A Community’s Worst Nightmare
When the three friends failed to return that night in Chicago, their families’ concern quickly turned to panic. In an era when children routinely walked neighborhoods unaccompanied and parents felt secure in their communities, the disappearance of three boys simultaneously was unthinkable, raising fears of possible murder in Chicago.
The search that followed mobilized the entire Chicago community. Police, volunteers, and desperate family members scoured the city, hoping against hope for any sign of the missing children.
The Peterson-Schuessler murders marked a turning point in American consciousness about child safety. The case shattered the illusion of the safe, innocent 1950s neighborhood where children could roam freely without fear. Parents across Chicago—and indeed across the nation—began to view their communities with new wariness.
Loop Theater
Loop theater then and more recently. We had to use a Google Maps photo of the location due to not being able to locate the photograph we took. As you can see the Loop has been replaced and is no
Drake Bowl
Drake bowl c. 1970’s and the location as of 2024
Witnesses reported this as one of the final locations where the three boys were spotted alive. Multiple sightings were documented at various places that evening, though little of the original area survives today.
Schuessler Residence
House where John and Anton Schuessler lived. We were driving past and could only get a clear shot of the house from this spot. Sorry about the quality of the house.
Peterson house
Farnsworth Elementary School
John Schuessler and Robert Peterson were both eighth-grade students, while Anton Schuessler was in the sixth grade at Farnsworth School at the time of their deaths. All three boys were described as good students who maintained clean records with no history of disciplinary incidents at school. They were well-regarded by their teachers and peers.
A Gruesome and Chilling Discovery
The boys' bodies were eventually discovered in Robinson's Woods Forest Preserve, south of Chicago, discarded in a ditch "like unwanted trash." The scene was a parent's worst nightmare made real—three young lives cut brutally short.
The medical examination revealed the horrific details of their final moments. All three boys had been strangled, and Robert Peterson had suffered additional trauma, having been "slashed across the head 14 times." The violence inflicted on these innocent children shocked even hardened investigators.
Remembering the Victims
Today, more than six decades later, the names Robert Peterson, John Schuessler, and Anton Schuessler serve as a somber reminder of innocence lost. Their story represents not just a single tragic crime, but a moment when America began to confront the reality that evil could strike anywhere, even in the heart of seemingly safe communities.
The three boys who set out for an evening at the movies became symbols of every parent’s deepest fear—and their memory continues to remind us of the preciousness of childhood and the importance of protecting those who cannot protect themselves
Service for John and Anton Schuessler
On the morning of October 22, 1955, at 10:00 AM, a solemn funeral service was held at St. Joseph Cemetery for brothers John and Anton Schuessler Jr. The ceremony drew a large gathering of mourners who came to pay their respects to the young boys whose lives were tragically cut short.
Service for Robert Peterson
On October 20, 1955, at 2:00 PM, family, friends, and community members gathered at Jefferson Park Lutheran Church in Chicago to bid farewell to young Robert Peterson. The service, held separately from the Schuessler brothers' funeral, provided an opportunity for those who knew Robert to honor his memory and share in collective grief.
A Father’s Broken Heart
The tragedy's ripple effects extended far beyond the immediate crime. Anton Schuessler, Sr., just 41 years old, faced the unimaginable loss of both his children in a single, senseless act. The grief proved too much for the devastated father—he died of a heart attack just one month after the murders, leaving behind a widow who had lost her entire family in the span of weeks. He is bueried alongside his 2 sons.
The Long Wait for Justice
While one family was completely destroyed, the surviving relatives of Robert Peterson and the remaining Schuessler family members faced a different torment altogether: forty years of living without answers. In the 1950s, without today’s forensic science and DNA technology, cases like this hinged on witness accounts, confessions, or fortunate breaks in the investigation that might never come.
The long-awaited resolution arrived in September 1995 when Kenneth Hansen stood trial for first-degree murder. Witnesses came forward to testify that Hansen had murdered the three boys in a tack room at the Idle Hour stable he once owned. Prosecutors presented evidence that Hansen had sexually assaulted at least one victim before strangling all three children. The court sentenced him to 200 to 300 years in prison.
Throughout those four decades, the grieving families lived with an impossible burden – mourning their children while knowing the person responsible might be living freely in their own community. Hansen’s conviction finally closed one of Chicago’s most haunting unsolved cases, yet no courtroom verdict could undo the years of torment that had consumed the families since October 1955. Kenneth Hansen died in prison in 2007 at age 74, taking with him any remaining secrets about that horrific night.
