https://charleyproject.org/case/janice-kathryn-pockett

Wednesday July, 26 1973 around 3:30pm Janice Pockett 7, would go missing near the intersection of Antony Rd, and Rhodes Rd. The latter at the time just being a dirt road. According to Janice’s mother and sister, Janice asked to go by herself the short distance to get a dead butterfly that she had hidden prior to her asking. From what her sister said this butterfly was perfect, though it is never specified the reason that Janice might have wanted it other than it was pretty.

The only witness to anything suspicious in the area at that time was a neighbor a few streets away. Who had left her home trying to go to the store by taking Rhodes Road. However when she got to the intersection of Anthony and Rhodes Road it was blocked by a car that was parked sideways across the road. She said that it was a blue 4 door, possibly a Plymouth. There was a man out of the car that looked to be about 6’2” tall, with a receding hair line. He was dressed in green khaki's that might have beena uniform. (Military uniforms at the time were this color, and so many people wore them as part of protesting the war it is hard to tell if anything can be gained from this.) She also said that she would have gotten the license plate but there wasn’t one on the front of the car, and she would have had to have gotten out of her car to get the plate. She decided if the car was there when she got back, she would take the plate.

Most of the information that I have posted here is some the podcast Paper Ghost’s if you are looking for a point of reference, other information I have gather from missing posters and news articles. While also some of the stuff that was posted on Crime Junkie’s website. I will also add that I grew up not far from Rockville, and still live in Northern Connecticut.

Recently I took a drive out to see the intersection where Janice disappeared. From what I knew of Tolland I have to say that this wasn’t at all what I expected to see. What I was excepting was suburbia, what I drove into as I went down Rhodes Road after getting off of the highway was wow, I am in the middle of nowhere. Even now in Connecticut 50 years after her abduction, at the intersection where there is now a school, you are still in the middle of nowhere.

I can imagine that there was less houses in the area 50 years ago which makes me ask the question, why was this person out here? My guess? He lived out here. He was going down Anthony rd towards where the school is now. However he lived to the right. As he came down the road I would guess that he saw Janice on the bike and slowed down and started looking around to see if anyone was outside watching her. When he got to the intersection he pulled a 180 blocking Rhodes Road, and putting the passenger doors in the direction of Janice. He got out and walked over to Janice, possibly knocking her out, loaded her into the back seat, got back into the driver’s seat, turned the car in the direction he was heading in the first place, and drove away as if nothing happened.

If you are interested in this case I would ask you to take out a map and really look at the ways in and out of this area and ask yourself, what would a person be doing out here at 3:30 or so on a Wednesday? Seems like the sort of time a person working in a factory or warehouse job might get off of work.

While there are a lot of other connections Janice’s disappearance to other cases in the area I decided to make a post about this to sort of pull it up under the microscope a little bit. One of the more interesting facts about those cases is something that I don’t even have to mention their names to point out something that a lot of people miss. That a lot of these disappearances happen around memorial day weekend, and also in the month of July. In all the cases they happen in the late afternoon to late evening. Which may suggest that the person works during the day, and takes their vacations around the same time every year. It also makes me wonder if his spouse takes time away from home around the same time every year, giving him the opportunity to do these things. Given that is may be the case in LISK, you never know if someone else might do something like that as well.

Just some thoughts anyway.

This is a weekly thread for off topic discussion. Talk about anything that interests you; what's going on in your world?. If you have any suggestions or observations about the sub let us know in this thread.

Preface: The remains of these two unidentified decedents are reported as being discovered in Temecula, CA, though, they seem to have actually been found in an area called Sage. This write-up references Temecula, Sage, and Hemet, all of which are located within Riverside County, California.

Part One:

On February 2nd, 1994, a man's remains were discovered partially buried in a ravine near Intrepid Road, which is east of Benton Road*. The remains were skeletal, and some bones were missing. The man is believed to have been White and/or Hispanic and between the ages of 20 and 40. His Doe Network page lists him as being between 5'7" and 5'11", though his pages on Unidentified Awareness and NamUs list him more precisely, at 5'9". He is believed to have been deceased for about one month before his remains were discovered. Dental evidence showed that he'd had two molars extracted within nine months before his death.

The remains were found wrapped in plastic and tied with rope. His body had been covered in lye before being buried. No identification or personal belongings were found with the body, aside from a pair of dark socks, and a pair of trousers with a 32" inseam, believed to be Levi's brand.

The next day, in another shallow grave, adjacent to that of the John Doe, the partial skeletal remains of a woman were discovered, as well. She is believed to have been White and/or Hispanic and between the ages of 19 and 35. There is no information regarding an estimated height. With the remains, a clump of light brown hair was also discovered. Her hair appeared to have been cut with a sharp instrument, making length indeterminable, though her Doe Network page says it was shoulder length, or longer. She is believed to have worn her hair in a ponytail, with an elastic cloth holder that was recovered with the body.

Like the John Doe, Jane Doe's body has been wrapped in plastic, and tied with rope. Lye was found in the grave, and on the body. According to her information pages, a pair of cloth leggings was discovered nearby, but it seems uncertain whether they belonged to her or not. She is believed to have been deceased for two months before her remains were discovered.

Part One Sources:

John Doe on Doe Network - https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3091umca.html

John Doe on Unidentified Awareness - https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Temecula_John_Doe_(1994)

John Doe on NamUs - https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/7875/details

Jane Doe on Doe Network - https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1413ufca.html

Jane Doe on Unidentified Awareness - https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Temecula_Jane_Doe_(1994)

Jane Doe on NamUs - https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/7878/details

Part Two:

This is the part of the write-up where things become more speculative. When I was researching these cases, which of course seem to be related, I found articles about a more recent case of a man and woman's remains being discovered in the same area. In February of 2023, the remains of Angel Ponce and Danielle Ricker, both 31, were found after the couple had been reported missing from a residence in Temecula that was owned by David Alan Floyd. Floyd was convicted of the double murder in December of the same year, after only a day of deliberation. Ponce and Ricker's remains had been discovered in the area of East Benton Road and Sage Road in nearby Hemet, CA.

*I could find no record of a Benton Road in Temecula, or Hemet. East Benton Road, Intrepid Road, and Sage Road are all in the area of Sage, CA, and within about 5 miles of each other. Temecula, Sage, and Hemet are all within about 30 miles of each other.

Aside from the obvious time gap, these cases seem superficially similar. Are they related? Probably not, but, I think it's worth investigating. I'd be interested to see others' thoughts on these cases.

Part Two Sources:

https://patch.com/california/temecula/temecula-man-charged-murdering-2-people-after-human-remains-found

https://patch.com/california/temecula/temecula-man-guilty-murdering-his-sugar-girl-her-boyfriend

https://myvalleynews.com/blog/2023/12/07/murdered-couple-lived-in-defendants-temecula-home/

https://nbcpalmsprings.com/2023/03/14/temecula-probationer-accused-of-killing-2-people-arraigned/

“It’s just not nothing you’d think would happen, and it would happen here in Cotton County. It just- those things don’t happen, and you just think they don’t happen to you if they did happen,” said Maxine Benson, Grady’s wife.

She said the last time she saw her husband, was at Bill’s Catfish in Waurika on November 9, 2022. They had dinner before she left for a girl’s trip to Missouri.

“He got my suitcase out and put it in their car. Kissed him goodbye and that was it,” Maxine recalled.

Authorities believe Grady then drove to his home in Randlett, about 15 miles away from the restaurant to meet up with his son, Grady junior.

“He had come back by the field and brought me supper that night from the fish house, gave me a ride back to my pickup,” Grady Junior stated. “Whenever I was leaving out, I stopped and talked to him again, thanked him for the fish and told him I’d see him the next day and all that. Everything just seemed normal.”

The next morning, November 10, Maxine said she texted her husband just as she had done the night before, but never received a response.

Full story: https://www.kswo.com/2023/11/10/one-year-after-cotton-co-farmers-disappearance-family-holds-out-hope-return/?outputType=amp

It seems on the article I read his mother (Corlitta Johnson) referred to him as Tre', so that is what I'll call him for the write up.

Tre' was a special education teacher working and living in the Fort Worth Texas area. He was 32 years old when he vanished in 2021. He owned 2 dogs that he seemed to love and was an openly gay man. I only mention that Mr. Harris is gay because his family seems to think that may tie in with the bizarre trail leading up to and following the disappearance and the location of his belongings.

Corlitta Johnson last spoke to her son on June 15th 2021 at 3 a.m. He told his mother he was outside walking his dogs and the only thing she found bizarre about the conversation was the time of day, but she didn't notice anything unusual during the call. Tre' then tried to call his mother again at 4a.m. but she missed the call. When she tried to reach him again at 7:45 a.m. he never answered. She tried repeatedly to call and it repeatedly went to voicemail. She never saw or spoke to her son again. It is stated he continued to post on Facebook until the next day.

June 16th 2021 two witnesses claim that at a stoplight on US 83, south of Aspermont Texas they witnessed a black male exit the vehicle with two dogs at a stoplight, and run off into a field around 9a.m. that morning. He left behind his wallet and left the vehicle, a 2020 GMC pickup truck, running and parked at the light. It seems to me that perhaps Corlitta and her family do not believe this eye witness account. In fact they say it is completely out of character for Tre'. Police in the area released Tre's vehicle without processing it, back to his family.

Tre's dogs were both found dead near where the GMC truck was abandoned. I do not know if they were struck on the road or their cause of death, which to me would be an important clue.

The last cellphone ping from Tre's phone was on June 17th in the Quanah Texas area. His suitcase was found undamaged on the side of the road in Paducah Texas.

Corlitta states that on August 3rd 2021 someone with an IP address in Corpus Christi, TX changed Tre's Facebook password. It is unclear who did that.

It seems that Tre' Harris family do not think that he, as stated, an openly gay black male would have ever been in the circle of 3 very conservative towns. (Where the phone pinged, where the truck was abandoned , and where his suitcase was found) Let alone jump out and abandon his vehicle, dogs and all his belongings to "run into a field" there.

The circumstances surrounding Eodis Tre' Harris disappearance are unclear. It seems his family believe he has come to harm. Tre' and his mom were close and he wouldn't have gone this long without reaching out to her.

https://charleyproject.org/case/eodis-harris-iii

https://sites.libsyn.com/472332/eodis-tre-harris-unraveling-the-mystery-of-a-missing-black-man-in-a-small-texas-town

What do you think dear reader? With social Media activity still going on for awhile after his disappearance does this mean he was still alive and purposely dropping off the radar? Or was someone else operating these accounts?

Most importantly his family, specifically his mother would like to know, where is he now?

If you have any information about the disappearance of Eodis Tre Harris contact the Stonewall County Sheriff's department at 940-989-3333

Poland, the early ‘90s. A man woke up on train tracks. He had a horrible headache and pain in his lungs. Despite the pain, he decided to walk along the train tracks and reached a train station. He went into a bathroom and washed his face. When he looked into the mirror he froze; he thought that there was a stranger in the bathroom with him. He then realized that it was his own face he saw in the mirror. He had a 10cm gash on his head and his shirt was stained with blood, but that seemed to be a minor problem. Not only did the man not recognize his own face, he also didn’t know what his name was, where did he come from, if he has/had a family. What seemed to be even more troubling is that he seemed to have forgotten how the world functions. What is this thing that passes through this building? He was hungry. He figured out that in order to eat, you need to get something out of your pocket and you get food in return. He saw people reach in their bags and take money out, so he reached into his pocket but found nothing. The only things he found was a lighter and a metal angel figurine.

​

The man stayed homeless for many years. How long? He doesn’t remember exactly. 6 or maybe 10 years. In summer he would live in the forest, gather berries and mushrooms. He knew which ones were edible, he seemed to have this knowledge from his previous life (People in Poland like to gather mushrooms in the forests, this knowledge is not uncommon in any ways). In the winter he would try to survive by staying at train stations or in summer houses of people who left their houses open. He would get odd jobs to work in exchange for food; if there was no food available, he would search the trash cans and eat whatever he could find. He also worked on different construction sites. How did he get started? Random passers by invited him to join. When they asked him his name, he didn’t know it. So, they named him Jan. Jan wouldn’t meet many good people in his life. A person with no family, no name and no documents was a very easy prey for dishonest people. Until in 2002 one person saw his potential. One of his bosses took a chance on him and found him housing, gave him a permanent job. He also gave him a phone number to an organization dealing with missing people called Itaka. ‘Hello, I don’t know who I am’ he said on the phone. Itaka got to work. They searched all the police databases available at that time. Nothing. They took pictures of him and posted them on their website. Nothing. They broadcasted his story on national TV. Nothing.

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At some point, a tip came in that Jan could have been a bus driver. Itaka tested this theory. They let Jan drive a bus, an old Ikarus brand popular in Poland in the last century. He sat down, started the bus and drove it like a professional would. After a small round he parked it and put the handbreak, which in the Ikarus bus was behind the drivers’ seat on the left side, not on the usual right. Unfortunately, this didn’t lead to anything. The archives that the bus company kept were destroyed and incomplete, moreover the files didn’t have pictures in them.

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After a fruitless search for his family, Jan got a new identity. He was able to come up with his name, surname and his date of birth: Jan Wojciech Man, born on 1 of january 1960. He also got a PESEL number (equivalent of SSN in the US) which allowed him to work legally.

​

In the meantime, Jan was subjected to a series of neurological and psychological testing. The conclusions are: bilateral temporal lobe damage and a damaged hippocampus. Because of this, Jan has no autobiographical memory responsible for individual’s memories. His semantic memory, responsible for general world knowledge works only partially. Jan had no idea that somebody like Hitler existed, and he couldn’t fathom that many years ago cars didn’t exist either. His procedural memory, responsible for retrieving information necessary to perform learned skills seems to be coming back. He forgot what a fork was, but he was able to remember. His operational memory, responsible for reasoning and the guidance of decision-making and behavior, is quite damaged. For this reason, Jan will never be able to drive a car, as this requires carrying out many actions simultaneously.

​

The memory loss is not caused by the gash found on his forehead many years ago. Drinking also doesn’t seem to be the cause. The doctors have three hypotheses: 1- loss of memory because of long-term stress. 2- poison. 3- hereditary disorder.

​

22 years later, Jan still has no memory of his past life. He learned how to function again, but some parts of his brain are beyond recovery. He frequently gets lost in the city that he lives in for 22 years. All of the sudden he stops recognizing where he is and the buildings that are so familiar become strange. He then sits down and waits until a kind-looking person will pass by and ask them for help. He has trouble remembering street names, he has to navigate through the city by remembering specific objects, like the post office in the building where he lives.

​

This case was quite popular in Poland in the early 2000's. His face was plastered all over Warsaw, TV and newspapers. Despite that, nobody that recognizes him has ever come forward. No family, no ex-colleagues, no neighbors. Many tips have come in in order to try to reveal his true identity, but none of them have proven true. Nobody seems to be looking for him either. As far as I was able to gather, his DNA is in police databases and on 23andMe (or an equivalent). So far there have been no matches.

​

Who was Jan in his past life? Was he really poisoned, or did he just dissociate? Or maybe he just doesn't want to admit who he is?

Sources:

Tochmann, W. 2018. Wsciekly Pies, chapter ‘Czlowiek, ktory powstal z torow’.

https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/czlowiek-ktory-nie-istnial-6791883824601856a

Good afternoon everyone,
first off, thanks again for the great interest in the disappearance of Blake and London Deven, and thank you everyone for participating in the discussion.
Now we have a very sad and haunting update in the case. It's not what we have hoped for.

The police has recovered partial skeletal remains during a search. They were NOT located at the home on Berriedale Drive that was searched at least twice. At this time, there is no information on who the remains belong to. The remains have been sent to the NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Testing the DNA and identification of the remains could take weeks or several months.

There is no concrete information on how or where the remains were discovered. According to news outlets, information from Fayetteville Police at the FBI led the detectives to the remains. At this time, authorities are still asking anyone who has been in contact with either Blake or London to contact them. Any information, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, is valuable.

I will keep updating this post as new information comes in, I am also thinking about asking the mods about possibly starting a mega thread.

​

Sources:

https://abc11.com/human-remains-found-during-search-for-missing-fayetteville-teen-blake-deven/14653113/

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2024/04/12/skeletal-remains-found-in-missing-devens-case

​

​

Jessica Delgadillo was only 14-years-old when she was reported missing by her family in Amarillo, Texas, after she failed to return home from school on October 20, 2010.

In 2023, The Amarillo Police Department established a cold case unit aimed at reopening three cold cases in particular - Jessica Delgadillo was one of those.

The cold case team reached out to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who sent representatives to Amarillo to assist investigators. As a part of their efforts, they updated case information and posted details on social media, further raising awareness.

A phone call came into the Amarillo Police Department Homicide Unit on November 2, 2023. The woman calling claimed she was the missing Jessica Delgadillo. She also said she knew that she had been reported missing.

DNA was collected from this woman and sent to the University of North Texas for comparison against a known family member of Jessica. The results were a positive match.

Jessica requested her current location and the details of her disappearance not be made public. The only information the Amarillo Police Department released was that she was currently living on the East Coast.

The case is now officially closed. As the Amarillo Police Department stated in their update, "This case can finally be closed [with] closure for the family.”

https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/amarillo-police-close-13-year-old-cold-case-after-missing-woman-calls-in/

https://www.wtoc.com/2024/04/12/woman-found-alive-13-years-later-after-going-missing-14-year-old/

In the year 1968 a couple named John and Judy Winship adopted a beautiful baby girl and named her Jayne. She was raised in a religious home and it is reported her adoptive parents were good decent people.

In the late 1980's Jayne moved to the Brenhem, Texas area and began renting from a woman named Amy Davis. By the year 1990 Jayne would become the daughter in law of Amy Davis as she married her son, Steven Clay Davis. Steven and Jayne moved to Houston after they got married and by October of 1990 Jayne gave birth to their son. The relationship was reportedly tumultuous and by September 1991, Jayne and Steve separated.

In October of 1991 a judge granted sole custody of their son to Jayne. Steven was given visitation and ordered to pay child support. A week after this court order, on October 31st Steven went to Jayne's apartment and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.

He was charged with felony sexual assault, and combined with some other drug charges he had going on he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He went to prison in March of 1993

Despite the dissolution of their marriage and Steven going to prison, Jayne still let her son visit with his grandmother Amy Davis and Stevens side of the family. Jayne even drove her son back and forth from Houston to Brenhem to see them.

Sometime around April of 1993 Jayne's vehicle had broken down. On April 30th Jayne's mother had written her a check for 200 dollars. That check was never cashed, and Jayne's mother never saw her again.

According to Carolyn Wright, the former office manager for Amy Davis she (Mrs Wright ) spoke to Jayne also on April 30th 1993 and is possibly the last person to have spoken to her. Mrs Wright says that Jayne called and asked her to relay a message to Stevens brother, Amy Davis's other son, John Alan Davis that she needed a ride to get her son from Brenhem. The office manager, Wright stated it sounded like something prearranged for that day.

John Alan Davis and Amy Davis claim Carolyn Wright is incorrect. He (John Davis) was working 200 miles away and that Jayne couldn't stand him or the family and wouldn't have gotten in a car with him.

It is unclear if Jayne ever left Houston that day.

Steven was interviewed in prison and basically stated he didn't know nothing, and if he did he wouldn't tell law enforcement anything. He didn't hide his distaste for Jayne and down talked her. He didn't seem concerned she was missing.

Steven was released from prison in October of 2002, and apparently sometime after 1993 his mother Amy Davis had moved to Honduras. After Steven's release from prison and a week after moving to Honduras Steven Clay Davis died in a car accident in November 2002.

A final note: In 1997 Amy Davis gave authorization to search her property in Brenhem Texas, where law enforcement suspects Jayne may be buried. Yet after Amy gave that permission it was revealed that Amy had deeded the property to Steven and John who refused to let them search it.

In an interview with Amy Davis (link provided below) it seems she talked out of both sides of her mouth (or ass?) but I digress. On one hand she and her sons swore Jayne left to be with some new man...but also admits Jayne gave no indication to want to ever leave her son behind. I have no idea what became of Steven and Jayne's son or who raised him.

I'm not even sure if both of Jayne's parents are still alive or if she had any siblings.

Is it possible she fled this life for another one? Did she just leave her son behind? Or did someone stop her from coming home?

https://charleyproject.org/case/jayne-elizabeth-winship-davis

https://www.brenhambanner.com/news/what-happened-to-jayne-winship-davis/article_5d5129ea-0ce7-5ff6-a822-cf3fb685837d.html

In November of 1974, the remains of an adult (estimated to be 30-55) woman were discovered by a young man in Altamonte, Seminole County, Florida. The woman had been stabbed to death in the weeks before her remains were found, and she carried no identifying information. The area where she was found was under development and later became the Interstate Mall.

On her person were items of clothing including a bra, slacks, and a knit shirt. She had also been wearing a wedding ring (a fused engagement and wedding band, with a center stone as well as smaller surrounding stones).

Serial killer Gerald Stano confessed to her murder, stating that he had picked up the woman who had been hitchhiking. His confession was believed to be credible, as stated in one article, "Her pants were pulled down and her turtleneck sweater was pulled around her neck - all Stano trademarks." Stano was executed in 1998 for a different murder.

Today, the identity of Altamonte Jane Doe is still unknown, but students in the Ramapo College IGG Certificate Program will attempt to identify her using Investigative Genetic Genealogy. DNA testing has revealed she may have Irish and Italian ancestry. We hope that Altamonte Jane Doe will soon have her name restored.

Sources:

1. Unidentified Wiki, Seminole County Jane Doe

2. NAMUS UP1337

3. The Daytona Beach News-Journal

4. The Orlando Sentinel

Note: this is our first writeup here on r/UnresolvedMysteries! We are eager for feedback - would you like to see more detail, less detail, images...?

The Kauai attacker/killer is a still unidentified suspected serial killer and sexual offernder who murdered two women. Then injured another woman on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, between April-August of 2000. Despite a sketch of the perpetrator and the availability of his DNA, he was never caught, and the murders remain unsolved.

On April 7, 2000, the slain body of 38 year old Lisa Bissell. Was discovered lying in a ditch near the Polihale state park. She had been raped, beaten, her throat slashed open and finally stabbed which ultimately resulted in her untimely death. A few of her personal belongings were strewn off the roadside in Waimea.

On May 22, 2000, a 52-year-old woman was gravely injured by the same perpetrator in Kekaha. The perpetrator approached the victim while in her yard. The perpetrator than said"My name is John and I'm homeless." The victim made a suggestion that he visit her neighbors home. The neighbors were apparently known to help the homeless by giving them a place to stay

When she turned away from the man to resume her yard work. The assailant forced her behind the house and beat her bad enouyh to break an arm. He then sexually assaulted the victim. He later stabbed her in the chest with a knife. But the knife bent after hitting the victim's sternum. As a result the assailant discarded the knife into shrubbery fleeing the scene.

The victim would survive her harrowing ordeal ,having to crawl on the ground for hours until she could phone for help. The woman was able to describe her attacker to law enforcement well enought for a composite sketch to be made. Although no leads result from the release of said sketch.

On August 30, 2000, the decomposing body of 43 year old Maui resident Daren R. Singer, Maui, was discovered in a secluded campsite near Pakala Point Beach. She was raped, stabbed in the throat, and beaten to death. The beating being so severe her face was almost in a unrecognizable state. Investigators eventually were able to determined Singer was murdered 12 hours prior to the discovery of her remains.

All of known crimes shared strong similarities to one another including

All victims being white middle-aged women

All of the victims were sexually assaulted.

All of the victims were alone when they were attacked.

A knife was used as a weapon in each attack.

All victim had knife wounds on their bodies mostly inflicted onto their upper chest/neck or breast region.

All of the attacks happened on the west coast of Kauai. Sharing the same geographic location. Possible indication that the attacker was from around the area or knew the area well.

The prime suspect in the case is Waldorf Roy Wilson, a registered sex offender. He was convicted of a rape and kidnapping on Oahu in 1983. Wilson was paroled on January 9, 1999. Eventually relocating himself to Kauai. On September 12, 2000, Wilson was arrested again for violating condition of his parole. After he was arrested a local news station broadcast Wilson had been arrested for parole violations after being questioned about the murders. This led to Wilson suing the Kauai County Police Department and Honolulu Magazine for defamation. That lawsuit would later be dismissed in 2009.

Waldorf Wilson's DNA was tested and compared to the DNA of the perpetrator, However the result was deemed inconclusive. He was never official charged legally.

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/09/01/news/story2.html

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/10/28/news/story7.html

Hello everyone! As always, I'd like to thank you for all your upvotes and comments under my last post about Dane Elkins- I hope that he will be found alive and reunited with his family.

​

Today I'd like to write about a case of a John Doe- I'm almost sure I've read about this case on reddit, maybe even on this sub, but I hope that you won't mind reading about it for a second time- and besides, it's good to spread awareness about different cases.

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DISCOVERY

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On the 22nd of April of 1994, the body of a young man has been found in a bathroom stall at the 30th Street train station in Philadelphia, Pensylvania, USA. He died due to a gunshot wound to the head, which was determined to be self-inflicted. John Doe was found only minutes after death, and the gun that he used to kill himself with was found at the scene and recovered- it was a Raven MP-25 .25 caliber handgun that was reported stolen from a house in Wisconsin in 1985. The deceased man was also wearing a pair of latex gloves.

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John Doe was 16-30 in age, Asian (people seem to believe that he was from southeast Asia specifically, countries like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, etc), 5' 9"(69 inches / 175 cm) and 168 lbs (76 kg). He had black head and body hair and brown eyes. Other than that, he had a small, round scar on inner right knee, small, snakelike, elevated scars on forehead, face, and neck and a brown birthmark on his left upper chest. He was also circumsized and his teeth were described as "natural", which I assume means that he didn't have any dentures or any work done on them. He was dressed in a white long-sleeved Age sweatshirt with "PALM BEACH, USA" printed on front (size XL), Bugle Boy blue jeans, white socks, white printed undershorts and white Etonic sneakers, size 7.

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The most intriguing part of this case has to be a note found with John Doe, the only item other than the gun that he had with him at the time of his death. It said: "With gloves on his fingers and blood on his toes, he will have music wherever he goes. Don't fuck with the dragons". It's a play on a part of a British nursery rhyme, "Ride a cock horse to Branbury Cross": "With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes". According to a local journalist working on an article about this case, the note was written in "very neat" English. It's unknown who "the dragons" is referring to.

​

Some sources state that he might've come from Canada, but I can't find what exactly made the investigators consider this possibility.

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CONCLUSION

​

The most prevalent theory as to what exactly happened here is that the death was gang related. There were different Asian gangs operating in Philadelphia at the time, including a chapter of Flying Dragons, who originated in New York, but were present in any city with a large Asian population. Perhaps he was killed by someone else because he crossed the wrong people or was also a member of the gang who stepped out of line, and his death was only staged to look like the suicide, or he was forced to commit it. Then again, would a gang leave a note behind that directly implicated them in a murder, and use an old nursery rhyme at that? In a way, this theory seems like the first idea that comes to one's head, but there are enough details here that feel off that you begin to question it. In 1992, the leader of the Flying Dragons was convicted, and a wave of arrests following it likely means that there was a lot of snitching and double-crossing involved- Perhaps John Doe was a snitch?

​

Another explanation is that John Doe suffered from some kind of mental illness that pushed him to commit suicide. The note found with him might be ramblings that people suffering from delusions might write- perhaps he thought that "the dragons" were following him or stalking him and he couldn't take it anymore?

​

The gloves he was wearing are a very odd detail to me- it's like he wanted to hide his fingerprints and not leave them on the gun, but it was seemingly a suicide and the police could just take off his gloves and collect his fingerprints off his body. Someone suggested that he might've been suffering from OCD and saw the gun as "dirty" or "covered in germs", so he put on the gloves to protect himself from them; They seem to be an important part of the whole story, given that they were referenced in the note found with him.

​

His fingerprints are available, but his DNA status is "unknown"; I'm not sure if he was buried or cremated, and if he was buried, then where- If he was, there would be a chance to take some samples and possibly do genetic genealogy that might lead to his relatives. However, these things require money and social interest, and sadly, I don't know if a case classified as suicide from 30 years ago will drum up much attention. Nevertheless, I hope that John Doe will be given his real identity back one day.

​

If you believe that you have any info regarding John Doe, contact the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office at (215) 685-7445.

​

SOURCES:

1. doenetwork.org
2. unidentified-awareness.com
3. NamUS.gov (WARNING! NON-GRAPHIC POST MORTEM PHOTOS)

John Doe's websleuths.com thread

In the shadowy annals of criminal history, the tragic story of Lilly Lindestrom, also involving her neighbor Minnie, who was reportedly the last to see her alive, adds layers of intrigue to the Stockholm Vampire Killing of 1932. This haunting case remains a puzzle, shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions.

Lilly Lindestrom, a Swedish woman in her late 30s and a known prostitute, lived in a modest apartment in Stockholm. Her neighborhood was a gritty enclave frequented by those on the margins of society. On May 4, 1932, concern grew when Minnie, a neighbor, realized she hadn't seen Lindestrom for several days. Curiosity turned to dread as Minnie and others pondered her whereabouts.

Finally, Minnie decided to act and knocked on Lilly's door. When no one answered, Minnie, fearing the worst, alerted the landlord. Together, they entered the dimly lit apartment. What they discovered would shock the entire neighborhood.

Inside the apartment, the air was thick with an eerie silence. Lindestrom's lifeless body lay on the floor, a tragic tableau of violence. Her clothes were strewn about, and blood stains marked the scene, yet there was a curious absence of blood on the floor. Lindestrom's head had been brutally bludgeoned, her skull fractured. Strangely, two small puncture wounds marred her neck, evoking whispers of the supernatural—a detail that would ignite sensationalized headlines and spark dark speculations of vampirism.

Minnie, as the last known person to see Lindestrom alive, became a key figure in the investigation. She recounted seeing Lindestrom in her apartment with an unidentified man shortly before her disappearance, a fleeting encounter etched in Minnie's memory.

As investigators meticulously combed through the sparse clues, perplexing details emerged. There was no evidence of forced entry, suggesting that Lindestrom might have known her attacker or willingly allowed them into her home. The absence of defensive wounds hinted at a sudden and brutal assault, catching Lindestrom off guard.

Forensic science in the early 1930s was rudimentary, and despite earnest efforts, investigators faced a formidable challenge. The lack of significant physical evidence, combined with the curious absence of blood at the scene, further clouded the investigation. The case quickly became a quagmire of theories and conjectures.

Minnie's testimony added layers of complexity to the mystery, but it failed to yield a breakthrough. Who was the mysterious man seen with Lindestrom? Was he the perpetrator, or was there a more sinister motive behind the crime?

Over time, the case of the Stockholm Vampire Killing faded from the headlines, but it never left the collective consciousness. The identity of Lilly Lindestrom's murderer remains an enduring enigma, buried beneath layers of speculation and urban legend.

Decades later, amateur sleuths and true crime aficionados continue to grapple with the unanswered questions surrounding this perplexing case. What truly happened on that fateful day in 1932? Was Lindestrom a victim of a random act of violence, or did darker forces lurk in the shadows of her world?

The Stockholm Vampire Killing endures as a haunting reminder of the limits of human understanding in the face of inexplicable tragedy. Lilly Lindestrom's story is a poignant testament to the enduring allure of unsolved mysteries, leaving us to ponder the shadows that still linger in the corners of history.

Links:

Someone saw something

Crime Immemorial

Reddit 2017

Strange Remains

Gizmodo

This is a still photo of "Brother John Paul Ranieri" (sometimes spelled Jean Paul or Jean-Paul, or with the last name "Ranieri" left off) as he appears in Maury Terry's A&E documentary on his Son of Sam cult theory. Ranieri doesn't show up in Terry's 1987 book The Ultimate Evil, which purported to expose the Satanic cult which, Terry claimed, was really behind the Son of Sam murders. However, by the time A&E released their documentary on the cult theory in the early/mid-90s, Ranieri had become one of the most important characters in Terry's cult narrative. A self-styled street preacher who claimed to be a former drug addict, gay prostitute, and street hustler from New York City, Ranieri convinced Maury Terry that, before his conversion to Christianity, he had been part of a Satanic cult with David Berkowitz around the time of the Son of Sam murders, and only narrowly escaped the cult with his life. Maury Terry, who had been developing his Satanic cult/Son of Sam theory for years by this point, eagerly incorporated Ranieri's testimony into his narrative of the crimes and their occult background, as 1 of only 2 actual "eyewitnesses" Terry found who could attest to the existence of the supposed Son of Sam cult.

Ranieri featured in the Maury Terry A&E documentary, making claims like

Ranieri: The only way you could get out of this thing [the cult] was either they killed you off, you killed yourself off with a suicide... that was the only way, to get carried out in a pine box.

Voiceover: John Paul says he was first recruited into the cult by none other than John Carr, a former high school classmate.

Ranieri: John [Carr] talked very specifically about a pyramid, and that to get to another level of this pyramid, he had to turn around and prove that he was worthy of this level, and had to kill somebody.

Ranieri portrayed himself to Maury Terry and others as an "escapee" from the cult, constantly worried about retribution or assassination from still-active cult members well into the 1990s. Importantly, Ranieri claimed to have been personally acquainted not just with Berkowitz, but also with John Carr, who figures prominently into Maury Terry's cult narrative. John Carr was the source of the "Son of Sam" name (John's father was named Sam Carr, making John the "son of Sam" Carr), the Carr family's barking dog figured into Berkowitz's early planned insanity defense ("my neighbor's talking dog made me do it"), and multiple references to the Carr family were included in the Son of Sam letters (eg the "John 'Wheaties' - rapist and suffocater of young girls" line is understood to be referring to John Carr). Frustratingly (or conveniently), John Carr had died years before Ranieri made his claims publicly - and before The Ultimate Evil was even published - so he never had a chance to confirm or deny the accusations. However, it should be noted that no evidence has ever surfaced showing that Berkowitz knew anyone in the Carr family, and no one has ever been prosecuted for the Son of Sam murders except Berkowitz, despite years of investigation by police, district attorneys' offices, and Maury Terry himself.

Bizarrely, this would not be the only serial murder spree to which "Brother John Paul Ranieri" would publicly attach his name.

Somehow, within just a few years of being featured in the Son of Sam A&E documentary, Ranieri started showing up in news coverage about Jeffrey Dahmer almost immediately after Dahmer's arrest. Ranieri was again being interviewed on TV and in print, telling the same backstory - the ex-prostitute, street hustler, born-again street preacher - only this time, instead of telling tales of Satanic cults, Ranieri was claiming he had coincidentally been doing some street evangelism around Milwaukee's gay bars when Jeffrey Dahmer had befriended him, sexually propositioned him, and then randomly started revealing some of his innermost thoughts and prejudices:

New York Times, "17 SLAYINGS TIED TO MILWAUKEE MAN", 1991/07/26: "John Paul Ranieri, a street minister who said he had met Mr. Dahmer in a tavern in the last month, said the suspect hated homosexuals and blacks and suffered from problems with alcohol."

Racine Journal Times, "Milwaukee Mayhem", 1991/07/26: "A man accused of strangling and dismembering 11 men and storing severed heads in his apartment hated homosexuals and blacks, a street minister who recently befriended the man said Thursday. John Paul Ranieri said he had long talks with Jeffrey Dahmer, 31, at a Milwaukee gay bar, twice within the past four weeks. "He hated the gay community with a passion and most gay people, calling them "(expletive) f____ts," Ranieri said. Yet, Dahmer cruised the bar, trying to pick up men, including Ranieri, the minister said. [...] Ranieri said he is a former New York male prostitute and recovering drug addict. He has had a street ministry in Milwaukee, serving the gay community, for more than 10 years, he said. Barb Klauber, a secretary for the Episcopal Diocese, said Ranieri's ministry is financed with donations from Milwaukee area churches, including the Episcopal Diocese, and he has a reputation for ministering to homosexuals. Dahmer disliked blacks and expressed hatred toward them, Ranieri said."

Orlando Sentinel, "NOW EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH APT. 213", 1991/07/28: "Jean-Paul Ranieri, a former drug addict and male prostitute who now runs a street ministry, said that when Dahmer became quite drunk he talked of his hatred for homosexuals. "This guy was sexually frustrated and very, very angry at himself and a lot of other people," Ranieri said."

Ranieri was popping up over and over again in media about Dahmer, apparently without ever mentioning the Satanic cult he was supposedly still on the run from, or his supposed experiences a couple decades earlier with one of America's other most famous serial killers.

Ranieri's only appearance in the public record predating this, as far as I can tell, was in 1984, when he was running a homeless shelter in Milwaukee, getting featured in a news article about his street evangelism, and telling the same story about his past drug use and prostitution (but omitting any Satanic cult stories):

John Paul Ranieri has been a male prostitute and a drug addict. Now he describes his work as that of a modern-day savior committed to teaching the word of God to the homeless and the hungry... [Ranieri's] house is... a refuge for the unfortunate, where Rainieri and a friend offer food and shelter to Milwaukees street people, and pay for all expenses out of their own pockets. Ranieri... tells the story of his life in a husky voice which still has traces of a New York accent: At 15, Ranieri was hooked on diet pills. At 17, he was cruising bars, looking for speed and alcohol. At 18, he moved from his affluent home in a New York suburb into the city and hooked up with a pimp. He made between 1150-3000 a week, and says he even enjoyed himself at first. But by the time he reached his late twenties, he was fighting a constant battle with drug and alcohol addiction. He spends his nights in area taverns, preaching the word of God.

So it appears that Brother John Paul did indeed have connections to Milwaukee that predated Dahmer's arrest, implying that, at the very least, he probably wasn't just flying into random American cities trying to claim association with any serial killer that got arrested.

Notably, the only other supposed Son of Sam cult "witness" featured in the A&E documentary mentioned above was a guy the documentary-makers referred to as "The Artist" - who has since come to be known in Son of Sam lore as "Billy the Artist" (visible at 17:13 here, segment starts at 16:47) - who claimed to have spent time with the Son of Sam cult in Untermeyer Park, where he would supposedly sketch portraits of some of the cult members (hence "The Artist"). In the 90s, after the first edition of The Ultimate Evil had already been released, Billy the Artist began selling some of these sketches to Maury Terry, who apparently believed they were accurate depictions of Son of Sam cult members. In the A&E documentary, Maury Terry shows some of these sketches to Berkowitz in prison, and Berkowitz positively identifies them as cult members (timestamp at 1:48 in this video). However, just in the last year, the YouTuber Manny Grossman has tracked down "Billy the Artist", and discovered that those sketches were actually tracings of drawings from things like Conan the Barbarian comic books, and Black Sabbath album covers from the 70s/80s, which Billy the Artist had made as a teenager. Billy now admits he was intentionally conning Maury Terry for drug money, convincing Terry he'd been connected to the cult, and then charging him money for "leads" and "evidence" like the drawings.

This means that, of the 2 people Maury Terry was ever able to publicly identify as actual first-hand "witnesses" to a Son of Sam cult, one was Billy the Artist - who recanted and admitted feeding Terry made up cult stories for drug money - and the other was..."Brother John Paul/Jean-Paul Ranieri", who, if he was telling the truth, was like the Forrest Gump of late-20th-century American serial killers. And Berkowitz was so eager to blame the Son of Sam murders on Maury Terry's "Satanic cult" that he was (unknowingly) pointing to drawings of Conan the Barbarian characters and saying he recognized them from the cult!

I've tried to include all the information I could find on Ranieri from reliable media sources, but I'd be very curious to know if anyone has any more info on him, especially if he's appeared in any other media on these cases. At the very least, he seems to have grown up in New York, and then became something of a local character in Milwaukee in the early 90s, so maybe he left more of a trail there. Assuming he was lying, Ranieri was able to fool countless journalists, authors, media organizations, news channels, etc., into presenting his claims as factual information; how much of the public record on these cases might be contaminated by Brother John Paul's "witness testimony"? And if Ranieri is truly the only remaining cult eyewitness besides Berkowitz, you'd think one of these documentary-makers would've tracked him down by now, if he's still alive...

Ultimately, I don't see what Ranieri was actually getting out of all this. It doesn't seem like he was making any money off of his stories. Was he just a fantasist trying to make himself seem more important? Was he taking little grains of truth - like maybe he really did attend high school with John Carr, and maybe he really did evangelize outside Milwaukee gay bars when Dahmer lived there - and trying to spin these little connections into something bigger?

If he was a conman, what was the con? Where is the money or glory in claiming to be an ex-prostitute coincidentally adjacent to serial killers? And what kind of conman doesn't realize he shouldn't get caught on film, by the national media, running the same con twice? How did all of these journalists fail to put this together? Or maybe he was telling the truth (lol)?

Josh Greenberg was found dead in bed by his girlfriend, who had returned to their home in Gainesville, Florida on July 19, 2015 from a planned weekend out of town. The Gainesville Police Department stated during the preliminary investigation that neither foul play nor suicide was suspected in his death, despite his death occurring for unknown reasons. Greenberg's mother said he was in full health at the time of his death, and dismissed the possibility he had taken his own life in the aftermath of the company's collapse, claiming "he was more relieved than depressed about the settlement, as it had ended the long-looming lawsuit." The later autopsy failed to determine an actual cause of death.

In November of 2011, Universal Music Group had filed a lawsuit against Grooveshark for more than $15 billion. The company cited internal documents revealing that Grooveshark employees uploaded thousands of illegal copies of Universal Music Group-owned recordings. Six individuals were named as personally having uploaded between 1,000 and 40,000 songs each; other employees had uploaded upwards of 43,000 songs. Universal Music Group aimed to collect $150,000 for each of the 113,777 uploads. Grooveshark denied the validity of the lawsuit, claiming that there was a gross mischaracterization of the documents obtained during the lawsuit's initial proceedings.

Autopsy is unable to determine a cause of death

Lawsuit info

I have missed doing these state by state write ups, and still plan to get back to Virginia at some point. I still have several states to cover first. But as you can imagine dear reader Texas is vast with many missing individuals. I've always tried to do lesser known cases from these states, and I am kicking it off with one that has very limited information out there. I'm not sure why LE did not pick up this case.

Most of my information was gathered from The Charley Project, Websleuths, and a few other sites that primarily repeat the same facts in this case.

I know that from what I've read it appears Toby's mother and family still miss and love him very much and will never give up looking for him and for answers.

I don't know much about his personal life, but imagine he was a typical 18 year old guy in 1997. He was 6'3 and 210 lbs and most of the pictures I've seen of him appear to be when he was somewhat younger than 18. He seemed to like cowboy hats as he smiles with chubby cheeks and happy eyes peering out from the brim of a cowboy hat in one of his photos.

On May 19th, 1997 it is reported that Toby attended a birthday party at a Trailer Park in New Caney Texas called "Bill's 3 G's Trailer Park." It is not clear who was at this party, but at some point Toby and another man got into an altercation (also no idea the name of the man involved) Toby broke a beer bottle over the man's head (or on the man's body?) and seemingly tossed it to the ground where the man then picked it up and chased Toby gashing Toby on the arm deeply and hollering " " I'm going to kill you punk." "

Toby then came home to his mother's house with his cut and bloody arm wrapped in a t-shirt and told his parents what happened. She told him he should press charges and he refused. His parents cleaned and bandaged his arm and he then left with a female companion. His parents never saw him again.

The female companion he left with dropped him off "in town" close to where the incident happened, according to Toby's mother's post on Websleuths, and the female companion didn't really know what happened to him after there.

Because Toby was 18 police refused to file a missing persons report until August 25th 1997, according to his parents.

The only information we have on the person wanted for questioning (and I don't even think LE wants to question him but perhaps the family) is that the birthday party the incident happened at was the birthday party for the man who threatened Toby. So presumably his birthday is May 19th.

I feel like there is just a lot of missing information here. But Toby's loved ones still deserve answers as to what has become of him. Foul play is suspected in this case. If you have any information that can help find Toby or solve this case please contact Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 281-297-6507

https://charleyproject.org/case/toby-ray-coleman

https://www.dps.texas.gov/apps/mpch/MissingPerson/mpDetails/M1-27-20127-55-08AM

On March 8th, 1994, a disturbing discovery at Merrillville, Indiana's Mr. Soft Car Wash prompted employees to summon police to their location. That afternoon, a 5x7 black and white photograph depicting a woman, bound, gagged, and wrapped in plastic, was found by the car wash attendants. The photo's poor quality offered few clues about the victim's identity. Additionally, law enforcement noted it was impossible to determine the age of the photograph, or if the subject depicted in it was living or dead at the time it was taken.

On July 25th, in nearby Highland, Indiana, two children seeking respite from the summer heat, found solace at the Little Calumet River. As they cast their fishing lines into the water near Liable Road, one boy snagged an unexpected and horrifying catch; a Nike brand women’s hiking shoe with skeletal remains of a foot nestled inside.

For the next several hours, a frantic search unfolded along the Little Calumet. Teams of divers clad in black neoprene plunged into the murky depths, while law enforcement officers meticulously scoured the riverbank. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, the search yielded no further clues, and the investigation stalled.

Then, on September 4th, two children spotted a suspicious object protruding from a drainpipe of the Little Calumet River. Curiosity piqued, they went in for a closer look at the plastic wrapped mass. Upon closer inspection, however, a sickening realization dawned on the young men; the mysterious object was a set of severely decomposed human remains.

The remains, crudely wrapped in plastic and “stuck” within the drainpipe, were found in the 7800 block of Nevada Street, in Hammond, Indiana. They were too decomposed for immediate gender determination, however, recovered clothing suggested a female victim; size 5 women's jeans, a women’s hoodie and leather jacket, and a floral patterned bra. A cigarette lighter, tube of lipstick, a single house key with a purple clip, and 50 cents were also found in the jacket’s pocket. No identification was located.

Investigators explored two possibilities: either the remains were initially dumped into a nearby sewer system and lodged in the drainage pipe, or they were deposited in the river and subsequently drawn into the pipe by water flow. For three days, the Lake County Aquatic Underwater Recovery and Rescue Unit conducted an intensive underwater search near the recovery site. Divers meticulously sifted through the riverbed mud and ventured over 30 feet into the drainage pipe, aiming for a full recovery of the remains.

Examination revealed the remains lacked a foot, while the remaining foot was still encased in a Nike brand shoe. Notably, this shoe matched the one discovered in July, approximately 400 yards upstream. Subsequent forensic analysis confirmed the foot belonged to the recovered remains.

Faced with an unidentified victim, investigators released images of the recovered personal effects in a September 13th newspaper article. This tactic proved successful. Barbara Corey immediately recognized the distinctive purple key ring. Her 19-year-old daughter, Brandy Sherry, who had been missing since February, carried the same one. Upon comparing her own house key to the one shown in the photo and finding it to be a match, Barbara contacted the coroner’s office.

Investigators, accompanied by the Lake County coroner, traveled to Barbara's residence. The key recovered from the remains successfully unlocked the home’s front door, confirming Barbara’s worst fears. A later dental analysis would provide definitive confirmation the remains belonged to Brandy. Her cause of death was ultimately determined to be due to blunt force trauma.

Brandy was last seen by her mother at her Hammond residence on February 14th, at 7:30 pm. She had requested to borrow a sweater and mentioned visiting her boyfriend on the south side of town. After the short conversation, Barbara left for her night shift at work. Brandy’s boyfriend, (whose name was never revealed), however, claimed he never saw Brandy that evening. He reported her absence to Barbara the following morning. On February 16th, Barbara and her ex-husband, Lenny, who lived in nearby Highland, Indiana, filed a missing persons report.

Though estranged until Brandy's teenage years, Lenny had spent the past six years actively rebuilding their relationship. He told detectives he and his ex wife dedicated the last six months to a relentless search for their daughter. Lenny revealed through their own investigation, they had discovered Brandy's social circle had quietly evolved, encompassing both a longstanding group of high school friends, and a newer one that Lenny referred to as being from “society’s dark side.”

Brandy was found just one day shy of what would have been her 20th birthday. She had been previously employed at Schweitzer's Bakery (Highland, IN) and Boz Hot Dogs (Hammond, IN), and was described as a “good girl” with no known enemies. She was laid to rest in Lake County’s Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens.

The investigation, aided by the FBI, failed to identify any suspects. A connection between the chilling photo discovered at the car wash and Brandy's murder also remains unknown. Both Brandy's killer, and the woman in the photograph remain unidentified.

Sources

Photos/Map/Death Certificate/Newspaper Clippings

Find a Grave; Brandy

> I do not speak Georgian, the information gathered in this post was made with help of Google translate, so there may be some mistakes. Feel free to point them out in the comments. <

On August 7, 2013, at 10:00 am sixteen year-old Darejan Diasamidze (Dah-reh-jan Dee-ah-sah-meets, დარეჯან დიასამიძ) left her uncle's home in village Akhalsheni (near the city of Batumi) where she stayed at for her home which was 500-600 m away. Her phone was shut down shortly afterwards. She has never been seen since.

Her family reported her missing the same day. The street which Darejan should have been walking to her home was densely occupied, but nobody saw anything. Darejan's phone was turned back on once the same day at 15:10 and she sent a message to a friend, however the content of the message was not revealed. She was also texting a friend the whole night on the day before her disappearance.

On August 12, around midnight residents on 119 Demetre Tavdadebuli Street saw a girl similar to Darejan drinking water and talking on the phone. They called the police, but the police didn't come. The resident later told Darejan's mother that she overheard the girl saying on the phone: "I won't come home. My mother is in Turkey, I have to sneak out." Darejan's mother did work in Turkey, however the clothes the girl was seen in didn't match the one's Darejan was last seen in.

On August 19, around 8-10:00 am a boy noticed a tired-looking girl on Sulaberidze Street in Batumi. he saw the girl ask a man in front of her for a cigarette, took it, shook his hand and threw it in a puddle. The boy also asked the man for a cigarette and he gave it to him, but looked at him suspiciously. The boy was aware of Darejan's disappearance, so he notified the police. The police arrived fifteen minutes later, but the girl was not there anymore.

On September 2, Darejan's cousin wrote a status on Odnoklassniki* "Daro, I miss you" and there was a reply from an anonymous profile that said: "Me too, Khati. Homelessness is difficult. I will come soon. I love you all". Darejan's cousins and friends then sent friend requests that were not accepted. After a while, the profile replied "What do you want, what?" The phrase was often used by Darejan, and her mother believes it was her.

On October 16, Darejan's family accused the police, the prosecutor's office and the government of inaction. Relatives of the missing girl blocked the road near the Batumi Justice House for 15 minutes, which led to a clash between the police and the protestors.

Darejan is a 16 year-old Caucasian female, standing around 160 cm (5'2") and 49 kg (108 lbs). She has brown hair, brown eyes and a medium sized mole on her thigh. She was last seen wearing a pink blouse and black pants.

Sources: Inerpol, Interpress News, Newposts, Palitra Video #1, Ambebi, Kvirispalitra, Palitra Video #2

At the time of writing this post, Darejan has been missing for 10 years. Thank you for giving Darejan a moment of your time.

*Odnoklassniki - Russian social media site, also used by former Soviet Union countries, now owned by VK.

(This case has been written about before, but not since 2022. For another post about the Fowler twins, try this one).

​

The Removal

On June 20th, 2016, police arrived at the home of Patricia Fowler, who lived on Bryant Street, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were acting under orders from the Allegheny County's Department of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) to remove all of Fowler's children from her custody on the grounds of medical neglect. All four children in her home had serious, chronic medical conditions, and between them, they had missed more than seventy-two doctor's appointments. The children were apparently taken into foster care without incident.

A couple weeks later, on July 6th, CYF contacted the police again. According to them, there were supposed to be six children living in the Fowler home, not four. Missing from the household were fraternal twins Ivon and Inisha, who would have been seventeen years old at the time. The police returned to Patricia Fowler's house, this time to do a welfare check.

“I figured it was a simple misunderstanding, and when we first talked to her, she was great. She invited us in the house showed us around and said, ‘Here's all the information,’” Police Detective Leo Johe later told the media.

Fowler initially told the police that she had sent Ivon and Inisha to live with relatives "down south" in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Georgia, a claim that was investigated and proven to be false. The twins were now officially declared missing, and Fowler was brought in for formal questioning.

Gone

Fowler was not able to provide any recent pictures of the twins. They had no school pictures, no candid pictures, no family portraits. The only pictures that were able to be found of them depict the twins as tiny infants, likely taken shortly after their births in 1998. There was no evidence that they had been living in the home at any recent time; the twins had likely been missing for a very long time before the authorities- or anyone- noticed their absence.

Ivon was definitely in Fowler's household as late as 2000. At the age of two, Ivon was scalded in the bath, causing burns to 46% of his body. His mother did not call an ambulance until the next day; Ivon spent over a month in the hospital before being discharged. Fowler said that the scalding was an accident that took place while an older sibling was attempting to bathe him.

This incident led to both him and his twin sister being temporarily removed from Fowler's care, but both were returned by CYF a few days later. CYF did not report the incident to the police, but remained in contact with Fowler for years afterwards in regards to her children's truancy from school. Investigation into Ivon and Inisha's school enrollment records found no evidence that they had ever been enrolled at, or attended, any school. There was no activity related to either of their social security numbers.

Family members reported last seeing the twins around 2002 or 2003; at the time, they would have been four or five years old. Ultimately, the date of last contact entered into their missing persons reports was September 11th, 2006, around the time that a social worker claimed to have seen the twins in their mother's home. However, this date is questionable; the social worker who said that they saw the twins in 2006 later admitted that they may have been mixed up, and that the little boy they thought was Ivon did not have the scarring that would have resulted from his extensive burn injuries. Additionally, both of Fowler's landlords from the 2006-2015 period asserted that neither of them had seen either Ivon or Inisha at any point. In my mind, this makes 2002-2003 a more likely timeframe for the twins' disappearance.

Changing Stories

Patricia Fowler must have realized the trouble she was now in, and quickly changed her story. She claimed that she sold her children to a woman, "Barbara," for $2,000, an exchange facilitated by a man she met at a bar. When she was informed that child-selling was a crime, she retracted her story, and then said that she had become confused during her interrogation due to a learning disability, and that "I didn't sell my kids and they're not missing." In August of 2016, Fowler was charged with "endangering the welfare of children, obstructing a child welfare investigation and concealing the whereabouts of the children."

In an interview with local media, Fowler said that she had given the children to a woman named "Sheryl Willis," a "friend of the family," who took the children back to North Carolina with her, "about ten years back." None of Fowler's claims about her children being in the care of other people could be verified by investigators.

The authorities then got Facebook messages and texts from a young man who said that he was Ivon, and that he and his sister were living in Georgia. These communications were determined to have been a hoax; "Ivon" was really Fowler's older son, eighteen-year-old Datwon, who was arrested for impersonating his missing younger brother. Datwon was charged with "intimation, relation or obstruction in child abuse cases, criminal conspiracy, obstructing administration of law or other government function, and giving false identification to law enforcement." He admitted that he had pretended to be Ivon, and told police that he had done it so that law enforcement would stop "bothering" his family with inquiries into his siblings' whereabouts.

First One, Then the Other

In 2017, most of the charges against Patricia Fowler were dropped, as it was deemed unfeasible to prosecute her for child abuse, when there was insufficient evidence that the twins had encountered foul play. She pled guilty to charges of "endangering the welfare of a child, unsworn falsification and public assistance false statements," the latter two charges relating to her false statements to investigators, and welfare fraud in the form of collecting benefits meant for the twins even after the date they were declared missing.

Because Ivon and Inisha were supposed to be seventeen at the time of the police's initial removal, the other four minor siblings taken into care by CYF were all younger than the twins, and could offer little witness testimony for investigators. Datwon, however, did provide some insight into the twins' condition shortly before their disappearances. He said that he had last seen them over a decade prior, and that at that time, both of them were "sick." Two other siblings stated that one twin and then the other were simply "gone" from the house one day, as if they never had been. Because of these testimonies, police officers investigating the Fowler twins believe that they are no longer alive. Patricia Fowler's mother told WPXI News, "I sure do want to know the truth, but if she don't want to tell it, that's up to her. I turned it over to God, so it's in God's hands."

Ivon Fowler was born 10/23/1998. He would be twenty-five years old today. He was last seen aged seven or younger. He is a black male with black hair and brown eyes. He would have notable burn scars on his face and hands.

Inisha Fowler was born 10/23/1998. She would be twenty-five years old today. She was last seen aged seven or younger. She is a black female with black hair and brown eyes.

Sources:

https://charleyproject.org/case/inisha-v-fowler

https://charleyproject.org/case/ivon-d-fowler

https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/investigators-still-searching-2-years-after-penn-hills-twins-reported-missing/788057168/

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/mother-of-twins-whove-been-missing-10-years-gets-probation/

​

On October 15, 1966, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 14-year-old Anthony Tumolo was spending the day with his best friend Jack Marino. Jack and Anthony had been close friends since they were young children (Jack’s stepfather was cousins with Anthony’s mother) and became paper boys together when they were older. In fact, delivering papers and collecting dues is what Anthony and Jack were doing the last day he was seen. The boys took a break to buy doughnuts from a local before heading over to the Lady of Consolation School, where the two were enrolled as eighth graders. They met up with some friends before parting ways to eat dinner at 3 P.M. They planned to meet back up after dinner.

Anthony rode his bike back and appeared to be very excited to meet back up with his friend. He rushed through his dinner before departing the family’s brick duplex on Princeton Avenue either on foot or on his bike (one article specifies him leaving on his bike but, the others do not specify). 10 minutes later, Jack showed up at Anthony’s house asking where he had gone. He had been informed that Anthony had left only a few minutes later so Jack - assuming he had missed him on his way there - spent the next several hours riding his bike around town searching for Anthony. Anthony never materialized and Jack assumed he had found something else to do, so he went home. Anthony did not return home that night but, his parents were not worried as they assumed he had chosen to spend the night with Jack. It was only the next morning when he failed to turn up to deliver the papers did they became concerned and phoned the police to report him missing.

Police initially labeled Anthony as a runaway. They learned that shortly before he had gone missing that Anthony and his father had an argument about him continuing to work the paper route. His grades had been slowly dropping in school and his parents wanted him to focus more on studying. However, Anthony continued to work as a paper boy despite this disagreement. Bolstering this theory was the claim by two teenage boys at the school where Anthony was enrolled. They came late to class and informed the teacher it was because they had seen Anthony and given chase. However, many years later one of the boys would confess that this was a lie meant to avoid getting in trouble.

Anthony’s family and friends do not believe he would run away and long absences were extremely out of character for him. Anthony’s friend Jack says Anthony gave no indication about running away the last day they spent together and that Anthony was very close to his parents and eight siblings. Anthony had left behind all of his belongings and an uncashed paycheck. His family believes he was abducted by a predator the night he disappeared. Jack Marino has also presented the theory that Anthony was hit by a car and concealed. Earlier the last day he was seen, Anthony had tried to convince Jack to ride with him up to Hillcrest Dairy at State and Street roads when they met back up. Jack didn't want to since the ride was longer and it was getting darker out. Jack wonders if Anthony decided to ride up to the ice cream shop anyway and met his fate en route there.

At the time Anthony disappeared, he was 14 years old. He was small for his age and stood at 5’2 and weighed 110 pounds. He was last seen wearing a navy blue wool three-quarter length coat with red lining, a blue corduroy shirt, black Levi’s jeans, black socks, and black shoes. He is white with black hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his right cheek. DNA is available in his case. His father passed away a year after he vanished and his mother passed away in 2001. She had long believed he had gotten into an accident and was struck with amnesia. Many of his siblings are still alive, however, and looking for him. If Anthony were alive today, he would be 72 years old.

Sources

The Charley Project

Whereabouts Still Unknown

NCMEC

The Inquirer (2013)

The Inquirer (2008)

Doe Network

Christopher Enoch Abeyta was born on November 28, 1985. Christopher was the youngest child of Gil and Bernice Abeyta, the family lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Apparently Bernice thought she couldn't have anymore children, so the pregnancy with Christopher was a surprise, so his older siblings were fourteen years older. Christopher is described as a happy baby.

On the evening of July 14, 1986, Bernice's sister Denise was visiting the Abeyta house. Denise fed Christopher a bottle and shortly thereafter he fell asleep in her arms. Denise then put the baby into his crib, which was located in Gil and Bernice's bedroom. According to one source, Bernice gave Christopher his last bottle at around 12:15 in the morning. Gil and Bernice "left the front door unlocked so that one of their older children could enter." Presumably this is when the couple went to bed.

At around 6am on July 15, Bernice woke up and realized that Christopher wasn't in his crib. After looking around the home, police were called at 6:30 that morning. No sign on Christopher was found, even a local pond was drained in hopes of finding his body--but he wasn't there. However, the home's garage door opener was strangely missing and a basement window open, but other than that there were no signs of forced entry.

When interviewed by police, the family's neighbors said they hadn't noticed anything strange the night before. And besides the missing garage door opener, nothing else in the house had been disturbed. Bernice's purse had been left out in the open with money still inside it.

Police began looking towards the Abeyta family, and soon learned that Gil and Bernice had been having marital problems. In the months before Christopher vanished, Bernice accused Gil of having an affair with a woman named Emma Bradshaw. In fact, the night that Christopher vanished was the first time that Gil had spent the night in the house since the separation, since the couple was trying to reconcile. Emma Bradshaw apparently had a history of breaking and entering, but she has denied being involved in the case. Police have also not named her a suspect.

Suspicion was also placed onto the family due to the fact that Christopher's crib wasn't near his parents bed, but at the far end of their "extremely cluttered bedroom." No one in the home heard anything, and since Christopher was sleeping in the parents bedroom police found this odd. Gil also admitted that he "wasn't excited," about Christopher's birth. However, there was no direct evidence to pin it on Christopher's parents. Both parents took a polygraph test.

It is believed that whoever took Christopher knew the family's routine, including that they had left the front door unlocked. The Abeyta family searched for Christopher themselves but couldn't track down their son. According to the Charley Project, the family had been getting hang up calls in the months leading up to Christopher's vanishing.

In the years following Christopher's disappearance, the Colorado Springs police destroyed evidence in the case. It's unclear why they did this, but Christopher's family believed that negligence and incompetence is involved. The family also contends that the Colorado Springs Police Department were inexperienced in taking kidnapping cases.

At the time Christopher Abeyta vanished, he was 8 months old. He was 17-22 pounds, had blue eyes, blonde hair that may have darkened as he got older and is considered to be a white male. It's unclear what Christopher was wearing at the time he vanished. Over the years, several men have come forward claiming to be Christopher, but none of these have panned out.

https://charleyproject.org/case/christopher-enoch-abeyta

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/153dmco.html

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP3902

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Christopher_Abeyta

https://more.ppld.org/SpecialCollections/Index/ArticleOrders/Homicides/19860715.pdf

https://www.kktv.com/2020/08/11/father-of-christopher-abeyta-the-colorado-baby-taken-from-his-crib-in-1986-passes/

https://gazette.com/arts-entertainment/missing-colorado-springs-child-christopher-abeyta-featured-in-netflix-series/article_c6554dc8-1f80-11eb-8d9b-bbb6abf42f30.html

https://www.fox21news.com/news/cold-case-where-is-christopher-abeyta/

https://childfindofamerica.org/christopher-abeyta/

It is still debated today whether big cats roam the British countryside (the majority view would be no), but in the 1960s the phenomena was only just entering the public consciousness with many sightings of the Surrey puma. I don't know if this is the right subreddit for this as this case would seem to be solved. However, this hasn't previously appeared anywhere online. All details are from the British Newspaper Archive.

The sighting of a large catlike animal by an American serviceman and the subsequent discovery of strange footprints were the catalyst (pardon the pun) for a brief puma hunt at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk in February 1965.

The first sighting (by Staff Sergeant Donald Krystiniak) on Monday 8th February 1965 was reported in the next day’s editions of the Wolverhampton Express and Star and Coventry Evening Telegraph. However, the most substantive report was the Birmingham Post. Krystiniak described seeing a large catlike animal bounding down the road. An RSCPA inspector examined prints the animal had left behind. They were several inches across, and one print showed nine pad marks (a typical dog’s only having five).

Further developments in the story made the front and inside pages of local newspaper The Bury Free Press on Friday 12th February (it being a weekly edition). Whatever it was apparently hadn’t preyed on local livestock, but the discovery of a deer’s carcase and a workman reporting a noise like a cat’s miaow on Tuesday 9th February, prompted local gamekeeper and manager of the American Rod and Gun Club, Tony Bell, to start searching Lakenheath Warren for the beast with Ace, his Alsatian.

He duly encountered the creature at 7.15am on Wednesday 10th February. He was one and a half miles from the airbase when he spotted it 200 yards away. Ace ran towards the beast, but suddenly came to a “dead stop and with its hair bristling”. The two animals then briefly fought before Ace chased the larger animal out of sight. Bell whistled for his dog, but Ace only returned after 5 minutes with a bleeding nose. Bell later undertook another search of the area, but was unable to find any tracks in the long grass.

Bell was the second person to see the creature. Both he and Krystiniak said they were unable to identify it, but agreed it was brown or tan coloured and similar in shape to a domestic cat, but much larger. Bell felt it could be the puma seen around Cromer the previous year and that it wouldn’t have any problem surviving on wildlife from the local area.

By Wednesday evening the animal had apparently been seen by eight different witnesses. The same night a trap baited with meat was left where the footprints were found. The bait was taken the next morning without anything being captured.

The next sighting was at 1am on Thursday 11th February. Two officers of the West Suffolk Police saw an animal cross the road in the headlights of their patrol car at Wangford on the A1065. It had a body like a greyhound’s (but fatter), with a long tail and a head shaped like a dog’s.

More dramatically it was reported that USAF police had cornered the “strange ‘cat-like’ animal” near the mess area of RAF Lakenheath on Thursday morning, but the creature had escaped by jumping over a fence. West Suffolk Police were by this point carrying out thorough searches for the animal near RAF Lakenheath.

The Thursday 18th February edition of The Newmarket Journal reported that the sightings had sparked concern amongst some local residents. However, in addition to police tracker dogs, big game hunter Jim Clarke had joined the search on Saturday 13th February. With the help of local naturalist Bettina Rae, the tracks discovered were, in fact, two dog paw prints superimposed. A spokesman for the RSPCA at Thetford stated that the animal was likely a greyhound. One had been reported missing in the area.

The final confirmation that the mysterious beast was likely a greyhound came in the edition of the Bury Free Press published on Friday 19th February. John Freiyer had gone to search of it with his collie Duncan on Monday 15th February. Freiyer spotted it some distance from the airbase. The greyhound dropped flat to the ground as Freiyer came within five yards of it, then it ran off. He pursued it in this manner for three miles with his dog, the greyhound dropping to the ground then being chased from hiding place to hiding place. However, the greyhound finally shook off its pursuers somewhere near Lakenheath. Freiyer confirmed it was a greyhound, but it could’ve been mistaken for something else as it had a “weirdly shaped head and strange-looking eyes”. He had also never seen a greyhound lay flat on the ground like this one had. The article reiterated Clarke’s and Rae’s findings that the footprints were likely from a dog and a police spokesman confirmed a greyhound had gone missing from Bury St Edmunds Greyhound Stadium three weeks previously.

While this would seem to be the end of the tale, a possible postscript appears in the edition of The Bury Free Press from Friday 27th May 1966. Titled “Safari in West Suffolk”, it mentions that the owner of Cromer Zoo, Alex Kerr, was hoping to catch a puma roaming in the “Larling-Lakenheath area”. Larling and Lakenheath are over 25 miles apart, though on Google Maps this would encapsulate the area of Thetford Forest (where a few big cat sightings have occurred in more recent years). I find this a strange way to refer to this particular area. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any more information about this alleged puma.

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0003126/19650209/316/0021?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000769/19650209/142/0013?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002135/19650209/003/0001?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000762/19650212/008/0001?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000762/19650212/380/0018?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0003223/19650218/079/0005?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000762/19650219/090/0004?browse=False

https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000762/19660527/031/0001?browse=False

On December 17, 1962, William Ebenezer "Billy" Jones Jr. disappeared while playing outside with his younger sister Jill. When it was time to return, only Jill came back, holding a plastic potted poinsettia and reportedly mentioning that "the boogeyman" had taken her brother.

Billy was a quiet but happy child, with bright blue eyes and a love of dogs, reading, and toy cars.

When he disappeared, he was just weeks shy of his 4th birthday.

Timeline of the Day

• Morning: Billy, his sister Jill, and their mother run errands, including a visit to the bank and getting a haircut for Billy, suggesting a normal start to their day.
• 11:45 AM: Billy, Jill and two of the family’s dogs (a basset hound and a border collie) start playing outside their family's home in Vineland, New Jersey. This is the last confirmed sighting of Billy.
• Between 11:45 AM and 1:00 PM: Their childrens’ mother periodically watched from the window while looking after her younger son and preparing lunch. At some point during this period, Billy's mother goes inside to check on the infant. When she returns, Billy is missing.
• 1:00 PM: Jill is found standing in the front door area holding a plastic poinsettia plant. When asked about Billy's whereabouts, she mentions that "the boogeyman" took him.
• Shortly After 1:00 PM: Billy's mother searches the neighborhood for him, having previously considered it safe. While searching, a green car approached Billy’s mother while she was searching the neighborhood and asked, “Are you Mrs. Jones?” As she didn’t know the man, Mrs. Jones did not reply. 
• Approximately 2:00 PM: After an hour of searching with no success, the police are notified and a search operation begins.
• Afternoon to Evening: An extensive search involving the National Guard, search dogs, and hundreds of police officers is conducted. Local rivers and wooded areas, including an old amusement area called the Palace, are searched, but Billy is not found.

The Investigation & Evidence 

Jill was holding a plastic poinsettia in her hand and told her mother that Billy had given it to her. Initially, people suspected that a man in the neighborhood who sold plastic flowers may have been involved in the disappearance. However, it was later discovered that the plastic flower had been found in a neighbor's trash can and passed around by the neighborhood kids. Despite getting a lot of attention early on, the flower is no longer considered an important piece of evidence. 

In the immediate aftermath of Billy’s disappearance, an extensive search involving police, firemen, national guard troops, and hundreds of volunteers was launched, covering the surrounding area, including the nearby Maurice River. 

The search included a nearby Vineland landmark known as the “Palace of Depression.” Built in the 1930s, the Palace of Depression was an architectural oddity constructed from scraps, junk, and discarded materials. For about 25 years, the Palace of Depression became a national attraction, bringing in about a quarter of a million visitors from around the world. In 1956, the property’s owner tried to convince the FBI that the castle had a connection with the kidnapping of Peter Weinberger, an infant from New York—and found himself in jail for a year after admitting to lying to federal authorities. 

Vandalism of the property began around this time, partially due to rumors (spread by the owner) that there was buried gold in one of the rooms. The property owner died in 1964 and the city of Vineland, NJ tore down what remained of the structure in 1969, meaning it was intact but neglected/abandoned at the time of Billy’s disappearance. The Palace was extensively searched to see if Billy could have wandered there of his own volition or disposed of there, but this yielded nothing. 

Two Navy helicopters were flown in to scour the area from above. Bloodhounds from Philadelphia were also shipped in but lost the scent near the family home. The family’s pet basset hound, Baby, was also discovered to be missing. However, she was later found near the family’s home, soaking wet (note: possibly from the snow, as Billy was wearing a snowsuit when he disappeared).

It was discovered at one point that there had been a trash collection between 1PM and 2PM. Some people suggested that he might have climbed into a trash bin, while others suspected that he might have been murdered and then thrown into a trash bin. The trash men were questioned, but denied seeing anything amiss. Investigators searched the landfill, but found nothing.

During the investigation, the Jones family sought the help of a local psychic who claimed that Billy was still alive. According to the psychic, Billy had been abducted by a man whose wife was experiencing a mental breakdown as a result of the death of her own toddler son. The psychic theorized that the abductor took Billy to an Amish area in Pennsylvania and raised him as a member of a new family. However, investigators were skeptical of this theory because they believed Billy would have memories of his real family and would have revealed his true identity to someone as he got older.

In 1964, another local psychic told investigators that Billy had been killed in an unintentional hit-and-run before being buried nearby by the panicking perpetrator. The psychic provided the investigators with a description of the perpetrator's car and appearance, but this led nowhere. 

Years later—in the 1980s—Jill underwent hypnosis to try and recall more information about that fateful day. Under hypnosis, she remembered holding hands with Billy as they witnessed two men fighting in front of an oil-drum fire at the Palace of Depression—but nothing else until she arrived back at the family's front door. 

Billy's disappearance remains one of the state's longest unsolved missing persons cases. Today, it is generally believed that he fell victim to foul play or was taken rather than wandering off on his own. The case was reopened in 2009, with investigators hoping that advancements in DNA technology and age-progression photos could lead to a break in the case.

However, despite all of these efforts, no trace of Billy has ever been found. 

Discussion Questions:

1. How might the mention of "the boogeyman" by Jill be interpreted in the context of the investigation?
2. Given the extensive search efforts, including the use of bloodhounds and Navy helicopters, why do you think no trace of Billy was ever found?
3. What are your thoughts on the psychics' involvement in the case? Do you believe their theories could hold any weight, or were they more likely a distraction from factual evidence?
4. The Palace of Depression was searched extensively, but nothing was found. Considering its history and the rumors surrounding it, do you think it could have played a role in Billy's disappearance?
5. The family's pet basset hound was found soaking wet near the home. Do you think this detail could be significant in any way to what happened to Billy?
6. Considering the different theories about what happened to Billy (abduction, foul play, accidental wandering off), which do you find most plausible and why?

Sources: 

https://www.grunge.com/1074817/inside-the-mysterious-1962-disappearance-of-3-year-old-william-ebenezer-jones-jr/

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/william-ebeneezer-jones-jr

https://charleyproject.org/case/william-ebenezer-jones-iii

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1118401/1

You know how true crime documentaries and podcasts always have people who say that before a crime happened, they didn't lock their doors and everyone felt safe? I'm curious to hear people share what crimes changed their community, how they look at their community, or made them realize that it can happen here?

A large-scale example would be the abduction and murder of Amber Hagerman leading to the creation of the AMBER Alert.

Mercedes Vega changed how I looked at the news in my state. She was hit over the head, forced into a car, shot, and then died of smoke inhalation after being placed in a car set on fire. It is such a horrible case, happened in a huge college town, and most of the news have been mum about it since it happened. I live in the area, and I didn't hear about the case until I saw TikToks of her friends and family demanding justice.

Large or small, what crime changed your community?

Amber Hagerman: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/28-years-later-who-killed-amber-hagerman/

Reddit Write-Up of Mercedes Vega: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/17evz82/the_horrific_murder_of_mercedes_vega_6_months/

In the winter of 1934, a gruesome discovery shocked the seaside town of Brighton, England—an unidentified woman's body, stuffed into a trunk, was found abandoned at Brighton railway station. This macabre incident sparked one of the most enduring mysteries in British criminal history, known simply as the "Trunk Murders of Brighton."

The victim, estimated to be a young woman in her mid-20s, was discovered on April 17, 1934, when railway porters noticed a foul odor emanating from an unclaimed trunk left in the left luggage office. Upon inspection, they uncovered a horrifying sight—a decomposing body tightly packed inside.

The circumstances surrounding her death were gruesome and hinted at a premeditated act of violence. Examination revealed that the woman had been strangled to death and was then squeezed into the trunk post-mortem, likely to conceal the crime. The body showed signs of having been in the trunk for several days before discovery.

Despite extensive investigations and public appeals for information, authorities were unable to identify the victim or trace her killer. What complicated matters further was the lack of any personal belongings or identifying documents with the body. The absence of apparent leads left detectives baffled, and the case quickly became a source of speculation and intrigue.

Several theories emerged over the years in an attempt to unravel the mystery of the victim's identity. Some suggested she might have been a foreigner or a visitor passing through Brighton, which could explain the difficulty in tracing her origins or connections within the local community. Others speculated that she might have been involved in illicit activities, given the effort made to conceal her identity through such a heinous act. However, none of these theories could be substantiated with concrete evidence.

In the absence of a name or known history, the victim became a poignant symbol of unresolved justice—a woman robbed not only of her life but also of her identity. Over the decades, renewed interest and periodic reinvestigations failed to yield breakthroughs. The Trunk Murders of Brighton have remained an unsolved enigma, haunting the annals of British criminal history.

Despite the passage of time, the tragic case continues to perplex investigators and amateur sleuths alike. The identity of the woman in the trunk remains a mystery, and her story serves as a somber reminder of the many mysteries that persist in the realm of unresolved crimes. The enduring fascination with the case has led to numerous theories and speculations, but definitive answers remain elusive.

One prevailing theory posited that the unidentified woman might have been a foreign national. This hypothesis stemmed from the absence of any recognizable personal effects or documentation within the trunk. Investigators speculated that she could have been a visitor passing through Brighton, making it difficult to trace her origins or connections within the local community.

Another line of inquiry explored the possibility that the victim was involved in illicit activities or a clandestine lifestyle. The brutal manner in which she was murdered—strangled and concealed in a trunk—suggested a deliberate effort to erase her identity. This theory raised questions about potential motives and connections that the victim may have had, leading investigators down a labyrinth of speculation and conjecture.

Over the years, authorities pursued various leads and attempted to match the victim's description with missing persons reports from around the country. Despite their efforts, no conclusive matches were ever made. This failure to establish her identity further compounded the mystery and fueled public fascination with the case.

Numerous identities were proposed or linked to the victim during the investigation. Some believed she might have been a transient traveler, while others speculated she could have been involved in a clandestine lifestyle that complicated efforts to identify her through conventional means.

Despite persistent efforts and periodic reinvestigations over the decades, the Trunk Murder of Brighton ultimately entered the realm of unsolved mysteries. The victim's identity remains unknown, and the circumstances of her death continue to intrigue and confound investigators and amateur sleuths alike.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the limitations of forensic science and the complexities of criminal investigations. Until new evidence emerges or advancements in technology offer fresh insights, the identity of the woman in the trunk will remain shrouded in mystery, forever entwined with the annals of unresolved crimes. The enduring mystery of the Trunk Murders of Brighton continues to captivate the imagination, inspiring speculation and prompting ongoing efforts to unravel the truth behind this chilling and enigmatic case.

Today, nearly a century later, historians, crime enthusiasts, and ordinary citizens continue to ponder the fate of the woman in the trunk. Her story symbolizes the countless unidentified victims whose lives and identities have been lost to time and circumstance. As long as the mystery persists, the Trunk Murders of Brighton will remain a haunting reminder of the enduring quest for justice and closure in the realm of unsolved crimes.

Links

Crime and Investigation

The Argus

The Line Up

Women of Brighton

My cousin's family has been dealing with the disappearance of their son, John Conaway, since 1998 when he was last seen alive after an evening out with a friend in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Both he and his car that he drove off in have never been located.

John Steven “Steve” Conaway, 36, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, went missing sometime on Monday night, February 9, 1998. He was reported missing to the Council Bluffs Police Department on February 11, 1998.

Conaway was last seen between 10 and 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at Buffalo Joe’s Food & Spirits, located near Rosenblatt Stadium in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Conaway had gone there with a friend and had a few beers, and seemed to be in good spirits at the time.

He departed Buffalo Joe’s driving his gold four-door 1989 Ford Taurus, which has Iowa license plate number 977-CLN. He has not been seen since then, and his vehicle also remains missing.

When Conaway’s parents went to check his home, nothing suggested he’d taken anything and gone on a trip. They found his twice-daily insulin injection medicine at the residence, but missing were the clothes he’d worn the night he disappeared, his work computer and vehicle.

Everything pointed to Conaway never having made it home that night.

At the time of his disappearance, Conaway was described as a 5’10” white male weighing about 160 pounds. He has blue eyes, brown hair, and had a mustache and goatee.

More information is available here - https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/john-conaway/

This is a weekly thread for off topic discussion. Talk about anything that interests you; what's going on in your world?. If you have any suggestions or observations about the sub let us know in this thread.

Blonde Dolly, whose real name was Sybille Nemans, led a life shrouded in mystery and intrigue, which has contributed to the enduring fascination surrounding her unsolved murder case. Born in 1927, she grew up in the Netherlands during a tumultuous period marked by economic hardship and the aftermath of WWI. Not such is known about her early life or family background.

Niemans entered the world of sex work, adopting the alias "Blonde Dolly", which became synonymous with her professional identity. She operated in the red-light district of The Hague, catering to a clientele that ranged from local businessmen to politicians and high-ranking officials. Her striking appearance, characterized by her blonde hair and enigmatic allure, made her a prominent figure in the underworld of 1950's Dutch society.

Despite her profession, Niemans maintained a sense of privacy and discretion about her personal life. Little is known about her relationships or inner circle, leading to speculation about the nature of her connections and potential motives behind her murder.

She was found dead in her apartment in The Hague on the morning of November 2, 1959. The discovery was made by a friend who became concerned after finding the shades drawn and door locked.

Forensic examination later revealed that Niemans had been strangled two days prior to the discovery of her body. She was 32 years old when killed.

Several theories have emerged over the years in attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding her death:

1. Involvement with the Underworld: Given Niemans' profession and clientele, some theories suggest that her murder may have been connected to her involvement with the criminal underworld. It's suspected that she may had crossed paths with individuals involved in illicit activities, leading to conflicts or disputes that culminated in her demise.
2. Connections to Influential Figures: Niemans' clientele reportedly included politicians, businessmen and other influential figures, leading to speculation that her murder may have been orchestrated by someone with power and influence. It's theorized that she may have possessed sensitive information or been privy to secrets of very important individuals.
3. Personal Vendetta or Jealousy: Another theory posits that her murder may have stemmed from this reason. As a prominent figure in the red-light district, she have been involved in personal disputes or romantic entanglements that turned violent.
4. Random Act of Violence: Committed bu an unknown assailant. She may had fallen victim to a robbery gone wrong or encountered a dangerous individual.

Despite extensive investigations, no viable suspects have ever been identified in connection with Niemans' murder. Blonde Dolly's life and death continue to captivate the public imagination, inspiring speculation, theories, and occasional attempts to reignite interest in the case.

Links:

- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/378zv4/who_murdered_blonde_dolly_the_unsolved_murder_of/

- Internet:

https://crimeimmemorial.com/2022/11/23/sebilla-alida-johanna-niemands-blonde-dolly/

https://spookpod.podcastpage.io/episode/015-the-murder-of-the-blonde-dolly

https://prabook.com/web/blonde.dolly/1835635

http://foreignrights.debezigebij.nl/foreignrights/authors/thomas-ross/tomas-ross-blonde-dolly/

Unsolved mysteries from my area?

I live in portage IN. It's a big enough town to state it without risking my privacy too much.

So I live in NWI. I'm interested in unsolved mysteries in my little area of NWI. It just feels like such a sleepy area outside of Gary IN and Chicago of course. So I'm curious what unexplained and unsolved mysteries lay underneath.

My town of portage has had maybe one or two murders in my life Time of 19 years. It doesn't feel very action filled.

Curious what y'all internet folks find.

I did find a serial killer case from the 90s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Britt and there was a airliner crash https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Eagle_Flight_4184. But I have no clue about any unsolved mysteries or unexplained events from my area.

Probably some weird missing cases from Gary exist?

A change from me ... a well-known case. However, Norfolk Constabulary is about to issue what must be close to its last formal appeal for information on the 55th anniversary, as potential witnesses would now be in their 70s at least.

April was 13 at the time of her disappearance. She lived in Metton, a hamlet of 40 inhabitants at the time, with her parents; two older siblings had previously moved out. It was the Tuesday after the Easter holiday weekend and she decided to ride along a country lane to her sister's house, two miles away in Roughton, to deliver a birthday present to her brother-in-law. The weather was clear, sunny and warm for the time of year with temperatures reaching 17C.

She left at 1340. Almost immediately she saw two friends, stopped briefly then carried on; a Land Rover driver (described in one source as an "employee at Harrison's farm") passed her, travelling in the opposite direction, at 1406 then, at 1415, three Ordnance Survey staff found her bicycle lying at the bottom of a six-foot bank separating the lane from a field. 45 minutes later, a "local man" took the bicycle to the police station at Cromer, three and a half miles away (some sources say he took it to the village policeman's house in Roughton). There was no sign of April and at 2200, two hours after darkness had fallen, her parents reported her missing.

Next day, at first light, a massive search began. 40 police later increased to 120, a helicopter, divers and hundreds of volunteers took part. April was not found and nothing of any substance was discovered despite a tip line being set up and searches continuing over the next couple of months. All that there was was vague leads, such as a "teenage girl" seen boarding a train to London at Norwich station, or "two cars", a "red Mini", a "grey van" or a "speeding van" seen in or near Metton. A blood-stained handkerchief embroidered with "A" was found, but turned out to have been used by someone unconnected to April to staunch bleeding from her son's knee. Local drivers gave alibis and the railway station sighting was discounted for unstated reasons.

April's saddle bag was found with her bicycle. Its contents were few:

-- 10 cigarettes, her brother in law's birthday present

-- 5½ old pence (32p now)

-- A handkerchief

After a few months the investigation faded out and the case became cold. Over the next 55 years there were several formal appeals, the most recent before now in 2019 on the 50th anniversary of April's disappearance, and even a play (Into Thin Air by Rob John, although the author stated that it is "not about April"). These were all without effect although newspaper reports regularly spoke of "leads". The use of ground penetrating radar and digging out a well uncovered nothing of relevance.

In that period April's death has been informally linked to over 20 other cases that I can find from the well-known to the obscure (Thomas Marshall) and at least three known serial killers.

The Times (20-May-1994, not online) noted that Robert Black "[will be] questioned about the disappearances of April Fabb, 13, Christine Markham, 9, Patsy Morris, 14, Marion Crofts, 14, Collette Aram, 16 and Lisa Hession, 14". This clearly came to nothing, although it has been noted by Chris Clark (a prominent "lumper" in associating unresolved cases with serial killers; I note the hostile tone of the Wikipedia article!) that Black, who was 22 at the time of April's disappearance and living in East London, did not then have a driving licence. However, I have commented myself that I knew many people who drove in London without a driving licence up to the late 1990s, when computerisation made doing so too risky, and Clark notes that it is proved (on what basis is not stated) that Black also did.

Two of the six cases have since been solved - Marion Crofts by a direct DNA match to a new sample on the NDNAD and Collette Aram by familial DNA. Black had nothing to do with them and, in fact, both killers were singular as far as is known.

April's bicycle was destroyed by the police, at the request of her parents, in the 1980s, but her saddle bag and its contents remain in storage.

So ... who murdered April Fabb?

(The opinion, at least that I have read, is unanimous that she was murdered).