They Mysterious Death Of Aileen Conway Explained
On April 29, 1986, a burning car was found near Lawton, Oklahoma, on an isolated bridge (via Unsolved Mysteries). As the flames consumed the vehicle, officers realized that there was a body inside that was burned beyond recognition. When the fire subsided, they ran a computer check that led to the car's owner, Pat Conway. Shortly after, the victim was identified as his wife, Aileen. The Conways lived close by and had been married for over three decades. Although investigators quickly ruled Aileen's death as an accident, Pat Conway believed she had been the victim of foul play.
According to the Reasoned Crime Chronicle, he returned home a few hours after her death to a troubling scene. The patio door was open, the bathtub was full, an iron had been left on, and a hose was filling the swimming pool. In addition, the phone near the tub was off the hook. Per Unabashed Unsolved Mysteries Fan, Aileen had also left behind her purse, which carried her license and glasses. Even stranger? Neither Pat nor Aileen had ever been on the deserted highway she had been found on. Intent on figuring out what truly happened to his wife, Conway contacted Ray Anderson from the district attorney's office.
Pat Conway died without ever knowing what happened
Ray Anderson believed Pat Conway was merely a grieving husband. Upon learning the strange circumstances surrounding Aileen's death, he changed his tune. Unsolved Mysteries reported that Conway and Anderson headed to the crash site to investigate. There, they found a church flier that Conway knew had been on his wife's dashboard. Aileen was known for driving with the windows up with the air conditioning on. How had the flier made it out? Anderson theorized that someone else had been in the car with Aileen.
As he put it, an unknown person had "opened the door, set the accelerator, and slammed it into drive" to make it look like an accident. Per Unabashed Unsolved Mysteries Fan, the car's gas cap was missing and the "presence of an accelerant" was also found. With these discoveries, authorities changed Aileen's cause of death from "accidental" to "unexplained." The real question remained. Why would anyone do this to the Oklahoma housewife?
According to the Reasoned Crime Chronicle, it's believed that Aileen was the victim of a burglary and had "interrupted" the robbers. In the weeks leading up to her alleged murder, several robberies had occurred in the Lawton area. Though there are other theories, the case remains unsolved. Conway later said he would "never quit" searching for answers. Sadly, he died in 2013 without knowing the truth. A Facebook page for Aileen remains active and asks for tips and information regarding her death.