Stephen Burrell Small, born in 1947, from Kankakee, Illinois was raised by his parents, Burrell and Reva Small, who owned Mid America Media.
On top of this, the family held the controlling interest in United Press International, a renowned news agency, where Stephen himself worked. His great grandfather, Len Small, had served as the governor of Illinois.
Stephen was educated at Lake Forest Academy, the University of Denver, and Mark Hopkins College.
Then, in 1969, he married Nancy Pedersen, and together they had three sons.
Around 12:30 a.m. on September 2, 1987, a supposed Kankakee police officer contacted the Small residence, telling Stephen there had been a burglary at a property that he was in the process of renovating.
Small quickly dressed and left his home but then, at approximately 3:30 a.m., another call came into the Small residence, this time received by Stephen’s wife, Nancy.
It was Stephen on the line, stating that he had been handcuffed and confined in an underground box.
He instructed Nancy to gather the staggering sum of $1 million in cash, and warned against involving the police.
Ignoring the instructions, she immediately contacted the police and surveillance was set up in the home.
The following afternoon, at 5:03 p.m., the caller called again for an update on the ransom demand.
A trace of the call led authorities to a telephone at a Phillips 66 gas station in Aroma Park, where a man known to the police, Danny Edwards, was spotted with a blonde-haired woman.
Then, at 5:40 p.m., Jean Alice Small, Stephen’s aunt, received a call from the kidnapper. The caller stated that they knew about the tapped telephone line and chillingly revealed that the victim had been buried.
Taking the terror to a whole new level, the caller threatened Jean’s husband.
Later that night, at 11:28 p.m., Nancy received another call, this time originating from a Sunoco station in Aroma Park.
An FBI agent, who was staking out the location, saw a white man using the telephone, with a woman matching the description of a woman also known to them by the name of Nancy Rish, Edwards’ girlfriend, who had blonde hair.
During this call, a recorded message of Stephen’s voice played, with an audible threat aimed at him clearly audible in the background.
Later that night, Nancy Small received another call from the kidnapper, precisely at 11:46 p.m. This time, the call originated from a Marathon service station in Kankakee.
The caller, accusing Nancy of alerting the police, rejected her offer of the ransom.
Just minutes later, at 11:50 p.m., an officer from the Illinois State Police spotted Nancy Rish’s vehicle, its trunk partially open, heading from Kankakee toward Aroma Park.
Acting swiftly, law enforcement commenced surveillance on Edwards’ residence.
They observed a dark-coloured Buick arriving at the Bourbonnais house where Edwards and Rish resided, with its trunk partially open.
Edwards and his companion got out of the car and went inside.
In the early hours of September 3, officers executed a search of the premises and, consequently, Rish and Edwards were arrested.
Following the arrest, Edwards provided crucial information to law enforcement, leading them to the burial site.
There, within a dug-up area, a wooden box was uncovered, measuring approximately six feet in length and three feet in width.
Constructed from plywood, it contained a light connected to a car battery, a gallon jug of water, candy bars, gum, and a flashlight. Tragically, the victim’s lifeless body was found inside it.
An examination later established that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to suffocation.
The medical examiner noted that the enclosed box just wasn’t getting enough air, as the pipe extending from it to the surface couldn’t possibly provide Stephen with sufficient oxygen.
The expert concluded that survival inside the confined space wouldn’t have been possible beyond three to four hours.
During the trial, the prosecution presented additional evidence linking Danny Edwards to the crime. A neighbour of Edwards testified that on the night of the victim’s disappearance, around midnight, they overheard Edwards say, “Let’s go, let’s hit it,” before getting into his car and driving away.
Two more neighbours of the Small family reported seeing Edwards’ van or a similar vehicle parked in their neighbourhood after midnight on September 2.
One of the neighbours also noticed another car present during that time, heard the sound of two car doors closing, and watched both vehicles leave with their lights off.
Several witnesses saw Edwards building a wooden box in his garage during the summer of 1987, though he offered a number of explanations for the box. These included the intention to use it as a lemonade stand, or for his brother’s transportation needs.
Another neighbour of the Smalls recalled seeing a white van like Edwards’ pass through an alley adjacent to the Small residence approximately ten times during that summer.
Additionally, while Edwards and Rish were visiting a boat store, Edwards noticed Stephen Small leaving in a sports car and commented, “Boy, it sure would be nice to afford stuff like that.”
When Edwards’ home was searched upon his arrest, a Kankakee telephone book with the name “Small” circled was uncovered.
Edwards’ boots were found concealed behind a washer and dryer in his residence, and soil analysis confirmed that the soil on the boots matched a sample taken from the burial site of the box.
Soil inside Edwards’ van also matched the sample. Gloves found in his trash were covered in white caulking material, chemically identical to the caulking material used to seal the seams of the wooden box in which the victim was buried.
Moreover, Edwards’ fingerprints were found on PVC pipe and duct tape recovered from the box. It was revealed that he had acquired a pair of stolen handcuffs, which were later found on the victim.
A firearm reported stolen by an individual who owed Edwards was found by investigators in the countryside near Aroma Park.
Bolt cutters belonging to Edwards’ brother’s company were found between the spot where the box was unearthed and where the victim’s car was found.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury reached a verdict, finding Danny Edwards guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.
During the initial stage of a capital sentencing hearing the jury determined that Edwards was eligible for the death penalty, based on the fact that he had committed the crime in conjunction with the felony offence of aggravated kidnapping.
On October 1, Nancy Rish was indicted and formally charged with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping and, on November 2, 1988, she stood trial before a jury.
During the trial, no direct evidence was presented directly linking Rish to the crime. However, the prosecution was able to introduce eight inconsistent interrogation statements as evidence.
Witnesses were also called to testify, stating that they had seen her in the company of Danny Edwards on multiple occasions while he was buying the items that were later discovered with Small’s body.
Other witnesses reported observing Rish at various locations related to the kidnapping and ransom calls. The prosecution also submitted evidence that Edwards had used their shared garage to construct the wooden box in which Small’s body was found.
The jury found Rish guilty on both counts and she was sentenced to life plus 30 years but, after winning a reduction in her sentence, she was freed in 2022.
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