A hammer and a knife were recovered at the crime scene, while survivor Justin Sharp provided information that led to a composite sketch. Because his keys were with the Explorer, he had to kick in the back door to get inside his home and call 911. While never closed, the case went cold without new evidence. When they failed to provide any information about Keiths whereabouts, the police were notified. Sheriff Granthum is convinced science will end up playing a huge role in solving the remaining cases. Harris was found in the front room in a pool of her own blood. Upon further investigation, the employee found $500 missing, along with four other employees. Without a suspect and no information that could lead to one, detectives kept following leads without any success. As a result, all three were wealthy and successful bachelors. } var zoneid = '30'; He forced Lawson to the ground and instructed Carrie to bind her husband with duct tape. The sixth woman was also held captive but managed to survive. These cases are solvable, but we need your help. Also inside was cook Ida Holguin. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. "And we never heard anything.". Sadly, Senac died in 1999 due to complications from the shooting. HARDEEVILLE, Sc. "Most of those people didn't know us at all," he said. "Nobody's ever come up with a reason.". Court records don't include a defense attorney who could speak on behalf of Whited on the murder charge, but he already was awaiting trial on a methamphetamine charge with his trial scheduled for May. if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); On December 1, 1971, three corpses were found at a house located on North LaSalle Street in Indianapolis. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. Meanwhile, the investigation continued. I couldn't believe this was happening. Patrice Endres was abducted from her Cumming, Ga. hair salon on April 15, 2004. A subsequent search of the Walker home found that several items were missing: Cliffs pocketknife, Cliff and Christines marriage license, and a high school majorette uniform that Christine had once worn. What happens when it comes around to your house? I think probably in the last 10 years, he's more resigned to the fact that we probably won't find her, but if anybody calls him and says they know something, he's going to follow up on it. He was the best dad to both of us. Endres vanished the same month Greenwell was found dead. Bland, once successful in businesses of coal mining and land reclamation, had fallen on hard times and was desperate for money, according to investigators and family members. Crime in Jasper, Alabama (AL): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map All Cities Alabama, Alabama smaller cities, Alabama small towns Jasper main page US Crime Crime rate in Jasper, Alabama (AL) This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Some locals insinuated, though, that the men were connected to the Mafia and had plundered clients and equipment away from Records Security. The Boston police believed that the massacre may have been motivated by the mob, and two mobstersdrug dealer William Ierardi and Robert Italianowere arrested and tried for the crime before being acquitted in 1979. Mike Everett as wearing some type of covering on their head "like a cap" and was of average height and build. After asking Senac to retrieve $5,000 from the bowling alleys safe, the gunmen shot all four several times. For two days, police and citizen volunteers searched the area for the missing workers. McPherson was the "nurse" who made the call, and she dropped Bland off at the Lawson home to carry out the kidnapping. People in the county tend to talk to the officers more, said Granthum. It was kind of crazy.". If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "He's made a career out of it," David Smith said affectionately in 2002. A former investigative reporter with Bostons WNAC-TV, Kelly had been fired in November 1976 after making several threatening allegations against Mayor Kevin White. Besides similarities between the Walker family murders and the murder of the Clutter family of Kansas (also in 1959), it is also known that both Smith and Hickock were in Miami Beach at the time of the murders. Jones said he killed Endres and threw her off a bridge into a creek 65 miles from the salon. Jan. 21, 2015, Kirby Brown, all of 22 years old, was found lying on his back shot to death near his home in the Pine Glen Estates off Highway 80 near Selma. Now. (Ron Colquitt). YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. In 1997, a prison inmate claimed he had first-hand knowledge of the case. Jones, a drifter from Oklahoma, was convicted in Mobile County for the Sept. 2004 murder of 45-year-old Lisa Marie Nichols. "He'd never met her, but he loved her.". The suspects wore gloves and did not leave behind their blood at the scene, but they did leave footprints. Proceeds from the shirts fund the Stop the Violence event in Jasper County. The woman who found Dorothy Harriss body described seeing the cases only suspecta strange young male described as wearing a long, dark jacket (maybe a Western duster) and a black hat that may have been a top hat or fedora and carrying some kind of object in his hands. The FBI took heavy criticism for its handling of the case. Jamol Horton actually helped do the foundation for my house and some of my friends homes, Mitchell said, He also coached my son in little league football.. According to a story written by reporter Wendy Reeves and published in the Tuscaloosa News the day after the shooting, Jowers was shot in the head while walking a girlfriend to her car in the parking lot of Classics Lounge at 613 37th Street between 2:10-2:15 a.m. When she entered the salon, she first saw the corpse of 62-year-old Dorothy Harris. The potential suspect was described to then-Homicide Unit Commander Capt. The first to return to their modest ranch-style house was Christine. [CDATA[ But she didn't.". First published on November 20, 2020 / 6:33 AM. The FBI set up a command post inside Lawson's home. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. document.write (document.charset ? "Financially, my dad has spent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars.". In 2001, Springsteen was sentenced to death. ", "It was an event that brought tragedy to our community and brought a lot of attention, and it's something that still reverberates today," Adair said. Investigators found that Glenna, John, and Dana had been bound with white medical tape and appliance wire, and all three had suffered stab wounds along with being bludgeoned and strangled. document.write ("?zoneid="+zoneid+"&block=1&blockcampaign=1"); Then, on Wednesday, a detective answered the phone. Jasper, AL 35501 205-221-2840 Follow us. The show helped capture some of Alabama's most wanted fugitives, including one now on Death Row. Robbery is one potential motive floated to the public by investigators, as police speculate Jowers may have been robbed of cash earned at his other jobs as a carpenter and handyman after he had been shot. "The fact that Bland killed himself without doing anything is incomprehensible to me.". "This case affected our community," District Attorney Bill Adair said, noting hundreds of people carried out searches and held prayer vigils. Karen McPherson, now 60, is. This would prompt an investigation that has yet to see a single suspect charged with the murder. Despite being shot five times, Melissa managed to call 911. Christmas is usually a time of good cheer, good food, and good times spent with family. The couple got dressed and jumped into their Ford Explorer parked in the carport. In 2019, there were 39 murders in Montgomery County, Alabama. My uncle lived in Nebraska. Inside the yogurt shop were the bodies of four young women13-year-old Amy Ayers, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison, and her 15-year-old sister Sarah. Lawson said much of those first few months after Carrie's disappearance and Bland's suicide is a blur. The strip mall, which was located on the northwestern edge of the city, included a yogurt shop with the witty name, I Cant Believe Its Yogurt! The firefighters managed to put out the blaze, but what they found inside necessitated the involvement of the Austin Police Department. Mitchell started a group called Concerned Citizens of Jasper Countyand made t-shirts with every murder victim whose family has not gotten justice. document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Dobbins led searchers to where he said her body was left, but again the tip led nowhere. (WSAV) There are 42 unsolved murder cases in Jasper County dating from 1979 to 2018. In a sick twist of fate, police learned early on that the witness who found the first body may have arrived at the scene barely minutes after the murders. That book claimed, in part, that agents had the authority to search Bland's home without a warrant. Jones was also implicated in the deaths of Amanda Greenwell, 16, of Douglasville, Ga. and Katherine Collins, 45, a New Orleans sex worker. While police sometimes make public appeals for information to help resolve old cases, that had not happened with Dailey's killing. Christmas 1959 was supposed to follow this tradition. "I knew, and I guess that I was overly hopeful, that the minute I got back to my house, the word is going to be that he released her and we'd find her," he said. And it bothers me that my kids have to read stuff like that.". In 1996, investigators hired a construction crew to pump out a pool at a closed surface mine in Tuscaloosa County. They are $10.00 dollars. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. (Associated Press). Family members of McPherson have said they know Karen Lancaster McPherson did wrong, but said they feel shes been punished enough. It was early that Tuesday morning -- about 4:30 a.m. -- that agents reported hearing a single gunshot inside Bland's home. Lawson said he managed to free himself. The victims were 37-year-old Connie R. Woolfolk of Flossmoor, Illinois; 22-year-old Sarah Szafranski of Oak Forest; 42-year-old store manager Rhonda McFarland of Joliet; 33-year-old Carrie Hudek Chiuso of Frankfort; and 34-year-old Jennifer Bishop of South Bend, Indiana. "So we never heard her voice, because the tape had malfunctioned.". Jones raped and shot Nichols, then set fire to Nichols Turnerville area home. And when Bland killed himself, state charges were being sought because Carrie had not been taken across state lines, which would have constituted a federal crime, they said. Following a negative DNA test in 2008, Springsteen and Scott were both released in 2009. If your interested in cold cases, you may find yourself wondering about how many unsolved murders in US a year. I'm not even sure I had cranked the vehicle," Lawson said. The Smith family kept at it, though, offering a $100,000 reward and privately funding searches that continue to this day. The 2001 murder of Sherwin Gittens and the 1988 murder of Malakia Logan, as well as a handful of strange disappearances and abductions, including the 1985 disappearance of Jeremy Grice, the 1986 abduction of Jessica Gutierrez, and the 2011 disappearance of Amir Jennings, are just a few of the most infamous South Carolina murders and This was due in part to the case of Detective Hector Polanco, who was investigated for coercing 13 false confessions. Everywhere I went in Jasper, people wanted to hug me and talk about it," he said. They focused on his associates, and eventually turned their attention to Karen Lancaster McPherson, a wife, mother and truck driver from a close-knit, blue-collar Walker County family. if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; This Walker County Alabama Most Wanted List posts the top 50-100 fugitive criminals on the run. Dana was left lying on his stomach with his hands linked with Johns, thanks to a piece of electrical cord. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee, 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story". Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. Read More: The other three were so badly burned that further examination was almost impossible.[9]. Twenty-five years of her life are gone. Investigators quickly ruled out robbery as a motive, for nothing was taken from the store. Carrie, the daughter of a Tennessee millionaire, had also just graduated from UA's law school. Do you see the house across the street?' document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); Throughout the county and city, similar stories of prolonged grief are being played out; 28 unsolved homicides since 2009. The source material for author Beth Lowrys 2016 true crime book Who Killed These Girls?, the yogurt shop murders continue to haunt the citizens of the Lone Star State. In 2000, the Smiths met with FBI agents and pleaded with them to reopen the case, but were told all leads had been exhausted. The case of Jack Kelly made things a little interesting. Thirty years ago . Three of the bodies were stacked together, and at least one of the girls had been raped. They received a middle-of-the night call from a woman claiming to be a nurse who said a close family member was at the hospital. They were still missing a definitive link, until a cassette tape was found -- reportedly by a young boy at an apartment complex who turned them over to his father -- that had recordings of plans to kidnap Jasper businessman and coal executive Ellis Taylor. A search of Blands property found the majority of the $300,000 paid by her family. The bank was located 32 kilometers (20 mi) away from the hair salon, thus meaning that the murders happened in a very narrow window of time. What's more, another witness in the parking lot informed police at the time of the shooting that they saw a white man wearing black clothing run behind the lounge immediately after the shot rang out. Churches would cook for all of the search groups," Kubiszyn said. 6 The Burger Chef Murders. Her remains were found 600 days later, on Dec. 6, 2005, in Dawson County, Ga. Your family?. Read about more disturbing unsolved murders on 10 Unsolved Murders Linked To Organized Crime and 10 Unsolved Murders With Strange Links To The Occult. Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts. Keddie, California, is an out-of-the-way kind of place. The murders were carried out for a variety of apparent reasons, ranging from greed to bloodlust. Sells was executed in 2014. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Unsolved Crimes If you have information concerning any of these crimes, please contact our Criminal Investigations Division through our Report Form or by phone at 205-669-4181. One of the voices was determined to be Jerry Bland, and the other McPherson. On Sept. 19, 2005, Melvin Keeling, 43, Loveland, Ohio, shot and killed Family Express employees Lisa Kendall, 29, and Kendora Furr, 38, at the gas station, located on U.S. 24 and Interstate 65. They rushed to the car, and it began. A popular theory has it that ex-cons Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, the main villains in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood, actually carried out the murders. [McPherson family speaks out: 2016] The Smith and Lawson families signed an agreement with McPherson that if she would meet with Carrie's father and tell them everything she knew about the abduction, they would not oppose parole after 10 years. Indeed, believe it or not, American citizens are currently living in a time of unprecedented peace.[1]. A masked gunman appeared out of the darkness and ordered them out of the car. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. There weren't a lot of murders in Jasper," Lawson said in a recent interview, his first about the case in more than 20 years. His corpse, which was found in a nearby field, showed that Keith had been shot three times. Instead, after Bland's voice was identified as the kidnapper making ransom demands, agents surrounded the house and waited to obtain a warrant. These rumors provided investigators with their first major theory. WSFA 12 News was unable to reach Browns mom. First of all, Sheriff Perry Johnson told the press that the scene inside of the Hair Gallery was horrific and that all three victims throats had been cut deeply. I use it as an example when people have a horrible tragedy and their entire world as they know it has been obliterated. "I needed to start over. Simpson had just ended in early October 1996, but remained fresh in the public psyche and dominated headlines. I can remember one of the feds saying, 'Look, he had marijuana in the house. The house belonged to two of the victims, 34-year-old Robert Gierse and 27-year-old Robert Hinson. Additionally, the homicide unit commander at the time of the murder said investigators believed that several other people were in the parking lot at the time of the shooting and were reluctant to come forward. An excavator scooped out the bottom of the pool but found nothing. Then, when the police arrived, they found two more bodies in the utility room at the back of the store. However, the true motives behind these horrid crimes may never be known, given their unsolved character. The Walker family of Osprey, Florida, included father Cliff (25 years old), mother Christine (24 years old), a son named Jimmie (three years old), and a daughter named Debbie (two years old). Both beepers, however, transmitted on the same frequency and when the drop was over, the agents -- who had air support -- unwittingly followed Lawson's vehicle instead of the money. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. In 1999, high school seniors J.B. Hilton Green Beasley and Tracie Jean . On Sept. 13, another meeting was arranged and Lawson delivered $300,000 at a service station on the outskirts of Jasper. ", Lawson concedes there might have been mistakes during the investigation, but, "To a T, those guys gave 200 percent every day, every minute. Then, at that moment, the alleys mechanic, 26-year-old New Mexico State University student Steven Teran, arrived with his daughter and stepdaughter in tow. John Sharp was found face-up and with bloody hands near the front door. It just so happened that Smith and Hickock had driven to Florida in a stolen Bel Air. On that night, Glenna Sharp, members of her family, and a family friend were bludgeoned to death while they slept the night away at Cabin 28, which they had been renting from the Keddie Resort since November 1980. "It devastated my parents. Lawsons family remains opposed to McPherson being paroled, and Lawsons sister - Margaret Smith Kubiszyn - attended Thursdays hearing. Barker worked for the large corporation Bell and Howell. Then they got in my car and they left.". Upon a close examination of the crime scene, police discovered that each victim had been struck in the head with some kind of blunt object. It has been 25 years since 25-year-old Carrie Smith Lawson disappeared in Walker County on Sept. 11, 1991. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. "No matter what deck of cards life deals you, no matter how bad it is, you can overcome that. McPherson quickly pleaded guilty in November 1991 and was sentenced to life in prison. He flew his plane down, and he actually picked me up in Cincinnati. She was the kindest person you've ever met," she said. All four were brought into Senacs office by the two gunmen, who told the women to lie facedown. We tracked down the lady Brown was dating at the time and she declined to be part of this story. 'https://mountaineaglebanners.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://mountaineaglebanners.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ajs.php'); But everyone that knew her felt like they were loved by her, and that was extraordinary.". It was daylight before agents would go inside and find Bland dead from what was ruled a self-inflicted gunshot. The newborn girl was pulled into the world and then summarily beaten to death. var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); With no football fans or tourists in town, the cool but clear fall weekend had been a relatively uneventful one for Tuscaloosa. Despite Bland's death, and McPherson's swift arrest on first-degree kidnapping charges, the searches for Carrie continued by hundreds, if not thousands. Friends, family and federal agents descended upon the small town. "I went to visit him in the nursing home before he died and he said he wasn't afraid to die and he couldn't wait to see Carrie," Kubiszyn said. She will be eligible for parole consideration again in five years. November 20, 2020 / 6:33 AM / AP. Despite being caught off guard by her attackers, Christine managed to fight back. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. I remember someone saying he could kill himself.". The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. "He sat down in that jail for four or five hours, and he took the tapes that day to have them analyzed and the voice analyst said she was lying," Kubiszyn said. The numbers are only getting. Most of the victims in the 28 cases were shot. "We were all in the kitchen discussing what needed to be done with Jerry Bland. Daniel immediately informed the police of his gruesome discovery. The sheriff admitted 10 years is a mighty long time for any family to suffer without any sort of resolution, but he insists its not a lack of trying on the investigators part.