remember the old guy who killed his wife Gladys?



do you guys think Joe Owens could have killed people before? why only kill someone in your old age?

do you guys think Joe Owens could have killed people before? why only kill someone in your old age?


1. Some of the most vicious criminals have been in their 70s and 80s. Murder has no age restriction unfortunately. Even 7 year olds have killed. As long as you have the will and the means, anyone can be a murderer.

2.That being said, I would not be surprised if Joe Owens did this act before to some degree. Perhaps a business partner or girlfriend earlier.

3. I forget this story, but wasn't there an issue of insurance involved here?

3. I forget this story, but wasn't there an issue of insurance involved here?

I don't think so, I think he just wanted to get rid of her. I don't think money was involved at all. But he sure did love his compost box. :rolleyes:

Totally not remembering this one. I need to go back and see if there are some threads describing the details.

Seems strange to start your criminal career in murder so late in life.

But I do recall the case of a Maine couple who were each on, like their 6th marriage with each other. (Seems like the wife's name was dotty or dorothy, I can't remember the husband's name.) They looked to be in their sixties.

Anyway, the husband apparently hadn't ever killed before, but for whatever reason, he lost it, murdered his wife, wrapped her in a tarp and buried her in the dirt floor of their basement.

The case has been shown on Forensic Files or a similar program.

I don't think so, I think he just wanted to get rid of her. I don't think money was involved at all. But he sure did love his compost box. :rolleyes:

yep that case

No insurance money involved--I can say that with confidence because Joe never wanted Gladys to be found.

What always surprised me about this case was that Joe Owens actually did kill himself in the end. Usually when these guys go on the run and then call someone saying they're going to end their life, it's usually just talk. But he actually did it. I don't think it was out of remorse for his actions. I think he was just scared about the prospect of spending the rest of his life in jail.

What always surprised me about this case was that Joe Owens actually did kill himself in the end. Usually when these guys go on the run and then call someone saying they're going to end their life, it's usually just talk. But he actually did it. I don't think it was out of remorse for his actions. I think he was just scared about the prospect of spending the rest of his life in jail.

Yeah, I think you're right. I doubt he committed suicide due to any kind of remorse or similar feelings. His wife had been "missing" for a long time when Joe finally took off and killed himself. This also coincided with the police turning up the heat and asking questions about his wife's disappearance. I think that Joe realized the jig was up, he was out of time, so he did himself in.

For me the Joe Owens case ranks as one of the most compelling. I put it up there with the Wackers..

For me the Joe Owens case ranks as one of the most compelling. I put it up there with the Wackers..

Yeah, it's a good one. I saw it for the first time in reruns on Lifetime. I don't think Lifetime showed it much, but I remember being shocked/surprised at how darn strange the story was.

I don't think Lifetime showed it much, but I remember being shocked/surprised at how darn strange the story was.

For some reason, the picture of Gladys always creeps me out, I almost have to cover my eyes when the picture is shown. Am I weird or what?

Yeah there is no real closure to this case I think. Why did he kill her? As RS put it, the two of them led very separate lives. He ignored her and did gardening.... She did her own thing. Teaching piano lessons. It doesn't seem to me like she really got in his way.

Of course the short answer is because he wanted to, but that's not a good enough reason. We have to settle for that, but I'll always wonder why he wanted to kill her in the first place.

Then there was the entire business with the compost box. I suppose when he tricked people into thinking his wife was visiting her mother, it didn't look like a strange thing. But then his wife is missing for weeks and he's going on and on about his compost box. He wasn't exactly being subtle and seemed pretty amused by the whole thing.

Owens too was able to hide his wife's "disappearance" for several weeks, telling that one mother that his wife had gone off to take care of her mother. Cell phones weren't around back then (not counting those giant ones) otherwise that mother probably could have called Gladys herself.

Bit of unintentional humor...the way the investigator says that Joe Owens told people that "he was in love with his compost box" was funny.

Who's Arden Bradshaw?

Arden was their nephew.

Arden was their nephew.

Was Joe Owens his uncle or was Gladys Owens his Aunt?

I was thinking about the case today and something occurred to me - does anyone know when Joe's body was found in relation to the time he disappeared? Also, where was his body found? I wonder if Joe killed himself straight away or if he was, in fact, on the run for awhile.

Arden was Joe's nephew.

I was thinking about the case today and something occurred to me - does anyone know when Joe's body was found in relation to the time he disappeared? Also, where was his body found? I wonder if Joe killed himself straight away or if he was, in fact, on the run for awhile.

Finally a new avatar....and yes I know who it is btw. :D

Well to quote you "I'm too lazy to look this up" but it seems like Joe Owen's "remains" were found so I think it was a while after he went missing. With his mindset I personally think he left intending to commit suicide. A man of his age knowing they would soon find Gladys and he would no doubt die in prison figured he'd leave on his terms. I really doubt he had any remorse in killing her, if he did he sure didn't show it outwardly.

Finally a new avatar....and yes I know who it is btw. :D

Well to quote you "I'm too lazy to look this up" but it seems like Joe Owen's "remains" were found so I think it was a while after he went missing. With his mindset I personally think he left intending to commit suicide. A man of his age knowing they would soon find Gladys and he would no doubt die in prison figured he'd leave on his terms. I really doubt he had any remorse in killing her, if he did he sure didn't show it outwardly.

I believe he killed Gladys but did so because he began to suffer from some type of dementia or othe rmental illness. This is a sad, sad case.

Crystaldawn, who is in your avatar? He looks rather creepy.

Finally a new avatar....and yes I know who it is btw. :D

Well to quote you "I'm too lazy to look this up" but it seems like Joe Owen's "remains" were found so I think it was a while after he went missing. With his mindset I personally think he left intending to commit suicide. A man of his age knowing they would soon find Gladys and he would no doubt die in prison figured he'd leave on his terms. I really doubt he had any remorse in killing her, if he did he sure didn't show it outwardly.

Yeah, I think he was only sorry that he got caught.

But you would think he had to expect that the cops would find out eventually.

i hate to say it, but like the annie le murder. we'll never fully know what happened with joe owens that caused him to kill his wife.

Crystaldawn, who is in your avatar? He looks rather creepy.

His name is Manny Morino. I recently watched an update from a '95 UM where he was captured. He was a conman wanted for bilking seniors with a phantom housing development scam. One look at that face and I thought it was primo avatar material, lol.

His name is Manny Morino. I recently watched an update from a '95 UM where he was captured. He was a conman wanted for bilking seniors with a phantom housing development scam. One look at that face and I thought it was primo avatar material, lol.


Wait a second, I thought the Home Improvement scam guy was named Danny Marino (like the greatest quarterback of all time). Maybe I have been mis-hearing the segment all this time lol. He was arrested near Monroeville, Pa (about 90 mins from my house) and bilked Harlan Nelson out of thousands. Maybe I am thinking of teh right guy and name but just a different case.

Wait a second, I thought the Home Improvement scam guy was named Danny Marino (like the greatest quarterback of all time). Maybe I have been mis-hearing the segment all this time lol. He was arrested near Monroeville, Pa (about 90 mins from my house) and bilked Harlan Nelson out of thousands. Maybe I am thinking of teh right guy and name but just a different case.

Yes Marino did have a scam targeting the elderly. His was a little different in that people didn't invest, with Marino he just pretended to do work for them around their house and charged them ridiculous amounts and they felt pressured into paying for it. I believe this Morino guy got seniors to invest money.

I thought Arden was Gladys' nephew. Somewhere I saw that Gladys' maiden name was Bradshaw. :confused:

Even though Joe has been found and the case is "resolved" it still is puzzling. It just seems so crazy that he went through all that trouble to plan to kill his wife and then himself. Why? What was the motive? Was he planning to just stay in the house after killing her and only decided to end it all when the police showed up asking questions? I feel so bad for the wife. I really respect Arden for being interviewed in the segment and offering his opinion about his uncle needing to be caught and being outraged at what happened. I found him to be a really pleasant, down-to-earth interviewee.

Well, I don't think Joe was particularly right in the head when he killed her either. I agree with the poster above that he probably had some sort of dementia, and the marriage had not been right for a very long time. What creeped me out was his demeanor afterwards. He had a pretty sick sense of humor about the whole thing, putting his decomposing wife's body in a compost box, and talking about how "in love with his compost box" he was... Just WTF!

I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but I find all this talk about dementia to be interesting. Because my impression was that wouldn't dementia make someone a lot more sloppy and disorganized. Joe managed to keep this covered up for quite a while. If dementia was a factor, wouldn't he have slipped up and gotten caught a lot sooner?

But I freely admit that I'm not an expert. If I were to make a list of my anxieties, Alzheimer's or dementia would definitely be in the top five. The subject freaks me out so much, I pretty much run in the opposite direction; that's how much it freaks me out

I'm not an expert on it either, but I've known people who have had it who seemed to still had a sense of cunning to them. My grandfather for one. Even if dementia wasn't the case though, I still believe there was some sort of mental illness at play with him.

This one never made it to Amazon?

This one never made it to Amazon?


Unfortunately, no. This was one of the most interesting cases in my opinion. I’m curious as to what drove Joe to kill his wife. They made it seem as though their marriage was on the rocks & she was trying to save it

I thought Arden was Gladys' nephew. Somewhere I saw that Gladys' maiden name was Bradshaw. :confused:

Yes it was. They also interviewed Gladys's brother (Arden's father?) for the segment and his last name was Bradshaw too.

I think this is my favorite Unsolved Mysteries case, it's a shame that it's not on Filmrise and a lot of people will never see it :(

One thing that puzzles me is that when Arden asked Joe about what Gladys thought of Joe's plans and when Joe said that she died of an overdose back last March and that he buried her, I wonder how long Gladys had been dead for? didn't anyone apart from the two piano parents know she was missing? maybe the family wasn't that close but surely someone else must have known something was up?

I must be in the minority, because this case never really interested me all that much. It was too drawn out as a segment, IMO. It was fairly obvious that he offed his wife and then himself at the time of the airing of the segment.

I must be in the minority, because this case never really interested me all that much. It was too drawn out as a segment, IMO. It was fairly obvious that he offed his wife and then himself at the time of the airing of the segment.

I agree that it was a bit bungled by the police, surely they could have searched a bit more for Joe in the area his body was found.

I must be in the minority, because this case never really interested me all that much. It was too drawn out as a segment, IMO. It was fairly obvious that he offed his wife and then himself at the time of the airing of the segment.

I think the reason for it being drawn out was because of the brutality of the whole thing. An old man killing his 80 year old wife and then burying her body in the backyard is kind of hard to wrap your mind around, even today.

It’s interesting that the search dogs did not locate Joe’s body even though the dogs did pick up his scent on the mountain where he was eventually found mouths later. There is another case I recall where a bloodhound tracked an abducted child down the highway her captor brought her and the dog did locate her many miles away. The dogs here just went along the trail until it lead back to the parking lot. I’m surprised they didn’t make a more concerted effort to search the area. Seems hard to believe it was plausible to the police he left the area on foot. I think he actually gave his car away to someone in the area.

I lived across the street from Joe and Gladys. She was so sweet. I still have a jar of zucchini that she had canned and given to me. We shared the same birthday. Joe and Gladys each had their own dog. Hers was named Fairbanks, named after one of her favorite actors, Douglas Fairbanks. Joe had a hunting dog. He loved to go hunting with his dog. He drove a nice El Camino which was immaculate. Once, he went to work as a janitor at a sandwich deli shop because he was considering investing in the company and he wanted to go in incognito and check out the company to see if it was worth the investment. I spent time in their home visiting with Joe occasionally, along with my 2 young daughters that he gave treats and gifts to. The house was very well kept up. He was always working to take care of the it and the yard because he was retired and did not have a job that he went to. He absolutely loved his flower beds. The yard was in great shape.The compost box had always been there, next to the garage. Gladys was gone a lot giving piano lessons at her students homes. She drove a Cadillac. I spent more time with Joe, than Gladys. Neither one had children. There was nothing nefarious about Joe that I ever saw. Just a nice old man who gave me advice from time to time. We moved away in 1983, so,we weren’t around when he killed her 5 years later. I couldn’t have been more shocked. I’m not surprised that he was so neat and tidy in the execution (no pun intended) of her death. He dressed neat and tidy and his home and yard were meticulous. I never heard a cross word between them the 8 years that we lived across from them. From our house, we could see the entire south side of their house, yards, and garage....which was unattached at the end of their backyard. I guess only Joe will ever know why he killed her. The rest of us are left to ponder.

I lived across the street from Joe and Gladys. She was so sweet. I still have a jar of zucchini that she had canned and given to me. We shared the same birthday. Joe and Gladys each had their own dog. Hers was named Fairbanks, named after one of her favorite actors, Douglas Fairbanks. Joe had a hunting dog. He loved to go hunting with his dog. He drove a nice El Camino which was immaculate. Once, he went to work as a janitor at a sandwich deli shop because he was considering investing in the company and he wanted to go in incognito and check out the company to see if it was worth the investment. I spent time in their home visiting with Joe occasionally, along with my 2 young daughters that he gave treats and gifts to. The house was very well kept up. He was always working to take care of the it and the yard because he was retired and did not have a job that he went to. He absolutely loved his flower beds. The yard was in great shape.The compost box had always been there, next to the garage. Gladys was gone a lot giving piano lessons at her students homes. She drove a Cadillac. I spent more time with Joe, than Gladys. Neither one had children. There was nothing nefarious about Joe that I ever saw. Just a nice old man who gave me advice from time to time. We moved away in 1983, so,we weren’t around when he killed her 5 years later. I couldn’t have been more shocked. I’m not surprised that he was so neat and tidy in the execution (no pun intended) of her death. He dressed neat and tidy and his home and yard were meticulous. I never heard a cross word between them the 8 years that we lived across from them. From our house, we could see the entire south side of their house, yards, and garage....which was unattached at the end of their backyard. I guess only Joe will ever know why he killed her. The rest of us are left to ponder.

It was obvious to you they weren’t a close couple when you knew Joe?

I binge-watched the Filmrise episodes last year and made a list to myself of where my favorite segments aired, but only after I finished did I realize the Joe Owens segment never aired.
Pointed out earlier but the line "he was in looooove with his compost box" always made me LOL.

Hello! I've been following this forum for years, but this is my first post. I grew up in near Seattle, so local stories always intrigue me. I found this on a West Seattle blog. Someone commented Gladys hit a child while she was driving and Joe couldn't deal with it. I thought it was super interesting.

I didnt see it mentioned anywhere else, so I apologize if this is not new information.

https://westseattleblog.com/forums-2/topic/to-the-friends-and-loved-ones-of-the-older-lady-driving-a-red-caddy-cts/

Hello! I've been following this forum for years, but this is my first post. I grew up in near Seattle, so local stories always intrigue me. I found this on a West Seattle blog. Someone commented Gladys hit a child while she was driving and Joe couldn't deal with it. I thought it was super interesting.

I didnt see it mentioned anywhere else, so I apologize if this is not new information.

https://westseattleblog.com/forums-2/topic/to-the-friends-and-loved-ones-of-the-older-lady-driving-a-red-caddy-cts/

Welcome! :wave:

I don't know about anyone else, but *I've* never heard this information before! Thanks for sharing!

https://westseattleblog.com/forums-2/topic/to-the-friends-and-loved-ones-of-the-older-lady-driving-a-red-caddy-cts/

Great find, reposting it for posterity.
In the late 1980’s, I had an elderly neighbor in WS, Gladys Owens, she was 79 when she hit the little girl in the cross walk on California Ave SW. She only drove short distances from her home to teach piano lessons to children. I would discuss this with her husband Joe while he dug his underground garden compost bin. It upset him terribly to think of the little girl and her family and what they had to go through. It so bothered him he ended up shooting his wife and burying her in the new compost bin in the back yard.

Gladys never should have been driving.

Hello! I've been following this forum for years, but this is my first post. I grew up in near Seattle, so local stories always intrigue me. I found this on a West Seattle blog. Someone commented Gladys hit a child while she was driving and Joe couldn't deal with it. I thought it was super interesting.

I didnt see it mentioned anywhere else, so I apologize if this is not new information.

https://westseattleblog.com/forums-2/topic/to-the-friends-and-loved-ones-of-the-older-lady-driving-a-red-caddy-cts/

Oh wow! :eek2:

Hello! I've been following this forum for years, but this is my first post. I grew up in near Seattle, so local stories always intrigue me. I found this on a West Seattle blog. Someone commented Gladys hit a child while she was driving and Joe couldn't deal with it. I thought it was super interesting.

I didnt see it mentioned anywhere else, so I apologize if this is not new information.

https://westseattleblog.com/forums-2/topic/to-the-friends-and-loved-ones-of-the-older-lady-driving-a-red-caddy-cts/

I came upon this segment after watching a different one on *everyone's favorite social media site*. I was going to reply to the comment by TheCars1986 and say that while drawn out, the lack of any obvious/apparent motive is what makes it interesting for me (cause half the fun sometimes is tossing out possible theories and such).

This obviously narrows it down though. I couldn't find any information on the accident, so I don't know if the little girl Gladys hit survived, was killed, left crippled or what. For Joe to be so wracked with guilt though that he felt he had to kill his wife over it, it must've been one of the latter two possibilities.......

Alternately, if their marriage/relationship was on the rocks for a while and he gradually got more and more fed up with her, this could've been the straw that broke the camel's back & set him off (and it wouldn't necessarily matter what happened to the girl - he just was so enraged, he felt like he had to off Gladys......despite what the poster on that message board said)

I'd like to see a timeline of events for this case. Did Gladys and her brother on the broadcast not keep in contact?

Oh wow! :eek2:

I know, right??

In this era, we know by now that many of the UM segments left out a great deal of information about cases (the Sohus case for one). So sadly it wouldn't surprise me if this was true in one way or another.