Police Officer John H. Snyder – Marion Police Department

Police Officer

John H. Snyder

Marion Police Department

Sunday, February 2, 1919

Age: 40

Served: 5 years, 3 months

Not Included

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Duty-related illness
Date/Time of Incident: Monday, January 27, 1919
Incident to Death Duration: 6 days
Incident Location: 4th and Boots streets, Marion
Incident County: Grant
Incident Township: Center
Weapon Used: None
Suspect Disposition: None
Burial Place: Estates of Serenity, Marion

Police Officer John Snyder died in the midst of the 1918–1920 influenza pandemic.

After contracting the virus while on duty, he was under the care of a physician before he passed away from complications of bronchial pneumonia six days later at home.

Police Officer Snyder was survived by his wife, 11-year-old son, 8-year-old and infant daughters. His son later served as an officer with the Elkhart Police Department.

Historical Note

The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly referred to as the Spanish flu, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide from February 1918 until April 1920 and claimed the lives of 11,289 Hoosiers. From August to December 1918, the deadly second wave was responsible for 5,900 deaths with the highest occurring in October when 2,092 died statewide and about 292,000 throughout the country. The pandemic caused 269 known law enforcement line of duty deaths in the United States.

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This officer, discovered in 2026, has not been submitted for consideration as an eligible line of duty death to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund by the Marion Police Department.

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