The last days of December are filled with joy and cheer for most of us but for some, they are the Holiday Tragedies. Celebrating several days together with loved ones isn’t an option for everyone. Some of us are alone and not always by choice. Some of us were robbed of loved ones. It stings […]
Archives for 2017
Suzanne Bombardier: Bacom faces judge
Update in the Suzanne Bombardier case: Mitchell Lynn Bacom did not enter a plea and waived his right to a speedy trial. Public Defender Brooks Osborne argued his office needs more time to get attorneys assigned to the case and for them to review the evidence against Bacom. This will all take time. The East […]
Sum it Up! #55
Sum it Up! #55 covers a lot of ground. Here we go: Wrongful Convictions 1: Lamonte McIntyre After being wrongly imprisoned for a double-murder for the past 23 years, Lamonte McIntyre walked out of Wyandotte County Courthouse a free man! Lamonte McIntyre was wrongly convicted in 1994 of a double murder he never committed. His conviction […]
OPP still needs help in Karen Caughlin case
In the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) latest press conference they told the public that Karen Caughlin was most likely unintentionally killed by a motorist in 1974. The papers called it “shedding a new light on the case” but I disagree. We already knew she was struck by a car. The question is was it unintentional or not. […]
Charges in Suzanne Bombardier murder
Mitchell Lynn Bacom (63) will be charged with murdering Suzanne Bombardier, according to county prosecutors. He was arrested Friday at his Antioch home without incident, police said. Bacom, a longtime suspect in this case, is held on charges of murder, kidnapping, rape and oral copulation. Suzanne’s slaying was the oldest open homicide cold case on […]
New search options from NCMEC
The NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) has a new search tool. They have launched an interactive map of unidentified human remains cases combined with a database. The interface has the map and the data on one screen making is super easy and eye-friendly. On the map (click here) you can search the […]
Theresa Corley: DNA found
In April 2016, I wrote that Theresa M. Corley‘s case needed a review with modern technology. It has been done. In May 2017, the authorities exhumed Theresa’s body. They collected nine and a half fingernails. The goal of course, looking for DNA. Theresa was only 19 years old on Dec. 6, 1978 when she was […]
Dennise Jeannette Sullivan
Dennise Jeannette Sullivan’s is one of Utah’s oldest missing person cases. Dennise was 15 years old when she went missing under very violent circumstances. The general opinion is that she is presumed dead. This is the Case of the Month for December 2017. Note: I have seen her name spelled as Dennise and as Denise. […]
Who killed Alexander Harris?
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Alexander Harris’ murder. There are no new leads in this child’s case. There is a story to tell though. Every time we take an exonerated person out of the crime equation we could face a cold case if there are no new leads. This is what happened in the Alexander […]
Zeigler denied request to proceed in forma pauperis
William Thomas Zeigler had filed a motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis on Sept 5, 2017. In plain English, he asked the United States Supreme Court for permission to continue his trial proceedings as an indigent person meaning that fees normally associated with a lawsuit or appeal be waived. This request was denied Nov […]
Remember Tatman and Burchfield
The weekend of November 25 and 26, 2017 mark the 50th and 64th anniversaries of two police officers featured on this blog: Robert Lawrence Tatman and Richard Stanley Burchfield. Both Tatman and Burchfield were killed in the line of duty. Both were shot. Both were young husbands. Both were young fathers. Robert Lawrence Tatman Champaign […]
Daniel K. Wood, Jr. (Oct. 30, 1941 – Jul. 23, 1954)
UPDATE 1: thanks to one of my readers I can now post a real picture of Daniel and add his full name: Daniel Kenneth Wood. This picture on the left comes from the 1959-1960 Pennell Institute high school yearbook. His former classmates made a memorial page in what would have been his senior year. UPDATE […]
Where is Douglas Charles Chapman?
Douglas Charles Chapman (Feb 5, 1968 – June 2, 1971 date missing) was last seen around 1030am while he was playing in a sand pile in the garden of his parental home in Alfred, York County, Maine. His mother was inside the home on the phone. Dad was at work. Doug is a white male […]
Harris County Deputy Sheriff Edward “Edd”Williams
UPDATE: thanks to one of my Twitter followers I have information to add to the case. I am still working on getting sharp screenshots from old newspaper articles. Many papers have their archives hidden behind a pay wall, alas. But here is the text: Harris County Deputy Sheriff Edward “Edd”Williams was off duty when he […]
New trial for Daniel Dougherty
On October 31, the Pennsylvania Superior Court gave Daniel Dougherty what he has coveted: a new trial. For the third time. The defense and appellate courts agreed: Daniel Dougherty had two unfair trials. The three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that Dougherty should get a new trial. They cited three crucial errors the […]
John Anthony Muncy (Dec. 7, 1967 – Oct. 15, 1983)
John Anthony “Tony” Muncy (15) was last seen on October 15, 1983 in the evening hours at the York Plaza Movie Theatre in Columbus. On October 16, 1983, his dismembered body was found on South Galena Road, Galena, Delaware County, Ohio. Cause of death: multiple stab wounds in the back. All extremities were either partly […]
What happened to the Houghland Family?
I brought in the paper this morning and saw this missing person ad at the bottom of the page. A boy with beautiful brown eye was looking at me. Next to him, an age-progressed picture of what he might look like today. It was Richard Houghland, not yet nine years old, missing. I googled his […]
The 1914 murder of David Ombler
David Ombler was 72 years old when he was beaten to death in his own home. His murder is possibly Britain’s oldest unsolved homicide. It happened May 30, 1914. The Case On May 30, 1914, Mr. Ombler (72), a market trader from Hull, was found by his neighbor lying on his back on his kitchen floor […]
Unmasking the East Area Rapist / Golden State Killer
Some crimes are committed by unknown persons. In other cases we know their names. Sometimes we discover their DNA and learn details about them without yet having a name. And some carry more than one name. I knew the name “Night Stalker.” This name usually refers to Richard Ramirez who was on death row until […]
The cold case of Walter Harrison Arnold, Sr.
Walter Harrison Arnold, Sr. (Aug. 31, 1940 – Dec. 4, 2008) was found dead on Dec. 4, 2008 in his bedroom at home in the 700 block of Morninglory Lane (Victoria, Texas). He was 68 years old. He had just learned he was cancer-free. Arnold, Sr. liked hunting, fishing, cooking, and play cards. He was […]