Naman Shrestha
‘The Speedway Murders’ is a documentary film that delves deep into the 1978 Burger Chef murders that instilled a feeling of concern and fear into the community of Speedway, Indiana. The horrific killings especially left a deep impact on the loved ones of the victims, who wanted justice to be served. During the investigation, the detectives came across multiple versions of what transpired on the fateful night. In one of the theories, the police suspected Jeff Reed to be the one responsible for the brutal killings. Exclusive and in-depth interviews with a couple of witnesses also support the theory, as they made some bold claims about the suspect in the production.
Jeff Reed Was Allegedly Spotted at the Scene of the Crime by a Drunk Witness
While the police searched for the perpetrator/s responsible for murdering the four teenage employees of Burger Chef restaurant in Speedway, Indiana, a man named Allen Pruitt came forward in 1981 and claimed that he saw Jeff Reed and Tim Willoughby in an orange van at the Burger Chef restaurant on the night of November 17, 1978. While he was drunk right outside the Dunkin’ Donuts next to the burger joint, Allen claimed he saw Jeff slam Mark Flemmonds onto his van. He added that he did not think of it as a big deal until the news about the murders broke out.
According to Allen, the day after the abduction and murders, a couple of men approached him in the same orange van he saw the previous night while he was playing Frisbee in Avon, near the town of Speedway. Luring him with a joint, he said, they managed to convince him to join them inside the vehicle. Allen further claimed that with him in the back of the van was Tim Willoughby’s girlfriend, Mary Ann Higginbotham, who seemed to be high off of drugs to him. He continued that a few miles into the joyride, Jeff and Tim allegedly confronted him about the previous night and enquired about what he saw.
Scared and confused, Allen told the detectives that he was taken aback because he did not think that they had seen him, too. As per his claims, Mary also talked about how Jeff and Tim killed the employees of Burger Chef and suggested he run because they could kill him, too. However, this wasn’t the only version of the story he told the authorities. Since his story changed multiple times with time and the police could not gather any incriminating piece of evidence against Jeff or Tim, they could not charge them with the crime.
One of Jeff Reed’s Friends Also Alleged He Was Responsible For the Murders
Several decades into the Burger Chef murders, another witness named Tim Boyer decided to share a secret he kept for more than 40 years. The friend of Jeff Reed claimed that he had admitted his guilt in relation to the multiple homicides. In the show, he shared, “Jeff came up to me, and he seemed a little distraught and wanted to talk. Said there was something he really needed to talk about…He said he was in trouble and didn’t know quite what to do about it…to my disbelief, he said he was the one responsible for it.”
According to Tim, Jeff told him that he went inside the Burger Chef restaurant to get the money that Jayne owed him. However, when things turned south, the encounter became violent, as per Tim. He claimed that Jeff knocked Mark out when he intervened between him and Jayne. Since the other employees witnessed him beat Mark to death, Jeff allegedly forced them into his orange van and started driving. Tim explained, “His initial thought was to drop them off (in the woods) so he could get away.”
Tim added, “Things went sideways, and I’m not sure exactly what happened, but he ended up having to hurt the people.” Several other witnesses who were present in the area on the fateful night claimed to have seen a man of Jeff Reed’s physical characteristics and a yellow or orange van near the Burger Chef restaurant. Although Tim Willoughby was never found, Jeff Reed reportedly died of stomach cancer in 2011. Thus, the mystery surrounding the Burger Chef murders still prevails to this day.
Read More: Donald Forrester: What Happened to Burger Chef Murder Suspect?
