A Washington state woman alleges she witnessed her father rape and murder a woman nearly six decades ago and knows where her body is buried. Jodie Tedder, 62, has come forward with the account, claiming the victim is Madeline 'Lyn' Babcock, who vanished from California in 1968.
Tedder stated that she was three years old when she saw her father, James Steele, then 30, and his friend, known only as Craig, bring Babcock to a hotel room in Vancouver, Washington, after meeting her at a bar on June 8, 1968. She recounted that her father became enraged, attacked the woman, and then slit her throat with a knife from his belt. Tedder claims her father handed her the knife to hold while he cleaned up the scene before wrapping the woman in a bedsheet and burying her in the backyard of their family home.
Tedder said the trauma of the event and subsequent abuse from her father led her to remain silent for decades. She only began to process the event in her 30s through therapy, which she said made her feel as complicit as her father. In December 2010, on his deathbed, Steele reportedly apologized to Tedder for what she experienced and for the guilt she carried.
Following her father's deathbed confession, Tedder approached the Vancouver Police Department. She stated that authorities told her they believed her but needed more evidence to proceed, as her father was no longer alive to be arrested.
Tedder believes the victim is Lyn Babcock, a 35-year-old barmaid who was last seen in Venice, California, days before the alleged murder. Babcock had been reported missing by her family in the summer of 1968. Her apartment appeared to have been cleared out, and her family noted that police were not initially interested in investigating her disappearance. Babcock's sister, Pat Foy, searched for her for years but died in 2016 without finding any definitive proof of her fate.
Approximately a year after her father's death, Tedder attempted to excavate the yard herself but had to stop due to a driveway. She has since been urging the Vancouver Police Department to conduct an official search. A police spokesperson stated that there is insufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant. Tedder was advised by police to stop digging immediately and call them if any evidence was found.
The property where the remains are allegedly buried is currently owned by Tedder's sister. Tedder indicated that her mother had facilitated a property sale that excluded the portion where the body is said to be located, stating that her mother did not want to sell the property with the body on it. Tedder, who no longer has contact with her relatives, has vowed to continue her efforts, emphasizing that Babcock deserves to be returned to her family and properly mourned.