Hi, Cranjunkies. I'm your host Ashley Flowers, and I'm Britt, and the story I want to tell you today is one of those cases that sounds so simple on the surface.

Three brutal murders, one sadistic killer, open and shut. But as soon as I really started researching this story, it got way more complex than I ever expected.

Because as you're about to find out, nothing is quite what it seems, and sometimes getting answers only leads to more questions.

This is the story of William Hirons, the man most people have dubbed the lipstick killer.

On January 6, 1946, the Degnan family was settling in for a nice Sunday evening in their split-level home on Chicago's north side.

Jim and Helen's two daughters, Betty, who's 10 and Suzanne, who's 6, both had been enjoying their winter break from school. But like all good things, Christmas vacation had come to an end, and the girls had to go back to school tomorrow.

So Jim and Helen put their daughters to bed at a reasonable hour so they'll be well-rested for classes. They tuck them in, kiss them good night, and leave them with one final wish of sweet dreams.

Now, at some point during the night, Jim here, Suzanne, get up once and go to the bathroom. But she goes right back to bed, goes to sleep with no difficulty.

The next morning, Jim goes to wake the girls up for school. Betty gets up easily and comes for breakfast, but Jim notices something a little strange. Susanne's bedroom door is closed.

Now at 6 years old, she's hardly a baby anymore, but she's afraid of the dark, and according to an article I read on crime library, she always sleeps with the door open.

Jim goes inside to make sure she's awake, but instead of finding his youngest daughter, he finds her empty bed, and her bedroom window is open.

Instantly, Jim is flooded with panic. He grabs Helen and Betty, and together, they all start searching the house, looking everywhere for Suzanne, hoping that maybe she's just trying to avoid going back to school after break.

But as the search goes on, they get more and more frantic, calling her name, and looking anywhere that could be a hiding place, even out in the fire escape. But Suzanne's not there.

The degnans turn to the upstairs neighbors, the flins for help, but Suzanne isn't up at the flins house either, and now they're faced with their worst nightmare.

Their little girl is truly missing.

The degnans call the police, and by 10am that morning, their house is swarming with officers searching for little Suzanne.

Detective start in her bedroom as their ground zero, looking for clues, when one of them notices a piece of tissue paper laying on the ground.

At first, he thinks it's just a scrap of trash, but then he sees, no, this isn't just a tissue, it's a ransom note.

In here, Brit, I'm going to have you read this for me, the spelling is a little weird, but I think you can get the gist.

Okay, the note says, get $20,000 ready, and wait for word. Do not notify FBI or police.

Bills in fives and tens burn this for her safety.

Wait, are the degnans a wealthy family? You mentioned earlier that they lived in a split level with another family?

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