I don't get no answers," he says noting that he and his family haven't heard from Oakland homicide detectives for months. Her father still wants answers. If you take out the handful of older, "cold" cases that were solved during 2022, the clearance rate in Oakland just 27%, an analysis by the S.F. Topeka police think Sandra Rose Steiner, 23, was abducted about 4 a.m. on a Saturday in July 1978 from the parking lot atLattimore-Fink Laboratories, 115 N.W. automatically updated to the webpage. There are at least four known victims, separated by 1200 miles. "You know, if there's anything, you know, even if they didn't do anything, that'd be nice to know. Police were called in May 2000 to 2603 S.E. Eric Westervelt is a San Francisco-based correspondent for NPR's National Desk. Cold Case Unsolved Homicides More murders across America are going unsolved, exacerbating the grief of families already reeling and worsening the largely cracked trust between police and the public, especially communities of color most affected by gun violence. Kansas City, Kansas 66106 Nicholas Walker Homicide December 18, 2015 Submit a Tip Nicholas C. Walker Case Report Number: 15-91396 Nicholas C. Walker B/M 4-24-1983 Occurred: 12/18/2015, approx. Now the group has launched a petition on Change.org calling on KCK police and the Unified Government board of commissioners to establish a cold case unit within the police department. crimes You may download a free reader from Adobe's web site. The arrest rate per murder if is often a better indicator of how police departments are actually doing at holding killers accountable. When authorities arrived, they were only able to find Kathy and Danny Freeman's (Ashley's parents) bodies, with apparent gunshot wounds to their heads. BA (Law) degree University of Durban-Westville (Now University of Kwa-Zulu Natal), LLB degree (Post graduate) - University of Durban-Westville, LLM (Labour Law) degree - University of South Africa, Admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa 1993, Admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa 1996, Re-admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa 1998, Appointed part-time CCMA Commissioner - 2014, Senior State Advocate Office for Serious Economic Offences (1996) & Asset Forfeiture Unit (2001), Head of Legal Services City of Tshwane (2005) and City of Johannesburg Property Company (2006), Head of the Cartels Unit Competition Commission of South Africa 2008. Thank you! Each article is annotated with its date and Central Park Ave. aspart of a quadruple homicide that also claimed the life ofCarla Jean Avery. The expectant mother and her unborn child are thought to have been murdered by a disgruntled employee of the Kickapoo Indian reservation casino that she and her husband managed, but there has never been enough evidence to convict anyone. More murders across America are going unsolved, exacerbating the grief of families already reeling and worsening the largely cracked trust between police and the public, especially communities of color most affected by gun violence. Researchers say key ways cities can to try to stop the downward spiral is simply investing more in homicide investigations: improving crime labs, training, DNA testing, computer modeling systems. Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. That's the case with the following killings, which were all committed in Shawnee Countybetween1962 and 2020. WebChristina Brandolese Jack A. Shultz Penny J. Tyler Beverly Douthit Candice L. Fisher Tawnya D. Knight Ryan A. Bradley Utah has a 2020 murder rate of 2.9 per 100,000. On the evening of December 29th 1999, teenaged best friends Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible went missing after Freeman's family home was set on fire. And it's a vicious circle," Cook says. In October 1991, Independence, Missouri bus driver Tyrone Rollins discovered the body of Overland Park businessman Gary Simmons inside a hidden cave behind his bus barn. Sandra J. Meuli was last seen alive in August 1978, coming home from church choir practice to theapartment where she lived at 5311 S.W. The victim, 34 year-old Victorino V. Perez, was found lying in the grass near the passenger side of his truck. 29th. Witnesses say she was involved in a violent altercation with a man believed to be lifelong criminal with a history of violent behavior, particularly toward women. 49th. Holley, 24, was shot eight times in the back early one morning in February 2008 outside Deep Pockets, 4310 S.W. A fresh review, combined with new DNA technology and other advances Of this years 120-plus homicides in Kansas City, only 56 have been cleared, according to information from the police department and local prosecutors. On the night of July 4th, at about 8:30, Kansas City police, fire and EMT units were called to Scarritt and N. Wheeling on an injury accident. 5 Disturbing Unsolved Mysteries In Kansas That'll Creep "I mean it's almost a year. Other reasons for the further decline in murder clearance rates, experts say, include chronic police staffing and recruiting problems, and the fact that more murders are committed with firearms, which can result in fewer witnesses and less physical evidence. In that time the troubled agency has gone through a dozen leaders. 5 Disturbing Unsolved Mysteries In Kansas That'll Creep She was found to have been raped and strangled in June 1962 in the apartment where she lived alone at 3725 S.W. ", "Lying and manipulating a witness are serious violations of the public trust and a threat to the integrity of the judicial system," Price says. The boyhad been abducted, killed and sexually mutilated. "We saw a sharp drop in the national clearance rate in 2020," says Prof. Philip Cook, a public policy researcher and professor emeritus at Duke University and the University of Chicago Urban Labs who has been studying clearance rates for decades. It was thought that perhaps Indiana serial killer Herb Baumeister might have committed these crimes, but with his death of suicide during the investigation, itll never really be known., What are the most notorious Kansas unsolved murders?, In May 2004, the body of a man named Alonzo Brooks was found in La Cygne, Kansas, one month after he had been reported missing. Officers were called to 40th and Jackson at about 1:30 a.m. July 19, During the early 1990s, nine separate women were shot and killed in shopping malls across I-70, including Wichita bridal shop workers Patricia Smith and Patricia Magers. Monroe to return a small puppy to the veterinary hospital where she worked. police launch website to solve cold cases Anyone with information that might help authorities identify the killers in any of these cases isasked to call Crime Stoppers at (785) 234-0007. And it hasn't come up that much since then.". Chronicle shows. It is speculated that his bounty was buried in either Colorado, Kansas or California. And in Durham, North Carolina, between 2017 and 2021 just 41% of gun homicide cases resulted in at least one arrest. The family plans to honor Anabo with a gathering at the restaurant on the upcoming May 18 anniversary of his murder. "It is undermining whatever trust there is in the police. Which mysteries in Kansas would you like to see us cover more in-depth? The FBI ruled this 17-year cold case in Kansas a homicide, On Sunday, August 9, 1998, at approximately 10:28AM, the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Department was notified of the discovery of a body being found along a roadway on the north side of Dakota Drive, west of 171st Street in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Still, there's been no break in the case and no word. Kansas This site uses different types of cookies. Parishioner Rich Laufenberg makes the wooden crosses and dutifully "plants" them every week or two. "Just got to keep that love with him every day, you know.". Police Department officers were dispatched to 8442 Tauromee Avenue on a "shooting/stabbing" call. In front yard of Oakland's Saint Columba Catholic Church along bustling San Pablo Ave, a garden of simple, wooden, white crosses with the names and ages of the dead grows with every killing. Photos and video of a person who may have been involved were released the following month by the Topeka Police Department, and information about thatindividual is still being sought. Twelve-year-old John F. Jack Hanrahan vanished after ridinghis bicycle to play pinball in May 1979 at Gage Bowl, 4200 S.W. Copyright 2023 NPR. More murders across America are going unsolved, exacerbating the grief of families already reeling and worsening the largely cracked trust between police and the The shootings didn't appear to be a random act of violence, according to Topeka police. K.S.A. The city's per capita homicide rate remains abnormally high and its murder solve rate is among the lowest in the nation, hitting just 36% last year. The body of Zweisler, 39, was found in June 1994 in the apartment where she lived alone at2541 S.W. Chronicle shows. Topeka man pleads not guilty to charges in malnutrition death of 2-year-old daughter, 6shot, one fatally, at downtown Wichita nightclub; alleged gunman remains at large, 2 dead in apparent domestic shooting, according to the Shawnee County Sheriff's office, Emporia man, 28, dies when car he was driving strikes horse and tree in Lyon County, History Guy looks back on 1981 escape from Lansing, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The purpose for the repository is to improve the ability of Kansas The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is not the originating source of the information contained on this webpage. I'm just glad he ran the other way instead of following his dad. I consent to the use of following cookies: Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. 2nd and Urish Road. All rights reserved. Roxanne Zwiesler was shot to death in her southwest Topeka apartment in an area that was filled with people, yetpolice were unable to find anyone who had heard any gunfire. A former Overland Park police officer has been arrested on charges of rape and other sex crimes in Wyandotte County. Though there were suspects, there have never been any arrests made in her disappearance or death. Local advocacy groups held a vigil for victims of those unsolved homicide cases Sunday night. More:Topeka man pleads not guilty to charges in malnutrition death of 2-year-old daughter. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com. Love Kansas? WebThe Douglas County Cold Case Unit is responsible for investigating unsolved homicides, sexual assaults, and missing persons cases. Police thinkEstes killer tried to rob her and she struggled with him. Though there were suspects, there have never been any arrests made in her disappearance or death. Rogers had made the 911 call for help. Kansas City, Kansas Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Mr. Brooks died as a result of blunt-force trauma, and that the dismemberment occurred post-mortem. In addition, judges, prosecutors and juries have higher evidence and procedure standards than in the 1960s when 90-plus% of homicides were listed as solved. TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Topeka finished 2021 with 14 homicides, down 11 from the 25 recorded in 2020, according to WIBW records. unsolved homicides Jackie Hay was playing in the front yard when she disappeared Sept. 12, 1981. In July 2020, the Bureau exhumed Brooks body, which was buried in Topekas Mt. After receiving mysterious phone calls for several weeks, Powhattan resident Jodie Bordeaux was shot and killed in her family's home. Subsequent investigation determined that Leach was last seen in the early morning hours of April 16, 1988 at a high school pre-graduation party given by a classmate in rural Leavenworth County, Kansas. Kansas unsolved crimes unsolved Kansas Missing Persons Police said it appeared the 42-year-old Meulihad been interrupted at her apartment while preparing a meal. Cold Case Kansas , What are some creepy Kansas unsolved mysteries?, There are numerous Kansas unsolved mysteries to pour through, from homicides to disappearances and arsons and everything in between. This story was originally 75-712b mandates the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to be the central repository of Dykes had beenbeaten with a baseball bat and shot in the head before his body was taken outside and put in the trunk of a car, whichwas found abandoned about a quarter of a mile behind a house at 510 S.E. On July 30, 1977, 27-year-old Sandra Talbotts body was found in a tree row near 111th Street South and 231st Street West, in southwestern Sedgwick County. To access any listed media release, please click on the name of the media release and you wish to view. More:6shot, one fatally, at downtown Wichita nightclub; alleged gunman remains at large. Two girls visited them there. Douglas County Sheriff "It's definitely frustrating. & 53rd St. N. Mr. Crime Statistics - kcpd.org 26th. Police said McKnight was an uninvolved party who was fatally shot while trying to break up a large-scale fight involving 30 to40 youths. On or about August 15, 2003, a 911 call came into the Mitchell County Law Enforcement Center reporting that Carol FLEMING had been shot in the head at her local residence located in Beloit, Mitchell County, Kansas. Kansas Raymond and Mabel Aguirre were married more than 60 years before a brutal act of violence ended his life. Her father still wants answers. And recently veteran Oakland homicide detective Phong Tran was arrested and arraigned after the Alameda County district attorney's office accused him of paying a witness thousands of dollars to lie in a murder case that resulted in two men getting life sentences. Unsolved homicide cases are from Cherokee, Dickinson, Doniphan, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Johnson, Leavenworth, Mitchell, Montgomery, Osage, Saline, When they arrived they found 17 year-old Vonzall Temple slumped over in the seat of his car that had come to rest against a pole. & 53rd St. N Wichita, KS. Kansas At one point during the evening, Ms. Boomer allegedly was knocked to the ground, causing her to lose consciousness, Ms. Boomer has not been seen or heard from since that date. This reflects the 95 murders within the state, up from 82 murders in 2019. In 2021, the FBI announced officially that Brookss death was, in fact, a homicide, though additional details have yet to surface. Upon arrival, it was determined that there were two females dead inside the business. On Monday, December 21, 1987, at approximately 8:15 A.M. Charles W. Thompson was found lying on the sidewalk in front of Jalisco's Restaurant located at 5000 State Avenue, in Kansas City, Kansas. "Feeling guilty? Those words,accompanied by a photo of a smiling Michael Holley with one of his two daughters,adorned temporary billboards put up in early 2010 encouraging the public to call Crime Stoppers if they had any information about his death. On September 4, 2002, at approximately 7:55PM, Great Bend Police Department responded to a call at Dolly Madison Bakery, 1004 Harrison, Great Bend, Ks. 5th. While reasons behind the drop are multi-faceted, Cook and other experts warn that more people getting away with murder in the the U.S. is driving a kind of doom loop of mutual mistrust: low murder clearance rates impede future investigations which in turn potentially drive up killings in some communities where a lack of arrests undermines deterrence and sends a message that the police will not or cannot protect them. A witness described seeing a white male, approximately 6'1"-6'2", weighing 175 lbs, having collar length light brown to blond hair, and a slight beard, walking away from the front door of the bakery. Unsolved Homicides | Sedgwick County, Kansas To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. And I also think we can only get better.". He's making the Honor Roll and trying to stay positive. On November 21, 1997, at approximately 12:43 AM, the Brown County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call from Shawn Bordeaux stating that his wife, Jodie had been shot in the head. homicides Calvin is among several Black women in Kansas City, Kansas, whose murders have remained unsolved for years. Central Park Ave. Ronnau, 59,was alsostabbed multiple timeswith a kitchen knife, which was recovered at the scene. Washington in September 2000 when they encountered an intruder, who beat them so badly they were unable to call for help, then left them for dead. Soft-spoken grandmother Karen Estes was stabbedto death in October 1989 near Hillcrest Community Center,1800 S.E. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Crane, where she generally arrived about that time to work at her job as a medical technician. The killings are Olathes second and third homicide of the year, according to data tracked by The Star. Some creepy unsolved mysteries in Kansas include the terrifying saga of the Interstate 70 Killer, who murdered and dumped numerous people in places surrounding the I-70 in several states, including Kansas. Ocobock was last seen alive preparing to walkabout four miles from her home at 1208 S.E. Dixon went missing shortly after Simmons's disappearance in 1974 and has not been heard from since. A cause of death was not determined, and to this day, Brookss family is searching for answers they may never have.. With advances in DNA technology to include investigative genetic genealogy, we can go beyond customary investigative techniques to solve various types of cold cases. And they're afraid of retaliation, of being labeled in their communities as a "snitch." 2023 www.cjonline.com. Chandler Street and Indiana Avenue. The only suspect considered most likely to have done it died in prison in the 1990s and is no longer able to talk. There have been 680 homicides in the Kansas City metro that have gone unsolved since 1970. Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Initiative Case unsolved after KC police tow vehicle with body inside | The *Juvenile status is calculated based on a missing persons current age, not the age they were when reported missing. Valencia Road. A fisherman 10 days later found Jacks body floating in Dragoon Creek, about 35 miles southwest of Topeka and just inside the west border of Osage Creek. Dykes made plans to sleep in his friends sisters room. Miscellaneous Unsolved Murder Cases | KC History Meulis remains werefound in April 1979 in a wooded area north of Interstate 70, between S.E. Kansas But he wants answer. WebHomicide; Intimidation and Harassment; Cyber Crimes; Economic Crimes; Make a Police Report Online; Submit an Anonymous Tip to Greater KC Crime Stoppers; Crime Of the 176 homicides officially counted by police in 2020, 93 were cleared, according to the departments statistics. The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), in partnership with the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP), the Kansas Sheriffs Association (KSA) and the Kansas Peace Officers Association (KPOA) have developed the Cold Case Playing Cards project. On the evening of February 23, 1999, Ms. Star Boomer was patron of Uncle Mike's Bar at 49th and Metropolitan in Kansas City, Kansas. Here are the 10 states with the highest murder rate: Mississippi - 20.50 per 100k. Kansas For further information regarding a missing person, please contact the investigating agency. Instead of us hoping.". Unsolved Autopsies determined both victims had been shot numerous times. Victims are 82 year old Raymond AGUIRRE and his wife, 80 year old Mabel AGUIRRE. In addition, she says, an antiquated case management data system, which the city is working to replace, is another reason behind the painfully low clearance rate. Dozens of teenagers watched in October 2008 as Marini McKnight, 34, was shot and killed in broad daylight as she tried to stop a large fist fight on the east side of central Topeka's Central Park,in the area of S.W. It's not clear how she was killed. A jury subsequentlyacquitted a different man of murder linked to theslaying in 2000. The Pittsburg Police Department is seeking the location of, and information about Bryan L. Bridges, a suspect of the October 9th, 2014 homicide of Taylor Thomas in Pittsburg, Kansas. The subject was described as about 5'5", thin build, wearing a top hat, fake beard pulled up high on his face, a black medium length coat and blank pants, displaying a handgun. Right now, there are about 200 Project: Cold Case is also Every Jan. 1 "that garden is a garden for about a minute," says Fr. If you have information on any of these subjects please call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation toll free at 1-800-KS-Crime. Two teenage girls admired him, and then followed the mother and baby to their home. K.S.A. WebThe victim of the homicide, Louis Davis, Jr., 57, remains unsolved following an attempted robbery incident. Kansas City police were asking anyone with information to call homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. At approximately midnight on April 9, 2008, Kansas City, Ks. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. WebUnsolved Homicides | Police Department Toggle navigation Codes Building and Construction Codes Development Code International Property Maintenance Code On September 3, 1999 Lawrence 'Don' Broods was reported as missing to the Miami County Sheriff's Department. In the evening hours of October 27, 1990, the body of Nelson Louis Jones was found in his bedroom at the family residence located at 101 East Second Street, Hope, Kansas. 'The state's biggest prison break since the 1930s':History Guy looks back on 1981 escape from Lansing. WebRoughly 3,678 of those homicides were solved throughout the years, sadly leaving approximately 1,965 unsolved murders in Kansas today. Clearinghouse for the State of Kansas. Ronnau had lived alone in her familys home since her parents died. You know, because he could have got caught in the line of fire," Legaspi says. At about 12:12PM, on December 28, 1995, Officers of the Salina Police Department and Salina Fire Department paramedics were dispatched to 721 West Cloud #54, Salina, KS in reference to a homicide. Cox died a violent death, and her death was ruled a homicide. Steiner carried a shoulder bag, whichwas never found. "Communities that are especially impacted by gun violence believe that the police are ineffective or indifferent, and as a result, they're less willing to cooperate and provide information the police need to have successful investigations," says Cook, who has several research articles on the topic coming out.