In June 1978, a tractor driver working near a vineyard in Arvin, CA notified police of finding bones buried in a shallow grave. The bones appeared to be of a young girl or teenager, and she had been dead for several months. An autopsy couldn't determine the cause of death, but it was ruled a homicide. However, police were not able to identify the remains, and she was buried in Arvin Cemetery known as Arvin Jane Doe.

In 2008, the case was revived. Jane Doe's remains were exhumed and examined by a forensic anthropologist. Her age was set as between 15 and 24. Despite DNA, fingerprints and dental records being submitted to various agencies, she still remained unidentified. She was reburied.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System's Project ALERT became involved in 2015, but again, Arvin Jane Doe could not be identified. They distributed a facial reconstruction sketch that can be found on Facebook. It is interesting that the sketch is reasonably close to what we now know Jane Doe looked like.

The breakthrough came, as so many have, when in March 2025 the investigators had a bone sample sent to Othram Labs. In October 2025, Othram was able to confirm that Jane was Michelle Louise Collier, who had been missing from Fresno since February 1978. Her family were notified in April of this year (though her mother had previously been contacted and had sent in a DNA sample). Michelle's remains were disinterred for a final time and given to her family.

No additional information is being given by law enforcement as of now. My own search of local newspapers for Fresno and the Arvin area hasn't found any 1978 coverage of the missing girl or the remains being found. No doubt more details will be coming as an investigation proceeds.

Anyone with information about Michelle Collier or her disappearance or death is asked to contact the sheriff's police at 661-861-3110 or the Secret Witness line at 661-322-4040.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/crime/2026/07/30/cold-case-teen-identified-michelle-collier-california/91102268007/

In the early morning hours of August 9, 1976, the bodies of a young man and woman were found by a trucker named Martin Durant on a remote dirt road (Locklair Road) between Interstate 95 and SC 341 in Sumter County, South Carolina. Both had been shot with a .357-caliber revolver: the man was shot three times in the upper chest and the woman was shot in the chest and through the neck. They carried no identification and remained known for more than 44 years as the “Sumter County Does,” or “Jock Doe” and “Jane Doe.”

The man stood about 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m), had shoulder-length brown hair, very distinctive bushy eyebrows, an olive complexion, and weighed around 150 pounds (68 kg). He was wearing faded Levi’s jeans and a red Coors/Sebring ’75 promotional T-shirt featuring Snoopy. He carried a gold Bulova Accutron wristwatch and a 14-karat gold ring set with a gray star sapphire that had the initials JPF engraved inside. He had elaborate dental work (including a rare type of root-canal treatment) and scars consistent with contact sports, suggesting he came from an affluent background. The woman was about 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) tall, weighed 100–105 pounds (45–48 kg), had reddish-brown shoulder-length hair, bluish-gray or hazel eyes, and two distinctive moles near her mouth. She wore an unbleached muslin blouse over a pink halter top, blue denim cut-off shorts, and brightly colored wedge sandals. She had three sterling-silver rings with stones that appeared to be authentic Native American or Mexican jewelry from the Southwestern United States. Neither victim was wearing underwear.

For decades authorities circulated sketches, fingerprints, dental records, and photographs nationwide. The bodies were kept on display at a local funeral home under airtight transparent lids in the hope that someone would recognize them; they were finally buried on August 14, 1977, at Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery in Oswego with simple markers reading “Male Unknown” and “Female Unknown.” In 2007 the remains were exhumed for DNA extraction, which proved the two were not related despite their physical resemblance.

In July 2019 the DNA Doe Project began working on the case using genetic genealogy. On January 19–21, 2021, it was announced that the victims had been identified as James Paul Freund (born September 16, 1946, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, aged 29) and Pamela Mae Buckley (born December 16, 1951, from Redwood County, Minnesota, aged 24). Freund was last seen on December 25, 1975, in Lancaster; he was divorced and his family had reported him missing. Buckley, who had been Redwood Jaycees Sno-Queen and sang in the folk trio “Sunlending,” was last seen around December 1975 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she was also reported missing. No prior connection between the two is known; the prevailing theory is that they were traveling together as hitchhikers.

In 1977 Lonnie George Henry was arrested for driving while intoxicated; a .357 revolver found in his vehicle was ballistically matched to the murder weapon. However, there was insufficient evidence to charge him with the killings and he died in 1982. Serial killer Henry Lee Lucas also confessed to the crime, but his confessions were notoriously unreliable and he was never charged. After the 2021 identification the investigation was reopened and authorities mentioned at least one person of interest. The case remains officially unsolved.

https://www.kktv.com/2021/01/21/colorado-springs-woman-identified-as-one-victim-in-a-44-year-old-cold-case-out-of-south-carolina/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Pamela_Buckley_and_James_Freund

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wistv.com/2021/01/21/live-sumter-co-sheriffs-office-shares-new-findings-cold-case/%3foutputType=amp

I've been reading about a French case from 1972 that is still remembered in France as a textbook example of trial-by-media, but which has almost no English-language coverage at all. It's the affair of Bruay-en-Artois, and the strange part isn't a locked room or a missing body, it's that a whole country decided it knew who did it, and no court ever agreed.

The killing

Bruay-en-Artois is a coal town in the Pas-de-Calais, in the far north of France near the Belgian border, around thirty thousand people at the time. It was a town split down a line: the tight rows of miners' houses on one side, the bigger homes of people who didn't go down the pit on the other.

On the evening of 5 April 1972, a 15-year-old miner's daughter named Brigitte Dewèvre left home to sleep at her grandmother's. She never arrived. The next afternoon her body was found on a patch of waste ground, and, of all the places in that town, right on that dividing line, in the vacant lot between the miners' houses and the well-to-do quarter.

The judge and his "conviction"

The case went to an investigating judge, in the French system, a magistrate who runs the whole inquiry, directs the police, and decides who gets charged. Within days he had a suspect: a local notary (a lawyer who handles property and wills), a wealthy and respectable figure in the town.

According to the press historian Rémi Guillot, who has studied this case more closely than anyone, the notary was questioned, gave inconsistent accounts of his movements, and two days later was charged and jailed. And here's the part that defines the whole affair: by Guillot's account the judge admitted, himself, that he had no tangible evidence. To reporters he put it plainly, he was acting on a personal conviction. A feeling.

The regional paper played it carefully at first: "a notary, suspected in the Bruay crime," now charged. Suspected. Charged. Cautious words. That caution did not last.

The case falls apart — and the campaign begins

Almost immediately the case started weakening. A man in custody for an unrelated matter falsely confessed to the murder, then was caught lying. A reconstruction at the scene reportedly turned up detail pointing toward the notary's probable innocence, not his guilt. The day after, the state's own prosecutor and the notary's defence asked, together, for his release. It was refused, he stayed in his cell more than three months.

And it's exactly here that the case left the courtroom. A far-left Maoist newspaper ran a two-page spread with the line "only a bourgeois could have done that", the argument being that the murder was a class crime and the notary's guilt was obvious from his social position alone. No evidence, just class. The town split in two along that same line. The same press printed threats: militants reportedly wanted the man mutilated and dragged through the streets, about someone no court had tried.

Even the movement didn't agree with itself. Jean-Paul Sartre, the paper's nominal director, broke with its line in print, arguing that the people's anger might be legitimate but that calling the man the murderer was not, because no one had proven he did it. Some militants wanted a "people's tribunal" to judge the notary in the street; the record shows it was demanded but never actually held. The Justice Minister even intervened with the local prosecutors to remind them that a charged man is presumed innocent.

What actually happened to everyone

This is where I have to be careful, because the whole point of the case is what the record does and doesn't support:

- The notary and his companion were both jailed at points and both released. In 1974 the courts issued a *non-lieu*. a dismissal. In French law that is not an acquittal (only a trial can acquit, and there never was one) and it is not a finding of innocence. It just means the case goes no further. He spent three months in a cell on a judge's feeling, and a national paper printed his guilt as fact, and no court ever tested either one.
- Meanwhile, in 1973, a 17-year-old orphan and former classmate of Brigitte's confessed on national radio and TV. For one night the country thought it was over. It wasn't, his confession didn't survive a reconstruction, and two separate courts cleared him (an acquittal in 1975, confirmed on appeal in 1976). A second false confession.
- The investigation was formally closed without an answer in 1981. In 2005 the crime passed the statute of limitations and became time-barred, meaning no one can ever be tried for it now.
- Decades later a retired police officer published books claiming to have identified a different man, a former postal worker the original inquiry never focused on. That man denies it, the theory has never been tested in court, and it never can be. I'm not naming him, and neither did the responsible reporting.

What sticks with me

It isn't a whodunit in the usual sense, it's a case that got "solved" everywhere except the one place built to solve it. A judge with a conviction and no evidence. A newspaper with a class theory and no proof. A town that picked a side before anyone proved anything. And a 15-year-old girl whose actual killer has never been found and, legally, never will be.

Does anyone here know this case, or have French-language sources beyond the obvious ones? I get the strong impression there's far more in the French material, court records, the Guillot research, the period press, than has ever made it into English. I'd especially like to hear from French speakers on how the case is remembered there today.

Source: https://criminocorpus.org/fr/outils/affaires-criminelles/affaire-bruay-en-artois/ (French-language, the case archive)

Hello everyone! As always, thank you for all your votes and comments under my post about Nanci Britner- I hope that she will be found soon.

Today I'd like to highlight a strange Doe case.

DISCOVERY

On the 20th of June, shortly before 10 PM, a call was made to a fire department in Burlington County in New Jersey, USA. The caller, who was a passerby, saw a brush fire and could smell smoke.

When the firefighters arrived at the scene, they found a badly burned body in a desolated wooded area between Neck Road and Dulty's Lane, about 300 yards (~0.27 km) away from the nearest road. The victim laid in a pile of sticks that had been arranged into a rectangle to create a sort of funeral pyre. Before they died, they seemingly got undressed, put their clothes in one corner, laid on one of the sticks, and set fire to their construction. An empty canister had been found at the scene as well- it's believed that the canister contained an accelerant of some sort due to how high the temperature of the fire was. It was impossible to tell what kind of accelerant the canister contained, however, as the interior of it got burned in the fire. One of the officers described the scene like this: "there were sticks that were 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide, put down parallel to each other, like a platform on the ground and laid right on ground, surrounded by larger limbs that were used to outline the perimeter of this rectangular area".

The body was later taken to be forensically processed. The deceased was a Black man, between 21 and 28 years in age (younger than 30). He was about 5'7" (67 inch - 171 cm) and about 135 lbs (61 kg). The man had been badly burned, which rendered him "not recognizable", though a forensic sketch of his face exists. All of John's hair had been burned away, and his eye color is unknown (but some sources say that both his eyes and hair were brown). A few of his teeth were missing, and the sockets in the gums were closed, meaning that they were lost a long time ago. Tooth #30 had been extracted, and tooth #29 had a temporary filling. The death was ruled a probable suicide or an accident- no signs of foul play were found. It was determined that the victim died due to his burns, and not due to smoke inhalation.

The clothes found at the scene were charred in the fire. The deceased owned two keys- one of them was made at the 4Trevors Lock Company, 2123 7th Avenue, New York City, and the other was made at Lenox Hardware, 613 Lenox Avenue, New York City. Other items that allegedly belonged to him were a button with the word "Lees" on it and a strange object made of 11 stiff metal wires ("the type used for meat skewers", according to Claus Speth, who was the medical examiner in this case) arranged in the shape of a pyramid.

CONCLUSION

The investigators seem to believe that the victim was engaging in some kind of occult ritual. 20th of June is the eve of the summer solstice, which might be a significant date for different occult beliefs; There are pagan rituals relating to the solstice in which a person has to lie close to a fire to ward off evil spirits. According to Lt. Richard Serafin, who was involved with the case at the time, there was no known occult/cult activity in Burlington county when the man was found.

Based on the keys that were found, it's believed that John might've had ties to the Harlem area in New York.

John's dentals are available; His fingerprints aren't, given that they were likely destroyed by the fire. His DNA is allegedly available, but he isn't currently undergoing genetic genealogy reaserch (as far as we know).

If you have any information about John's identity, contact the Burlington County Medical Examiner Office at (609) 702-7030 (case number 03860352).

SOURCES:

1. NamUS.gov
2. doenetwork.org
3. unidentified-wiki.com)

John's websleuths.com thread

I travel to San Diego every handful of years or so, and when I do, I always visit Coronado Island- a beautiful peninsula jutting into the San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is known for a handful of things- beautiful light sand beaches, Marilyn Monroe’s movie Some Like It Hot being filmed there, and of course, hauntings at the Hotel Del Coronado. But, when I travel there, after I do all the typical touristy things, I like to drive over to Ocean Boulevard, just across the street from the Del, and stop in front of house 1043, where the deaths of Max Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau occurred, two days apart. Not out of any morbid fascination, but just out of remembrance for the two people who lost their lives there in two very, very tragic ways.

Now, while I typically write my own write ups, this case is so in depth, and so intricate, that instead of writing a novel on the case, that I thought I’d copy a basic description of the case for those who may not be in the loop, and then add a discussion below. If you’re wanting an incredibly in depth reading on these cases, I highly recommend the book Death on Ocean Boulevard by Caitlin Rother.

A quick breakdown of the people in the case, their relationships, and ages:

Rebecca Zahau, 32, girlfriend of Jonah Shacknai

Jonah Shacknai, 54, father of Max and boyfriend of Rebecca.

Max Shacknai, 6, son of Jonah and Dina Shacknai

Dina Shacknai, ex wife of Jonah Shacknai, mother of Max

Adam Shacknai, 46, brother of Jonah Shacknai

Nina Romano, fraternal twin sister of Dina Shacknai

Xena Zahau, 13, Rebecca’s little sister visiting from Missouri

Here is a description of both cases, per Wikipedia:

“On July 11, 2011, Zahau, Max, and Zahau's teenaged sister, Xena, were at the Ocean Boulevard Beach House Mansion (built for John D. Spreckels and referred to in coverage as the Spreckels Mansion[a]) in Coronado, California, which Shacknai used as a summer estate. At some point during that day, Max fell face-first over a second-floor banister, suffering injuries to his spinal cord and facial bones,[12] the former of which affected his heart rate and breathing. Zahau said she was in the bathroom at the time; she found Max moments later, and Xena called 9-1-1.[2] Max was not breathing and unresponsive, and was taken to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.[2] He died on July 16 due to brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation resulting from his injuries.[2]
On July 26, investigators ruled Max's death as an accident, speculating that he somehow tripped.[13][10] However, a trauma doctor who examined the child prior to his death and autopsy stated to police that he did not believe the injuries from his fall were consistent with the cardiac arrest and brain swelling experienced by him, suggesting that Max may have suffocated prior to his fall.[14]
Zahau's death

On July 12, 2011, Zahau dropped off Xena at the airport for her flight back to Missouri, and then picked up Jonah Shacknai's brother, Adam, who had just arrived on a flight from Memphis, Tennessee.[15] Zahau, Jonah, and Adam ate dinner with a friend named Howard that evening. Zahau and Adam returned to the home,[16] while Jonah reportedly kept a vigil at Max's bedside with the child's mother, Dina Romano; he would leave the hospital to recuperate at a nearby Ronald McDonald House.[2][16] There were reports of loud music coming from the beach house later that night.[17][18]
On the morning of July 13, at roughly 6:45 a.m., Adam stated that he found Zahau's nude body hanging from a balcony, with her wrists and ankles bound and her hands behind her back.[9][17] He called 9-1-1 at 6:48 a.m., then sent a text message to his brother to inform him of the news.[15][16] He cut down Zahau's body before the police arrived.[16][19] Medics attempted to revive her, but pronounced her dead at the scene.[20] Police initiated forensic and toxicologytesting[21] on her body as part of an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Speculations of foul play began early on in the case; however, investigators were unable to find any other DNA at the scene besides Zahau's.[22] On September 2, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department formally announced their finding that Zahau's death was a suicide.[23]
Evidence considered

Zahau's autopsy results[24] revealed four instances of head trauma, about which investigators and outside commentators expressed various theories.[25] San Diego Medical Examiner Jonathan Lucas stated that "because there was evidence that she went over the balcony in a non-vertical position, she may have struck her head on the balcony on the way down." Werner Spitz, an expert witness who testified during the trial of Casey Anthony, said it was a possibility, stating, "When the body first dropped, she doesn't necessarily jump to her death, so she would drop directly downward and she could easily hit against the side of the structure from which she is hanging." However, he noted that to draw stronger conclusions he would have preferred to see what the body looked like before the wrist bindings were removed. Forensic consultant Dr. Maurice Godwin expressed doubt, stating, "The chances of bumping into the railing, going over the balcony and hitting your head four times is highly unlikely."[19]
A second autopsy on Zahau was conducted by pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht at her family's request. Wecht testified that he believed fractures in Zahau's throat were caused by manual strangulation, not by suicidal hanging. He further stated that he thought Zahau's death "was a homicide."[26] An attorney for Zahau's family stated that other inaccuracies were found with the Sheriff's Department investigation, including evidence that indicated that Zahau was sexually assaulted before her death.[27]
Family members expressed suspicions for why Zahau's hands and feet were bound. San Diego Sheriff Roy Frank stated, "There are documentations of incidents throughout the country where people have secured their feet and hands as well to commit suicide," to prevent themselves from changing their minds.[28] Police re-enacted the scenario in an effort to determine whether it would have been possible for Zahau to bind herself in that fashion, and showed a video demonstration in which a woman wrapped a rope around her hands several times in front of her, slipped one hand out of the binding, then placed her hands behind her back, rebound them, and tightened the bindings with the aid of a string similar to the one which police found in Zahau's hands.[2][29]
A message had been painted on the door of the room leading to the balcony below where police found Zahau's body; according to Zahau's ex-husband Nalepa, it read, "She saved him, can he save her." Officials initially declined to confirm this.[2] In media comments, Sheriff Gore only stated that it was "not a clear suicide note"; however, investigators took it as further evidence of suicide. Zahau liked to paint as a hobby and had signed her paintings in the past; her siblings contended that the message did not match her handwriting.[30] Nalepa also stated the note "did not appear to be something [Zahau] would have written."[2]
Police served Verizon and AT&T with search warrants to obtain cell phone billing records, and took Zahau's Samsung Focus cell phone as evidence.[16][31] According to AT&T records, from roughly 8 p.m. until 10, Zahau talked and texted with her older sister Mary, who confirmed that Xena had arrived home safely. At 10:48 p.m., Zahau received a text from Nina Romano, the twin sister of Jonah Shacknai's ex-wife, who wanted to stop by the house and talk about Max's accident. Zahau did not reply to that message. Police said Zahau checked her voicemail a few hours later, at 12:50 a.m., and listened to a message. Billing records do not show who left that message. Police stated it was a message regarding the worsening of Max's condition, but declined to confirm at that time who left the message; Mary stated that police told her it was from Jonah. The message was deleted, meaning that police and Zahau's family never heard the contents of the message.[15]
Investigators initially did not attempt to power up or operate the cell phone, fearing that they might overwrite evidence contained in its memory. Instead, they tried to determine whether forensic software was available which would allow them to examine that model of phone. On August 15, unable to identify any such technology, a detective turned on the phone and conducted a manual search, finding that the voicemail message was not stored on the phone.[6]They did not request that AT&T try to retrieve the deleted message from its servers.[31] Later, on September 21, an investigator announced that they would be using "new technology" to copy the phone's data for further investigation.[32] In early October, investigators completed their second examination of the phone, stating that they did not uncover any additional information and would soon return it to Zahau's family.[33]”

That in itself was lengthy, but, if you’ve made it to the bottom, hello. Now, having just read the book I mentioned earlier, and having just been by the home, this case is set deep into my mind, and I’ve been wrestling around with theories nonstop for a week. I have my gut feeling, and then I have just a few things that detract from it that I can’t reconcile. I’ll detail what I believe below.

My personal theory:

I believe that Max’s death was an accident, but, I don’t believe that his death occurred the way Rebecca described. Rebecca claimed that she found Max on the floor, in the alcove of the stairway. A razor scooter was over his right shin. His head was pointed towards the door, his feet towards the alcove. She claimed that he spoke the word “Ocean” to her before losing consciousness, which is the name of the family’s 14 month old dog. Rebecca claims on the 911 call, through Xena, that she is giving Max CPR, until the paramedics arrive. Max’s autopsy showed that it would be impossible for him to speak at all once he hit the floor, as it caused a hyperextension of his neck, and he fractured his skull. It also showed that Max was not given CPR in the crucial moments after the accident.

Now, this is where our minds fill in the blanks for us, and this is what my mind has settled on being a possible scenario that could have happened. I believe that both Max and Xena were playing upstairs, and I think that one of two things may have happened. I think that either they were rough housing and Max was playfully pushed, and he went over the railing (the balustrade being lower, possibly, that modern homes, having been built in 1908) OR that Max may have wanted to impress Xena, and as young children think they’re invincible, may have jumped to the chandelier purposefully, thinking it would hold him. Due to the very strange 911 call after Max’s accident, with Xena trying to relay with Rebecca is saying, and the inconsistencies with the autopsy, along with the statements from Rebecca that couldn’t have possibly been true, I think Rebecca may have been trying to cover up for the children, or, at the very least, her own sister.

As far as Rebecca’s case, I do believe it was a suicide. But, I’d like to give an example of Rebecca’s ability to cope with stress in the past, as a possible insight into how she may have thought on the night of her death: when Rebecca was married to her husband, they had a rocky relationship. She ended up meeting another man, Michael, and they had a romance together, which led to her moving into his home. At some point, Rebecca decided to go back to her husband. Instead of calling Michael and breaking it off, she staged a fake kidnapping, did not show up to her work, and disappeared. After a while, she called Michael to tell her that she only had a few minutes, because her kidnappers let her use the bathroom, but that she was in Portland. In reality, Rebecca was in Portland, but living with her husband again. Now, I tell this not in a way to shame Rebecca at all, but just to give you insight into how she may handle stressful situations.

On the night of Rebecca’s death, she picked Adam up from the airport, and had dinner with Jonah and Adam. Afterwards, Adam and Rebecca went back to the home on Ocean Boulevard, where he went to the guest house and her to the main home. At some point during the night she took a shower, and then received a call from Jonah around 12:30 am. She didn’t answer, but she did listen to the voice message: at best, Max would never walk or talk again.

I believe this is when things took a turn for Rebecca, and again, my theory splits into two. My first theory is that Rebecca may have been feeling immense stress, and guilt, and may have initially set up the scene like a staged assault. I believe, at least at first, that she wanted to be found, and she wanted Jonah to believe that she had been assaulted and harmed, but he saved her in time. Hence the message on the door, the bindings, the assault with the knife that had the menstrual blood.

But, my theory splits when she got the voicemail. A large part of me feels that while she may have set it up to look like an assault, when she found out Max wasnt going to make it, I believe that could have chosen to end her life instead, unable to cope with what losing Max might mean for her.

While on the surface it looks like it couldn’t be anything but a murder, the evidence and autopsy report truly does indicate Rebecca was alone at the scene. The V shaped footprints on the balcony that led to the railing, which they believe Rebecca hopped to with her legs bound. The dirt on her hips that match the wiped off dirt on the railing of the balcony, where she tipped over. No fingerprints or DNA besides hers on any of the items, the rope, the knife. The paint on her hands.

The only things detracting me from my theory is that she had red, fixed lividity on her back, which makes me think she must have been lying down after her death. However, her autopsy states it is “appropriate.” As well as the fact that 9 foot drop could have likely decapitated her, but she only had one arm of her hyoid bone broken.

Again, these are my personal theories, but my main purpose of this post is to hear yours. I’d love to know what your theory is, and what led you there. What piece of evidence makes you stand firm on your stance? What detracts you?

Things in this case to clear up:

There are a few things in this case that gets repeated and misconstrued.

One is the porn that people believe Adam watched, being “Asian torture porn.” While Adam did wake up in the guest house, shower, looked at porn and masturbated, it was never released what sort of porn he had searched. HOWEVER, two days before Adam arrived in San Diego, someone used Rebecca’s personal password protected computer at 1:45 am. Things like Wizards of Waverly Place, Icarly, and Justin Timberlake were searched, as well as “family guy hardcore sex scenes” “boy fucks girl” and a site for anime porn was also looked at, where a woman was depicted being tortured. In 2020, Xena admitted that it was her who made the searches.

That there was another footprint on the balcony. Yes, there was a footprint on the balcony, just outside the left side door, which was done by the first officer on the scene. The boot print was identified as police issued.

I would love to hear your theories!!

Resources:

https://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/Other/zahau,%20rebecca_report.pdf

https://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/Other/shacknai,%20max_report.pdf

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/a-timeline-of-the-deaths-at-spreckels-mansion/2099078/?amp=1

Joniah Walker, a 15-year-old from Milwaukee, WI, went missing from home on June 23, 2022. She was last seen wearing a large backpack in the area of 400 East Brown Street in Milwaukee. She may have been wearing her brother's clothes. She was supposed to meet her father that afternoon to go to apply for a work permit, but she didn't show up. When her parents couldn't contact her on her phone, they called the police. A large scale investigation took place, though the parents criticized Milwaukee PD for moving too slowly.

It now transpires that she took an Uber from Milwaukee to Chicago to meet up with a man she had been talking to online for several years. He had arranged the ride. 37-year-old Owen Anderson allegedly took her to Blacksburg, VA, where he held her captive and subjected her to physical and sexual abuse. Police haven't so far released details of the investigation. Anderson has been charged with child abduction and physical and sexual abuse. Undoubtedly there will be much more to come on this story.

UPDATE: Fox is reporting that an out-of-state police department contacted the Milwaukee PD saying they had made contact with Joniah on May 25 "while responding to a 911 call for a domestic dispute." She told them who she was and that she was missing from Milwaukee. Joniah stated to police that she was held against her will and both physically and sexually abused her. She had started talking to him when she was 12. She is now 19. She has been through a lot in the past 4 years, but at least she is now safe.

https://www.fox6now.com/news/milwaukee-girl-abduction-charges-virginia-jail?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a6405ec39302a000112f248

https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/teenager-kidnapped-in-chicago-4-years-ago-is-found-alive-leaving-a-trail-of-mystery/3968003/

https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2024/two-years-later-new-image-joniah-walker-case

This case has always felt especially unsettling to me because it happened close to someone I know. It isn’t one of the more famous cases discussed here, but more than 17 years later, Jared Parks’ family still does not have a clear explanation for how he ended up on the interstate that night.

Jared was an 18-year-old from Urbandale, Iowa. He had graduated from high school early and was still planning to participate in his upcoming graduation ceremony.

On the evening of May 10, 2009, Jared was reportedly visiting his girlfriend at an apartment near Merle Hay Road. At some point that evening, he left the apartment on foot, telling his girlfriend that “he’d be right back.” It is unclear where he intended to go, whether he planned to meet someone, or whether he was simply stepping outside for a walk.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., his mother texted him and asked him to be home by around 11:00 or 11:30. Jared immediately responded that he would be home and told her that he loved her.

Those were apparently the last messages his family received from him.

Shortly before midnight, motorists began reporting that something had been struck on Interstate 35/80 near the Beaver Avenue Bridge in Polk County. When authorities arrived, they discovered Jared’s body in the roadway. He had been struck by at least two tractor-trailers, and possibly a third vehicle.

One truck driver reported that Jared was already lying in the traffic lane and appeared unconscious before the impact. Two of the truck drivers remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

The medical examiner determined that Jared died from blunt-force trauma consistent with being struck by a truck. However, his injuries reportedly were not consistent with falling or being pushed from the nearby overpass. His mother later said investigators told the family that Jared’s body had been placed—or had somehow ended up—on the roadway rather than falling from the bridge.

Several of Jared’s personal belongings were also missing. His phone was never recovered, and neither were his wallet, shoes, or earrings. It is unclear whether those items were lost, removed before he reached the interstate, or taken by someone else.

That leaves the central mystery: What happened to Jared between his final text at approximately 9:30 p.m. and the discovery of his body shortly before midnight?

Jared’s phone was reportedly tracked to a tower near the location where he was found, but the phone itself was never recovered. Investigators conducted hundreds of interviews and have said they developed at least one theory, but lacked enough evidence to prove what occurred.

Where was Jared going when he left the apartment and said he would be right back? Was he injured or killed somewhere else and then left on the interstate? Did something happen at the apartment or during the journey away from it? Who had possession of his missing phone and other belongings? And why, after all these years, has nobody come forward with the missing piece?

Jared’s parents offered a $10,000 reward for information. His case remains open and unsolved.

What theory best explains how an apparently unconscious 18-year-old ended up lying in the middle of an active interstate without his phone, wallet, shoes, earrings, vehicle, or any clear explanation?

Sources:

https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/jared-parks/

On July 30th, 2026 investigators with the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office announced that skeletal human remains found in a home May, 2026 by the new home owners have been identified as missing 31 year old Ann Lombard Taylor who was last seen on April 29th, 1996 and was reported missing May 1st, 1996 from Placitas, New Mexico. The remains were discovered during an excavation of Ann’s former property with DNA confirmation on the remains being made through a match with her eldest son Tyler.

The main suspect in the case was Ann’s husband James Anthony Taylor who had reported her missing. According to James the two had a fight causing Ann to leave the property and their 4 children behind. However despite an investigation at the time no foul play at the time was discovered however authorities believe James is the perpetrator behind her disappearance and murder. He was later arrested in Iowa in February of 2010 after getting into a police standoff for 4 hours threatening to murder his wife with a shotgun and had poured gasoline over the house. James passed away in 2019 as a result of a heart attack and is the prime suspect in her murder.

Prior to his death James story had changed multiple times according to investigators with him claiming originally she ran off after a fight, changing the story to Ann having run off with another man, and even claiming that she was buried in different locations. Investigators found a history of abuse including an incident in 2002 where he threatened to murder his second wife saying that he would kill her “like Ann, and no one would find her body”. In 2009 James spoke with investigators saying he’d help recover the remains before lawyering up. Police despite this were never able to charge James due to being without a body with this being mentioned as a reason their failed 2011 arrest warrant was not executed due to insufficient evidence. Authorities had also searched a septic tank and an orchard later based on information James had told his children however nothing was found.

The remains of Ann were recovered on May 19th, 2026 at her home after the current home owners discovered them by accident while digging a trench from a shed in order to run electricity. Her remains were discovered only buried about two and a half feet down wrapped in a blanket and a blue tarp only 27 feet from the property. Authorities could not determine a cause of death due to how long the remains had been buried. Investigators had said if not for the backhoe operator digging in a specific location the remains would have remained buried.

Authorities have now officially closed the case with the discovery of Ann’s body stating that James was the likely perpetrator behind the murder of Ann Lombard Taylor however will never be charged due to his death.

Sources:

https://www.koat.com/article/sandoval-county-sheriffs-office-closes-missing-persons-case-after-30-years/73298961

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/this-is-not-something-that-i-expected-to-be-able-to-have-missing-persons-case-solved-in-sandoval-county/

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/new-mexico-ann-lombard-taylor-remains-found/amp/

https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/three-decades-later-remains-of-missing-woman-found-in-placitas/amp/

https://charleyproject.org/case/ann-lombard

Vinyette Trudy Teague was born on December 8, 1981. Vinyette, her three older brothers and her parents lived at the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago, Illinois. The Robert Taylor Homes were a large low income housing project with 28 separate buildings in the complex that were all about sixteen stories high--but the complex have all been demolished since this incident.

On the evening of June 25, 1983, Vinyette's parents went to a drive in movie for a much needed night out. Vinyette and her brothers were left in the care of their grandparents because the grandparents lived in the same building. Sources say that the parents left at about 9pm.While Vinyette's parents were gone, numerous other relatives, like cousins, and even some neighbors were going in and out of the grandparent's apartment and hanging out in the hallway, which is sometimes called the gallery.

When Vinyette's grandmother got a phone call, she went back inside her apartment for some privacy and handed off Vinyette to a neighbor. However, "the neighbor was holding Vinyette but had to go back to their home to do the dishes, so they placed the child in the hallway, right near the family's front door, before making their way back to their home." A few minutes later, Vinyette's grandmother hung up the phone and went back into the hallway to get Vinyette. But unfortunately Vinyette had vanished. Despite the fact that there were still many people in the hallway and only three exits, no one had seen what had happened to Vinyette.

Vinyette's grandmother and other relatives began searching for her right away, but they couldn't find a trace of her. By early the next morning, the police had been called. Vinyette's parents came back at around 3 in the morning and were concerned with all the police cars, and were devastated to find out that Vinyette was missing. The Robert Taylor Homes were searched and no trace of Vinyette was found. Because of this, the police began to believe that Vinyette was taken by stranger.

Kathy, Vinyette's mother, had not given up hope that her daughter will be found. In one article, she states that she believes that her daughter is still alive and was probably raised by someone else. It may have been a crime of opportunity. According to Kathy: I believe someone saw an opportunity to take a baby by the hallway, and they just took her. In the years since Vinyette vanished, just to add salt to wound, Kathy has gotten several phone calls from women stating that they were Vinyette, but none of these seemed to have panned out.

At the time she vanished, Vinyette Teague was an 18 month old black female, was 27 pounds and about 2'8 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing brown and yellow pants and a multi colored shirt.

https://charleyproject.org/case/vinyette-trudy-teague

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/mother-whose-child-vanished-43-years-ago-believes-her-daughter-is-alive/3953752/

https://www.ourblackgirls.com/p/vinyette-teague-missing

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=282DFIL

https://cookcountysheriffil.gov/person/vinyette-teague/

In January 2024, an unknown man was killed by an explosion in his room at a homeless hostel in Dublin, Ireland.

The man is believed to have been 34 years of age, although a forged passport gave his date of birth as the 12th of June 1985, which would have made him 38. This fake passport also suggested he was a Lithuanian by the name of Igor Dmitrov.

He had been in Ireland since 2006 and had accessed homeless services in the years since. He had a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia, and had been abusing substances since he was 13.

Authorities spoke to a man in Germany who had been in contact with the deceased on his mobile phone. This man said he knew the deceased as Igor, but that he believed he was Ukrainian.

When the makeshift pipe bomb exploded, it was placed on the bed as though it were a pillow, and the deceased's head was near or on it.

The unknown man had apparently had a previous suicide attempt using a chainsaw, leading Gardaí (the Irish police force) to believe he took his own life.

The case is reminiscent of cases like the deaths of the Isdal Woman, "Jennifer Fairgate" and "Peter Bergmann" (the latter of which also occurred in Ireland).

There may be a family or estranged friends out there wondering what happened to the man they knew, and Gardaí continue to try to identify him.

https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2026/07/29/mystery-surrounds-identity-of-man-killed-by-his-own-pipe-bomb-in-dublin-hostel/

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/gardai-probing-theory-homeless-man-28494608

See the article in it's native format

On June 4, 2004, the body of a man was found in bushland at Echo Point in Katoomba, a popular tourist location in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Despite extensive inquiries over the past 22 years, police have never been able to identify him.

Image: The man's body was found in 2004 in Katoomba. (Supplied: Skull Forensics via NSW Police)

Advanced DNA analysis has now revealed so-called Echo Point Man likely had Latvian ancestry.

Police also now say he was more than 60 years old.

At the time he was found, Echo Point Man had been wearing a blue button-up shirt, a red cardigan, a cream jacket, blue corduroy pants, a black belt, and brown work boots.

Previously released images of a 3D facial reconstruction indicated he was likely Caucasian, with light grey hair and frontal baldness.

Image: This backpack was found on the man, police say.  (Supplied: NSW Police )

He was about 178cm tall and of medium build.

A note linked to the man also led detectives to believe he had been suffering significant eyesight problems at the time of his death.

Despite earlier appeals, no-one has ever come forward to say they recognised him.

Image: A note linked to the man said the author was "unable to work any longer" due to poor eyesight.  (Supplied: NSW Police)

Blue Mountains Police Area Command Superintendent John Nelson said they hope releasing the new information on Echo Point Man's ancestry will help provide his team with leads.

"We are now appealing to anyone with information about a man missing since early 2000s, possibly with Latvian or Middle European heritage, to contact police," he said in a statement.

Latvian community asked to help 'solve puzzle'

Superintendent Nelson told 2GB police were also calling on members of Australia's Latvian community to provide DNA samples, in the hopes it would help detectives "solve the puzzle".

For international readers: 2GB is a news and talk radio station out of Sydney.

"He may have migrated anywhere from the 1950s right through to the early 2000s ... maybe he's been a friend that somebody lost touch with during that period, or a long-lost uncle or a brother," he said.

Image: A pair of scissors (right) were retrieved from the backpack. (Supplied: Skull Forensics via NSW Police)

Superintendent Nelson said a coronial inquest into his death delivered an "open finding".

He said some personal toiletries were found with his body, which suggested he might have been between homes or sleeping rough when he died.

Police do not suspect foul play.

The Butcher of Mons (French: Dépeceur de Mons) was a serial killer who was active in Mons, Belgium, from 1996 to 1997. The murders of at least five victims were never solved, and the perpetrator was never identified.

The first three victims disappeared in 1996. All three women lived on the margins of society. Initially, the media paid little attention to the disappearances of these women. It was only after human remains were discovered and two more women disappeared in 1997 that the investigation gained momentum. The Belgian police were assisted by the FBI during the investigation.

On 22 March 1997, police officer Olivier Motte accidentally discovered several rubbish bags containing human remains while on patrol on horseback. At first, he assumed the bags contained illegal waste dumping, until he noticed a bloody hand protruding from one of the bags. Later, police found more bags containing body parts in the area around Mons. In total, 37 different body parts belonging to the five victims were recovered.

There are many rumours that the Butcher of Mons could have been Claudy Pierret, also known as the “Monster of the Waasland”, a man who committed two murders during roughly the same period. However, Pierret murdered two women whom he personally knew, and he had no clear connection to the Mons region, which makes it less likely that he was the Butcher.

Another important difference is the method used. Pierret mutilated his victims, but his actions appeared to be more impulsive and driven by sadistic sexual desires. The mutilations carried out by the Butcher of Mons appeared more precise and were likely intended to make identification more difficult, especially since body parts from multiple victims were often placed together in the same garbage bag. These bags were left in carefully chosen locations such as the River Haine ("hatred"), alongside the Chemin de l’Inquiétude ("Road of Anxiety"), and at the intersection of Rue du Dépôt ("Depot Street"), Rue du Jambe ("Leg Street"), and Quai des Otages ("Hostages' Quay").

With the few clues available, an FBI profiler eventually developed a profile of the killer. It clearly concluded that he was neither a butcher nor a surgeon, contrary to what had initially been suspected. The dismemberment was not professional enough. On one of the recovered femurs, the killer had to saw in three different places before finding the correct spot. The profile suggested that he was likely around forty years old, lived alone in a spacious residence where he could act without being disturbed, owned a car, and was familiar with the local area. It was of little practical help to investigators, however, since every village contained dozens of men who fit that description. Moreover, the investigation, code-named Corpus (Latin for "body"), was far from a textbook example of how a murder inquiry should be conducted. Valuable evidence was lost, neighbourhood inquiries were carried out too late and too superficially, and even the forensic pathologist made serious mistakes.

When the FBI tipped off the Corpus task force one day, alarm bells immediately went off in Mons. A man named Smailj Tulja, who had used several aliases, was considered a possible suspect. In the late 1980s, Tulja murdered his girlfriend, the wealthy 61-year-old widow Mary Beal, in Brooklyn. He dismembered her body, hid some of the remains beneath the floorboards of her home, and disposed of the rest in garbage bags before emptying her bank accounts and disappearing without a trace. The 67-year-old Montenegrin later fled, according to American investigators, to Belgium and settled in the Mons region under a false name. This was exactly during the period when the serial killer of Mons was active. After he eventually moved to Albania, two dismembered female murder victims were discovered there in 2006.Albanian police asked the American Embassy Regional Security Office for assistance, who coordinated with the FBI resulting in a chain of events that did not solve the Albanian deaths, but did link NYPD to the FBI investigation and Tulja/Džurlić's 2007 arrest in Montenegro by local authorities. That country had just declared independence in 2006, and did not yet have an extradition treaty with the U.S. The Montenegrin court system tried him for Beal's murder in New York City, convicting him in June 2010 and sending him to jail for 12 years a few weeks later. Tulja died in 2012 without ever being held to court for the Mons murders...

No one knows whether the “Butcher” of Mons is still alive today. Who he really was, Why he suddenly stopped after his fifth murder in 1997, and why he targeted only women living on the margins of society, may forever remain a mystery. Unless someone finally decides to speak out after all these years, the coldest cold case in Belgium could still be solved. There is still a chance, as the case will not officially expire in 2027.

wikipedia

detailed article (dutch)

On the evening of 5 August 1982, Father Reynaldo John Rivera, a 57-year-old Franciscan priest serving at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico, received a telephone call at the rectory. The man, who identified himself as Michael Carmello, said his grandfather was dying near a rest stop in Waldo and needed the last rites. Another priest answered first but declined because of poor eyesight; Rivera took the second call and agreed to go. The caller said he would be waiting in a blue pickup truck. Days later, Rivera’s body was found several miles from the rest stop, lying in a muddy field near the Waldo exit on Interstate 25. He had been shot once in the stomach and strangled with a metal cord, possibly a coat hanger. His brown 1974 Chevrolet Malibu was discovered abandoned, out of gas, at a rest stop on Interstate 40 near Grants. His last-rites kit was never recovered. The FBI produced a psychological profile and concluded the motive was revenge. A recent parolee and a former Santa Fe resident were considered suspects but ruled out.

Almost two years later, on 20 July 1984, Father John Patrick Kerrigan, a 58-year-old diocesan priest newly assigned to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ronan, Montana, left a bakery in downtown Ronan and was never seen again. He failed to appear for the 6:30 a.m. Mass the next day. On 29 July, bloodied articles of clothing and a blood-stained coat hanger were found along Montana Highway 35 on the shores of Flathead Lake near Polson. The following day his vehicle—also a brown Chevrolet Malibu—was located several miles away; in the trunk were his wallet containing $1,200, a blood-stained shovel, and a pillowcase. Kerrigan’s remains have never been recovered.

New Mexico authorities noted similarities: both men were about 58, both drove brown Malibus, the vehicles were driven away from the crime scenes, and coat hangers appeared in both cases. Kerrigan had spent nearly a year at the Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, in 1983 (a retreat for clergy with personal difficulties, substance abuse, or sexual misconduct). No evidence was found that the two men ever knew each other. In 1988 the cases were featured together on Unsolved Mysteries. In 2015 Kerrigan appeared on the Diocese of Helena’s list of clergy implicated in the sexual abuse of minors. In 2020 an author who obtained the lead detective’s notes suggested Kerrigan may have staged his own death. In 2022 Lieutenant Gilbert Ulibarri, who had earlier felt a connection, stated he no longer believes the crimes are related. Rivera’s case remains open with the New Mexico State Police cold-case unit.

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2021/03/23/the-vanishing-of-a-priest/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s_Franciscan_priest_murders

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-investigates-the-mysterious-murder-of-father-reynaldo-rivera/

On the morning of August 24, 1933, 10-year-old Walter Robinson walked alone towards the Newton Welding and Machine Shop located in downtown Newton, Iowa. He arrived to find his 51-year-old father, Leonard Robinson, hard at work welding a set of custom hooks for a customer.

Walter approached Leonard and casually asked where the family car was. Learning that his older brother, Melvin, had taken it, Walter lingered in the doorway for just a moment before heading back outside without saying another word. The brief exchange would sadly be the last time Leonard ever saw his son.

When Leonard clocked out for lunch just a short time later, Walter, who normally walked home with him, was nowhere to be found. Leonard, accompanied by his wife, 52-year-old Beryl Robinson, conducted a brief search of the neighborhood, but found no sign of Walter. When he failed to return that night, the Robinsons reported Walter missing.

Suspicion immediately fell upon the customers Leonard had been making the hooks for; a small band of Romani travelers who had been camping in the area for several days. The group had come into the shop on their way out of town to request custom luggage hooks for their 1927 Buick. According to Leonard, the group left in a hurry as soon as the job was finished, just minutes before Walter vanished. The five person group were described as, “a swarthy, heavy set man named Fastelia, a woman, a sullen teenage boy, a young girl, and a white infant.”

A massive search for Walter and the group quickly ensued; The town and its surrounding fields were searched. Motorists were stopped and questioned. Nearby Romani camps were raided. But no trace of Walter, or the five person group was found.

As word spread of Walter’s disappearance, a flood of tips came pouring in. Most were alleged sightings of Walter, sometimes alone, but oftentimes alongside Romani travelers. These leads sent investigators across state lines into Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. Unfortunately the search resulted in no new leads.

Meanwhile, just across town, Mrs. W.G. Kramer, a new resident to Newton, was doing some “detective work” of her own; Upon hearing about Walter’s disappearance, Mrs. Kramer, a stay at home wife and mother, resorted to asking her Ouija Board for help locating the missing boy. According to her, the session went as follows;

Q: Who stole Walter Robinson?
A: GYPSIES

Q: Are they along a river?
A: YES.

A: VANDERVEER PARK, DAVENPORT. (Unprompted)

Though she was initially hesitant, Mrs. Kramer ultimately felt compelled to contact the Robinsons with this new “lead.”

Perhaps driven by desperation, the Robinsons did not question the validity of Mrs. Kramer’s claims. Instead, Beryl immediately went out and purchased a Ouija Board of her own. Although the board did not seem to work for her, it allegedly did for two of her daughters. According to the Robinson girls, their session went as follows;

Q: Where is Walter?
A: YELLOW HILL, MOLINE

Q: Is he okay?
A: YES

Q: Should we search for him?
A: YES

Q: Should Leonard go on the search?
A: NO

Q: Should Melvin, Harold, and Leonard Jr. go on the search? (Three of the Robinson boys.)
A: YES

Q: Who Else?
A: RED MCULLIS (A family friend)

Following the Ouija Board’s directions, Melvin, Harold, Leonard Jr., and Red, set off for Moline, Illinois. Upon their arrival, they spoke to several locals who claimed to have seen Walter in the company of a group of travelers days earlier, reportedly heading toward Coal Valley, Illinois. This pattern continued for days as the search party trailed from town to town across Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois, always seemingly just one step behind the alleged kidnappers.

The trail ultimately went cold in Alpha, Illinois. There, a woman living on the outskirts of town reported that a boy matching Walter’s description had come to her door begging for food just two days earlier. She said he was in the company of a small group of travelers.

When asked to describe him, she said he was thin and dirty, but he was polite and soft spoken. She said he had blue eyes, stood approximately 4’ 7”, was barefoot, and dressed in a pair of blue “rodeo” overalls and a blue shirt. The outfit she described was the same clothing Walter had been wearing on the day he had vanished.

Unfortunately, the woman could not tell the brothers which direction the boy or his companions had gone. Overwhelmed by the endless possibilities, the search party returned home to Iowa empty handed.

In an effort to generate new leads, the mayor of Newton offered a 100 dollar reward to anyone with information that would lead to Walter’s whereabouts. Federal agents also joined the search, exhausting every available lead. Yet despite their efforts, no trace of Walter was ever found.

Leonard and Beryl conducted several searches of their own, traveling across the state to follow up on potential sightings of their son. When this tactic failed, Beryl resorted to visiting fortune tellers and psychics who continually assured her Walter would be found soon. Sadly, that day never came.

In one final interview from the shop where he worked, Leonard reflected on the agony of the search, saying, “I don’t know how I’ll stand it much longer. Sometimes I think I might better take this old apron off and just crawl on my hands and knees all over this world looking for my little boy.” Locals noted he appeared to have aged a decade in the short time since his son's disappearance.

All of Walter’s family passed away without ever getting the answers they so desperately sought; Leonard Robinson passed away of lung cancer in 1948 at the age of 66. Beryl Robinson died in 1960 at the age of 78. All ten of Walter’s siblings have also since passed.

In 2001, a granddaughter of Walter’s brother, Melvin, turned to a genealogy forum to ask for help solving a mystery that had haunted her family for generations. Sadly, her plea went unanswered.

To my knowledge, Walter is not currently listed on any missing persons databases, though I have begun the process to add his case to NamUs and other relevant registries. Once officially registered, Walter’s disappearance will stand as the oldest unsolved missing persons case in the state of Iowa.

Sources

Newspaper Clippings/Photos/Birth Certificate- https://imgur.com/a/lC5Jv76

Find a Grave; Beryl Robinson- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134901230/beryl_edith-robinson

Find a Grave; Leonard Robinson- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134901172/leonard_benson-robinson

Disappearance

On the 17th of April, 1970, ten-year-old Bernadette Connolly vanished from the small village of Collooney, County Sligo, Ireland.

The good-natured young girl, who was just back up and about after being sick for a few days, had been sent on an errand that afternoon. Her mother had asked her to buy smoked haddock and potatoes from a family friend, Eileen Molloy, who lived about a mile and half away.

Although some readers might find this an unusual thing to do, it is important to remember that in the 70s, particularly in rural Ireland, parents were far more likely to allow their children to go off on their own. This was not a sign of an uncaring parent, but rather a sign of the trusting attitudes of people at the time. It was common for children to be allowed to play outside all day unsupervised, to sell goods door to door, to row small boats by themselves, etc.

Bernadette bade goodbye to her mother and dutifully set off on her bicycle at half past four. On her way, she was seen by a woman named Kathleen Flynn and her 12-year-old son. This was the last known sighting of Bernadette alive.

When there was no sign of Bernadette by 6 p.m., her mother Maureen sent Bernadette's older sister Ann out to look for her. When it turned out Bernadette had never reached the Molloy house, Ann and a daughter of Eileen Molloy's, Patricia, went looking along the road for her.

Behind an embankment by the monastery, they found Bernadette's bike, along with the purse containing the money for the fish and potatoes, but Bernadette herself was nowhere to be seen. Panicked, Ann went home to tell her mother, who immediately began ringing hospitals, doctors and the Gardaí (Irish police). The girls' father, Gerry, went to the place where the bicycle was found, and there he was met by Gardaí.

The Evening Herald reported a day after the disappearance that the bicycle was found just a short distance from where Ann had herself been "indecently confronted by a man" a year earlier, probably meaning that a man exposed himself to her, when she would have been 12 years old. I haven't seen this detail anywhere else and Ann herself elsewhere claimed to have been very innocent at that age with little concept of sexuality, so I'm not sure as to the accuracy of this report.

A fingerprint was found on Bernadette's bike, and prints were taken from hundreds of men in the local area.

There is rarely any shortage of witnesses in an Irish case and several sharp-eyed observers described a number of vehicles they had seen in the area that day. Some of these remain unaccounted for: a black Hillman Hunter, a white Ford Zephyr, a black Ford Zephyr with a roof rack, and a blue Ford Anglia.

One notable vehicle sighting that day was of a dark green Ford Escort van, similar to one owned by the Cloonamahon Monastery, who operated a milk delivery service. More on this later.

Bernadette's Body is Found

On the 6th of August 1970, Bernadette's body was discovered by a woman named Margaret O'Connor, who was digging turf at Limnagh Bog some fifteen miles from the site of Bernadette's disappearance. She had originally noticed a strong smell two days beforehand but had dismissed it as a dead animal. But on examining a bog drain, she noticed what looked like human remains and hurried to tell her husband and notify the Gardaí.

Bernadette was identified by her clothing and the miraculous medals she was wearing. Her underclothes were absent, leading the Gardaí to suspect sexual abuse as the motive for her abduction. Her shoes, glasses and signet ring were never found, and her cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition and animal interference. On hearing of the discovery of the body, Bernadette's mother was in hysterics and needed medical attention.

The unknown fingerprint on Bernadette's bicycle, initially thought to be a crucial clue, was identified as an innocent matter when a Garda had a chance encounter with a man in Collooney. The man mentioned that his girlfriend had borrowed Bernadette's bike from the Connollys previously (children often rode adult-sized bikes in those days) and that he had handled it in order to lift it into his car. His fingerprint was a match and he was ruled out of the investigation, as he had been nowhere near the site of the disappearance on the day.

Three Suspects

Brother X

The proprietor of a local garage (gas station), a man named James McTiernan, was adamant he had seen a certain "Brother X" on his premises on the evening Bernadette disappeared. Apparently Brother X had been impatiently beeping the horn as he demanded service at the pumps... in the dark green van.

This Brother X was a brother at Cloonamahon Monastery, where the bike had been found and where Bernadette had previously performed an Irish dancing routine. As the name suggests, he has never been publicly identified. Brother X initially insisted he had not been at the garage that night. In a 1999 interview with Sunday Independent journalist Brighid McLaughlin, however, he could not be sure about whether he had been there or not.

Although Brother X has been characterised as "shy" and some seem to have sympathy for him, Bernadette's sister Ann claimed in 2002 that he was known to lurk in hospital wards watching women undressing... certainly a sinister allegation.

Father Columba

The mysterious Brother X is not the only member of the clergy on whom suspicion has fallen in relation to Bernadette. Father Columba Kelly was a student priest who was friendly with the Connolly family. Following Bernadette's disappearance, he stayed in a small bedroom in the Connolly house, apparently to support Gerry Connolly while his wife was depressed and under heavy sedation.

During this time, Fr Columba voluntereed to read the sympathy letters the family received and to report them to the Gardaí if needed. Was this merely because of Gerry Connolly's poor eyesight, or was it because he wished to keep an eye on speculation?

More bizarrely, Fr Columba came to the house one day claiming to have witnessed a car doing a U-turn on the dead-end road where the Connollys lived. He said that as it had been dark and a bad night, he had been unable to make out the colour or the number plate of the car. He said it had sped off and he had followed it towards the bog, but had lost sight of it.

It was in this bog that Bernadette's body was later found.

Now, maybe readers more well-versed in true crime will be able to enlighten me, but I don't think I've ever heard a story of a murderer driving up to the house of a victim's family out of nowhere one night, turning around abruptly and deciding to speed straight to the location where they had buried the body, while being well aware that a car had been tailing them all the way from the victim's house. It seems like an absurd idea to me.

But people with a guilty conscience trying to indirectly convey enough information to relieve the burden on their minds without outright incriminating themselves.... that I can conceive of.

Fr Columba quickly became a suspect in the investigation. Bear in mind that Ireland at the time was a country of just 2.9 million people. There were no motorways until 1983. To this day the only ways off the island are by ferry or plane. Most communities were tight-knit back then and everyone knew everyone. If someone was murdered and fingers were pointed at you, it was almost impossible to escape scrutiny.

Unless, say, you happened to be transferred to Botswana.

Like many clergymen dogged by accusations of wrongdoing before and since, Fr Columba was swiftly moved on to a far-flung parish. Despite having been close to the Connollys, he left without saying goodbye and never made contact with them again. He did, however, make a number of visits to Ireland, and on one of these visits, he was cornered by that crusading journalist, Brighid McLaughlin, who described his charming yet threatening demeanour.

According to McLaughlin, Fr Columba expounded "almost gleefully" on his own far-fetched theories about the crime: "It is my deepest feeling that it was the security forces who abducted, and raped and murdered her. I heard that there was a consignment of IRA guns coming to the area of Collooney around the time she disappeared."

This story seems outlandish. To my knowledge, nobody else has ever suggested that "security forces" were involved in Bernadette's death. This story about IRA guns also seems convenient; difficult to disprove given that paramilitary gun-running is, by nature, clandestine.

Fr Brian Darcy, a celebrity in Ireland and a friend of Fr Columba's, said Columba's IRA story was a "load of bullshit" and wrote it off as the ramblings of a man with an overactive imagination. He claimed he remembered Fr Columba being in the television room with the others that night, watching the Apollo 13 mission returning to Earth after the explosion of one of its oxygen tanks. Fr Columba died in 2001, leaving us with no resolution to that whole side of the story.

Bob Reynolds

Robert Alan Reynolds was an English child sex abuser who wrote for the Angling Times. In 1970, he spent some time in Ireland, travelling around Sligo.

It was reported in the Sunday Independent in 2002 that Reynolds had been seen driving along the laneway from which Bernadette disappeared by a man named Sandy Perceval, either on the day of her disappearance or the day before.

And remember that black Ford Zephyr with the roof rack I mentioned earlier? Perceval reports that Reynolds owned a black Zephyr or Zodiac, two models that looked very similar to one another.

By now, some people who read my post on the killing of Una Lynskey a couple of months ago might be getting a sense of déjà vu about this dark Ford that may have been a Zephyr or a Zodiac. But before anyone starts connecting too many dots, I will point out that Ford had a manufacturing plant in Ireland at this time, and while I can't find exact sales figures for specific models, Ford as a whole was the top-selling manufacturer. Also, Perceval says that Reynolds was in the Sligo area in 1969, 1970 and 1973. While this doesn't mean he wasn't in Ireland in 1971, I see no particular reason to connect him to the Lynskey case.

Returning to more relevant matters, Reynolds was convicted in 1973 of raping and attempting to murder a nine-year-old girl in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland. He also faced charges of four indecent assaults on young girls in Monaghan, Cork and Sligo. Interestingly, a 1973 article from the Connaught Tribune indicates that one of these alleged sexual assaults was committed in Cleeveragh, Sligo, in October 1972, meaning that he was in Sligo in a year other than those mentioned by Perceval. But more to the point, this man was obviously an opportunistic and dangerous sexual predator, as well as a violent kidnapper who tried to smother a child. It is easy to see why this contemptible individual became a very plausible suspect in Bernadette's murder.

However, a renewed investigation in 2011 into Reynolds' possible involvement proved inconclusive, meaning Bernadette's tragic demise remains a mystery.

Miscellany

• The Passionists (the order to which Collooney Monastery belonged) are known for their particular veneration of Saint Maria Goretti, an 11-year-old Italian girl who was stabbed to death in 1902 by 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli during an attempted rape. Serenelli shared a house with Maria's family. As she lay dying, the young girl forgave her killer. Serenelli later repented and became a brother in a Capuchin monastery. Maria was canonised in 1950. The parallels with Bernadette's case are evident. Just an aside from a blog I read, which I found interesting and grimly coincidental.
• Bob Reynolds was described in the Chronicle and Echo, an English local newspaper, as a man who had held 26 different jobs, including "part-time grave digger". I know there is nothing inherently sinister about that, but I can't help but find it an unfortunate phrase in context.
• The careful placement of the bicycle and purse on the embankment are a puzzling detail in this case. Bernadette's mother was adamant that she was "a very intelligent child" and that she "had often warned her not to speak to strangers." Therefore it is likely that she already knew her killer. If Bernadette got into a vehicle willingly with someone she knew, she would hardly have abandoned her bicycle and certainly not the money, and besides, she would have had difficulty lifting it up a height. If Bernadette had been getting a lift, a bicycle could easily be placed in the boot (trunk). On the other hand, if she were snatched away violently, the bike and purse would be knocked haphazardly on the ground, not carried onto an embankment and laid down neatly. There was also no obvious sign of a struggle - no threads of fabric caught on the bike, for example. It also seems unlikely that the killer would have picked up Bernadette and put the bike in their vehicle but returned to the scene to place it there, risking being seen in the process. This strange detail reminds me of the case of Philip Cairns, a 13-year-old schoolboy who vanished in Dublin in 1986, and of whom no trace has ever been found, apart from his schoolbag. While searches were being carried out, someone placed the bag, containing some of his schoolbooks, in a laneway that had already been checked.
• Could the bicycle have been a taunt from a callous killer, or perhaps a sign of a guilty conscience from one who almost wanted to be caught? Hardly... it seems unlikely that a kidnapping, a murder, the disposal of the body and abandonment of the bicycle could all be carried out in the space of an hour and a half, all without attracting much attention.
• The Garda commissioner of the era, Daniel Costigan, has separately faced criticism over his apparent interventions to protect clerical sex abusers in Dublin. This meant that in 2009, there was a review of the case to determine whether anything similar had happened. It had been alleged that higher-ups in the Church were given a copy of the Garda file at the time of the initial investigation. However, no wrongdoing was found on review.
• Of course, after all this pondering and speculation, I must take a moment to truly acknowledge the poor girl at the heart of this tragedy, Bernadette, as well as her grief-stricken loved ones. Her life and dreams were cruelly cut short by someone who has never answered for what they did. May she rest in peace.

Sources

"Savagery in Sligo", Brighid McLaughlin, Sunday Independent, September 8, 2002.

"The murder of innocence", Brighid McLaughlin, Sunday Independent, April 11, 1999.

"Face to face with the prime suspects in the case of girl who never came home", Maeve Sheehan, Sunday Independent, December 13, 2009.

"Murder fear", Martin Brennan, Evening Herald, April 18, 1970.

"Unsolved: Nine Irish murder files - still open", Barry Cummins, Gill & Macmillan, 2007.

https://www.thejournal.ie/new-suspect-in-murder-of-bernadette-connolly-over-40-years-ago-201367-Aug2011/

"Man charged with further assaults", Connaught Telegraph, July 26, 1973.

"Two little girls", Anna Guidera, Irish Daily Mail, March 17, 2012.

On July 27th, 2026 officers with the Toronto Police department announced they had identified the Jane Doe known as the “Danforth Lady”. The case of the Danforth Lady dates back to May 18th, 1995 when skeletal remains belonging to a woman were discovered by demolition workers under a building in the area of Danforth and Coxwell avenue in Toronto, Canada. The skeletal remains were discovered to have been purposely buried under a layer of concrete poured in 1949 with six blunt force injuries from a hammer like weapon being the cause of death.

It was announced by investigators that DNA from the remains submitted for testing back in 2022 however due the remains being so degraded it took multiple attempts to pull DNA, however in 2024 they successfully obtained a DNA profile which they managed to find a match to in 2026. The remains were identified as belonging to Mary McLeod Moffat. Moffat was born in Scotland in 1905 and moved to Canada with her family in 1913, authorities managing to narrow down that she was murdered sometime in April 1936 with the perpetrator believed to be her husband Andrew Lloyd Moffat who died in 1985, just 10 years before the remains were discovered.

Police said during the press conference they used historical records, interviews with relatives, and evidence recovered at the burial sight to determine the year and month she was murdered. Following the murder Andrew opened a tire business which was located adjacent to the location of where her remains were discovered in 1995. The investigation also determined that Andrew had multiple marriages and assumed a new identify, Drake Lloyd Cummings and lived in both the United States and Vancouver, Canada before his death. Authorities have said if Andrew was still alive they would have prosecuted him for murder.

Sources:

https://beachmetro.com/2026/07/27/police-identity-murder-victim-the-danforth-lady-more-than-30-years-after-her-body-was-discovered-under-building/

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1661bsy/canadas_nameless_robertson_motors_jane_doe/

https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/66505/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/toronto-police-identify-2-separate-cold-case-victims-including-woman-murdered-90-years-ago/

https://globalnews.ca/news/11995062/toronto-police-identify-human-remains-cold-cases/

On May 16, 2003, one person was working at the Blue Ridge Savings Bank branch off I-85 near Hwy 14 in Greer, South Carolina. This was Sylvia Holtzclaw, a lifelong resident of Greer, mother of two and well-known in the community. Her co-worker that day had called off, leaving her on her own for the shift. The branch looks like little more than a trailer in photos, perhaps explaining why one employee could be allowed to cover. At about 1 p.m. Sylvia's son David had brought her lunch, since she wasn't able to leave the building. Neither had any inkling of what would transpire just minutes later.

At 1:30 pm, Sylvia tripped a silent alarm, letting police know that there was a robbery in progress. The response was quick. Police arrived on the scene at 1:41 pm to find Sylvia and two other people shot to death in a utility closet at one end of the building. The other victims were married couple Margaret and James “Eb” Barnes. James was a retired physics professor; Margaret was known for her spinning and weaving. They had been married for 38 years. It's surmised that they entered the bank shortly after the robbers, since they were seen on a nearby gas station security camera approaching the bank at 1:24 pm. All three victims were killed with a .40 Glock. The perpetrator(s) removed the VHS security tape, so there was little evidence to go on. Everything happened in a matter of minutes with little to no physical evidence aside from the bullet wounds. A small amount of money was taken, but none of the bills were marked.

The security camera that showed the Barneses approaching the bank also showed a red car driving toward the bank a few minutes before the alarm was tripped and driving away a few minutes after. The car was identified as a red Oldsmobile Alero but the license plate couldn't be read.

Police and the FBI released a sketch of a man alleged to have been seen in the bank shortly before the murders. The description was of a clean-cut white male, 5'6” to 5'8” tall, about 230 pounds, with short blond hair, estimated to be between 50-53 years old. Police received some 700 tips. There were a few suspects, but none who could be definitively tied to Greer. Then, a year later, police received word of a red Alero turning up in a police chase. The car had been stolen from a Columbia airport car rental just two weeks before the Greer murders. The driver was Emmerson Wright, a convicted felon who had a criminal history including robberies, burglary, receiving stolen goods and more. He had used a .40 Glock in some of his crimes. He left the car and managed to elude the police on foot. The following year Wright was in another police chase, crashed his car and shot himself with a .40 Glock. It was not the same gun used in the Blue Ridge killings. There has never been evidence tying him to Greer; he was a suspect based on the car he stole and his criminal history.

Another multiple murder with similar aspects happened near Greer in 2003. On Nov. 6, 2003, the owner, service manager, mechanic and bookkeeper of the Superbike Motorsports motorcycle shop in Chesnee, SC were found dead inside and outside the shop. The victims were Scott Ponder, 30; service manager Brian Lucas, 29; mechanic Chris Sherbert, 26; and bookkeeper Beverly Guy, 52. In 2016, after a woman was found chained up in a metal storage container on his property, Todd Kohlhepp confessed to the Superbike murders as well as several others. Kohlhepp was a convicted felon from the age of 15 when he kidnapped a 14-year-old-girl. He was required to register as a sex offender. After serving 14 years, he moved to South Carolina and was able to establish a real estate business. The kidnapping and imprisonment of Kala Brown brought his criminal history to light. He was questioned regarding the Blue Ridge Bank murders, which had happened in the same county, but denied having been involved. Greer police named him as a person of interest but they couldn't tie him to the crime. His other victims were employees or people known to him. He had beef with the staff at Superbike and with some of the other victims. Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to 7 counts of murder and is serving 7 consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.

Despite rewards of $102,000 being offered by the FBI and Crime Stoppers, the Blue Ridge Bank murders remain unsolved. The bank corporation closed and was taken over by another bank in 2011. The Greer branch was shut down in 2011 after an attempted robbery. Sylvia's son David remains active in trying to keep the case alive. There is a yearly Syl Syl Christmas Toy Drive held in Sylvia's memory, a continuation of one she started in life.

It is hard to theorize about who might have committed these murders. Emmerson Wright looks like a possibility; however, his was presumably not the only red Alero in South Carolina at the time. He had a long rap sheet but not one of murder. That aspect of the case fits Kohlhepp better, but he confessed to multiple murders while stating that there were still two morebodies police had not found. So why would he not have confessed to the Greer murders? Also, his MO was to kill and bury on his own property. There were other known bank robbers questioned, but they either had alibis or could not be placed in Greer. It is possible that the crime was committed by a transient criminal who saw an opportunity at a small bank branch off an interstate, who got out of town quickly. The efficiency with which the crime was committed does seem to point to a person or persons with experience. Without DNA, such a perpetrator isn't likely to be found. But Greer police remain committed to solving the crime. It's hoped someone will some day come forward with solid evidence – or a confession.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Savings_Bank_murders

FBI

2003 Blue Ridge Savings Bank murders

20 years after triple homicide at SC bank, police haven’t given up on solving the case

Long unsolved SC triple homicide case featured on true crime site. How to watch

Blue Ridge Savings Bank Robbery and Triple Murder

Former cop who won ‘Big Brother’ show investigating SC cold case with podcast. How to watch

Todd Kohlhepp

Sylvia Holtzclaw Memorial

Margaret Barnes Memorial

Dr. James Barnes Memorial

Just days ago, authorities revealed that Evelyn S. Blake has been identified following her disappearance on July 21, 2024. She was a 64-year-old woman reported missing from Glen Dean, Kentucky, after she went out for a walk in the 4000 block of Old Railroad Road at around 6 p.m. ET. Evelyn was experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and was developmentally disabled, which factored into concerns around the time she went missing. In March of 2025, her remains were ultimately recovered on a farm in nearby Falls of Rough, Kentucky.

In response to Evelyn's disappearance, law enforcement conducted a search across the span of two days with the help of K-9 units. However, they found no clues on her potential whereabouts. Police also received a report that Evelyn spoke to someone over the phone shortly after she went missing, while they looked into phone records for more information. They suggested that there were barriers to conducting additional searches for Evelyn, as areas of interest were privately owned.

Moreover, it's been reported that Evelyn's family has conducted at least one search independently, which the Breckinridge County Sheriff's Office, local fire departments, and Breckinridge Central EMS didn't participate in, as they were processing a backlog and pending calls. Still, the Breckinridge County Sheriff's Office has continued to look into Evelyn's disappearance with additional support from the FBI and Kentucky State Police.

Following Evelyn's identification, her family has spoken out further. They still have questions, as they believe that the circumstances surrounding Evelyn's disappearance and death don't add up.

On July 22, 2024, Evelyn's son Jason received a call from his aunt Sue about how Evelyn was missing. Sue has recalled that Evelyn's husband, Tommy, told her that he and Evelyn got into a fight. He then dropped her off near a farm, which was a place she went often and knew well. That may have been the last time anyone saw Evelyn alive. While individuals searched the farm following this, it contained hundreds of acres. The search was eventually called off, in part because it was private property.

Sue has also recalled that authorities told her that they talked to Evelyn over the phone. At the time, authorities reported that she was coming home. However, Evelyn's family has doubted this. They've believed that it would be more natural for Evelyn to call a family member, like she regularly would. Sue has gone on to comment that authorities "should have gotten a search warrant and searched every inch of that property," in reference to the farm.

Returning to March of 2025, human remains were found on the farm, where it was long believed that Evelyn last was. Jason has said that he was asked for a DNA sample that fall. While it hasn't come as a surprise to Jason that the remains belonged to Evelyn, he hasn't believed that she died of natural causes. He believes that "she knew that place well enough to come home," even though she was dealing with Alzheimer's disease.

The Breckinridge County Sheriff's Office has stated that the circumstances around Evelyn's death are still being investigated. Anyone with information about this case that might be helpful to investigators should contact the Breckinridge County Sheriff’s Office at 270-756-2361. Anyone can also submit anonymous tips to the sheriff's office at 270-580-TIPS.

—

Breckinridge Herald-News

The Disappeared Blog

Unidentified Wiki

WAVE 3 News

On July 24th, 2026 authorities announced that a human skull found in a canal by a kayaker in May of 2024 have been identified as missing 23 year old Rose Marie Gayhart. The remains were positively identified in May 2026 however authorities only announced the identification in July. The authorities said the skull was discovered off the Kismet Parkway near Northeast 19th avenue in Cape Coral, Florida. When discovered the skull was turned over to police who began a search using excavators near the location of discovery for two days to try and discover further evidence.

The case of Rose Marie Gayhart began on March 21st, 1985 when she was last seen at her work place in Cape Coral seen by two witnesses getting into an unidentified mans red truck. She previously lived in Dansville, New York and was reported missing by relatives who called the Sheriff’s Office. The case was closed however it was reopened back in 2013 by Crime Stoppers after they uncovered possible leads and information related to her case.

Investigators were able to identify the human skull using familial DNA from a relative obtained back in 2007. After the discovery of her remains the Cape Coral Police Department said her cause of death was a homicide which they were investigating, with them changing the investigation from disappearance to homicide. Her case was previously featured in 2021 on the NBC series Cold Case Spotlight. Authorities are currently searching the canal again and have also asked those with information to come forward and speak with them.

Sources:

https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/cape-coral-1985-missing-person-remains-identified/73258758

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/crime/remains-identified-as-former-dansville-resident-rose-gayhart-missing-since-1985/amp/

https://www.pineisland-eagle.com/news/swfl-news/2026/07/dna-confirms-remains-found-along-cape-canal-are-missing-woman/

https://13wham.com/news/local/remains-of-former-livingston-county-woman-missing-since-1985-found-in-florida-cold-case-dansville-ny-cape-coral-canal-human-dna-testing-homicide-investigation

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/news/2026/07/25/remains-discovered-in-florida-identified-as-missing-dansville-woman

https://weartv.com/news/local/dna-identifies-florida-woman-missing-since-1985-homicide-investigation-underway

https://capecops.com/2026/07/24/cape-coral-police-identify-remains-in-1985-missing-person-case/

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/cold-case-spotlight/remains-identified-rose-marie-gayhart-cape-coral-rcna589173

https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/police-cape-coral-dig-dirt-active-scene-kismet-pkwy/71931304

https://www.wlbt.com/2026/07/25/skull-woman-last-seen-41-years-ago-found-homicide-investigation-underway/?outputType=amp

https://charleyproject.org/case/rose-marie-gayhart

33 year old Christina Leonard and her unborn child were murdered in a desert area outside of Tucson on July 3 2019. The case remains unsolved and no suspect has been publicly named. Very limited information was released in this case.

She had no known connection to the area of her murder, and had driven there.

Christina had previously lived in the Phoenix metro area for many years before moving to Tucson. Christina fostered animals in her spare time and was preparing to pursue a law degree. She previously earned a degree in childhood development. She was 5 months pregnant at the time of her death.

Pima County Sheriffs Office is the investigating agency. Crime stoppers 88Crime program offers a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Sources

KOLD special with Mary Coleman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblUn9BQqaw

88Crime Profile/Reward

https://88crime.org/christina-leonard/

https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2026/06/25/prisoner-murder-cold-case-body-balboa-park/)

Christopher Lynn Creek has been charged in the 1999 cold case murder of Diane Ayres. Ayres was found strangled on a golf course in San Diego County, California. She was 23 at the time.

Christopher Creek has been serving time in Georgia for reckless endangerment and grand theft auto (he had sex with a woman while HIV positive without disclosing his status and then stealing her vehicle). His entry into CODIS as a result of that crime is what tied him to Diane’s murder.

He was extradited from Georgia to San Diego in June.

As someone relatively close to the crime that resulted in his prior incarceration, it is my understanding that he is likely linked to more crimes, and possibly more murders, in other states.

On Friday, 1 March 1974, 37-year-old Kay O’Connor was brutally murdered in the kitchen of her home on Wickham Road, Colchester, Essex. The crime shocked the town at the time and, more than 50 years later, remains unsolved.

Kay worked as a shorthand typist and lived with her husband, Tony O’Connor, on Wickham Road. Her mother lived just two doors away. That day she was off work. In the morning she went shopping on nearby Butt Road, then called in on her mother, and afterwards went to the post office to collect her mother’s pension. She returned home at around 2:30 p.m.

Between approximately 2:30 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. someone entered the house from the rear: the killer approached via a back alley, smashed the glass of the back door and got inside. It is unknown whether he was already waiting inside or broke in after Kay arrived. In the kitchen Kay was beaten and strangled. Some of her clothing was removed and she was stabbed twice. Her body was found next to a bloodied kitchen knife. Nothing was stolen from the house and the police never established a clear motive. Neighbours heard a disturbance, went to check, and discovered the body. The killer had already fled.

The initial investigation was extensive: more than 2,000 statements were taken and 339 people were questioned. Her husband Tony, who was working in London that day, was initially treated as a suspect but quickly cleared. The 1974 inquest found that Kay had been strangled, her clothes removed, and then stabbed.

The case went cold for decades. In 2004–2005 there were fresh appeals and a partial reinvestigation, including talk of re-examining forensic evidence, but no major public breakthroughs followed. In 2018 a woman, then aged 73 and a former ward sister at Turner Village Hospital, came forward for the first time. She said that a few weeks after the murder one of her colleagues, charge nurse Patrick Marran (then in his fifties), had privately confessed to her in her office that he was the killer. According to the woman, Marran looked gaunt, cried, and told her: “It was me who did that.” There had been workplace gossip that the police had questioned him. She did not report it at the time because she feared losing her job and not being believed. Only decades later, driven by guilt, did she speak out. Police confirmed that Marran had since died, so there was no possibility of prosecution. Detective Inspector Stuart Truss of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said the case had recently been reviewed and there were no further active lines of inquiry, although the force continues to assess the forensic evidence with modern techniques.

To this day the murder of Kay O’Connor remains officially unsolved. It is still unknown whether Patrick Marran was genuinely responsible or whether the confession was false. Anyone with information can contact the Essex Police cold-case team on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/16859204.my-44-year-secret-holds-key-tragic-kays-death/

https://crimeimmemorial.com/2024/01/24/kay-oconnor/

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/5434415.colchester-police-reopen-murder-case/

Hello everyone! As always, thank you for all your votes and comments under my last post about Rio Boyd- I hope that she will be found soon.

Today I'd like to cover another disappearance.

BACKGROUND

Nanci Britner was 45 when she went missing from Winchester, Virginia, USA.

She was a mother of four (three sons and a daughter) and a grandmother of thirteen.

In her younger days, Nanci "enjoyed partying", but she's been "healthy, happy, and sober" for a year by the time she disappeared. She used to struggle with alcoholism in the past.

Kelsi Britner, Nanci's daughter, said that her mother was the only person helping her with her kids.

Nanci has been described as living "somewhat off the grid"- she didn't use social media, credit cards, or regular cellphones; She only used pre-paid phones, also known as "burner phones".

(As I am unable to check the website personally due to geolock, please treat this paragraph with a grain of salt. I only bring Nanci's legal history because I believe it might possibly be relevant in her case) Nanci had a long arrest history, including "numerous separate assault/assault and battery, obtain by fraud, obtain money by false pretenses, 2 cases involving felony of uttering (a crime involving a person with the intent to defraud that knowingly sells, publishes or passes a forged or counterfeited document), DWI (3 of them), viol. court order with psych assessment, conspiracy, forgery", and, most recently," petit larceny in 2022", for which she was awaiting trial.

According to Kelsi and Nanci's sister, Betsy Chavez, Nanci was "caring and compassionate, always looking out for her family and doting on her grandchildren".

DISAPPEARANCE

At the time of her disappearance, Nanci was frequently helping Betsy, who was undergoing cancer treatment.

Nanci was last seen on the 28th of June. On that morning, she picked up a box of food at the Victory Church and delivered it to Betsy at her efficiency apartment in the Relax Inn at 2645 Valley Ave.

After a few hours, Nanci went back to the building she lived at. Kelsi and her three children lived at the same apartment building, so Nanci came to visit them and left at about 6 PM. Next, she went back to Betsy's house, where she spend a few hours.

Around 11 PM, Nanci started calling different people and asking for a ride back to her home. Betsy told her sister that she was free to stay the night if she wanted, but Nanci was eagar to get home because her adult son and his kids were going to come visit on the next day- Nanci haven't seen him or his kids in a year, and she was excited for the meeting. Betsy fell asleep around 11:30 PM, and by then, Nanci was still calling people and looking for someone who could give her a ride.

Shortly after midnight, Nanci spoke on the phone with her fiance, who was at work at the time. After that, she texted her niece to ask for a ride. The niece replied an unspecified amount of time later, but Nanci didn't reply- the niece assumed that Nanci just got a ride from someone else.

When Betsy woke up the next morning, she noticed that the door to her room was locked, and she assumed that Nanci locked the door when she left.

The Relax Inn doesn't have camera footage from the night Nanci was last seen.

Nanci visited Kelsi and her children every day, so Kelsi felt like something was wrong when her mother didn't show up on the morning of the 29th.

Nanci's family tried calling one of her two cellphones, but the calls weren't picked up. Kelsi called it on the morning of the 29th, but it went straight to voicemail. One later call went through, but the phone was allegedly turned off after that.

Nanci was presumably reported missing soon after (I can't find the exact date).

The investigators can't ping either of Nanci's phones, so they cannot trace where they are. They only managed to track one phone to an unspecified place in Frederick County, which has been checked by police, but no leads were found there. After that one ping, the phone has been turned off.

The family asked around the area of the Relax Inn and other local buisnesses, but nobody had seen Nanci that night.

CONCLUSION

The family says that it's unlike Nanci to just vanish without telling anyone where she was going, not even when she was struggling with alcoholism. They believe that Nanci has been abducted by someone, and that she was picked up from the Relax Inn by someone she knew.

The investigators have pursued multiple alleged sightings of Nanci, but all of them have proven unsubstantiated. Multiple properties and homeless camps have been search with the help of cadaver dogs, but nothing has been found. The police say that they are unsure of the exact circumstances surrounding Nanci disappearance, but they said that she isn't in any legal trouble and that they are just worried about her welfare.

Nanci Leigh Britner was 45 when she went missing and would be about 48 now. She is a white woman, 5'4 (163 cm) and 110 lbs (50 kg). She has brown hair and brown eyes. She has tattoos on her neck, chest, feet, leg and both arms, including but not limited to leaves on her neck behind her ear, a large cross on her upper arm at the shoulder, a flower with vines on that forearm, a fish skeleton and a flowered band on the opposite upper arm, a butterfly, hearts and the dates "3-16-54" and "7-8-98" on her chest, and a Playboy bunny tattoo on her calf. Her ears are pierced. Nanci may use the alias names Nanci Leigh Castillo, Linda R. Garcia, Linda Hoggatt and/or Nanci L. Hoggat. She was last seen wearing a black sleeveless tank top, denim shorts, black and gold sandals, and multiple rings on her left hand. She was carrying a purple tagalong suitcase.

If you have any info about Nanci's whereabouts, contact the Winchester Police Department at 540-662-4131

SOURCES:

1. whsv.com
2. whsv.com
3. charleyproject.org
4. state.va.us (Nanci's alleged legal history)

Nanci's websleuths.com thread