Another Cold Case Solved, by jay7777

[Jay7777]

What a sick guy,

The Cold Case no one knew about:

He Left Phone at Restaurant. Cops Say It Held Awful Videos


www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/he-left-phone-at-restaurant-cops-say-it-held-awful-videos/ar-AA1dEU0p?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9fa75af711ae4844a7655ba4e32cf26e&ei=43

A popular Tennessee soccer coach left his cellphone at a restaurant, and police say what was found on that phone was unimaginable: hundreds of pictures and videos of unconscious boys between the ages of 9 and 17 being raped. Camilo Hurtado Campos, 63, is accused of filming the rapes over a period of two decades, WAFB reports. He has been charged with child rape and sexual exploitation of a minor, but more charges are expected. Police say they were contacted by a restaurant on June 22 after Campos' phone was found and workers unlocked it hoping to find information on its owner. "What they found, instead, were dozens of unconscionable videos and pictures," police say. Campos was arrested the following day.

Police say Campos, who has lived in the city of Franklin, near Nashville, for 20 years, used his position as a coach to lure boys to his home, NBC News reports. "During off-hours, Campos frequented nearby school playgrounds in both neighborhoods [where he had lived] where he approached kids and recruited them as players on his team," police say. "After gaining their trust, Campos invited many of the kids to his home where he drugged and then raped them." Police say there were at least 10 victims, two of whom have been identified so far, but there may be more considering how many photos and videos were found. Police say some of the victims appeared so out of it, they may not even realize what was done to them.

[Jay7777]

Probably him:

James Lewis, the suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed 7 in the Chicago area, has died

www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/james-lewis-the-suspect-in-the-1982-tylenol-poisonings-that-killed-7-in-the-chicago-area-has-died/ar-AA1dGk7g?ocid=iehp&cvid=9676e6d150674e79903a26cf96fd5389&ei=15

The suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area, triggered a nationwide panic, and led to an overhaul in the safety of over-the-counter medication packaging, has died, police said on Monday.

Officers, firefighters and EMTs responding to a report of an unresponsive person at about 4 p.m. Sunday found James W. Lewis dead in his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home, Cambridge Police Superintendent Frederick Cabral said in a statement. He was 76, police said.

“Following an investigation, Lewis’ death was determined to be not suspicious,” the statement says.

No one was ever charged in the deaths of seven people who took the over-the-counter painkillers laced with cyanide. Lewis served more than 12 years in prison for sending an extortion note to manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, demanding $1 million to “stop the killing.” He and his wife moved to Massachusetts in 1995 following his release. Listed numbers for his wife were not in service.

When Lewis was arrested in New York City in 1982 after a nationwide manhunt, he gave investigators a detailed account of how the killer might have operated. Lewis later admitted sending the letter and demanding the money, but he said he never intended to collect it. He said he wanted to embarrass his wife’s former employer by having the money sent to the employer’s bank account.

Lewis, who had a history of trouble with the law, always denied any role in the Tylenol deaths, but remained a suspect and in 2010 gave DNA samples to the FBI. He even created a website in which he said he was framed. Although the couple lived briefly in Chicago in the early 1980s, Lewis said they were in New York City at the time of the poisonings.

In a 1992 interview with The Associated Press, Lewis explained that the account he gave authorities was simply his way of explaining the killer’s actions.

“I was doing like I would have done for a corporate client, making a list of possible scenarios,” said Lewis. He called the killer “a heinous, cold-blooded killer, a cruel monster.”

The FBI seized a computer and other items from Lewis’ home in February 2009 after Illinois authorities renewed the investigation.

The FBI’s Chicago office at the time cited “advances in forensic technology” and said it, along with the Illinois State Police and local police departments, was conducting a “complete review of all evidence developed in connection" with the killings.

In a span of three days beginning Sept. 29, 1982, seven people — including a 12-year-old girl — who took cyanide-laced Tylenol in the Chicago area died, triggering a nationwide recall of the product. The poisonings led to the adoption of tamperproof packaging for over-the-counter medications.

Helen Jensen, a nurse who helped treat the first victims at a suburban Chicago hospital, said in a phone interview Monday with the AP she hoped Lewis’ death would be a final coda to a tragedy that has haunted her for four decades. She also hoped it would bring victims’ families some closure.

“His death is a conclusion. Not necessarily the conclusion everyone wanted,” said Jensen, who is retired. “But it is an end. I’m 86 now. And I am glad I got to see the end before I die.”

Jensen said she was the first to figure out that a bottle had been tampered with. Investigators laughed at her.

“I was a woman and I was a nurse,” she said. “I understood the attitudes of that time. But I was proven right by the next day.”

Jensen said Lewis, who she accepts was responsible, “changed the world because of what he did.”

“We lost our innocence,” she said. “We have become less trusting of everyone else. We can blame it all on him. … He was a terrorist and we have suffered from his terror for 40 years.”

Lewis had prior run-ins with the law.

In 1978, he was charged in Kansas City, Missouri, with the dismemberment murder of Raymond West, 72, who had hired Lewis as an accountant. The charges were dismissed because West’s cause of death was not determined and some evidence had been illegally obtained.

He was convicted of six counts of mail fraud in a 1981 credit card scheme in Kansas City, accused of using the name and background of a former tax client to obtain 13 credit cards.

Lewis was charged in 2004 with rape, kidnapping and other offenses for an alleged attack on a woman in Cambridge. He was jailed for three years while awaiting trial, but prosecutors dismissed the charges on the day his trial was scheduled to begin after the victim refused to testify, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said at the time.

Police in 1983 described Lewis as a “chameleon” who lived in several states, used at least 20 aliases and held many jobs, including computer specialist, tax accountant, importer of Indian tapestries and salesman of jewelry, pharmaceutical machinery and real estate.

The lack of accountability in the case has long frustrated victims' families.

Monica Janus, who was 8 years old when three members of her family died after taking the tainted medication, told CBS Chicago in 2022 that she thought the investigation was “really sloppy.”

Lewis' wife was out of town and contacted a neighbor when she could not get a hold of her husband, and the neighbor contacted police, Cabral said.

[Jay7777]

Great! :

Suspect in Long Island serial killings is in custody, officials say.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/suspect-in-long-island-serial-killings-is-in-custody-officials-say/ar-AA1dRdFi


ANew York City architect has been arrested in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders, a series of killings of mostly young women that confounded investigators on Long Island for more than a decade, police said Friday.

Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested Thursday evening at his Manhattan office and was expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, according to a bail application obtained by NBC News.

“We anticipate an indictment later on this afternoon,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. His agency and the Suffolk County district attorney are leading the investigation.

Heuermann, who lives in Massapequa in neighboring Nassau County, had recently searched online "for sadistic materials, child pornography, images of the victims and their relatives," the application stated.

The sister of Shannan Gilbert, whose missing case set off the search that led to the victims' remains, said she was "relieved that they finally caught him."

"It’s been a long time coming & I never gave up hope that one day justice would be served," Sherre Gilbert said in an email to NBC News. "I’m just happy it happened sooner rather than later. The suspect (Rex) deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He destroyed many lives so while it won’t bring our loved ones back, it does help that one less monster is off the streets and he can’t ever hurt anyone else!”

Heuermann's arrest came after a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Friday morning there was a “significant development in the case” but declined to comment further until after a court proceeding later this morning.

“The focus for me, members of our team, has been on bringing justice for this victims and closure to these families who have suffered," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said at a news press conference. "Today’s developments take us a major step forward in doing exactly that."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed.

“We’ll all be sleeping a lot easier tonight,” Hochul said after the arrest was announced.

Friends of the suspect expressed shock at his arrest. They said he owns a Manhattan architecture firm and belonged to a New York City-based networking group known as The Dream Team.

"I knew him as a friend and a colleague,” a woman who asked not to be identified told NBC News in a telephone interview. “And I am completely surprised...I did not see this coming.”

Actor Billy Baldwin said he graduated with Heuermann in 1981 from Berner High School in Massapequa. He said his former classmate was married and had two children.

“Woke up this morning to learn that the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect was my high school classmate Rex Heuermann,” the actor tweeted. "“Mind-boggling… Massapequa is in shock."

Eleven sets of human remains were found on a stretch of highway in Suffolk County after police began searching along Ocean Parkway for Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker from New Jersey who vanished in 2010 after leaving a client’s house in Oak Beach.

During the search, the remains of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, were found on Dec. 11, 2010. Two days later, three more bodies were discovered — Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Lynn Costello, 27, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.



In March 2011, Suffolk police found the partial remains of Jessica Taylor along Ocean Parkway. Eight years earlier, remains also belonging to Taylor were found in Manorville, police said in 2020.

In April 2011, police uncovered three additional sets of remains. They were of Valerie Mack, 24, a female toddler and a man.

The shocking discoveries continued when two additional bodies were found in Nassau County.

Mack was not identified until 2020.

Gilbert’s remains were eventually discovered by police on Oak Beach in December 2011. According to NBC New York, Gilbert was not the only victim who was a sex worker.

In May 2022, Suffolk County police released 911 audio related to Gilbert’s disappearance. She initially called 911 from inside the home of a client, Joseph Brewer, in Oak Beach shortly before 5 a.m. in 2010.

“There is somebody after me,” she told the dispatcher multiple times. “Somebody’s after me — please,” she said.

Gilbert didn’t specify where she was but said she was on Long Island. At times during the call, she was heard speaking to her driver and security, Michael Pak, saying “Please, get me out of here, Mike.”

At times during the 911 call, Brewer and Pak were heard speaking, trying to get her out of Brewer’s home.

“Come on, let’s go. We’ll all go outside,” Brewer was heard saying.

Gilbert added, “Please, get me out of here, Mike.”

The development comes after a multi-agency task force made up of FBI, New York State Police and Suffolk County authorities was established in February 2022 to “reinvigorate” the investigation.

[Jay7777]

A little more:

Suspect charged with murder in New York's long-unsolved Gilgo Beach serial killings
Updated 4:14 PM EDT July 14, 2023

A New York architect was charged by a grand jury Friday with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of four women who in death became known as the "Gilgo Four," according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.

Rex Heuermann was taken into custody for some of the Gilgo Beach murders, an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of human remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island, according to two law enforcement sources.

This is the first arrest in the long-dormant case, which terrorized residents and sparked conflicting theories about whether a serial killer was responsible.
See our live coverage here.

Authorities were executing a search warrant at an address registered to him in Massapequa Park, the sources said.
Federal law enforcement took the suspect into custody Thursday night, according to a spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

The suspect is connected to the murder of four women, whose bodies were wrapped in burlap and discovered within days of each other in 2010, the spokesperson said. The deaths became known as the "Gilgo Four."

Heuermann was remanded without bail. He entered a not guilty plea through his attorney, Michael Brown. His next court date is scheduled for August 1.

He wore a gray short-sleeved polo shirt with a collar and tan pants in the courtroom. He stood largely expressionless, conferring with his lawyer a couple of times.

Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney said in a bail application. Heuermann has not been charged with that murder but the investigation "is expected to be resolved soon," the DA said.

The bail application said there "is substantial evidence of Defendant Heuermann's involvement in the disappearance and death of Ms. Brainard-Barnes."

Heuermann also used the cell phones of one victim, Melissa Barthelemy, to taunt her family members and admitted to killing and sexually assaulting the woman, according to prosecutors.
How Heuermann was tracked down

The case against Heuermann came together in the two years since the restart of the investigation by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case.

Harrison put together a task force including county police detectives, investigators from the sheriff's office, the state police and the FBI.

Investigators went backward through phone records collected from both midtown Manhattan and the Massapequa Park area -- two areas where a "burner phone" used by the alleged killer were detected.

Authorities then narrowed records collected by cell towers to thousands, then down to hundreds, then finally down to a handful of people who could match a suspect.

From there, authorities worked to focus on people who lived in the area of the cell tower who also matched a physical description given by a witness who had seen the suspected killer.
In the narrowed pool, they searched for a connection to a green pickup truck a witness had seen the suspect driving, the sources said.

Investigators found Heuermann, who matched a witness's physical description, lived close to the Long Island cell site and worked near the New York City cell sites where other calls were captured.
They also learned he had often driven a green pickup truck, registered to his brother. But they needed more than circumstantial evidence.

So investigators were able to obtain DNA from an immediate family member of Heuermann, which was sent to a specialized lab, sources said.

According to the lab report, the DNA matched as coming from a relative of the person who left DNA recovered from a burlap sack containing one of the buried victims near Jones Beach.
Male DNA discovered on the body of one victim, Megan Waterman, has been linked to Heuermann through laboratory analysis, prosecutors said.

During the initial examination of Waterman's skeletal remains and materials discovered with her remains, the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory recovered a male hair from the "bottom of the burlap" used to wrap Waterman by her killer, according to the bail application.

As authorities focused on Heuermann as a suspect, a surveillance team recovered a pizza box he discarded in the trash and gathered a swab of DNA from leftover pizza crust for testing, the DA said.
Killings baffled authorities for years

Heuermann, who a source familiar with the case said is a married father of two, is a registered architect who has owned the New York City-based architecture and consulting firm, RH Consultants & Associates, since 1994, according to his company's website.
"Throughout the years, Rex Heuermann has provided services to other city agencies, not for profit agencies, builders, developers and individual owners of buildings," the company website said.
In 2022, Heuermann was interviewed for the YouTube channel "Bonjour Realty." He spoke about his career in architecture, and said he was born and raised in Long Island. He began working in Manhattan in 1987.

CNN has reached out to Heuermann's company for comment.
The killings have baffled authorities since the discovery of the first set of female remains among the bushes along an isolated strip of waterfront property on Gilgo Beach.

Suffolk County officials, including investigators and prosecutors, and the FBI are set to announce "a significant development in the investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force," at 4 p.m. ET Friday, according to a joint news release.

At an impromptu news conference earlier Friday, county officials said an indictment will be made available.

County Executive Steve Bellone said the arrest is "a major, major step forward ... to bring closure to these families and to bring justice to the victims in this case."

Police had previously identified the Gilgo Four:
One was Barthelemy, whose skeletal remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach on December 11, 2010.

Two days later, on December 13, the remains of three other women were found: Brainard-Barnes, who advertised escort services on Craigslist and was last seen in early June 2007 in New York City; Amber Lynn Costello, who also advertised escort services and was last seen leaving her North Babylon home in early September 2010; and Waterman, who also advertised as an escort and was last seen in early June 2010 at a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge.
Lawyer: Case is 'edge of a bigger body of water'
John Ray, a lawyer who represents the family of Shannon Gilbert -- whose disappearance and search led to the discovery of "Gilgo Four" and other remains -- said Friday he does not know if Heuermann is also responsible for her death.
"We breathe a great sigh of relief," Ray said. "We're happy the police are finally taking a positive step in this respect, but this is just the beginning ... This is just the edge of a bigger body of water, shall we say, of murder that has taken place."

Ray also represents the family Gilgo beach victim Jessica Taylor.
"We don't know if he is connected to Jessica Taylor's murder," he said.

Jasmine Robinson, a family representative for Taylor, said she's "hopeful for the future and hopeful that a connection is made" to resolve the other cases.

Some victims advertised escort services on websites
The murder mystery had confounded county officials for years. In 2020, they found a belt with initials that may have been handled by the suspect and launched a website to collect new tips in the investigation.

Police said some victims identified had advertised prostitution services on websites such as Craigslist.

The mystery began in 2010 when police discovered the first set of female remains among the bushes along an isolated strip of waterfront property on Gilgo Beach while searching for Shannan Gilbert, a missing 23-year-old woman from Jersey City, New Jersey.
By the time Gilbert's body was found one year later on neighboring Oak Beach, investigators had unearthed 10 sets of human remains strewn across two Long Island counties.

The grim discoveries generated widespread attention in the region and sent waves of fear across some communities on Long Island's South Shore.

Authorities later said they believe Gilbert's death may have been accidental and not related to the Gilgo Beach slayings.
Still, Gilbert's disappearance led to the discovery of the bodies of four women who were found in bushes along a quarter-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway in Oak Beach.

Additional remains were uncovered in neighboring Gilgo Beach and in Nassau County, about 40 miles east of New York City. They included a female toddler, an Asian male and a woman initially referred to as "Jane Doe #6," investigators said.
In 2020, police identified "Jane Doe #6" was as Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old Philadelphia mother who went missing two decades earlier.
Mack's partial remains were first discovered near Gilgo Beach in 2000, with additional dismembered remains found in 2011, according to the Suffolk County police.

Last year, Suffolk County police formed a task force to strengthen what police called "one of the most consequential homicide investigations in the history of Long Island."
© 2023 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved.

[vivazapata]

www.ccso.us/press-releases/12866/#

Charles County, MD…Sheriff Troy D. Berry has announced an arrest has been made in the death of Vickie Lynn Belk who was found murdered 44-years-ago in a wooded area on Metropolitan Church Road in Bryans Road, MD. “This case occurred more than four decades ago and yet the detectives and forensics personnel never gave up. They continuously looked for ways to identify a suspect. This arrest serves as a reminder of our commitment to doing everything we can to solve crimes. We never give up. We never stop seeking justice for victims,” said Sheriff Berry. The facts of the case are as follows:

On Tuesday, August 28, 1979, Vickie Lynn Belk was reported missing to the Prince George’s County Police Department by her then boyfriend. The two had last seen each other the day before at the Department of Agriculture where they both worked. Belk never returned to her apartment in Suitland, MD.

On Wednesday, August 29, at 7 p.m., a local teenager was riding his bike in the area of Metropolitan Church Road and Route 227 when he noticed a body on the ground in a wooded area, about 20 feet off of the roadway. He went home and called 9-1-1. Officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office arrived and determined the case appeared to be a murder.

On August 30, detectives positively identified the woman as Vickie Lynn Belk. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound.

During the initial investigation, investigators were proactive in recovering, processing and maintaining evidence. Investigators worked with allied agencies and forensics labs, pursuing leads; however, the case eventually went cold.

In the years that followed and as time moved forward, several detectives, many who have since retired, worked the case. Over the last several years, Detective Sergeant John Elliott of the CCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division continued the investigation and worked with various agencies, pursuing all leads to no avail. As forensic technology advanced, the evidence in Belk’s homicide continued to be re-examined – a measure of commitment between the detectives and forensic personnel, who continuously review cold cases to assess if evidence can be re-evaluated using new technology.

In early 2022, the CCSO’s Forensic Science Section re-evaluated evidence in Vickie’s case. Her clothing was submitted for testing using newer technology and a profile was developed and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is a national DNA database.

On November 1, 2022, Noelle Gehrman, Deputy Director of the CCSO’s Forensic Science Section, was notified of a DNA match between the profiles developed from the evidence obtained from the Belk case and convicted offender, Andre Taylor, 62, of Washington, D.C.

Upon receiving the match, detectives began investigating Taylor’s background and his ties to Bryans Road, MD. Detectives learned Taylor’s DNA was added to the national database after he was arrested for violent crimes that occurred in Washington, D.C. Further, Taylor’s address on arrest records from the 1980s showed he lived at a residence in Bryans Road, MD – an address that was less than four miles from where Vickie was found.

Once Taylor was identified, investigators began trying to locate him; however, he had no known address since 2019. Detectives worked with law enforcement partners at the United States Homeland Security Investigations, DC Metropolitan Police Department Homicide, and the U.S. Secret Service Baltimore Field Office, who assisted investigators throughout the investigation and helped obtain a search warrant for his DNA. Based on the collaborative efforts, and after months of trying to locate Taylor, investigators found him in Washington, D.C.

On June 16, the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office presented the case to a Charles County Grand Jury which indicted Taylor on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, and second-degree rape. On June 22, Taylor, who was living in Washington, D.C., was arrested by detectives assigned to the CCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division, CCSO’s Warrant / Fugitive Unit the United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and members of the Metropolitan Police Department. He was taken to a detention facility in Washington D.C. On June 27, Taylor waived extradition and was transported to the Charles County Detention Center where he was charged. Taylor is currently being held without bond.

In 1979, Vickie Belk was 28-years-old and Andre Taylor was 18-years-old. A review of the original report and investigative efforts since 1979 showed there is no information to indicate Andre Taylor and Vickie Belk knew each other. The circumstances of the crimes in which Taylor was arrested in Washington D.C. are not similar to the Belk murder. At this time, Taylor has not been linked to other cases.

[almagata]

Jul 11, 2023 2:51:10 GMT Jay7777 said:

Probably him:

James Lewis, the suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed 7 in the Chicago area, has died

www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/james-lewis-the-suspect-in-the-1982-tylenol-poisonings-that-killed-7-in-the-chicago-area-has-died/ar-AA1dGk7g?ocid=iehp&cvid=9676e6d150674e79903a26cf96fd5389&ei=15

The suspect in the 1982 Tylenol poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area, triggered a nationwide panic, and led to an overhaul in the safety of over-the-counter medication packaging, has died, police said on Monday.

Officers, firefighters and EMTs responding to a report of an unresponsive person at about 4 p.m. Sunday found James W. Lewis dead in his Cambridge, Massachusetts, home, Cambridge Police Superintendent Frederick Cabral said in a statement. He was 76, police said.

“Following an investigation, Lewis’ death was determined to be not suspicious,” the statement says.

No one was ever charged in the deaths of seven people who took the over-the-counter painkillers laced with cyanide. Lewis served more than 12 years in prison for sending an extortion note to manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, demanding $1 million to “stop the killing.” He and his wife moved to Massachusetts in 1995 following his release. Listed numbers for his wife were not in service.

When Lewis was arrested in New York City in 1982 after a nationwide manhunt, he gave investigators a detailed account of how the killer might have operated. Lewis later admitted sending the letter and demanding the money, but he said he never intended to collect it. He said he wanted to embarrass his wife’s former employer by having the money sent to the employer’s bank account.

Lewis, who had a history of trouble with the law, always denied any role in the Tylenol deaths, but remained a suspect and in 2010 gave DNA samples to the FBI. He even created a website in which he said he was framed. Although the couple lived briefly in Chicago in the early 1980s, Lewis said they were in New York City at the time of the poisonings.

In a 1992 interview with The Associated Press, Lewis explained that the account he gave authorities was simply his way of explaining the killer’s actions.

“I was doing like I would have done for a corporate client, making a list of possible scenarios,” said Lewis. He called the killer “a heinous, cold-blooded killer, a cruel monster.”

The FBI seized a computer and other items from Lewis’ home in February 2009 after Illinois authorities renewed the investigation.

The FBI’s Chicago office at the time cited “advances in forensic technology” and said it, along with the Illinois State Police and local police departments, was conducting a “complete review of all evidence developed in connection" with the killings.

In a span of three days beginning Sept. 29, 1982, seven people — including a 12-year-old girl — who took cyanide-laced Tylenol in the Chicago area died, triggering a nationwide recall of the product. The poisonings led to the adoption of tamperproof packaging for over-the-counter medications.

Helen Jensen, a nurse who helped treat the first victims at a suburban Chicago hospital, said in a phone interview Monday with the AP she hoped Lewis’ death would be a final coda to a tragedy that has haunted her for four decades. She also hoped it would bring victims’ families some closure.

“His death is a conclusion. Not necessarily the conclusion everyone wanted,” said Jensen, who is retired. “But it is an end. I’m 86 now. And I am glad I got to see the end before I die.”

Jensen said she was the first to figure out that a bottle had been tampered with. Investigators laughed at her.

“I was a woman and I was a nurse,” she said. “I understood the attitudes of that time. But I was proven right by the next day.”

Jensen said Lewis, who she accepts was responsible, “changed the world because of what he did.”

“We lost our innocence,” she said. “We have become less trusting of everyone else. We can blame it all on him. … He was a terrorist and we have suffered from his terror for 40 years.”

Lewis had prior run-ins with the law.

In 1978, he was charged in Kansas City, Missouri, with the dismemberment murder of Raymond West, 72, who had hired Lewis as an accountant. The charges were dismissed because West’s cause of death was not determined and some evidence had been illegally obtained.

He was convicted of six counts of mail fraud in a 1981 credit card scheme in Kansas City, accused of using the name and background of a former tax client to obtain 13 credit cards.

Lewis was charged in 2004 with rape, kidnapping and other offenses for an alleged attack on a woman in Cambridge. He was jailed for three years while awaiting trial, but prosecutors dismissed the charges on the day his trial was scheduled to begin after the victim refused to testify, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said at the time.

Police in 1983 described Lewis as a “chameleon” who lived in several states, used at least 20 aliases and held many jobs, including computer specialist, tax accountant, importer of Indian tapestries and salesman of jewelry, pharmaceutical machinery and real estate.

The lack of accountability in the case has long frustrated victims' families.

Monica Janus, who was 8 years old when three members of her family died after taking the tainted medication, told CBS Chicago in 2022 that she thought the investigation was “really sloppy.”

Lewis' wife was out of town and contacted a neighbor when she could not get a hold of her husband, and the neighbor contacted police, Cabral said.

I always wondered if this was his test run in Sacramento 1972. 

Attachments:

[Jay7777]

Who is Jesse Lee Calhoun? Career criminal who received reduced sentence is reportedly ‘person of interest' in serial killings of four Oregon women

www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/who-is-jesse-lee-calhoun-career-criminal-who-received-reduced-sentence-is-reportedly-person-of-interest-in-serial-killings-of-four-oregon-women/ar-AA1e3CSE?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=618ff627912e4fab8491f0b8c9f10a74&ei=9

PORTLAND, OREGON: Labelled a "career criminal" by Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, a man who was released from prison early due to COVID concerns, is identified to be the ‘person of interest' in the killings of four women whose remains were discovered in and around Portland over a period of three months. Jesse Lee Calhoun, 38, reportedly came under the police's radar after officers discovered a crucial link between the suspicious deaths of Ashley Real, 22, Bridget Webster, Kristin Smith, 22, and Charity Lynn Perry, 24.

22-year-old Smith was the first of the four victims to be found. She was found dead in the woods in Pleasant Valley on February 19. Her family in Gresham, Oregon, reported her missing on December 22 and her body was finally identified on May 25. In April, just two months after Smith was found, Perry, 24, was found dead in Ainsworth State Park. The next week, on April 30, 31-year-old Webster's remains were discovered in Polk County, 45 miles south of Portland. The remains of the fourth victim, 22-year-old Real, were discovered on May 7, a month after she vanished from a fast food restaurant. Authorities previously noted that none of the women's causes of death or manner of passing had been determined by the state medical examiner.

What's the connection between four suspicious deaths?


Officers initially investigated the four deaths separately but recently it was announced that they have discovered a crucial link between the cases. "Investigators and prosecutors from multiple law enforcement agencies have been working collaboratively ... and they have determined that there are links between four cases: Kristin Smith, Charity Perry, Bridget Webster, and Ashley Real," the prosecutor's office said. Following the announcement, The Willamette Week reported on Monday that Calhoun is currently being investigated as the "person of interest" in connection to the death. However, the Multnomah County District Attorney's office in Portland has not named Calhoun. They said on Monday that no charges have been filed against anyone.

Who is Jesse Lee Calhoun?
Calhoun reportedly has a lengthy criminal history, with a long string of busts dating back to 2004, and previous prison time for two years on a fourth-degree assault conviction in 2009. According to documents, he was a talented artist, who told booking officials he earned his living painting designs on vehicles. Calhoun had been sent to prison in 2019 on a series of felony convictions, including burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, injuring a cop, and choking a police dog, according to New York Post. At that time, he was charged with three counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, one count of assaulting a public safety officer, and one count of first-degree burglary.

Calhoun was initially supposed to get out of prison in June 2022 but was released early under an order by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who granted clemency to 1000 inmates amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. The Willamette Week reported that Brown said she was "absolutely horrified" for the victims. Calhoun's sentence was also further reduced as he joined a team of convicts who helped fight wildfires in the state. However, he was sent back in custody, last month, after the current governor, Tina Kotek – who took over from Brown in January – revoked his commutation. Calhoun has not been charged for the deaths of the four women.

[vivazapata]

Laura Kempton 1981 Homicide Solved with FGG

On September 28th, 1981, 23-year-old beauty school student Laura Kempton was found murdered in her apartment in Portsmouth, NH. She had died of massive head trauma:

www.doj.nh.gov/criminal/cold-case/victim-list/laura-kempton.htm

The following update was released today regarding the case:

Identifinders International, in conjunction with the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department announces the identification of Ronney James Lee as the suspect in the 1981 homicide and sexual assault of 23-year-old Portsmouth, NH resident Laura Kempton. She was found dead in her apartment in September 1981. Lee died in 2005.

On Monday, September 28, 1981, Kempton was found murdered in her apartment located at 20 Chapel Street in Portsmouth, NH. The NH Medical Examiner reported that she had died of blunt force trauma to the head. Kempton was a student at the Portsmouth Beauty School and was employed at Macro Polo, Inc. and Karen's Ice Cream Parlor.

Ronney James Lee, died at the age of 45 in February 2005 at Catholic Medical Center after a sudden illness. Lee was born in Ft. Myers, FL in 1960, but he had lived in Manchester for the previous 15 years. Lee had no known connection to Kempton.

Identifinders became involved in March 2017, when the only means of using FGG was comparison of the crime scene Y-profile to the Y-STR genetic genealogy databases to try to determine the last name of an offender. No name match was discovered for Kempton’s assailant and no suspect was developed. In 2022, new technology that yielded DNA allowing advanced FGG SNP testing to be performed. This eventually led to Lee’s identification.

“This case is an example of persistence and cooperation by the Portsmouth Police Department, the New Hampshire Department of Justice, and our investigative partners, including Identifinders International,” said Attorney General John M. Formella. “Despite encountering numerous hurdles along the way, investigators never stopped working toward solving this murder and identifying the person responsible. This case sends a clear message that no matter the difficulties, we will never stop investigating our cold cases.”

“This case is a good example of how investigative work has tracked the development of FGG technology”, stated Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, President of Identifinders International. “Our initial FGG Y-STR work in 2017 provided a basis for later FGG SNP analysis. Linda Doyle did excellent work; she was the right forensic genealogist for the job. We are pleased to assist the Portsmouth Police Department in solving Laura’s case”.

Press Conference on YT: www.youtube.com/@cityofportsmouth

Wanted to add he appears to be suspect in this very similar case (link has pics): 

www.cityofportsmouth.com/police/unsolved-homicides


Tammy Little October 1982
On Tuesday, October 19, 1982, Tammy Little was found murdered in her apartment located at 315 Maplewood Ave. in Portsmouth NH. The autopsy conducted by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner determined Tammy Little died as a result of massive head injuries. The 20-year-old female lived at 315 Maplewood Ave. and was a student at the Portsmouth Beauty School.

[johnnyhands1]

Jul 14, 2023 20:51:15 GMT Jay7777 said:

A little more:

Suspect charged with murder in New York's long-unsolved Gilgo Beach serial killings
Updated 4:14 PM EDT July 14, 2023

A New York architect was charged by a grand jury Friday with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of four women who in death became known as the "Gilgo Four," according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.

Rex Heuermann was taken into custody for some of the Gilgo Beach murders, an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of human remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island, according to two law enforcement sources.

This is the first arrest in the long-dormant case, which terrorized residents and sparked conflicting theories about whether a serial killer was responsible.
See our live coverage here.

Authorities were executing a search warrant at an address registered to him in Massapequa Park, the sources said.
Federal law enforcement took the suspect into custody Thursday night, according to a spokesperson for Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

The suspect is connected to the murder of four women, whose bodies were wrapped in burlap and discovered within days of each other in 2010, the spokesperson said. The deaths became known as the "Gilgo Four."

Heuermann was remanded without bail. He entered a not guilty plea through his attorney, Michael Brown. His next court date is scheduled for August 1.

He wore a gray short-sleeved polo shirt with a collar and tan pants in the courtroom. He stood largely expressionless, conferring with his lawyer a couple of times.

Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney said in a bail application. Heuermann has not been charged with that murder but the investigation "is expected to be resolved soon," the DA said.

The bail application said there "is substantial evidence of Defendant Heuermann's involvement in the disappearance and death of Ms. Brainard-Barnes."

Heuermann also used the cell phones of one victim, Melissa Barthelemy, to taunt her family members and admitted to killing and sexually assaulting the woman, according to prosecutors.
How Heuermann was tracked down

The case against Heuermann came together in the two years since the restart of the investigation by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case.

Harrison put together a task force including county police detectives, investigators from the sheriff's office, the state police and the FBI.

Investigators went backward through phone records collected from both midtown Manhattan and the Massapequa Park area -- two areas where a "burner phone" used by the alleged killer were detected.

Authorities then narrowed records collected by cell towers to thousands, then down to hundreds, then finally down to a handful of people who could match a suspect.

From there, authorities worked to focus on people who lived in the area of the cell tower who also matched a physical description given by a witness who had seen the suspected killer.
In the narrowed pool, they searched for a connection to a green pickup truck a witness had seen the suspect driving, the sources said.

Investigators found Heuermann, who matched a witness's physical description, lived close to the Long Island cell site and worked near the New York City cell sites where other calls were captured.
They also learned he had often driven a green pickup truck, registered to his brother. But they needed more than circumstantial evidence.

So investigators were able to obtain DNA from an immediate family member of Heuermann, which was sent to a specialized lab, sources said.

According to the lab report, the DNA matched as coming from a relative of the person who left DNA recovered from a burlap sack containing one of the buried victims near Jones Beach.
Male DNA discovered on the body of one victim, Megan Waterman, has been linked to Heuermann through laboratory analysis, prosecutors said.

During the initial examination of Waterman's skeletal remains and materials discovered with her remains, the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory recovered a male hair from the "bottom of the burlap" used to wrap Waterman by her killer, according to the bail application.

As authorities focused on Heuermann as a suspect, a surveillance team recovered a pizza box he discarded in the trash and gathered a swab of DNA from leftover pizza crust for testing, the DA said.
Killings baffled authorities for years

Heuermann, who a source familiar with the case said is a married father of two, is a registered architect who has owned the New York City-based architecture and consulting firm, RH Consultants & Associates, since 1994, according to his company's website.
"Throughout the years, Rex Heuermann has provided services to other city agencies, not for profit agencies, builders, developers and individual owners of buildings," the company website said.
In 2022, Heuermann was interviewed for the YouTube channel "Bonjour Realty." He spoke about his career in architecture, and said he was born and raised in Long Island. He began working in Manhattan in 1987.

CNN has reached out to Heuermann's company for comment.
The killings have baffled authorities since the discovery of the first set of female remains among the bushes along an isolated strip of waterfront property on Gilgo Beach.

Suffolk County officials, including investigators and prosecutors, and the FBI are set to announce "a significant development in the investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force," at 4 p.m. ET Friday, according to a joint news release.

At an impromptu news conference earlier Friday, county officials said an indictment will be made available.

County Executive Steve Bellone said the arrest is "a major, major step forward ... to bring closure to these families and to bring justice to the victims in this case."

Police had previously identified the Gilgo Four:
One was Barthelemy, whose skeletal remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach on December 11, 2010.

Two days later, on December 13, the remains of three other women were found: Brainard-Barnes, who advertised escort services on Craigslist and was last seen in early June 2007 in New York City; Amber Lynn Costello, who also advertised escort services and was last seen leaving her North Babylon home in early September 2010; and Waterman, who also advertised as an escort and was last seen in early June 2010 at a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge.
Lawyer: Case is 'edge of a bigger body of water'
John Ray, a lawyer who represents the family of Shannon Gilbert -- whose disappearance and search led to the discovery of "Gilgo Four" and other remains -- said Friday he does not know if Heuermann is also responsible for her death.
"We breathe a great sigh of relief," Ray said. "We're happy the police are finally taking a positive step in this respect, but this is just the beginning ... This is just the edge of a bigger body of water, shall we say, of murder that has taken place."

Ray also represents the family Gilgo beach victim Jessica Taylor.
"We don't know if he is connected to Jessica Taylor's murder," he said.

Jasmine Robinson, a family representative for Taylor, said she's "hopeful for the future and hopeful that a connection is made" to resolve the other cases.

Some victims advertised escort services on websites
The murder mystery had confounded county officials for years. In 2020, they found a belt with initials that may have been handled by the suspect and launched a website to collect new tips in the investigation.

Police said some victims identified had advertised prostitution services on websites such as Craigslist.

The mystery began in 2010 when police discovered the first set of female remains among the bushes along an isolated strip of waterfront property on Gilgo Beach while searching for Shannan Gilbert, a missing 23-year-old woman from Jersey City, New Jersey.
By the time Gilbert's body was found one year later on neighboring Oak Beach, investigators had unearthed 10 sets of human remains strewn across two Long Island counties.

The grim discoveries generated widespread attention in the region and sent waves of fear across some communities on Long Island's South Shore.

Authorities later said they believe Gilbert's death may have been accidental and not related to the Gilgo Beach slayings.
Still, Gilbert's disappearance led to the discovery of the bodies of four women who were found in bushes along a quarter-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway in Oak Beach.

Additional remains were uncovered in neighboring Gilgo Beach and in Nassau County, about 40 miles east of New York City. They included a female toddler, an Asian male and a woman initially referred to as "Jane Doe #6," investigators said.
In 2020, police identified "Jane Doe #6" was as Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old Philadelphia mother who went missing two decades earlier.
Mack's partial remains were first discovered near Gilgo Beach in 2000, with additional dismembered remains found in 2011, according to the Suffolk County police.

Last year, Suffolk County police formed a task force to strengthen what police called "one of the most consequential homicide investigations in the history of Long Island."
© 2023 Cable News Network, Inc. A WarnerMedia Company. All Rights Reserved.

I am listening to the old episodes of the Unraveled podcast (Alexis Linkletter, Billy Jensen) and their series on the LISK from early 2021.  The first one-and-a-half episodes I listened to so far include the story of disgraced Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke who possibly had some connection to some violent sexual activities (Burke was busted for and convicted for beating up some junkie in custody who stole from Burke's car which, among other items stolen, had a homemade DVD that the junkie - who Linkletter knew in high school - claims had sexual torture video on it.)

Not sure where the story is going, as I never listened to it before, but I wonder if it somehow leads in the direction of where we are today.  Here's a link to the first of eight LISK Unraveled episodes:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unraveled/id1543476170?i=1000506743140

[almagata]

www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-08-me-41671-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2wf-oi6p7_tAg0ggtgI3A5czUKPZmsA2Z6N2fa_PGEJFrWMA3KaHbEroo

Kevin Green, a Tustin man who was wrongly convicted of raping his pregnant wife and causing the death of their unborn daughter 20 years ago, on Tuesday settled a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, who continued to hold him partially responsible for the crime.

The settlement brings closure to a two-decade-long legal ordeal for Green, who was set free in 1996 after authorities linked the crime to another man.

“Our lives don’t have to involve courtrooms anymore,” Green, 41, said outside the Santa Ana courthouse. He currently lives in Jefferson City, Mo., with his parents and his new wife, Kelly.

In October, Gov. Gray Davis signed an unprecedented bill awarding Green $620,000 in compensation for the years he spent behind bars for a crime authorities now say he didn’t commit.

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. It’s unclear whether Green will pay a financial settlement to his wife from that award.

Green was convicted of beating and raping his wife, Dianna D’Aiello, after an alleged fight in 1979. Green always maintained his innocence, saying another man had attacked D’Aiello. The couple were expecting their first child, but the full-term fetus died during the attack.

Green spent 16 years behind bars until new DNA technology linked D’Aiello’s rape and those of five other women to serial killer Gerald Parker. Parker, dubbed the “Bedroom Basher” for a string of sex slayings that terrorized Orange County in the 1970s, was convicted and sentenced to death earlier this year for the attack on D’Aiello and the murders of the five other women.

In court papers, D’Aiello claimed that her ex-husband beat her and left her semiconscious in the couple’s Tustin apartment just before Parker entered through an unlocked kitchen door, struck her with a 2-by-4 and raped her.

“The culpability of Gerald Parker does not exculpate Kevin Lee Green,” the court papers said.

D’Aiello declined to comment on her lawsuit Tuesday, saying only: “It’s very emotional, but I’m happy this is done and over with.”

During brief testimony Friday morning, Green denied striking his wife and recounted finding her on the night of the attack.

At the hospital, Green said, he learned that his unborn daughter was dead and doctors had to perform an emergency C-section to save the mother.

“We started to prepare ourselves for what we thought would be the worst,” Green said. “That was the longest three hours of my life.”

Outside the courtroom, Green, flanked by his parents, said he does not blame his ex-wife for anything.

“She was as much a victim of the system as I was,” he said.

D’Aiello filed a wrongful-death lawsuit shortly after Green’s conviction and won a multimillion-dollar judgment by default because Green was in prison. When he was freed from prison in 1996, Green filed a countersuit to have the judgment thrown out.

On Tuesday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco F. Firmat voided the original judgment but allowed D’Aiello to file an amended lawsuit. Nonetheless, the judge encouraged both sides to settle instead of going to trial.

“The judge’s focus was bringing closure to this case,” said D’Aiello’s attorney, Robert J. Reynolds. “They need to move on with their lives. No matter how you look at this, it’s a complete tragedy.”

[johnnyhands1]

Wow, that's tough one. With 12-26-75's Maggiore series in mind, where now-banned hypnosis was used heavily, I was wondering if hypnosis was used on the female victim. Here's a snippet from the end of an LA Times article written about the case three years before in 1996, but it doesn't say anything about her psychiatrist using hypnosis (and I guess it's possible she's right about the husband, I just don't know, especially if she was woken from sleep in the attack):

www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-26-mn-18770-story.html

-----
A psychiatrist hired by D’Aiello’s family and the Orange County district attorney’s office testified that D’Aiello’s memory was sound. But when Green’s lawyer asked to have an independent psychiatrist examine D’Aiello, a judge refused.

The refusal became the main issue in Green’s appeal.

In convicting Green (ME: back in 1979), jurors discounted testimony from the defendant and three others that a stranger was loitering on the apartment grounds at the time of the attack.

Green, who is white, and the three neighbors testified that they saw a black or dark-skinned man with white pants and a dark shirt hanging around the apartment complex that night. Green said he saw the man before and after the attack; the others saw him afterward.

“He was hanging around the wash house,” Green’s next-door neighbor, Don Belding, testified.

Several neighbors testified that they heard screams coming from the Greens’ apartment that night but that they ignored them because they often heard the couple fighting.

[almagata]

I see comments about how dangerous the world is today compared to the past and then I see these old cases getting solved.  People just don't remember the old cases or they just did not get the exposure that they do today.  There have always been predators. 

__________________

www.missingkids.org/content/ncmec/en/blog/2023/arrest-gretchen-harrington-murder-case.html?fbclid=IwAR0vu8SAdRwhp6LeJ0jFthUD6GvHeSdG4z2D3ukB_jBN9KuoGsyNI96dpnA

By Emma Henderson Vaughan
07-24-2023

Nearly 48 years after 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington was abducted and murdered on her way to church in August 1975, Pennsylvania State Police have made an arrest in the decades old unsolved case.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s Office (Pennsylvania) announced today that 83-year-old David Zandstra of Marietta, Georgia, has been charged with criminal homicide of murder of the first, second, and third degree, as well as the kidnapping of a minor and the possession of an instrument of crime.

The Harrington family has released this statement through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

“With today's announcement of an arrest, we are extremely hopeful that the person who is responsible for the heinous crime that was committed against our Gretchen will be held accountable. It’s difficult to express the emotions that we are feeling as we take one step closer to justice. Gretchen was only 8 years old when she was suddenly taken away from us on her way to church on Friday, August 15, 1975. If you met Gretchen, you were instantly her friend. She exuded kindness to all and was sweet and gentle. Even now, when people share their memories of her, the first thing they talk about is how amazing she was and still is...at just 8 years old, she had a lifelong impact on those around her. The abduction and murder of Gretchen has forever altered our family and we miss her every single day. We are grateful for the continual pursuit of justice by law enforcement, and we want to thank the Pennsylvania State Police for never stopping in their constant search for answers. We would not be here today if it was not for them. As a family we ask for privacy at this time as we continue to digest this information. Thank you for your understanding, love, and continued support. It means the world to us.”

According to police, Gretchen was last seen on the morning of August 15, 1975, when she left her home to walk to a summer bible camp program on the premises of two local churches. Investigators say that Zandstra was the pastor of one church and responsible for transporting children to the secondary location after their morning activities.
the road where gretchen was walking when she went missing

An image of Lawrence Road in Marple Township, PA, where Gretchen was last seen. (Photo Courtesy of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania)

Gretchen’s father, who was the pastor of the secondary church location, became concerned when his daughter did not arrive at the church and reported her missing to police. At the time, the case was the subject of an intensive manhunt in the area.

Two months later, the search for Gretchen came to an end when her body was discovered by a jogger in a secluded area of Ridley Creek State Park.

According to the district attorney, a break in the case occurred on July 17, 2023, when investigators traveled to Marietta, Georgia, to interview Zandstra. Although he initially denied his involvement in Gretchen’s disappearance, police say that after being confronted with evidence provided by an individual in January 2023 of sexual misconduct in his past, Zandstra admitted to seeing Gretchen walking alone on the road the morning of her disappearance.

Then, Zandstra told investigators that he offered Gretchen a ride and took her to a nearby wooded area where he parked the car and asked her to take off her clothing. When she refused, Zandstra struck her in the head with his fist. Investigators say Zandstra said Gretchen was bleeding and he believed she was dead. He attempted to cover up her body and left the area.
the remote location where gretchen's body was found

Ridley Creek State Park, October 1975, the location where Gretchen's body was discovered. (Photo Courtesy of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania)

“The murder of Gretchen Harrington has haunted members of law enforcement since that terrible day in August 1975,” said District Attorney Stollsteimer. “The families of victims often say that their lives are forever altered into the 'before' time and the 'after' time. Gretchen’s murder created a 'before' time and an 'after' time for an entire community – and for an entire county. This heinous act left a family and a community forever changed. At long last I can announce today that her killer – David Zandstra – has admitted to his crime. Justice has been a long time coming, but we are proud and grateful to finally be able to give the community an answer.”

According to the press release, Zandstra is currently in custody in Georgia. He refused to waive extradition to Pennsylvania. The District Attorney’s office will submit a petition for requisition. Once approved, arrangements will be made to have representatives from the Delaware County Sheriff’s office pick up the defendant and bring him to Pennsylvania.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the power of perseverance, and a family and community's commitment to justice,” said Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “Regardless of how much time has passed, we know answers can be found. As we mark this achievement, we applaud the incredible efforts of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Marple Township Police and their partner law enforcement agencies, and the Cobb County Police Department for their unwavering dedication in this case. Days like today fuel our ongoing passion to protect children and we’re keeping Gretchen’s family in our thoughts, as well as the many other families out there who are still searching for answers.”
david zandstra, 83-year-old man with white hair and beard

83-year-old David Zandstra (Photo Courtesy of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania)

Investigators say a DNA sample was collected from Zandstra and will be submitted so it can be compared to open cases in Pennsylvania and across the country. Following his residence in Pennsylvania, Zandstra lived in Plano, Texas and Marietta, Georgia.

Because Zandstra was a pastor, and likely around children throughout his career, DA Stollsteimer said they are concerned that other victims might be out there.

“We need to be diligent. If anyone has any information about that…if David Zandstra ever committed an act against you, please reach out to District Attorney Geoffrey Paine or the Pennsylvania State Police.”

[johnnyhands1]

Wow, that's tough to take - the murderer, Zandstra, was a supervising pastor at the bible school the victim went to that day.

Here's another article I found that says the following:

"Prosecutors say Zandstra was a family friend and even helped search for her as hundreds aided to help find the little girl. Zandstra even presided at the 8-year-old's funeral, according to sources."

www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/gretchen-harrington-david-zandstra-cold-case-murder-arrest-delaware-county-crime/

[Jay7777]

johnnyhands1 & almagata, Yep, 50 years later to catch this guy!

[sammyt]

Wow, some unbelievable cases being solved lately.

Plenty of clean skin, seeminly upstanding citizens being exposed for what they really are.

Thanks Jay and everyone else for getting the word out.