Helle Crafts (July 4, 1947 – November 19, 1986) was a flight attendant famous for her brutal murder at the hands of her husband, Richard Crafts, an airline pilot and special constable. Her murder is sometimes called the "Woodchipper Murder" because of the method in which Richard Crafts disposed of her body. Her death brought about the first murder conviction in the state of Connecticut in which a body was never found.[1]
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Helle Crafts had known about her husband Richard's affairs with other women and had begun divorce proceedings against him. On the night of Wednesday, November 19, 1986, a friend of Helle's dropped her off at home in Newtown, Connecticut. This was the last time anyone but her husband saw her.
During the next few weeks, friends of Helle tried to contact her but were told different stories by her husband. Some of them were told by Richard that Helle had gone to visit her mother in Denmark. Others were told that she had left and he did not know where she was. Richard also stated that she was in the Canary Islands with a friend. Friends grew suspicious and concerned about Helle's safety because they already knew about Richard's aggression and fiery temper. Helle once said "if something happens to me, don't think it was an accident."[2]
By December 25, police had obtained a warrant to search the Crafts' premises. They uncovered few clues: several pieces of carpet from Richard and Helle's bedroom were removed from the floor. The family's nanny also came forward and told police of a dark, grapefruit-sized stain she'd seen on the carpet of the bedroom, but that patch of carpet had apparently been removed. A blood smear was also uncovered on the side of the Crafts' bed. Police found among Richard's credit card records evidence that he had made several purchases before and after his wife's disappearance, including a new freezer that was not found in the home, new bed sheets, a comforter, and US$900 for the rental of a woodchipper. Later, a private investigator who had been hired by Helle Crafts found in papers provided to him by Helle a receipt for a chainsaw. The chainsaw was later found in Lake Zoar and forensics experts would determine that it was covered in hair and blood that matched those of Helle.[1]
A snowplow driver eventually came forward and said he'd seen the husband using a woodchipper on a bridge over Lake Zoar in Newtown, CT, during a severe snow-storm. This was late on the night of November 19, the night Helle Crafts was last seen. With this new information, police focused their search around that area for many days, and even scanned the icy cold lake for clues. They found many pieces of metal, less than 3 ounces (85 g) of human remains, including a tooth with unique dental work, a toe-nail covered in pink nail polish, bone chips, 2,660 bleached, blonde human hairs, fingernails and O type blood, the same type as Helle Crafts'. Analysis led the police to conclude the remains had gone through a woodchipper. The forensic investigation was led by leading forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee.[1]
Police theorized that in their bedroom, Crafts first struck Helle unconscious with something blunt, which would explain the blood stains found, then carried her body to the freezer where he left it for some time. Police further postulated that Crafts had taken Helle's body out of the freezer on the night he was seen at the river by the witness, chopped it into several large portions with the chainsaw, and then put them through the woodchipper. The police believed the dismembered pieces of Helle Crafts' body were then scattered into the river and the area around it. After a long trial where forensic evidence was key, Crafts was found guilty on November 21, 1989, just over three years and a day since Helle was last seen alive. In January 1990, Richard Crafts was sentenced to serve 50 years in state prison.[2][3]