“The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs” is an urban legend dating back to the 1960s.
We all know how the story goes.
It’s late at night and a teenage girl is babysitting a couple of kids. The children are asleep and all is quiet…until the phone rings.
The voice on the other end is a mere whisper with only one question: “Have you checked the children?”
The babysitter disregards the call as a prank and hangs up. But the phone rings again. And again. And the same question is asked every time.
“Have you checked the children?”
Realizing the calls won’t stop, the babysitter calls the police. They advise her that they will trace the next incoming call.
Like clockwork, the phone rings again and it’s the same terrifying whisper: “Have you checked the children?”
The babysitter slams the phone down. It rings again but this time it’s the police.
“He’s in the house! The calls are from INSIDE the house! Get out, now!”
Many movies have been based on this urban legend: Foster’s Release (1971), Black Christmas (1974), The Sitter (1977), When a Stranger Calls (1979) (2006), and When a Stranger Calls Back (1993).
But what inspired this legend?
Sometimes truth is scarier than fiction.
Who was Janett Christman?
Babysitting has been a rite of passage for teenagers for decades. It is a true sign of responsibility and independence.
In 1950, this was no different for Janett Christman. Born on March 21, 1936, she was the oldest of three girls to Charles and Lula Christman.
The family had recently moved from Boonville, Missouri to Columbia, Missouri, a much smaller college town. Columbia is home to the University of Missouri and the Mizzou Tigers.
The Christmans owned and operated a local restaurant, Ernie’s Café and Steakhouse. They lived on the upper level of the building where the restaurant was located. The family of five made a comfortable living and were well respected in the small community.
In 1950, Janett was 13 years old and an eighth grader at Jefferson Junior High School.
Janett was intelligent and independent. She had a strong work ethic learned from her parents. Her responsibility was well-known in town, and she was a highly sought-after babysitter.
Janett was mature for her young age, and she was also physically more developed than other girls. Looking so much older garnered much-unwanted attention from older men.
But Janett brushed off the attention and focused on being a normal 13-year-old girl.
Ernie's Café and Steakhouse
Photo Credit: facebook.comAn Easy Babysitting Gig
Janett Christman
Photo Credit: findagrave.comOn the night of Saturday, March 18, 1950, Janett agreed to babysit one of her regular charges, 3-year-old Gregory Romack. Although it was a Saturday night and her friends had tried to convince her to go to a party, Janett took the babysitting job.
She had one last payment on a burgundy suit she wanted to wear for Easter, and she needed the money from the Romack babysitting gig.
Janett arrived at the Romack’s home around 7:30 p.m. Gregory was one of Janett’s favorite charges. Upon her arrival, Ed and Anne Romack informed Janett that little Gregory was already asleep with a radio playing softly in the background.
He wouldn’t be any trouble for the young babysitter. Ed left a loaded shotgun next to the front door, in case of an emergency.
The Romacks then left Janett alone with their sleeping child and a quiet house.
A Terrifying Phone Call
That night, wind gusts blew rain and sleet through the area and temperatures dropped to the mid-20s. The inclement weather meant all was quiet at the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
But just as deputies were getting settled in for a long and uneventful night, the phone rang. At 10:35 p.m., Deputy Ray McCowan picked up his ringing desk phone…and was met with screams that would replay in his head for the rest of his life.
“Come quick!” a girl screamed hysterically.
Before McCowan could even utter a word, the phone call was cut short. And all he heard was the deafening sound of the dial tone.
McCowan didn’t believe it to be a prank. He heard the terror in the girl’s voice. It was real. But there was nothing he could do.
Due to the late hour, the main switchboard at the telephone company was closed so the call couldn’t be traced.
Unnerved, all McCowan could do was wait and hope the girl called back. She never did.
A Horrifying Discovery
Janett Christman crime scene
Photo Credit: medium.comAround 1:35 a.m., the Romacks pulled into their driveway.
As Ed approached the front door, he realized that it was already unlocked. He eased the door open…and came upon a horrifying sight.
Janett Christman, just three days shy of her 14th birthday, was sprawled on the living room floor. She had been beaten, raped, and strangled to death.
The Romack's home
Photo Credit: morbidology.comA Fight for Control
Article about Janett Christman's murder
Photo Credit: Associated PressAlmost immediately, the investigation had complications. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia Police Department sparred over who was in control of the investigation.
Conflicting egos and a lack of communication between the two agencies completely derailed the investigation.
While the two investigating agencies were battling for authority, the town of Columbia was in a state of terror. But this wasn’t the first time terror had struck this small town.
Several years before Janett’s murder, the town experienced a rash of prowling and Peeping Tom incidents, several sexual assaults and rapes, and even a murder.
While authorities had officially closed the previous cases, Janett’s rape and murder made the citizens of Columbia doubt whether justice had actually been served and if a killer had been roaming free the whole time.
Eventually, investigators focused their attention on one man: Robert Mueller.
Who was Robert Mueller?
Robert Mueller
Photo Credit: motruecrime.comRobert Mueller was an acquaintance of Ed Romack. Robert was married with several children and managed his father’s restaurant, Mueller’s Virginia Café.
Disturbingly, he was known for being inappropriate with women, especially young girls.
On the night of Janett’s murder, Mueller was attending the same gathering as the Romacks. At some point during the party, Mueller excused himself. He was gone for two hours.
A Botched Investigation
With enough circumstantial evidence against Robert, authorities brought him in for questioning. During the interrogation, investigators failed to follow proper procedures.
Due to technicalities, Robert was released from custody and never charged with Janett’s rape or murder. Janett’s murder remains unsolved to this day.
Janett Christman was buried on March 21, 1950…her 14th birthday. She was wearing the burgundy suit she had been saving for.
