More than a century ago, the mysterious deaths of a Burlington mother and her young son left a community searching for answers and questioning whether investigators reached the right conclusion.
On July 29, 1920, 36-year-old Clara Mellor and her 3-year-old son, Alfred P. Mellor Jr., affectionately known as “Bubbles,” were found dead inside their home at 625 Hedge Avenue in Burlington, Iowa. Both died from gas exposure.
Clara’s husband, Alfred Mellor Sr., discovered the bodies after returning home from his overnight shift at the railroad. He noticed the back door was unlocked and found broken dishes and signs that parts of the home had been disturbed. In a spare bedroom, he smelled gas and discovered his wife and son dead inside with the windows closed.
Investigators found no clear evidence of forced entry, although fingerprints were discovered on a bedroom windowsill. Missing bed linens and other unusual details at the scene also fueled questions about what had happened inside the home.
A coroner’s jury quickly concluded that Clara had taken her own life and caused the death of her son by opening the gas jets in the closed room. No autopsies were performed, and the inquest lasted only about an hour.
Not everyone accepted that conclusion.
Clara’s sisters and others who knew the family strongly questioned whether she would have harmed her son. A letter Clara mailed shortly before her death was described by one sister as “bright and hopeful,” adding to the family’s doubts about the official ruling.
Suspicion also turned toward reports of a mysterious prowler who had allegedly been seen around the neighborhood peering into windows and moving through yards at night. Some residents believed the prowler could have entered the Mellor home after Alfred left for work.
Police briefly investigated a transient junk dealer named James Stevens, who had been staying across the street. Stevens claimed he heard groaning coming from the Mellor home during the night but did not investigate. Authorities ultimately found no evidence linking him to the deaths.
On August 3, 1920, Burlington Police Chief H.H. Schwenker declared the case closed unless new evidence surfaced. Despite the official conclusion, doubts surrounding the deaths of Clara and little “Bubbles” continued in the community.
More than 100 years later, the case remains a haunting piece of Burlington history — a tragedy officially ruled murder-suicide at the time, but surrounded by unanswered questions and suspicions that Clara and her son may have been victims of something far different.
Source: Nancy Bowers, Iowa Unsolved Murders: Historic Cases.
