Cousin of Lyon Sisters Murder Suspect Certain He Did It

Patricia Welch accuses other family members of covering up the crime

What to Know

  • Forty-one years after Sheila and Katherine Lyon disappeared after going to the Wheaton Plaza Mall, Lloyd Welch is the only person charged.
  • His cousin, Patricia Welch, said that she is 100 percent certain he is guilty and that his father probably had something to do with it.
  • Patricia Welch insists her father, who is also under investigation, is innocent.

A cousin of the man charged with killing the Lyon sisters more than 40 years ago believes her cousin is guilty but insists her father is innocent.

In an exclusive interview with News4 and WTOP, Patricia Welch also pointed the finger at other family members for covering up the murders with which convicted sex offender Lloyd Lee Michael Welch Jr. is charged.

She said she’s been cooperating with investigators but she’s upset the investigation remains focused on her father rather than the people she says are responsible.

Forty-one years after 12-year-old Sheila and 10-year-old Katherine Lyon disappeared after going to have lunch and look at Easter decorations at the Wheaton Plaza Mall near their home in Wheaton, Maryland, Lloyd Welch is the only person charged with the murders. But prosecutors have said his uncle, Richard Welch, is not only a person of interest but the prime focus of the investigation now.

“We have nothing to hide,” said Patricia Welch, who was 8 years old when the Lyon sisters were reported missing. “My dad has nothing to hide. He’s done nothing wrong.”

Prosecutors believe Lloyd Welch kidnapped the young girls and ultimately killed them and buried their burned remains on family property in the mountains of Bedford, Virginia. Lloyd Welch and other family members have implicated Richard Welch, who has not been charged.

While Patricia Welch believes her father is innocent, she’s certain Lloyd Welch and his father are guilty.

“Yes, he did it,” she said about her cousin. “I think he did it 100 percent. His dad is dead. He probably was involved in it.”

Patricia Welch, whose daughter and mother have been charged with obstruction and perjury in connection to the case, says there are people in Bedford County who need to be held accountable.

“I just think it’s a real big cover-up in Bedford,” she said. “It may have started in Montgomery County but it ended up there.”

She believes family members who live around the Bedford farm where FBI agents excavated looking for clues lied to prosecutors about what happened the day they say Lloyd Welch showed up with two girls 41 years ago.

“Get up there on that mountain and do something with the people who were on that mountain that day,” she said.

Welch went on to name several family members she says she believes were involved in some way with the kidnapping and murders. She’s upset that those people haven’t had the public scrutiny thrust on them like it’s been cast on her family.

The family members she named have maintained their innocence.

The investigation is ongoing and they declined to comment on Welch’s statements, prosecutors said.

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