Dark History: The Case of Margaret ”Peggy” Mortimer

1937 - Mexico, Missouri

On the eve of Thanksgiving in 1937, 46-year-old Margaret Mortimer, who went by Peggy, was just steps from her front door when she was attacked and killed by an unknown assailant.

Investigators found few clues and no obvious suspects, despite a city-wide manhunt. And as early leads faded, local police turned to Ira Cooper, the St. Louis Police Department’s first Black lieutenant, hoping his sterling reputation could bring answers to a case already slipping away.

The murder shocked the industrial town of Mexico, Missouri. Peggy was well known and widely liked, with no clear enemies. But on that cold November night, someone was waiting—and the question remains: who?

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/margaret-peggy-mortimer

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