Sylvia Shepherd died June 25, 2021, at age 89. 

Shepherd studied journalism and English at IU. After graduating, Shepherd worked for the Indianapolis Star for three years and the Chicago Tribune for 28 years as a reporter, writer and editor. She continued to freelance after retirement, and she wrote a book, “The Mistress of Murder Hill: The Serial Killings of Belle Gunness,” which was published in 2001.