Don’t talk to Strangers – The Oakland County Child Murders is a limited run podcast focused on eight child murders that took place in and around south Oakland County between January 1, 1976 and March 16, 1977. Four of these murders appear to be the work of an as yet unidentified serial killer known as the Oakland County Child Killer.
Coming Summer 2018
On November 12, 2013 Chelsea Small was working at the Advance America store in Taylor, Michigan. During a robbery she was shot twice and her killer made off with $200 in cash. Despite video and images of the killer, he remains at large.
If you have information please contact Detective Jones at the Taylor Police Department 734-287-6550 or Crimestoppers at 1-800- SPEAK UP
Advance America is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of her killer.
This week’s promo from the 36 Times Podcast.
On June 8, 2012 Lisa Marie Knight met up with her former husband, Lloyd Frey, they had plans to visit their youngest child.
The visit never happened. Lisa made a 10:30p phone call to a friend, and then she vanished.
Det/Sgt Harshberger of the Michigan State Police is in charge of Lisa’s case and he’s determined to locate Lisa and bring those responsible for her disappearance to justice.
If you have any information on Lisa’s disappearance you’re asked to call Michigan State Police Alpena Post at 989-354-4101.
In 1971 Ralph Dean Templeton, known as “Dean” decided to leave his life in Flint, Michigan behind. He set out on a cross country journey in his unsuccessful bid to become the 38th president of the United States.
In January of 1975 Templeton was murdered, shot and left on the side of the road in rural Washington.
Templeton’s grave marker is all that remains from his efforts.
This episode was inspired by a thread on the Unresolved Mysteries Subreddit.
In this bonus “mini-sode” we discuss the dig for the bodies of up to seven women happening in northern Macomb County. The life and crimes of convicted murderer Arthur Ream, touch on the Oakland County Child Killer and review the cases of missing women from the metro area that could be uncovered in the search.
Find us on Twitter – @AlreadyGonePod
On a sunny, summer Saturday in 1990 all hell broke lose inside the Osco Store in South Bend Indiana. The store was robbed, leaving three dead and a mystery that lasted more than a decade before former employee, Charles Allen, was put on trial.
Was Allen responsible for the horrific robbery/murder? Or did South Bend police develop tunnel vision? Families would wait more than 10 years for an arrest and trial.
Additional reading/Sources:
On Earth Day (April 22) 1990, 17 year old Chris Temple went with friends for a bonfire at Rose Lake Research Area in Bath Township Michigan. Around 9 p.m. Chris walked away from the bonfire, never to be seen again. In the almost 30 years since he vanished, there have been rumors, stories and speculation, but no evidence leading to the whereabouts of Chris Temple.
If you have information about the disappearance of Chris Temple, please contact the Bath Township Police department at (517) 641-6271
Additional reading:
Chris Temple on The Charley Project
John Temple’s Letter to the Editor
Content warning – murder, sexual assault, harm to animals.
In 1987 Barbara Blackstone was 30 years old, happily married and enjoying a successful career as a high school teacher. Someone snatched her from her home, murdered her and dumped her body in the woods. Also that summer, two other young women were murdered and left in the woods, 18 year old Angela Hackl and 29 year old Linda Nachreiner.
While arrests were made in Hackl and Nachreiner’s cases, no charges were ever brought forward in Blackstone’s case.
Enjoy a preview from the Yours in Murder podcast.
Special thanks to the Juneau Messenger.
Additional reading/research on the case
30 years later and the case is unsolved
Beyond the Mystery: Barbara Blackstone
The Unsolved murder of Barbara Blackstone – this link contains several photos
Kim S Brown – murderpedia
On a spring day in 1996 Debra Iverson disappeared from Birmingham, Michigan after leaving a doctor’s appointment. Leaving her husband, family and two young sons behind.
When her body was discovered the next morning, strangled in her vehicle in a remote lot near Stoney Creek Metro Park, all eyes turned to her husband. It would be seven months without a single lead before the case broke open.
A young couple, desperate for money kidnapped Iverson, but the money wasn’t enough. Anitra Coomer and McConnell Adams would be sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing her.
Photo of Dr Iverson here.
McConnell Adams inmate profile here
Sources and Additional Reading:
Scene of the Crime: the shocking murder of Debra Iverson
Three and a half homicides. (This case is the half)
Between September of 2009 and December of 2018 ten women have vanished from Flint and the surrounding area. While some of these cases have limited information available, I’ve tried to put as much out there as possible in the hope that they can find their way back home.
This episode was created because in November of 2017 the partial remains of two women were found in Broome Park. MLive story
Elizabeth Land 2009
Sylvia Galvan 2011
Jina Collins 2013
Laquandra “Shay V” Slater 2016
Teresa Towne Woolard 2016
Brianna Vibert 2017
Presley “Amy Jo” Rau 2017
Claudia Wilson 2017
Erica Toins 2017
If you are interested in reading more about the city of Flint:
NPR Story: The Making of a Crisis
Jalopnik: What GM did to Flint
LA Times, 1987 Fisher Body Plant fades into history
Between 1981 and 1983 three young women, aged 20, 16 and 19 were murdered. The first victim was left in a ditch in western Oakland County, the final two bodies concealed in wooded areas of Livingston County.
Today we cover the unresolved murders of Anne Marie Doroghazi, Kimberly Louiselle and Christina Castiglione.
Some of my research:
In 1847 Michigan became the first English speaking territory in the world to abolish the death penalty.
In 2002 Marvin Gabrion was sentenced to death for the murder of Rachel Timmerman in Newaygo County, Michigan.
This story starts in the early part of the 1800’s, visits Michigan’s last execution in 1938 and asks the heartbreaking question, where is Rachel Timmerman’s 11 month old daughter?
The morning of May 3, 1992 Ted and Gina Hollman left their 21 year old son, Eddie Hollman, at the house while they attended Sunday services at Sacred Heart Church in Dearborn.
When they return, Gina discovers the body of her son on the floor in the basement. Who murdered Eddie Hollman and why? He had no enemies and no legal troubles.
If you have information about the murder of Eddie Hollman, please contact Detective Sergeant Pawlus of the Dearborn Heights Police Department at 313 277 6770
Special thanks to Roseanne of Killafornia Dreaming and Erica of Southern Fried True Crime.
Donnie Martin III, is a hard-working young man from a good family. Donnie was battling addiction and his family fears that his demons put him in a dangerous situation. Donnie Martin was last seen midday on Thursday August 3, 2017.
If you have information contact CrimeStoppers or Detective Hartunian of the Madison Heights Police Department.
WXYZ Detroit interview with Donnie’s father
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction. There is help available. Visit NA.org or NCADD.org
Twenty-year-old Deborah Polinsky was murdered in her Port Sheldon Township home in July of 1977.
Her case was aggressively pursued and investigated, but no arrests were made Today, detectives from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department continue to work her case and see your assistance in learning the truth behind her murder.
Follow Deborah’s case on Facebook.
This week’s promo is from the Missing Minority Project.
October 1994, bow hunters in a remote area of Alcona County Michigan discover human remains. In the last 23 years her remains have been tested against the DNA of dozens of missing persons, including Laura Lee Alber who was last seen in Lansing, Michigan in 1990.
Despite improvements in forensic testing, the victim is identified only as Alcona County Doe. This is the last episode of 2017 and the first time that Already Gone has explored a case involving unidentified remains.
During this episode we discuss the NAMUS program and the work being done by the Alcona County Sheriff to give a name to this victim.
Special thanks to Alcona County Sheriff’s Deputy Nathanael Leeseburg for the interview.
Thanks also to Tim Flutur and Luke Superior for their musical contributions to this and other episodes.
Support the show by visiting our sponsors: Zola.com/gone, register your wedding at Zola to receive a $50 credit toward your registry.
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As the year winds down we perk things up with a True Crime Broad Cast, interviewing Michigan author Karen Dybis about her new book: The Witch of Delray: Rose Veres & Detroit’s Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery.
We also talk history, landmarks and Detroit. I hope you’ll join us.
January 1998, Sudbury Ontario. 23 year old Renee Sweeney is working by herself at the Adults Only Video Store on Walford Road.
Around 11:15 a.m. a man enters the store and attacks Renee, stabbing her repeatedly. He flees the store and is never seen again.
In late 2016 Sudbury police submit his DNA to the Parabon Nanolabs so a “snapshot” of him can be created.
If you have tips or information about the murder of Renee Sweeney please call the tip line at area code 705 675 9171 extension 2320
Join the Justice for Renee Sweeney group on Facebook.
In December of 2002 Marco Pesce was a father of three children and the owner of Italia Jewelers in Livonia Michigan.
The night of December 21 two men attacked and robbed the family, leaving five dead and a community in terror.
22 year old Kelly Nolan would disappear after a night out with friends in Madison, Wisconsin. Her remains would be discovered July 9 in a remote wooded area south of town.
Includes an interview with Joel DeSpain of the Madison Police department.
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January 8, 1982 Thomas Randolph and his wife Sharron enjoy a meal at their favorite Chinese restaurant in Southfield.
The couple is assaulted after leaving the restaurant, leaving Thomas injured and his wife dead. It’s an 18 year journey to solving the murder, with an ending that no one saw coming.
Supplemental audio – Fatal Attraction S4 E16
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In September 1979 Kim King slipped away from her friends house, made a late night call to her sister and was never seen or heard from again.
Could her case be related to the Oakland County Child Killer?
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In 1977 Carson McDowell was a 43 year old married father of two. An executive at General Motors. A family man, friend and neighbor.
So why did he end up tortured and murdered by the side of the railroad tracks in Ferndale? Why was his case so hard to solve?
Twitter: @Alreadygonepod
Email – host@Alreadygonepodcast.com
May, 1975, two cousins, Scott Hardy and Mark Mellendorf walk from Mellendorf’s home in Lapeer County Michigan to Tody Lake for some fishing.
When the boys don’t return home, their parents raise the alarm and searchers scour the woods for hours trying to find the young boys. The next morning, a tracking dog makes a horrific discovery on the southern end of the lake. Both boys are dead and there is a killer on the loose in this idyllic community.
Days later a second boy, Willie Walters, takes his fishing gear to Kearsley Creek, he too doesn’t return. His battered body is discovered the next morning.
These horrific crimes happened just a few miles north of the hunting grounds favored by the Oakland County Child Killer in 1976-1977.
In 1991 and 1992 a small community in the upper peninsula of northern Michigan was rocked by the brutal murders of two women.
It would take a break in at the home of a third woman to bring this unlikely murderer to justice.
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Hillary Norskog was only 13 years old when she became the first victim of a serial murderer near Chicago Illinois. While his parents attempted to shield Steven Pfiel from his responsibility in her death, they could not stop him from killing again.
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Special thanks to Lanie of the True Crime Fan Club Podcast for her assistance with this episode. https://truecrimefanclub.com/
Tuesday December 9, 1997. 23-year-old Laney Gwinner meets up with friends at a local bowling alley in Fairfield, Ohio.
She shot a few rounds of pool, had a couple of beers and left just after midnight, headed to her boyfriend’s nearby apartment. Laney won’t arrive, in fact, she’ll never be seen alive again.
Facebook group seeking Justice for Laney
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In early June 2010 seven year old Kyron Horman disappeared from Skyline Elementary in Portland, Oregon.
Despite comprehensive searches of the area, no trace of Kyron was ever discovered.
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Check out the Deliberations podcast. Available on iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play
In September 2009, just days before her wedding, graduate student Annie Le vanished from the Yale Campus.
Her brutalized body would be found days later, stuffed inside a mechanical panel near the lab where she worked.
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School violence is an ongoing issue of concern to students, parents and staff. In October 2013 Danvers High School was the scene of a violent and brutal murder, when a 14 year old freshman raped and murdered his 24 year old math teacher at school and dumped her body on school grounds.
What drove Philip Chism to violence and why choose Colleen Ritzer as his victim?
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On January 19, 2015 19 year old Brock Turner, a Stanford University Swimmer, was arrested for the sexual assault of a 22 year old woman, “Emily Doe.”
In the months after the assault his story would change and evolve. At the trial, he was found guilty of three felonies and sentenced to six months in jail. He served three months.
In this episode we look at the perpetrator, the victim and the overwhelming response to the outcome of the trial.
Brock Turner’s letter to the judge.
Dan Turner’s letter to the judge.
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I’m taking a week off to refresh, regroup and plan for a Back to School series of cases.
Meanwhile check out my guest appearance on Our Americana. Season 3, episode 11.
or, give a listen to another wonderful Detroit based storyteller – The Conspirators Podcast. Creepy history and strange stories. One of my favorites.
If you really need to hear me talk crime, check out the newest episode of Thinking Sideways, The Villisca Axe murders. You won’t be disappointed.
Finally, you may know that I am a big fan of the In Sight podcast hosted by the lovely and talented Ali and Charlie. They started a spin off show, geared to the YA set In Sight Junior. As an adult, it’s very well done and written with the same flair as In Sight.
Thank you for checking in and please, be safe!
On the night of August 6, 1993 Army Sgt. Kenneth Junior French entered the Luigi’s restaurant in Fayetteville, North Carolina armed with two shotguns and a rifle.
When his rampage was over, four people were dead and eight others wounded.
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In 1983 the battered body of Erik Cross was found in a ditch in front of his house. He’d been beaten, dragged behind a car and finally run over, his body left on the edge of the road.
In the 34 years since his death, the Cross family has waited for an arrest in the case. In the last few years, an army has assembled, hoping to bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice.
In 2016 law enforcement named a group of suspects that they believe are involved in Eric’s death. This included Bill Cook, Tim Martin, Amber Thomas and Brent Spaulding:
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On June 19, 1982 Vincent Chin was attacked by two men wielding a baseball bat. He would die four days later, on his mother’s birthday.
The men who attacked him never spent a night in jail, they were given probation and a small fine. The Asian American community rose up and demanded justice for Vincent Chin. This was the birth of the Asian American Civil Rights Movement.
In September of 1996, 19 year old Jillian Robbins opened fire on the Penn State Campus. When the smoke cleared, one student was dead, one seriously injured and Jillian was in need of medical attention.
Music courtesy of Luke Superior.
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During a 12 day period in January of 1984 suburban Denver was rocked by a series of attacks by a hammer wielding home intruder. When his work was done, four were dead, Four more grievously injured and the community was shaken to its core.
Aurora Police have worked this case aggressively, taking advantage of scientific updates to generate leads and find a killer.
Music courtesy Luke Superior
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Sixteen year old Marissa Escareno has a good life, she is a pretty girl, in good health. She lives in a loving home and earns good grades. In mid-February of 2017, there was a shift, Marissa wasn’t acting like herself. By March 3, she was gone, disappearing in the middle of the night, leaving behind her cell phone, clothing, cosmetics and ID.
In the last 90 days her family has been on a whirlwind. Sporadic calls and online appearances by Marissa raise their hopes, only to have them dashed again when she goes silent. It is her family’s belief that Marissa, who turned 17 on Mother’s Day, is somewhere in the Detroit area. Perhaps mixed up with the wrong crowd, or worse.
In this episode I speak with Marissa’s sister, Julia who tells Marissa’s story and shares her family’s experiences in trying to bring their girl home.
WXYZ Detroit did a web story about Marissa’s case.
If you see Marissa, please contact the Detroit Police 313-596-5400
In May of 2004 53 year old Al Kite had a good life. He was in good health, had a nice home and a good job. His relationship with his girlfriend, Linda, was in a good place. He seemed like the last person who would die a violent, gruesome death at the hands of an unknown killer.
But on May 22, 2004 that’s exactly what happened. Days later police discovered his body in the basement of his home. He’d been tied up, endured hours of torture and finally, mercifully, murdered. Why? What reason could anyone have to torture and kill him?
Police are still asking that question and looking for his killer.
I usually post a photo of the victim, but someone, somewhere has to know who this is.
