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Murder In Sylvania, Ohio: As told in 1857

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Return Jonathan Meigs Ward had killed before. Having gone undetected the first time, the temptation to do so again was irresistible. "I was myself surprised that a life could be taken with so little disturbance," Ward confessed.

However, in 1857, when he murdered his wife Olive in their small home in downtown Sylvania, it became quite clear to him that covering up this crime would not come so easy. He busied himself with destroying any sign of her and came up with a story that he ultimately could not keep straight. While he butchered her up and burned pieces of her in his stove, residents became suspicious.

Author Gaye E. Gindy spent many hours transcribing old documents and newspapers to bring the story of Ward's life and Olive's grisly murder to light. Olive was clearly a victim of domestic violence. She put her children under the care of others because of Ward's ill-will towards them and having left Ward, she confided in friends and family that Ward was surely going to kill her if she returned. Indeed, upon hearing that she would return for her trunk and clothing, Ward confessed that he fully resolved that Olive would never leave his house alive.

Murder in Sylvania, Ohio: As Told in 1857, is a true account of this murder, committed by Return Jonathan Meigs Ward. It chronicles how a small community in Northwest Ohio brought justice to a man the Toledo Blade believed to be "one of the most hardened criminals that ever stretched hemp."