COLD CASE: The Baertown Four

It looked like a robbery.

But nothing was stolen.

It looked like a break-in.

But there were no signs of forced entry -- except for the bathroom door.

It wasn't just a killing . It was an execution of four friends.

It was still dark outside, the sun still not up from it's rest, as Ronald Moses pulled up at the home of his brother, Clifford Moses on Saturday, June 28, 1986. He had an ominous feeling about what he may find when he pulled up. Clifford's copper colored Lincoln Continental and his other brother, Jeffrey's, red Datsun were both situated in front of the home. Everything appeared normal...except nobody would answer the door. Ronald was concerned after not being able to reach his brothers. He hadn't spoken to either of them since Thursday evening. Jeffrey had not shown up for work that morning at the Moses' family owned shoe shop where he was a manager.

The Moses family had sent a family member over to the home. He reported back to the other members of the family that he had gone to Clifford's house but it seemed like nobody was there because he didn't hear the air conditioner running. After trying to call Clifford and Jeffrey with no success, Ronald decided he couldn't wait anymore. He arrived at the house on the corner of Highway 51 and Monroe Street in Baertown, just south of McComb, at 4:30 a.m.

Ronald decided to break through the front door, never having imagined what would be on the other side of the door. Just inside the kitchen laid the bodies of both of his brothers, Clifford and Jeffrey. Beside them was their friend, Steven Ditcharo. All of the men were bleeding from head wounds and were lying so close to each other they were nearly touching. He retreated and went to phone 911. Law enforcement would show up later and find the body of Muriel Denise Mills, dead inside the bathroom.

Investigators would find that all of the victims were shot at close range, execution style. Some had been shot in other places on their body, likely before the gunshot wounds to the head. There was no forced entry. No furniture overturned. It did appear that someone had rifled through one bedroom of the house but not heavily. They believed that the men had been shot in short succession of one another in a rather exact manner. Muriel, who was in the bathtub at the time of her murder, was believed to be the final victim. The door to the bathroom had been kicked in. She was shot in the chest and then again in the head.

Ditcharo's bicycle was found in the house, which was odd as his yellow Volkswagen was found at a service station on Presly Boulevard. The car was later impounded by the Mississippi Crime Lab for testing.

As investigators scoured the scene, they found an anti-bugging device on the telephone. They theorized this may be due to his participation in selling controlled substances. Clifford Moses had been convicted of trafficking in controlled substances in 1980. They also found a white powdery substance on a newspaper and some drug paraphernalia inside the home. That evidence coupled with one of the bedrooms appearing to have been searched by the assailant or assailants, investigators initially believed that the murders may have been drug related.

Autopsies were performed on the victims. Dr. Lamar Burrow, who performed the autopsies at Southwest Mississippi Medical Center, said that he believed the bodies had been there for at least 24 hours prior to being discovered. They likely died instantly from the execution style shots which were fired at close range. There was no evidence of a struggle on any of the victims.

Investigators stated in reports that every shot fired within the home hit a person. There were no misses. Ballistic evidence found would show that all victims were shot with the same .38 caliber pistol.

A state investigator would tell newspaper reporters that there were syringes and drugs found throughout the home which Pike County Sheriff Duane Dillon would negate. He quashed rumors circulating when he made a statement to the public expressing that absolutely no syringes were found within the home. Lab tests would prove the white powdery substance to be baking soda. The paraphernalia did have drug residue on it but there was no way to tell when that paraphernalia had been used. The type of narcotic and paraphernalia was not released publicly. Blood tests would also show that none of the victims had any intoxicating agents in their system at the time of their death.

Funeral services were held for the Moses brothers at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Denwiddie Street in McComb. At the same time family and loved ones were bidding farewell to Clifford and Jeffery, Steven Ditcharo was being memorialized at St. Alphonsus Church on Delaware Avenue. Loved ones would hold services for Muriel Denise Mills, affectionately known by those who loved her as "Necie", at 8 p.m. the same day at Rose Hill Free Will Baptist Church.

Clifford Moses was 36 years old at the time of his death. He was a father and Air Force veteran. He graduated from Burglund High School where he played basketball. He went on to Southern University in Baton Rouge after high school. He then joined the Air Force. After his final tour of duty, Moses returned to live near his family in McComb and took a job with the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.

Jeffrey Moses and his brother Clifford were close despite their ten year age difference. Jeffrey graduated from McComb High School and joined his father in the family's shoe repair business on Summit Street in McComb. His father soon retired, leaving Jeffrey to manage the shop. He was 24 at his death.

26-year- old, Steven Ditcharo was also an Air Force veteran. He left the Air Force and returned home to McComb where he began working as a waiter at Ralph and Company restaurant.

Steven Ditcharo

The youngest of the victims at 23-years-old was Muriel "Necie" Mills. She graduated from high school in 1981 and attended Southwest Mississippi Junior College. She enjoyed traveling and her loved ones said she loved life and her family.

Muriel Mills

(We were unable to find any photos of Clifford and Jeffrey Moses)

Weeks and months would pass with no leads or forward progress in the case. Sheriff Dillon asked the public for help with any leads but believed that whoever was responsible for the quadruple murder in his county was either known to the victims or that the killings were a professional hit.

Those weeks and months turned to years. The years turned into decades. The case of the Baertown Four remains unsolved today.