Stephen Burrell Small: Business Tycoon Buried Alive

Stephen Burrell Small was kidnapped and then buried alive by a money-hungry criminal intending to extort him.Photo byThe Small Family/Chicago Tribune

40-year-old Illinois native Stephen Burrell Small was a well-known businessman in Chicago and Kankakee. Although several of his family members also specialized in broadcast media, he worked hard to earn respect in the industry. He inherited his business savvy from his father, Burrell L. Small, the president of a broadcasting company.

During the early morning hours of September 2, 1987, Stephen awoke out of his sleep to a call from a woman claiming to be a Kankakee City Police Department representative, and that intruders had broken into a building he was renovating. When Stephen’s wife, Nancy (Small), became concerned, Stephen mentioned the call and that he had to leave but would return soon.

Sadly, Nancy never saw her husband alive again.

As Stephen drove to his office, he was stopped by 30-year-old Danny Edwards, who held him at gunpoint and demanded he get into another vehicle. He arrived at a desolate location close to his home and entered the car’s trunk while handcuffed. After Danny drove to a nearby payphone, he ordered Stephen to call his wife to request one million dollars in cash.

A few minutes later, both men approached a box in a dirt hole located in a wooded area, and Danny ordered Stephen into the enclosure. Stephen had minimal oxygen to survive with the assistance of a plastic pipe built into the box.

The day after the kidnapping, Danny’s neighbors spotted him talking to a tall, blond woman identified as 26-year-old Nancy Rish, a suspected accomplice, and Danny’s girlfriend.

Master Sergeant William Willis became the lead investigator in the case. He began watching Danny’s activity and recorded his calls to gather leads and more information about Stephen. Soon, Danny became a suspect due to his frequent trips to where Stephen was buried. Since Nancy (Rish) remained by his side, she was also considered suspicious, and Willis wanted to question her.

Surprisingly, a third suspect surfaced in the case. 33-year-old Kent Allain was identified and also questioned.

All three suspects were arrested and charged. They were transported to the Kankakee County Detention Center and held without bail.

Danny Edwards and Nancy Rish in 1987.Photo byIllinois Department of Corrections

Willis handcuffed Danny, and they both went to the dirt hole in the woods. Afterward, the box was pried open, and Willis discovered Stephen lifeless due to suffocation and shock. Most likely, he died only a few hours after being buried, and the makeshift ventilation pipe was weak and ineffective.

Authorities suspected that Nancy (Rish) was the woman who called Stephen on the night of his kidnapping. Although she denied her involvement, witnesses saw her interacting with Danny around the location of the murder. Their descriptions of her appearance were accurate and led to her arrest.

Danny was convicted of murder and aggravated kidnapping. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was later commuted to life without parole.

Nancy (Rish) was also convicted of murder and aggravated kidnapping and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.

Kent was never convicted.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Nancy was released in February 2022. For years many years after she entered the prison system, she protested that she deserved a new and lesser sentence but was granted a release by the parole board instead. She maintained that she had no idea about the extortion plot and was an involuntary accomplice.