Unknown UNKNOWN

Sept 17, 1997

Log Cabin Staff Writer
Published Friday, May 19, 2000

By Samantha Huseas

VILONIA -- The 1,100 residents of this small town hope Wednesday's arrest, guilty plea and sentencing of Gelia Ruple will bring an end to the nearly three-year saga of "Vilonia's Little Angel."

That was the name given by a grieving community to the full-term newborn girl whose body was found in a trash barrel at Gerald and Gelia Ruple's house in September 1997.

On the day Mrs. Ruple was sentenced to six years active probation for a charge of abuse of a corpse, Vilonia was swarmed by television news crews. Reporters and photographers were layered around the home where the Ruples had lived and at the baby's grave.

The grave in Vilonia Cemetery is near an open field, several feet from the next grave marker. On Wednesday, it was decorated with assorted pink flowers, crosses and red and white carnations brought by community members.

Grave markers bearing both the names Ruple and Waddle, Gelia's maiden name, are also in the cemetery.

The community banded together and buried the abandoned baby Nov. 23, 1997, in a plot and casket that were donated, as were the cost of the service and flowers.

Jim Creasy, whose wife donated the floral arrangement, recalled the funeral as he briefly discussed Mrs. Ruple's confession.

"To be honest, the funeral was really sad. Just knowing how many people would like to have a kid and someone just throws one away ...," Creasy said, shaking his head.

"I'm just glad to know who did it," he said.

Creasy added that he suspected the mother would be someone from the area and that he knew the Ruples but would not say if he was shocked to learn she was the baby's mother.

Charles Patrom was a neighbor of the Ruples, who lived at 123 Highway 107.

He said Wednesday he was surprised to hear that Mrs. Ruple was the baby's mother and that he did not even know she was pregnant at the time. The child she gave birth to weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces when a sanitation worker found her in the trash.

Patrom said one of his biggest concerns is whether or not the baby was dead when she was placed in the barrel. He said he could not imagine putting a living dog in the trash, much less an infant.

Mrs. Ruple's attorney maintains the child was stillborn.

The name Ruple still appears on a mailbox near the home. The home remains uninhabitable since a fire damaged it about a year ago. Charred mattress sets and other materials sit in the driveway.

A swing set and toys sit to the side of the home.

Patrom and another neighbor, Richard Goff, said Gerald Ruple still comes by the home often to mow the yard, get items from a storage shed and pick up the mail.

Goff said the Ruples have two children, one about 7 years old and the other younger than the deceased baby would be if alive.

"I can see no reason why she would do this. I just can't visualize what could have been going through her mind," Goff said.

Goff called the situation sickening, saying that if the baby was born dead, she should have at least been buried, not thrown in the trash.

As far as Goff knows, Gerald Ruple had no idea the child found in front of his house was borne by his wife.

"Gerald convinced me he didn't know about it -- that somebody just dropped a baby in his trash barrel," Goff said. "I was totally convinced that he didn't know anything."

Officials say they will not charge Gerald Ruple with any crime and believe the couple is now going through a divorce.

Goff has known of Mrs. Ruple for years because she was in Vilonia schools with his son. "She was very intelligent and got good grades. My son ... can't understand it either."

Another Vilonia resident also remembers Mrs. Ruple from her school days -- classmate Billy Baker. Baker, Vilonia's police chief, said he and Gelia graduated in 1984. He agreed with the others' evaluation of her, calling her a "good girl" who held a position in student government.

Baker said this has been devastating for the community, saying everyone became unified in their grief over the incident. He, along with all those interviewed, said the fact that Mrs. Ruple allowed another woman, Arden Wilson, to take the blame for her crime makes the situation even worse.

In December 1997, Ms. Wilson of Beebe was arrested but tests later proved she was not the mother.

"I'm glad there's finally some closure but I wish she (Mrs. Ruple) would have come forward years ago," Baker said.

He added people in the town collectively wondered what kind of society could allow something like this to happen.

Baker added he's not had any legal dealings with Mrs. Ruple since he's been with the Police Department.

Another group of Vilonia citizens, a group of teens, sat at a local gas station and offered their thoughts on the situation.

"It was a nasty, rotten thing to do," the group said, nearly in unison. The teens, like most people spoken with in town, could not understand why Mrs. Ruple did not receive some jail time for her crime.

"What did that baby do to deserve that? What a great justice system we have that would give her probation," Stephanie Wood said.

Another teen, Jeremy Hall, echoed her thoughts. "You can go to jail for stealing a pack of cigarettes," and she got probation, he said.

"If you're going to have a baby," Josh Brandt said, "you have to have the responsibility to take care of it. I'm only 17 and I know that."

Contributed on 1/9/17 by hawkinsdonna
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