Though she was not an heiress in the traditional sense of directly inheriting the company. Born around the early 20th century, she married William Preston Williams, the brother of Tom Lyle Williams, who founded the Maybelline Company in 1915. Evelyn became deeply intertwined with the family dynasty behind the brand, playing a pivotal role both personally and symbolically in its legacy.
Evelyn grew up in Chicago as one of three daughters of a wealthy plumber, John Boucher, who provided his children with a refined upbringing filled with fine clothes and music lessons. She met Preston Williams during a Memorial Day parade in 1922, where she also encountered Tom Lyle. Her striking presence and charisma captivated Tom Lyle, who nicknamed her the "real Miss Maybelline" and used her as a muse for his advertising campaigns. A notable incident early in her connection to the company involved her dropping promotional flyers in the wind after a car backfired, leading to a newspaper photo captioned "Miss Maybelline Stops Traffic," which boosted Maybelline’s visibility.
Evelyn was a dynamic and ambitious woman—described as a 5'2" powerhouse with boundless energy and a fierce determination to elevate her family’s status. She focused intensely on her only child, William Preston "Bill" Williams Jr., forging a strong bond between him and Tom Lyle to secure their place within the Maybelline empire. This ambition, however, made her unpopular with some family members. Her life was marked by glamour and controversy, including a late marriage in 1974 at age 73 to a man 12 years her junior, against her son’s wishes, at the Balboa Bay Club.
In the 1970s, Evelyn moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she reinvented herself as "Miss Maybelline, Last of the Red Hot Mamas," opening a dinner theater and embracing a flamboyant lifestyle alongside her companion, Danné Montague-King. Her story took a tragic turn in 1978 when she died in a mysterious fire at her home, an event some still consider an unsolved arson case linked to the theft of $3 million in bonds. Her granddaughter, Sharrie Williams, author of The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It, portrays her as a complex figure—a trailblazer ahead of her time who paid a steep price for her relentless pursuit of success and perfection.
Evelyn’s legacy is tied to the Maybelline narrative not through ownership but through her influence on its image and her dramatic life story, which reflects the brand’s rise and the family’s tumultuous journey.
6 episodes of The Coroner's Report Podcast reveal clues on what really happened to Miss Maybelline in Hot Springs Arkansas. 46 Years ago.
Forensic advancements since 1978 could significantly impact the investigation into Evelyn Williams’ death in Hot Springs, Arkansas, potentially shedding new light on the unsolved arson-homicide. The original case stalled due to limited technology and degraded evidence, but modern tools—developed over the last four decades—offer powerful ways to revisit the fire, the missing bonds, and the circumstances of her death. Here’s how these advancements could reshape the investigation if applied today, as of March 2, 2025.
1. Arson Analysis: Enhanced Fire Investigation Techniques
1978 Limitations: Back then, arson detection relied on visual burn patterns, basic chemical tests for accelerants (e.g., gas chromatography), and witness accounts. The fire at 105 Convention Boulevard destroyed much evidence, and water from firefighting efforts likely diluted traces of accelerants, leaving investigators with little beyond a general conclusion of arson.
Modern Advancements:
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS): Now refined, GC-MS can detect minute traces of accelerants like gasoline or kerosene even in heavily contaminated debris. If any samples from the scene (ash, charred wood) were preserved, they could be retested to pinpoint the exact substance and its distribution, revealing whether it was poured strategically (e.g., near Evelyn) or randomly.
Fire Modeling Software: Computational models like the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) could recreate the blaze’s spread based on the house’s layout, materials, and burn patterns. This might determine the fire’s origin—say, near Evelyn’s bedroom versus an entry point—offering clues about intent and the perpetrator’s movements.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Analysis: Advanced sniffers can identify lingering chemical signatures years later, even in soil beneath the site, potentially confirming arson if no samples remain.
Impact: These tools could clarify if the fire was set to kill Evelyn specifically or to cover a theft, narrowing suspect profiles (e.g., someone with access versus an outsider).
2. DNA Evidence: Unlocking Biological Clues
1978 Limitations: DNA profiling didn’t exist until the mid-1980s, so no biological evidence was collected or analyzed. The fire’s intensity likely destroyed obvious traces like blood or hair, and investigators focused on survivors’ statements rather than trace evidence.
Modern Advancements:
Touch DNA: Today, forensic teams can extract DNA from surfaces touched by a perpetrator—doorknobs, a safe, or debris near the fire’s origin. If an outsider set the fire, their DNA might linger on items recovered from the scene, assuming any were archived.
Degraded DNA Recovery: Techniques like mitochondrial DNA analysis or next-generation sequencing can amplify tiny, heat-damaged samples. If Evelyn’s remains or personal items (clothing, jewelry) were preserved, they could be tested for foreign DNA, hinting at a struggle or an intruder’s presence.
Genealogy Databases: If DNA is found, investigative genetic genealogy—used in cases like the Golden State Killer—could trace it to a suspect or their relatives via public databases, even decades later.
Impact: DNA could implicate her business partner, (if his alibi masks involvement) or identify an unknown party, shifting the case from circumstantial guesswork to hard evidence.
3. Digital Forensics: Tracing the Bonds
1978 Limitations: The $3 million in bearer bonds vanished, and tracking them relied on manual checks with banks and informants. Bearer bonds, payable to whoever holds them, were nearly untraceable once stolen, and no serial numbers or digital records were linked to them in the investigation.
Modern Advancements:
Financial Record Digitization: While 1978 banking was paper-based, many institutions have since digitized archives. Cross-referencing bond serial numbers (if recorded by Evelyn or her family) with historical redemption records could reveal if they were cashed post-fire, pointing to a thief.
Blockchain Analysis Principles: Though bearer bonds predate blockchain, modern pattern-analysis tools could track their movement through financial networks if they resurfaced in the 1980s or later, especially if laundered through offshore accounts.
AI Pattern Recognition: Algorithms could sift through decades of financial data for anomalies tied to Hot Springs or the Williams family, flagging suspicious transactions.
Impact: Finding the bonds’ trail could directly implicate a suspect—the business partner, a family member, or a third party—tying the motive (theft) to the crime.
4. Psychological Profiling and Witness Reanalysis
1978 Limitations: Profiling was rudimentary, and witness interviews (e.g., the business partner, the houseguest) relied on detectives’ intuition. Evelyn’s distressed call to her son wasn’t recorded or forensically dissected.
Modern Advancements:
Behavioral Analysis: FBI-style profiling could reassess business partner's statements for deception—pauses, inconsistencies—or evaluate Evelyn’s lifestyle for enemies (ex-lovers, business rivals). This might refine the suspect pool.
Voice Stress Analysis: If a recording of Evelyn’s final call exists (unlikely but possible if her son kept it), software could detect fear or duress, corroborating her sense of threat.
Cold Case Interview Techniques: Re-interviewing aging witnesses—like the houseguest or neighbors—with modern methods (e.g., cognitive interviewing) could unearth forgotten details, like a stranger seen that week.
Impact: A sharper suspect profile or revived witness memory could redirect the investigation, especially if physical evidence is scarce.
5. Preservation and Re-examination of Evidence
1978 Limitations: Evidence storage was inconsistent—items might have been discarded or poorly cataloged after the case went cold. The Hot Springs Police Department likely kept minimal samples, if any.
Modern Advancements:
Cold Case Units: Specialized teams could petition to reopen the case, pulling any archived evidence (charred debris, Evelyn’s remains) from storage. Non-destructive imaging (e.g., 3D X-ray scanning) could reveal overlooked clues in objects like a safe or furniture fragments.
Isotope Analysis: If bones or teeth survived, stable isotope testing could confirm Evelyn’s identity and recent movements (via diet or water signatures), ruling out wild theories (e.g., she faked her death).
Microscopy: Scanning electron microscopes could detect microscopic accelerant residues or tool marks on locks, suggesting forced entry.
Impact: Re-examining physical remnants with today’s precision could either confirm arson details or uncover entirely new leads.
Feasibility and Challenges
Applying these advancements hinges on evidence preservation—did the HSPD retain debris, autopsy samples, or photos? Small departments often purge old files, and the fire’s destruction limits what’s left. The site at her residence, if rebuilt, might still hold soil traces, but excavation is unlikely without a reopened case. Evelyn's business partner and key witnesses are likely deceased, reducing fresh testimony. Still, even partial evidence (a bone fragment, a bond stub) could crack the case with DNA or chemical analysis.
Potential Outcomes
Business partner Implicated: DNA or profiling might expose inconsistencies in his escape story, suggesting he set the fire for the bonds.
Third Party Identified: DNA or bond tracing could point to an outsider—say, a local crook or someone Evelyn crossed in Hot Springs’ underworld.
Accident Ruled Out: Advanced fire analysis could solidify arson, dispelling any doubt it was a tragic mishap.
As of 2025, no public effort has leveraged these tools here. A cold case unit with funding and family pressure (e.g., from Sharrie Williams) could push for it, turning Evelyn’s mystery into a solvable puzzle.
My Grandmother Evelyn Williams aka Miss Maybelline was killed, her house started on fire and 3 million dollars in Bonds stollen. Here is what actually happened after months of private investigation, 45 years later. Can be very disturbing to listen to.
Join us on a gripping journey back to 1978 as we unravel the mysterious death of Evelyn Williams aka Miss Maybelline. Was it a tragic accident, or could it have been a carefully orchestrated crime? Dive deep into the intriguing life of this cosmetic heiress as we unearth clues and explore theories that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. Tune in to the Coroner's Report Podcast for aJoin us on a gripping journey back to 1978 as we unravel the mysterious death of Evelyn Williams aka Miss Maybelline. Was it a tragic accident, or could it have been a carefully orchestrated crime? Dive deep into the intriguing life of this cosmetic heiress as we unearth clues and explore theories that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. Tune in to the Coroner's Report Podcast for a riveting investigation that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
looking 35 at 18 didn't get me a Maybelline model contract. But the Maybelline Story was born.
Nana, my dad Bill, me with dyed black hair and my dad's uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, founder of the Maybelline Company. I hoped to be a Maybelline model after I graduated high school. My grandmother convinced me to dress up for Christmas in a black cocktail dress, heals and of course my Chicken of the Sea hair-do to impress Unk Ile. He took one look at me he said, "My god, Sharrie, you look like a 35 year old woman, not a teenage girl. Was that a good or bad thing? I wasn't sure, but it wasn't what he was looking for in a Maybelline model. He was targeting the teenage market in 1966. In fact, Unk Ile, wanted just the opposite of my exotic look. Maybelline was going for a softer, more natural look. So my hopes of becoming the next teen Maybelline model were smashed. Nana watched me mope around a while, then said, "Sharrie, Darling, why don't you go back to Chicago next summer and stay with your Great aunts and uncles, meet your cousins and and get to know the Chicago branch of the family.
My spirits lifted and I was on my way. Here I am, Queen of the super rollers, with my sister, Donna and her pin straight surfer girl hair. she was happy to see me go for the summer, envisioning driving my 57, blue and white Chevy, to the beach everyday and surf. I was excited to take my first plane ride back to where the story all began.
Exotic and over dressed for every occasion in Chicago.
Nana encouraged me to take notes to document my trip in a letter to Unk Ile, when I got back. I did, and those notes became part of the book I'd publish 45 years later.
When my house burned down in 1993 most of my pictures of my trip to Chicago were lost. this picture of auntie Eva and uncle Ches at their home on Mercer Lake survived.It was here, as well as with Auntie Mabel and uncle Chet, Aunt Verona and Aunt Bunny, that the Maybelline Story, began to unfold. They loved showing me pictures, letters, and sharing stories about the early days of Maybelline. With their help I pieced together a memoir, The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.
Memories of Mabel and Chet on their Wedding Day, Tom Lyle Williams, aka Unk Ile to us, Maybelline eye shadow in the 1930's and an original Maybelline ad from 1925.
After two wonderful months of getting to know my aunts, uncles and cousins, I returned to California, (as you can see I don't look very happy about it.) I wanted to stay in Chicago and start college, but my parents insisted I come home. So here I am at the airport, with my mother, Pauline, My dad, Bill, Nana and little Preston and Billee.
I did keep a diary of my trip to Chicago and wrote a 25 page letter to Unk Ile. He was quite impressed with my writing and said, "Sharrie, you certainly have a way with words, I think you'd make a great copy writer. He didn't offer a modeling contract, but he did tell me that if I got a degree in advertising, he'd open every door for me. He also said, I really don't want my story told, but if you do someday write it, I don't want to be remembered as the man who invented mascara, I want to be remembered as the "King of Advertising." Read more of my book, The Maybelline Story. I guarantee you, you won't be able to put it down.
There was no one in the Maybelline family more invincible than Evelyn Williams...at least that's what she wanted us all to believe.
My grandmother Evelyn with my father William Preston Williams at Dundee Military School, Chicago, 1934 -1935 With the same voratious appetite Evelyn had for succeeding in all areas of her life, including playing the violin, mastering the stage as a ballerina and finally securing a position within the Maybelline family, she focused on her only child William Preston Williams Jr. (Bill.) Evelyn wasn't your ordinary sweet homemaker, though she did love her son as ferociously as a mother Lion loves her cub, however her main objective was to instill a mindset for survival in the boy and that meant creating an indisputable bond between Bill and his uncle Tom Lyle Williams. She succeeded, though not without making herself unpopular with the rest of the Williams family. Evelyn fought on the battlefield of life in her persuit to win at all costs and today I realize my remarkable grandmother, the original auntie Mame, was two generations ahead of her time. A tiny 5' 2" powerhouse with boundless energy, Machavellian mental machinations and the ability to outsmart the smartest of wild cats, she had one desire. To place her clan at the top of the heap no matter what the price -and Evelyn paid the highest price of all... with her life! Read more about Evelyn Williams incredible story and her ability to get what she wanted - while growing even more beautiful and glamorus as she aged in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. Nana was a diva in every respect and not only expected but demanded I follow in her footsteps. I wonder if she'd be pleased today with the fact I've dedicated my life to her memory and the family she loved so much.
Evelyn relaxing at her new home in West Los Angles, California, 1938. Relaxation is a Beauty Secrets.
After Evelyn and Bill followed Tom Lyle to California he bought them a little bungalow in West Los Angeles, a few miles from the Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills where he and Emery lived. Tom Lyle gave Evelyn a nice allowance and told her to rest and enjoy the California sunshine. She took his advice about relaxing but never ever allowed the sun to touch her perfect alabaster skin for more than 10 minutes, just enough to soak in a little vitamin D.
Speaking of soaking, I remember one of Nana's most famous beauty secrets, was soaking in a hot tub with three cups of Epsom salt and sometimes even a cup of baking soda to soften her skin. She told me there was nothing in the world better for relaxing tense muscles after a game of badminton than a half hour in the tub with Epsom Salt. She believed that a good soak erased a multitude of sins and kept her looking young all her life.
When I became a teenager I soaked in an Epsom Salt bath before getting dressed for a Saturday night date. I believed it slimmed me down so I could fit in my "skinny pants" in 1964, and it was so relaxing that I felt like a million bucks and looked fabulous. Try it yourself and see if it doesn't make you feel relaxed and look beautiful too.
Today I've taken relaxing in an Epson Salt bath to a new level. Sensory-deprivation-tank, or floating, is the ultimate in relaxation and meditation. My grandmother would probably have one in her home if she were alive today. Read about on this link and try it for yourself . It's worth it.
All my young life, Nana preached about having beautiful skin. "Sharrie," she'd say "the first thing people notice is your eyes and your skin, and you only get one chance at a first impression." Nana believed that your skin was your "calling card," and either draws people to you or sends them away.
I can still see her mixing up a batch of "mud" as she called it, while I sat in wonder as a little girl. She'd mix a couple of tablespoons of rice flour, a capsule of vitamin E, a little rosewater and enough yogurt to make it the consistency of putty. Next she'd smear it all over her face and neck, lay on the floor sometimes on her hydroculators and rest her legs on a chair so the blood would flow in reverse, and relax her tired muscles.
Now this wasn't a Kodak moment and few people ever had the pleasure of witnessing this "secret of the Harem," but I never forgot it. To this day I refuse to buy over the counter skin masques, because there is nothing better than Nana's Mud. It brings the blood to the surface and feeds the skin with nutrients. By the way it's funny that her son, my dad Bill, called his mother MUD! Give it a try and let me know what you think. If you want to know more about Nana, buy my Book right now onAmazon, kick back and enjoy the full spa treatment, while reading "The Maybelline Story."
