Cross Roads Massacre Leaves 4 Dead and Case Cold 40 +Years Later

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Have you ever heard of the Cross Roads Murders?

It was 1981 in Port Lavaca Texas and the wife of Willard Baugh went to the Cross Roads Tavern early in the morning looking for her husband.

What she found when she opened the tavern door was horrific.

Today marks the first day in history that forensic science solves a murder.

It's hard to fathom but exactly fifty-four years ago today the first murder using forensic science was solved on February 7th, 1968. In England, a man comes home to his wife murdered while she was in the middle of cooking dinner. Investigators examined a suspect's car and found traces of blood matching the victim's blood type, as well as finding matching fibers of the victim as well. Forensic science helped solve its first case.

Could forensic science have helped solve the Cross Roads Murders?

William Baugh's wife opens the door to the Cross Roads Tavern and finds an absolute bloody massacre. Her husband was shot and hanging on for his life inside the tavern along with three women who were each shot twice with a handgun. Lennie York the tavern owner, Lark Saylar, a customer, and Marjorie Matosha who was a server were all pronounced dead on the scene. Marjorie was only 19 years old. Lark was 21.

William Baugh had been shot but was still alive. He was rushed to Citizens Medical Center.

Sadly, Baugh who was 43 at the time was not being able to help local police with any clues before he died in the hospital almost a month after the massacre.

No fingerprints were taken because it was considered pointless as that night had been .99 cent beer night with over a hundred guests at the bar that evening.

The case remains open.

The tavern has long been abandoned and the case remains open today.

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