In the summer of 2010 the community of Flint, Michigan was stalked by a knife wielding man who focused his murderous rage primarily on Black men in the community. When he was taken in to custody, he left more than a dozen gravely injured men and five deaths in his wake.
This episode explores the life and many crimes of serial killer Elias Abuelazam.
On May 24, 1990. Paige Renkoski drove her mother to the airport, she stopped and visited a friend. After that she parked her car on the shoulder of I-96, exited the car leaving behind her purse and shoes. Paige Renkoski vanished. She has never been seen or heard from again. Join Already Gone as we explore one of the most compelling missing person’s cases in Michigan history.
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This episode was primarily compiled using interviews with family and investigators. Additional sources:
Ardis Renkoski – Find a Grave
In 1981 23 year old Gretchen was a senior at Arizona State University. White, originally from Livonia MI loved the warmth and sunshine of Tempe.
On a March evening, someone broke into her garden level apartment and led her away. Her remains were found in the parking lot of a local high school. It would take decades to bring her killer to justice.
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May 20, 1988, 30 year old Laurie Dann went on a killing spree. This is her story.
– Listen now –
Sources:
WGN TV
With special thanks to the Highland Park/Winnetka/Glencoe grapevine. Especially J, for this and for everything. Thank you
May 18, 1927, the worst school attack in US history took place. Most people have never heard of it.
“Criminals are made, not born”
– Listen now –
Sources/Additional Reading
Bath Massacre – America’s First School Bombing
Find a Grave – Multiple entries
Emory Huyck
Beatrice Gibbs
Hazel Weatherby
Ellen (Nellie) Price Kehoe
Andrew Kehoe
In the early 1990’s a monster was hunting the women and girls of Oakland County. That monster was serial killer Leslie Allen Williams. This is his story – LISTEN NOW
Selection of sources/additional reading:
AP Story on slain teens
Parole Officer tried to contact kidnap victim
AP Story – Williams claims remorse, experts skeptical
Victim’s decision not to press charges in 1990 proved costly
Grandfather assails parole panel
Starr Commonwealth School
Crime In Detroit story – link to PDF
February 2010, newlyweds John and Carolyn Tarwacki don’t show up to work, no calls, nothing. When John’s dad stops by their home in Niles, Michigan to check on them, he comes across a bloody and chaotic scene. Who would want them dead? What motive was there to kill the music loving pair?
The case took years to solve, but the work of a dedicated investigator and a prosecutor who didn’t give up finally brought their killer to justice.
#Michigan #Niles #ColdCase
Please check out our sponsor – Better Help. Visit Betterhelp.com/gone and use code GONE at check out for a special discount on your first month.
Sources/Additional Reading:
Case Summary – Press Reader
Court of Appeals
South Bend Tribune
Lintz V. Skipski – proceed with caution – content warning
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On November 10, 1975 one of the best known maritime tragedies in modern history occurred on Lake Superior when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a strong storm. Because I (Nina) have such an emotional reaction to this story, this week’s episode was written by Gemma Harris, audio editing by Chaesare Gray.
This incident was immortalized in song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was written, composed and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, who is out on tour again this year.
The wreck is also taught in some grade school Michigan history classes.
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While the podcast gives a history of the ship and details of her last days, there is far more to the lives and stories of these fathers, sons, brothers, husbands and their families. If you’d like to know more, I encourage you to explore the individual stories of the Fitzgerald’s crew as follows:
37 year old Michael Armagost, the third mate from Iron River, Wisconsin
56 year old Frederick Beetcher, a porter from Superior, Wisconsin
23 year old Thomas Bentsen, an oiler from St Joseph, Michigan
47 year old Edward Bindon, a first assistant engineer from Fairport Harbour, Ohio
40 year old Thomas Borgeson, a maintenance worker from Duluth, Minnesota
41 year old Oliver Champeau, a third assistant engineer from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
55 year old Nolan Church, a porter from Silver Bay, Minnesota
53 year old Ransom Cundy, a watchman from Superior, Wisconsin
50 year old Thomas Edwards, a second assistant engineer from Oregon, Ohio
40 year old Russell Haskell, a second assistant engineer from Millbury, Ohio
60 year old George Holl, a chief engineer from Cabot, Pennsylvania
22 year old Bruce Hudson, a deck hand from North Olmsted, Ohio
43 year old Allen Kalmon, a cook from Washburn, Wisconsin
30 year old Gordon MacLellan, a wiper from Clearwater, Florida
59 year old Joseph Mazes, a maintenance worker from Ashland, Wisconsin
62 year old John ‘Jack’ McCarthy, the first mate from Bay Village, Ohio
63 year old captain Ernest McSorley, from Toledo, Ohio
50 year old Eugene O’Brien, a wheelsman from Toledo, Ohio
20 year old Karl Peckol, a watchman from Ashtabula, Ohio
59 year old John Poviach, a wheelsman from Bradenton, Florida
44 year old James Pratt, the second mate from Lakewood, Ohio
62 year old Robert Rafferty, a steward and cook from Toledo, Ohio
22 year old Paul Riippa, a deck hand from Ashtabula, Ohio
62 year old John Simmons, a wheelsman from Ashland, Wisconsin
59 year old William Spengler, a watchman from Toledo, Ohio
21 year old Mark Thomas, a deck hand from Richmond Heights, Ohio
58 year old Ralph Walton, an oiler from Fremont, Ohio
22 year old David Weiss, a cadet from Agoura, California
52 year old Blaine Wilhem, an oiler from Moquah, Wisconsin
Resource list –
ARTICLES
Hultquist, T., Dutter, M. & Schweb, D. (2006). Re-examination of the 9-10 November 1975 ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’ Storm Using Today’s Technology. American Meteorological Society.
Rice, D. 10 Nov 2015. ‘40 years ago, the ‘Witch of November’ sank the Edmund Fitzgerald’. USA Today.
McLeod, J. ‘Beware of the “November Witch!” Farmers Almanac.
BOOKS
Brissette, J. & Newton-Matza, M. (2014). Disasters & Tragic Events, by M. Newton-Matza, (ed). ABC-CLIO.
VIDEOS
WEBSITES
https://www.livescience.com/29312-great-lakes.html
https://www.livescience.com/10453-clues-wreck-edmund-fitzgerald.html
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70951/12-doomed-facts-about-ss-edmund-fitzgerald
https://www.michigan.org/great-lakes
https://www.mlive.com/news/2015/11/what_sank_the_edmund_fitzgeral.html
https://ssedmundfitzgerald.org
https://weatherology.com/trending/articles/Great-Lakes-Disaster-Edmund-Fitzgerald-Storm.html
In January of 2012, Grosse Pointe Park resident Jane Bashara was found dead in her Mercedes SUV, the vehicle abandoned in a Detroit alley miles from her home.
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Special thanks to Miranda Micronaut for discussing the BDSM community and sharing her knowledge and experience. Any errors in the episode are mine.
Check out our sponsor – Better Help. Visit betterhelp.com/gone and use code gone for 10% off your first month.
Sources used in this episode –
Sources:
Research provided by Haley Gray
The first week of October, 1981, Aida Marie Calfee was traveling with her boyfriend and coworker, James Pruitt. Pruitt would tell authorities that they argued and she left his car, announcing she would “hitch a ride” back to her home.
Calfee would never be seen again. Oddly enough, her disappearance happened days before she was set to testify against Pruitt for a July 12, 1981 assault against her.
If you have information on her case, please contact The Lumpkin County Sheriff.
Phone: 706-864-0414
Sources:
http://charleyproject.org/case/aida-ruth-calfee
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/court-of-appeals/1982/64904.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62274423/aida-ruth-calfee
Also the Atlanta Journal Constitution from 1981 and 1982.
Visit Missing in Georgia – Cold Cases on Facebook
Terrifying and prolific are two words used to describe American Serial Killer Coral Eugene Watts. Join us as we explore his life and many crimes.
This week’s episode sponsored by Better Help. Visit Betterhelp.com/gone and use code GONE at check out for a discount on your first month.
If you are looking to expand your podcast queue, check out True Crime Island. Grab a beer, pull up a deck chair and listen to True Crime Island on your favorite podcatcher.
#SerialKiller #Michigan #Texas #murder #missing
LISTEN NOW
SOURCES/ADDITIONAL READING
Ann Arbor District Library archives
Justia – Michigan V Watts
You Tube – Cold Case Files
This episode looks at the 1982 murder of Cathleen Schlosser Krauseneck, a Mt Clemens native (and graduate of Mt Clemens HS, class of 1970) in Brighton, NY. In November of 2019, her husband, James Krauseneck Jr was arrested and charged in her death.
We also explore the as yet unsolved February 1991 murder of Jill Holzbach in the parking lot of the Jackson Ohio police department.
Both of these women were 29 years old at the time of their deaths. Each had one child, a daughter, and in each case, the husband was the prime suspect, although, in the murder of Jill Holzbach, there is more to consider.
Additional reading:
Krauseneck – Democrat and Chronicle Story from 2019
Holzbach – Canton Rep story from 2011
Casetext Holzbach v Township
Please support the show by visiting our sponsor: Better Help
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August 1994, Piqua Ohio. 18 year old Shaylene Farrell invites her siblings to come to the store with her for a quick errand. They decline so she heads out on her own, a trip from which she will never return. While there are a pair of suspects in her disappearance and presumed murder, no one was ever named publicly. In 25 years of searching and investigation, police have yet to make an arrest in her case.
If you have information on the disappearance of Shaylene Farrell, please contact Piqua police. 937-778-2027
Also mentioned this episode, the unresolved disappearance of 26 year old George Gall. The unexplained death of Paul Barrett.
In this week’s episode we feature the work of Private Investigations for the Missing. An organization founded by Bruce Maitland, his daughter, Brianna, vanished in 2004.
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34 year old Tonia Stiles (also known as Renee Whitehill) was last seen in Grass Lake Michigan (near Jackson) on November 10, 2010.
Tonia had struggled with alcohol addiction in the past, but in late 2010, she was sober and getting her life in order. Tonia was a mother of two young children from her first marriage
At the time of her disappearance, Tonia was sharing a home with her boyfriend, Scott S Cassidy and a roommate.
The room mate told police that Scott and Tonia were arguing about finances the day she went missing.
On November 24, 2010, police arrested Scott Cassidy for auto theft. Because he had a record, including drug offenses and home invasion, he was jailed. On December 3, 2010, Cassidy died by suicide.
At the time of her disappearance, Tonia was about 5’5
with long brown hair, blue eyes and an average build.
her case is being handled by Michigan State Police Jackson Post
(517) 780-4580
additional reading:
MLive Story
In the summer of 1992, 15 year old Akita Ervin lived in a mobile home in White Lake Township, Michigan with her mother and her mother’s live in boyfriend. While Akita had a history of running away, there was more to the story, and that became terrifyingly clear when her decomposed remains were discovered in late June.
If you have information on her death, please contact White Lake Township Police
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Check out our sponsor, Better Help, visit www.Betterhelp.com/gone for a special discount on your first month of service.
This is another Missing in Michigan episode, covering two cases that need more attention, but lack information to make them appropriate for a stand alone episode.
We’re talking about the unidentified person known only as “Bill” who was found in Highland Park in March of 1976, and the unresolved disappearance of Tammy Sue Clements who vanished from….Michigan, or maybe Nebraska, or possibly California in 1980. Or was it 1981? 1982? We simply don’t know, but we’d like to find out! #MISSING #DOE #UNRESOLVED #DETROIT #MICHIGAN #NEBRASKA #UNIDENTIFIED #DNA
Tammy Sue Clements – Charley Project
Southern True Crime Podcast Meet Up 10-26-19 Charleston SC
True Crime Podcast Festival, KCMO July 2020
in 1991 Vicki Harshman was worked the overnight shift at the Holiday Inn (Holidome) in Lebanon Indiana. In the course of her shift, she would be robbed, attacked and murdered.
Her death bore several strange similarities to the Days Inn Murders of 1989, (I-65 killer) but her death was the work of an as yet unidentified killer.
If you have information on her death, please contact Det. DIckerson of the Lebanon Police 765-482-8879
Additional reading – American Crime Journal
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This episode is a trip in the way back machine, because we’re going way, way back to the late 1930’s for a disappearance that baffles Detroiters to this day!
Artie Maybe, 42, Margaret Reddon, 35 and Thomas Lorimer, the 24 year old married father of a two year old girl, vanished after a night out at a local tavern.
Despite years of searches, offers of cash rewards and trips across the country to run down leads, no sight of the Melvindale Trio was ever found.
Sources/Additional Reading:
Downriver back in the Days
News Herald Story – 75th anniversary
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The last weekend of June, 2013, 25 year old Jayme Vaughn Bryant disappeared from downtown Kalamazoo. In the six years since he was last seen, there have been no sightings.
If you have information on his whereabouts, please contact Detective Rivard of the Kalamazoo Public Safety Dept. at (269) 337-8139
There is a Facebook group dedicated to Jayme’s case. View it here.
Check out our sponsor, Better Help! Visit BetterHelp.com/Gone and use code GONE for 10% off your first month.
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December 12, 1991 24 year old Greg McRoberts leaves home on his bicycle to repair a broken down car. When he doesn’t return home, searches are organized to find him, but there is no sign of the young father.
When his body is discovered a month later, there are more questions than answers.
In 2005 a letter arrives at the home of Greg’s parents, written by the person who struck Greg with their car on a dark December evening.
Additional Reading:
Defrosting Cold Cases
Midland County Sheriff’s Page – see photo of possible vehicle HERE
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This is a special LIVE episode recorded at the True Crime Podcast Festival in Chicago Illinois on Saturday July 13, 2019
Already Gone and Trace Evidence podcasts bring you the horrifying story of William Bradford Bishop
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In 2013, Teleka Patrick had it all, the beautiful, young doctor was settling in to Kalamazoo Michigan, Borgess Hospital, where she would do her residency.
Sadly, in private, she was unraveling, and in December, she was gone.
What happened to Teleka Patrick?
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The summer of 1983 was a special time in the life of Shawn Raymond, he graduated from high school, came out to his family, and disappeared without a trace. It would take decades, and the work of one state trooper to bring Shawn home. His death and disappearance remain unsolved. If you have information about the death of Shawn Raymond, contact Lt. Young of the Michigan State Police, Flint Post.
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Additional music: Embrace By Sappheiros https://youtu.be/8i8EBo5xWIY Artist SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/… Music Promoted by https://goo.gl/5NfMV4
#Missing #Murder #Michigan #Algonac #StClair #LGBTQ #Detroit
In March of 1993 Carmen Van Huss invites an unknown male back to her studio apartment in Indianapolis, the two have a beer, share a meal and Carmen pays for this dinner with her life.
Her case is being actively investigated by Lt. Will Carter of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Additional reading:
Indy Star
Justice for Carmen Van Huss (Facebook)
Listen Now
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July 2013, Northern Michigan native Kelly Boyce Hurlbert is taking her bike home after work when she is struck by a vehicle and dragged. Her injuries will prove fatal. Was this a hit and run? Or something more sinister? This episode written by Micheal Whelan.
If you have tips or information email: TCPDTips@traversecitymi.gov or contact contact the Traverse City Police Department at 231-995-5150.
Check out our sponsor: Better Help visit Betterhelp.com/gone for 10% off your first month.
Additional reading:
9 & 10 News story
Additional Music provided by RFM: https://youtu.be/dPEoasBHNiA
Labor day weekend, 1973. Fifteen year old Terry Sutter sets out for a party, he’s last seen entering the woods near Frankfort, Michigan with a six pack of beer.
The next morning, his brutally beaten and partially dressed body will be found at the bottom of a bluff on the edge of Lake Michigan.
Check out our sponsor: Better Help visit betterhelp.com/gone for 10% off your first month.
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In May of 1982, someone locked Timothy Fowler and David Cole in a room, poured gasoline on the floor and threw a match. The murders remain unsolved.
This episode features an interview with Timothy’s little sister.
Additional Reading:
Check out our sponsor, Green Chef. For $50 off your first order visit Greenchef.us/alreadygone
On Valentine’s Day 2018 45 year old Lauren Stuart of Keego Harbor, Michigan set in motion a plan that would lead to the violent destruction of her entire family.
If you need help or support, please contact
http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or your local crisis center.
On June 1, 1990, 24 year old Connie Royce went to the Hayloft Bar in Mt Clemens, Michigan. She was on a date with a new guy, Greg, and Greg’s friend, “Brad” tagged along.
About 11pm, while Greg was in the restroom, Connie fled the bar, carrying her shoes. She left her handbag behind. Connie would never be seen again.
Her case is under the jurisdiction of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department.
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Have you heard Don’t Talk to Strangers? Nina’s longform podcast about the Oakland County Child Murders.
On a Sunny day in July 2016, 31 year old Alexandra “Ally” Brueger was out for a 10 mile run in the community near the home she shared with her parents in Rose Township, Michigan. The quiet afternoon was shattered by four blasts from a shotgun, the last shot reaching it’s mark, striking Ally Brueger and ending her life. Her case remains unsolved. #Murder #Michigan #Unsolved #Shotgun
Come see me at the True Crime Podcast Festival in Chicago, 7-13-19
Support Already Gone by visiting our sponsor! Care/Of. Check out Takecareof.com and use code AlreadyGone50 for an exclusive discount
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In 1951, Toronto Maple Leaf player, 24 year old Bill Barilko scored the game winning goal in overtime during the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals. He flung himself across the ice, tucking a quick backhand over the shoulder of the Montreal goalie, giving the Leafs their fourth Stanley Cup win in five years.
A few months later, Barilko disappeared, taking the Leafs winning streak with him. The Leafs would not win another cup until 1962, within weeks of Barilko’s return home.
His story is immortalized in song, 50 Mission Cap, by The Tragically Hip.
Additional reading:
Londoner played with Barilko
Leafs legend comes to life in sister’s scrapbooks
Kevin Shea’s book Barilko: without a trace
Check out this week’s sponsor: Lola. Visit MyLola.com and use code ALREADYGONE for extra savings!
On January 3, 2018 Justin Holt returned home after visiting with his brother. He made it inside the house because his shoes, glasses and cigarettes were found there. Justin Holt has never been seen again.
His case is being handled by the Muskegon County Sheriff
Additional reading:
Intensive Search Continues
August, 1981 27-year-old Cynthia Jane Miller of Beckley West Virginia is shot to death in her home just hours before her wedding. Who murdered her? Why has the case gone unsolved for so long?
Her slaying wasn’t the only violent death in Beckley that year.
Raleigh County Magistrate Nancy Sparks McMillan was murdered in her home, just one block away from where Miller resided, in December, 1981.
Visit our sponsor: Care/Of visit TakeCareOf.com, and use promo code ALREADYGONE50, for 50% off your first month!
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Additional Music provided by Argofox: DOCTOR VOX – Frontier https://youtu.be/lkY3Ek9VPtg
On December 7, 1995 13 year old Barbara Barnes left her Euclid St apartment in Steubenville Ohio on her way to school. She never arrived. Her body would be found two months later, 40 miles away in Pennsylvania. Her killer has never been caught.
While attention focused on her family, particularly her uncle, Louis Boyce, this episode looks at another suspect, a local man named Richard Kolling.
If you have information on the murder of Barbara Barnes, please contact Steubenville Police.
Enjoy this bonus crossover episode where I guest on the Death’s Door Podcast. Recorded LIVE in Cincinnati at the History Dweeb’s podcast event.
Episode 106 – Memorial Day weekend, 1994. Sixteen year old Jody Lynn Brant leaves her home in Gwinnett County Georgia to make the 12 hour drive north to Oakland County Michigan.
She’s planning to spend the long weekend with her cousins in the Pontiac area. Jody never arrives and days later, her car is found torched in a remote part of Monroe County Michigan.
If you have information about Jody’s case, please contact the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
Support the podcast by checking out our sponsor – www.Betterhelp.com/gone Use code GONE for 10% off your first month.
Additional reading:
June 1994 article from The Toledo Blade
On August 16, 1987 Northwest Airlines Flight 255, traveling from Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Phoenix Arizona crashed 14 seconds after take off.
At the time of the accident, it was the second deadliest crash in US aviation history. Here is the story of the flight, her passengers and why this tragedy was avoidable.
Additional Reading:
Downriver things: Flight 255. Lots of info and pictures.
National Transportation Safety Board findings on the crash. Long, detailed, technical information.
Visit our sponsor! Betterhelp.com/Gone for 10% off your first month with order code GONE
In July of 1993 15 year old Becky Stowe disappeared from her friends house near Niles, Michigan. While law enforcement, her family and the community searched for her, a teenage boy, a “friend” of Becky’s, knew the truth.
On the morning of December 26, 1991 Bernice Gray dropped her toddler daughter off at day care and headed for work. Gray didn’t arrive at work, and wouldn’t be seen again. Days later her bloodstained car was found abandoned in Detroit.
It would take a decade for the man responsible for her disappearance and murder to be brought to justice.
Additional reading:
On a warm August night in 2010, 15 year old Carlee Jade Morse of Westland stepped out of her apartment to speak with a friend. She would never be seen alive again.
Justin Yoshikawa and Nick Cottrell are currently in prison for her murder, but no sign of the missing teenager has ever been found.
Special thanks to Westland Police for their assistance in creating this episode. If you have information as to the whereabouts of Carlee Morse’s body, please contact them at 734-722-9600
