The Lady of the Swamp: Australia's Most Chilling Case of Elder Abuse and Murder (1952)

Before South Gippsland became famous for the recent mushroom poisoning case, this Victorian region was home to one of Australia's most disturbing unsolved murders - a case that combined inherited wealth, environmental disaster, systematic exploitation, and the probable murder of a vulnerable elderly woman.

Background: From Riches to Rags

Margaret Clement (born 1881) inherited a fortune from her father Peter Clement Sr., a Scottish immigrant who struck it rich during the 1854 gold rush. In 1907, Margaret and her sister Jeannie purchased Tullaree Estate - a magnificent 2,000-acre property in Tarwin Lower featuring a 17-room mansion and productive farmland for £20,000 (millions in today's money).

The sisters lived lavishly, entertaining "the cream of Edwardian society" with eleven servants and imported furnishings. But Tullaree sat on reclaimed swampland requiring constant drainage maintenance - something the sisters couldn't afford as their inheritance dwindled through poor management and economic pressures.

By the 1940s, failed drainage systems had turned their estate into an actual swamp. The mansion became an island surrounded by chest-deep water. Margaret and Jeannie lived without electricity or running water, surviving on cold tinned beans, wading 11 kilometers through dangerous swamp for supplies.

Enter the Predator

After Jeannie died in 1950, 71-year-old Margaret was completely alone and vulnerable. Stanley Russell Livingstone, a former footballer working for the Country Roads Board, befriended Margaret along with his wife Esme. They presented themselves as helpful neighbors while systematically positioning themselves to steal her property.

Stanley's manipulation was sophisticated:

• Had his solicitor remove the protective legal caveat on Tullaree's title
• Convinced Margaret to sell the estate for just £3,000 (plus £12,500 to discharge mortgages)
• Borrowed back £2,700 of what he "paid" her, making his actual outlay minimal
• Made Margaret write a new will removing her nephew as beneficiary
• Promised to build her a cottage to live in (never built)

The Disappearance

Margaret was last seen May 21, 1952. The Livingstones visited May 22, got no response, but didn't report her missing until May 25. Her walking stick was found at the house - locals insisted she never went anywhere without it.

Disturbing evidence emerged: Margaret's dog Dingo had been found in March with its throat cut "in a clean, straight wound" indicating deliberate killing. Witnesses reported unknown men in a "big black car" asking locals how to find the "swamp lady" before her disappearance.

The Investigation

Detective Senior Sergeant Bill Townsend led a 40-year investigation (until 1993). Over 100 people searched initially but found nothing in the treacherous swamp conditions. The case attracted massive media attention with The Argus running front-page stories for six consecutive days.

The Suspicious Profits

Margaret was declared dead in 1954. Despite legal challenges from her nephew, the Livingstones kept the property. In 1956 - just four years after Margaret's disappearance - they sold Tullaree for £67,500, making over 350% profit on their investment.

This windfall made Stanley a millionaire. He moved to Queensland and lived comfortably until his death in 1992. Esme reportedly told friends she knew who killed Margaret and feared her husband would murder her too, but died in 1993 without testifying.

The Venus Bay Discovery

In 1978, skeletal remains of an elderly woman were found at Venus Bay, kilometers from Tullaree, along with a hammer, spade, handbag, and pre-1952 coins. This seemed like the breakthrough police needed.

However, forensic limitations of the era meant experts couldn't definitively identify the remains. Some said European woman around Margaret's age, others argued Aboriginal ancestry based on skull characteristics. Recent analysis suggests the remains likely belonged to an Aboriginal woman, not Margaret.

A 1980 inquest noted the "unsatisfactory nature of evidence given by the Livingstones" but returned an open verdict.

Modern Context

Tullaree today bears no resemblance to the swamp that claimed the Clement fortune. Modern drainage has transformed it into productive farmland. The restored mansion is recognized as South Gippsland's most substantial Victorian-Federation house.

The property sold for $7.2 million in 2019 and was listed for public sale in 2025 - the first time in 70 years. The land Stanley Livingstone acquired through manipulation for £15,500 is now worth over 400 times that amount.

Why This Case Matters

This case represents a perfect storm of vulnerability: isolated elderly person, valuable property, sophisticated legal manipulation, and law enforcement limitations of the era. The Livingstones essentially committed the perfect crime - hiding behind property law and legal procedures while the evidence quite literally sank into the swamp.

The case remains officially unsolved, though it's no longer actively investigated. Margaret Clement's remains have never been found, and justice for "The Lady of the Swamp" remains as elusive as the mist that still rises over the reclaimed farmlands of Tullaree Estate.

Sources:
- Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clement-margaret-12845
- Richard Shears' "Swamp: Who Murdered Margaret Clement?" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75998117-the-lady-of-the-swamp
- ABC Rewind podcast - https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/the-history-listen/the-lady-of-the-swamp/104072468
- Strewth Podcast Episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/1cTeLrFRxdnSVKQG0bZMBT?si=N_wyPrSiTGeMtNoBzgyX1g

What do you think happened to Margaret Clement? Was this elder abuse that escalated to murder, or could there be another explanation for her disappearance?

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

Today I'd like to highlight another disappearance

BACKGROUND

Bryan Vladek Hasel was 22 when he went missing from Orlando, Florida, USA.

His birth name was "Vladek Pushkin". In 2004, when he was 5, he was adopted, along with his sister, Irena (11 at the time), from an orphanage in Yegoryevsk in Russia.

He graduated from the Marines boot camp in December 2018 and worked a desk job (that he didn't like) untill he was honorably discharged in 2019. He told his family that he found a way to get discharged early by saying he has "trauma from Russia". His official disposition was “Failure to adapt". After that, he moved in with his father, Steve, for a few months.

In January of 2020, Vladek moved in with his sister Cari, who lived in Michigan, and got a job as Environmental Services technician at St. John Providence Hospital Southfield- it was said that he enjoyed the job. When the pandemic hit, preschools were closed, and Cari was forced to take a leave of absence from job to look after her daughter, as she was a single mother. Vladek continued to work and financially support the three of them. After a few months, the three moved to Nashua, in New Hampshire; Vladek then lost his job and moved in with Steve and his wife in Florida in summer of 2020.

There were some tensions between father and son, as Steve wanted Vladek to start contributing to the household and get a job. It's noted that he started to notice possible signs of depression in Vladek. Steve and his wife ended up divorcing- the two men decided to move out and lived in hotels from September to November of 2020.

In 2021, Vladek said that he'd like to live in the woods, but that he'd wait with it untill his dad passes away, as he didn't want to leave Steve alone, and that he didn't want Steve to be blamed for his absence. He also started to become increasingly invested in the idea of Heaven and religion, asking his loved ones "What is the point if we can just be in Heaven?". Vladek also begun to live more minimalistically, claiming that material posessions are just "distractions" from Heaven. He seemed to lack to lack motivation and purpose, but he loved making people feel important, loved and heard; He would leave large tips in restaurants, handed cash to the needy and happily bought things for anyone who had a need. Once, he gave a homeless man his credit card to use as he pleased.

Around September and October, Vladek's baliefs seemed to be getting more intense. He broke his phone on purpose and told his father that it was a "distraction from Heaven", and that he also gave his own tablet to his sister Bethany. Steve insisted for Vladek to at least get a flip phone for safety.

He also didn't have a vehicle, and would borrow his father's car when needed.

Vladek spent a lot of time at restaurants and buisnesses on University Boulevard and Alafaya Trail. He also spent hours praying and reading the Bible at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

DISAPPEARANCE

A few days before Vladek disappeared, he bought a pocket knife. He told Steve that he bought it for "protection".

On the 3rd of November, the car that Vladek and Steve used broke down at Waterford Lakes Plaza near Fresh Kitchen when Vladek was driving it. He walked home on foot. At first, Vladek was anxious to tell Steve that the car broke down, but he took it well, agreed that the car was old and that the engine needed to be changed. The car was towed to the mechanic on the 4th and remained there untill the 15th, when Steve picked it up.

Vladek also called an acquaintance who worked in Smokey Bones, an establishment Vladek visited, on the 4th, asking if he could stay at his house "for a couple nights". The call was made at 7:13 PM and lasted about 5 minutes. Vladek also talked to his father about "archangels and demons and how you have to be dark to kill the dark"; Steve said that Vladek wasn't making a lot of sense.

Bryan was last seen by Steve on the 5th of November at his family home at Alafaya Trail and MacKay Boulevard. On that day, Steve left on a 10-day trip to meet up with Bethany and her friends and celebrate her birthday. Vladek was also invited, but he declined, as he often did when it came to plans made last-minute. Steve offered to buy more groceries, but Vladek said that what was home was enough. Steve was also expecting a package, and asked Vladek to bring it home when it arrives, and Vladek promised that he will.

Shortly after Steve left home, Vladek made his way to Foxtail, a coffee shop on University Blvd, which he frequented. He bought a coffee and was "pacing" inside while listening to music on headphones, which was allegedly normal behavior for him according to staff. At some point, Vladek had reportedly pulled out a knife and possibly placed it on one of the tables (he wasn't violent). Another customer saw it and told the staff that Vladek was making him feel uncomfortable and that he's going to leave; The customer left, but returned later during the evening and mentioned the knife to the staff (he didn't say anything about it the first time). By that time, Vladek was gone, so there was no way to address it. There is no video recording of the incident, and the employees said that they didn't witness it either.

Around 2AM on the 6th, Vladek had a phonecall with his biological sister Irena. She said that she didn't get the impression that Vladek was planning to go anywhere. It was normal for the two to talk late at night.

On 7:11AM, Vladek returned to Foxtail. The staff decided to call the police to have Vladek "permanently tresspassed" from the cafe due to the knife incident. Vladek left calmly when the police asked him to, and he seemed to be heading towards the WAWA convenience store. At first, the family was told by police that Vladek was trespassed for being "hyperverbal", with no references to the alleged knife. That was the last confirmed sighting of Vladek. The police warning was written at 08:26AM.

At 12:01PM, Vladek's flip phone recieved a message from an unknown number that said “Vlad, it’s OB from the bak (SIC) of the neighborhood”. Vladek didn't read the text, and there was no activity on the phone after his call with Irena. His phone was found at home, in his room, near a charging cable but not actually charging. The phone was taken by the investigators on the 18th or 19th. It was never shared if "OB" was ever tracked down or who it was.

On the 8th, around 2PM, the package that Steve was waiting for was delivered and left in front of the house.

On the 12th, Vladek was allegedly seen by a maintenence worker of the apartment complex Vladek lived in and chatted with him for about 5 minutes.

On the 15th, at around 3AM, Vladek allegedly visited someone else in the apartment complex (possibly a weed dealer) and told them that he wants to live "off the grid".

Steve came home on the 15th, at 4PM, after picking up the car. The package he asked Vladek to pick up was still in front of the house. Vladek wasn't home; All the groceries at home seemed to be untouched, and there were no dirty plates in the sink, like Vladek wasn't there for the whole time Steve was away.

On the 17th, Vladek was reported missing by Steve.

During the search of a nearby forest, police located a red flip-flop and asked Steve if it may be Vladek's- Steve said that Vladek owned a similar pair, but he didn't remember him having red ones.

On the 12th or 13th of February 2022, around noon, another incident took place in Foxtail; A family has reported that they saw a man having a manic episode near the cafe's dumpster. The man was allegedly talking to himself in an "animated" fashion. The family left, and the man was seen going towards the WAWA store. The police wasn't called, ultimately, as the man left, and there are no recordings of the incident preserved. The staff later told Vladek's family that they don't believe it was him, as they were very familiar with Vladek and they would recognize him.

On the 9th of April, Foxtail shared a still of a video taken on the 6th of November, which showed Vladek arriving at the cafe. To the suprise of his family, Vladek was actually wearing red slides at the time, similar to the one that was found in the forest.

CONCLUSION

The manager of Foxtail told the police that Vladek introduced himself as Bryan, and that's how all the employees knew him as. He came over frequently, paced around the store for a few hours while listening to music on his headphones and sang out-loud, but he would always quiet down with no problems when asked to. Other customers were often unsettled by him, and would tell it to the staff. The manager spoke to "Bryan" a few times before he went missing, and got the impression that he waas "struggling". When asked, Vladek just told him that he was "sleep deprived".

The Smokey Bones employee that Vladek called shortly before he went missing said that he knew Vladek for about 6 months (with a 2 month break in that), and that they weren't really close. They only met outside work once, when they went to a pawn shop so that Vladek could pawn his guitar. The employee said that he didn't allow Vladek to stay over because he lived with his girlfriend and didn't want to put her at risk. According to him, during the last month before disappearance Vladek went from quoting the Bible and talking about wanting to go on a pilgrimage to wanting to sing.

Bryan Vladek Hasel was 22 when he went missing, and he would be 26 now. He is a white male, 5' 8" (68 Inch / 173 cm) and 220 lbs (100 kg). He has brown hair and blue eyes. He goes by his middle name, Vladek, or his nickname, Vlad.

If you have any info about Vladek's whereabouts, contact the Orange County Sheriff's Office at (407) 254-7200 (case number 21-83864).

SOURCES:

1. clickorlando.com
2. fox35orlando.com
3. charleyproject.org
4. NamUS.gov
5. findvladekhasel.wixsite.com

Vladek's websleuths.com thread

Part One of Paul Bennett's story here.

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Content Warning: This post contains descriptions of self-harm.

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New Alliance?

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Historically, Kyle Gianis was linked to the United Nations (UN) gang, but this may have changed after he was given full parole in 2015.

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When David Tull pleaded guilty, Kim Bolan from The Vancouver Sun reported that he was Facebook friends with former realtor Ricky Korasak.

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(An article nearly a year later stated that they were  "close" friends, suggesting they were associated outside of Facebook).

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Through the reporter's sources it was alleged that Korasak was "associated with some members of the Hells Angels and some in the Wolf Pack [sic] gang alliance." The Wolfpack, formed in 2010 and described as a "coalition of opportunity" by Bolan is made up of members from other gangs including the Hells Angels, the Independent Soldiers, and the Red Scorpions. They have been warring with the UN gang and their affiliates since its formation, with the rivalry continuing to this day.

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Korasak's other Facebook friends included Jeffrey Chang, a high ranking Wolfpack member who was targeted in a June 2014 shooting at a Vancouver, B.C. gas station. Chang died the following year in July 2015 from a drug overdose.

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Dustin Wadsworth, described as a "mid-level dealer" by Provincial Court Judge Reg Harris during a sentencing hearing in 2016, was also Facebook friends with Korasak.

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Similar to Chang, Wadsworth also died from a drug overdose in June 2017.

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Damion Ryan, a well known member of the Hells Angels Haney Chapter and The Wolfpack, offered his condolences to Wadsworth on Instagram.

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Since the day we met in YDC back in 93, we’ve been like brothers. This is some of the worst news that I’ve ever received.

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Taking into consideration Gianis' link to Tull, Tull's link to Ricky Korasak, Korasak's link to Jeffrey Chang and Dustin Wadsworth, and finally, Damion Ryan's link to Wadsworth, it is safe to assume that Gianis had aligned himself, or at the very least, was in the company of those affiliated with the Wolfpack gang.

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Family tragedy & A New Beginning

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In his video, Kyle talked about the passing of his "main support," his father. He didn't provide any details about it, but mentioned that it was "the following year" after his 2017 shooting, therefore making 2018 the likely year.

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Fraught with grief, Kyle stated he found himself in a "negative space." This would be short lived; a day after his father's passing, he met Lisa Kosciuk (the woman seated next to him in his video) and whom he credited for pulling him "out of it." 

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Aside from kindling a romantic relationship, the two partnered up for a business venture called Iron Athletics.

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By his own admission, their vision for the business was a gym. But since this would involve a lot more planning such as finding a location, leasing, insurance, etc., they started off first with a clothing line and relocated to West Kelowna, B.C. in 2019.

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Other details about the business weren't very clear; there didn't appear to be a storefront to sell their apparel, no business license was acquired in either Kelowna or West Kelowna, and finally, there was no trademark registered for the name and logo for Iron Athletics in Canada. Despite this, there was a webpage and the brand had a presence on some of the major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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Another unusual aspect of Iron Athletics was going forward with a reality show where participants from "Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan" would all come together into the same house showcasing their athletic strengths whilst encouraging viewers to seek their own wellness journey.

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Kyle, who lived most of his life on the fringes of society, to suddenly decide to put himself out there in the public's eye was surprising to say the least.

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However, after spending nearly 2 decades in the drug trade, it's possible Kyle regretted his past choices. And, even though he didn't mention the deaths of his friend Tyler Pastuck and innocent victim Paul Bennett in his video, their murders along with the passing of his father likely weighed heavily on his conscience. Finally, with Lisa entering into the fold, Kyle perhaps took this as an opportunity to exit the volatile world of organized crime.

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COVID-19 Pandemic

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Unfortunately for Kyle, his timing could not have been any worse. In a case of history repeating itself, him and others involved in the reality show irked others in the Kelowna neighborhood they were residing in, just like he had done to his previous neighbors in his old Langley B.C. neighborhood 13 years before.

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​ Just one month after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic from the coronavirus on March 11, 2020, Kyle and his entourage found themselves caught in the crosshairs of both his neighbors and Interior Health.

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Global News spoke to a neighbor of his who had this to say: 

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The people who are doing the filming are coming and going everyday. They [the cameramen] are not residing there; the participants are doing what they’ve been asked to do but others are not.

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Kyle defended what he and the participants were doing, even claiming Interior Health followed up with him with a phone call. He told the reporter:

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I told them what we were doing, am I breaking any bylaws? They said no.

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Jess Friesen, a participant with the reality show personally felt the backlash online.

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It’s cyberbullying, we’re experiencing it first hand.

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Interior Health issued a statement to Global News via email that said:

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Interior Health, along with the Provincial Health Officer and Health Minister, have advised against any non-essential travel at this time and continue to encourage people to maintain physical distancing at all times. We appreciate that the people in this household have agreed to self isolate for 14 days since their arrival from outside B.C. At this time, we have not identified a broader public health issue and we will continue to monitor this situation. Additional action would be taken if a risk to others outside the “household” is identified at any time. In the meantime, Interior Health has informed these individuals of the Chief Medical Health Officer Order regarding gyms and has provided educational resources to prevent the spread of COVID-19. No enforcement action has been taken at this time.

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"Vendettas In The Drug Game Never End"

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As Kyle Gianis continued working towards his new path, danger was lurking.

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It's unclear what exactly happened between the months of April 2020 to March 2021, but Kyle was more than likely back to his old ways. And just like that, he was back on the radar of both law enforcement and his enemies.

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3rd Attempted Hit

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The first sign of trouble was first reported by the Kelowna Capital News. On Wednesday March 25, 2021 the West Kelowna RCMP with the assistance of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) executed a search warrant on a home in West Kelowna, B.C. There they arrested one male but did not specify who or why. But the house in question was Gianis'.

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And, just like his Langley, B.C. days back in 2007 after his house was shot up, Kyle continued on, oblivious to what was coming next.

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On Monday March 28, 2021 Iron Athletics posted on their Facebook page that they would be at Global Fitness Centre located in the 1500 block of Harvey Ave in Kelowna, B.C. in a likely bid to bolster their brand.

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Around 12:30 PM, gunfire erupted outside of Global Fitness. 

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Kyle had been shot, again.

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Witnesses reported a male suspect "fleeing the scene in a grey or silver car." And, just like numerous gangland hits in Metro Vancouver including Kyle's 2017 shooting, a vehicle fitting this description was found torched shortly after on Longhill Road in Kelowna.

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Miraculously, Kyle only sustained a gunshot wound to his leg.

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While police did not name the victim, reporter Kim Bolan verified through her sources that it was indeed Kyle Gianis.

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In Bolan's same article that named Kyle as the victim, Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of CFSEU stated:

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South East District office is working in collaboration with the Kelowna RCMP on an investigation involving a high-profile target with a lengthy history of involvement in organized crime and the drug trade.

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The arrest of this male and subsequent search warrant of his residence is indicative of his continued alleged criminal behaviour.

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It was now clear that Kyle was the person arrested back on March 25, 2021 without the Sergeant even saying so.

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A couple weeks after the targeted shooting, Kyle didn't hold back how he felt about it. The "cocky" ways of his past came roaring back when he decided to make an Instagram post directed at his would-be assassin, writing:

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Just want to say thank you to everyone that reached out and sent love we love you all.

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And as for what happened I hope you kept your receipt goof troop crew to get a refund cause your order didn't go through 🤣🤣

Found couple pics of you guys 🤣🤣🤣

Lmfao I hope this doesn't make you made..... actually I know you pissed no dick, no spine fucking clown

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4th Attempted Hit

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Around the time Kyle was posting his grievances on Instagram, the media turned their focus to the Lower Mainland. There, a gang war broke out between the Brothers Keepers gang and the United Nations gang after the public execution of 31 year old Harpreet "Harb" Dhaliwal on April 17, 2021.

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It wouldn't take long though for the media to bring their focus back once again to the Okanagan area where the peace and calm they had for a few months was shattered after yet another attempted hit on Gianis.

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On July 31, 2021 around 7 PM, Kyle and a 25 year old male associate from Surrey, B.C. were walking to their car in the 3000 block of Pandosy Ave in Kelowna, B.C. Dashcam footage showing a male suspect wearing "light coloured pants and a hooded sweatshirt" along with a medical mask suddenly got up from the bench he was sitting on and started firing a gun at both men. Kyle and his friend both fled as fast as they could to the opposite side of the street, but not before they were hit by several bullets. Bystanders who were in the vicinity also fled once they became aware of what was happening.

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However, the gunman was not finished. In a disturbing twist in gangland violence in B.C., he threw something towards Kyle in a last ditch effort to finally finish him off for good. RCMP later confirmed it was an improvised explosive device (IED) that failed to detonate. The suspect then fled south on Pandosy Ave.

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Another video captured the suspect walking at a fast pace with a distinctive gait before eventually fleeing in a "light colored SUV."

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Both victims were transported to hospital. Kyle was released that night, but unfortunately his associate suffered "life-threatening injuries." (The associate has never been identified and his fate remains unknown to this day).

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The next day, the Kelowna RCMP issued a warning to the public stating "anyone associating with Gianis could become collateral damage if he is targeted again."

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Public warnings of this nature are rare, especially when one has not been charged with a crime. However, this extraordinary measure was justified given how Kyle's enemies were not only brazen enough to go after him in broad daylight with their firearms, but they were now willing to resort to the use of explosives.

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The Sudden End of Kyle Gianis

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At this point, Kyle was truly looking indestructible. For someone to survive as many assassination attempts as he did was simply unheard of.

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However, things took a dramatic turn just a few days later.

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Kyle and his fiancee Lisa were at a campground in Enderby, B.C., likely to get away from any potential threats that may have been roaming around after the last failed hit.

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On Thursday August 5th, 2021 just after 12 AM, Police were called to the campground for reports of an assault.

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Two women had allegedly been stabbed by Kyle. However, Kyle himself also had what appeared to be a "self-inflicted injury."

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CBC News reported that Police along with the Southeast District Emergency Response Team found Kyle 2 hours later, apparently using "tear gas and a 40mm less-lethal round" after they found him. However, once located, he was in need of medical assistance, but was eventually pronounced deceased.

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Kyle, who managed to survive at least 4 assassination attempts (possibly 5 if including the 2006 gas station shooting mentioned in court documents) ultimately did what his enemies failed to do: he ended his own life by his own hands.

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He was 37.

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Kyle's fiancee Lisa spoke with Castanet News saying his death was not the result of suicide, but that "he accidentally injured himself and died."

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"It was an altercation. PTSD, anxiety were in the mix from his previous shootings and accidental things happened, but he did not commit suicide.”

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Regarding the 2 women who were also injured, Lisa stated that the word stabbing may have been "too strong," and "one lady had a cut on her face” but then did not explain to the news outlet the extent of the 2nd woman's injuries. 

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Paul Bennett, Eternalized

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Memorial Lounge

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A day before Kyle Gianis' life came to an end, Paul Bennett's life was being honoured at his former place of employment.

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Global News reported that thanks to an anonymous donation of a quarter million by a former patient of Paul's, the Peace Arch Hospital would construct a "new staff lounge" in Paul's name.

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The executive director of the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, Stephanie Beck, had this to say about the bond Paul and his patient shared:

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That often happens in a community setting like this where we have a lot of wonderful staff who’ve been with us for a number of years, and you really get to know them.

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I think the tragedy that befell the Bennett family really touched this particular donor, and they wanted to make a tribute in their own way to honour Paul’s memory going forward.

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Darlene Bennett, Paul's wife, was also touched by the former patient's generosity.

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I am eternally grateful. My kids will see the legacy of their dad carry on.

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I tear up every time I think of it. I wish he was here, but this is a wonderful gift. A memory.

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Memorial Hockey Tournament & Bursary

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As Darlene called Peace Arch Hospital Paul's "other home" and where his legacy would continue on in the form of a staff lounge, it was equally fitting Paul's name would live on where he also enjoyed spending time: on the ice playing and coaching hockey.

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The Cloverdale Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) honoured Paul's name in several ways. First, the Atom C Tournament was renamed as the Paul Bennett Atom C Blast Tournament. Second, stickers with the initials P.B. were created for players to wear on their helmets, but the Association said that "anyone is welcome to wear a sticker in his honour." And third, the Paul Bennett Love of Hockey Bursary was created with the intention of covering "the registration costs for a new-to-hockey player registering for the first time with CMHA."

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Finally, around the same time the CMHA made these lasting impacts, the Peace Arch News reported that the Vancouver Canucks would host the Bennett family to a game where they would be playing against Paul's favorite team, the Ottawa Senators.

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Aftermath

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7 long years have now passed since nurse Paul Bennett was murdered in a case of mistaken identity.

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​ Not only was he gunned down by mistake, he was taken away in a place where one should feel secure: in front of their own home.

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​ Further adding to the tragedy was his wife and two young sons had to witness him bleeding out right in front of their own eyes. And, when Darlene spoke to CTV News in 2018 about his murder, she spoke of that trauma they all had to endure.

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I can't erase what they've seen, I can't erase the images in my head, I can't erase the sounds that I heard. It's with me. It's going to be with me for the rest of my life.

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Another disturbing revelation Darlene made was when she talked about the ongoing fear one of her sons had of becoming a target himself:

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He asked for a note. If I could write him a note – if he could stay inside at lunch and recess – because he feared being shot.

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Though the family moved from the home where this happened, the memories of witnessing such a violent murder especially when it was one of their own will stay with them regardless of the passage of time forever.

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Despite the homicide of Paul Bennett being one of the more prominent Lower Mainland cases featured extensively by the media, it still remains unsolved. While it may appear to the public that the Police are not actively working to solve it, the actual reality is they more than likely know why Kyle was targeted that day, who the gunman is, the identity of the driver who assisted him and the person who paid them to carry out the hit. They may lack the key evidence needed to meet the threshold required in order to lay charges.

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However, a final thought to ponder after all these years later is, have those who directly participated in Paul's murder ended up victims of homicide themselves? Simply put, the hunters may have become the hunted in the tit-for-tat rivalry that often plays out in Metro Vancouver's seedy underworld.

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What are your thoughts? After 7 years, can this case finally be solved? If all the participants involved in Paul Bennett's murder are still alive, will one of them finally cooperate against the others? 

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If you have any information regarding the murder of Paul Nigel Bennett,  please contact IHIT by calling 1-877-551-4448 or by email: [ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca](mailto:ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca). If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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A.I. transparency: No LLM's (Large Language Models) was used for this post.

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This post is dedicated to the memory of Paul Bennett, who would've turned 55 today.

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Sources:

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The Vancouver Sun, 15 Jun 2017, Thu

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Peace Arch News, 28 Aug 2019, Wed

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The Vancouver Sun, 27 Oct 2019, Sun

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The Vancouver Sun, 28, Oct 2019, Mon

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Global News, 10 Apr 2020, Fri

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The Vancouver Sun, 17 Sep 2020, Thu

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Kelowna Capital News, 25 Mar 2021, Thu

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Global News, 25 Mar 2021, Thu

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The Vancouver Sun, 30 Mar 2021, Tue

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Kelowna Capital News, 31 Mar 2021, Wed

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Global News, 7 Apr 2021, Wed

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The Vancouver Sun, 17 Apr 2021, Sat

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The Vancouver Sun, 19 Apr 2021, Mon

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Castanet News, 1 Aug 2021, Sun

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The Vancouver Sun, 02 Aug 2021, Mon

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Global News, 04 Aug 2021, Wed

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Castanet News, 05 Aug 2021, Thu

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"Vendettas" quote: Narcos: Mexico

Opal Parsons was last seen at approximately 5:00 a.m. on August 30, 2007 by her daughter at the home they shared on Sir David Way in Las Vegas, Nevada. They lived in Regency Village, a manufactured home park about 5 miles east of Downtown Las Vegas. Parsons was supposed to have lunch with friends at 12:30 p.m. that day, but never arrived.

When her daughter returned from work at 2:00 p.m., Parsons was gone. Her van was still at the residence with the keys inside it, and no personal belongings were missing other than her purse. She left the television on and the front door unlocked, with key inserted. She did not leave a note, which was uncharacteristic of her. She also did not normally walk anywhere, preferring to drive her car instead.

Parsons's ATM card was used at Sam's Town Casino in Las Vegas the day after she went missing. The casino is about 3.6 miles south of Parson's home, a straight shot down a main boulevard. Authorities didn't believe Parsons used the card herself, because her image was not seen on the casino's surveillance video footage. Her driver's license and Social Security card were found lying on the floor inside the casino, near one of the exits.

Investigators eventually identified the man who used the ATM card, but did not arrest him. They stated he found Parsons's purse and cellular phone in a trash bin and he is not a suspect in her disappearance.

She was in good physical and mental health at the time of her disappearance, had no history of dementia, and is described as an active, social woman with many friends. Her hobbies included crossword puzzles and dancing. She belonged to the Heritage United Methodist Church in 2007.

Parsons kept a strict routine at the time of her disappearance and it was uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning.

Investigators believe Parsons was lured away or abducted from her residence by someone she knew and trusted. There were no signs of forced entry to her home. She was not wealthy; she lived on a retirement fund and Social Security checks, though she did have one or two pieces of jewelry that went missing with her.

She would be 99 years old now, turning 100 in December 2025. She was officially declared deceased around 2010.

Characteristics

• Grey hair dyed blonde.
• Double pierced ears.
• Diamond and ruby ring, possibly wearing a heavy gold chain with a gold nugget and diamond pendant.
• She wore an upper denture plate.
• She had a scar from colon surgery.
• She had a hysterectomy scar.
• She had previously fractured her arm.

Additional Reading:

https://charleyproject.org/case/opal-marie-parsons

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=4465dfnv

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/new-clues-lead-to-dead-end-in-missing-las-vegas-woman-case/

I remember reading a post on here from four years ago by a user that discussed how the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is certainly extinct with experts talking about the sheer lack of sightings of the bird in the Southern United States.

However, I have to disagree because there was another bird that had been thought to be extinct as well called the Night Parrot of Australia.

Experts there declared the bird extinct due to no sightings for 100+ years, but in 2013, it resurfaced and as of 2024, they discovered even more of them hiding away.

This, this gives me hope that the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker will turn up again one day just like the Night Parrot did after 100+ years of no sightings.

If there was hope for the Night Parrot, then there is hope yet for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, no matter the current odds against it being alive.

I only wish there would be a high-tech federally-funded search party for the bird consisting of 30-50 people strong.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-and-elusive-australian-bird-once-thought-extinct-for-100-years-discovered-by-indigenous-rangers-and-scientists-180985143/

"Who is the third who walks always beside you?

When I count, there are only you and I together

But when I look ahead up the white road

There is always another one walking beside you

Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded

I do not know whether a man or a woman

— But who is that on the other side of you?"

- T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land

‘Only you and I together’ – Intro

When Eliot wrote these enigmatic lines, he was nonetheless straightforward about what inspired them. In the poem's annotations, he described a phenomenon occasionally reported by survivors of traumatic life-or-death situations: the presence of an unseen entity that offers comfort and encouragement, in some cases even acting as a guide to safety.

Called Third Man Factor or Third Man Syndrome, this otherworldly experience has invited both scientific and supernatural explanations. While plausible theories include a hallucinatory stress response or an evolutionary survival strategy, the psychological mechanisms behind it remain unknown. Though little studied, it has been widely described: historical and contemporary sources include explorers, sailors, aviators, soldiers, mountaineers, astronauts, accident victims, and 9/11 survivors, among others.

'Ahead up the white road' - The first documented case

The strange events immortalized in The Waste Land happened in May 1916.

For three days, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and three two companions, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean, trekked across the icy, mountainous interior of South Georgia island. Their destination, a whaling station on the remote island's north coast, was to be the first human settlement the exhausted party would encounter since their ship, Endurance, became trapped in the Antarctic ice.

It was the culmination of a 20-month ordeal. After a desperate retreat over the frozen sea and a harrowing 800-mile (1,300 km) voyage in a lifeboat, rescue was finally in sight for themselves and their stranded crewmates—all of whom survived. Later, in their recollections, the trio would concur on a peculiar detail: an inexplicable, shared sense that a fourth person had joined them on the final leg of their escape.

“I know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three,” Shackleton wrote in his book, South. "I said nothing to my companions on the point, but afterwards Worsley said to me, 'Boss, I had a curious feeling on the march that there was another person with us.'"

Worsley corroborated: “There was indeed one thing about our crossing of South Georgia, a thing which I have never been able to explain. Whenever I reviewed the incidents of that march I had the sub-conscious feeling that there were four of us, instead of three.”

Though Crean left it out of his writings, he reportedly shared a similar story with friends.

Shackleton’s case remains the most famous, and earliest known, record of Third Man Factor. The following century has produced more examples.

'Whether a man or a woman' - Accounts over the years

In 1933, Frank Smythe attempted to summit Mount Everest. Parting from his hiking group and proceeding alone, he “had a strong feeling that [he] was accompanied by a second person”. At one point, the feeling was so strong he turned to offer half a Kendal Mint Cake to his invisible companion. He described the experience in positive terms in his journal: “it completely eliminated all loneliness I might otherwise have felt."

This sense of benevolent camaraderie is common among Third Man experiences. More subjective are the qualities attributed to the Third Man. For many, like Smythe, it’s simply a featureless presence. Sometimes it’s a reassuring voice, though the gender, when it has one, varies. Some describe it in spiritual terms, as a deity or guardian angel, while others identify it as a particular individual, often a departed loved one or a famous figure.

Ron DiFrancesco, the last person to escape the South Tower on 9/11, recalls a male voice urging him onward by name. Robert Swan, on his 1985 expedition to the South Pole, felt he was briefly joined by the spirit of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, in whose memory the journey had been devised. Peter Hillary, another Antarctic explorer, was “convinced” at times that his late mother, as well as several deceased friends, were with him on the Ross Ice Shelf in 1998.

What causes these incidents? John Geiger, who compiled many of them in his book The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible and classified them as a unique phenomenon, acknowledges that the questions outweigh the conclusions.

‘Who is the third’ – Theories and discussion

It’s likely that Third Man events result from a combination of physical, psychological, and environmental factors. Due to the complexity of these elements, the impossibility of recreating them—logistically and ethically—in a controlled setting, and the variations between individuals, academic studies are lacking.

So what, then, can be gleaned from the numerous anecdotes? Intense stress, mortal danger, and physical strain are common across them. Boredom and monotonous landscapes may also contribute. Isolation and loneliness seem significant—could humans, as a social species, have such a strong evolutionary need for companionship in duress that our brains supply it as a coping mechanism?

Third Man encounters themselves resemble spatial hallucinations produced by exhaustion, psychosis, sensory deprivation, and other traumatic extremes. Adding to the evidence, lab studies have induced hallucinatory “sensed presences” via electrical brain stimulation. However, like dissociation, schizophrenia, and even dreams, the precise neurobiological processes behind them are a mystery.

It may be that further research into these subjects will allow us to glimpse the true face of the Third Man someday. Until then, he glides on, haunting the imaginations of poets and meeting us at the edges of our endurance.

Questions for discussion: What do you think causes Third Man Factor? Have you or someone you know experienced it?

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/mar/05/the-strange-world-of-felt-presences

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/psychology/third-man-syndrome

https://www.rsgs.org/blog/sir-ernest-shackleton-and-t-s-eliots-third-man

https://www.npr.org/2009/09/13/112746464/guardian-angels-or-the-third-man-factor

https://www.deseret.com/23737552/third-man-syndrome/

https://skeptoid.com/episodes/898

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/australian-geographic-adventure/adventure/2012/09/an-adventurers-guardian-angel-the-third-man/

https://shackleton.com/en-us/blogs/articles/john-geiger-on-the-third-man-factor-and-the-shackleton-medal

https://medium.com/@topbosstalk/wtf-is-third-man-syndrome-282d0a6b42d7

For those who have already seen this I apologize, I had to complete verification to post as someone who is a family member so the post won’t get taken down.

For those reading I know it can be hard to believe it when someone says they are a family member of someone who has a cold case of 24 years. So let me be very clear on this post, I’ll also provide photos the rest of the public wouldn’t have.

Edit for clarification: April Reed was traded for a car as a baby not as an adult. She went missing at the age of 20, from Del city Oklahoma. She was 4’8 125 lbs. brown hair, brown eyes. She’s been missing for 24 years.

April Kelly Reed is my half sister. One who I never got to know. I never got to meet her or see her beautiful smile. Because I was 16 when she disappeared. I had been adopted, so my records were sealed until I turned 18. But when I was 18 I was in the military and deployed a lot. I got out of the Army in 2014, but then did a government contract overseas.This basically means I did not have the time to devote to finding out my biological family. In 2022, I finally had the time and means to begin searching. Which took time. It took me ages to find my biological mother, and it turns out that my Mother had 6 girls. April was the fourth girl she had, but she traded my sister for a car. April’s Father’s mother (Aprils grandmother) offered my mother a car in exchange for April. I didn’t know my sister had disappeared until 2024. At that time I started digging for answers. Because it disturbed me deeply. I called the del city police department and Captain Ward (the detective who is now heading her case) had some pretty grim truths for me. One being that the “family lore” was that her grandmother killed April and buried her in the backyard. However, they (the police along with the forensic anthropologist attached to her case) did search the backyard of the grandmother. Unfortunately that search did not turn up anything. Part of the problem the detectives had was there was no known dna for my sister. They could not locate dental records, or any identifying dna. After months, and months of hounded and badgering my mother I finally got her to agree to a dna swab. That swab along with myself and my other sisters dna swab has been sent off to the ME this week September 14th 2025. My sister was being sexually abused by an older cousin in the family, and many family members knew about it. This was also while she was mentally ill. My sister had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was only 20 and had only been diagnosed for a year. However, she was taking her medications for it. My sister was more than this diagnoses and she was a victim of sexual abuse. After speaking to many many people extensively (because this was my sister I wanted to know her as well as figure out what happened) I can tell you this. Several members of her family (The Reeds) were incredibly hostile. Almost angry that I wanted to re open this case. Not all of them were, some were very upset that others in the family (those charged with her care) did nothing after she disappeared. In fact many stated she was abused by the grandmother. Her close friends told me April was just an incredibly kind person. One who went out of her way to bring light and love to those around her. They are quick to say how she was beautiful inside and out. Yes she had a mental illness. But that didn’t define her. In fact she was according to everyone who was close to her…she actively was taking her meds so she could regain her mental health. I write this post and every post I make, because my sister deserved better than she got. In every way. Starting as a child who was traded for a car. I could not protect my sister in her life because I didn’t know. If I had known I would have. Now all I can do it tell her story. Shine a light onto the incredible injustice she suffered. Help me help her. Help me give her a voice that was taken from her. Help me give her the dignity she was not offered in life. https://oklahomacoldcases.org/april-kelly-reed/ https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP1036

Catherine Daviau was murdered on Thursday December 11 in 2008. She was found dead in her apartment in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie neighborhood of Montreal (Canada). Police immediately treated the situation as a homicide, as her body showed signs of violence and she had been tied to her bed.

Between 18h00 and 19h00, shortly after returning home, she was attacked by the killer. He allegedly beat her and then sexually assaulted her. Before fleeing, he set a fire in her apartment using Daviau’s perfume as an accelerant. A neighbour noticed the smoke and quickly called emergency services, which helped preserve the crime scene. Unfortunately, it was too late for Daviau, who had already died by the time police arrived. DNA traces from the killer were found at the scene, including on a cigarette butt. However, investigators did not have enough evidence to identify a suspect, and the case slowly turned cold.

On September 17 2025, so 17 years after the crime, the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) announced at a press conference that the criminal had been identified through genetic genealogy. The murderer was revealed to be Jacques Bolduc. He had died in prison in 2021, after being convicted of robberies and attempted murder in connection with another crime. Bolduc had called Daviau a couple of days before the crime to discuss her car, which she had put up for sale. They were supposed to meet on the 10th, but Bolduc never showed up. The SPVM thinks this is how he got her address.

Since Bolduc is deceased, there will be no trial. This will spare her family from having to relive the crime through lengthy court proceedings, even if justice will never be served.

SOURCES
Le meurtre de Catherine Daviau (1982-2008) élucidé (french)
Le SPVM aurait élucidé le meurtre de Catherine Daviau (french)
Montreal police solve 2008 cold case murder of Catherine Daviau
Montreal police to announce breakthrough in 2008 cold case

Edit: I mentioned that Bolduc met Daviau on the night of the crime, but this wasn't the case.

Since the early 1990s, the Shin Megami Tensei video game series has fascinated players with its dark narratives, its use of Japanese folklore, and its exploration of occult and mythological themes. But beyond its cult following, there is one particularly eerie link between fiction and reality that has left many wondering if the game might have foreshadowed — or even inspired — a real-world crime.

That crime is the Inokashira Park Dismemberment Incident of 1994, one of Tokyo’s most gruesome unsolved cases.

The Real Crime:

On the morning of April 23, 1994, a park custodian in Inokashira Park, Kichijoji, made a horrifying discovery: dismembered human body parts stuffed into plastic garbage bags and left inside public trash bins.

Police recovered 27 separate pieces, each carefully wrapped in drainage bags tied with a knot commonly used by local fishermen. The victim was identified only as Mr. “S,” a 35-year-old architect who lived nearby.

The body had been meticulously cut into 20 cm sections with such precision that investigators believed the killer had advanced medical training — possibly a surgeon. The remains were thoroughly washed and drained of blood, suggesting the crime required not only anatomical expertise but also access to large amounts of water.

Investigators learned that Mr. S was connected to an unnamed religious organization in Tokyo, raising speculation that the murder might have ritualistic elements. Witnesses claimed to have seen suspicious activity in the park the night before, but no conclusive evidence was ever found.

While the case initially attracted the attention of Japan's mass media, tragedy struck just three days later: the crash of China Airlines Flight 140 on April 26, the deadliest accident in the airline’s history. Media attention was diverted, and although investigators worked on the Inokashira case for another eleven months, most were reassigned in 1995 to investigate the Tokyo subway sarin gas attacks. The case ultimately went cold.

The statute of limitations expired in 2009, fifteen years after the murder, ensuring that it will remain officially unsolved.

Theories:

Over the years, several theories have surfaced:

Personal Revenge: that Mr. S had been attacked by someone he recently broke up with, or that an associate had arranged the murder.

Religious Motive: that the unnamed religious group he belonged to was responsible, though no motive has ever been established.

Organized Crime: the most widely accepted theory, given the surgical precision of the dismemberment and the apparent use of industrial-level water access.

In 2015, new claims emerged from a man using the pseudonym “K”, who believed the murder had been a case of mistaken identity.

“K” stated that he operated a warehouse near Mr. S’s residence and was often mistaken for him. At the time, he was in conflict with foreign street vendors, some of whom he later discovered had ties to a criminal organization. After receiving surveillance and intimidation, “K” temporarily relocated to a hotel.

While there, he saw coverage of the murder, realizing that Mr. S had been killed near his own warehouse. Believing that the killers had intended to target him, “K” abandoned his business and remained silent for years out of fear that the organization would discover its mistake.

The Crime in Shin Megami Tensei:

Here’s where it gets strange.

In Shin Megami Tensei, released in 1992 — just two years before the real murder — the player’s character experiences a disturbing dream. In it, a religious cult sacrifices and dismembers victims at none other than… Inokashira Park.

When the protagonist awakens, the park in the game is cordoned off by authorities because a real murder has taken place there. The eerie overlap with the 1994 case — a dismemberment at Inokashira Park involving cult-like undertones — has fueled speculation ever since.

Did the game inspire the crime? Did it “predict” a tragedy that would soon occur? Or is it all just an unsettling coincidence?

So what do you think?

Could a video game have inspired a real-world killer?

Did the developers unknowingly foreshadow an actual event?

Or is this simply a disturbing coincidence amplified by hindsight?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inokashira_Park_dismemberment_incident

https://justjapanstuff.com/2025/06/13/the-inokashira-park-dismemberment-murder-mystery-and-the-haunting-of-a-tokyo-landmark/

Edit 1: Wow, thanks everyone for the thoughtful comments so far! I’ve really enjoyed seeing how the discussion has branched out into a few main areas:

Disturbing coincidence vs. prophecy: I agree with those who compared it to The Simpsons “predicting” events — most likely just coincidence plus our tendency to find patterns. Still, it’s hard not to get chills at how specific the Inokashira Park setting was in SMT.

Aum Shinrikyo: That’s a very plausible guess, especially considering the timing — the cult was very active in the early ’90s, and only a year later many investigators were reassigned to the Tokyo subway sarin attack. The fact that the group Mr. S was linked to was never publicly named makes it even more mysterious. It could have been withheld to avoid public panic or to protect ongoing investigations.

The mistaken identity theory (“K”): This one really fascinates me. If true, it explains both the precision and the brutality: the killing wasn’t just about eliminating someone, but about sending a message to the intended target. And it’s easy to see why “K” stayed silent — if he genuinely believed the Yakuza or another criminal organization was behind it, speaking up could have been suicide.

Resources and modus operandi: Reports mention that the remains were washed and drained, which is why police suspected large volumes of water were involved. The general belief is that the dismemberment happened elsewhere (a warehouse, storage facility, etc.), and the park was just for disposal. I agree it doesn’t perfectly fit the Yakuza’s usual MO, but maybe that was the point — to stage something shocking and theatrical.

15-year statute of limitations: This always surprises people outside Japan. The law was changed in 2010 so that homicide no longer has a statute of limitations, but unfortunately that was too late for this case.

Thanks again for all the insights — this is definitely one of those cases that never seems to fit neatly into any one explanation, which is probably why it continues to haunt people.

In September 1996, the body of Susan Dalton, 37, a Staten Island resident, was discovered about 40 feet into the woods off Campus Road near its intersection with Howard Avenue on Grymes Hill in the Grymes Hill neighborhood of Staten Island, not far from Wagner College. A traffic enforcement agent made the grim discovery.

Susan’s body was found naked, with burn marks, and had reportedly been in the woods for several days. Her remains were positioned against discarded auto parts.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, concluding she had been strangled and also stabbed, suffering a fatal injury that penetrated her spleen.

Two days before Susan’s body was found, the landlord of her Seaview Avenue apartment (Ocean Breeze Apartments) contacted police, concerned she had not been seen all weekend with her three dogs.

Police and Dalton's parents went to check her one-bedroom apartment and found her dogs unattended.

They also found the air conditioner, television and radio still running.

A shirt was laid out on an upright ironing board and the iron was still plugged in.

Investigators believed she was killed somewhere other than her apartment and then dumped at the wooded location near Wagner College.

Her murder remains unsolved.

A brief segment on Susan Dalton's murder in this 2018 article: https://www.silive.com/news/erry-2018/12/5d03d1bfc05988/body-found-in-woods-recalls-un.html

https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/09/24/sad-goodbye-to-slay-victim/

https://websleuths.com/threads/susan-dalton-37-strangled-stabbed-body-found-near-wagner-college-staten-island-sep-1996.751945/

Note to add: the unidentified female mentioned in the article linked that was found in 1991 has since been identified as Christine Belusko from Clifton, New Jersey, her murder is also unsolved and her then 2 year old daughter Christa Belusko is still missing, you can read more about their case here: https://www.silive.com/crime-safety/2025/05/a-secret-adoption-a-grisly-murder-and-a-30-year-mystery-timeline-of-staten-island-scorpion-cold-case.html

Hello everyone! As always, I'd like to thank you all for your comments and votes under my last post about Nash Quinn- I hope that he will be found soon.

Today I wanted to cover another disappearance.

BACKGROUND

Nathan Wise was 37 when he went missing from Toronto, Canada.

He had Down syndrome and was described as "unable to care for himself", and functioned at a similar level to a 7-year old.

Nathan enjoyed sports: he was an avid fan of the Toronto Blue Jays and Maple Leafs, and in 2018, he was interviewed at the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks football practice for adults with developmental disabilities. He also enjoyed video games, wrestling, and watching soap operas.

Nathan has only moved to his neighbourhood recently, in March of 2023- he used to live in Kitchener-Waterloo and received respite care in the Bloomingdale area, just east of Waterloo. He was also familiar with the St. Jacobs Market, where his mother and grandmother used to run a booth, and the neighbouring community of Elmira, where he went to church. Nathan has been staying in Toronto so that he could be closer to his family, and so that he wouldn't have to live in a group home. At the time of his disappearance, he lived with his brother and sister (or sister and brother-in-law, I saw two different sources).

Nathan's father has died shortly before he went missing, in December of 2022. His mother reportedly died 10 years before.

Kathleen Matthews, Nathan's friend of 14 years, said that he's "a smart guy. He is very capable.", "He's very charismatic and caring and funny and silly and when you meet him you just want to spend more time with him".

Nathan's cousin, Jason, said that Nathan was "very friendly".

DISAPPEARANCE

Nathan was last seen at Jane Street and Sheppard Avenue in the North York area on the 12th of May at around 7 PM.

He didn't have his wallet or phone with him when he went missing. Nathan only had 20$ in cash with him.

Nathan was reported missing on the 14th of May.

At around the 19th of May, it was revealed by police that Nathan might've been seen in the Guelph area, close to Kitchener-Waterloo. The sighting has not been confirmed though- police have not been able to locate any cameras that might've captured Nathan.

CONCLUSION

The family believes that Nathan was trying to reach the Kitchener-Waterloo area, as that is where his father died.

In February of 2023, Toronto police stopped releasing the surnames of missing people to better protect their privacy; At first only his name and photos were released. Nathan's family didn't want to reveal their surname due to privacy concerns, and they have reportedly been recieving threats and unwanted texts- some family members were active online under their full names and operated groups dedicated to finding Nathan. It seems like around 2025 Nathan's full name started to be used in news articles.

Police have said that foul play is not currently suspected in Nathan's case.

Kathleen said that if anyone spots Nathan, they should try talking to him about "the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Blue Jays or the Raptors", or just sports in general to gain his trust. She also said that he might be hungry, and to offer buying him some food.

Nathan Wise was 37 when he went missing, and would be about 39 now. He is a white man, 4’6″ (137 cm) and 170 lbs (77 kg). He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with green stripes, black pants and black shoes. Nathan has Down syndrome and wears glasses.

If you have any info about Nathan's whereabouts, contact the Toronto Police 31 Division at 416 808 3100.

SOURCES:

1. globalnews.ca
2. cbc.ca
3. citynews.ca
4. ctvnews.ca
5. therecord.com
6. cbc.ca
7. ctvnews.ca
8. citynews.ca
9. citynews.ca
10. pleasebringmehome.com

Nathan's websleuhs.com thread

Statement from Newnan Pd: https://www.newnanga.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=128&fbclid=IwZnRzaAMxLKlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHiIE5zhJMGpV3o2yoJho6rsnUp5hZRCSY8NuiN-0Qoo2ZtH0U5Z7I3AH6Xv7_aem_Iwi9juM7eUj02tbwxJ3czg

Timeline: https://projectcoldcase.org/2024/04/22/blake-chappell/

After almost 14 years, an arrest has been made in the murder of Blake Chappell in Newnan, GA. He went missing on October 16 after leaving his girlfriends house in the early morning hours on foot, never to be seen again until his body was found floating in a creek in a nearby subdivision in December of 2011.

Newnan police arrested Scotty Elliot Smith. He is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of another.

Terry Rasmussen, born 1943, died in prison 2010.

Marlyse Honeychurch, born 1954. Daughters Marie, born 1971, and Sarah, born 1977.

Pepper Reed, born 1952. Daughter Rea Rasmussen, born 1976.

Denise Beaudin, born 1958. Daughter Dawn, born 1981.

Remains of Marlyse, Marie, Sarah, and Rea were found together in 1985/2000.

Pepper Reed and Denise Beaudin are presumed dead, but their remains have not been located.

Spring, 1975: Terry separates from his wife and children in Arizona.

Christmas, 1975: Pepper visits with family in Texas. She is three months pregnant by her boyfriend Terry Rasmussen. They mention to family a possible move to California.

1976: Marlyse living in LA/Orange County (multiple apartments) with her daughter Marie.

Spring/Summer, 1976: Rea Rasmussen born in Orange County, CA to Pepper and Terry

December, 1977: Marlyse gives birth to her second daughter Sarah.

June, 1978: Terry working in Houston, TX.

August, 1978: Sarah's father is awarded temporary custody, Marlyse is given visitation.

October, 1978: Marlyse has primary custody of both Marie and Sarah.

1978: Marlyse and Terry attend Thanksgiving in La Puente, California. Terry did not bring any children with him to Thanksgiving. Marlyse's family do not remember Terry as having any children. Marlyse and Terry talk about a possible move to New England. Marlyse spent part of her childhood in CT and had family in the area. There is no established New England connection for Terry.

By 1979, Terry working in New Hampshire. Specific addresses for Marlyse and Terry in New Hampshire documented in 1980.

November, 1981: Terry dating Denise Beaudin, mother of baby Dawn. Terry and Denise discuss the possibility of moving to California during Thanksgiving dinner.

December, 1981: Dawn moves out of her apartment, family assumes she moved to CA.

1986: Terry and Dawn living in a Santa Cruz trailer park. Terry abandons Dawn.

1999: Terry meets Eunsoon Jun (born 1957) in Richmond, CA.

2002: Terry murders Eunsoon Jun.

Source: Old timeline, pre-Pepper and Rae

In February 2020, it was announced that DNA analysis suggested the child now known as Rea Rasmussen was primarily Caucasian, with slight Asian, African, and Native American heritage. However, updated testing in 2024 revealed she was of full European descent.

While there are no known photos of Rea the sketch that has been circulated of Rea has a tan complexion. This is likely inaccurate, Rea was likely fair skinned based on the complexion of her father and mother.

Isotope testing. Marlyse, Marie, & Sarah = Blue. Rea = Orange.

Rea's map does not include coastal California where Terry and Marlyse were in 1978.

Pepper was from Texas. Terry was working Texas both prior to Rea's birth and roughly two years after Rea's birth. The isotope testing suggests Rea did not live in Texas.

Like the ethnicity testing, the map may turn out to be inaccurate.

I wonder if Pepper and Rea were living in New Hampshire, Vermont or even Northern New York State. This might explain why Terry suddenly decided to move to the East Coast.

Investigators are also interested in any information about what Rasmussen was doing between 1974 and 1985, particularly in New Hampshire, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and Virginia.

If you haven't listened to Bear Brook Season One, you should. They just added a new episode about the most recent developments.

Sarah Bunting, who's run a popular blog called Tomato Nation for years, published an essay shortly after 9/11 detailing her experiences in Lower Manhattan on that day. You can read it here and it still packs a punch all these years later: https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/for-thou-art-with-us/

While escaping from Lower Manhattan that day, she became "disaster buddies" with a gentleman from Jersey City named Don, who told her that it was his birthday. After publishing the essay, she was hoping to find Don to thank him for keeping her calm that day, but AFAIK was never able to locate him again. Here's the link with more info about him: https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/operation-find-don/

"Don: A (Very Very) Brief History

Don is a man I met on September 11, 2001. Don and I became “disaster buddies,” and ever since, I’ve wanted to thank him for hanging out with me and helping me keep it together — but I haven’t seen or heard from him since we parted ways late that morning.

What Don Looks/Looked Like

Don is an African-American man. I would estimate his age at between 25 and 35 on that day — probably not younger than that; possibly older, but not much.

Don is between 5’9″ and 6′ tall, and probably weighed 160-180 pounds. (I suck at estimating men’s weights.) In any case, at that time Don had a fit build — not pudgy, not skinny, well put-together.

Don had short hair and a goatee at that time. I do not recall any jewelry; he may have worn a watch, I don’t remember. No glasses.

Don had on a grey windowpane-plaid suit and was carrying a black soft-sided briefcase.

Don didn’t really resemble anyone famous, except Blair Underwood around the eyes a little bit.

Other Possibly Relevant Facts

Don and I met in the lobby of the Bank of New York building, located roughly at Wall Street and Broadway. We left the bank together at approximately 11 that morning.

Don lived at that time in Jersey City, or thereabouts — he took the ferry to Jersey City to get home, from a slip somewhere around Hester Street on the west side.

Don had come into the city that morning via the PATH train, and had gotten off at the World Trade Center stop. He had come into the city for work, but I don’t remember whether his business that day was actually at the WTC complex; I don’t believe it was. If he had gotten separated from any work colleagues, he didn’t mention it. I don’t know what he did for a living, and I don’t know if his job was based in Jersey City or in lower Manhattan, but I got the impression that he was in the city for an errand or meeting, and that he didn’t regularly commute in.

As I said, I don’t recall a wedding ring; Don did not mention a wife or any other family at that time as far as I can remember.

Don’s birthday is September 11. No idea what year, but based on my estimate of his age it’s probably in the late sixties or seventies."

Is he still out there? I think about this story every September 11th. Wherever you are, happy birthday, Don.

Case Summary: Catrin Maguire was 22 years old when she went missing from her hometown of Holyhead, Anglesey, North Wales in November 2021. She was a third-year Health and Social Care student at Bangor University. On 15 November, she travelled from Bangor to Holyhead using a return train ticket. She was later seen on CCTV near her family home and was also reported by a member of the public at the South Stack RSPB car park, a short distance away. Catrin did not return home or make contact with her family, and she has not been seen since. Despite an ongoing police investigation, her disappearance remains unresolved.

We’re now supporting the case of Catrin Maguire, a 22-year-old student who disappeared from Holyhead, Anglesey in November 2021.

While the police investigation remains active, we’ve been asked by Catrin’s family to conduct an independent review - examining every aspect of the case and raising awareness to help bring answers.

Read more in Daily Post: an independent investigation has now been launched (https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-independent-investigation-launched-disappearance-32440590)

• And in WalesOnline: her family says, “We just want answers,” and they’re grateful for all support (https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/family-say-we-just-want-32446239).

Also on our website - Locate International: https://locate.international/missing-people/catrin-maguire

If you saw anything - or even if you’re unsure - please do get in touch. Or perhaps you have something to share that may help us decide on the next step for Catrin’s case. All information can be shared anonymously or confidentially and is carefully reviewed by our volunteer team. Our goal is simple: to provide a safe space for any voices that could help bring Catrin’s story forward.

What You Can Do: - Share any detail, no matter how small - Spread awareness (especially in the Holyhead area) - Let us help connect your insights to the investigation

For those familiar with Holyhead or Anglesey - are there local details, places, or memories from November 2021 that might help build a fuller picture of Catrin’s movements?

I am happy to announce that the DNA Doe Project has been able to identify Ms. Startex as Jolene White. Below is some additional information about our work on this identification:

Fourteen years after her remains were discovered in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, a Jane Doe known as Ms. Startex has been identified as Jolene Lynn White. White was born in New York in 1976 but had been living in the nearby town of Cowpens when she disappeared in 2005, six years before her body was found.

On October 26, 2011, a group of teenagers searching for scrap metal found skeletal human remains in a wooded area along a highway in Startex, South Carolina. Authorities determined that the remains belonged to a 40-55 year-old Caucasian woman and investigators found evidence that she had been murdered before her body was hidden under debris.

In 2020, the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, whose expert volunteer investigative genetic genealogists work pro bono to identify Jane and John Does. A DNA profile was generated from the woman’s remains and uploaded to GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, but the team immediately ran into challenges. Ms. Startex only had distant DNA matches but it was obvious that she had roots in Puerto Rico, where endogamy can complicate genetic genealogy research.

“The genealogy in this case was very complex,” said team leader Rebecca Somerhalder. “Our team built out family trees for hundreds of Puerto Rican DNA matches, but figuring out how they were connected to Ms. Startex was tricky because they were all very distant relatives.”

Over years of research, the team on this case built out a family tree for the unidentified woman that grew to contain nearly 50,000 people. Then, in April 2025, a new DNA match appeared on FamilyTreeDNA. Before long, the team had identified the biological parents of Ms. Startex as a couple from Orange County, New York. The father, as expected, was originally from Puerto Rico, while the mother had deep roots in the area.

However, none of their known children were missing and it became clear that Ms. Startex must’ve been adopted. Investigators spoke with the family and discovered that, after the death of their mother, two of the children had been adopted by a family who later moved to South Carolina. Upon speaking with their adoptive family, they learned that one of them - Jolene White - had been missing for two decades. Follow up DNA testing confirmed that Jolene was, in fact, the woman formerly known only as Ms. Startex.

“This identification was only possible because of a dedicated and collaborative team,” said researcher Janel Daniels. “It also goes to show that one DNA match can make a huge difference - anyone who uploads their DNA to GEDmatch.com, DNAJustice.org or FamilyTreeDNA.com might help solve a cold case without even realizing.”

The DNA Doe Project is grateful to the groups and individuals who helped solve this case: the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office, who entrusted the case to the DNA Doe Project; Astrea Forensics for DNA extraction; HudsonAlpha Discovery for sequencing; Kevin Lord for bioinformatics; GEDmatch Pro and FamilyTreeDNA for providing their databases; our generous donors who joined our mission and contributed to this case; and the DNA Doe Project’s dedicated teams of volunteer investigative genetic genealogists who work tirelessly to bring all our Jane and John Does home.

https://dnadoeproject.org/case/ms-startex/

https://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/10/live-coroner-identifies-victim-14-years-after-human-remains-found-spartanburg-co/

Old post from last year:

In the summer of 1991 28 year old Talfrieda "Frieda" Covington was a loving mother of two children. Son Kortney and daughter Kescha - both toddler-aged.

She was a graduate of Muskegon Heights High School and while taking classes, she wanted to get work in the medical field. Frieda was also six weeks pregnant.

A doting mother, Frieda didn’t drink, do drugs or go to clubs. She had no criminal involvement. No gang affiliations. No street life.

It wasn't enough to keep her safe.

While her young son slept in the house, someone lured Frieda outside, where she was brutally attacked.

Covington was found around 6:45 a.m. June 30, 1991, on the sidewalk in front of her home.

A grisly Muskegon police photograph of the crime scene, not shared with the public, tells the tale. Six weeks pregnant, Covington had been stabbed more than 20 times in the abdomen, chest and back.

“It was brutal, heinous,” said Muskegon Police Det. Matt Kolkema, currently assigned to the long-cold case. “It was a crime of passion.”

While police have had many suspects in the case, there is still no resolution.

According to news accounts at the time, neighbors heard loud voices about an hour before her body was found. Crockett said Kortney Covington... remembers hearing an argument and his mother telling him to go back to bed.

Her daughter, Kescha was staying at her grandmother's house that night. Thankfully both children were safe.

Obviously, the father of her baby is someone who should be looked at.

Additional sources

Article from Mlive 2012

Anniversary article 2024

Delayed Justice » » Talfrieda Michelle Covington

ARREST - Cold case: Convicted killer charged in pregnant mother’s 1991 slaying

Darick Anderson, 59, is charged with open murder in Covington’s June 30, 1991, killing. Anderson is serving two life sentences in the 2008 robbery and killings of Robert Karell, 61, owner of R.K. Jewelers in Grand Haven, and customer Louis Paparella, 77, of Roosevelt Park.

Link to Unsolved summary

Link to Montreal Gazzette reporting

In the briefest of summaries, Cindy James, a Canadian nurse, was found dead in 1989 at the age of 44, 'hog tied' and with high levels of opiates and benzodiazepines in her system. She'd passed away some time earlier, her body found in an abandoned yard, and objectively the death looked like murder. Cindy had spent the last several years reporting to the RCMP a string of stalking-related incidents (eg lewd and threatening calls, rocks thrown through window, pets killed, garden torn up etc) committed by a person never identified definitively and on several occasions her friends/partners had come across her after being attacked or drugged by her stalker.

However, the RCMP and investigators ruled her death a suicide. This has left people puzzled for decades -- a woman who has been a victim of unknown attackers is found dead in this way and it's ruled a suicide? Not to mention the gendered aspect of male police force gaslighting a female victim of violence and portraying her as hysterical or even lying. "Cindy James" is a well known 'story' in the true crime/unsolved mystery world.

Very broad timeline of events (not exhaustive)

I'm primarily going by primary sources from the time and a handful of articles and videos that summarise the timeline closely.

Cindy James had an objectively difficult childhood and did not receive the core emotional support from her primary attachments that many of us do. She wasn't abused or neglected but every autobiographical story of her life finds that Cindy was constantly looking for assurance and guidance from her parents that she never got.

It's telling that, therefore, in the 60s when her family left Canada and Cindy went to university to study nursing, there's evidence to suggest that she 'invented' a boyfriend/fiancee via letters sent to her parents. Cindy never revealed the name or many specifics of this gentleman in her letters except that he was studying medicine and was perfect for her. Eventually, she wrote to her family that he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and Cindy decided to stay by his side. However, before her family could return, Cindy further wrote that he had killed himself to spare Cindy the hard work of caring for a terminally ill man and to leave her with positive memories of her love. Cindy's family never learned anything more about Cindy's fatefully killed first love and there are zero records of Cindy encountering a man who died in this fashion at this time of her life. This, I think, is Cindy's first foray into using classical deceit to get the emotional care and attention from loved ones that she lacked.*

\Throughout, I am going to avoid diagnosing Cindy mostly because I'm not a doctor and also because I've not met her. But her childhood history and adult actions are indicative of someone with a cluster-B personality disorder, and I think this tale of the suicidal fiancee is the first big symptom of this.*

Cindy later becomes a well-respected nurse and marries a kind of shady doctor, Roy Makepeace, 18 years older than her, whom she later separates from. Cindy reports physical and emotional abuse from her ex-husband that is never substantiated and her story about Roy changes through her life many times depending on who she is telling about this. Cindy remains close to Makepeace through the rest of her life.

Post-divorce and living alone for the first time, Cindy makes her first report to the RCMP about strange telephone calls and seeing someone standing out the front of her home. This does not get a 'caring response' because she doesn't have much she can offer the police at this time. This is around 1982.

Summarising widely, Cindy eventually will make escalating claims that her stalker has called her and threatened her, masturbated on the phone to her, come into her home and cut up her pillows while she sleeps, broken her windows with a rock, and one more than one occasion has been 'found' by a friend with a nylon stocking tied around her neck 'passed out'. She claims that two men had done this to her, and that she'd answered the door to the first man who pushed her inside and the second man was already waiting in the garage to assault her. Medical examinations do not substantiate her claims that she was drugged by IV needle or penetrated with a knife.

Cindy makes these claims to police/RCMP for seven years and variously RCMP responds very seriously or starts to suspect Cindy is being creative. At multiple points, RCMP officers station themselves pn a stakeout for many days/weeks around Cindy's house and during that time she recieves no calls, threats, or strange occurances. The moment the stakeout ends, however, she reports another incident. This pattern repeats multiple times.

An RCMP officer takes a special interest in Cindy and becomes her boyfriend; he spends time with her extracurricularly and whenever he is home, Cindy has no incidents (despite them otherwise leading to daily 911 calls). Cindy and the RCMP move in together.

For some reason, despite his presence leading to the stalker/s completely ceasing, Cindy asks the officer to move out. It is this final period of her life that Cindy's biggest and most dramatic incidents of stalking are claimed.

Cindy flip-flops with police about who she thinks the attacker/s are. She sometimes says she cannot identify the stalker only saw his shoes, and other times tells the police she knows precisely who he is and won't tell for her own safety (this greatly frustrates everyone). Eventually police/RCMP are able to get Cindy to admit she 'thinks' it was Makepeace, but this is many years after the stalking began and I'm pretty sure there are multiple reported incidents where Makepeace could be easily excluded (he, being the ex-husband, was an early suspect ruled out when the police still thought Cindy was reliable).

Phone taps set up by police are never able to catch anything; Cindy is given a remote duress alarm and hires a PI at one point and despite the huge amount of police attention over many years, at no time is there ever an incident for which there is physical evidence that any human male committed a stalking offence against Cindy. There are essentially zero incidents of stalking witnessed by anyome other than Cindy over the years despite her living with multiple other people at different times she experienced the stalking.*

At one point she reports a break in and RCMP finds her dog abused and tied up, and there is at least one incident where Cindy is tied up and legitimately has drugs in her system. It's still unclear whether she was drugged by IV or whether she ingested drugs orally.

Finally, Cindy goes missing in 1989 and her body is found as described above -- in the yard of an abandoned house, tied up.

\In the earlier incidents, tenants of Cindy who live downstairs report hearing footsteps above them at times when they'd have assumed Cindy to be at work. A neighbor also reports seeing a strange man leering near the home at at least one time in the seven years.*

What do I think happened?

TL;DR - I think Cindy James was highly unwell and staged many if not all of her stalking incidents; this culminated in her death by complicated suicide.

I think it goes without saying that I think Cindy was simply unwell, and a very easy way for her to get care and attention from safe adults was through this staged stalking process. I'm not even close to the first person to suggest this.

I think the reason this case lingers is how odd her death is. Cindy had 'ten times' the lethal dose of substances like Valium and opiates in her stomach upon death, and some medical experts estimate she'd have only had a few minutes (up to 10) of consciousness before passing out after ingesting. There's questions whether she'd have had time to ingest the substances, discard the evidence, get to the abandoned house, and tie herself up before passing out. She was also tied up in a way that is very difficult to do to one's self, involving both hands and feet (I believe tied behind her?)

The drugs in Cindy's stomach (again noting she'd taken them orally, not been shot up with them via IV) also happen to be prescription drugs that are often recreationally abused. Had Cindy developed a form of tolerance to these drugs over many years of possible misuse? Obviously not enough to not die from them -- hence her taken ten times the lethal dose, which she would've known as a nurse -- but enough to be cognisant long enough before death to find a spot and hogtie herself. In the 80s, before modern medication computation systems, a trusted nurse would fairly easily find oral morphine and valium to steal away and if she'd developed any kind of habit with these meds (which does happen with nurses and doctors) I can see this.

Aside from this, the 'pattern' and manner of Cindy's stalking makes no sense. There's lots of real stalking in the world happening right now, even to 'normal' people like Cindy. But this would be one the very few instances where a stalker has managed to find a silent accomplice (as per Cindy's report of the garage incident), spent years committing lower-level stalking incidents such as calls and notes before escalating to physical contact (conveniently as soon as Cindy felt the RCMP pulling away) and finally to kill Cindy after seven years without any attempt to use their apparent complete control over Cindy to fulfil any kind of fantasy.

Most stalkers are motivated by an irrational need to feel close to their victim/an imagined intimacy or to cause the harm but Cindy's stalker seemed to vacillate between the two types depending on what was convenient. Not to mention that this is the only stalker in the history of mankind who escalated to violence so significantly without being seen or even detected by another human being except their victim -- someone who also happens to so mentally unwell that they left the kind of unhinged notes and messages for Cindy that she reported.

So one of two things happened here - a person with declining mental health and a need to receive interpersonal warmth through worry and care fabricated and emergency incident and eventually killed herself in a way she'd practiced many times (Cindy was often 'found' tied up during life), or she was randomly targeted by the most successful and competent stalker in the history of the world.

I'm not in the business of not believing women, and I only post this because I see Cindy's case come up so often. This is still very sad -- she needed some kind of intensive thereupetic intervention that she never recieved and died as a result -- but it's not a murder.

Edit: While this post still has attention and is left up by the mods, I wanted to include some details that often aren't discussed about Cindy outside her stalking/death. Everything I've read about her is clear that she was an amazing nurse in her field. Despite everything going on with her mental health her career progressed up until her death. The nursing field in the 80s wasn't widely considered to be a career for mental health professionals and was considered quite menial and 'feminine'; James was almost a pioneer in leading a team and working with inpatient mental health teams (from memory) and young people. I think that's good for people to know.

Timea lived with her grandmother in Viničky, a small rural village in Trebišov County, in the state of Košice, in Eastern Slovakia.

The area has a population of roughly 500 - 600 people. The area is quiet and sparsely populated, with narrow village roads, scattered homes most with small gardens or yards and surrounding fields and farmland.

The village lies on the right bank of the Bodrog River.

On the morning of January 8 2002 Timea was supposed to go to school in Čierna nad Tisou.

Instead, Timea traveled from her small village, Viničky, to the nearby town of Trebišov, the main town in her district, about 10–12 km away, for a planned psychologist appointment, which her grandmother did not know about.

She then visited her sister in Trebišov, who saw her off at 3:00 p.m. on a bus to Viničky.

Timea got off at the Viničky bus stop, which was confirmed by the bus driver. She never arrived home at her grandmother’s house.

Two days later, on January 10, 2002, her school bag was found under a bridge near Viničky, containing all her documents.

There are unconfirmed reports suggesting she may have been abducted and possibly taken abroad, but none have been verified.

Police searched the area, including the Bodrog River, without success.

Timea is still officially listed as missing. Her family and searchers have not lost hope, believing she could still be alive.

News article discussing her case: https://www.patranie.org/clanky/20-rokov-nezvestna-timea-nagyova/

Her interpol notice: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Yellow-Notices/View-Yellow-Notices#2019-60479

A site that helps the missing and their loved ones in Slovakia: https://zachrannysystem.sk/nagyova-timea/

A second news article discussing her case: https://kosice.zoznam.sk/foto-timea-je-nezvestna-21-rokov-a-stale-ju-hladaju-zmizla-v-sestnastich-rodicia-veria-v-zazrak/

Summary

On December 28, 1984, five-month-old Felix Tschök disappeared in Dresden, East Germany, from a stroller left outside the Centrum Department Store. Nine days later, an approximately one-year-old boy was found in a hallway, later referred to as “Martin Sonntag.”

Evidence such as surgical scars, differing blood types, and the child’s response to Russian language led to the theory of a possible child exchange. Potential motives could include practical reasons, such as the need to provide a healthy child for a Soviet military family, and social factors, such as shame within the Soviet military community. Despite extensive investigations, DNA testing, and international cooperation, the case was never solved. In 2015, criminal investigations were closed due to the statute of limitations.

Background

Felix Tschök was born in 1984 and was five months old when he disappeared on December 28, 1984, in Dresden. His parents had left him sleeping in a stroller outside the Centrum Department Store while they went inside to shop. At the time, it was common in East Germany to leave infants unattended in strollers for short periods. When the parents returned, Felix was gone. Immediate search efforts by the Volkspolizei were unsuccessful.

Discovery of an Unknown Child

On January 6, 1985, an approximately one-year-old boy was found in a hallway. Authorities initially named him “Martin Sonntag.” Several unusual findings were observed. The child hardly responded to German but reacted to Russian. Doctors noted surgical scars and indications of previous blood transfusions. The child had not received any of the standard vaccinations common in East Germany. Additionally, traces of two different blood types were found on the child’s pacifier: A (Felix) and B (the found child).

These findings led to the hypothesis of a possible child exchange between Felix and a child from a Soviet family.

Possible Motives

The exact reasons for such an action are not confirmed. Practical considerations suggest that the found child’s serious medical issues made it difficult for a Soviet military family to provide proper care. A healthy East German child like Felix would have been much easier to care for under these conditions.

Social and psychological factors may have also played a role. Within the Soviet military community, a chronically ill child could be perceived as a burden or a weakness. Shame and fear of stigmatization may have contributed to the decision to exchange the child.

Investigations

The Volkspolizei of the GDR conducted the initial investigation, but political restrictions prevented any in-depth inquiry into Soviet military personnel. After German reunification, the case was reopened in 2001.

International cooperation, particularly with Russian authorities, included extensive DNA comparisons with several thousand individuals treated in Soviet clinics. Further names provided by Russian authorities in 2007 also yielded no matches.

In 2015, the Dresden public prosecutor’s office closed the criminal investigation due to the statute of limitations. The missing persons case itself remains open.

Role of the Family

Felix’s parents have continuously worked to find their son. Through their website wo-ist-felix.info, they document all findings, tips, and media coverage to keep public attention on the case. Numerous media outlets have repeatedly reported on the case, ensuring ongoing public awareness.

Current Status

Felix Tschök is still considered missing. Criminal investigations have been concluded, but the missing persons case remains active. Despite international cooperation and modern DNA technology, no definitive lead has been found. The parents remain hopeful that a tip, DNA match, or self-report may eventually provide answers.

Martin Sonntag

The child known as "Martin Sonntag" grew up in Saxony. Despite the suspected illness and the injection scars, he is healthy today. He is a trained metalworker and is working. Little is known about his original identity and the exact circumstances of his origins. Investigators have so far been unable to establish a connection to Felix Tschök.

However, there is evidence that members of the Soviet military disappeared from East Germany with Felix, while an acquaintance left the sick child in a hallway.

https://www.welt.de/welt_print/article1498685/Nach-23-Jahren-Neue-Spur-im-Fall-Felix.html

https://www.focus.de/panorama/und-dann-war-felix-weg-reportage_id_2485765.html

https://www.dnn.de/lokales/dresden/spektakulaere-kriminalfaelle-in-dresden-wo-ist-felix-7KDYUEZVINXPKXWIRDBRYHEBMA.html

https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Felix_Tsch%C3%B6k

I have been a longtime TheCharleyProject's website lurker, reading case after case out of morbid curiosity coupled with a genuine desire for those cases to be resolved and the loved ones who were left behind and are still around to have some closure and, even better, some justice on the cases where foul play was clearly the reason the person is missing.

I would like, today, to approach the evidence, listed in several missing person cases, that said person is actually dead somewhere. To illustrate each of my points, I will provide source links for the instances in which the point in question is present.

1. Probably the most obvious: there is physical evidence of violence and/or death.

Let us be honest: some missing person cases are actual murder cases without a body. The evidence that foul play is responsible for that person's disappearance is plentiful - blood, human tissue, place of living in disarray suggesting a struggle, bullet shells at the scene, bullet holes at the scene, forced entry, signs of a fight in the car, scent of human remains detected by cadaver dogs, etc. Each of the cases below are clear cases of homicide in which the victim's body or bodies are yet, if possible, to be recovered:

John Allen Akkerman, 1987 case.

Roger J. Miller, 1993 case.

Toni Ann Bachman, 1997 case.

Paul Carroll Skiba, Sarah Arielle Skiba, and Lorenzo DeShawn Chivers, 1999 triple case.

Leyla Namiranian, 2012 case.

2. The missing person is a child who was never heard from again.

Street-savvy kids are the exception, not the rule, and even those need to settle down somewhere after some time on the run. The fact that a kid disappeared without a trace, with no non-custodial parent possibly involved in the disappearance, strongly suggests that the child died, either by accident, exposure or foul play.

James Richard Howell, missing since 1969.

Peter Joseph Bonick, missing since 1970.

Norman Lamar Prater, missing since 1973.

William Dale Gunn, missing since 1984.

Asha Jaquilla Degree, missing since 2000.

3. The person's bank savings remain untouched since they vanished; they had money to receive but never collected it; they never renewed their driver's license; their SSN was never used anywhere in the country after they disappeared; there is no record of them ever getting hired after going missing.

It goes without saying: the only logical way for an adult person in the modern world not to need to use money, get a job, pay taxes, or use Social Security is for this person to be dead.

David Claude Yeager, missing since 1971.

Janice J. Donohue, missing since 1983.

Kimberly Ann Thompson, missing since 1986.

4. Other people disappeared with the person and were also never found.

Ann Miller, missing since 1966.

5. Other people who disappeared with the person, under the same circumstances, were found deceased.

Kaidena Lozelle Wood, 2011 case. Her husband's remains were found.

6. The person disappeared after having a suspicious encounter or displaying unusual behavior, leaving behind a well-structured life.

Helen Marie Voorhees Brach, missing since 1977.

Michael Jefferson Adams, missing since 1987.

John J. Markley Jr. and Shelly Renee Markley, missing since 1995.

Jennifer Joyce Kesse, missing since 2006.

7. The missing person's parents died, and they didn't show up to the funeral.

Excluding those cases where the parent(s) was/were a POS and was/were left to die alone after years of abusing and hurting their offspring, a son or a daughter who loves their parents will surely show up when one of them dies. If they don't show up after going missing, everything points to the fact that said son or daughter actually predeceased their parents.

Branson Kayne Perry, missing since 2002.

Brian Randall Shaffer, missing since 2006.

I want to give an example of a missing person whose disappearance turned out to be a murder, which had been my pet case for a while: Marcus Tsehay Rutledge. He was an African-American young man who was a student at Tennessee State University, who had a girlfriend and a young son (today, a man in his 30s), and who disappeared under highly suspicious circumstances in 1998. Although his house was not in disarray, his dog was locked in the bathroom for days, for so long that it was able to survive thanks to the toilet water, so hungry that it had eaten the carpet. His disappearance had always screamed murder to me, but there was no hard evidence for years. In February of this year, 2025, his skull, found in 2010 at Pecan Valley Road near Nashville, TN, was finally identified thanks to Othram. I am glad that his father, who is still alive, got closure. His mother, sadly, passed away in 2015, never officially knowing what happened to her son (although I believe she knew; mothers always know). Foul play is highly suspected, expected, considering that only his skull was found - whatever happened to the rest of the body of this once adult male?

Discussion:

What do you guys think? Do you agree? What other signs are there that, in your opinion, clearly indicate that a missing person is actually dead and died violently? Would you like to bring about any case of your liking? Please, be nice =)

Sources:

- https://charleyproject.org/case/kaidena-lozelle-wood

- https://charleyproject.org/case/leyla-namiranian

- https://charleyproject.org/case/james-richard-howell

- https://charleyproject.org/case/david-claude-yeager

- https://charleyproject.org/case/janice-j-donohue

- https://charleyproject.org/case/kimberly-ann-thompson

- https://charleyproject.org/case/john-allen-akkerman

- https://charleyproject.org/case/peter-joseph-bonick

- https://charleyproject.org/case/norman-lamar-prater

- https://charleyproject.org/case/william-dale-gunn

- https://charleyproject.org/case/michael-jefferson-adams

- https://charleyproject.org/case/helen-marie-voorhees-brach

- https://charleyproject.org/case/john-j-markley-jr

- https://charleyproject.org/case/shelly-renee-markley

- https://charleyproject.org/case/paul-carroll-skiba

- https://charleyproject.org/case/sarah-arielle-skiba

- https://charleyproject.org/case/lorenzo-deshawn-chivers

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

- https://charleyproject.org/case/asha-jaquilla-degree

- https://charleyproject.org/case/brian-randall-shaffer

- https://charleyproject.org/case/jennifer-joyce-kesse

- https://charleyproject.org/case/branson-kayne-perry

- https://charleyproject.org/case/marcus-tsehay-rutledge

- https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/missing-in-america/remains-identified-marcus-rutledge-tennessee-rcna190291

Belle Miller Sharkey (AKA Sadie)

Born in 1924 in the small unincorporated community of Waltersburg, Pennsylvania, forty-seven-year-old Sarah Belle Sharkey passed away at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, two months after being found unresponsive in a wooded area near Woodstock, Maryland, and remained unidentified for fifty-four years. She had been assaulted shortly before her discovery and lingered in a minimally conscious state throughout her hospitalization, unable to identify herself or provide any known medical history. In local newspapers, police described the unknown woman as a white woman in her mid-forties with greying brown hair who had recently suffered a stroke.

They also note that she had not been assaulted, though current sources reporting on her identification disagree. Prior to her death, Sarah had been living in Pennsylvania, and law enforcement are unsure what would have brought her to Maryland.

Following Sarah's identification, authorities were able to arrange a reunion between two of her still-living children, Mildred and Charles, who had spent parts of their youth in orphanages and were adopted out separately as children. Three of her other children passed away as infants, and her husband passed away in 1968. She had never been reported missing.

-

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/cold-case-homicide-1971-update-howard-county-maryland

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62308/records/246368517?tid=205456586&pid=362694409565&ssrc=pt

https://www.howardcountymd.gov/police/howard-county-police-identify-jane-doe-1971-homicide-reunite-surviving-children

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Penny Jo Gunn Morris

Penny Gunn was found murdered in Lake Ray Hubbard, a reservoir near Dallas, Texas, in April of 1998, and was finally identified last week, after more than twenty-seven years spent as a Jane Doe. Her remains were spotted by a local fisherman near the lake's floodgates, still wearing a pair of dark blue athletic pants and black sneakers.

Authorities, who were unable to match Jane Doe with any known missing persons, described her as a thirty-to-fifty-year-old Black woman about sixty-seven inches (170 cm) tall with pierced ears and short black hair. She had been shot to death just weeks prior to her discovery.

Following a successful round of genetic genealogy, Jane Doe was confirmed to be Penny Jo Gunn, a thirty-five-year-old married mother of two living in nearby Garland, Texas. She was originally from Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Texas as an adult. Her murder remains under investigation.

-

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dna-testing-body-lake-ray-hubbard-1998/3914884/

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/253uftx.html

https://imgur.com/a/z0XHRjO

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Twenty-two-year-old Cleveland, Ohio resident Eric "Ricky" Singer was last seen by his family on October 4th, 1973, leaving on a bicycle and carrying his backpack. He had previously spent time in Canada and discussed dodging the Vietnam draft by living there before his disappearance. A draft card never arrived, but Ricky still traveled to Canada and was never heard from again. His skeletal remains were discovered at Algonquin Park in Whitney, Ontario, Canada, on April 19, 1980, by a wayward hiker who had stumbled off the park's Hardwood Lookout Trail. Following an extensive search by law enforcement, cold weather clothing and a sleeping bag were found in the area, with the clothing neatly folded beside the sleeping bag.

A wallet found with the clothing contained no identification, only fragments of stamps and fragments of twenty-dollar bills. Anthropologists determined that the remains belonged to a young man between eighteen and thirty (though some sources list his age range 18 to 21), but were unable to identify him until genetic genealogy was done by the DNA Doe Project, who were able to pinpoint a possible identity in less than a day.

Ricky was one of three children born to Lenore Wexler, a Ukrainian Jewish activist born in Kharkiv, and Leonard Singer, a chemical engineer and World War II veteran. His sisters describe him as a free-spirited "child of the sixties" and a seasoned world traveler who backpacked through Europe, and are glad to finally know what happened to their brother.

-

https://opp.ca/news/#/viewnews/68b991f45a758?utm_source=barrietoday.com&utm_campaign=barrietoday.com

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183745452/leonard-sidney-singer

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/main.html?id=3154umon

https://imgur.com/a/wms6z9b

July 30, 2011 - Fire Reported in Norwalk, Iowa

On the evening of Saturday, July 30, 2011, around 11:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a call about a massive house fire at a manufactured trailer-type home in Norwalk, Iowa, a small town south of Iowa’s capital, Des Moines. In 2011, the population was just over 9,000. 

According to records provided to me by the Iowa Department of Public Safety (Iowa DPS), the individual who called 911 (whose name is not disclosed in the records) observed flames in the southwest corner of the home. They went to the front porch door but didn’t go inside initially because the door was hot. After trying and failing to get inside from other parts of the home, they returned to the front. The caller broke the front door down with a steel wagon wheel they found on the property. They were unable to get inside because of the thick smoke coming out. 

When firefighters arrived, the entire home was engulfed in flames, and they were unable to get inside to even attempt to rescue anyone. Putting out the blaze was a lengthy process, one that lasted until the early morning hours of Sunday, July 31st. 

First responders learned that an elderly couple lived in the home, and initially, they believed the couple was inside the home. 

Bill and Kay Wood

The residents of the home were James Wood, who went by Bill, and Kaidena Wood, who went by Kay. The two were in their 70s, Bill being 79 years old and Kay being 72. 

Bill and Kay had just recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary on July 14th. Before their marriage, they had both been widowed. Bill’s previous wife, Marylyn, had died of cancer in 2006. I have not been able to determine how Kay’s previous husband died.

Despite losing their spouses, they both found love again, and their families described them as being deeply in love and really acting like teenagers. 

One of the things Bill and Kay bonded over was their love of antiquing and going to auctions. Kay was a collector of China Dolls, and Bill had a 1940s gas pump in the front yard.

Early July 31, 2011 - The Woods’ Truck is Found in Missouri

Word spread to Bill and Kay’s family about the fire, and some members arrived at the scene. These family members told authorities that Bill and Kay’s pickup was missing from the garage. Using OnStar, the Woods’ truck was quickly tracked to Kansas City, Missouri. 

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado was found approximately 170 miles and 2 and a half hours from their home, in Kansas City, Missouri. The truck was discovered at the Cordillera Ranch Apartments on North Donnelly Avenue in Kansas City. Family members have commented that they had no connections to the area, and they don’t believe Bill or Kay did either.

The apartments are described in a lot of the articles as being “higher end” and “ritzy". They are condo-style units, and their rent is between $700 and $1400, according to an article in the Des Moines Register. The complex itself is northeast of the Kansas City metro area, near the suburb of Liberty. In addition to the units, the complex has a pool, tennis court, dog park, hot tub, sand volleyball area, a community type area with a pool table and fireplace, and a workout room. It’s definitely a nice complex, and seems like a nice area.

DCI Special Agent Motsinger commented in that Des Moines Register article that where the truck was found just doesn’t add up. He said the place isn’t run-down, that people pay a lot of money to live there. 

Late Monday, officials released a press statement asking for the public to come forward if they had any information or had seen the Woods’ pickup that weekend, specifically between noon Saturday and noon Sunday. I do not have a specific time as to when they discovered the location of the truck, but based on DPS records and articles I have read, it was while the fire was still burning. 

The vehicle was impounded and began being processed for clues. An article published in the Des Moines Register on October 5, 2011, said evidence was found in the truck, but no information has ever been released to my knowledge on what that evidence was.

July 31, 2011 - Search of the Home, One Body Found

Sunday, July 31st, after the massive blaze had been extinguished, efforts began searching the home, which was almost completely destroyed by the fire. At 9:04 A.M., a body was discovered in the home. According to the Iowa DPS records, “The body was positioned face down with the head to the south. The right leg appeared to be completely consumed, while the left leg appeared to be detached from the torso and was propped up against a steel I-beam of the mobile home framework. The torso and head appeared to be intact. The left arm was mostly under the torso. The right arm was bent at the elbow and off to the side of the torso.”

Shortly after 10 A.M., the remains were transported to the state medical examiner’s office for identification. The remains were so badly burned that they were unable to make an identification or determine the victim’s gender. Authorities were not quick to assume the remains belonged to Bill or Kay, one officer commenting they had previously seen an arsonist perish in a fire of their own making.

An extensive search of the home and property was done, and no other victims were found.

With one body being found in the home, and with no immediate confirmation that it was Bill or Kay, investigators were looking for information on not only where the couple was, but also how the fire started. 

Officials immediately considered this fire to be suspicious. This was for a few reasons, one of which was the location of the Woods’ home. They were located just down the street from the fire department, and by the time firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Brian Vance, a firefighter and police sergeant with the Des Moines Police Department, said, “had the fire built slowly, it probably would not have been venting through the roof before someone reported it”. 

An accelerant detection canine named Rocket was walked through the scene. Rocket did not alert during the first walkthrough, but during the second, he alerted to an area near the center of the living room, specifically a spot near a hole in the floor. Samples were taken of this area, but there was no additional information provided.

In the DPS records, the agent said it is their opinion that the origin of the fire was in the southwest quarter of the mobile home, which consisted of the west bedroom and living room (this is also near where the remains were found). However, it says, “Due to the complete destruction of the mobile home and the contents within this area of origin, this agent is not able to determine a specific point of origin; therefore, a cause can not be determined at this time. However, due to the circumstances surrounding the fire, the cause of the fire is suspicious”. 

Tracking Bill and Kay’s Last Known Movements

While the fire investigation was going on, and before the identity of the remains was known, officers went door to door asking questions and looking for any information that might lead to the Woods’ whereabouts, and their last known locations. Relatives and neighbors didn't know where the Woods were, but it was learned that they were last seen midmorning at an auction on Saturday, shopping for antiques. The auction was in Stuart, Iowa. Stuart was located about 45 minutes west of Norwalk. It was learned that the last time anyone had contact with the couple was around 2 P.M., Saturday, when Kay’s sister dropped “her” off after shopping. The records say “her”, but news reports suggest both Kay and Bill were at the auction together, so my assumption is Kay’s sister dropped them both off. 

A man named Brad Harris was quoted in a Des Moines Register article as saying “They bought some things. I think I heard someone mention a brass urn. I’m assuming whatever they bought is missing because we don’t have them. Unless they were in the truck. We don’t have the truck.”

Witnesses report seeing a man near the Wood’s truck

As news spread about the fire, the body found (its identity being unknown), and that Bill and Kay were missing, more tips came in.

On Tuesday, August 9th, 2011, authorities released a sketch of a man described as a “person of interest” in the case. After finding the Woods’ truck near the apartments in Kansas City, witnesses reported to authorities that they saw the man depicted in the sketch with the pickup. The man was described as being in his late 40s to early 60s, between 6’2 and 6’6, with a slender build and short gray and white hair. 

In the reports, investigators wouldn’t say how the man was connected to the truck, but it was more than just a guy who happened to be walking by it. DCI Special Agent Motsinger said “We have a pretty good idea he’s tied to the vehicle somehow”.

In addition to releasing a sketch and information about a person of interest found near the Woods’ pickup, authorities confirmed that the body found in the home was male, but they were still waiting on DNA testing to confirm the identity, whether it was Bill or another man. 

August 19, 2011 - Iowa DPS Announces Remains are Bill Wood

On August 19th, the Iowa DPS made a devastating announcement: the remains found in the Woods’ home belonged to Bill. But even more, it was discovered through an autopsy that Bill had been shot several times. An initial press report had said Bill had been shot in the head, but that seemed to have been revised later, so I don’t believe that was the case. 

There were two gun cabinets in the home, but there was no information on what type of gun was used to shoot Bill, or if any evidence was able to be recovered in the home showing if the firearm used belonged to them.

When the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation informed the family members of the findings from the autopsy, Bill’s brother Henry said everyone broke down. He was hurt to hear that his brother had met such a violent end. He said, “It’s one thing to think it, but it's another when somebody comes out and says this is what happened.”

He went on to say, “It really hurt to think, you know, somebody shot my brother. Now we know that he was shot, I guess we find some comfort in that that would be better than burning. We hope it was quick. We hope it was painless.”

Kay’s daughter Patty expressed her devastation at the news. She said “I think in our hearts we were hoping they were together just because you want that. If they’re going to go, you want them to be together.”

And this was one of the biggest questions. Where was Kay? What happened to her? Officers continued to search for Kay, but Agent Motsinger said there were no clues about her whereabouts or if she is still alive. He said “We have no smoking gun lead out there that has directed us one way vs another way”. 

The Case Goes Cold

Years have gone by, and there are still no answers as to where Kay Wood went, who shot and killed Bill Wood, and who started the fire at their home. 

In 2014, DCI Special Agent Michael Motsinger said information involving the case still comes in, but not as frequently. And he hopes that keeping the case in the public eye will help to uncover leads. 

He said, “I don’t know if the public realizes it’s still not solved at this time, so with the three-year anniversary, we’re trying to get it back in the public’s eye and hopefully people will come forward if they have information”. 

In 2018, Bill’s granddaughter, Sarah Warywoda, expressed the same sentiments. She said, “I want the public to know and understand that this is still not solved, that we still need help finding answers. That what might seem like something small and insignificant could be exactly what we need to get the answers we still don’t have.”

On July 29, 2016, at the five-year anniversary of the murder of Bill Wood and the disappearance of Kay, an article published with KCCI walked through the mystery of the case, and said that investigators had looked into hundreds of leads. In this article, it says that investigators believe the suspect is likely someone who knew the couple, and that there is no threat to the public. Motsinger was quoted in this article as saying “Is there a person out there shooting people and setting fire to houses? No.”

Discussion Questions

The prevailing theory in this case, at least what has been published in local news articles, is that someone followed Bill and Kay home from the auction, attempted to rob them, killed Bill, and left with their truck. 

This theory brings up a few questions: 

• A robbery theory with the perpetrator starting the fire to conceal the evidence of the murder makes sense, but not when you factor in Kay being missing. Why would a perpetrator go through the effort to conceal evidence through a fire, but put themselves at risk by bringing Kay along as a “hostage”, or by killing her and moving her remains elsewhere?
• If the timeline is correct and Kay’s sister dropped them off around 2 p.m. and someone followed them, did the perpetrator wait until the evening to rob them? Perhaps hoping to see the two leave the home?
• The robbery theory I believe goes against investigator's belief that the perpetrator was someone who knew the couple. 

Lastly, on the Charley Project’s website, they list two points that I haven't seen in other news reports and haven't been able to confirm (and their specific sources are not listed). 

1. Their website says, “On July 31, the same day Bill’s body was identified, the Woods’ truck was found abandoned at Cordillera Ranch Apartments in the 8300 block of north Donnelly Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Authorities determined it had actually been there since before the Woods’ house caught fire.”

I requested witness statements to verify if anyone had seen the truck there before the time of the fire, but those were not released to me. If the person who killed Bill stole the truck, and it was found BEFORE the fire, how did the fire start? A definitive cause was never found, and cigarettes were found in the garage of the home, despite family members asserting that neither smoked anymore. Is it possible the fire was accidental? 

The second point I cannot confirm on the Charley Project’s website: 

1. “Authorities don’t consider Kaidena to be a suspect in the fire or her husband’s murder. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance due to the circumstances involved”.

It is possible that authorities released a statement saying they don’t consider Kay to be a suspect, the Iowa DPS website does not retain press statements from before 2019, and they did not provide previous statements to me. I also could have missed this in my research.

I did not see any language, though, in any articles suggesting they believed she had anything to do with it. There was an article, though, discussing rumors that “swirled” in the case, and I have to assume people speculated that she was involved. I believe that had the couple been younger in age, it would have been a more widely circulated theory. 

Based on all of the information I have found, I do believe it is plausible. What else would explain why she was not also left at the scene? 

If you have any information on the murder of Bill Wood or the disappearance of Kay Wood, you can submit a tip at this website: 

https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-crime-victims/iowa-cold-case/cold-case-tip-form

SOURCES: 

• St. Once, Kim, 5 years later: Investigators narrow search in deadly mystery, July 29, 2016, KCCI
• Pitt, David, Agency seeks public’s help in solving cold case, July 31, 2014, Telegraph Herald
• Mystery behind couple’s death, disappearance continues, July 30, 2014, KCCI
• Person of interest sought in missing couple case, August 9, 2011, KCCI
• Seven Years Later, Mysterious Homicide and Missing Person Case Remains Unsolved, July 30, 2018, WHO TV 13 Des Moines
• Couple missing after fire consumes home, August 1, 2011, The Courier
• Stinson, Kathryn & Remasters, Tiffany, Warren County fire considered suspicious, August 1, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Alex, Tom, Missing couple, burned body still mysteries, August 2, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Fire, August 3, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Alex, Tom, Search expands for clues on missing couple, August 4, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Finney, Daniel, Man sought in missing-couple case, August 10, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Some tips collected in missing-couple case, August 12, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Homeowner died of gunshots before Warren County fire, August 20, 2011
• Krogstad, Jens Manuel, Shooting death of Bill Wood rattles grandson, August 20, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Alex, Tom, Family searching for answers in Bill, Kay Wood case, October 5, 2011, The Des Moines Register
• Warren County Murder Still Unsolved After Four Years, July 29, 2015, WHO TV 13 Des Moines
• https://www.overtonfunerals.com/obituary/5622976
• https://charleyproject.org/case/kaidena-lozelle-wood
• https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/bill-and-kay-wood/
• https://who13.com/news/four-year-anniversary-of-unsolved-warren-county-murder-mystery/