On the eve of Sunday, January 18, 1970, Freshman Co-Ed’s, Mared Malarik and Karen Ferrell attended the 7:00pm showing of the movie Oliver! which was playing at the Metropolitan Theater in downtown Morgantown, WV.
While at the movie, they ran into a fellow dorm mate, Itsy Burns and her companion, Clarence Lewis (better known as Skip). When the movie concluded the group exited the theater, walking several blocks before parting ways. Itsy and Skip, were taking the bus back to campus, while Mared and Karen planned on hitchhiking back to their dorm, Westchester Hall. Itsy and Skip remember seeing the girls get into a cream /beige colored vehicle which was being driven by a caucasian male with dark hair. The couple found it odd that when the vehicle passed, neither Mared nor Karen made any attempt to acknowledge them as they drove past. This would be the last time Mared and Karen were seen alive.
Despite numerous protests from friends and family members, Mared and Karen were initially deemed ‘runaways’ who left Morgantown of their own free will. This notion was reinforced when reports trickled in claiming that a truck driver gave the girls ride from the J&J in Ripley. According to his account, he dropped them off in Charleston where they planned on hitching until they arrived in Ashland, Kentucky. The search was promptly scaled down following these reports.
On March 1, 1970, a young boy discovered the water logged purse of Mared Malarik while out collecting pop bottles. Neither the press nor the family would learn of this discovery for another month when the WVSP took over the search efforts for the missing Co-Eds from the Morgantown Police. The following month, a series of letters postmarked from Cumberland, MD arrived, seemingly taunting police as to the location of the girls remains. Over the next month various items belonging to the girls would show up, within a .25 mile radius of where the girls would ultimately be discovered.
On April 16, 1970, eighty eight (88) days after their disappearance, members of the National Guard stumbled upon the makeshift tomb which concealed the remains of the two (2) Co-Eds. Both bodies were found neatly clothed, and there was no sign of sexual assault. There was even a pack of cigarettes (with 2 cigarettes still in the pack) neatly tucked into the waistband of Mared’s pants. The bodies were stacked one on top of the other with Karen on top and Mared beneath. The clothing found on the bodies, matched what the young girls had been wearing at the time of their disappearance. But perhaps in juxtaposition to the way the trunks of the remains were found, the Co-Ed’s were missing one vital piece of their body: their heads.
As word of the discovery spread, the pressure for a killer to be located began to heat up. The investigation was given new life and thrust into the spotlight of the media. The bodies were taken to the West Virginia University Hospital to undergo autopsy. From this analysis Police were able to ascertain the following about the girls:
About 60% of Karen Ferrell’s remains were gone, presumably consumed by animals.
Mared was noted to have been in a much better form of preservation
The head of Mared Malarik was completely severed, whereas there was more neck with remained on Karen’s body.
It has been theorized that a hatchet was used to sever the heads, but it is not for certain how the girls ultimately met their fate. There were nicks in the sweater Karen had been wearing with ragged ends which further supports this theory.
Sadly, the search for the assailant of the missing Co-Ed’s went cold. Six (6) years went by before new life was brought back to the case by means of a confession of guilt from a NJ Prisoner by the name of Eugene Paul Clawson. After suffering traumatic nightmares where he claimed to have been haunted by the headless Co-Eds, Eugene Paul Clawson confessed to a cellmate, then to a prison guard, and finally to the WVSP.
According to Clawson’s account: he visited his mother in Point Marion, PA, borrowed a car and drove nine (9) miles to Morgantown where he picked up Mared and Karen. He claimed to have been under the influence of LSD and Marijuana. He took the girls to a secluded wooded area outside of Morgantown where he forced them to participate in sex acts. He shot one girl in the head, returned to the car where he grabbed a machete and proceeded to cut the head off the one girl. He later decapitated the other girl and dragged the bodies further into the woods where he covered them with logs and rocks. He threw the heads into the backseat of his vehicle and proceeded back to Point Marion, stopping along the way to have sex with the heads. He disposed of the heads and gun in a crevice, cleaned and returned the machete to his brother’s house.
Clawson’s trial was set for October 1976 in West Virginia. However, to everybody’s surprise, Clawson entered a plea of “Not Guilty” and recanted his previous confessions. When he ultimately went to trial, Clawson was found Guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the hope of parole. Clawson appealed the ruling and was ultimately given another trial which was scheduled for October 26, 1981. This second trial, took place in nearby Randolph County as a means to limit any bias locals of Monongalia County may have towards the case. Clawson was (again) found guilty but this time his sentence was reset as life imprisonment WITH the recommendation of parole. Clawson still to this day maintains his innocence in the case.
But which is it? Did Eugene Paul Clawson kill Mared and Karen? Did somebody else? Be sure to check out our two (2) part season finale on “The West Virginia University Co-Ed Murders” to learn more about the investigation into the missing Co-Eds and the trials of Eugene Paul Clawson premiering on August 17th and 31st respectively.
It has been fifty two (52) years since the murders of Mared Malarik and Karen Ferrell and to some, their case is still shrouded in mystery.
#WVUCoeds #CoEdMurders #WVU #WestVirginiaUniverity #MaredMalarik #KarenFerrell #WhoKilledMaredandKaren #WVUCoEdMurders #MaredandKaren #JusticeForMaredMalarik #JusticeForKarenFerrell #EugenePaulClawson #ColdCase #Unsolved #Solved
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References:
Books:
Bragg, George, Bragg, Melody. “West Virginia Unsolved Murders Book II”. The Death of Innocence: The WVU CoEd Murders. Pgs.1-15. Gem Publications. Beaver, WV.
Fuller, Geoffrey C., McLaughlin, S. James. “The WVU Co-Ed Murders: Who Killed Mared and Karen?”. The History Press. Charleston, SC. 2021
Newspapers:
The Dominion News
The Beckley Post Herald
The Register Herald
The Courier News
The Central New Jersey Home News
Podcasts:
The WVU Co-Ed Murders- Appalachian Mysteria- Season 1
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