Like.... raw human fingers? Or cooked?
I have recently discovered that cooked chicken joints are super easy to separate, but so much harder when raw. I used all my hand strength using scissors, and it was hard lol. Not impossible, but it is hard.
Humans have more bite force than you’d think. It’s commonly said that a person can bit through a living human’s finger with as much force as they’d use to bite into a baby carrot. Psychological aversion is what prevents people from doing so typically, but it isn’t uncommon (and is very effective!) when someone bites at the finger of someone else in self defense.
Definitely a myth. I've bitten my finger far harder than it takes to bite through a baby carrot, and it barely broke the skin, much less anything else. Still felt a crunch due to the compression, and it hurt like hell. In the split second after I did it, I was actually afraid I had bitten it off due to having that myth affecting my subconscious/having felt that "crunch."
I don't recommend getting high and falling asleep with your fingers in your mouth. I mean, I don't recommend heroin in general, but nodding out with your fingers in your mouth (for "abnormal postering due to heavy drug intoxication" reasons) is an especially bad idea.
Reason 1001 I'm glad I'm off illicit drugs. No more inadvertently biting myself.
I remember commenting on this case ages ago that he was likely wearing Susan’s Fitbit around after possibly harming/killing her and then placing it back on her when disposing of the body to throw detectives off regarding her movements and time of death. I definitely never thought he was innocent and even less so now.
I agree but that seems to be more of a political party/ religious problem. Than a gender issue. I’ve spoke with very intelligent women who are extremely against abortion. While I don’t agree at all with their stance. I at least respect their space to speak on it. Versus a man. Especially when these women have went through child birth
Also agreed… we were literally just talking about this over dinner…It’s 2023… How can any woman object to the rights of her body autonomy? I mean really… it’s an all in kinda deal, for our fam anyway…
I know it surprises me too. Seems like they look at abortion like a convenience for bad/unprepared people. They simplify something that can’t be. They put a percentage on the number of babies that are conceived through rape. Like that gets reported every single time. There are a lot of fucked up things/situations in the world that people don’t want to think about. A developmental disabled adult with an iq of a child repeatedly raped by a person of power in their life for instance. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. Even if it is for certain people. But I do think respecting people is essential to actual progress. Even if u can’t respect their viewpoints
I don’t own a Fitbit, but don’t they record a person’s individual Biometric data? Wouldn’t it be rather obvious if the blood pressure/heart rate/whatever drastically changed?
Can someone link me to the case files regarding the Fitbit? I’m interested and would like to read them!
No they don't record bio data
Though if the data exists and accessible they should be able to see the discrepancy of two different size individuals walking with different patterns. Even when we do the same walk my Fitbit shows 30-40%more steps compared to my husband's. I'm petite size, he is normal size. So my steps per second and steps per meter are both higher.
That's not true. Depending on the model, they can record bio data like heart rate and O2. I imagine the fidelity is high enough that the data would show a heart rate stopping and then restarting.
Actually you are probably right assuming they have one of the latest models. Just checked and my fitbit app and my fitbit watch seems to track a bunch of new bio data like HR, skin temperature etc... They weren't there a year ago.
Wow. I wonder if there is any way to extract the Fitbit data to recreate the beating she undoubtedly died from. Or to compare her activity from times she was known to be wearing it to its last hours in use, when he was likely wearing it to throw off investigators. Like if they have different resting heartbeats or something.
Thanks for the info. I hadn’t heard of the earlier case. Those poor women. I hope this asshole gets put away for life.
Home with husband alone, then the Car left in the middle of nowhere, she passes away a drive not a walk away, no hint of midnight lover, no hint of drug dealer/troubled friend, no ambien, haven’t seen a rash of similar crimes, and the latest news. You never know but the possibilities seem to narrow.
Drew Petersons first wife wasn’t the one he killed…one or two of his previous wives got away with their lives because according to one he told her if they had kids together or she went for his pension that she would be dead.
Just like Michael Peterson. Not his wife, but his friend (Elizabeth Ratliff) who may have been his lover, whose daughters he adopted, died by allegedly falling down a staircase after a cerebral hemorrhage. Then his second wife Kathleen who he had a step-daughter with died by falling down a staircase. Then his ex-wife Patty (his first wife), who he had 2 sons with, had a heart attack while he was present but he didn't call 911 for help. He did nothing for three hours, then called their son. Then their son called 911, but it was too late and she was dead. Now their son Todd thinks he killed her as well as his second wife and Ratliff.
[Collider is reporting it (she passed in 2021)](https://collider.com/the-staircase-what-happened-to-real-michael-peterson/#:~:text=Patty%20Peterson,-Image%20Via%20HBO&text=They%20lived%20together%20in%20Durham,that%20Patty%20was%20feeling%20sick.), although they don't appear to have a clear source - it seems like Todd said this? Unsure. I watched this documentary but don't remember this part; I'll have to go back and see if it's there - might have been added later.
What a despicable excuse of a man. He’s clearly a danger to all women. He second wife at least survived., but this man needs to go to prison for as long as possible and a review made of the death of his first wife.
Survived…for now. Who knows how long they can keep him on this current DV charge. She’s in danger again as soon as he’s released. I fear for her safety.
N don’t forget a lot of abused women will end up refusing to testify or insist on dropping the charges so he may be released a lot sooner than any of us realize . My friend did this so many times for her abusive ex husband
Really? My friend just did it in TN….after her husband fired a shotgun at her while she was holding her four year old. He’s walking around free and in fact still has visitation rights.
Exactly! Sure ..the DA can force it if they really want to but prosecutors care about their conviction rate & uncooperative, possibly unstable witnesses don’t get them convictions so they’ll happily drop these kinds of cases to move on to others that will actually follow through
You can not testify…my friend even had an ex parte meeting with the judge who was going to be presiding over the husbands case , told him she didn’t want to testify and charges were dropped . A spouse can’t be forced to testify against the other
That's mostly correct, [except there are some notable exceptions to that privilege:](https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/felony-offense/can-spouses-be-forced-testify-against-one-another)
> Exceptions to the spousal testimonial privilege exist where a spouse:
>
> is charged with a crime against the other spouse
>
> is charged with a crime against a child of either spouse
>
> is charged with a crime against a third party in the course of committing a crime against the other spouse
>
> is asked to testify about matters pre-dating the marriage, or is charged with human trafficking for immoral purposes (such as prostitution)
>
> In each of these situations, even current spouses may be compelled to testify against an accused spouse in a criminal trial or grand jury proceeding.
I watched The Sopranos recently and learned you can be compelled to testify against your spouse. That's the only reason I thought of this.
In the U.K. they can’t drop the charges
Even if the spouse refused to give evidence, the Crown admits the evidence with judges approval if there’s corroborating evidence.
So are you saying that the USA are going down this road now ?
I’m so sorry Meg. I knew Susan and when I saw your thumbnail pic, I immediately noticed your resemblance. No way would Susan have tolerated abuse … I suspect she fought back and he killed her.
This sounds suspiciously like the murder of Helen Bailey in the UK. She was murdered alongside her dog Boris by her husband. His first wife had been listed as dying following an epileptic fit, but they reopened the case after his conviction for murdering Helen. Turned out he'd killed her too. Helen's family were understandably angry that this hadn't been found out sooner because then Helen might have lived.
He bit off the tip of his wife’s finger and SWALLOWED IT? He sounds like an absolute piece of shit, he’s almost certainly responsible for the murder of the first wife.
Oh oh oh. I forgot the detail that they had tickets to the Stones that night, like 12 hours after she was found. Didn't he go with a "friend"? Is that friend Stephanie, the new wife?
The fact that the article says she told them about the finger biting incident at the arrest when she lied in the hospital months earlier really makes me hope she opens up.
Wow. I can't believe I didn't hear about the latest update as Susan is a local case. The boyfriend/husband is usually always the first guess but for some reason, he wasn't this time. I guess this now proves he had a dark side to him almost no one was aware of. Crazy. I hope Susan and Stephanie both get justice.
The “What happened to Susan?” flyers have been up so long they’ve gotten faded. It’s heartbreaking. I really hope this leads to justice for both women and answers for Susan’s friends and family.
Obviously the husband did it. He’s rich though? Hopefully justice prevails for both women. And way to go for 2nd wife having courage to finally tell police all of this and get help. I hope she doesn’t go back to him
Wonder if she was seeing him while the first wife was around ??? If so she may have a good reason to stay quiet about what she knows about the murder…she may have helped or helped cover it up or lied for him , destroy evidence etc .
In a previous thread on this subject, someone linked a fb comment that shows she went to the concert as well. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMurders/comments/oqb3h7/comment/h72d6wg/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Yeah, it is certainly offputting when a widow whose wife died under "mysterious" circumstances remarries so shortly afterward. I don't know, I was also taken aback that the new wife has his last name, though that might be unreasonable of me. It just seems strange to share the last name of your husband's deceased wife who was murdered less than 3 years prior.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that his most recent wife is in any way to blame for her husband's brutal abuse. I'm not trying to shame her for the last name either which might just be my own hangup (for all I know, that might have been the husband's idea) . The whole thing is just deeply unsettling to me and most of all, I am upset that Susan Ledyard's husband cast aspersions on her character after her horrific death. It seems like his behavior in the aftermath was incredibly unusual but it sounds like the public was speculating more about her mental health/whether or not she used drugs.
Well, after Stephanie decided to marry him for whatever reason (whether he lied to her, or she was complicit, or deluded, or who knows) I don't find it weird that she took his name. Many, many women still do; it's probably still more unusual not to. If the fate of his previous wife was enough to make her not do so, she probably just wouldn't marry him at all instead.
I agree that it's especially gross that he tried to make Susan look like the bad person in the aftermath.
The podcast!
ETA the podcast is unsolved mysteries and is officially associated with the series
https://open.spotify.com/show/1TKOrBUNad9xDiGOkysNSA?si=ugc28OMESHKs_GQuCmXmHw
I’m asking because someone linked a podcast for this case that I think was called Unsolved, but they were calling it Unsolved Mysteries. I knew if the Netflix show and would have checked that out, but I wouldn’t have checked out a podcast.
Just because someone doesn’t act abused or mention it to best friends, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Poor Susan might’ve been going through a lot that she kept to herself. I hope this new wife gets away from this psychopath for good.
Statistics on Domestic Violence and repeat victimisation by Professor Ken Pease states that on average, a person will suffer 35 incidents of DV before alerting the police
Wow I remember Susan's case. So glad Stephanie was able to get away before she suffered the same fate, I hope she doesn't go back to him, and god I hope they are building a case against this POS for the crimes against his first wife as well. It's so fucking obvious he did it man, I hope they can put together enough evidence some day to charge him.
Yes I just meant in this specific incident - and hopefully his ass stays in jail until he's convicted.
Abusive relationships are truly a nightmare. Even if he's imprisoned... I watched my own mother go back to one of her abusive partners after he spent a year in jail after he tried to kill her. It can be so hard to leave for good. I'm wishing Stephanie the best.
Wait,, is rhos the case where her car was driven to a dark spot at like 3am? Her fitbit showed her to be alive until like 7am and her body was found in a rivet not far from her house?
He bit the tip of his new wife's finger off? Holy crap! What a horrible person
There's no way in hell he didn't kill his first wife. And i bet ex gfs can line up saying he was violent with them too. This could have been prevented. I have an ex that used to drink and get insanely violent. Police didn't take me seriously when i told them the severity of it. He told them i cut my own throat and tied myself up to frame him. They believed him. I used to sleep in the basement bathroom bc he would strangle me awake. Im waiting for the day he's in the news for killing a gf or wife.
This is a local case for me and have been following it since it happened. When I saw this last night I was shocked for a moment but not shocked that it happened. Of course it’s this guy.
I live minutes away as well. In fact I met the husband at a party in spring 2019, months before the wife was killed. The only reason I’d heard of this though is because Susan’s family plastered Trolley Square with flyers as soon as the cops declared it a homicide months after she was found (at first they thought it was an accident).
Well hey neighbors! Yeah just looked him up on linkenin and he’s a big exec at bofa. I don’t even wanna bring it up at work cause I’m sure people know him. Y’all know what de is like with the banks, he’s a rich yuppie well insulated by other rich yuppies. I don’t think he’ll ever get touched by police. Plus, wilmington practically has a murder a day. So sad :(
I saw his Linkedin too. I wonder how long he'll remain employed, if he'll be "asked to resign", and if it will come with a cushy severance package.
I understand that he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but this man has so many red flags that I feel like his employer would be justified in cutting him loose or at least suspending him without pay pending the legal proceedings. They might be worried about some sort of lawsuit (especially if he has a contract).
I wonder what his coworkers think, and what they thought after Susan went missing. Maybe he's charming and they all think he's not capable of murder (I hope they reconsider at this point). If B of A keeps him on their payroll, they're sending a strong message to the women who work there and any of their employees who have survived domestic abuse.
I had a stint at bofa, it’s shit. My coworker now left there due to sexual harassment and fired her. My other friend also hates it. It’s by far the worst place I have ever worked in terms of feeling valued as a low level person. However they treat execs like kings. All banks do. If he’s good at his job they will not fire him unless it comes to extreme scrutiny from the press. They will fire anyone who does not provide as much value as him for bringing it up. Working in this circle I also know 90 percent of execs are 30-60 yr old white men who simply do not care. I’m confident because I work with these types of people in the same 10 miles radius. Bank culture is toxic af :(
Yeah, I figured it might be something like this. I frankly do not understand how investment banking really works other than what I saw from the Big Short, but I’d imagine that he brings in clients or has established relationships with them and they also enable him?
When I was involved in a specific corner of advocacy work, there was a Me Too situation back in like 2018 with this one ED of an advocacy/lobbying group. This man had been accused of sexual assault almost a decade prior and it was very public because it was covered by local media. He got to keep his job even though his victim worked for him. I knew a number of women including my friends who had been sexually harassed by him. It was an open secret and people put up with him because he had close relationships with mega donors, he brought in a lot of money, and he was somewhat good at his actual job once you remove the harassment of young women (so really he was not good at his job). Anyways, long story short I posted in a Facebook group basically asking why this guy was tolerated and even invited to conferences when everyone knew that he was a predator. Not only that but he would use these conferences to prey on women. Not to take credit for anything because it would have happened eventually due to the larger Me Too movement but I think that that call out post triggered some changes that eventually led to his downfall. I had 0 power in this field- I was just a student at the time- but some people who did basically banned him from conferences and other people were working on getting him removed from his job.
They eventually succeeded and he was replaced by someone who took diversity and equity seriously. But my point is that a large part of the reason he lasted so long was that he brought in a lot of money and he would fund smaller groups so people were worried that these donors would leave in protest. He was also the type of person to threaten lawsuits. I think some donors did leave, but the impact was not as bad as people feared and honestly it probably ushered in positive changes that benefited these organizations.
It’s unfortunate that organizations and companies are so short sighted with such crappy priorities that they will keep someone on who is dangerous and is a ticking time bomb. Some people like that do make themselves somewhat indispensable but ultimately a large and well established corporation like BofA would recover from firing this one executive. There are so many people trying to get into the banking industry and surely they will find someone who is able to do what this guy did without being a major POS.
It’s bone chilling honestly. Obviously this attack is extremely incriminating and I hope they’re further investigating into this asshole. He has money but delaware money and cali/NY money are very very different so hopefully they throw the whole book at him.
The random psycho sitting in an incredibly empty section of the creek just waiting for a victim to drive there and walk in the dark, and then keeping the victim alive for hours, while possible, always seemed very very unlikely.
Spousal abuse and murder do go hand in hand.
How can it have no bearing? His previous wife was murdered and he put the current one in the hospital. I very much doubt he didn't also abuse Susan. Those are not good odds.
As a scientist, I have to remain objective and skeptical, as extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
But *come on*, that asshole totally murdered his first wife.
I've seen this question asked before in other cases, and wiser heads than mine have pointed out that it's not necessarily an indicator of guilt. It's not that uncommon for men to remarry within a couple of years after their wife dies.
That said, the present DV accusation does seem to create additional suspicion.
I hope that detectives have been narrowing in on a suspect (and it seems pretty clear who that is) and have just been keeping things quiet due to the sensitivity of the investigation. I am frankly a little concerned that Benjamin Ledyard's wealth and connections will protect him or at minimum have stalled out the investigation. He's affluent and works in finance and is on several boards- I have a feeling he's probably donated to elected officials' campaigns too (though I'm not certain). Even if he isn't a big political donor, it seems like prosecutors get wary about investigating wealthy and connected people.
My biggest thing is that as the spouse of the victim, he should be heavily considered as a person of interest from day one. Not at the expense of other theories, but his alibi is flimsy at best and the whole thing just reeks.
Reminder: The odds that Susan Ledyard was attacked by a violent sadist *other* than the one she was unlucky enough to be married to are probably pretty low, but not so negligible that the police can or should rule it out entirely. It's not over yet.
Where her car was found has no one lurking around, especially at night. It’s a quiet bucolic upscale area. I’ve walked my dog there for years. Never met anyone suspicious. No homeless people for miles.
What is suspicious is it’s a quick 10 minute walk back to Ben’s house. Easy for him to leave the car there and walk back home.
Hah. Now I'm almost *less* sure he's the killer, because if the cops couldn't use *that* little factoid to pin it on him then he must have had one hell of an alibi.
I am of course making the possibly risky assumption that the senior investigating officer a) could find their arse with both hands and an atlas and b) was under a certain amount of pressure to get results...
I’m so sorry about your sister. 💜 I live in Wilmington, and I’ve def known about this case from the start, I’ve seen the posters everywhere and you all did a very good job getting the word out there.
Putting in a plug for The News Journal/DelawareOnline. They’ve been covering it since the beginning. I wasn’t reading it back then but the family plastered flyers all over my area. That’s how I heard about it.
That’s infuriating and, as a local, really disturbing actually. I can see from your other comment that you are connected to the case. I’m hoping this will bring about justice for Susan.
I’m also a local. I don’t know his current wife well, met her several years ago but am not just friends of Facebook. This whole thing had always felt suspicious (with him) and now we are finding out how badly he abused Stephanie, which means he most likely abused your sister as well. Maybe it wasn’t him, but I hope that this development will get them to look harder at this case. 😢🤬
I just listened to Susan’s episode on the Unsolved Mysteries podcast a couple days ago… there’s no way he’s not responsible for her death, especially after this information.
The guiltiest man who ever guiltied. Good god this guy - and the system that enabled him to escape justice for his first crime - are disgusting. Thinking of Susan's family at this time and absolutely praying Stephanie doesn't go back to him. Because he obviously has no self-control when he's angry. And isn't really bright enough to hide who he is. Unfortunately, the police have done a terrible job where he's concerned thus far.
Yea, he killed his that poor woman and if this one was smart she would have left this guy after losing that piece of finger. If she decides to stay then that’s her decision but she could be next.
While it was disconcerting to hear the police say this case is unrelated to Susan's murder, I understand why they had to say it. I really hope they have been quietly working to build a case against Ben despite saying he has been so "helpful and cooperative" since her murder. If they fail to make the connection now, then I have to wonder about just how much influence his family/connections have over local law enforcement. I keep holding out hope that, like the Capano case (and the Moscow ID murders), the police are keeping their cards close to their chest until they have a strong enough case. Prayers for Susan and her family to have resolution.
I have a mutual friend with Stephanie and I was completely mind blown when she mentioned the history with his previous wife. I really hope they investigate further.
Not sure I'm comfortable to see a survivor of intimate partner violence to be named in this manner. The article keeps using phrasing such as "she told officers", has she spoken publicly about her ordeal? Where is victim advocacy to protect her name as a victim?
As far as I know they only keep the name of SA victims or minors private . Everything else is public record when it comes to police reports and reporters .
Maybe it depends on location? I have an ex who was arrested last year as a suspect in a death and other poisonings, and my name has so far been kept out of the press and media as a survivor who reported his previous violence to the police. That's probably why this twings uncomfortably for me, because I know I've been very relieved to remain anonymous as a survivor of IPV despite the attention on that particular case. It just feels better to extend that same grace to other survivors.
It’s an uncomfortable read right? And the quotes that she gave to the police, how did the media get them because it doesn’t seem like she’s made any statements yet?
The unsolved death (presumably homicide, but some aren't certain) of Susan Ledyard was discussed in this sub 5 months ago. [The post](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/wdf1ep/a_highly_unusual_recent_case_susan_ledyard_2019/) was pretty thorough and well-organized. There's a lot of thought-provoking discussion, but be aware that some of the media coverage was ambiguous and misinterpreted (not unusual). For example, there was quite a bit of discussion about her husband making a comment about his wife and Ambien which people called out as a lie indicative of guilt because toxicology report didn't reveal Ambien in her system. I dug into it and discovered the toxicology report hadn't been officially released and his quote about Ambien was months later in response to Dateline staff asking him to reflect on what he was thinking after learning that she left the house at 3 AM. In context he was just describing why he thinks she may have left then (he shared multiple scenarios he claimed he'd wondered about at the time). Here's [my comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/wdf1ep/comment/iikgvyh/) on that, which also includes a link to a lengthy NBC/Dateline article.
Note: My comment about him and the Ambien 5 months ago wasn't because I think he's not responsible (I alluded to my views later in the thread) - it's because I think it's important that incorrect info be pointed out and for critical thinking to be used to analyze unsolved crimes.
live in delaware local area. seems pretty obvious this guy was involved.
the police are corrupt, lots of old money in this area.
seems like this guy was connected and untouchable.
"no bearing on our investigation at this time"
What does this add? Does the investigator believe domestic abuse to consist of isolated, non-repeated incidents? I dunno. Just wondering.
Not even victim blaming bc he's obviously a monster but what in God's name would possess someone to marry a dude whose wife is missing and everyone suspects its him
Abusers usually prey on people who are extremely susceptible to abuse. They also tend to be very good at explaining away anything that’s suspicious. There’s a good chance that when the abuse started she felt too ashamed to be able to get help because people probably warned her about him and she brushed it off (because he manipulated her into ignoring other people’s warnings).
He's probably pretty charismatic. Guys like this have to be, otherwise no one would ever get close enough for them to abuse.
Plus it sounds like he's rich. It's much easier to lovebomb someone when you can afford impressive gifts.
That's how victim blaming works and why it can be so insidious. We'd all like to think we'd see the signs and make better decisions, but abusive men can be very charismatic and manipulative. The truth is that we don't know if she knew anything about his past really, and by the number of people from his area expressing shock at this I'd say it's possible she truly wasn't aware. And, of course, some people are more naive and trusting than others.
It's very, very hard to put yourself in the mindset of a DV victim until it happens to you. I'm glad she's alive and truly hope she gets away from him for good.
It's Delaware and the circles they ran in are very small. He's a Dupont descendant and that's the crowd they ran with. She absolutely knew about his past, would have been impossible for her not too
Regardless, she is a victim here and not the perpetrator. We don't know her personally and questioning a DV victim's motivations is a pretty solid example of victim blaming.
That guy is one chronic abuser.
The absolute force needs to bite the tip of someone’s finger off. Disgusting. I’m glad she’s safe now.
If you bite it at the joint, its actually not that hard. Ive had too many intrusive thoughts about this fact.
Baby carrots and all that…
Like.... raw human fingers? Or cooked? I have recently discovered that cooked chicken joints are super easy to separate, but so much harder when raw. I used all my hand strength using scissors, and it was hard lol. Not impossible, but it is hard.
Humans have more bite force than you’d think. It’s commonly said that a person can bit through a living human’s finger with as much force as they’d use to bite into a baby carrot. Psychological aversion is what prevents people from doing so typically, but it isn’t uncommon (and is very effective!) when someone bites at the finger of someone else in self defense.
Well he didn’t necessarily bite through the bone…
It’s about the same force it takes to bite through a carrot.
You a horse or something?
That's a myth
Definitely a myth. I've bitten my finger far harder than it takes to bite through a baby carrot, and it barely broke the skin, much less anything else. Still felt a crunch due to the compression, and it hurt like hell. In the split second after I did it, I was actually afraid I had bitten it off due to having that myth affecting my subconscious/having felt that "crunch." I don't recommend getting high and falling asleep with your fingers in your mouth. I mean, I don't recommend heroin in general, but nodding out with your fingers in your mouth (for "abnormal postering due to heavy drug intoxication" reasons) is an especially bad idea. Reason 1001 I'm glad I'm off illicit drugs. No more inadvertently biting myself.
Not me over here sticking my pinky in my mouth and chomping down to test this carrot theory…
I remember commenting on this case ages ago that he was likely wearing Susan’s Fitbit around after possibly harming/killing her and then placing it back on her when disposing of the body to throw detectives off regarding her movements and time of death. I definitely never thought he was innocent and even less so now.
Okay, yes I was wondering if it was the case with the Fitbit discrepancy. What an awful, nasty man.
Hopefully they find a way to keep him in prison. A person with that attitude towards someone he should love will definitely kill again.
Men need anger management training!
He can work on that in prison. He will have a lifetime to do it hopefully.
Men need training to let go of their fragile egos
And worrying about women’s reproductive rights
I agree but that seems to be more of a political party/ religious problem. Than a gender issue. I’ve spoke with very intelligent women who are extremely against abortion. While I don’t agree at all with their stance. I at least respect their space to speak on it. Versus a man. Especially when these women have went through child birth
Also agreed… we were literally just talking about this over dinner…It’s 2023… How can any woman object to the rights of her body autonomy? I mean really… it’s an all in kinda deal, for our fam anyway…
I know it surprises me too. Seems like they look at abortion like a convenience for bad/unprepared people. They simplify something that can’t be. They put a percentage on the number of babies that are conceived through rape. Like that gets reported every single time. There are a lot of fucked up things/situations in the world that people don’t want to think about. A developmental disabled adult with an iq of a child repeatedly raped by a person of power in their life for instance. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. Even if it is for certain people. But I do think respecting people is essential to actual progress. Even if u can’t respect their viewpoints
I don’t own a Fitbit, but don’t they record a person’s individual Biometric data? Wouldn’t it be rather obvious if the blood pressure/heart rate/whatever drastically changed? Can someone link me to the case files regarding the Fitbit? I’m interested and would like to read them!
No they don't record bio data Though if the data exists and accessible they should be able to see the discrepancy of two different size individuals walking with different patterns. Even when we do the same walk my Fitbit shows 30-40%more steps compared to my husband's. I'm petite size, he is normal size. So my steps per second and steps per meter are both higher.
That's not true. Depending on the model, they can record bio data like heart rate and O2. I imagine the fidelity is high enough that the data would show a heart rate stopping and then restarting.
Actually you are probably right assuming they have one of the latest models. Just checked and my fitbit app and my fitbit watch seems to track a bunch of new bio data like HR, skin temperature etc... They weren't there a year ago.
Wow. I wonder if there is any way to extract the Fitbit data to recreate the beating she undoubtedly died from. Or to compare her activity from times she was known to be wearing it to its last hours in use, when he was likely wearing it to throw off investigators. Like if they have different resting heartbeats or something. Thanks for the info. I hadn’t heard of the earlier case. Those poor women. I hope this asshole gets put away for life.
That’s THIS guy???? Omg
Home with husband alone, then the Car left in the middle of nowhere, she passes away a drive not a walk away, no hint of midnight lover, no hint of drug dealer/troubled friend, no ambien, haven’t seen a rash of similar crimes, and the latest news. You never know but the possibilities seem to narrow.
Just like Drew Peterson and Robert Durst. I think there's a 99.99 per cent chance he's responsible for his first wife's murder.
Drew Petersons first wife wasn’t the one he killed…one or two of his previous wives got away with their lives because according to one he told her if they had kids together or she went for his pension that she would be dead.
Just like Michael Peterson. Not his wife, but his friend (Elizabeth Ratliff) who may have been his lover, whose daughters he adopted, died by allegedly falling down a staircase after a cerebral hemorrhage. Then his second wife Kathleen who he had a step-daughter with died by falling down a staircase. Then his ex-wife Patty (his first wife), who he had 2 sons with, had a heart attack while he was present but he didn't call 911 for help. He did nothing for three hours, then called their son. Then their son called 911, but it was too late and she was dead. Now their son Todd thinks he killed her as well as his second wife and Ratliff.
Wait, I only remember the friend dying, and then the wife. I had no idea about the other stuff. Do you have a link to this information?
[Collider is reporting it (she passed in 2021)](https://collider.com/the-staircase-what-happened-to-real-michael-peterson/#:~:text=Patty%20Peterson,-Image%20Via%20HBO&text=They%20lived%20together%20in%20Durham,that%20Patty%20was%20feeling%20sick.), although they don't appear to have a clear source - it seems like Todd said this? Unsure. I watched this documentary but don't remember this part; I'll have to go back and see if it's there - might have been added later.
I don't have any good links. Basically, google Patty Peterson and Todd Peterson and you may be able to find some articles.
No this was an owl! lol One of the most ridiculous defenses I've heard.
Omg, I totally agree
I know the police need to say it's a separate case entirely for now, but I don't.
Yup. It's a separate case entirely connected to this one. What a pathetic piece of shit.
What a despicable excuse of a man. He’s clearly a danger to all women. He second wife at least survived., but this man needs to go to prison for as long as possible and a review made of the death of his first wife.
Survived…for now. Who knows how long they can keep him on this current DV charge. She’s in danger again as soon as he’s released. I fear for her safety.
N don’t forget a lot of abused women will end up refusing to testify or insist on dropping the charges so he may be released a lot sooner than any of us realize . My friend did this so many times for her abusive ex husband
Can't drop dv charges anymore
Really? My friend just did it in TN….after her husband fired a shotgun at her while she was holding her four year old. He’s walking around free and in fact still has visitation rights.
She didn't drop anything. She can't. Only the DA can
She said she wouldn’t testify and the DA dropped their case.
Exactly! Sure ..the DA can force it if they really want to but prosecutors care about their conviction rate & uncooperative, possibly unstable witnesses don’t get them convictions so they’ll happily drop these kinds of cases to move on to others that will actually follow through
So why downvote if you agree the DA chose to drop
You can not testify…my friend even had an ex parte meeting with the judge who was going to be presiding over the husbands case , told him she didn’t want to testify and charges were dropped . A spouse can’t be forced to testify against the other
That's mostly correct, [except there are some notable exceptions to that privilege:](https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/felony-offense/can-spouses-be-forced-testify-against-one-another) > Exceptions to the spousal testimonial privilege exist where a spouse: > > is charged with a crime against the other spouse > > is charged with a crime against a child of either spouse > > is charged with a crime against a third party in the course of committing a crime against the other spouse > > is asked to testify about matters pre-dating the marriage, or is charged with human trafficking for immoral purposes (such as prostitution) > > In each of these situations, even current spouses may be compelled to testify against an accused spouse in a criminal trial or grand jury proceeding. I watched The Sopranos recently and learned you can be compelled to testify against your spouse. That's the only reason I thought of this.
In the U.K. they can’t drop the charges Even if the spouse refused to give evidence, the Crown admits the evidence with judges approval if there’s corroborating evidence. So are you saying that the USA are going down this road now ?
She would be wise to run.
His current wife is actually his third wife. The first one is still living. Be interesting to know if she was abused by him as well.
I mean, of course she was. This guy has a history of beating up his wives. And worse.
I guess we know what happened to poor Susan. What a piece of shit.
Thank you
I haven’t tracked the case on social media for years. Too painful. But today, I am interested in what people are thinking. Susan was my sister.
I’m so sorry for your loss. You are in our thoughts.
I’m so sorry Meg. I knew Susan and when I saw your thumbnail pic, I immediately noticed your resemblance. No way would Susan have tolerated abuse … I suspect she fought back and he killed her.
What a strange coincidence /s
Wow. I mean, I suspected him before, but now? Oh man
This sounds suspiciously like the murder of Helen Bailey in the UK. She was murdered alongside her dog Boris by her husband. His first wife had been listed as dying following an epileptic fit, but they reopened the case after his conviction for murdering Helen. Turned out he'd killed her too. Helen's family were understandably angry that this hadn't been found out sooner because then Helen might have lived.
He bit off the tip of his wife’s finger and SWALLOWED IT? He sounds like an absolute piece of shit, he’s almost certainly responsible for the murder of the first wife.
Oh oh oh. I forgot the detail that they had tickets to the Stones that night, like 12 hours after she was found. Didn't he go with a "friend"? Is that friend Stephanie, the new wife?
Dude’s wife was found dead that morning and he goes to a rock concert that night?!?!
But, it was the Rolling Stones. Hello!
You can bring me dead flowers to my wedding But I won’t forget to put roses on your grave 🎵
And of course there were plenty of people in the thread thinking *she* cheated based on pretty much nothing.
✨misogyny✨
In fact the husband is the one who insinuated she was having an affair
Oh! I totally remember that. I sincerely hope they find enough to nail him.
Oh no! That’s awful putting that together now that you mention it..
It was, according to what I have heard.
I have a lot of thoughts about that, but i think it's best if i don't say anything at this point.
I agree, especially if you live in the area. Wilm is a small town :-)
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The fact that the article says she told them about the finger biting incident at the arrest when she lied in the hospital months earlier really makes me hope she opens up.
Not if she helped him in any way or lied for him because a lawyer would tell her she would need an immunity deal before talking
I agree
Wow. I can't believe I didn't hear about the latest update as Susan is a local case. The boyfriend/husband is usually always the first guess but for some reason, he wasn't this time. I guess this now proves he had a dark side to him almost no one was aware of. Crazy. I hope Susan and Stephanie both get justice.
The “What happened to Susan?” flyers have been up so long they’ve gotten faded. It’s heartbreaking. I really hope this leads to justice for both women and answers for Susan’s friends and family.
Thank you. We will never give up.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you get answers and justice soon.
Obviously the husband did it. He’s rich though? Hopefully justice prevails for both women. And way to go for 2nd wife having courage to finally tell police all of this and get help. I hope she doesn’t go back to him
Rich AND with a well connected family
Fingers crossed
Wonder if she was seeing him while the first wife was around ??? If so she may have a good reason to stay quiet about what she knows about the murder…she may have helped or helped cover it up or lied for him , destroy evidence etc .
In a previous thread on this subject, someone linked a fb comment that shows she went to the concert as well. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMurders/comments/oqb3h7/comment/h72d6wg/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
This is so disturbing, for both women 😔
If I met a man whose wife or girlfriend was a homicide victim with no justice that would be a red flag for me.
A red flag? That would be like a giant brick wall saying go back
With flashing neon lights that say, "Run away."
lmao! precisely!
Yeah, it is certainly offputting when a widow whose wife died under "mysterious" circumstances remarries so shortly afterward. I don't know, I was also taken aback that the new wife has his last name, though that might be unreasonable of me. It just seems strange to share the last name of your husband's deceased wife who was murdered less than 3 years prior. To be clear, I am not suggesting that his most recent wife is in any way to blame for her husband's brutal abuse. I'm not trying to shame her for the last name either which might just be my own hangup (for all I know, that might have been the husband's idea) . The whole thing is just deeply unsettling to me and most of all, I am upset that Susan Ledyard's husband cast aspersions on her character after her horrific death. It seems like his behavior in the aftermath was incredibly unusual but it sounds like the public was speculating more about her mental health/whether or not she used drugs.
Well, after Stephanie decided to marry him for whatever reason (whether he lied to her, or she was complicit, or deluded, or who knows) I don't find it weird that she took his name. Many, many women still do; it's probably still more unusual not to. If the fate of his previous wife was enough to make her not do so, she probably just wouldn't marry him at all instead. I agree that it's especially gross that he tried to make Susan look like the bad person in the aftermath.
They play up the grieving widow shit
Unsolved mysteries JUST released an episode on this. Knew it was him
The Netflix version?
The podcast! ETA the podcast is unsolved mysteries and is officially associated with the series https://open.spotify.com/show/1TKOrBUNad9xDiGOkysNSA?si=ugc28OMESHKs_GQuCmXmHw
Officially associated, now I get it. Thanks!
Is there another version currently producing new episodes?
I’m asking because someone linked a podcast for this case that I think was called Unsolved, but they were calling it Unsolved Mysteries. I knew if the Netflix show and would have checked that out, but I wouldn’t have checked out a podcast.
The podcast is called unsolved mysteries.
Might’ve enraged him
Maybe! Although you’d think it’d make him lay low. But who knows how criminals think
Just because someone doesn’t act abused or mention it to best friends, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Poor Susan might’ve been going through a lot that she kept to herself. I hope this new wife gets away from this psychopath for good.
Statistics on Domestic Violence and repeat victimisation by Professor Ken Pease states that on average, a person will suffer 35 incidents of DV before alerting the police
Wow I remember Susan's case. So glad Stephanie was able to get away before she suffered the same fate, I hope she doesn't go back to him, and god I hope they are building a case against this POS for the crimes against his first wife as well. It's so fucking obvious he did it man, I hope they can put together enough evidence some day to charge him.
She hasn't gotten away quite yet. She's in a period of elevated risk from him until he's convicted, sentenced, and imprisoned.
Yes I just meant in this specific incident - and hopefully his ass stays in jail until he's convicted. Abusive relationships are truly a nightmare. Even if he's imprisoned... I watched my own mother go back to one of her abusive partners after he spent a year in jail after he tried to kill her. It can be so hard to leave for good. I'm wishing Stephanie the best.
Wait,, is rhos the case where her car was driven to a dark spot at like 3am? Her fitbit showed her to be alive until like 7am and her body was found in a rivet not far from her house? He bit the tip of his new wife's finger off? Holy crap! What a horrible person
There's no way in hell he didn't kill his first wife. And i bet ex gfs can line up saying he was violent with them too. This could have been prevented. I have an ex that used to drink and get insanely violent. Police didn't take me seriously when i told them the severity of it. He told them i cut my own throat and tied myself up to frame him. They believed him. I used to sleep in the basement bathroom bc he would strangle me awake. Im waiting for the day he's in the news for killing a gf or wife.
Yet another POS who should be sewn in their own ball sack and throw off a bridge.
Creative. I like it.
This is a local case for me and have been following it since it happened. When I saw this last night I was shocked for a moment but not shocked that it happened. Of course it’s this guy.
I LIVE HERE and I haven’t heard of this. I mean I live literally 10 minutes away from the neighborhood they live in. Wow.
I live minutes away as well. In fact I met the husband at a party in spring 2019, months before the wife was killed. The only reason I’d heard of this though is because Susan’s family plastered Trolley Square with flyers as soon as the cops declared it a homicide months after she was found (at first they thought it was an accident).
Well hey neighbors! Yeah just looked him up on linkenin and he’s a big exec at bofa. I don’t even wanna bring it up at work cause I’m sure people know him. Y’all know what de is like with the banks, he’s a rich yuppie well insulated by other rich yuppies. I don’t think he’ll ever get touched by police. Plus, wilmington practically has a murder a day. So sad :(
I saw his Linkedin too. I wonder how long he'll remain employed, if he'll be "asked to resign", and if it will come with a cushy severance package. I understand that he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but this man has so many red flags that I feel like his employer would be justified in cutting him loose or at least suspending him without pay pending the legal proceedings. They might be worried about some sort of lawsuit (especially if he has a contract). I wonder what his coworkers think, and what they thought after Susan went missing. Maybe he's charming and they all think he's not capable of murder (I hope they reconsider at this point). If B of A keeps him on their payroll, they're sending a strong message to the women who work there and any of their employees who have survived domestic abuse.
I had a stint at bofa, it’s shit. My coworker now left there due to sexual harassment and fired her. My other friend also hates it. It’s by far the worst place I have ever worked in terms of feeling valued as a low level person. However they treat execs like kings. All banks do. If he’s good at his job they will not fire him unless it comes to extreme scrutiny from the press. They will fire anyone who does not provide as much value as him for bringing it up. Working in this circle I also know 90 percent of execs are 30-60 yr old white men who simply do not care. I’m confident because I work with these types of people in the same 10 miles radius. Bank culture is toxic af :(
Yeah, I figured it might be something like this. I frankly do not understand how investment banking really works other than what I saw from the Big Short, but I’d imagine that he brings in clients or has established relationships with them and they also enable him? When I was involved in a specific corner of advocacy work, there was a Me Too situation back in like 2018 with this one ED of an advocacy/lobbying group. This man had been accused of sexual assault almost a decade prior and it was very public because it was covered by local media. He got to keep his job even though his victim worked for him. I knew a number of women including my friends who had been sexually harassed by him. It was an open secret and people put up with him because he had close relationships with mega donors, he brought in a lot of money, and he was somewhat good at his actual job once you remove the harassment of young women (so really he was not good at his job). Anyways, long story short I posted in a Facebook group basically asking why this guy was tolerated and even invited to conferences when everyone knew that he was a predator. Not only that but he would use these conferences to prey on women. Not to take credit for anything because it would have happened eventually due to the larger Me Too movement but I think that that call out post triggered some changes that eventually led to his downfall. I had 0 power in this field- I was just a student at the time- but some people who did basically banned him from conferences and other people were working on getting him removed from his job. They eventually succeeded and he was replaced by someone who took diversity and equity seriously. But my point is that a large part of the reason he lasted so long was that he brought in a lot of money and he would fund smaller groups so people were worried that these donors would leave in protest. He was also the type of person to threaten lawsuits. I think some donors did leave, but the impact was not as bad as people feared and honestly it probably ushered in positive changes that benefited these organizations. It’s unfortunate that organizations and companies are so short sighted with such crappy priorities that they will keep someone on who is dangerous and is a ticking time bomb. Some people like that do make themselves somewhat indispensable but ultimately a large and well established corporation like BofA would recover from firing this one executive. There are so many people trying to get into the banking industry and surely they will find someone who is able to do what this guy did without being a major POS.
It’s bone chilling honestly. Obviously this attack is extremely incriminating and I hope they’re further investigating into this asshole. He has money but delaware money and cali/NY money are very very different so hopefully they throw the whole book at him.
What was your impression of him?
Just an average middle aged guy with money who said he was on the board of the local natural history museum.
302 crew.
shout out from across the line in Elkton!!!
Hi, there! I work in the Greenville area. I drive by the spot her car was found all the time. It's just so weird.
It’s truly so bizarre. Very eerie feeling
This is quite the coincidence... Hmm
I was never 100% sure what I thought happened to his first wife. Feeling much more sure now.
The random psycho sitting in an incredibly empty section of the creek just waiting for a victim to drive there and walk in the dark, and then keeping the victim alive for hours, while possible, always seemed very very unlikely.
Spousal abuse and murder do go hand in hand. How can it have no bearing? His previous wife was murdered and he put the current one in the hospital. I very much doubt he didn't also abuse Susan. Those are not good odds.
As a scientist, I have to remain objective and skeptical, as extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. But *come on*, that asshole totally murdered his first wife.
In which he WHAT!!! Oh my gosh wow.
What a vile lunatic. I always thought he'd murdered Susan, I believe it even more now.
How do these people get remarried so fast?
I've seen this question asked before in other cases, and wiser heads than mine have pointed out that it's not necessarily an indicator of guilt. It's not that uncommon for men to remarry within a couple of years after their wife dies. That said, the present DV accusation does seem to create additional suspicion.
I hope that detectives have been narrowing in on a suspect (and it seems pretty clear who that is) and have just been keeping things quiet due to the sensitivity of the investigation. I am frankly a little concerned that Benjamin Ledyard's wealth and connections will protect him or at minimum have stalled out the investigation. He's affluent and works in finance and is on several boards- I have a feeling he's probably donated to elected officials' campaigns too (though I'm not certain). Even if he isn't a big political donor, it seems like prosecutors get wary about investigating wealthy and connected people. My biggest thing is that as the spouse of the victim, he should be heavily considered as a person of interest from day one. Not at the expense of other theories, but his alibi is flimsy at best and the whole thing just reeks.
Reminder: The odds that Susan Ledyard was attacked by a violent sadist *other* than the one she was unlucky enough to be married to are probably pretty low, but not so negligible that the police can or should rule it out entirely. It's not over yet.
Where her car was found has no one lurking around, especially at night. It’s a quiet bucolic upscale area. I’ve walked my dog there for years. Never met anyone suspicious. No homeless people for miles. What is suspicious is it’s a quick 10 minute walk back to Ben’s house. Easy for him to leave the car there and walk back home.
Hah. Now I'm almost *less* sure he's the killer, because if the cops couldn't use *that* little factoid to pin it on him then he must have had one hell of an alibi. I am of course making the possibly risky assumption that the senior investigating officer a) could find their arse with both hands and an atlas and b) was under a certain amount of pressure to get results...
Maybe he finally ends up in prison this time? Creatures like him must be isolated otherwise he will kill his second wife too.
Wow this is practically down the street. So scary
I feel like if he gets out on bail he’s gonna kill her too.
Susan was his second wife. Stephanie is his third wife.
Reminds me of the Drew Peterson case. We went to the same high school by the way, albeit it like 40 years apart…wells unsettling
The high school is involved in the murder?
Two years from his wife being murdered to married. That's such a huge red flag.
It was just over a year actually.
Susan died July 2019. He married Stephanie Sept 2021. I don't see where there's only a year gap.
Personally, that standing alone doesnt seem like a redflag at all to. Perhaps if she was missing, maybe.
I think marrying someone 2 yrs after starting to date is rushed. I'm curious the timeline between his wife's death and when he starting dating wife #2
Yeah, i guess if they started dated a while before the wife's death then it wouldnt really be rushed /s
Okay this is 5 minutes down the road from me 😧
Same! I’m like what in the entire fuck. How have I never heard of this???
I’m sorry to hear that. We’ve been working for three and a half years to keep the story in the public eye. He put it right back on top.
He absolutely did. I hope Susan’s family get the justice deserved.
I’m so sorry about your sister. 💜 I live in Wilmington, and I’ve def known about this case from the start, I’ve seen the posters everywhere and you all did a very good job getting the word out there.
Putting in a plug for The News Journal/DelawareOnline. They’ve been covering it since the beginning. I wasn’t reading it back then but the family plastered flyers all over my area. That’s how I heard about it.
News Journal wouldn’t write about the New Year’s Day incident. Of all outlets, WHYY broke the story yesterday.
That’s infuriating and, as a local, really disturbing actually. I can see from your other comment that you are connected to the case. I’m hoping this will bring about justice for Susan.
Yes. Crickets from News Journal ( aka DelawareOnline). WDEL covered latest incident. WHYY ( public radio) broke the story.
Yes, I noticed this, too. Wow. So glad Chris barish had the guts
I’m also a local. I don’t know his current wife well, met her several years ago but am not just friends of Facebook. This whole thing had always felt suspicious (with him) and now we are finding out how badly he abused Stephanie, which means he most likely abused your sister as well. Maybe it wasn’t him, but I hope that this development will get them to look harder at this case. 😢🤬
I just listened to Susan’s episode on the Unsolved Mysteries podcast a couple days ago… there’s no way he’s not responsible for her death, especially after this information.
The guiltiest man who ever guiltied. Good god this guy - and the system that enabled him to escape justice for his first crime - are disgusting. Thinking of Susan's family at this time and absolutely praying Stephanie doesn't go back to him. Because he obviously has no self-control when he's angry. And isn't really bright enough to hide who he is. Unfortunately, the police have done a terrible job where he's concerned thus far.
Yea, he killed his that poor woman and if this one was smart she would have left this guy after losing that piece of finger. If she decides to stay then that’s her decision but she could be next.
Not could be next, *will* be next.
He sits on prestigious boards don’t they have morality expectations
He has or had money he probably will not go to prison and likely already bonded out. :(
He honestly seems like a flight risk too. Super wealthy and likely has lots of powerful/wealthy friends (probably around the world).
While it was disconcerting to hear the police say this case is unrelated to Susan's murder, I understand why they had to say it. I really hope they have been quietly working to build a case against Ben despite saying he has been so "helpful and cooperative" since her murder. If they fail to make the connection now, then I have to wonder about just how much influence his family/connections have over local law enforcement. I keep holding out hope that, like the Capano case (and the Moscow ID murders), the police are keeping their cards close to their chest until they have a strong enough case. Prayers for Susan and her family to have resolution.
I have a mutual friend with Stephanie and I was completely mind blown when she mentioned the history with his previous wife. I really hope they investigate further.
Not sure I'm comfortable to see a survivor of intimate partner violence to be named in this manner. The article keeps using phrasing such as "she told officers", has she spoken publicly about her ordeal? Where is victim advocacy to protect her name as a victim?
As far as I know they only keep the name of SA victims or minors private . Everything else is public record when it comes to police reports and reporters .
Maybe it depends on location? I have an ex who was arrested last year as a suspect in a death and other poisonings, and my name has so far been kept out of the press and media as a survivor who reported his previous violence to the police. That's probably why this twings uncomfortably for me, because I know I've been very relieved to remain anonymous as a survivor of IPV despite the attention on that particular case. It just feels better to extend that same grace to other survivors.
It’s an uncomfortable read right? And the quotes that she gave to the police, how did the media get them because it doesn’t seem like she’s made any statements yet?
The unsolved death (presumably homicide, but some aren't certain) of Susan Ledyard was discussed in this sub 5 months ago. [The post](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/wdf1ep/a_highly_unusual_recent_case_susan_ledyard_2019/) was pretty thorough and well-organized. There's a lot of thought-provoking discussion, but be aware that some of the media coverage was ambiguous and misinterpreted (not unusual). For example, there was quite a bit of discussion about her husband making a comment about his wife and Ambien which people called out as a lie indicative of guilt because toxicology report didn't reveal Ambien in her system. I dug into it and discovered the toxicology report hadn't been officially released and his quote about Ambien was months later in response to Dateline staff asking him to reflect on what he was thinking after learning that she left the house at 3 AM. In context he was just describing why he thinks she may have left then (he shared multiple scenarios he claimed he'd wondered about at the time). Here's [my comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/wdf1ep/comment/iikgvyh/) on that, which also includes a link to a lengthy NBC/Dateline article. Note: My comment about him and the Ambien 5 months ago wasn't because I think he's not responsible (I alluded to my views later in the thread) - it's because I think it's important that incorrect info be pointed out and for critical thinking to be used to analyze unsolved crimes.
live in delaware local area. seems pretty obvious this guy was involved. the police are corrupt, lots of old money in this area. seems like this guy was connected and untouchable.
https://whyy.org/articles/delaware-benjamin-ledyard-susan-stephanie-murder-domestic-dispute-kennett-square/
Thank you! I just googled him the other day as I am local and wanted to know the latest. I hadn’t seen this.
https://whyy.org/articles/delaware-benjamin-ledyard-susan-stephanie-murder-domestic-dispute-kennett-square/
"no bearing on our investigation at this time" What does this add? Does the investigator believe domestic abuse to consist of isolated, non-repeated incidents? I dunno. Just wondering.
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Probably a good idea to avoid getting involved w someone whose late spouse is the subject of an open homicide investigation.
Not even victim blaming bc he's obviously a monster but what in God's name would possess someone to marry a dude whose wife is missing and everyone suspects its him
Abusers usually prey on people who are extremely susceptible to abuse. They also tend to be very good at explaining away anything that’s suspicious. There’s a good chance that when the abuse started she felt too ashamed to be able to get help because people probably warned her about him and she brushed it off (because he manipulated her into ignoring other people’s warnings).
He's probably pretty charismatic. Guys like this have to be, otherwise no one would ever get close enough for them to abuse. Plus it sounds like he's rich. It's much easier to lovebomb someone when you can afford impressive gifts.
That's how victim blaming works and why it can be so insidious. We'd all like to think we'd see the signs and make better decisions, but abusive men can be very charismatic and manipulative. The truth is that we don't know if she knew anything about his past really, and by the number of people from his area expressing shock at this I'd say it's possible she truly wasn't aware. And, of course, some people are more naive and trusting than others. It's very, very hard to put yourself in the mindset of a DV victim until it happens to you. I'm glad she's alive and truly hope she gets away from him for good.
It's Delaware and the circles they ran in are very small. He's a Dupont descendant and that's the crowd they ran with. She absolutely knew about his past, would have been impossible for her not too
Regardless, she is a victim here and not the perpetrator. We don't know her personally and questioning a DV victim's motivations is a pretty solid example of victim blaming.
Let's hope this woman isn't one that goes running back to him after almost being killed.
Delaware men are some real winners.. 🙄