EPISODE 4: The Murders of Kimberly Dowell & Ethan Dixon

EPISODE SUMMARY

In Episode 4, we examine the unsolved 1985 murders of Kimberly Dowell (15) and Ethan Dixon (16), who were found shot inside a vehicle in Westside Park in Muncie, Indiana shortly before midnight on September 28, 1985, as reported in public sources. Nearly forty years later, the case remains open, with no arrest, no trial, and no judicial resolution.

Because the underlying investigative file is not publicly available, this episode draws a careful line between what is publicly reported and what cannot be independently verified.

We explain how long-unsolved cases become shaped not only by facts, but by access, including archival custody, selective disclosure, and the use of public records law in responses to records requests.

This episode is a record of the record: an examination of how public understanding is constructed when justice is delayed and official case documentation remains inaccessible.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

The publicly reported baseline of the Westside Park murders (and the limits of what can be verified)

How public understanding is shaped when investigative files are not released

The role of custody: where records live, how they move, and how access changes over time

Ball State University’s Stoeckel Archives collection of historical Muncie police records (MSS-138) and what “open for research” means

Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA) and how investigatory exemptions are used in practice

The structural difference between records and summaries in unsolved cases

How secondary narratives can gain authority through access that the public does not have

Why careful public scrutiny is lawful, ethical, and distinct from speculation

Accountability without accusation: what transparency can look like when answers are absent

Episode 4 Missing Person Spotlight (1 case)

CASE BASELINE (PUBLICLY REPORTED — WITH LIMITS)

This episode presents the case baseline as it appears in publicly available reporting and secondary sources.

We do not have access to the full investigative file and therefore treat certain details as reported, not independently verified from official case records.

Public sources describe the murders of Kimberly Dowell and Ethan Dixon as occurring shortly before midnight on Saturday, September 28, 1985, in Westside Park. Multiple sources report the teenagers were found inside a parked vehicle; the vehicle was reported to still be running, and a window was reported to have been shattered by gunfire. Both victims were reported as shot; a .38-caliber handgun is reported as the weapon, and the weapon has never been recovered.

Where the public record ends, we stop.

RECORD ACCESS & PUBLIC RECORDS (APRA) — WHAT THIS EPISODE DOCUMENTS

This episode discusses public access to government records under Indiana law, including APRA (Indiana Code § 5-14-3 et seq.) and commonly cited investigatory exemptions. We describe a public records request submitted in January 2026 to the Muncie Police Department and the department’s response that the case remains an open investigation and records would not be released, citing Indiana Code § 5-14-3-5.2.

This discussion is about process, not accusation. A denial is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing. The reasoning and structure of access matters because the case remains unresolved.

ARCHIVES & CUSTODY (BALL STATE — MSS-138)

This episode references the Ball State University Libraries Stoeckel Archives of Local History collection titled “Muncie Metropolitan Police Department records” (MSS-138), which spans 1886–1985 and is listed by the archive as open for research, with standard archival publication/quotation permissions.

We discuss this collection to illustrate a documented reality: the historical public record of policing in Muncie is distributed across institutions, and custody impacts what can be independently reviewed.

MISSING PERSON SPOTLIGHT — EPISODE 4

🕊️ Andi Madison Wagner

NamUs ID: MP4334
Missing From: Evansville, Indiana
Missing Since: August 6, 2022
Reported Missing: August 12, 2022
Age at Disappearance: 24
Case Status: Missing — Open

Andi Madison Wagner has been missing since August 6, 2022. She was last known to be in Evansville, Indiana.

Her family reported her missing after losing contact and being unable to locate her. She had indicated she was preparing to leave Evansville, with plans to relocate to Texas, and her family has not heard from her since.

Description:

Height: 5′4″

Weight: approx. 125 lbs

Hair/Eyes: Brown/Brown

Identifying features: Pierced ears and multiple tattoos, including script and Roman numerals on her left forearm, a small rocket on her left ankle, and tattoos on her fingers

If you have information about Andi Madison Wagner, please contact:
Evansville Police Department
Phone: 812-436-7896
Case Number: 22-15858

NamUs: https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/4334

TIP LINES & RESOURCES

If you have information related to the murders of Kimberly Dowell and Ethan Dixon, please contact the appropriate local law enforcement agency.

If you have information about Andi Madison Wagner, please contact:
Evansville Police Department 812-436-7896 (Case #22-15858)

SOURCES & DOCUMENTATION

This episode is based on publicly available records and verified sources, including:

Contemporaneous local reporting and retrospective coverage

Ball State University Libraries, Stoeckel Archives of Local History — MSS-138 finding aid and access conditions

Indiana Access to Public Records Act (Indiana Code § 5-14-3)

Public Access Counselor guidance/opinions (general reference)

Documentation of a January 2026 public records request response regarding this case

Walker & Roysdon, The Westside Park Murders: Muncie’s Most Notorious Cold Case (language examined for criticism and analysis)

A full Evidence Book and source index for this episode will be available on our website.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER

This episode discusses violent crime and the murder of minors, as well as missing persons. Listener discretion is advised.

All information presented is drawn from publicly available reporting, archival descriptions, statutes, and documented communications, or is clearly labeled as reported when not independently verifiable from official case records.

The Casewalker Chronicles does not speculate on guilt and does not accuse any individual or group of criminal conduct unless legally established by court judgment.

FOLLOW & CONNECT

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Email: casewalkerchronicles@gmail.com