Defrosting Cold Cases

Los Tocayos Carlos … the namesake Carlos … The Guardian has an excellent article about a Texas capital punishment case involving a wrongful conviction, switched identities, an unsolved murder, evidence not tested for DNA, sloppy police procedures and an execution. “Carlos DeLuna was arrested, aged 20, on 4 February 1983 for the brutal murder of [...]

Tags: Actual Innocence, Autopsy, Capital Punishment, Carlos DeLuna, Carlos Hernandez, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Death Row, DNA, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Knife Attack, Los Tocayos Carlos, Miscarriage of Justice, Police, Texas, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses, Wrongful Convictions

Edward Jesus Elias and Leopoldo Chavez II, both 36, were found guilty of first-degree murder and special-circumstance allegations including murder during a robbery. They were teenagers at the time they killed Keith Combs and Eugene “Cliff” Ellis. Elias and Chavez were both sentenced to serve life without the possibility of parole. They both received consecutive life [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Keith Combs & Eugene Ellis, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

This newspaper article from August 14, 1974 was sent to me and it contains information about the crime scene re Teresa Sue Hilt that will make Sue jump up and down across the pond! Hair particles found at the crime scene showed the one who left that hair had a rare scalp disease that makes [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, DNA Database, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Knife Attack, Missouri, monilethrix, Police, Rape kits, Teresa Sue Hilt, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

More details have appeared in the Hartford Courant about Elizabeth Heath‘s violent death. Dr. H. Wayne Carver, the chief state medical examiner, was in charge of Elizabeth’s autopsy. It was not easy for him. Elizabeth’s remains covered 188 separate envelopes. “Gough Heath’s maxilla — the upper jaw — had been traumatically amputated from the skull, the [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Connecticut, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Elizabeth Heath, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Missing Person, Police, Prisons, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Police have arrested John Heath for murder in connection with the killing of his wife, Elizabeth Gough Heath, 28 years ago. Elizabeth was reported missing in 1984. Her skeletal remains were found beneath the subflooring in a barn in April 2010. Heath, 68, of Bridgewater was arrested by warrant last Monday. He was charged with murder and [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Connecticut, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Dental Records, Elizabeth Heath, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Missing Person, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Lisa Cay Kroeyr from Saginaw, Michigan, was found drowned, partially clothed and her hands were bound before she died. I have tried to find some newspaper articles about this case but so far, been unsuccessful. Should you have any links with more information about this case, please let me know. As soon as I get more [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, drowning, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Lisa Cay Kroeyr, Michigan, Police, Rape kits, Saginaw, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

A 1970 Plymouth Road Runner … could this be the car that killed Karen Caughlin? The paper Sarnia This Week wants to know. Several people have been wondering about. They got a creepy feeling after remembering they used to own a car just like that. So they called Crime Stoppers and waited. And waited some more. [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Canada, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Karen Caughlin, Plum Crazy, Police, Sarnia, Witnesses

Police are taking new action in the Canadian cold case of Sharron Prior. According to this newspaper article: “This week, police announced an anonymous donor has stepped forward to offer a $10,000 reward. Police also set up a fresh command post in Point St. Charles, and set up a dedicated phone line.” Sharron disappeared on [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Canada, Crime Scene, Cruelty, DNA, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Point-St-Charles, Police, Rape kits, Sharron Prior, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

There is a lot that bothers me in Tess‘ case so this is a brainstorming session to get things clear in my mind: 1: Tess’ travel checks were found in the parking lot and her billfold was found near the rail tracks, both to the south of the apartment complex. It leads you to believe [...]

Tags: Autopsy, Crime Scene, Cruelty, Evidence, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Investigations Division, Missouri, Police, Rape kits, stabbing death, Teresa Sue Hilt, Unsolved Homicide, Victim, Witnesses

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter a.k.a. Clark Rockefeller a.k.a. Christopher Chichester a.k.a. Christopher Crowe will go on trial in September 2012 for the 1985 murder of John Sohus, and whose wife, Linda (pictured on the left) is still missing. Gerhartsreiter is acccused with the murder of John Sohus, his then-landlady’s son. John and his wife Linda disappeared in the mid-1980s. John’s skull and [...]

Tags: California, Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, John and Linda Sohus, Police, Unsolved Homicide, Victim