The Reverend Clarence Sheatsley and his wife Addie seemed to have a perfect life. They lived in the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bexley, Ohio. They were known as a faithful couple with a strong faith in God. The Sheatsley’s also had four children: Milton, Clarence Jr., Elisabeth, and Alice. 
But everything changed on November 17, 1924. As usual, the day was hectic. The kids had school and Clarence left to run some errands. Clarence Jr. was the last to leave the house. He left around 2 p.m.
Sometime after Clarence left, a bread delivery man stopped by the house with bread. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He left the bread on the table and then left. After he left, a college student also stopped over. He wanted to discuss church business, but no one answered the door.
Reverend Sheatsley returned home later to find his kids outside waiting for him. They told him about a foul odor inside the home. After the reverend asked about his wife, the kids told him she wasn’t home. He thought she must be visiting a friend. After the kids asked their dad about dinner, he left with his daughter Elizabeth to get dinner from a local store.
When the reverend and Elisabeth returned home, they saw dark smoke rising from the chimney. It also had a horrible odor. The reverend went into the house and inspected the furnace. After he saw bone fragments, he went to his neighbor for help.
Both men saw human remains burning in the furnace. But who did they belong to? The neighbor contacted the police. Detectives responded to the Sheatsley home to investigate. They identified the deceased through dental records. The charred corpse in the furnace belonged to Addie Sheatsley.
While her upper body remained, the furnace had incinerated the lower half. Authorities began their investigation. They believed someone either placed Addie in the furnace or she may have climbed into it. Originally, the reverend said his wife wouldn’t have committed suicide. He later changed his mind and said perhaps she had emotional issues that led her to suicide.
Authorities located a woman similar in size to Addie. They had her climb into a similar furnace to find out if Addie could have climbed into the furnace. She successfully climbed into the furnace.
During the investigation, the police learned the family kept a bottle of carbolic acid in the medicine cabinet. Unfortunately, someone had removed it. However, the bottle of acid reappeared back in the medicine cabinet a week later.
This seemed strange.
Another oddity was that Clarence jr. arrived home first. After detecting a strange smell from the basement, he investigated. He then opened the furnace door and saw his mother’s body burning in the furnace. Instead of calling authorities, he went upstairs and took a nap. After his nap, he played football. The other three children had also peered into the furnace. They thought someone had placed animal skins in the furnace.
The police asked why the kids didn’t get too emotional over their mother’s death. The reverend said he had taught his children to control their emotions. Apparently, a burning body in a furnace isn’t a reason to become upset.
After questioning Reverend Sheatsley about his wife’s death, authorities believed his alibi and excluded him from killing his wife. Authorities thought an unknown beggar had possibly murdered Addie. Witnesses saw the man knock on several doors begging for food and asking if he could sit by their furnaces to warm up. But authorities had no proof the beggar had been in the Sheatsley home.
The coroner didn’t detect any soot or carbon particles inside Addie’s body and ruled her death a suicide. In an act of desperation, she must have climbed into the furnace feet first and then closed the door behind her.
After Addie’s remains were buried, her husband married another woman in 1929. He died in 1943. Today, people still discuss Addie Sheatsley’s death. Did she commit suicide? Or did someone commit the perfect murder?
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.