Author: Cold Cases

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has many disturbing and sadly sobering statistics about sexual assault in this country.  It’s a problem that has been around since men/women could walk.  For the last few decades, activists and law enforcement in the United States and other countries around the world have been doing their part to eradicate this public health & societal problem.

One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives. 

That means many people that we know are victims.

One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old.

When I was in college and after, I had heard about some boys and girls being victims, but never took the problem seriously at all. I thought it was rarity and did not understand the trauma the victims would deal with.

That was until, I ran into a former high school athletic coach at a gym several years back.  He was a good guy, tough, demeaning at times, but looked out for his students and athletes.  He had been railroaded by members of the administration in my high school and forced to look for other work outside the education field.  When it came time to talking about a member of that administration, (We’ll call him Mister Douche).  My former coach had revealed how this administrator would shake teenage boys hands and pull their hands to his crotch while talking to them in private and public places.

BAM!!!

Then out of nowhere, came the memory that I had successfully blocked from my brain  since senior year in high school.  See, I was one of those unlucky enough to have Mister Douche pull this stunt.  I remember it happened before class started during the winter time my senior year across from the gymnasium doors.  I still remember his face looking at me like he was shocked.  I was stunned by what happened.  I apologized and hurriedly walked to my home room.   I knew Douche was a voyeur but I never thought he would pull my hand to his crotch.  You see, I was smart enough to never use bathroom stalls with no doors on in the gyms bathroom.  You see the good ole’ Douche had those doors removed so he could talk to teenage boys while they sat on the toilet while he practiced his deviant art of voyeurism.  He even one time followed me into that same bathroom only to be disappointed because I used the urinal instead (angled my body so the dirty old man couldn’t get his cheap thrills).  Over the decades, there were many complaints of Douche’s behavior as he would waltz around the men’s locker room amid a bevy of young men in various stages of undress after football practices or the sometimes naked weigh ins before wrestling matches.  Parents dismissed his behavior as weird but my coaches and others that taught at the school knew it was criminal.

Eventually things would get too hot and Mister Douche would find himself banned from the men’s locker room after a brave high school teacher started a revolt against him.  A police investigation would ensue and he retired from his position only to take an administrators job in Asia at a boys school before any charges could be brought.  Apparently, his own behavior may have raised eyebrows there and he would eventually retire back to the states where he and his wife would live until he passed away a few years ago.

At the time of Douche’s crooked handshake, I had only told one person.  They had said that despite his reputation, it would be my word against his.  I didn’t even tell my parents until decades later….. Not only that, but being a young man, you were not supposed to complain about this pervert trolling the locker room, even though much of the athletic staff and students hated the guy.  You would be seen as weak, so instead many of us students handled him with humor and viewed him as a sort of a running joke and an unfortunate rite of high school passage.

81% of women and 35% of men report significant short-term or long-term impacts such as PostTraumatic Stress Disorder.

I didn’t suffer from PTSD from my incident with the crooked handshake but I can tell you this, for over a decade I would shake older men’s hands at chest level.  It wasn’t until a former boss lambasted me for my “pathetic handshake” and demonstrated it needed to be done at a lower angle.  Fortunately, he was a cool guy and not a pervert trying to get a rise out of the situation (like the douche).

I had talked to a female detective that I know that handles sexual assaults in her town.  The amount of crimes she said she deals with is overwhelming and many of the people accused and convicted are family members or close family friends.  She had said that what  Douche had done to me would be considered Sexual Assault in the fourth degree. He  most likely would not have served prison time but would’ve lost his job and been put on the sexual offender registry.     There were many victims of Douche’s voyeurism including people I knew.   One friend of mine confided in me decades later that he felt violated after Douche paid him a bathroom visit and watched as the friend doing nature’s calling.

I was fortunate that my assault was very minor.  I can’t say the same for three women that I had dated in my past.  Two had been raped and a third sexually abused as a teenager.  As a result of these violent acts, they all had issues with alcohol and those relationships lasted only a few weeks if even that long.  Sadly, one would die months after we stopped seeing each other due to a mixture of drugs and alcohol.  She left behind a young child she adored, who will have questions and a permanent void for the rest of their life about their mother.

So next time you read about someone claiming sexual abuse decades after it happened.  I want tell you this.  Sometimes people block it out.  Sometimes they are afraid.  Sometimes they don’t know what actually happened until years later.

Listen to what they have to say.  Most of them are telling the truth.  If it’s hard to determine the truth then always look for patterns of bad behavior with the alleged predator.  Connect the dots if you can….

I know too many people that have suffered from sexual abuse….The trauma stays with them the rest of their lives…..and in some cases ends it…..  And I’m tired of it…..

 

 

Click to access publications_nsvrc_factsheet_media-packet_statistics-about-sexual-violence_0.pdf

It was the early evening on September 24, 1998, when 26 year old  Ziemlewski was shot to death on a walking trail on the Metropolitan District Commission Reservoir property near Old Mountain Road in Farmington, CT.  For years it’s been believed that she most likely knew her killer. On Sunday June 28th, an arrest was made on someone who has been charged with hindering an investigation.  Police are getting closer….. Tick Tock……

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/hartford/farmington-pd-make-arrest-in-1998-homicide/

Years ago, I took a class at a community college about criminal law.  I had once entertained the idea of being a police officer and even lawyer.  Several ride alongs with various police departments convinced me that this was not a path to take.  Given today’s political situation, this is more true than ever.

It was early March in 2015, when my Criminal Law Class was cancelled due to a family emergency that the instructor had.  I had time to kill and figured I would go to an exotic dance club, grab a soda, relax, put a few dollars on stage and enjoy the female scenery.  Exotic dancers are a diverse and interesting bunch.  From college students paying their tuition, to teachers/psychologists looking for extra cash, to single mothers whose kids get no child support, to the ones with serious mental issues and supporting drug habits. Often times, when sitting at the bar or stage, you occasionally find the one that doesn’t mind talking and telling you their backstory.  It’s a business, and much of the time, you never really know whether or not to believe their backstory.

But that Wednesday March night would be different and tragic. For someone’s life would be changed and scarred permanently.

I thought I was finished for the night after spending around ten to fifteen dollars on various women dancing on the stage that night.  The club I was at, is well run and known as a club that doesn’t put up with any dancers “going the extra illegal mile” or allowing drug dealers inside their premises.  But sometimes clubs just don’t know and can’t control what person go through their doors.

I was playing one of the bar top video games when a taller, dancer wearing glasses approached me.  She was flirtatious and seemed to have a few drinks in her.  She tried to get me to go for a lap dance in the back area but I was not interested in her nor spending the money.  She would soon start to grab various parts of my chest and neck in an effort to lure me away from my hard earned cash.  Feeling a little bad for her financial situation (she said she barely made any money that night) I eventually told her that I would go visit her on stage  There were only about four or five men at the bar, with only one other man by the stage, so I knew there was not much opportunity for her to make money dancing that night.

After more than a few minutes of her dancing and dropping another five or six dollars, the dancer  then asked me if I wanted a lap dance by the Disc Jockey booth.  I politely declined.   She expressed her anger with me and abruptly walked over to the other customer on the stage about thirty feet from me.  He was around my age, bigger and heavier and he engaged her in conversation when she went over to him.  I would leave shortly afterward only to be shocked by a major news story  two days later.

I saw his picture and immediately recognized him as the customer at the stage near me.  This piece of shit had raped and brutalized a dancer and then attempted to take his life when the police tried to arrest him.  He had brought this poor woman back to his workplace and raped her several times as well as repeatedly sexually penetrating her with an object.  She saved her life by calling 911 on a landline that was in the office.  The East Windsor Police barged in and tried to take this monster in custody but he unsuccessfully slashed his own throat.  The rapist would survive his injuries and be arrested. 

A few days later, I went to see the head detective of the department and tell him that I was at the club that night.  He told me that they had enough evidence for a sure conviction and he would contact me if needed.  The rapist would eventually plead guilty to a lengthy prison sentence. Future confirmation from others would reveal that the victim was indeed the woman who tried to get me to go for a  lap dance.

I sometimes wonder, if I had gotten a dance or two could I have saved her from the horrible physical & mental trauma of what happened hours later to her.  Would she still have gone over to her rapist for a dance and eventual disastrous arrangement away from the club later?  I don’t think it would have changed things and I’ll never know anyways.  All I know is that this guy looked like an average, harmless guy.  What he did was unforgivable and he would eventually take a plea deal where he will serve several decades behind bars.   I still shudder when I think about that poor woman, the physical & mental scars will never go away.

Sadly, this wasn’t the first time I encountered  pure evil.  It was only twenty-five years earlier when I would be a victim of crime by a monster and his accomplices while I was in College.  I was fortunate I escaped with just a black eye and some bruises.  I was lucky that night in hindsight because this piece of garbage would go on to take two human lives on different occasions.  He’s walking free right now…. But that is a story for a another time……

 

The Washington Post has compiled an ongoing database of Police Involved Shootings.  It allows users to sort out the information through various filters such as race, gender, type of weapon, unarmed, etc.  Please take a look at what they have compiled.  In certain cases, it looks like information is incomplete.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/The 

Being a police officer is one of the toughest jobs in the world.  Sure there are bad cops.  But the vast majority of them, never want to use that service revolver in the line of duty.  The occupation is stressful and many officers have taken their lives due to the trauma they saw & experienced including in some cases that of taking a civilian’s life.

The Suffolk County Police Department announced that “Jane Doe #6” also known as “Manorville Jane Doe” has been identified as Valerie Mack.  The break in the case was identified through genetic genealogy technology.

The then 24, year old victim had gone missing in 2000 while  working as an escort in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Her partial remains were found that same year in a wooded area off Halsey-Manor Road in the town of Manorville in New York.  Eleven years later, additional remains were located along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach in the southern part of Long Island.

There are still several unidentified victims that are believed to as a result of the LISK.  An Asian male,  who may have identified as a female, a white female as well as a light skinned black woman and her toddler daughter.

(source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/6th-victim-long-island-murders-identified-genetic-genealogy/story?id=70931197&cid=clicksource_4380645_7_heads_posts_card_hed)

We’re going to take a different approach than we normally do in these posts in that this one will not focus on a cold case.

For many years I have used social media to promote this website and the cases on it.  I’ve posted links through Disqus, Facebook, Reddit, & Twitter. We’ve had success especially with reddit and facebook getting attention for unsolved murders & other crimes.  Twitter on the other hand is frustrating.  I get more likes and responses if I comment on something political than posting about a cold case.  There have been times where I have engaged in angry discourse with other people about their opinions which at times have been hateful & prejudiced.  In the end, it just leads to more frustration & anger.

Anger & Hatred have been on the internet for decades.  We’ve seen it in the old internet forums where people would comment and post.  It’s there on sites in the comment sections of TMZ.  ((Incidentally, TMZ will remove my links to a cold case but leave on racist, antisemitic, and other vile comments against other groups (religious, Gender, lifestyle) in their news stories)).

Freedom of speech is important and people have the right to their comments (hateful or not).  Corporations also have the right to censorship, whether we like it or not. The racist, hateful content that we often see on twitter was always a better fit when it was done on smaller forums rather than mainstream social media.

What we now see on twitter in particular is the disparaging comments spewed by such people the President of the United States Donald Trump, various Congressional/ Senatorial figures (Maxine Waters anyone) and members of the mainstream media.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Everyday, average people are doing the same as well as people paid by foreign governments & special interests to make everyone mad and distrust one another.  There is a tone on Social Media in particular on Twitter right now which is dividing this country apart.

UPDATE 11-15-2020:   Not that anyone cares.  But I took this page off of twitter.  We are still promoting on reddit and facebook.

This is a copy of a facebook post by Jason White whose brother Chad White was murdered and Chard’s fiancee Dixie Kinser was seriously wounded on May 21st 1993 in the town of Corning, Iowa. 

Hello everyone,
As many of you know. On this day 27 years ago my brother Chad William White was murdered in his home, and his fiancé Dixie Kinser was shot, but survived. I was graduating high school in 2 days, and Dixie was to have her bridal shower the next day. I showed up right after it happened. Dixie was still laying on the ground outside of their home. Many of my friends and family were coming to my graduation, but they ended up staying for a funeral. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion for my family, but its been a nightmare for us ever since. My father could not handle my brother’s murder, and killed himself a year later. Causing even more heartache for myself and my family.

No one was ever arrested or convicted of my brother’s murder. In a town so small where everyone knows everything about everybody, I truly cannot believe no one knows anything about this murder. It has haunted me for 27 years now, and what hurts me the most is that I cannot do anything to help my brother. Also, that no one is helping solve this case. There is no Cold Case department in Iowa. I’ve tried to get the case file, so I can maybe do my own investigation. The Adams County Sheriff’s Department and the DCI of Iowa have been less than helpful when it comes to solving Chad’s murder. I have been the only one for years who calls and checks on Chad’s murder investigation.

So, this year I’m asking all of you to give your voice for Chad. I’m leaving the cell phone numbers for Alan Johannes, the Adams County Sheriff and the DCI agent currently in charge of Chad’s case, Jared Kastner, at the end of this message. I would like each and everyone of you to repost my message, and call these people to voice your frustrations, like mine, about nothing being done about my brother, Chad William White’s murder on May 21st 1993.

Also, if you or someone you know knows anything about this case, or thinks they know anything about this case. I strongly encourage you to contact these two people or 1-800-Crime Stoppers. I’m really sad and frustrated being the only one that wants something done about Chad’s murder. Please help me. I don’t know what else I can do, but somebody needs to start doing something. This has hurt myself and my family for too long. Thank you, Jason White
Alan Johannes-712-621-6887
Jared Kastner-712-251-9212
This is for Chad. I love you, and I will never forget you, or what was done to you. You didn’t deserve to be murdered at 21 years old.

For more details about this case you can visit Iowa Cold Cases.

(Picture from Jason White)

While much attention has been paid to Jennifer Farber-Dulos’s home in New Canaan, Connecticut (near the the New York border) as well as the last house where she and her husband Fotis Dulos lived in Farmington, Connecticut.

It seems as if Law Enforcement is taking a look at another house the couple lived in for a few months back in 2010.  A house off of Sky View Drive in Avon which last sold for 3.5 million dollars back in 2010.  Fotis Dulos was even hired years later to  perform major interior work after the home sustained serious water damage from a burst pipe.  Law Enforcement is reported to have looked at the residence after the mother of 5 young children went missing from her New Canaan home on May 24, 2019.   However, Police are silent about whether or not they are still looking at the large amount of woodlands that surround the property.   There is quite a bit of woodlands surrounding the property, where evidence and even a person could be hidden.

For a news story about the property and the connection to the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos

(Sources: Channel 61 WTIC & Hartford Courant)

When the commune group “The Brotherhood of Spirit” was formed,  people from all over New England and elsewhere came together to live in a Utopian society.  Led by a charismatic leader named Michael Metelica Rapunzel, the group had several properties in the towns of Warwick, Gill and elsewhere in Massachusetts. In the mid seventies the group would soon start to change directions and thus changed their name to Community Renaissance. By the mid 80s the group would be fractured due to different ideologies as well as banning the founder (Metelica Rapunzel) from all of their properties.

The commune would entertain many members and their children over the years and that included many transients and locals that often had violent tendencies. In September of 1973, a member of the group named Peter Luban was murdered. The 18 year old had worked at the Whatley Diner and is believed to have been murdered as he hitch hiked to his home to 88 Main Street in the town of Northfield.  His body was found about thirty five feet behind a rest stop on Interstate 91 in the town of Deerfield, a few towns south of  the Vermont border.  Lubbans died from being stabbed in the throat. It was rumored that he may have been killed by locals that were upset with the presence of the commune in their community.  However, that has never been proven and to date, no one has even been identified as the killer of the young man.

Years earlier on January 1st, 1967, the body of 13 year old teenager Stephen Bak was found beaten to death in a snow gully at a Rest Stop on Interstate 91 in Whately.  The murder of the Northampton resident is not believed to be connected to Lubens.  His case also remains unsolved.

Angelina Sicola, was in her 2nd year at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and was also a martial arts instructor with a black belt in Taekwondoe.  On May 2, 2013, the ambitious 20 year old was found strangled in her off campus apartment which was at 3807 Half Turn Road #315 near North Academy Boulevard and the Austin Bluffs Parkway. Angelina had only been living there for a few weeks. The days she was found, she was supposed to meet her father for an appointment.  Because she was a black belt in the martial arts it is possible that her attacker could have received injuries such as bruising after the killing.  The murder was only a handful that was not solved in Colorado Springs in 2013.

If you have any information about this murder, please call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000 or at Crimestoppers at (719) 634-STOP if you want to remain anonymous. The family is also raising money for a reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in this case.

(sources KKTV & The Gazette)