On May 10, 1959, a two-car collision made 6 victims southeast of Shelbyville, including 4 members of Peoples Temple and Jim and Marceline’s Jones adopted daughter, Stephanie, aged 4. Stephanie, whose Korean name was Yun Sun Soon, was adopted in October 1958 by Jim and Marceline.
The others victims included Mable Stewart, superintendent of the nursing home, Barbara Payne, teacher in the church school, Pearl Nance, a nurse from the nursing home, Dallas Johnson, social worker at the Indiana Women’s prison, and Robert Zinser. The Peoples Temple members were returning home from a church service in Cincinnati.
The crash happened when the driver, Mrs. Mable Stewarts, started to pass another auto and her car was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The only survivors were the driver of the other car, Roger Wullenweber, 20, and Mark Payne, 10, son of one of the victims.
Jim Jones had stayed behind in Cincinnati to preach an exchange sermon in the Elmwood Temple, while the Rev. Edwin Wilson came to Indianapolis to take over his pulpit in the Peoples Temple.
James Warren Jones 