The year was 1986, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz was the first Hispanic-American Astronaut to go into space. The United Kingdom and France announced plans to construct the Channel Tunnel, better known as the Chunnel. Stand By Me, Short Circuit and Little Shop of Horrors were taking over movie screens, while dressing like a tennis player was totally radical. Fresh chicken and veggies with a side of fruit was on dinner tables everywhere as healthy living was back in. Velour and velvet were the absolute must haves for men and women. The first Federal Martin Luther King Jr Day was observed on January 20th. Meanwhile, hailstones weighing 2.2 pounds fell on Gopalganj, a district of Bangladesh, killing 92 people. In better news Hands Across America had at least five million people form a human chain from New York to Long Beach, California, to raise money for hunger and homelessness. 1986 was full of surprises many that were good, for one family it was a year filled with tragedy as a mother and wife had been taken from her family in a brutal car crash. The question now was it an accident or a murder?
Aeileen in her younger years. Date unknown.
Aeileen Ann Anderson was born on June 15, 1935 in Comanche County, Oklahoma. At the age of 18 she would marry Patrick (Pat) Conway who was only a few years older than her, and take on his last name. The couple would have seven children together, and go on to be married for thirty three years before tragedy would strike.
On Tuesday, April 29, 1986, at 10:40 am, a farmer tending to his fields, saw a large plume of smoke coming from a nearby road. The farmer would alert the authorities and 20 minutes later the Oklahoma State Highway Patrol was on the scene. The highway patrol would find a vehicle engulfed in flames on an abandoned bridge. The heat from the car fire was so intense the car had melted into the guardrail. Inside the troopers found a body that was burned beyond recognition. The police would run a computer check on the vehicle, and it came back to Pat Conway. Pat along with his wife Aeileen lived fifteen miles away in Lawton, Oklahoma. Police would notify him of what they assumed was a tragic accident. It was determined that Aeileen was behind the wheel at the time of impact.
Crime Scene of the vehicle when found on the abandoned bridge engulfed in flames.
Pat would arrive home a few hours after the crash that troopers said was an tragic accident and find some discrepancies that made him believe his wife was murdered. When he entered his home he found the patio door wide open, Aeileen’s purse that she always had with her was found sitting by an armchair with her drivers license and glasses still inside. The ironing board was set up with an iron that was still on sitting on top of it. A garden hose was running into the backyard pool (in-ground.) When Pat walked to the master bedroom located in the back of the home he found the bathtub full and the phone off the hook resting on the side of the tub. Pat knew something was wrong his wife would have never just left the home like this. It was all very strange to say the least.
Bathtub displayed on Unsolved.com.
Pat was not happy with the cause of death listed and set out on a mission for the truth. Pat would enlist the help of Ray Anderson; he was an investigator with the district attorney’s office. Together they would go to the crash sight and look for any evidence. Ray would find a church bulletin a short distance away, Pat says he is 100% sure it was from their church from Sunday and it was last sitting on the dash in the car. Aeileen was known to always keep her windows up and drive with her air conditioning on. Ray would theorize that someone else was in the car and when they opened the door the church bulletin flew out. This was enough for the DA to change the cause of death from accidental to undetermined. At this same time the DA would ask the OSBI and the State Fire Marshal to evaluate the car for the likelihood of arson. Sonny Sansome from the Fire Marshal’s Office would say he was suspicious it was arson based on how badly the vehicle was burned, the burn looked like gasoline had been used. The gas cap was also missing, and in most vehicle arson cases the gas cap is removed, according to Sonny. The Fire Marshal would perform a burn test on a vehicle similar to Aeileen’s. When burned with a torch it would only stay on fire while the torch was held to the fabric, if taken away the fire would fizzle out. When the fabric was soaked in gasoline it destroyed the fabric. Forming the conclusion that an accelerant was used. An OSBI officer would state they have no idea why Aeileen would have been on a rural abandoned bridge, as neither she nor her husband had ever been to this location.
Pat Conway.
This is where the evidence ends as there really was no evidence to begin with, it all burnt up in the car that April day. (NOTE: No article nor does Unsolved.com state if the home was ever processed.) Ray Anderson said this case would only be solved when and if someone admits to it. He firmly believes that most people are caught because they can not keep from bragging about the crime they committed. Pat would pass away in 2013 and go to his grave never knowing what truly happened to his beloved wife Aeileen. There is not a lot known about Aeileen before this tragedy other than she was a mother and wife and was loved by her family. As always if you have any information on this case please call the number below.
CONTACT THE OSBI
405-848-6724
DISCLAIMER: The Certified Roarikle would like to thank all sites that the information came from and state that in no way is copyright infringement intended.
As always thank you for reading Roarikons, until next blog.
The Roarikle
Sources
The Certified Roarikle 