Evelyn was wealthy, with nearly $1 million in assets. Ewing, who had no income of his own, quickly took control of her finances. He pressured her to cash out her investments and friends and family noticed bruises on Evelyn and heard Ewing admit to hitting her. He also said he only married her for her money and fired her maid for refusing to spy on her. He dismissed her longtime secretary as well. Many people disliked Ewing, including Evelyn’s brother.

After Evelyn disappeared, Ewing gave conflicting stories, claiming she’d left him, was mentally ill, or in a sanitarium. He refused to report her missing. He was later found to have forged her signature on checks and spent her money. He was also dating other women and gave them Evelyn’s belongings.

Evelyn’s friends and brother, concerned by her disappearance and Ewing’s suspicious behavior, eventually prompted an investigation. Police found some of Evelyn’s personal items in the neighbor’s yard, and charred women’s undergarments in the incinerator. Although Ewing claimed to have burned the underwear, police suspected foul play.

Ewing was charged with theft and forgery but fled to Canada. He was later arrested, extradited, and convicted of Evelyn’s murder, though he always claimed innocence. He was released from prison in 1978. A journalist later claimed Ewing confessed to killing Evelyn with a rubber mallet and burying her in the Nevada desert, but this was never verified. Evelyn’s body has never been found.