Body Buried in the Nursery: The Case of Eric Kelby

True Crime Classics

Originally Aired: September 3, 1949

Body Buried in the Nursery: The Case of Eric Kelby

In this haunting Dragnet episode, Joe Friday and Ben Romero investigate the sudden disappearance of Agnes Kelby, a devoted wife and mother who vanishes without warning. What begins as a routine missing persons case quickly unravels into something far more sinister. Her husband, Eric Kelby, claims she simply walked out—but her purse, clothes, and most hauntingly, her devotion to her son Bruce, are all left behind.

The deeper Friday and Romero dig, the more Eric Kelby’s story begins to fall apart. The stepson, Bruce, fearing for his mother’s safety, secretly contacts the police—sparking an investigation that peels back layers of deceit, greed, and abuse.

Piece by piece, the detectives uncover Kelby’s motives: control, jealousy, and a $30,000 life insurance policy. When the trail grows cold, a single overlooked clue from Bruce leads them to a freshly-dug patch of soil in the family’s nursery. There, beneath the roses, lies Agnes Kelby’s body.

Tense, methodical, and chillingly real, Body Buried in the Nursery is a classic example of Dragnet's commitment to showing the slow, steady grind of real police work and the emotional cost of justice.

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Cast: Jack Webb (Joe Friday), Barton Yarborough (Ben Romero), with supporting performances by Harry Bartell, Peggy Webber, and Herb Ellis.