Her brother John ran ahead of her and last saw her walking across what is now the senior lot. John hid behind a column in the front circle to wait for her, so that he could jump out and scare her. Lizabeth never came. “Lizabeth was a wonderful girl: reliable, responsible and trustworthy,” Colburn said. “We knew she hadn’t run away or anything.” The police were notified that night, and a few days later, dogs were flown in from Philadelphia to search the school. According to the Associate Principal in 1974, Art Newcomer, the dogs seemed to find a scent near the south entrance, what is now referred to as the senior doors. “I couldn’t believe this happened in Prairie Village, much less in the school,” Barnthouse said. According to 1974 P.V. Police Lieutenant Lou Lemanske,
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Orchestra fundraisers
The orchestra will be travelling to Montreal, Canada for the Festival of Music next Spring. In order to make the trip happen, students and parents will be working hard at fundraising. They will be selling cookie dough, holiday greenery and more. To make a purchase or donation, see any orchestra student, call (913) 963-2371 or email muowens@cs.com. You may also visit the website at SMEMontreal2005.com.
Horton was a suspect by noon the next day. Horton was a custodian at East, and was working the day Lizabeth disappeared. Police searched Horton’s car, and in the trunk they found three bottles of chloroform, a butcher knife, a bottle of ether, two canvas bags and sulfuric acid. The chemicals had been taken from the school’s chemistry rooms on what is now the fourth floor. Although Horton was the main suspect, he was never put on trial. Even when Lizabeth’s remains were found in Lenexa six months later, police could not build a solid case on him. “This was the most horrific unsolved case in Prairie Village,” Lemanske said. “There was never an officer R ROOM 310: The a when I was there that didn’t work on that case at some room where m point. Everyone wanted to solve it.” p Lizabeth was 314 316 313 Although Horton was never put on trial, he was W terminated from his job at East. alledgedly murThe doors where “It was sad that nothing was resolved even though dered. Lizabeth entered everyone knew he did it,” Barnthouse said. with Horton. Lizabeth’s disappearance also had a large impact Graphic by Courtney Condron Little Theater on the neighborhood surrounding the school. 312 310 “It changed the way we parented and watched our kids,” Colburn said. “We watched them like a hawk; it wasn’t the same after that.” is now the teacher’s office next to the Barnthouse’s daughter played tennis for Blue Valley Little Theater. North and every time they came to a meet at East, Barnthouse Barnthouse testified on the first and the last day of the would tell her daughter the story of what happened to her in trial. She spoke to John Wilson after the trial and told him order to remind her to be careful. how she had always felt so bad for him, because he could “My parents always emphasized safety and I was so glad have never known what was going to happen. they did, because it might have saved my life,” Barnthouse “Yeah it changed all our lives didn’t it?” John replied. said. After six days of testimony, it took the jury only an hour The case was reopened in 2001 due to advanced DNA and 32 minutes to find Horton guilty in the kidnapping and testing and additional evidence. On Sept. 20, 2004 Horton murder of Lizabeth. was finally put on trial. After the trial was over, Colburn attended a victory party Prosecuting Attorney Rick Guinn said in his opening at the Wilson’s. statements that it was likely that Horton had intended to “The family was pleased that something was finally knock out Lizabeth with the chloroform in order to sexually done,” Colburn said. “They always had hope, but they assault her. However, he most likely gave her a lethal dose. wondered if there would ever be a trial.” Police discovered in August 2002 that another woman had The family is now taking a vacation at the Lake of the been sexually assaulted by Horton when she was 14-years- Ozarks. old. The woman testified that Horton had used a brown liquid “They are such a wonderful family. They are caring and to knock her out and when she regained consciousness, he loving, and they became the victims of the worst possible was molesting her. crime,” Colburn said. “The defendant [Horton] forced a rag of chloroform to Horton is now facing life in prison with no chance of her [Lizabeth’s] mouth, and based on hair samples found in parole for 15 years, which is the punishment of the 1974 law. the audio visual room, she was most likely attacked there; His sentencing will be in November. she died there, and she was loaded into the canvas bag “I was stunned and delighted when they found him and taken out to a rural area of this county,” Guinn said in guilty,” Colburn said. “This is the best possible ending.” opening statements. The audiovisual room that Lizabeth allegedly died in photo by Kevin Grunwald
Courtney Condron
Cell phone tracking Harbinger wins NSPA awards
If parents don’t have enough control over their children’s lives already, they can now locate them at all times with their cell phone. Using the government’s Global Positioning System (GPS) parents can now: • View the locations of family members on the web site or cell phone • Review all locations visitied during a certain time period • Allow others to view family members’ location on a temporary basis • Be alerted when individuals arrive or leave certain locations Currently, this feature is only available on Mororola phones through Nextel, Southern LINC and TELUS Mobility.
Oct. 5, 2004
East placed more students than any other school in the country in the National Picture, Design and Story of the Year competitions. Senior Celene Reynolds won the National Sports Picture of the Year contest for her photo shown at the right. Raegan Brown, a 2004 graduate, won third place National News Picture of the Year. Senior Libby Nelson won second place in the National Design of the Year competition in the Newspaper Page One category. Senior Stephen McKim won honorable mention in the National Story of the Year sports story division.