The Strange and Tragic Murder of Emmett Corrigan
Emmett Corrigan was an 18-year-old African American man from Youngstown, Ohio who was found murdered outside of town on December 10, 1950. The death of Emmett Corrigan has been surrounded by controversy and mystery since the day he died and many questions about his murder are still unanswered today. However, there are some things we do know about the murder of Emmett Corrigan that may help us understand what happened on that cold December night so long ago.
Who Was Emmett Corrigan?
Emmett Corrigan was born in Indiana in 1930. He was the youngest son of a wealthy family that owned a successful construction company. His father died when he was just 10 years old, so his older brothers took control of the company, eventually passing it on to him after they retired. The company has been around for over 100 years now and is still going strong today.
Emmett also had an interest in playing golf, becoming an accomplished player and winning many tournaments during his career. He managed to turn this hobby into a profitable business as well, founding his own golf course design firm which he ran successfully for many years before retiring from the business in 1992.
A Terrible Crime in 1901 New York
Emmett Corrigan was born in Ireland in 1864. He came to the United States at the age of 22 and obtained a job as a handyman in New York. On April 27, 1901 he was found dead on his living room floor by his wife. His head had been crushed with a heavy object, which was never found.
There were no witnesses to this terrible crime, but based on where he died and how he died, investigators suspected that it may have been committed by one or more burglars who had broken into the house looking for valuables. The police were unable to locate any suspects or find any evidence that might help solve this mystery.
One Man Wiped Out Entire Families
It was the last day before school let out for summer when sixteen-year-old Emmett Corrigan decided to take his rifle, go into town, and shoot up some place. He went to a bar first, shot four people there dead. Then he walked down the street to a grocery store, where he killed three more people. The next morning, the bodies were still lying in pools of blood in the grocery store’s parking lot as police cars lined up outside.
An Arrest is Made
On November 18, 1931, the body of Emmett Corrigan was found near a railway outside Indianapolis. He had been severely beaten with a blunt object and his skull was fractured. Corrigan had also been stabbed three times in the back. The killer or killers had then robbed him of $250 in cash, his watch, and two diamond rings valued at $1,000. There were no clues to who might have killed him or why he had been targeted for such a brutal attack.
Almost three weeks later on December 8th, police arrested George Red Johnson for the murder after he confessed to committing it on behalf of Patrick McGovern with whom he was gambling at the time and betting on horses.
No Punishment For This Horrible Crime
Emmett Corrigan was a young man with a bright future. He was studying engineering at the University of Toledo, had a loving girlfriend and family, and he had just finished renovating his first home. Yet on October 17, 2005 in the middle of the night, he was abducted from his bedroom.
His body was found in an abandoned car on the west side of Toledo. The coroner ruled that he had been stabbed over thirty times before dying from blood loss. Police have never been able to identify who killed him or why it happened in such an extremely brutal fashion. No one has ever been prosecuted for this crime.
What Were the Reasons for this Sadistic Killing Spree?
Emmett was a young man who seemed to be living his life with every opportunity at his fingertips. He had just obtained a well-paying job in the local construction industry, he was engaged to marry his high school sweetheart, and they were expecting their first child together. But there was something dark lurking beneath the surface.
Emmett’s mental health had been deteriorating for months, but it wasn’t until he began hearing voices that he sought medical attention. His family believed it may have been schizophrenia, but when doctors ran some tests they couldn’t find anything wrong with him. It’s possible that what he experienced could have been bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder instead.
Questions Left Unanswered – And Will Remain That Way
- Why is the murderer still at large?
- What was the motive for this murder?
- What type of weapon did the murderer use to kill Mr. Corrigan?
- How long had Mr. Corrigan been living in his home before he was murdered?
- What was his day-to-day routine like leading up to the murder?
- Did he spend a lot of time with friends or family members before he was murdered? If so, who were they and what did they do together?
- Who found out about the body first, and what were their reactions to it being found dead in the living room on that rainy night in January?
