Suvechha Sarkar
In July 2008, a brutal crime sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of German Village, Ohio. Alyce Seff was a kind person with a strong personality, but her beautiful life came to an abrupt halt when she was found dead in the backyard of one of her properties. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Murder in the Heartland: The Wishing Well Mystery’ delves deeper into the days leading up to her death and how it took almost 7 years to bring the killer to light. It also features interviews with her friends and acquaintances, alongside the officials closely related to the case.
Alyce Seff’s Remains Were Found in a Wishing Well on One of Her Properties
Alyce Judith Seff was born on October 24, 1926, in Columbus, in Franklin County, Ohio, to Leon Jacob and Edith Pailet Seff. She grew up surrounded by the unending love of her parents and cherished the time she spent with her siblings, Irving, Nathalie Verna, and Evelyn Shirley. Her friends and acquaintances often described her as someone who was kind but had a “feisty” personality. When Alyce was in her 20s, her path crossed with World War II Veteran Lester Weil Wainer. They ultimately tied the knot in 1948 in the presence of friends and family. However, by the course of the next few years, they parted their ways. Although she never had any children, she had many nephews and nieces, alongside grandnephews and grandnieces.
Alyce was a landlady who owned a total of 17 properties, which were reportedly valued at around $1.5 million. However, her life changed forever on July 5, 2008. On that day, the 81-year-old visited a local tool store in her neighborhood of German Village, just outside of Columbus, Ohio. On July 9, a father and daughter were cutting across her property at 863 South High Street when they noticed a foul smell from a decorative well in the backyard. The well was covered with cushions, and when they removed it, they shockingly found human remains, prompting them to call 911 immediately around 9:30 pm. When officials arrived at the scene, they found items like coins, jewelry, and cards from someone’s wallet scattered around the well.
Inside it, they found the remains of an old woman with her hands bound by duct tape and her face wrapped in a cloth. They also discovered blood spatter on the privacy fence on the south of the property. Furthermore, they found a wig, a shoe, and other items scattered on the ground. Since they were hit by a thunderstorm recently, they could not find fingerprints on those items. The woman was identified as Alyce Seff through a card they found on the ground. The autopsy uncovered a ligature that was tied around her neck. Her cause of death was determined to be ligature strangulation. According to records, based on the decomposition of her remains, the examiner reportedly concluded that she likely passed away on July 5, 2008, when she was last seen alive.
Card Transactions and DNA Evidence Led to the Killer’s Arrest After 7 Years
Since Alyce was a landlady, officials first looked into individuals she had recently evicted, which led to a dead end. Upon searching her house, they found nothing except figurines of gnomes, elves, and over a thousand dolls in the basement of another of her properties. They discovered that she was last seen alive on July 5 at the local tool store. Their CCTV captured that she was carrying a large amount of cash with her, and they learned that she always kept a large amount of cash on her. However, detectives reportedly noted that the money and her dark blue Ford Escort were missing from the scene. It indicated robbery, and the car was finally found in a new area on July 11, 2008. They observed that it was filled with junk, but a set of duct tape was found amidst it, matching the one that was used to bind Alyce.
Investigators found a drop of blood on one of the vehicle’s armrests, and it turned out to be a man’s DNA. Through one of the employees at the store, the police found that Alyce often hired men with criminal histories to do handyman work for her, and she always paid in cash. On July 15, they got the information that Alyce’s debit card was used from the day she was last seen till the time her remains were discovered. They followed the transaction to a Walmart, where the CCTV revealed two women using the card. When they were brought in for questioning, the first woman claimed that a friend gave her the credit card to use. However, the second woman confessed that a man named Charles Jerome Greene gave her the card, alleging that the person he worked for gave him the same.
Although officials discovered Charles had a criminal record, they could not track him because he had no permanent address. On May 4, 2011, they found in the police records that he was incarcerated. When he was interviewed, he denied involvement with the case but gave his DNA swab to them. It turned out to be a match to the blood found inside Alyce’s vehicle. However, there was insufficient evidence to tie him to the scene. When her vehicle was again searched, they found a receipt book Alyce kept while paying her workers, where she always took their signatures during payment. Detectives discovered a receipt dated July 1, 2008, signed by Charles, which connected him to Alyce. Furthermore, the last call from an unknown number to her mobile was from him. Charles was arrested and formally indicted on March 12, 2015, on one count each of aggravated murder, murder, aggravated robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.
Charles Greene is Serving His Time at an Ohio Prison Facility Today
The jury trial of Charles Greene commenced on January 18, 2017. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. The prosecution reportedly presented evidence tying him to the crime, which included the DNA evidence found in Alyce’s vehicle. They also produced her cell phone and credit cards, which Charles had in his possession. Moreover, her receipt book was reportedly presented, which was evidence that he was in contact with Alyce the week before her death. On the other hand, although the defense acknowledged that Charles had possessed her cell phone and credit cards, they claimed that the possession alone did not prove that he killed her. Furthermore, they claimed that Charles received the items from another man and was unaware that they belonged to Alyce.
On January 26, 2017, the jury found Charles guilty on one count of murder, one count of aggravated robbery, and one count of kidnapping by merging both the counts for the charge. He was acquitted of the charge of aggravated murder. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for murder, for which he has to serve the minimum and mandatory time of 15 years before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence was to be served concurrently with a 10-year sentence each for aggravated robbery and kidnapping. Although he appealed his conviction and sentence, the Appellate Court affirmed the original judgment on September 30, 2019. As of writing, Charles is incarcerated at Noble Correctional Institution in Caldwell, Ohio. His first parole board hearing is set for January 2030, with his expected parole eligibility date being March 9, 2030.
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