For 20 years, one Indiana family lived with the same unanswered question:

Who killed 10-year-old Blake Dickus and his 26-year-old stepmother, Chynna?

Now, after two decades of silence, authorities say they finally have an answer.

On July 24, 2006, Blake and Chynna were found dead inside their home in Franklin, Indiana. Blake’s father discovered them after returning home that evening.

The case quickly became one of the area’s most haunting unsolved investigations.

Investigators spent years following leads, putting up billboards and offering a reward for information. At one point, the reward stood at $25,000.

But the years kept passing.

Then, in September 2026, authorities dramatically increased the reward to $100,000.

Days later, the case took a stunning turn.

A Johnson County grand jury indicted Michael Jerome James, now 35, on two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Blake and Chynna.

There is one detail that makes the case even more difficult to comprehend:

James was only 14 years old when the killings happened.

Police arrested him at his home in Shelbyville on October 2. Prosecutors say he will face the case as an adult.

But authorities are keeping one crucial piece of the story secret — what evidence finally connected James to the killings.

According to Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner, the grand jury spent approximately three weeks reviewing evidence and testimony before returning the indictments.

Because grand jury proceedings are confidential, officials have not publicly revealed the evidence that led to the charges.

Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran said investigators never stopped working the case, continuing to review evidence, pursue leads and use advances in forensic science.

For Chynna’s family, however, the arrest came too late for one person who had spent years waiting for it.

Chynna’s mother, Marsha, died before seeing an arrest in her daughter’s case.

Her close friend Lance Fischer said the long-awaited development brought both relief and sadness.

“I wish she was here to see this.”

For two decades, Blake and Chynna’s names remained attached to a case without an answer.

Now there is an arrest.

But there are still countless questions.

What happened inside that Indiana home in 2006? And what evidence finally broke open a mystery that had remained unsolved for 20 years?

The answers may emerge as the case moves through court.

Michael Jerome James is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

SOURCES
PEOPLE – Cold-case arrest and background
WTHR – Indiana cold-case investigation
Franklin Police Department – Official updates
WIBC – 20 years later, arrest made in Johnson County double murder