Man Charged With Murder In Lyon Sisters Cold Case
WHEATON, Md. (WJZ) -- A mystery four decades old is finally closer to being solved. An imprisoned sex offender is now charged with murder. This case goes back to 1975, when the Lyon sisters disappeared in Montgomery County.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren has more on the evidence that led to the murder charge.
Police say a break in the case came two years ago when a young detective was looking over the old files. It led to the new indictment.
More than 40 years after the disappearance of 10 and 12-year-old Katherine and Sheila Lyon from the Wheaton Mall, police never gave up finding justice.
"I don't know that any parent or any family member can ever be relieved to find out that their children have been murdered," said Chief J. Thomas Manger, Montgomery County Police Department.
It turns out, Lloyd Lee Welch, the man now indicted for molesting and killing the little girls, was achingly close.
He claimed to authorities back in 1975 that he witnessed the abduction, and police even drew a sketch of him after people in the mall that day say he stalked the girls.
"The fact that they did not return home that day was because they were prevented from returning home. These were wonderful, wonderful, naive, beautiful children," said John McCarthy, Montgomery County State's Attorney.
A lot has changed since 1975, but people still remember the fear in the community so many years ago.
"You're watching your children, you're not letting them stray far. I would do the same with mine," said Norman Parker.
The Lyon sisters' parents watched the press conference, but declined comment.
According to court records, Welch confessed to the crime and even showed up with bloody clothes at his family's farm in Bedford County, Virginia. That's where a grand jury convened to bring down the indictment.
Police are not saying whether the girls were killed there, but believe other family members tried to cover it up. They searched the grounds, but have not yet recovered any bodies.
Welch has been convicted of sexually abusing several other girls. Authorities plan to extradite him to Virginia for trial.
The victims' brothers both went into law enforcement. One became a Montgomery County police officer; the other worked for victims for the State's Attorney's Office.
