Shivangi Sinha
In October 2012, Barbara Howe’s family became concerned when they couldn’t reach her. Living alone in a retirement community in Monroe, Ohio, she was reported missing shortly after. Days later, her remains were found in the trunk of her car. The shocking nature of the crime left both her family and investigators searching for answers. The case, which initially had few leads, gained public attention and was featured on ID’s ‘Murder in the Heartland’ in the episode ‘If the Walls Could Talk.’ The episode detailed the investigation and the steps that led to the killer’s arrest.
Barbara Howe’s Family Raised Alarm When She Stopped Responding to Their Calls
Barbara Welliver was born on August 5, 1925, to Mark and Mabel Welliver. She grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, alongside her beloved sister, Patricia Welliver. The two of them were very close and had confidence in each other. Known for her bright spirit and determination, Barbara excelled in everything she did. She graduated from Hamilton High School in 1943 and went on to attend DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. During her college years, she remained active and social, joining the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. She had a natural charm and warmth that made her well-liked, and she left a lasting impression on everyone she met. Barbara found the love of her life in Bill Howe, and the two married in 1947. They settled in Middletown, Ohio, where Bill owned Howe Motor Co.
Barbara devoted herself to raising their three daughters—Nancy, Barbara, and Donna—and focused on building a warm, family-centered home. She was deeply involved in the First Presbyterian Church and played an active role in her community, organizing events like dances and cotillions. She cherished simple joys like traveling, cooking, and playing tennis with her family. Over the years, her home became a lively gathering place filled with the love of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In 1998, when Bill passed away, Barbara lost her best friend, but she still had her sister and the rest of her family to rely on. She made the most of her life and eventually moved to the Mount Pleasant retirement community in Monroe, Ohio.
True to her nature, she quickly became involved in several groups and remained active. She spoke to her sister daily, so when no one had heard from her for a few days, her family grew concerned. After several failed attempts to reach her, they filed a missing persons report on September 30, 2012. Police found no immediate signs of trouble at her home, but her car and personal items were missing. On November 1, Barbara’s car was found outside an apartment complex in Middletown, Ohio, with her partially naked remains in the trunk. A lot of bleach and chemical cleaners had been poured all over the car. The autopsy concluded that she had been shocked with a stun gun, choked, had her throat slashed, and ultimately bled to death.
DNA Evidence From a Crawl Space Led the Police to Barbara Howe’s Killer
Barbara Howe’s house showed little sign of disturbance, and there was no indication of a robbery. Valuables like jewelry and cash were left untouched. However, the 3.3-carat diamond ring she usually wore was missing. Investigators initially looked into her close friends and family, but none stood to gain financially from her death, and no solid leads emerged. While police were at the retirement community, they noticed a maintenance worker lingering nearby and brought him in for questioning. The major breakthrough came when a pool of blood was discovered in a crawl space beneath the home. Investigators believed this was likely where Barbara had been killed and began working to recover DNA evidence from the scene. Since the crawl space was in a discreet area of the home, police believed the killer had to be someone familiar with the layout, either a family member or a maintenance worker with regular access.
But when they ran the DNA collected at the scene through their system, no matches were found, and the case appeared to be going cold. That changed when authorities released some case details to the public and asked for tips. One caller came forward, claiming his brother, Daniel “Danny” French, had been a former maintenance worker. He had been in the area around the time of the murder and had acted suspiciously. Investigators then discovered that Danny had taken a cab from Mount Pleasant to the location where Barbara’s car was later found between 6 and 7 am on September 30. Police reviewed security footage and confirmed that Danny was the one who called the cab. On January 18, 2013, he was arrested in Berea, Kentucky, and brought in for questioning.
Danny admitted to knowing Barbara and voluntarily provided a DNA sample but denied any involvement in her murder. He was married with children and claimed that after leaving his job at the retirement community, he never returned. However, his DNA matched the unidentified sample found in the crawl space. He argued that his DNA could have been left during a previous visit to the house. The police lacked additional evidence linking him to the crime scene, so they had to release him. However, the investigation continued, and a new breakthrough occurred when authorities discovered a maintenance worker’s ledger showing that Barbara’s crawl space had been cleaned two months before the murder. This explained how Danny’s DNA could not be present from a previous visit. Based on this new information, Danny was arrested in October 2014 and charged with murder.
Daniel “Danny” French is Serving His Sentence at an Ohio Prison Facility Today
Danny French’s trial was scheduled for November 2015, but by then, he had already confessed to the murder. He claimed he only intended to rob Barbara, but when things escalated, he ended up killing her. Just before the trial began, he requested to plead guilty in exchange for removing the possibility of a death sentence, but the judge denied the request. He was found guilty of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, gross abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Based on the jury’s recommendation, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. At sentencing, he expressed remorse and apologized to Barbara’s family.
Barbara’s family alleged that Danny’s true motive was sexual in nature and that he confessed to robbery only to preserve his image with his own family. According to them, he downplayed the nature of the crime to save face in front of his children. Now 66 years old, he is serving his life sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution, a medium security prison located just outside Chillicothe, Ohio. Danny will spend the rest of his life behind bars and is not eligible for parole.
