The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department announced last month that an investigation was launched in regards to a 51-year-old cold case where at least two teens died in a cabin fire southwest of Brownstown.
Two relatives to the victims of the fire recently spoke to The Tribune about how it has felt to have an investigation into the tragedy reopened after years of not having closure about what happened.
The case revolves around a cabin fire that occurred Dec. 18. 1971, where Stanley R. Robison, 17, and Jerry Autry, 19, both of Brownstown, were believed to have perished.
Another teen, Michael W. Sewell, 16, also of Brownstown, was camping in the cabin that night.
Original police reports said only the remains of Robison and Autry were found.
Jackson County Lt. Adam Nicholson is taking the lead on the investigation and is working with Dr. Krista Latham of the University of Indianapolis.
The remains of Robison and Autry were exhumed June 21 so they could be checked for DNA evidence to further investigate if a third person, Sewell, also died in the fire.
The FBI also is assisting with the investigation.
Sheri Fletcher, Autry’s older sister, and Linda Pack, Sewell’s sister, both said they’ve been happy with the work the sheriff’s department has done with the case.
“They’ve all just really, really poured their heart and soul into this, and I never, ever thought I would know what happened until I died,” Pack said. “I’m so very thankful.”
Fletcher said the investigation opened when Nancy Robison, sister to Stanley Robison, mentioned looking into the case to Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer and word eventually got to Nicholson, who said he was interested in doing an investigation.
“(Nicholson) said that he’d be glad to take a look at it, and it has kind of ballooned from there because he’s done such a good job,” Fletcher said. “So much work on it.”
Fletcher said she has talked to various Jackson County sheriffs about looking into the case over the years, but Meyer was the only one to show interest in it.
She said she has sympathized with Sewell’s family not only because they haven’t gotten closure about what happened to him, but because they’ve spent years hearing unfounded theories about his whereabouts.
“(Sewell’s) family has really had it rough with people assuming things about Mike, like he ran off or had something to do with it,” Fletcher said. “Our family never felt that way. Other people did, and it was hard on them.”
Pack said she has always felt her brother died in the fire.
“I’ve always felt in my heart that he died in the fire with the boys, and it’s very, very frustrating because it couldn’t be proven,” she said. “That’s just always how all of us have always felt. We always knew he was there. We just need some answers.”
Fletcher said she is optimistic answers will come from the investigation, but not to all of her questions.
“I think that even if this turns out the way we hope and we find out definitely that there were three bodies, you know, science can only do so much, and I still feel like we’re not ever going to have all of the answers unless somebody comes up with some information that we don’t know,” she said.
In the years since losing their brothers, Fletcher and Sewell said it has not been easy to grieve for them, and it can be difficult when going to family functions.
“What a waste of life,” Pack said about what she thinks about when remembering her brother. “They all had such bright futures. I just imagine what my life would’ve been if he were in it.”
Fletcher said Autry was a great football player who didn’t like school but did enjoy extracurricular activities.
“He liked to have fun like every other teenager,” she said.
With the investigation underway, Fletcher said Latham told her lab results could come in as early as four months, but there was a possibility the results wouldn’t be ready until six months or later.