Florida Widow Charged In Cold Case Murder Of Late Husband, 17 Years Later

May 9, 2018, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Accused Killer Claudia Hoerig’s Shocking Video Confession Is Released

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TALLAHASSEE, FL — The widow of a Florida man who mysteriously vanished almost 18 years ago after he supposedly went duck hunting alone has been arrested and charged with his murder.

Denise Williams, 48, was arrested on Tuesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Mike Williams, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Williams also faces a count of being an accessory after the fact, state attorney Jack Campbell said.

Mike Williams, who worked as an appraiser with Ketcham Realty Group, vanished on December 16, 2000. Denise told police that he had gone duck hunting alone on Lake Seminole, near Tallahassee.

Authorities searched for his body, but no trace of Williams was found until December 2017.

The cold-case murder has mystified investigators for years. Over time various theories were proposed — and some people reportedly believed that Williams had been eaten by an alligator. Eventually, his body was found buried in mud near a boat landing in Tallahassee, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Investigators were suspicious when they learned that Mike Williams’ friend Brian Winchester helped him write a $1 million insurance policy six months before he disappeared and that, after Mike’s death, Winchester began dating Denise Williams.

Denise convinced a judge to declare Mike legally dead, and was reportedly able to collect around $2 million in insurance money. Winchester and Denise eventually married.

Former Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Derrick Wester interviewed Denise in 2004, when Mike’s mother, Cheryl Williams, attempted to open the case for investigation. Wester says he will never forget interviewing Denise. “She’s the coldest person I’ve ever been around,” he said. “I hope they’ve got a good case and she gets what she deserves.”

In 2016, after Denise filed for divorce, Winchester was charged with kidnapping Denise at gunpoint and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Authorities discovered Mike Williams’ body one day after Winchester was sentenced.

“It’s very coincidental that Brian Winchester gets sentenced to 20 years in prison, and now they miraculously find Mike Williams’ body, and now they’re indicting Denise Williams,” Denise’s attorney, Ethan Way said.

Court records indicate that he kidnapped Denise because he was afraid that she would tell investigators what really happened to Mike Williams.

According to a charging document obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat, Denise and Brian conspired for nearly nine months to kill Mike — and Brian fatally shot his friend.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent Mark Perez praised the efforts of investigators. “We’ve had this case for 15 years, and the relentless effort in working with prosecutors and then ultimately the grand jury in bringing those responsible for Mike Williams’ [death] to justice is a great reward,” Perez said. “Hopefully, this will bring peace and resolution to the Williams family.”

Denise Williams is expected to be arraigned Wednesday.

For more on this case, watch the “Mystery on Lake Seminole” episode of Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared on ID GO now!

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Accused Killer Claudia Hoerig’s Shocking Video Confession Is Released

May 10, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Golden State Killer Suspect, Joseph DeAngelo, Now Charged With 12 Murders

≪ Previous: Florida Widow Charged In Cold Case Murder Of Late Husband, 17 Years Later

WARREN, OH — A woman who allegedly killed her husband and then fled the country 10 years ago has shared her version of what happened with investigators in a videotaped confession.

Claudia Hoerig told detectives that she fatally shot Air Force Reserve Major Karl Hoerig in 2007 because he was sexually and emotionally abusive, according to a tape obtained by The Fox 8 I-Team.

Claudia traveled to her native Brazil a few days after the murder. Investigators were just able to bring her back to the United States in January 2018.

“I was laying down, I got up really fast and I shot at him,” Claudia Hoerig told Trumbull County Sheriff Detective Mike Yannucci and Deputy U.S. Marshal Bill Boldin. “I didn’t like his games, because like I told you, I am a very conservative woman,” she said.

She told police that originally, she planned to kill herself.

Claudia claimed that when she told her husband that she was pregnant, he got angry and locked himself in the bedroom.

Claudia Hoerig [Fox 8 (screenshot)]

She said that she got her gun with the intention of shooting herself, but when she told him that she planned to take her own life, she said that he told her to go to the basement so didn’t get blood on the paintings.

“I got very angry,” Claudia said. “If he hadn’t said, that I would be dead and he would be alive.”

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She claims that she then did actually attempt to kill herself as well, but that she had run out of bullets.

But Karl Hoerig’s family and friends have hit back — and stated that they do not believe Claudia’s claims.

Claudia is being held in the Trumbull County jail on a $10 million bond. Her next court hearing is planned for next month.

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Golden State Killer Suspect, Joseph DeAngelo, Now Charged With 12 Murders

May 11, 2018, 9:45 am

≫ Next: Cold Case: Man Arrested In Connection With Murder Of 13-Year-Old Girl In 1986

≪ Previous: Accused Killer Claudia Hoerig’s Shocking Video Confession Is Released

SACRAMENTO, CA — Joseph DeAngelo, the retired police officer suspected of being the Golden State Killer, has been charged with four additional counts of first-degree murder. This brings the total number of murder charges to 12.

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The Golden State Killer, who was also known as the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, among other monikers, terrorized California during the 1970s and the 1980s. Investigators say he is responsible for 50 rapes, 12 murders, and over 100 burglaries during this time.

DeAngelo, 72, worked as a police officer in the California towns of Exeter and Auburn during the 1970s. Later, he worked as a mechanic.

DeAngelo was arrested on April 24 at his home in the Citrus Heights suburb of Sacramento.

The new murder charges are from Santa Barbara County, where authorities believe he killed Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning in December 1979 and Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez in July 1981. Each of the four new counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances carries a possible sentence of death or life in prison without parole.

“Violent cold cases never grow cold for their victims or loved ones,” Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley said at a news conference.

DeAngelo will appear in court in Sacramento on Monday.

Investigators used genealogy websites to help find DeAngelo.

Paul Holes, a retired investigator with the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office, said last month that investigators believed that DeAngelo may have been initially motivated by his anger following the breakup of a relationship in the 1960s. Holes describes DeAngelo as an “anger retaliatory offender.”

Watch the full series of Investigation Discovery’s The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over on ID GO now!

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Cold Case: Man Arrested In Connection With Murder Of 13-Year-Old Girl In 1986

May 11, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: The Honolulu Strangler: “Breaking Homicide” Tracks A Serial Killer In Hawaii

≪ Previous: Golden State Killer Suspect, Joseph DeAngelo, Now Charged With 12 Murders

EUREKA, IL — A man has been charged with the cold case murder of 13-year-old girl in Washington state, committed more than 30 years ago.

Robert D. Washburn, 60, was arrested in connection with the killing of Jennifer Bastian in Tacoma, Washington, in 1986. Bastian left her home on August 4, 1986, at around 2:30 P.M. on her bicycle.

She left a note that said she’d return by 6:30 P.M., Tacoma police said in a statement.

Jennifer was training for a bike tour, and reportedly planned to ride to Point Defiance Park. She was never seen again. Her strangled body was found on August 28 in an area near the park where several witnesses reported seeing her the on afternoon she disappeared.

Robert D. Washburn [Woodford County Jail]

Washburn was arrested in Illinois following a joint investigation by Illinois State Police and the Tacoma Police Department. Authorities report that he is currently being held at the Woodford County Jail, but that they plan to extradite him to Washington State.

This is a developing story.

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The Honolulu Strangler: “Breaking Homicide” Tracks A Serial Killer In Hawaii

May 14, 2018, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Who Is The “Bible Belt Strangler”? High School Sociology Class IDs Possible Serial Killer

≪ Previous: Cold Case: Man Arrested In Connection With Murder Of 13-Year-Old Girl In 1986

HONOLULU, HI — On May 30th, 1985, 25-year-old Vicki Purdy’s body was found at the edge of Waikele Lagoon in Honolulu. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, and her hands were tied behind her back.

Though police did not know it at the time, Purdy would become the first known victim of a serial killer the press nicknamed “The Honolulu Strangler.”

Four more women would be murdered between May 1985 and April of 1986. All of the victims were between 17 and 36 years old. All were left nude or partially nude, had been sexually assaulted — and were bound.

Omar Sakamoto [Investigation Discovery]

The murders terrorized the islands’ residents, and, to this day. the killer has never been caught.

The Honolulu Strangler case is the subject of an episode of Investigation Discovery’s Breaking Homicide. In the episode, former police detective Derrick Levasseur and forensic psychologist Kris Mohandie meet with Omar Sakamoto, the brother of the Strangler’s second victim, 17-year-old Regina Sakomoto. Regina was last seen sitting at a bus stop in Waipahu in January 1986.

Investigators found her body floating off of Keehi Lagoon, and later confirmed that her murder fit the patterns of the other killings.

Omar, who was in fifth grade when his older sister was murdered, said that his life has never been the same. “She was fun-loving, Everybody looked up to her,” Omar said.

The five victims of the serial killer known as “The Honolulu Strangler” [Investigation Discovery]

After the body of the third victim, a 21-year-old secretary named Denise Hughes, was found in January 1986, police assembled a serial killer task force.

The fourth victim, Louise Medeiros, vanished after a red-eye flight to Oahu on March 26. She had told her family that she planned to get a bus from the airport. Her body was found by road workers on April 2 near a stream.

The fifth and last known victim of the Honolulu Strangler was 36-year-old Linda Pesce. Her roommate reported her missing after she failed to come home on April 29, 1986.

Regina Sakamoto [Investigation Discovery]

Derrick and Kris talk to Louis Souza, a former homicide detective with the Honolulu Police who led the task force. Souza revealed that all five victims were bound with the same type of parachute cord.

He also said that, due to the fact that the women did not have extensive injuries on their bodies, he believed that the killer was a “smooth talker” who was able to entice the women to get into his van without much of a struggle.

Souza told Derrick and Kris that the police did have a prime suspect: After the final victim was killed, an informant called police in 1986 and told them that a victim was buried in Sand Island. The informant, Howard Gay, worked as a mechanic at one of the air freight companies along Lagoon Drive.

Gay was a middle-aged Caucasian male who, in some ways, fit the task force’s profile. They described a Caucasian male in his thirties to forties with no criminal record. The profiler also suspected the killer targeted women near where he lived or worked. After police found Pesce’s naked body on Sand Island, they arrested Gay.

According to later reports, the suspect’s ex-wife and girlfriend said that his sexual tastes included a preference for bondage, and that he tied their hands behind their backs during sexual encounters.

Souza said that Gay was interrogated, but that a lie-detector test he took was inconclusive, and prosecutors felt that police did not have enough evidence to proceed.

Howard Gay [Investigation Discovery]

Derrick and Kris also look into other suspects, including a Honololu policeman.

They also examine cases prior to 1985 to see if they could link the Strangler to any other unsolved cases — including Lisa Au, a 19-year-old who was murdered in 1982.

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Kris and Derrick appear to get a major break after reviewing the autopsies with a forensic pathologist, who said that the results could indicate that the killer had a vasectomy.

Former prosecuting attorney Peter Carlisle also delivers his opinion on the case. He explained why the limitations of DNA technology meant that, in his opinion, the man who he believed was the killer could not be convicted beyond a reasonable doubt with the technology available at the time.

In the end, Kris and Derrick deliver their results to Omar and, for the first time, the suspect is publicly named.

Watch “The Honolulu Strangler” episode of Investigation Discovery’s Breaking Homicide on ID GO now!

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Who Is The “Bible Belt Strangler”? High School Sociology Class IDs Possible Serial Killer

May 16, 2018, 9:45 am

≫ Next: IDCon 2018 Cold Case Confidential: How Do You Catch A Bad Guy When There’s No DNA?

≪ Previous: The Honolulu Strangler: “Breaking Homicide” Tracks A Serial Killer In Hawaii

ELIZABETHTON, TN — Students in a Tennessee high school sociology class have developed a profile of a serial killer they believe is responsible for a string of unsolved murders.

Teacher Alex Campbell invited his students at Elizabethton High School to examine six unsolved homicides known as the “Redhead Murders.” After working on the case for a semester, the class analyzed the behavior of the killer they chose to nickname “The Bible Belt Strangler,” according to USA Network-Tennessee.

The class used criminal investigative techniques as well as the Doe Network — an online national database of unidentified murder victims — to analyze six deaths they believe are linked. The six murders, which took place between 1983 and 1985, involve white female victims with red or reddish hair and slight builds.

Campbell was able to present the class’s findings to an FBI profiler, who reviewed the students’ work and validated the links they drew among the six cases.

All of the women were found next to roadways, and several of the victims appear to have been strangled or suffocated. There is, however, no evidence of sexual assault or torture. The victims are believed to have been hitchhiking or working as prostitutes.

The only victim of the six who authorities have been able to identify is Lisa Nichols, a 28-year-old woman from West Virginia with strawberry blonde hair. Nichols was found on Interstate 40 in West Memphis, Arkansas, in September 1984. The other bodies were found in Tennessee and Kentucky and, in the past, police have investigated them as separate cold cases.

The students believe that all of the women were most likely killed by a single assailant and that he could be a commercial truck driver. Campbell said the class believes that the killer may have lived East Tennessee. They’ve also determined that the suspect would be five-foot-nine to six-foot-two, with an average to athletic or stocky build, and would weigh 180 to 270 pounds.

Most chilling, the teacher also said that the Bible Belt Strangler may still be alive. “We believe that he stopped probably because he stopped driving,” Campbell told the USA Today Network-Tennessee. “We believe he’s still out there.”

If you have any information that could assist this case, you’re asked to contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1 (800) TBI-FIND.

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IDCon 2018 Cold Case Confidential: How Do You Catch A Bad Guy When There’s No DNA?

May 22, 2018, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Genealogy DNA Helps Crack 1987 Cold Case Murder Of Young Couple In Washington

≪ Previous: Who Is The “Bible Belt Strangler”? High School Sociology Class IDs Possible Serial Killer

NEW YORK, NY — The arrest of the Golden State Killer suspect after 37 years has shown once again that there is no denying the power of DNA evidence when it comes to cracking cold cases. But how can an investigator solve a murder — and catch the bad guy — in cases where there is no DNA?

Saturday, May 19, 2018, hundreds of ID Addicts gathered together to meet their favorite ID hosts and crime fighters. A full day of presentations and panel discussions ensued, with one of the most fascinating featuring experts discussing the challenges of working and solving cold cases. Called “Cold Case Confidential,” the panel was moderated by journalist Diane Dimond who spoke with Garry McFadden, Chris Anderson (above), Derrick Lavasseur, and Dr. Kris Mohandie.

“I have a unique take on the progression of technology when it comes to DNA and things like that,” retired homicide detective Chris Anderson, who cohosts Reasonable Doubt, told CrimeFeed.

“When it comes to cases, I actually think it makes us detectives kind of lazy, because you know when you have DNA samples, some detectives will sit back and wait for that sample to come back or see if they can get a match compared rather than being out working the case. I come from a long line of those gumshoe detectives who like to get out and knock on doors and talk to people,” Anderson said. “I’m still going to work the case as hard as I would have if I had it.”

The “lineup” at IDCon 2018: Joe Kenda, Dr. Kris Mohandie, Derrick Levasseur, Garry McFadden, and Chris Anderson (left to right) [Investigation Discovery]

So in the absence of DNA, what type of evidence does an investigator need to successfully prosecute a case? “You need a confident and reliable witness, and you need a confession,” Anderson said. “It’s really just that simple.”

He went on to explain that the confession should be “a corroborating confession.” “Some investigators don’t understand about the corroboration that comes along with the confession. Just because the person says ‘I did it’ doesn’t meant that they actually did it,” he points out. “They have to have some corroborating statements that you know are factual that corroborates what happened in the scene.”

In this way, he said, investigators can help ensure that they aren’t dealing with a false confession.

In a case where the suspect has confessed to friends, Anderson said that he would talk to the friends, and see if the information the suspect gave them matches the physical evidence that he found on the scene. “Then I’m going to talk to the suspect,” he said. “I’m going to be as nice as possible, but I’m going to get them to tell me what they know.”

Derrick Levasseur (left) with Rod Demery (right) at IDCon 2018 [Investigation Discovery]

What if the suspect asks for a lawyer? “I’ll call his lawyer,” Anderson said. “But then I’m going to charge him.”

Former Rhode Island police detective Derrick Levasseur, who cohosts Breaking Homicide with forensic psychologist Kris Mohandie, said that re-examining the DNA can pay off. “At the time, investigators may not have had the technology to get a match,” Levasseur told CrimeFeed. “But today, with mitochondrial DNA and other advances, it can definitely be worth taking a second look at the evidence.”

The investigators discussed the challenges they face during the Cold Case Confidential panel at IDCon 2018 — and said that missing persons cases can be the hardest cases to solve, because is no body.

Mohandie said that time is a factor in cold cases — but not always in the way that that one would expect. In fact, he said that in some cases the passing of time can work in the investigator’s favor. “The passing of time is our ally in cold cases,” Mohandie said.

“It works against us with some evidence, but it terms of human intelligence — people coming forward that maybe originally were terrified to speak, maybe they felt like they didn’t want to say anything, they didn’t want to get involved — now their conscience is bothering them after all these years. Or the bad guy, the big bad wolf they were living with, isn’t there to keep them quiet anymore.”

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Main photo: Chris Anderson at IDCon 2018 [Investigation Discovery]

The post IDCon 2018 Cold Case Confidential: How Do You Catch A Bad Guy When There’s No DNA? appeared first on CrimeFeed.

↧

Genealogy DNA Helps Crack 1987 Cold Case Murder Of Young Couple In Washington

May 22, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Human Remains Found In Little Rock Park Confirmed To Be Missing Teen Ebby Steppach

≪ Previous: IDCon 2018 Cold Case Confidential: How Do You Catch A Bad Guy When There’s No DNA?

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WA — A suspect has been arrested in connection with the cold-case killing of a young couple in Washington state in November 1987.

William Talbott, 55, was arrested for the murders of 20-year-old Jay Cook (above, right) and 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg (above, left), the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office said.

Investigators used a public genealogy website — the same technology used to capture the Golden State Killer suspect — to match crime scene DNA. The analysis was performed by Parabon, a Virginia company. A digital file containing DNA data derived from evidence at the crime scene was uploaded to the public genealogy website GEDMatch, according to Fox News.

Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg with the van they drove to Seattle the day of their 1987 disappearance [Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office]

Police were able to obtain DNA from the 1977 brown Ford van the couple was driving, and in April, police released composite sketches of the killer that Parabon created based on the DNA. Using the new technology, investigators were able to find matches to two of the suspect’s relatives, according to the sheriff’s office. One Talbott was identified as a potential suspect, his DNA was collected from a discarded cup.

“He was never on any list law enforcement had, there was never a tip providing his name,” Snohomish County Sheriff’s Detective Jim Scharf said of Talbott. “If it hadn’t been for genetic genealogy, we wouldn’t be standing here today.”

Van Cuylenborg and Cook left their homes in Saanich, British Columbia, on November 18, 1987. They planned to spent the night in Seattle — but never came home. They were soon reported missing.

On November 24, 1987, a man found Van Cuylenborg’s body on an isolated road south of Bellingham, Washington. Police said she had been sexually assaulted, bound with plastic ties, and shot in the head. Cook’s body was later found, covered in a blue blanket, near Monroe, Washington — about 75 miles away. He had been strangled with a dog collar and had a pack of cigarettes stuffed in his mouth.

“We never gave up hope that we would find Jay and Tanya’s killer,” Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said, adding that the arrest “shows how powerful it can be to combine new DNA technology with the relentless determination of detectives.”

Detectives have also released this photo of the blanket that Cook’s body was wrapped in. It did not belong to either Jay or Tanya and their families had never seen it before. pic.twitter.com/dxFg8t8WU1

— Snohomish Sheriff (@SnoCoSheriff) May 18, 2018

At a news conference, Laura Baanstra, Cook’s sister, said, “Yesterday, the killer had his last sleep in his own bed, his last coffee break, his last day of freedom. It’s hard to put into words the relief, joy, and great sorrow this arrest brings.”

Talbott was ordered held on $2 million bond after a court appearance Friday, according to Q13 Fox News. Detectives are asking anyone who knew Talbott or his activities in 1987 or 1988 to come forward. Anyone with information related to the case should call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (425) 388-3845.

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Human Remains Found In Little Rock Park Confirmed To Be Missing Teen Ebby Steppach

May 24, 2018, 9:45 am

≫ Next: She Got Off The School Bus & Vanished: What Happened To Ali Lowitzer?

≪ Previous: Genealogy DNA Helps Crack 1987 Cold Case Murder Of Young Couple In Washington

LITTLE ROCK, AR — Little Rock cold case detectives investigating the disappearance of a missing teen have found her remains in a drainage pipe at the park where she was last seen more than two years ago.

Eighteen-year-old Ebby Steppach went missing on October 24, 2015. A few days later, her Volkswagen Passat was found at Chalamont Park.

The Little Rock Police Department confirmed Wednesday evening the human remains found in an underground pipe in Chalamont Park on Tuesday have been identified as Steppach.

Police spokesman officer Steve Moore said the remains were found at around 10 A.M. in the pipe, which had a manhole cover.

“We used robots with video cameras that we are able to send in the drains, eventually started from the top of the drain where her car was found and we hit obstructions 70 feet down,” Little Rock Police Cold Case Detective Tommy Hudson said in a video released Wednesday evening.

Police sent evidence to the state Crime Lab for identification.

Ebby’s mother Laurie described her daughter as “strong-willed” and said that she had recently moved in with her brother and wanted to be independent.

On the day she went missing, her family said that she planned to meet her stepfather Michael, but failed to show up. Ebby’s brother told police that he spoke with his sister shortly before she went missing, and that she sounded confused and disoriented. He claimed that during the four-minute phone call, Ebby said she was lost and didn’t know where she was or who she was with.

Just put new information together on the remains found in an underground pipe that investigators have ID'd as missing teenager Ebby Steppach.

Take a look at the timeline of the case and hear what led police to the drainage pipe ==>https://t.co/phaONYIvCk #ARNews pic.twitter.com/Tsnwqxf3GN

— Mitchell McCoy (@MitchellMcCoy) May 24, 2018

Ebby’s family never heard from her again.

The park had already been searched multiple times by volunteers, police, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. But until now, no trace had been found of the missing teen.

The case made national headlines, and Steppach’s family spoke to the media and offered a $50,000 reward last June for information related to her disappearance.

In December 2017, Laurie and Michael told the Dr. Phil show that they believed that police had mishandled the investigation into Ebby’s disappearance.

“I believe we would know where our daughter is had they not mishandled her case,” Laurie told Dr. Phil.

What began as a missing persons case was passed to the homicide division, and eventually ended up with the department’s cold case unit, which found the human remains at Chalamont Park on Tuesday.

Steppach’s family released a statement on Wednesday. It read:

“On Tuesday, May 22nd, investigators with the Little Rock Police Department informed the family that human remains had been found at Chalamont Park, which is where Ebby’s car was found on October 30, 2015.

As of today, May 23rd, investigators conclusively identified the remains as Ebby’s and notified the family of those results.

The family would like to thank all of you who have supported efforts to find Ebby. It has been through your support, many prayers, and God’s strength that they have been able to make this journey. God hears and answers all prayers. Yesterday, God answered the family’s prayers to find Ebby.

They are thankful for the life they got to share with her and ask for continued support and prayers as they work through this difficult time. Please only post comments that remain positive and have a focus toward healing.

The family is grateful to Little Rock Cold Case Detective, Tommy Hudson and members of the Cold Case Unit, as well as Captain Russell King and Chief Wayne Bewley, special agents and analysts with the Little Rock Field Office of the FBI for the time, effort, and contributions dedicated to Ebby’s case. They also ask for prayers of gratitude, strength, and guidance for this group of individuals as they continue to work on this case.

In addition, the family would like to thank H.A.L.O. Investigations as well as special local private investigators, Monty Vickers and Tom James.

Ebby’s story over the past 30+ months has touched many lives. Many have seen the beauty in her eyes that revealed a deep passion and care for others. So, it is only fitting that the search to find Ebby has sparked open conversations and brought a heightened awareness to missing children and young adults, the existence of sex trafficking, along with the need for improved policies and processes within the law-enforcement community in these areas. Her story has touched many in ways that she could not have ever imagined.

A Celebration of Ebby’s Life will be held at Christ Community Church, at Warrior Hall on the campus of Little Rock Christian Academy, Saturday, May 26th at 2 pm. and will be officiated by Pastor Tim Lundy and Music Pastor, Ron Marrow. The family asks that you join them in this celebration of Ebby’s Life.

May God Bless You All!”

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KATV 7

Main photo: Ebby Steppach [Little Rock Police Department]

The post Human Remains Found In Little Rock Park Confirmed To Be Missing Teen Ebby Steppach appeared first on CrimeFeed.

↧

She Got Off The School Bus & Vanished: What Happened To Ali Lowitzer?

May 28, 2018, 11:30 am

≫ Next: FBI Has Found “Trophies” That GSK Serial Killer Suspect Took From His Victims

≪ Previous: Human Remains Found In Little Rock Park Confirmed To Be Missing Teen Ebby Steppach

SPRING, TX — On April 26, 2010, 16-year-old Alexandria “Ali” Lowitzer got off the school bus three houses down from her home in Spring, Texas — and vanished.

Ali had just left Spring High School, where she was a sophomore. Before leaving campus, the teen spoke to her mother, Jo Ann Lowitzer. At around 2:30, Ali told her mom that she planned to walk the quarter mile to the Burger Barn, where she had recently begun working, to pick up her paycheck. But Ali never came home.

Initially, police treated Ali as a runaway — though she vanished with just the clothes she wore to school, her backpack, and her cell phone.

Ali was an avid texter and used her phone constantly, yet all communication including pinging cell towers stopped at about 3 P.M.

Photo of Ali with her parents Jo Ann and John [Investigation Discovery]

Ali’s parents and friends described her a popular and creative teen who loved life. John Lowitzer described his daughter as”fun-loving” and “energetic,” and her mother described her daughter’s love of the arts.

“Art was her favorite subject… I know that she had dreams of furthering her art by going to college,” her mother, Jo Ann Lowitzer said.

Ally had a large group of friends who her family says she was constantly texting — and a budding romance with a 16-year-old fellow student named D.J.

On the day she went missing, Jo Ann said that Ali left home for school at around 7:30 A.M., and that nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Ali’s brother Mason [Investigation Discovery]

At around 2:30 P.M., Ali spoke to her mother, who was at work. At that time Ali told Jo Ann that she had forgotten her house keys.

Her mother said that she called Ali’s half-brother Mason, who was 18 at the time and still lived at home.

Jo Ann said that she asked Mason to leave the door open when he left the house to meet a friend.

Ali told her mother that she wanted to stop at the Burger Barn to get her paycheck and to see if she could pick up a shift that afternoon.

Jo Ann told her daughter that she did not want her to walk to work. Though it was only a 10-minute walk, it ran along a road with no shoulder. Finally,Jo Ann said she relented and allowed her daughter to make the short trip.

She asked Ali to text her to let her know her plans, but when she got home, she found no sign of Ali.

Surveillance video showing Ali on the bus [Investigation Discovery]

Text messages to her daughter went unanswered. Finally,Jo Ann drove to the Burger Barn at around 9 P.M.

“All the lights were out, the chairs were on the tables and there was nobody there,” she said. “At that point, the hairs on my neck stood up.”

Jo Ann and John called police, and say that they were frustrated when officers seemed to believe that Ali was a runaway.

Her mother pointed out that Ali’s cell phone charger, money, makeup, and other personal items were still in the home — and insisted that nothing about her daughter’s behavior indicated that she planned to leave home.

Frustrated, John and Jo Ann began their own investigation. They enlisted the help of the Laura Project, offered a $25,000 reward, and began to paper the neighborhood with flyers and put Ali’s story on social media.

John tracked down the school bus company, and requested that he be allowed to review the video footage. Ali appeared in the footage, and John was able to confirm that Ali had been on the bus the entire time.

On the video, John saw that two young men got off the bus at the same time Ali did. The Lowitzers recognized one of the boys as a neighbor, who told Jo Ann and John that they walked with Ali for a while but that she veered away from the neighborhood on a path that would have led toward the Burger Barn.

But the owner of the Burger Barn told John that he never saw Ali the day before — she had never come to the restaurant, and never picked up her paycheck.

John was also able to view surveillance footage from a gas station that was across the street of the Burger Barn, and saw no sign of Ali approaching the restaurant.

Jo Ann Lowitzer [Investigation Discovery]

Jo Ann remembered that Ali’s cell phone had a family map feature. The last place that GPS coordinates placed Ali was on the outskirts of her neighborhood — around the area when she exited the bus.

On May 3, Ali’s parents gave detectives all of the evidence they had. Detectives also found Ali’s journals and found an entry that alluded to plans to run away.

But Ali’s parents insisted that the journals did not reflect her true feelings — and said that she had no history of attempting to run away.

Police later changed Ali’s status from “runaway” to “endangered runaway.” In May, the case was transferred to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Within hours, Ali’s family said that homicide detectives were knocking on the door.

Police began their investigation close to home, and interrogated John for hours. John admitted that Ali had been “very angry” with him since he andJo Ann had separated two years earlier.

Brandon Laverge [Investigation Discovery]

Detectives also reportedly took a long and hard look at Ali’s older brother Mason. Mason said that he had heard the bus coming on the day Ali disappeared, but told police that he left the house and never saw his sister.

Mason and John both took polygraph exams. Police say that both were found not to be deceptive to the questions they were asked.

Detectives later said that John was cleared of any involvement in connection with his daughter’s disappearance but, even though Mason passed the polygraph, police did not officially clear him from suspicion.

Authorities say that Mason has refused to talk further with them about his sister’s case, but he has always maintained that he had nothing to do with her vanishing.

Detectives found a clue in Ali’s cell phone records: At around 2:50 P.M., Ali texted an older boy from high school named Jay.

According toJo Ann, Ali asked him to come over after school and hang out. Detectives tracked Jay down, but Jay said that he never met up with Ali after she texted him.

Over the next two years, the case went cold.

Image from family video of Ali Lowitzer [Investigation Discovery]

On August 17, 2012, a man named Brandon Lavergne pleaded guilty to killing a college student in Lafayette, Louisiana.

A private investigator working with the Lowitzer family believed that the killing could have a connection to Ali’s case.

He pointed out that someone gave a tip that they had seen a girl talking to someone in a white truck — the same type of vehicle that Lavergne drove.

In addition, Lavergne had family in the area not far from where the Lowitzer family lived. “He had burned a white truck just north of Spring,”Jo Ann said.

Police investigated the lead, but Lavergne was able to prove that he had been offshore working on diesel engines.

In the fall of 2012, the Lowitzers hired a second investigator, Amber Cammack, who began to investigate the possibility that Ali had been kidnapped and forced into the sex trade.

In October 2012, Joanne received a call from a woman in Columbus, Ohio, who said that she believed she had seen Ali at a church function.

Cammack traveled to the Columbus area and went undercover to find Ali. She met a prostitute named “Amy” who led Cammack to a drug house. There, Cammack believed that she recognized Ali.

Eventually the Lowitzers, Cammack, Amy, and the police hatched a rescue mission — and in January 2013, a SWAT team raided the house.

Amber Cammack [Investigation Discovery]

Officers were able to rescue eight women. But Ali was not one of them.

Cammack still believes that Ali could have been trafficked. But Detective Christopher Cooke of the Harris County Sheriff’s office doubts that theory.

He says that the police department sent Ali’s fingerprints out around the globe and have yet to find a match. He said: “This case begins and ends right there where she got off the bus.”

Jo Ann has left her room untouched since the day her daughter disappeared. The Lowitzers say that they believe that someone, somewhere knows what happened to Ali — and that they will do anything to get answers.

Police have asked anyone with information about the case to contact them at (713) 274-9100.

For more on Ali Lowitzer, watch the “So Close to Home” episode of Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared on ID GO now!

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FBI Has Found “Trophies” That GSK Serial Killer Suspect Took From His Victims

May 29, 2018, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Mother Of Missing 7-Year-Old Kyron Horman Says “Something Big Is Coming” In Cold Case

≪ Previous: She Got Off The School Bus & Vanished: What Happened To Ali Lowitzer?

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA — Investigators have released new and chilling details of the “trophies” that Golden State Killer suspect Joseph DeAngelo allegedly took from his victims.

Inside DeAngelo’s home, police found items including jewelry, cufflinks, and necklaces with heart-shaped pendants that the Golden State Killer took from his victims.

Cold case criminologist Paul Holes, who first identified the GSK suspect as DeAngelo, said that he had seen what he believed to be “trophies” in DeAngelo’s bedroom.

Speaking to the “My Favorite Murder” podcast, Holes said that the GSK — who was also known as the East Area Rapist, among other nicknames — was known to bind his female victims and place them in front of TVs.

[Federal Bureau of Investigation]

He told the podcast that the killer would turn on the television, only to turn the sound off and place a towel over the screen “so he could see her” in the “glow.”

“(I) walk into DeAngelo’s room, and he has a computer there, and he’s got a towel over the monitor,” Holes said, according to the New York Daily News.

DeAngelo, 72, was a former police officer who later worked in a grocery warehouse. He is divorced and retired, according to authorities.

DeAngelo was arrested after investigators were able to match DNA found at the crime scenes to data from an online genealogy database. They arrested DeAngelo last month at his home in Citrus Heights, California.

[Federal Bureau of Investigation]

Police believe that DeAngelo killed at least 12 victims and is responsible for at least 50 rapes in California between 1975 and 1986.

Police also recovered other items from DeAngelo’s home — including ski masks that authorities believe he wore during the attacks.

Joseph James DeAngelo [Sacramento Sheriff’s Office]

“He’s a psychological sadist,” Holes said during the interview. “His big thing was the fear he was instilling in the victims.”

Police have now finished combing through the beige-colored house, removing boxes of evidence, guns, cars, a motorcycle, and a boat, among other items.

To learn more about this case, watch The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over on ID GO!

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Mother Of Missing 7-Year-Old Kyron Horman Says “Something Big Is Coming” In Cold Case

June 6, 2018, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Texas Man Thinks He’s Solved The 1984 Cold Case Murder Of His Daughter

≪ Previous: FBI Has Found “Trophies” That GSK Serial Killer Suspect Took From His Victims

PORTLAND, OR — The mother of Kyron Horman, who went missing in 2010 when he was seven years old, has posted a message on Facebook implying that news may be coming in connection with the cold case.

Desiree Davidson Young posted a message on Facebook on Monday morning. It read:

“Stay tuned, something big is coming, I promise you. Terri isn’t going to get away with staying silent about where Kyron is, and not have to answer for it.“

Kyron vanished from his elementary school in Portland on June 4, 2010.

The last person to see Kyron was his stepmother, Terri Horman. Horman told police she took Kyron to a science fair at his school, Skyline Elementary, on the day he disappeared. She has never been officially named as a suspect by police.

Young, told KATU News in 2015 that Horman was “definitely a person of interest” in the case.

Horman, who now goes by Terri Lynn Moulton, has always denied all involvement in the boy’s disappearance. She told People that on the day he went missing, she remembered looking at Kyron’s classmates’ projects at the science fair. She said that she said good-bye to Kyron, and then noticed later that afternoon that he was not on the school bus.

In the interview, Horman said she remembered taking a polygraph test — and said that the polygrapher told her that she had failed.

On May 25, 2017, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released an age-progressed photo of Kyron.

“Some days, the hope that our child will come home is all that keeps us going,” Young said at an event recognizing National Missing Childrens Day. “It is our job as parents to keep our child’s case in the public eye and keep hope alive.”

Family members and friends have continued the search for Kyron. Investigators say the case is still open and active.

Police have asked anyone with information about the case to call the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (503) 261-2847.

If you are in search of a missing person, make sure to enter their information into the database of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

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Main photo: Kyron Horman (left) with age-progressed photo (right) [National Center For Missing & Exploited Children]

The post Mother Of Missing 7-Year-Old Kyron Horman Says “Something Big Is Coming” In Cold Case appeared first on CrimeFeed.

↧

Texas Man Thinks He’s Solved The 1984 Cold Case Murder Of His Daughter

June 14, 2018, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Did This 70-Year-Old Grandfather Stage His Own Suicide, Or Was He Murdered?

≪ Previous: Mother Of Missing 7-Year-Old Kyron Horman Says “Something Big Is Coming” In Cold Case

GALVESTON, TX — A Texas man who started a search and recovery team that has identified the remains of over 200 people may have finally solved the 1984 cold case murder of his daughter.

Tim Miller founded the nonprofit Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery after his 16-year-old daughter Laura Miller was abducted and murdered in north Galveston County, Texas. The organization claims to have recovered 400 living people and 238 dead bodies.

Laura was last seen alive on September 10, 1984. After her family moved to a new home in League City, Laura went to use a pay phone at a gas station. She was never seen alive again.

“There is one thing worse than having a murdered child,” he told the Houston Press in 2015. “And that is probably knowing that your child is out there dead somewhere and never being able to say good-bye.”

According to The Guardian, police investigators initially treated Laura’s disappearance as a runaway or suicide.

League City is located between Houston and Galveston along Interstate 45, where at least 30 women and girls were abducted, raped, and murdered between the 1970s and 2000s by various killers. The Guardian refers to this area as a “Bermuda Triangle of violence and sexual predation.”

Miller said that he suspected Clyde Hedrick, a man who had served a year in jail for abusing a woman’s corpse and lived near the family at the time of Laura’s disappearance, according to The Guardian. In that case, Hedrick claimed that the victim, Ellen Beason, drowned when they were swimming together — and that he hid her body in a panic.

At the time, the Galveston County Medical Examiner said that Beason’s cause of death was indeterminable. However, almost 30 years later, investigators determined that Beason had actually died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Hedrick was arrested for her murder in 2013. He was later convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has continued to deny any involvement in the deaths of Laura and two other women whose remains were found in the same field, and claims that Miller is persecuting him.

But Miller is sure, and says, “I have no doubt in my mind Clyde is responsible for Laura, Heidi, and Jane Doe’s deaths. And I will continue to fight to get him indicted and convicted in their deaths.”

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Did This 70-Year-Old Grandfather Stage His Own Suicide, Or Was He Murdered?

June 18, 2018, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: Who Was ID Thief Joseph Chandler — A Fugitive? A Spy? A Nazi? The Zodiac Killer?

≪ Previous: Texas Man Thinks He’s Solved The 1984 Cold Case Murder Of His Daughter

QUINLAN, TX — March 10, 2017, 70-year-old Michael Chambers was spending a quiet morning with his wife, Becca, in the small town of Quinlan, Texas.

The morning may have started like any other day, but by that night, Michael had vanished — and all that remained was a trail of blood and a lot of unanswered questions.

Michael Chambers with his wife, Becca Chambers [Investigation Discovery]

Michael’s daughter Suzy Losoya said she believed that her father and Becca, who had been together for 37 years, had had “a perfect marriage.”

“Dad spoiled Becca. He doted on her. From opening the doors to making the coffee to fixing the breakfast and making the dinner, he was very loving,” she said. Michael’s son-in-law David Losoya agreed that Michael treated his wife “like a queen.”

Michael was a Dallas firefighter for over three decades and was well-respected in the community. Since retiring in 2008, Michael spent his time with family and on his other passion: Working on classic cars and going to car shows.

He was a church deacon at First Baptist Church, where he also sang in a gospel band, and was a member of a car club called The Texas Most Wanted.

On that Friday morning in March, Michael said good-bye to his wife as she left for work and prepared for his day, which he planned to spend working on cars and cutting firewood.

That evening at 5:50 P.M., Becca texted Michael as she left her job as a home-health aide. He never responded, and when she arrived home she found Michael’s truck still at home.

Suzy Losoya [Investigation Discovery]

But the house was dark, and Michael had not left the garage door open for her. Becca called Michael’s cell phone, but it went to voicemail. Worried, Becca reached out to family members to see if they had heard from him.

Becca remembered that Michael had mentioned going to the back of the property to cut firewood. She recruited her neighbors to help her search the 10-acre property for Michael — but they found no sign of him.

Michael’s garage shop was locked, so Becca got the keys and went inside. He had left tools, his wallet, and keys around in a way that suggested that he may have been there recently.

Then Becca noticed blood on the floor. At 6:55 P.M., her neighbor, who had retired after a career in law enforcement, called 911.

A Hunt’s County sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene shortly afterward. The deputy looked for any signs that Michael could have been a victim of a robbery. That’s when police noticed something odd: The wallet was on the counter, but his driver’s license was missing.

Michael’s family members pointed out that his 12-gauge shotgun and expensive tools were untouched. In addition, Michael had around $1,000 in cash on the console of his truck.

“It did not appear like a robbery to me,” Hunt’s County Sheriff Randy Meeks said, adding that the amount of blood on the garage floor was “minimal.”

Then, the police noticed a wooden rod that appeared to have bloody prints on it. “My thoughts were that someone had hit him on the head with the dow rod and had taken him,” Sheriff Meeks said.

Michael Chambers with his granddaughter Madeline Losoya [Investigation Discovery]

Investigators pinged Michael’s cell phone and learned that the phone was either dead or turned off, but they were able to determine that the last known activity occurred at 5:50 P.M. in the Lake Tawakoni area.

Police and family members launched a massive search around the area, but they came up empty.

The next morning, investigators started to piece together a timeline of Michael’s last known movements. Becca told investigators that she had asked Michael to grab her some mascara from Walmart.

Police found the items he’d purchased in the house. Security footage from Walmart showed Michael paying for the makeup items at around 11:00 A.M. and then leaving the Walmart in Quinlan, headed in the direction of his home.

Police checked with other stores on Michael’s route, but could not find any evidence that he had made other stops.

Hunt County called in a team of bloodhounds to search Michael’s property, and they continued to alert in an area near a culvert on Michael’s property that led to a large pond. Authorities did an extensive search of the pond along with two separate dive teams, but no trace of Michael was found.

Police delivered a heartfelt plea for public help. “I’ve never known a more devout Christian man than Michael Chambers. I would trust him with my life,” a tearful Sheriff Meeks said at a press conference.

Michael’s family offered a $25,000 reward for information and set up a Facebook page where they appealed for help from the public.

Some family members began to raise questions about Michael’s youngest son, 31-year-old Justin Chambers, who had had a rift with his father. Justin had been in and out of foster care as a child before Michael and Becca adopted him. And Michael’s son-in-law David said that Justin had a habit of calling his father for money.

However, a few months before he went missing, according to David, “Mike had totally quit. He said, ‘I’m done with this. It’s time for him to take care of himself’,” David said. “From what I understood he would call and get belligerent with Mike, [and] make threats.”

Hunt’s County Sheriff Randy Meeks [Investigation Discovery]

But despite the tension between them, Justin insisted that he would never hurt Michael. He also claimed that he was at work all day on the day his father went missing — and police said that they were able to verify his alibi.

When the DNA results came in, experts verified that the blood on the floor and the rod was a match to Michael. They brought in a blood-spatter expert who examined the crime scene, and found that the direct, round blood drops appeared to be “too perfect.”

The expert concluded that the blood was “staged” to make it appear as though there had been a kidnapping or abduction. The expert also said that the bright red color of the blood could suggest the presence of an anticoagulant — and speculated that the blood had been preserved in a vial, and then intentionally spattered to suggest a crime scene.

On March 20, Becca made a change to her cell phone plan. She removed Justin’s phone from the family plan and also suspended Michael’s service.

Some family members raised questions about why Becca would cancel the service given that it could provide crucial evidence — but others said that Becca had had to make the change for financial reasons.

Then, Becca stated that she wanted to sell Michael’s truck. She told Suzy that she wanted to obtain a temporary death certificate for Michael — and assured her that the court order was only temporary.

Crime scene photograph showing blood drops [Investigation Discovery]

Despite Becca’s insistence that the order was just a formality, Suzy said that she strongly objected.

In May, police began to call in family members for polygraph exams. Justin was polygraphed twice, and passed both times. One month later, Becca was asked to submit to a polygraph. She agreed, but was very reluctant to talk about extramarital affairs, according to police. Then, to the family’s shock, Becca admitted to having an affair.

She said that the relationship with the other man had ended five months before Michael went missing. She said that she believed Michael knew about the affair but chose not to confront her.

Police said that Becca passed the other part of the polygraph test, and based on those results, they eventually ruled her out as a suspect.

Police called Becca’s alleged lover in for questioning. He admitted to the affair, but police said that he had an alibi for the day of the disappearance.

A few months later, Suzy got a message on Facebook. The person claimed to know where her father’s body was. He called Suzy and said that her father had been murdered — and claimed that Becca and another man had killed Michael.

Suzy called Sheriff Meeks, who told Suzy that he questioned the authenticity of the information because the tipster was a convicted felon.

On July 15, Suzy was shocked when she received word that her father had officially been declared dead — just two months after his disappearance.

Surveillance footage showing Michael at Walmart the day he went missing [Investigation Discovery]

Suzy learned that the court order that Becca had said was temporary was permanent. This meant that Becca was eligible to receive payments from Michael’s estate. For now, Michael’s $750,000 pension issues monthly payments to Becca Chambers.

Then, there was another shocking twist in the case when police begin to wonder if Michael Chambers could have staged the crime scene himself in order to escape his life.

David remembers having a strange conversation with Michael in which his father-in-law commented that it would be “easy” to disappear and make it look like an accident.

But other family members insist that Michael, a devoted father and grandfather, would never walk away from his home and community. “It’s not a path he would take,” Suzy insists.

A cell-phone expert was brought in to learn more about Michael’s exact route on the day he went missing. The forensic cell-phone analysis showed that Michael left his house that morning, drove through Quinlan to the 2 Mile Bridge, went past the bridge, and stopped for 10 to 15 minutes.

Later that day, around 2:30 P.M., Michael went back to the same location — and that’s where the signal of the phone stopped.

Since the data showed that he was only traveling at 4.2 miles per hour, Sheriff Meeks determined that Michael had been traveling on a bicycle, which police were unable to locate.

Michael Chambers [Investigation Discovery]

The Sheriff’s Department now believes that Michael plotted an elaborate suicide, first staging the blood at his home, and then going to the location near the bridge — where, according to Sheriff Meeks, he took his own life.

“This was not an abduction, and it’s not going to be a homicide,” Sheriff Meeks said. “He left on his own.”

Sheriff Meeks released a statement to a local news agency in which he indicated that police believed that Michael had jumped off of 2 Mile Bridge to take his own life.

Sheriff Meeks said that police had found evidence of a motive that could have possibly caused Michael to take his own life, but said “we are not at liberty to discuss this because this is still an ongoing investigation.”

The Hunt County Sheriff’s Department and many in the Chambers family believe that Michael committed suicide — but others find that conclusion hard to accept.

Suzy says that she is divided from the rest of the family, because she believes that her father’s disappearance is related to foul play — but says that they are all united in their search for answers.

For more on the Michael Chambers case, watch the “Moment of Truth” episode of Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared on ID GO now!

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Michael Chambers Is Missing Facebook page

Main photo: Michael Chambers [Investigation Discovery]

The post Did This 70-Year-Old Grandfather Stage His Own Suicide, Or Was He Murdered? appeared first on CrimeFeed.

↧

Who Was ID Thief Joseph Chandler — A Fugitive? A Spy? A Nazi? The Zodiac Killer?

June 20, 2018, 2:15 pm

≫ Next: Police Have A Suspect In “The Doodler” Serial Killer Cold Case

≪ Previous: Did This 70-Year-Old Grandfather Stage His Own Suicide, Or Was He Murdered?

EASTLAKE, OH – July 23, 2002, a man known as Joseph Newton Chandler III committed suicide with a single handgun blast to the head inside his bathroom.

In fact, though, Joseph Chandler Newton III had already died in a car crash at age eight back in 1945. The man with the bullet in his brain had stolen the dead boy’s identity and, to date, no one is sure who he really was.

The mystery began about a week after “Chandler” pulled the trigger, when authorities found his body but could not locate any next of kin or even anyone who particularly knew the dead man. Neighbors actually used the word “hermit” to describe him.

He left no note and had no will. His apartment contained a computer, some finance books, and a bunch of electronic gadgets upon which he appeared to tinker.

“Joseph Chandler,” dressed as Al Capone [US Marshals Service]

Using the ID cards in his wallet, detectives pieced together that the ersatz Chandler had been diagnosed with colon cancer earlier in the year and that he’d purchased the .38-caliber Charter Arms revolver he used to kill himself shortly thereafter.

In addition, Chandler worked as an electrical engineer at the Lubrizol Corporation. Coworkers described him as a “loner” who didn’t talk to them about anything specific.

The colleagues did, however, report some eccentric behavior, such as Chandler listening to TV static all day and once attending a Halloween party dressed as Al Capone but speaking to absolutely no one.

The dead man also had $82,000 in his bank account, which prompted a probate attorney to track down his relatives. A genealogist then connected the man’s info to Ellen Kaaber, his supposed cousin.

However, Kaaber revealed that the Joseph Chandler Newton III to whom she was related was eight-years-old when he perished alongside his parents during a traffic accident in Texas.

The dead child’s information, of course, matched the paperwork of whoever had occupied that body in Ohio.

Investigators determined that the Ohio man had applied for a copy of the boy’s birth certificate in 1978. He then used it to acquire a Social Security number and ID card, which enabled him to live as Joe Chandler until he ate that self-inflicted bullet.

Where he was prior to 1978, though, remains completely baffling.

Through the years, numerous experts and amateur sleuths alike have taken on the task of identifying this identity thief, so far to no avail.

Complicating the matter is that the fingerprints on the suicide weapon were too smudged to use and that someone dropped the man’s computer during the investigation and broke it beyond any information being salvageable.

But once it became clear that “Joe Chandler” had done such a thorough job of erasing his past, authorities came to suspect he was a fugitive, and the U.S. Marshals Service took charge.

U.S. Marshal Peter J. Elliott, who has devoted himself to this quest as his “pet case,” deeply laments the loss of the computer, stating:

“Private detectives, who worked on this case before me, said there were internet searches for Nazism and plastic explosives. I wish I could confirm that.”

Other interested parties have embarked on deep dives into the conundrum, as well. Author James Renner, whose book The Man From Primrose Lane is inspired by Chandler, did unearth one curious incident.

In 1989, the bogus Chandler checked into a real hospital with minor lacerations on his penis. He told doctors he did it while attempting to masturbate with a vacuum cleaner. Renner added:

“I’m not sure if he was honest with them. Maybe he assaulted someone, and they attacked him back. But I wouldn’t put it past him to have built his own masturbation machine. He was always making gadgets.”

Naturally, a multitude of theories have cropped up as to who “Joe Chandler” may have been before he reinvented himself.

We know a few things: He was a white male between age 65 and 70. He stood 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighed 160 pounds. He had graying brown hair and gray eyes. His abdomen contained a small scar, perhaps from a medical procedure.

All that laid out, the man who was not actually Joe Chandler looked like a lot of potentially juicy suspects.

One angle authorities have looked deeply into is that Chandler may have been the Zodiac Killer. Another popular theory is that he was Steven Campbell, a Wyoming attempted-murder suspect who simply vanished.

Zodiac Killer suspect police sketch [FBI]; “Joseph Chandler” driver’s license photo [US Marshals Service]

Other researchers propose Campbell was an active Nazi during World War II, or on the run from the mob, or perhaps even a former secret agent. As James Renner noted:

“The way he so expertly changed his name and moved to a new place makes me think he was a spy.”

The most significant breakthrough to date occurred in 2016, when forensic genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick of the DNA Doe Project used Y-chromosome information to link the unknown man to the last name “Nicholas.”

It suggests a Russian background but, alas, that moniker and its variations are hugely common.

As U.S. Marshal Elliot observed, “We’re now in the ballpark with his surname, [but] there are a hundred thousand seats in the ballpark.”

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Main photos: “Joe Chandler” age-regression image on Info Wanted poster [US Marshals Service]

The post Who Was ID Thief Joseph Chandler — A Fugitive? A Spy? A Nazi? The Zodiac Killer? appeared first on CrimeFeed.

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Police Have A Suspect In “The Doodler” Serial Killer Cold Case

June 22, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Is ID Thief Robert Nichols Connected To The 1989 Ohio Murder Of 10-Year-Old?

≪ Previous: Who Was ID Thief Joseph Chandler — A Fugitive? A Spy? A Nazi? The Zodiac Killer?

Police in San Francisco have identified a suspect whom they believe could be the serial killer who stalked the city’s gay community in the 1970s.

He was nicknamed “The Doodler” because his modus operandi involved chatting to strangers in gay bars and nightclubs and sketching their caricatures, and cartoons, on cocktail napkins.

After gaining his victims’ trust, he would leave with them – then later stab them to death.

Authorities believe that The Doodler is responsible for 14 murders and three assaults of men between January 1974 and September 1975.

A few months after his last known victim was found in 1975 on a golf course, the San Francisco Police Department released an artist’s sketch of a suspect.

The sketch was based on descriptions given by the three surviving victims.

The suspect was described as a slim African-American male, between 19 and 22 years old, and under six feet tall. It was also stated that he frequently wore “a Navy-type watch cap.”

The witnesses refused to testify, most likely, according to law enforcement sources, because they did not want their homosexuality exposed.

One of the stabbing survivors was reportedly a “well-known entertainer” and another was rumored to be a diplomat.

According to CNN, Inspector Dan Cunningham, who recently took control of the SFPD’s cold case unit, said that he is taking another look at the suspect who inspired the sketches.

Cunningham is reportedly looking at five murders, but believes that the killer may have been responsible for many more.

The first of The Doodler’s alleged victims to be found was Gerald Cavanagh, a 50-year-old who had worked in a mattress factory.

His body was found early one January morning in 1974 on Ocean Beach. He had been stabbed 16 times.

Cunningham is also looking into the cases of 27-year-old drag queen Joseph Stephens, and Claus Christmann, a 31-year-old German.

Like many of The Doodler’s victims Christmann was found with multiple stab wounds – and with his pants unzipped and open.

In the summer of 1975 two more bodies were found: Frederick Capin, a registered nurse in his early 30s, and Harald Gullberg, a 67-year-old Swedish sailor.

The news that five men had been found dead within 18 months struck fear into the gay community.

Gay sex was illegal in California until 1976.

Cunningham will also work with the SFPD crime lab to see if it could be possible to get a DNA sample from evidence gathered at two of The Doodler crime scenes more than four decades ago.

A number of cold cases are being re-investigated with renewed energy ever since The Golden State Killer suspect Joseph DeAngelo was arrested in April after breakthroughs were made through the use of DNA.

Investigators plan to release an updated sketch of the suspect.

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Is ID Thief Robert Nichols Connected To The 1989 Ohio Murder Of 10-Year-Old?

June 25, 2018, 7:30 am

≫ Next: Disappeared: Washington Mom Of 2 Vanishes After “A Date With Danger”

≪ Previous: Police Have A Suspect In “The Doodler” Serial Killer Cold Case

BAY VILLAGE, OH — Last Friday, authorities revealed the real identity of an Ohio resident who had been known for decades as Joseph Newton Chandler III.

The mystery man turned out to be Robert Ivan Nichols, a decorated World War II veteran who stole the identity of a young boy who died in 1958.

Now, as the investigation is shifting into why Nichols vanished in 1965 and escaped his old life, police are looking into whether he might have any connection to the 1989 kidnapping and murder of 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic.

While much speculation continues to surround Nichols — including theories that he may have been California’s Zodiac Killer — Bay Village Police Chief Mark Spaetzel stresses that such an inquiry is a routine part of procedure in cases like this.

Chief Spaetzel added that, at present, no information links Nichols to Amy, and that detectives are “just doing their job.”

Robert Nichols initially abandoned his family in 1965 and moved around the country before settling in Ohio as “Joseph Chandler” in 1978.

Prior to that, authorities say, Nichols purchased the birth certificate of the real Joseph Chandler, a nine-year-old who perished alongside his parents during a traffic accident in Texas.

Nichols used that document to obtain a Social Security number, and then lived as Joe Chandler until he shot himself to death in 2002.

Since Nichols left $82,000 in the bank with no beneficiaries, authorities attempted to locate his family members and thereby discovered not only his ID theft, but that he had utterly obliterated any evidence of who he actually was.

Believing Nichols to be some sort of fugitive, then, the U.S. Marshals Service took the case and, after years of research, finally identified the dead man’s actual name — while still not knowing why he did what he did.

Amy Mihaljevic disappeared on October 27, 1989. She said she was going with a friend to the Bay Square Shopping Center.

Two witnesses said they saw Amy that day with a man who would now be in his mid-50s or early ’60s.

Searchers discovered Amy’s body on February 9, 1990. She had been stabbed twice in the neck and hit in the head with a blunt object.

Police will now look into Nichols’ whereabouts at the time of Amy’s abduction. If the timelines match up, further investigations are expected to involve DNA tests.

Nichols’ identity was finally cracked by using Y-chromosome DNA that matched him to a son he had written to back in 1965.

In 2016, Bay City Police announced a breakthrough with evidence in the case: a handmade curtain and blanket near the body that contained canine hairs matched to Amy’s dog Jake.

If you have any information about this case, please call the Bay City Police Department at (440) 871-1234 or email bvpd@cityofbayvillage.com

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Main photos: Robert Nichols [US Marshals Service]/Amy Mihaljevic [Bay City Police Department]

The post Is ID Thief Robert Nichols Connected To The 1989 Ohio Murder Of 10-Year-Old? appeared first on CrimeFeed.

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Disappeared: Washington Mom Of 2 Vanishes After “A Date With Danger”

June 25, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: New Leads In The 1988 Abduction Of Polaroid Mystery Teen Tara Calico — Can You Help?

≪ Previous: Is ID Thief Robert Nichols Connected To The 1989 Ohio Murder Of 10-Year-Old?

TENINO, WA — The last time anyone saw 36-year-old Nancy Moyer, she was on her way to her home in Tenino, Washington, on March 6, 2009.

Nancy, a mother of two daughters, had a demanding career as a financial analyst for the Washington State Department of Ecology. After work, Nancy dropped off a coworker, stopped by a market to buy a few things, then headed toward her house.

What happened next remains a mystery.

Nancy and Bill Moyer [Investigation Discovery]

On March 9, Nancy’s ex-husband, Bill Moyer, returned his daughters to their mom’s home from his weekend custody. But there was no sign of Nancy.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ben Elkins described Nancy as a “private person” who stayed by herself with her kids.

On the outside, Nancy’s life looked perfect. But friends and family say Nancy, after starting work and having a family young, had begun to feel as though she missed out on life experience.

Eventually, Bill and Nancy divorced. But, according to Bill, even after the split, they stayed close for the sake of the children.

After the breakup of her marriage, Nancy began going and socializing more — and she also began dating.

Det. Dave Haller [Investigation Discovery]

“She was very pretty, very bubbly. People were instantly attracted to her,” Nancy’s work colleague Bev Poston said.

Bill began to become alarmed when he noticed that her purse was still in the house, along with her cell phone and car keys.

He began calling Nancy’s friends and coworkers, but soon discovered that no one had seen her.

Finally, Bill called the police, who began canvassing the area and working on a timeline of the night Nancy vanished.

Detective Dave Haller, who is retired from Thurston County Sheriff’s office, confirmed that an officer who was running radar in that area saw a woman whom he believed was Nancy returning from a store with items in bags.

Samantha Moyer [Investigation Discovery]

Thurston County police found the front door of the house open, the TV left on, and a half glass of wine on the coffee table.

But they found no sign of struggle inside the home.

The glasses and wine bottle were sent to the crime lab, but the only fingerprints found were Nancy’s.

Investigators listened to answering-machine messages, and found one that mentioned a date.

Meanwhile, word of Nancy’s disappearance was spreading.

Nancy’s colleague Bev Poston said that Nancy was never late to work. When she heard that her family could not find Nancy, she said that her state of mind “went from a bad feeling to a feeling of dread that something horrible had happened to her.”

Bernard Keith Howell [Investigation Discovery]

By examining a utility bill and noticing the period of time during which it spiked, police were able to figure out when the door had been opened.

This detail helped to narrow the window of Nancy’s disappearance to Friday night or Saturday morning.

Investigators also found out that Nancy was over $50,000 in debt. They questioned whether she could have gone missing to escape her financial responsibilities.

But ultimately, they developed a theory that Nancy had most likely been the victim of foul play.

Authorities have questioned a number of individuals in connection with the case, including Bill.

Bill was ruled out as a suspect, and so were several other men who were seen with Nancy. But authorities discovered liaisons that Nancy had been keeping private, and said that this made it difficult to find people to question.

Some of the men who had short-term liaisons with Nancy aroused detectives’ suspicions. One man, James, told Detective Haller that he had had an intimate encounter with Nancy in the past, but said that he had been unable to perform — so they did not have intercourse.

James said that on the night in question, he saw the door slightly open and went inside to look for Nancy.

Police were suspicious: Why would James walk inside a home where he had never been before to look around? James took a polygraph exam, which came back inconclusive.

Haller wondered if James had admitted to touching a doorknob “to cover his tracks if he was involved.”

Investigators got another potential lead when they found a woman’s dead body in a sleeping bag in the back of a pickup truck. The killer was a man named Bernard Howell.

One of Nancy’s daughters later identified Howell as a man who came to their house and sold steak door to door — but no definitive link has been proven.

Howell pleaded guilty to killing his victim, 60-year-old Vonda Boone, 60, on the Yelm-Tenino Trail. He was sentenced to 26 years and eight months in prison.

Nancy Moyer with her daughters [Investigation Discovery]

Detective Elkins went back and re-interviewed James, and stated that this time James claimed that he had had full intercourse with Nancy.

The switch in story details seemed suspicious but, once again, police felt that they did not have enough to go on.

The case is still open and active, but police admit that over the years tips have become fewer and father between.

Meanwhile, Nancy’s family struggles for answers. Nancy’s daughter Samantha Moyer admitted that she had a complete breakdown in junior high school.

“Is she dead? Is she in some guy’s basement being tortured?” Samantha remembers wondering.

Tattoo on Nancy Moyer’s upper back [NAMUS.gov]

Nancy Moyer is around five feet tall with dark hair and brown eyes. She has several tattoos, including this design (left) on her upper back.

Police have asked anyone with information regarding Nancy’s case to call the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office at (360) 786-5279.

If you are in search of a missing person, make sure to enter their information into the database of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

For more on Nancy Moyer’s case, watch the “A Date With Danger” episode of Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared on ID GO now!

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New Leads In The 1988 Abduction Of Polaroid Mystery Teen Tara Calico — Can You Help?

June 26, 2018, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: “DJ Freez” Arrested As DNA From Gum & Bottle Links Him To 1992 Rape-Murder

≪ Previous: Disappeared: Washington Mom Of 2 Vanishes After “A Date With Danger”

BELEN, NM — At 9:30 A.M. on September 20, 1988, 19-year-old Tara Calico announced she was going to ride her pink Huffy mountain bike along a 17-mile course before returning home and getting ready for a noon tennis date with her boyfriend.

Tara then pedaled off and was never seen again — until perhaps June 1989, when a terrifying Polaroid turned up in a supermarket parking lot nearly 1,600 miles away in Port St. Joe, Florida.

The photograph depicted a teenage female and a young boy of about 10 staring into the camera. The hands of each victim were bound behind their backs and duct tape was stretched across their mouths.

Print and broadcast media shared the picture massively hoping for leads. Back in New Mexico, Patty Doel, Tara’s mom, thought that she recognized her daughter. The boy’s identity, alas, still remains a mystery.

In the original Polaroid, Tara and the boy are lying on a bed that appears to be in the back of a van or other vehicle. The novel My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews is next to Tara. Andrews was her favorite author.

Witnesses said that a white Toyota cargo van had been parked in the area where the Polaroid turned up. The driver appeared to be a white male with a mustache in his 30s. Neither the van nor the driver has ever been identified.

Now, after 30 years of loved ones and authorities working tirelessly to track down the truth about Tara and the boy, both the FBI and the Valencia County Sheriffs are actively examining at least two living suspects, and detectives even have a theory as to what may have happened.

Talking to People magazine, chief investigator Sgt. Joseph Rowland and former Valencia County Sheriff Rene Rivera say a pair of informants have pointed law enforcement toward some promising possibilities.

Both Rowland and Rivera think Tara may have known her perpetrator. Rivera goes on to propose that she could have been killed by two local teenage boys who may have acted with two other accomplices.

Rivera also cites a theory that two boys riding in a pickup truck crossed paths with Tara on her bicycle before attacking her.

The former sheriff says that the boys’ parents would have helped them cover up the crime, and that he believes Tara is likely buried somewhere in Valencia County.

Not finding the body, Rivera adds, continues to make it difficult to file charges.

In addition to the flurry of activity by legal authorities, a podcast titled Vanished: The Tara Calico Investigation has generated much new public interest in the case.

Melinda Esquibel, a high school friend of Tara’s who now works as a filmmaker, created and hosts the podcast. Citing the nature of Tara’s close-knit railroad community of Belen, Esquibel echoes Rivera’s notion that the abductors’ families would cover for them, saying:

“What makes the town charming is the same thing that makes it kind of scary — that you will go to great lengths to protect your own … There’s a lot of people that don’t want this case solved.”

Esquibel and Tara’s stepsister have kept the investigation on fire through grassroots activism and amateur sleuthing.

Doel told People that she’s seeking the facts, but she also longs for Tara to have justice, stating:

“I want to know where she’s at. … But I also want somebody to pay for it and, whether they’re alive or dead, at least acknowledge the fact that it happened.”

If you have any information about Tara Calico’s disappearance, contact the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office at (505) 866-2400 or the FBI at 1 (800) CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

If you are in search of a missing person, make sure to enter their information into the database of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

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Main photo: Mystery Polaroid that might depict Tara Calico and an unknown boy [Port St. Joe Police Department]

The post New Leads In The 1988 Abduction Of Polaroid Mystery Teen Tara Calico — Can You Help? appeared first on CrimeFeed.

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“DJ Freez” Arrested As DNA From Gum & Bottle Links Him To 1992 Rape-Murder

June 27, 2018, 7:30 am

≫ Next: As Cops Close In, Suspect In 1974 “Satanic” Church Murder Of Arlis Perry Kills Himself

≪ Previous: New Leads In The 1988 Abduction Of Polaroid Mystery Teen Tara Calico — Can You Help?

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA — Using DNA crime scene evidence obtained from chewing gum and a water bottle, Pennsylvania police have arrested a popular wedding disc jockey for the cold case 1992 rape and murder of a beloved local teacher.

Raymond Rowe, 49, who has built a successful entertainment business as “DJ Freez” was charged on Monday with criminal homicide in the 1992 sexual assault and slaying of Christy Mirack, 25. The victim had been a sixth-grade teacher at Rohrerstown Elementary School.

Concerned after Mirack didn’t show up for work or call in sick on December 21, 1992, the principal from her school dropped by Mirack’s apartment to see if she was okay. She was not.

Mirack lay dead on the floor. An obvious struggle had taken place. She had been sexually violated, beaten bloody, and strangled to death. Her clothes were torn off or pushed up, her jaw was fractured, and she suffered blunt-force trauma all over her body.

District Attorney Craig Stedman, further described the scene’s horror by noting: “She had her jacket on, her gloves on. She was assaulted almost instantly at the doorway.”

Using the technology available at the time, authorities created a DNA profile of the suspect and put it into a database, but it never matched any perpetrators — until now.

After a relative of Raymond Rowe uploaded DNA to the genealogy website GEDmatch — the same site also led to the recent high-profile arrest of Golden State Killer suspect Joseph James DeAngelo — investigators got a match.

From there, police staked out Rowe while he performed as DJ Freez at a grade-school event. Officers were able to snag a piece gum that Rowe had chewed and a water bottle from which he drank.

Technicians from Parabon Nanolabs then linked that DNA to the semen left at the crime scene. DA Stedman expressed gratitude to the DNA analysis firm, stating:

“We were not close to making an arrest; we didn’t even have a direction to go until Parabon pointed us in the right path.”

In summing up the tragedy of Mirack’s killer potentially having eluded justice for 26 years, Stedman added:

“He’s been free longer than she lived her entire life. It’s so disturbing. You have a truly innocent victim. Her entire life was ahead of her…. This is not done until we convict him of first-degree murder.”

Under the guise of DJ Freez, Rowe became an well-known and in-demand disc jockey for weddings, parties, and other occasions throughout central Pennsylvania.

If convicted for raping and killing Christy Mirack, he could now face the death penalty.

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Main photo: Raymond Rowe aka DJ Freez [Lancaster County Prison]

The post “DJ Freez” Arrested As DNA From Gum & Bottle Links Him To 1992 Rape-Murder appeared first on CrimeFeed.

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