1958 Sackrider Hill Murder carilyn waldron john hixon

Somebody recently asked me if I've ever heard of “Murder Mountain” in Waterloo.

Well there's Murder Mountain hiking in the Waterloo Recreation area – the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail - with many scenic views and demanding trails. But I didn't think she was referring to hiking trails...she was talking about a place where someone was murdered many years ago, and the area is now supposed to be haunted.

Whereas the Murder Mountain hiking trails are said to possibly be named after a murder, it's possible it was named after Waterloo's most infamous “mountain”: Sackrider Hill, which some people have referred to as “Murder Mountain”. This is thanks to an actual crime that was committed there in the 1950s.

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Carilyn Waldron, a senior at Jackson High, was 16 years old when she was shot twice and killed by her ex-boyfriend, John Hixon, at Sackrider Hill over Labor Day weekend - September 1, 1958. Her body was found on the drive leading up to the old cross that used to be at the top of the hill.

After police searched all day and night, Hixon gave himself up the next day in Detroit. When asked why he shot her, he was quoted as saying “if I couldn't have her, no one else would either!” Carilyn had attempted to break up with Hixon by taking his ring off her finger and throwing it at him. Later that night, he picked her up at her aunt & uncle's house around 9:30, and that was the last time anyone else saw her alive.

What became of Hixon? He spent seven years in Ionia prison and according to his obituary, graduated from Spring Arbor College with a Bachelor's Degree in Arts and a major in business. He worked and lived in Ionia until he passed away on May 11, 2011 at the age of 70.

As for any haunting, well, yeah, it's extremely creepy up there at night, and there are trails that wind deep into the dark woods making it extra-extra scary. Once you park and reach the top of the hill, there are some wooden steps that lead you down into the dark forest. All I will say about any 'haunting' is that the imagination runs wild when you're in an atmosphere like this. Very scary..and any little noise like a chipmunk running across leaves or a twig snapping can freak out even the bravest.

As a sad footnote, Carilyn's twin sister Marilyn passed away at age 52 in October 1994.