murders in upper michigan
Crime in Michigan Hooked on drugs in her early teens in rural Newberry by a boyfriend who introduced her to the needle, she dropped out of school and began to have babies, five in all. The profile, according to "Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked," a 2016 book on the Collins case, concluded that the murderer was likely a religious man who probably had a traumatic experience in his life and, most ominously, would kill again. It was discovered in the 1950s by three surveyors who found their equipment wasnt working properly. On June 27, the Negaunee Police Department investigated damage in front of the Subway restaurant next to Super One Foods. He tied the women up, then invited Hutchinson in. CHAPTER 3: 'Handsome' EMU student was unlikely serial killer suspect. For this week, I searched for some background on Judy and Bruce Moilanen and checked on where he is today. Unsolved Marquette murder featured on Park Predators true crime podcast, Jake Witt is NFL bound, drafted by Indianapolis in the 7th round, Winter storm causing power outages in Marquette County, Marquette County under workforce reduction due to inclement weather, Jaspers Sugar Bush hosts 41st annual Pancake Day, Upper Peninsula Brewing Company hosts interactive events, Calumet Art Center hosts watercolor tree painting workshop. He sustained minor injuries both as a passenger in an accident in 1974 and as a driver when he lost control of his own vehicle in 1976. On Tuesday, Dowd released a bouquet of balloons each with a different memory for Taylor; some read Erin bear, www.justiceforerintaylor.com and love you always.. Crime 8 people sentenced to prison for dealing crystal meth in western Upper Michigan Cordell said he was upstairs at the time, but that Brunke provided specific details of his own murderous activity in the basement. Murders in Manistique: Brutal killings shake U.P. 42-year-old Daniel Yuhasey was arrested on Tuesday, July 2 and is currently being held in the Dickinson County Correctional Facility. Both were arrested Friday. New details are resurfacing in regards to the murder of Paul Girard on Presque Isle, almost 30 years to the date. Sometime in early spring, Brunke heard about a young woman in nearby Germfask Township. 46-year-old John Michael Ferry is wanted by the Columbus Police Department in Ohio on murder charges and could be dangerous. Collins never showed up for his date. And they are still faced with one haunting question: Did someone get away with murder that day? Timothy Noble, 39, is an affable man with an easy smile. And there was growing tension from another source. The name of the Escanaba man who was arrested last Wednesday for drug charges has been released. An Oakland township man may face up twenty years in prison after he made a social media post that was threatening to the Lake Superior State University Community. Bottles ofammonia and bleach were gone. To catch Fleszar's killer, detectives created a psychological profile. But, after questioning, policedismissed Collins as a suspect. On Oct. 19, moments before Brunke was brought into court to testify against Cordell at Cordell's preliminary exam, the prosecutor heard from a source that Brunke owed Cordell $6,500. But truthfully, I thought the evidence was a bit light for murder, although his confession put me over the top to say he was guilty. Michigan Murder in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (Murder & Mayhem) Dowd said one thing her friend always looked forward to was turning a quarter of a century, which she missed by just a few months before her life was cut short. Hehad an alibi for his whereabouts: He said he was at his mother's house in Center Line. In Canada, Collins could be eligible for parole. In Jan. 2020, police say this second person of interest is described as: If there is anyone who still might have information about the Girard murder case, you can contact the Marquette Police Department at 906-228-0400. "The needle in my arm,The thoughts in my head,What's the matter anyway,By morning I'll be dead.". The Deer Hunting Murder, the American Justice episode about the homicide, is available online but tricky to access. Darker than Night "Ourinvestigation into John Norman Collins remains open," Michigan State Police said in an email to the Free Press, adding that the agency"will continue to evaluate and examine any credible information received.". Once far enough off the main roads, they stopped and doused the SUV with gasoline. Victims family members continue to seek justice. Carlson insisted at first that Brunke had strangled Aldrich in his bedroom, while she held Aldrich's legs to keep her from kicking and flailing. It makes more sense now that they would say things the way that they did.. You are the only woman he trusts.. Jury foreman Jeff Vlahos, who later appeared on American Justice, seemed just as amused as everyone else by the incredible in the sack aside. WebEighth District - Upper Peninsula. ", All three suspects were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to murder, and kidnapping since the victims had been held against their will in Brunke's home.But he denied that anybody had been harmed in his house, and insisted that he had nothing to do with the killings. In 1999, they moved to Marquette and moved in together. In June 2016, Alfred Saario shot and killed his 29-year-old step-daughter Jamie Jame. Robison family murders - Wikipedia Crime - UpperMichigansSource.com By this time, detectives had ascertained that Gayle Lampinen had no romantic interest in Bruce whatsoever regardless of how great his sexual prowess was or wasnt. The key to solve the 33-year-old cold case may be buried in Lake Superior or it might be with scientists in Michigan.. But, partway into filming, residents who supported Collins and thought that he had been falsely accused, started disrupting the movie scenes and making threats. He was imprisoned from 1967 until 1971, when President Richard Nixon pardoned him with the understanding that Hoffa would resign from his Teamster presidency. But detective Bob Ball didnt buy it. The third time, he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, delivering the deadly wound. Frustration became so intense that residents and even some law enforcement officials were willing to try anything. The prosecutor, who has declined to discuss the case with the Free Press, called all the victims' family members together in early October to say he didn't think he could make the murder charges stick against Brunke without Marietta Carlson's statements and in light of Cordell's new confession. "What did Mr. Brunke owe you money for? It was about 2:20 p.m. The cause: arson. Erin Taylor was sweet, funny and played the violin beautifully, Dowd said. Then, just days after Mixer's body was found, the body of Maralynn Skelton, a 16-year-old girl from Romulus, was uncovered behind a vacant house on Earhart Road, which is also on the outskirts of Ann Arbor. Dr. J. Allen Hynek was sent to the scene by the US Air Force to further examine the phenomena planation. Also known as The Dog Meadow Lights, this strange and ominous light has remained a UP mystery for more than four decades. Collins and afriend drove to California. Jamie Agnew, Aunt The killings horrified residents in this remote, pristine community on the shores of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. Judy Diane Blake was born to a conservative, outdoorsy family in Hancock, Michigan, on Oct. 16, 1957. Maryann Struman is Freep Now director at the Detroit Free Press and project leader. WebA very good book about a long unsolved yet gruesome murder in the Michigan north woods. 39-year-old Jeffrey Lewis Thomas was arraigned Wednesday in Ontonagon County Court. The community, desperate for answers, even hired aninternationally known psychic. New details come forward in He left the family dog, aGerman shepherd, and gave Collins a key so he could feed it. On the way to buy a hairpiece at Wig's by Joan in Ypsilanti, a witness said Beineman got a ride from a guy on a blue motorcycle. We are also glad to partner with the local prosecutor on complex and difficult cases when they ask. Collins' aunt,SandraLeik, discovered a few things missing and out of place. It was that horrific crime that eventually inspired one of the scariest movies in recent history, Jeepers Creepers. "We very frequently take over difficult and complex cases whenever the local prosecutor asks for our assistance. We have several veteran prosecutors who have a great deal of experience on difficult homicide, sexual assault and other specialized cases.". Grieving family members braced for a trial. Authorities had reason to believe the slayings were connected. She's smiling. Hoffa vanished in 1975, last seen outside of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in suburban Detroit. Marshals Service eventually tracked her down in Kentucky, where she was arrested and taken into custody. According to various news accounts of the investigation, a roommate said Schell missed a bus to Ypsilanti to see her boyfriend in Ann Arbor, and then hitchhiked a ride, precisely what their mothers warned their daughters not to do. Ya gotta be kidding. He might have gotten away with that one. He said he loved her very much, and just before she died, she visited him in prison. Bruce also said Judy had threatened to divorce him and he didnt want to split everything. She was strangled with electrical wire. In what was to be his fifth confession to police, he now said Brunke was not in the house at the time of the killings, and that he and Carlson had committed the murders. Like many residents of Michigans rugged Upper Peninsula, the 6-foot-tall Bruce had Finnish ancestry. But, when the Leiks came home, they noticed some things weren't quite right. Thats why I come up here and be her voice every year because she doesnt have one. Cordell and his live-in girlfriend, Marietta Carlson, 27, also an addict, were arrested a few days later and both gave detailed confessions, admitting to the killings and implicating Brunke, saying he helped strangle and smother the victims in his own home. For now, Dowd continues to remember her friend daily and make sure her life is not forgotten. He said he couldnt imagine a grown woman writing something like that. All rights reserved. Get Even More Stories Like This Right In Your Inbox! MIO, Mich. (AP) _ Two brothers have been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing two hunters who disappeared in 1985. The 46-year-old lived alone in a large, rambling tri-level home on rural Kendall Road and worked as a seasonal employee for the Schoolcraft Road Commission. Then, in April, the youngest victim, a 13-year-old girl, turned up. The grief-stricken fatherwas angryand critical of police, U-M administratorsand even the governor for not doing enough to prevent the killings. Fleszar, a 19-year-old Eastern Michigan University accounting student, was the first of eight women and girls one as young as 13 whose lives were tragically taken and whose caseshave become known as the Michigan Murders. "We began looking at everybody and questioning in our minds all our casual acquaintances.". Law enforcement formed a multi-agency task force to investigatehundreds of tips anda dragnet that included a cross-country FBI search. Meanwhile, investigators found out that in 1991, an 85-pound chimney block accidentally slid off a roof where Bruce was working and hit Judys head. Listen to the Audiochuck podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thats all for this post. Officers said they responded to a call shortly after 2:30 p.m. in Orchidland. If I understand the court papers correctly, Bruce actually got some of these employees dismissed in 2011. WebMichigan authorities charged Cochran with Regan's death but she fled the state. "When you go over there, you should make sure your bases are covered.". When the prosecutor in court asked whether Brunke still owed him money, Cordell said "not anymore. Authorities stoppedpursuing Collins. Local color. Two Upper Peninsula women are back with their families after being involved in an alleged human trafficking situation in the Flint area. And almost a year later, just as the profile predicted, there was another slaying. They asked a psychic for help. A one-man office, Noble has never tried a murder case, and has declined to comment on the case, saying there are matters pending.. And he has declined to discuss his decision to allow one of the accused killers to plead to a much lesser crime -- amid growing criticism in a town where some think he was too green to tackle the most violent crime in the county's history. Her family doesnt really do anything because of religious reasons, so Im kind of the only one left. He blamed the police and the media for his incarceration. ", And then he added, with a slight grin, "One man shall die so that the other may live.". Her body was found naked in a mosquito-infested, wooded ravine along the Huron River parkway on the east edge of Ann Arbor. Deputies failed to catch him. And like Forensic Files killers Brenda Andrew and George Hansen, Bruce never imagined investigators would look into previous near-deadly accidents that befell the victim. MANISTIQUE The trees were just beginning to bud the night they dumped the bodies. Bruce seemed to blame Judy for her own death because she didnt wear an orange jacket. 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As it turned out, Harvey said later, Collins was born in Canada, he had Canadian dollars in his wallet, and law enforcement found a homemade ladder where one of the victims was slain. It is episode 88 called A Walk in the Woods. "I was upset," he told investigators, "I didn't sleep that night. After hundreds of interviews, Marquette City Police Department was able to narrow down a male suspect, but there wasnt enough evidence to charge him. The jealousy grew. A Bryan County mom and her kid are terrified after a man broke through the front window of their home in the middle of the night. A man got close, then ran from the area. Both men began to explore insanity defenses and after their attorneys filed motions, were ordered to undergo psychological exams at the state's Forensic Center. Michigan Crime & Police News - mlive.com Murder Capitals Of Michigan She researched the key suspects past, dug through hundreds of evidence photos and newspaper clippings and worked with Witsil to uncover new details in the cases. Theres things that were said and things that were done. "How is that they can say this guy wasn't involved? His legal challenges made their way through the courts until, in 1988, they came to an end. They were all confident that the numerous statements made by the defendants would ensure convictions. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The body was found in the grass off a trail in Ann Arbor. Buteven after the long trial, the public remained fascinated by the macabre cases. The tips, reports, and many of the clues from the unsolved cases are tucked away in filing cabinets and boxes and indexed on cards that were transferred this summer to Michigan State Police headquarters to be re-organized and digitized, a process that is expected to take months. I feel like shes been forgotten, Dowd said. In the basement, Hutchinson pulled a small knife and Cordell disarmed him, then tied him up. If he were on trial for creepiness, he certainly would command the maximum sentence. Copyright 2021 WLUC. Suspect cracks wide open. Cordell continued. By what name was Dead North (2018) officially released in Canada in English? At Collins' trial, a neighbor testified that she saw a young man who had been feeding the dog leave the residence with a box of soap and ride off on a motorcycle. Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. It also said that Bruce needed a new girlfriend. Judy and Bruce stayed in the Upper Peninsula. They were towing a stolen camper. "We're not getting the whole picture.". A Bark River man is facing open murder charges after his father was found dead in a home in Harris Township. He later said the sightings were likely swamp gas. At the heart of the killings was a tale of drugs, sex and betrayal. So now the prosecutor was down to two defendants, but with enough evidence to proceed to trial. He had started hitting on her before Judy died. INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY TRAVELS TO MICHIGANS UPPER PENINSULA IN PURSUIT OF A SUSPECTED FEMALE SERIAL KILLER IN DEAD NORTH Two-Night Special Premieres Monday, May 28 and Tuesday, May 29 at 9/8c on ID. ", The prosecutor then asked, "Did you think you had done something criminal at that point?" Within hours, Brunke was texting her with a tantalizing message - there is free morphine on my computer desk, come by and get it. The three loaded up the bodies into Hutchinson's SUV, then Brunke drove it into the forest, with Carlson and Cordell following in Brunke's car. Officials decided thatthe show would be recorded instead. Mary Fleszar's sister, Sandra, the same article reported, said thatshe knew Collins, but couldn't recall from where; and her brother, Jim Fleszar, said he and one of Collins' friends both worked at a local department store. The seized artifacts are believed to be from the Ptolemaic Dynasty 305-30 BC, and the importer was unable to prove that the artifacts were removed from Egypt prior to April 2016, which is in violation of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. Police identified the woman as Joan Elspeth Schell, a 20-year-old EMU student. Noble could have sought help from the MIchigan Attorney General's Office, which sends in seasoned trial attorneys to help prosecute complicated or violent crimes in rural counties with limited resources. Michigan Crime Rates and Statistics - NeighborhoodScout Doug Harvey, who was Washtenaw County sheriff during the slayings, said he'd never forget as long as he lives watching Hurkos reach out and touch objects in the area where one of the victim's bodies has been. Still, memorials and online tributes tell Mary's story. Copper Harbor man sentenced for assault charges, Bruce Crossing man arrested in Wisconsin for home invasion, domestic assault, Man arraigned for charges related to Delta County drug bust, Son faces murder charges in death by beating of father in Menominee County, Appeals court upholds Alpha man's second-degree murder conviction, 8 people sentenced to prison for dealing crystal meth in western Upper Michigan, Sentencing scheduled for man in K.I. He was reported to have a firearm in his waistband. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) - An Upper Michigan man is in custody on a charge related to the killing of Hayley Smith in Chippewa County. Taylor had told Dowd of her plans to meet a man in Munising the same weekend she went missing. The only other slaying case, Jane Mixer's, was solved in 2005. Audra Gamble Police A jury last month took only two hours to find them guilty of murdering Brian Ognjan and David Tyll. 47-year-old Gary Lee O'Connell was sentenced to life in prison in Marquette County Circuit Court after pleading guilty in March 2017. Mixed in with some second-hand sweaters, Gayle found a letter supposedly written to her by Judy that said her marriage to Bruce wasnt working. "Look, my daughter was an addict. Charles Maynard was sentenced to 10 to 40 years for two counts: delivery of meth. Raymond ``J.R. Duvall and Donald ``Coco Duvall proclaimed their innocence before being led away Thursday. Phillips, 17, from Milwaukie, Oregon, near Portland, was strangled. As they sat shooting up, Brunke happened by in Schoolcraft Road Commission truck and glared at them. Michael Schreiber was arrested June 18 and charged with one count of child sexually abusive activity, three counts of child sexually abusive material possession, three counts of computers using to commit a crime and one count of surveilling unclothed person. Butdecades later, when confronted with new evidence, Collins would tell an entirely different story. A man who was involved in a methamphetamine drug bust received his sentence in Schoolcraft County circuit court on Thursday. After that, he said, he became withdrawn. Dowd has her own thoughts on who she believes took the life of her best friend, but not that it can be proven. "It was where we could all go to remember them," said Kellie Roll. Indeed, there is some evidence money Brunke, or someone acting on his behalf, got money to Cordell after Cordell's last confession, exonerating Brunke. On the following Monday, things started to feel off to Dowd. Aldrich's friend would later tell police he was certain Brunke had seen what they had been doing. Man charged after Christmas Eve killing at Northern Michigan Newspapers across Michigan republished the letter. A high school senior, Phillips was in Californiaand went missing on June 30, 1969. Both women frequented the university's McKenny Union. Today, Bruce is better known as inmate #235252 in Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan, at security level II. He was a quiet but menacing man, witnesses would later tell police, a man who kept an arsenal of guns, and made it known that he would not be crossed. It was a denial, the show revealed, that kept many people in Michigan wondering even after the extensivetrial whether Collins killed the teenager and any of the other victims. 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Nancy Renkas was last seen getting into a white SUV in the Super One Foods parking lot in Iron Mountain on July 18, 2016. They investigated and saw flashing bright lights. We just want people to remember she was here and now shes not. She's wearing stylish, cat-eye glasses. Watching a couple Forensic Files episodes should tell them that. She drove back out to the spot on River Road with two friends, and shot up the drugs. The 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada was almost too small to handle its cargo a dead man and dead woman in the back seat, another woman's body wedged behind that seat. Her body was so damaged, it, too, was challenging to identify. They alsowould forever scar the twin university towns. Butafter news reports, officials backtracked. Her Facebook page shows a yearning for a life without drugs, big plans to move downstate, a young woman, excited on a Saturday night to be dressed up and going out on the town. But within months, the story of what happened that April night would take a dramatic turn, after one of the suspects died in jail, and a new confession emerged. Bruce had said that he accidentally moved it with his foot, but they determined it was too heavy and needed a deliberate push in order to fall off the roof. "It was a very, very scary time," said Marcia McCrary, a 70-something volunteer at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and EMU alumnus. It was Jane Mixer, a 23-year-old University of Michigan law student. Published: Aug. 12, 2021 at 5:15 PM PDT. Mantique area residents in Michigans UP are shocked by the murders of three local residents, Jody Hutchinson, 42, Carrie Nelson, 31 ,and Heather Aldrich, 25. Butwhen authorities uncovered her body, she was unrecognizable. Mixer's case would not be solved for more than three decades. WebThe murder shook up the Upper Peninsula including Ontonagon, Michigan As for Judys occupation, a Battle Creek Enquirer item identified her as a nurse at the same hospital. But, they messed up the snare. There were 'only' 74 cities in Michigan where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 146 places had no murder. Youll always be here in my heart, it was signed. Uncovered: Unsolved Michigan Murders It just didn't make sense.". Noble's decision to handle the case on his own infuriated the victims' families. "It's bad enough, being convicted of one thing that you didn't do," a shackled Collins said.91st Infantry Division Ww2 Roster, Articles M