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THIS WEEK’S INSIDE DEALS ►►► INGLES • SMARTSOURCE • BASSPRO SHOPS
www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 52 • No. 10
Warning: This
newspaper has not
been certified by
President Biden’s
Disinformation
Governance Board
5 Sections, 64 Pages • Wednesday • March 8,2023 • $2.00
INSIDE ► ►►
Eric Snow
on a tear
at S. Fla.
SEE PAGES Cl
Forsyth’s
Holly Gore
is Dancing
with Stars
SEE PAGES C8
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
Buster Wooten
Joe Johnson
DEATHS m6A
Walter Ham
Inv. Marc Mansfield, shown with what was the cold murder case file of Mary Willfong, said hes glad to have gotten
some measure of justice on her behalf. (Photo/Will Davis)
‘We did this for Mary’
How Monroe County solved a 34-year-old murder case
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
For 34 years, an Indiana
truck driver got away
with killing 23-year-old
Mary Louicile Willfong
and dumping her body on
the side of Johnstonville
Road in Monroe County,
according to authorities.
Larry Padgett, now 59,
continued his long career
as a truck driver and went
on to marry three times
and have three children.
But authorities say he
never told any of them
his dark secret. But last
Wednesday, March 1,
Padgett had returned to
the trucking company
where he worked after
another long haul. He had
parked his tractor trailer
and was walking to his
personal truck to head
home when an unfamil
iar man, it was Monroe
County investigator Marc
Mansfield, approached.
Mansfield identified
himself and said he needed
to talk to Padgett about
something. Padgett agreed
to ride with him to the
Washington, Ind. Police
Department where he was
ABOVE: Larry Padgett is
in the Monroe County Jail
charged with the 1989
murder of Mary Willfong.
RIGHT: Deer hunters found
Willfongs body in the
woods off Johnstonville
Road. (Photo/MCSO)
questioned for more than
an hour, and then arrested
for murder. Good police
work, persistence and the
miracle of DNA technol
ogy was finally delivering
justice for Mary Willfong.
“It’s absolutely my proud
est moment in law en
forcement,” said Mansfield.
“We did this for Mary. She
didn’t deserve to be killed
and drug in woods and left
like trash.”
Deer hunters found
Mary’s body on Nov. 21,
1989. The killer had cut
the top rows off a chicken
wire fence, pulled her body
over it, and dragged it 45
more feet before leaving it
uncovered. The case was
never solved.
But shortly after taking
office in 2019, sheriff Brad
Freeman hired Mansfield,
a retired GBI agent, to see
if emerging DNA tech
nology could help them
solve a couple of cold
cases, including Mary’s. In
a front-page story in the
April 10,2019 Reporter,
Mansfield said Mary’s
death was the most
likely to be solved because
investigators had DNA
from semen found on her
body. Mary lived a rough
life, frequenting military
bases and traveling around
the country by hitching
rides from truckers. She
had three children by
three different men and
had most recently worked
at the Waffle House in
Gainesville, Ga. She had
last been seen on Nov. 19,
1989, two days before at a
truck stop near the farmers
See MURDER page 6A
6
□aao5 3341b
a
Kroger, CVS
'0 4 8 7 9
1 6 2 6 4
Publix, Dollar General, Circle
Get goodies, AR-15
tickets at MCR booth
The weatherman says Saturday may be the best day to attend
this weekends Forsythia Festival. While it will be cooler, with highs
around 64, it is supposed to be sunny on Saturday. Theres a 77
percent chance of rain Sunday and cooler with a high around 60.
Be sure to come by the Reporter booth this weekend where we ll
be registering new and recurring subscribers for a $1300 AR-15
from Juliette-owned Primary Weapons. The Reporter will also be
giving away keychains and flashlights. See you at the Festival!
Retired
law prof
arrested
A
retired
Mercer
crimi
nal law
pro
fessor
found
himself
on the
other
side of the law in Monroe
County on Feb. 15 when he
was arrested for violating
See PROF page 6A
WATSON
Domino's
coming to
Forsyth
Forsyth
will be
getting
a Dom
ino’s Piz
za by Labor
Day, Forsyth’s
economic de
veloper Cody Ellis told the
city council on Monday.
The national chain will
locate in the Plantation
Hills Shopping Center
where Little Caesar’s Pizza
used to be.
When Domino’s opens,
it means locals will have
five pizza restaurants from
which to choose. Forsyth
already has Pizza Hut,
Papa’s Pizza, Marco’s Pizza,
and the popular Jonah’s on
Johnston, which is the only
one that is locally owned
and not a chain.
McCoy named
Miss Forsythia
2022 Miss Forsythia Lily
Barfield crowns 2023 Miss
Forsythia Madeline McCoy
at the pageant on Saturday,
March 4. See more winners
on page 4B.