Not long before Ada went missing, another nearby mom named Linda VanBuskirk mysteriously disappeared during a routine walk on a warm March day. As her family and police launch a desperate search, a young boy’s chilling eyewitness account and the discovery of Linda’s body in a shallow grave send shockwaves through the community – while police wonder if Linda’s murder might be connected to Ada disappearance.
Courtesy of Indiana Department of Correction, in partnership with Indiana State Police and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Episode Info
If you have any information about Ada Haradine, please contact Michiana Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP or 800-342-STOP or submit tips online at michianacrimestoppers.com. Tips can be made anonymously.
You can also reach out directly to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office by calling their main line, 269-445-1560, their tip line at 800-462-9328, or online at ccso.info.
Ricky Moore’s Mugshot. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo of Linda’s burial site. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo of Linda’s burial site. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo of Linda’s burial site. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo of Linda’s burial site. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo of Linda’s burial site. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
Linda VanBuskirk’s missing person flier. Courtesy: Larry Sarhatt’s records
Linda VanBuskirk (Jacobs) gravesite. Photo source: FindAGrave.com
A photo of Ricky Moore’s car. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A photo of Ricky Moore’s car. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A photo of Ricky Moore’s car. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A photo of Ricky Moore’s car. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
Suspect and vehicle composite sketch. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A photo of Linda VanBuskirk (Jacobs). Photo source: FindAGrave.com
A photo of the intersection where Linda was shot, as of 2024. Photo taken by audiochuck staff
An aerial view of the Mt Zion intersection where Linda was shot, from 1985. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo from the Mt Zion intersection in 1985. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo from the Mt Zion intersection in 1985. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
A crime scene photo from the Mt Zion intersection in 1985. Courtesy: St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office via audiochuck staff’s FOIA request
Episode Source Material
Original reporting by Nina Schutzman
- Cass County Sheriff’s Office records
- Elkhart Police Department records
- Larry Sarhatt’s personal records
- St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office records
- St. Joseph County Court records
- The South Bend Tribune: Disappearance of 26-year-old a ‘possible homicide’ by Jack Baker
- The South Bend Tribune: VanBuskirk search ends again by Jack Baker
- Sturgis Journal: Neighbors, classmates can’t believe Moore is accused of murder by Robin E. Brown.
- The’s “Buried in the Backyard” Season 5, Episode 2: Boy Witness