Milo “Glenn” Damron was a construction worker who made friends easily. Employed by the Northwest Construction Company, he had been traveling for work that week in September of 1959, but he never made it home to his family. On Sept. 12, 1959, he was found beaten and stabbed to death about two miles south of Blackfoot. 

Damron was the third of four murder victims in Southeast and Eastern Idaho between August and September of 1959.

Santiago Campos was found near Mountain Home, Wayne Seigel, who was traveling to the West Coast from Minnesota, was found near Montpelier. His blood-spattered car was found later in Dubois and John Hunt was killed a week earlier near Bliss. All three men were shot to death.

At the time, Bingham County Sheriff Arch Hess did not believe Glenn’s murder was connected to the other killings because he was not shot like the other victims. 

Damron left behind a wife, Edith Damron, two daughters, Glenna and Royce Damron, and a son Leonard Damron. The case has gone unsolved for the past 55 years. 

Glenn was also employed by the Bannock County Highway Department.

Found inside his vehicle, Glenn had been stabbed in the neck with a weapon like a screwdriver and beaten about the head and chest leading police to theorized that Glenn had stopped to take a break, drink a beer and smoke a few cigarettes when the crime occurred.

He was slumped on the floor in the front seat of the car when he was found.  Glenn was 52 at the time. 

Only a few drops of blood were found at the scene and three cigarette butts were recovered from outside the car — the same brand that was found in Glenn’s pocket. A half empty bottle of beer was found on the floor on the driver’s side of the car.  

Glenn was last seen alive four days earlier when he left his job as a heavy equipment operator in Hamer headed home to Inkom. Robbery could have been a motive. Glenn was known to have about $80 on him, but at the time of his death his pockets were turned inside out and a set of tools was missing from his vehicle.

No murder weapon was ever recovered in connection with the case.

East Idaho Cold Cases reports that police records of the case no longer exist. Newspaper clippings from that time trace the investigation following Glenn’s murder and the circumstances surrounding the killing.

Hess said investigators located two cars found near the murder scene. One had no license plates and traces of blood were found on the vehicle, but it turned out that the car had been abandoned the day before Glenn was killed.

Glenn’s vehicle was found in a sandy area of the Fort Hall Reservation making it difficult to spot footprints or tire tracks. No suspect was identified in the murder and the case went cold.

Edith died in 1987. Their children could not be located for this story. 

More than half of a century has passed since Glenn was killed, but anyone that might have information about his murder is urged to contact the Blackfoot/Bingham Detective Division, (208)785-1235