More photographs of Ira Einhorn
As seen on Unsolved Mysteries on May 31, 1996.
SYNOPSIS: Ira Einhorn was a counter-culture hero. During the 1960s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the symbol of opposition to the war in Viet Nam. In 1970, he organized Earth Day, a pro-ecology festival still celebrated every year. Fortune 500 corporations found Einhorn irresistible, lining up to hire him for advice on trends of the future. In 1971, Ira Einhorn even ran for mayor of Philadelphia.
There was, however, a side of Ira Einhorn the crowds and news cameras never saw. In private, he was allegedly jealous, abusive, and self-centered. In 1979, Einhorn became the prime suspect in the disappearance of his one-time girlfriend, Holly Maddux. Ira Einhorn and Holly Maddux's 5- year relationship was stormy and marred by countless breakups. But in the beginning it had been different. Einhorn's charm and personality had seduced Holly Maddux. Holly, a one-time high school cheerleader, was the product of small-town Texas. She wandered into Ira's heady world during the fall of 1972 when they met in a cafe. Holly was apparently so overwhelmed by the force of Ira's personality that within a few days they were living together. Although Holly was considered intelligent and very creative in her own right, she was apparently overshadowed by the force of Ira's personality.
As the couple's relationship progressed, a friend eventually confronted Holly about Ira's apparent abuse after noticing unusual marks on Holly's neck. Holly began weaning herself from Ira and by July 1977, she walked out on him without bothering to pack her belongings. Holly wound up at a beach resort near New York City, where she began a romance with Saul Lapidus. On September 9, 1977, Ira Einhorn called Holly and was reportedly irate that Holly was involved with someone else. He insisted that she come to New York immediately to collect her belongings. When Holly didn't return as planned, Saul Lapidus and several of Holly's friends reported her absence to authorities. Philadelphia detectives interviewed Ira Einhorn, who confirmed that Holly did come to his apartment to pick up her things. Einhorn told police that while he was in the shower, Holly left his apartment, saying she was going to the store. He claimed he never saw her again.
Holly's disappearance didn't make sense to her family. They hired 2 former FBI agents to investigate. Their ambitious report filled hundreds of pages, contained dozens of interviews and detailed the events surrounding Holly's disappearance. The investigators located a couple who had gone to the movies with Ira and Holly during the weekend Holly went to pick up her belongings. It was the last time she was known to be alive. A few days later, Einhorn tried to convince friends to help him dump a large, heavy trunk in a near-by river. He claimed the trunk was filled with secret Russian documents. Finally, the tenants in the apartment below Einhorn's told investigators about a choking stench seeping into their apartment. They also showed them a sticky brown stain in the ceiling directly below a closet in Einhorn's apartment.
Authorities went to Einhorn's apartment on March 28, 1979. By then, Holly Maddux had been missing for 18 months. Armed with a search warrant, police raided Einhorn's apartment. There, inside a sealed trunk in a locked closet, they found the partially decomposed remains of Holly Maddux. But Einhorn came up with an explanation. He claimed the FBI and CIA had framed him by planting Holly's body in his closet. Einhorn's attorney, one-time Philadelphia D.A. Arlen Specter (now a U.S. senator) managed to get bail for Ira Einhorn. In January of 1981, 2 days before the start of his trial, Ira Einhorn fled the country. After a dozen years had passed, Philadelphia authorities made an extraordinary choice to put Einhorn on trial, in absentia, for the murder of Holly Maddux. It took the jury only 2 hours to find Ira Einhorn guilty.
Whether Einhorn ever learned of his conviction remains a matter of speculation. Since jumping bail, he has lived in Europe, primarily Ireland and Sweden. Einhorn was last known to be in the company of a woman named Annika Flodden. She is not suspected of any crime, and authorities believe she is totally unaware that Einhorn is a convicted killer.
View a photograph of Annika Flodden.
CLUES: Einhorn likes to play the ancient oriental game called "Go." He is also interested in old Germanic languages and was involved in poetry groups in Ireland. There have been no confirmed sightings of Annika Floddin since 1992, when she was seen in Dublin, Ireland.
WANTED FUGITIVE |
|
|---|---|
Ira Einhorn in 1971 |
Ira Einhorn in 1971 |
Ira Einhorn in 1974 |
Mug Shot of Ira Einhorn taken in 1979 |
Annika Flodden, thought to be Ira Einhorn's current girlfriend. |
|
This article contains copyrighted material that has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. MCF is offering this article available to our readers for the general purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching and/or research. We believe that our use of this material falls under the "fair use" provision of Title 17, Section 107 of the United States Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes other than that provided by law, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
| Back to MFC Index | Back to Hambones Index |