The Heartland Massacre is actually the fourth episode of The 1980s: The Deadliest Decade, and tells the story of Missouri’s largest mass murder, which took place during the Farm Crisis. The episode airs on Investigation Discovery on Wednesday night and reveals a chilling crime where an entire family was wiped out, with suspicion falling on a 14-year-old boy.
In September 1985, 36-year-old James E. Schnick from rural Elkland, Missouri, was charged with the murder of seven members of his wife’s family. The victims included Schnick’s wife, her brother, and the brother’s wife and children.
Initially, suspicion fell on Schnick’s 14-year-old nephew, as the murder weapon was found in his right hand, despite the boy being left-handed. However, as the episode unfolds, we learn that during a two-hour interrogation, Schnick confessed to the horrific crime.
The Heartland Massacre, an episode of The 1980s: The Deadliest Decade, airs on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 10:00 PM on Investigation Discovery.
