Some tragedies are so heartbreaking that they echo across decades.
Some losses leave a wound in a family that never truly heals.
Eric Shunk was only 8 years old when he was brutally murdered on February 17, 1983.
A bright, curious, and playful child, Eric’s life was stolen on a snow-filled evening, leaving his family and neighborhood in shock — and a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
A SIMPLE ERRAND THAT TURNED DEADLY
On that fateful evening, shortly before 8 p.m., Eric told his mother, Eileen Shunk, that he needed money to buy a school notebook.
Eileen handed him four quarters, and Eric set off for the grocery store, just two blocks from home.
It was snowing, the kind of quiet snowfall that makes the world seem peaceful — a stark contrast to the horror that awaited.
At the store, Eric spoke with the head cashier, who noted he was nine cents short. But in an act of kindness, the cashier allowed him to purchase the notebook anyway.
That was the last time Eric was seen alive.
THE FRANTIC SEARCH
When Eric didn’t return home, Eileen initially checked with neighbors and relatives. By 10 p.m., she called the police, prompting a search of the surrounding area.
Neighbors and family members gathered around 1:30 a.m. to plan further searches.
Eric’s uncle, John Dunphy, remembered seeing blood near the railroad embankment during his earlier search. That clue became a critical point in the investigation.
Eventually, one neighbor noticed the pages of Eric’s notebook riffling in the wind, leading the searchers to a nearby parking lot below a retaining wall. There, partially buried in the snow, they found Eric’s still-warm body in a blood-splattered snowbank behind a candy factory — less than two blocks from his home.
Eric was fully clothed, with one of his Star Wars toys tucked into his coat pocket, a small reminder of the childhood stolen from him.
THE HORRIFIC DETAILS OF THE MURDER
The medical examiner pronounced Eric dead at the scene.
An autopsy revealed that he had been beaten in the head and strangled, with no signs of sexual assault.
His head wounds were so severe that they were initially thought to be stab wounds. Blood was flecked across the wall of the candy factory. A blue and white nylon rope was knotted around his neck, marking the brutality of the attack.
Eric’s small life had been taken violently, leaving only sorrow in its wake.
A COMMUNITY IN MOURNING
In the days that followed, the neighborhood did what they could to help. Children took coffee cans to intersections, collecting money for Eric’s family.
At his funeral, Eric was buried with his favorite toys and a science-fiction story he loved, “The Black Hole.” On a Valentine’s Day heart he had made for his mother, she wrote:
“You gave this heart to show your love. We give it back to you with all our love.”
The cemetery manager donated the burial plot and covered all related expenses, saying:
“Under the tragic circumstances, we thought it was the proper thing to do.”
The Fraternal Order of Police posted a $1,000 reward, and a local newspaper added $4,000, in hopes of finding Eric’s killer.
@famousgraveco Eric Shunk was murdered on February 17, 1983. Shortly before 8pm, Eric told his mother that he needed money for a school notebook. His mother Eileen handed him four quarters, and Eric set out for the grocery store two blocks away from their home. It was snowing. When Eric arrived at the store, he spoke to the head cashier, who determined he was nine cents short. However, the cashier allowed him to buy the notebook anyway. Eric never returned home. Eileen began to check with relatives and neighbors. When Eric still wasn’t home by 10pm, she called the police. The police launched a search of the area, while neighbors and family members, after already searching nearby, gathered around 1:30am to plot further areas to be searched. One of Eric’s uncles, John Dunphy, recalled having seen blood near the railroad embankment during his earlier search. The searchers returned to that spot when one of the neighbors spotted the pages of a notebook riffling in the wind. There was a trail of blood in the snow, and the searchers decided to check the parking lot below the retaining wall. They saw a portion of a boy’s coat, and then a small hole in the snow where a still-warm body had melted it. Eric’s body was found buried in a blood-splattered snowbank behind a candy factory less than two blocks from his home. He was fully clothed and one of his Star Wars toys was in his coat pocket. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the medical examiner. An autopsy showed that Eric had been beaten in the head and strangled. There was no sign of molestation. Eric had sustained a number of head wounds and his blood was flecked on the wall of the candy factory. The head wounds were so severe that it was initially thought he had been stabbed. A blue and white nylon rope was knotted around his neck. As news spread of Eric’s murder, kids in the neighborhood did the only thing they could think of. They took coffee cans and stood at intersections to collect money for his family. Eric was buried with his favorite toys and a science-fiction story he loved called The Black Hole. On a Valentine’s Day heart he had made for his mother, she wrote, “You gave this heart to show your love. We give it back to you with all our love.” After Eric’s funeral, the cemetery manager donated the burial plot and stated that the company would pay all related expenses from their own pocket. “Under the tragic circumstances, we thought it was the proper thing to do,” said manager David McLaughlin. The FOP posted a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Eric’s killer, in addition to a $4,000 reward offered by the press. Over the next month, police devoted thousands of hours to the probe, conducted more than 100 interviews, and followed up on a score of tips, with no success. Four years after Eric’s murder, in February 1987, a small blurb in the newspaper stated that police believed they knew the identity of the killer, but needed help from witnesses before an arrest could be made. Three years later in June 1990, the same newspaper referred to the murder as a “sad mystery.” In August 2002, Eileen Shunk was interviewed about Eric’s never-solved murder, noting that she visits his grave all the time. “I can’t ask anyone to understand my moods,” she said. “Sometimes I just have to be here. Sometimes in the middle of the night.” An oak tree near Eric’s grave became a source of comfort for Eileen over the years, who turned down two marriage proposals since her son’s death. During the interview, she looked up at the oak tree swaying in the breeze, remembering how much smaller it had been when Eric was buried. “One day,” she said. “The tree will grow taller and wider. Then I’ll be closer to him.” Eric was 8 years old. #grave #cemetery #mausoleum #graves #cemeteries #famous #famouspeople #murder #murdervictim #murdervictims #murdervictimsawareness #unsolved #unsolvedcases #unsolvedcasefiles #unsolvedcrime #unsolvedcrimes #truecrimetiktok #truecrime #truecrimecommunity #truecrimetok
THE INVESTIGATION AND LONG WAIT FOR JUSTICE
Over the following month, police devoted thousands of hours to the investigation, conducting more than 100 interviews and following numerous tips — all to no avail.
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In February 1987, four years after the murder, police stated they believed they knew the killer’s identity but needed witnesses before an arrest could be made.
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In June 1990, the case was still referred to in newspapers as a “sad mystery.”
Despite decades passing, the killer was never found, leaving Eric’s family without answers.
A MOTHER’S ENDURING GRIEF
Years later, Eileen Shunk reflected on the pain that never left her.
“I can’t ask anyone to understand my moods. Sometimes I just have to be here. Sometimes in the middle of the night.”
She visits Eric’s grave often, finding comfort under an oak tree that has grown taller and stronger since his burial.
“One day,” she said, “the tree will grow taller and wider. Then I’ll be closer to him.”
Eileen turned down two marriage proposals after Eric’s death, showing how deeply the loss had shaped her life. Her love for Eric and grief over his death remain unbroken, decades later.
A LIFE INTERRUPTED
Eric Shunk was only 8 years old.
A young boy with curiosity, imagination, and a love for toys and stories, whose life was stolen before it could fully begin.
His story remains a haunting reminder of the fragility of life, the horror of senseless violence, and the enduring power of a mother’s love.
By remembering Eric, visiting his grave, and telling his story, his memory lives on — a bright, innocent spark in a world that took him too soon.
