1976 Mason County jail bombing

1976 suicide bombing in West Virginia, United States June 2025 February 2025 1976 Mason County jail bombing Mason County CourthousePoint Pleasant, West Virginia, U.S. 1976 03 02 10:50 p.m. EDT UTC-04:00 Suicide attack * Dynamite Sawed-off shotgun 6 (including 2 perpetrators and their baby days prior) 11 Bruce Sisk, Harriet Sisk The 1976 Mason County jail bombing was a suicide bombing that took place at the Mason County Courthouse in Point Pleasant, West Virginia on March 2, 1976. Five people, including two perpetrators and three law enforcement officers, were killed in the attack, and a further 11 people were injured. The bombing was perpetrated by 19-year-old Bruce Sisk, who detonated a suitcase filled with dynamite in his wife's jail cell after forcing his way in using a sawed-off shotgun. 1 Mar 2002 Small town remembers a tragedy 1–4 The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=HOlDAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=3305,3253940 18-year-old Harriet Sisk had been held in the jail, which was in the basement of the courthouse,3 Mar 1976 Bomb Blast In Jail Kills 4, Injures 12 Times-Union https://books.google.com/books?id=omtHAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA17&article_id=6015,569353 awaiting trial after confessing to strangling her 2-month-old child to death. She had entered a suicide pact with Bruce prior to the bombing.11 Mar 1976 Sisk note hints conspiracy to murder and bury child 1–12 The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=As5DAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=1522,4200104 Background Murder of Davi Calline Sisk In the early hours of February 28, 1976, Harriet Sisk reported to police that her 2-month-old daughter, Davi Calline Sisk, had gone missing and suggested she may have been abducted from their mobile home. An extensive search followed, which resulted in the discovery of Davi's body in a shallow grave located a short distance from the home. Davi's body was wrapped, alongside a rag doll, with 3 blankets.29 Feb 1976 Infant is found dead The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=-s1DAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8&article_id=2476,35178042 Mar 1976 Mother arraigned The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=-81DAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=3055,3646549 On February 29, Harriet confessed to causing the death of Davi and on March 1 an autopsy revealed that Davi had been strangled to death and beaten. Harriet Sisk would subsequently be arrested by Sheriff Elvin Wedge on suspicion of murder and held in the Mason County jail while awaiting trial.4 Mar 1976 Bomber 'Was A Nice Guy' The Evening Independent https://books.google.com/books?id=EX5QAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&article_id=6579,7826372 Mar 1976 Young mother charged in daughter's murder The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=-81DAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&article_id=2852,3651878 During this time, Harriet confessed to the murder and claimed that Bruce had assisted her in burying the corpse of the child and filing the police report.12 Mar 1976 Some of the Whys answered The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=A85DAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=2968,4257386 A funeral was held on March 1 for Davi Calline Sisk, which both Bruce and Harriet were permitted to attend despite her arrest.4 Mar 1976 Suitcase full of dynamite kills man, wife, 2 others The Spokesman-Review https://books.google.com/books?id=gc4RAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA43&article_id=5132,1302795 Day of the bombing Harriet Sisk's cellmate, Alice Missen, stated that on March 2, Bruce had visited the jail prior to the bombing and had a 10-minute whispered conversation with his wife. She would later recall that when Bruce returned to enact his attack, he said "Well here I am. I told you I'd be back."11 Mar 1976 Suicide pact believed behind fatal jail blast The Montreal Gazette https://books.google.com/books?id=JfUhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA81&article_id=4136,3275488 A friend of Bruce, Calvin Engle, who claimed to have spent much of the day of March 2 with him, described Bruce's emotional state, saying "It was the day after his daughter's funeral and he was still pretty uptight. But I didn't detect any anger,... just sadness." Bombing On March 2, 1976, at approximately 10:50 pm, Bruce Sisk entered the Mason County jail armed with a stolen sawed-off shotgun and a suitcase that contained at least 15 pounds of dynamite. Sisk encountered unarmed dispatcher and jailer Charles Keith Anson and held him at gunpoint, demanding to be let into his wife's cell to spend the night. Anson recognized Sisk, who had visited the jail earlier at around 6 pm and talked to his wife, and had apparently gotten upset when Anson informed him visiting hours were over. Sisk pressed the barrel of the shotgun into Anson's back as he was led to his wife's cell. Anson unlocked the cell door and once Sisk entered, he slammed the cell door shut and locked it, locking Bruce, Harriet, and Harriet's cellmate, Alex Sue Missen, inside.28 Dec 1999 Courthouse explosion one of Mason County's top stories The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=h_FDAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA11&article_id=3755,5126140 Anson returned upstairs and called for backup and soon numerous law enforcement officers arrived at the scene. Negotiations were attempted with the couple, but they refused to respond. Eventually, the couple released Missen, at Harriet's insistence,4 Mar 1976 Four killed as father of dead infant dynamites jail The Morning Record https://books.google.com/books?id=zs9HAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8&article_id=1369,495346 from the cell, who State Trooper Lloyd Akers claimed told him that "The only thing they told me to tell you was to have the building clear by morning or you'll be sorry." This prompted officers to begin the evacuation of the jail, but before it could be completed the suitcase bomb was detonated at approximately 11:20 pm. The explosion instantly killed the Sisk couple and Deputy Kenneth Ward Love and resulted in extensive damage to the jail, courthouse, and surrounding buildings. Sheriff Elvin Wedge would die hours later and Deputy Earnest Hesson would die of his injuries a week later.9 Mar 1976 Deputy Is 5th Victim Of Blast The Portsmouth Times https://books.google.com/books?id=Dp9eAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&article_id=1282,4939606 In total, five were killed and eleven were wounded in the bombing. Witnesses report that the bomb completely destroyed the jail. The courthouse and surrounding buildings had their windows blown out by the blast. It was reported that many of the dead and injured were buried under debris and that the explosion tore a hole into the second floor, resulting in prisoners on that floor falling through into the basement. Cpl. J.L Fitzwater described the explosion, stating "It just demolished the jail. It blew a hole in the side of the building and shattered windows on every floor and in surrounding buildings. It was just a tremendous blast. It ripped steel doors off like they were paper."3 Mar 1976 Mason Jail Blast Kills 4, Hurts 11 The Charleston Daily Mail https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?institutionId=0&user=3286547&id=36810598&width=557&height=762&crop=1798_1564_1874_2611&rotation=0&brightness=0&contrast=0&invert=0&ts=1583951390&h=0fdcc2a5d45009384968612504fb706c Some officials feared the building would collapse after witnessing the damages. It was estimated that the explosion caused $500,000 in damages.11 Mar 1976 Mason Jail Bombing Was Suicide Pact The Charleston Daily Mail https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?institutionId=0&user=3286547&id=36811244&width=557&height=826&crop=1864_638_1879_2839&rotation=0&brightness=0&contrast=0&invert=0&ts=1583953154&h=da8080dab0f3f2090bf97e3a6799441d Victims Killed Bruce Sisk, 19 (Perpetrator) Harriet Sisk, 18 (Perpetrator) Kenneth Love, 33 (Deputy) Elvin "Pete" Wedge, 48 (Sheriff) Ernest Hesson, 71 (Deputy)3 Mar 1976 Four killed, 11 injured in jail blast The Daily Sentinel https://books.google.com/books?id=_M1DAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=1440,3693984 Injured Though 11 injured is the consistently reported number, only 10 have ever been named. Lloyd Akers, 33 (State trooper) Tom Belcher, 34 (City patrolman) Richard Dyer, 47 (Deputy) Donald Little, 40 (Prisoner) Noah McDade, 52 (Prisoner) Alice Missen, 18 (Prisoner) Danny Missen, 27 (Prisoner) Terry Pierce, 18 (Prisoner) Mike Smith, 30 (State trooper) Bruce Wallace, 28 (Ohio highway patrolman)3 Mar 1976 Mason blast kills 4, injures 12 Williamson Daily News https://books.google.com/books?id=-qRDAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1&article_id=2779,3844238 Investigation Officers carried out searches of the Sisk home and interviewed approximately 50 people during the course of the investigation. Forensic analysis of the crime scene revealed that the bomb contained at least 15 pounds of dynamite and had been detonated by an electronic blasting cap and 1½ volt, D-cell flashlight battery, and not by Bruce Sisk shooting it with the shotgun, as originally thought. The investigation found that Bruce had not fired the shotgun at all during the attack. Based on Harriet's confession, a suicide note discovered at the Sisk home and witness testimony, the investigation concluded that the attack was part of a suicide pact between the Sisk couple. The dynamite used in the bomb was stolen by Bruce Sisk from a construction company he had worked for in the past, and the stolen shotgun was linked to a burglary in mid-February.unclear if this whole paragraph is covered or just "pigs" January 2026 Evidence was found that Bruce exhibited animosity towards police officers and referred to them as "pigs" and other derogatory names. Aftermath Around 11 months after the explosion, the Mason County Commission signed a contract to rebuild the jail, which was destroyed in the explosion. A memorial to the victims was placed outside the jail. The Sisk's other child, 18-month-old Michaell Sisk, was taken in by the Department of Welfare. References Further reading Wonderful West Virginia Wonderful West Virginia https://books.google.com/books?id=1QZOAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Bruce+Sisk%22+%22harriet+Sisk%27 2007 71 4 Google Books Newton Michael https://archive.org/details/bombsquad0000newt/mode/2up?q=%22Mason+County+jail%22 Bomb squad 2011 Chelsea House Publishers 978-1-60413-624-1 Vaughn Chad 2023-08-14 Mason County bridge to be dedicated to officers slain in 1976 bombing https://www.wvnews.com/rivercities/gallipolis/news/mason-county-bridge-to-be-dedicated-to-officers-slain-in-1976-bombing/article_8221d380-397f-11ee-aae2-0fe9029d4aa5.html 2024-08-17 WV News en Major arsons, disasters in latest Newell book https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2024/05/major-arsons-disasters-in-latest-newell-book/ 2024-08-17 en-US 38.8443 -82.1378 type:event_globe:earth_region:US-WV title Category:1976 building bombings Category:1976 disasters in the United States Category:1976 in West Virginia Category:1976 murders in the United States Category:Anti-police violence in the United States Category:Attacks in the United States in 1976 Category:Attacks on prisons and jails in the United States Category:Residential building bombings in the United States Category:Crimes against police officers in the United States Category:Criminal couples Category:Mass murderer duos Category:March 1976 in the United States Category:1976 mass murders Category:1970s mass murders in the United States Category:Murder in West Virginia Category:Point Pleasant, West Virginia Category:Prison bombings Category:Suicide bombings in the 1970s Category:Suicide bombings in the United States