There was also no evidence of anyone else at the crime scene. The worst part of the disaster was that it should never have happened; evidence at the site after it proved it had been created by an arsonist. Its probable they killed more than 20 altogether. They murdered at least 11 people. This Unsolved Kansas Murder Mystery Will Boggle Your Mind Does the term "Bloody Benders" mean anything to you? After two years of waiting, Volume Three of Unsolved Mysteries has made its way to Netflix. Edit Edit source View history Talk (0) Trending pages. The items matched indentations in some of the victims skulls. An unidentified man in a red truck who was seen driving away around the same time Nick disappeared was deemed a suspect, but after countless leads, authorities are no closer to finding her. Her case was turned into a made-for-TV movie called "Gone In The Night" (pictured). Unsolved Mysteries Select a season Release year: 2022 In the third installment of this iconic docuseries, real people experience unthinkable crimes, puzzling disappearances and paranormal happenings. Because the evidence against her was purely circumstantial, she was acquitted after the jury deliberated for less than an hour. The murdering Bender Family of Cherryvale consisted of a mother, a father, a son, and a daughter who settled into the infinitesimal prairie community back in 1870. The party Brooks had attended was held in La Cygne, a heavily white-dominated town. Instead, Moya has focused on a hit-and-run being the possible cause of death. The breastbone had been driven in. Intense rivalry between abolitionist and pro-slavery forces earned the then territory the nickname Bleeding Kansas. Years after slavery ended, southeast Kansas still maintained a reputation as a violent and distressing place to live. The guards called the fire department and were concerned . On January 12, 2010, 55-year-old JoAnn Romain attended an evening church service. Mystery at Mile Marker 45 51m Tiffany Valiante, a promising young athlete, is struck by a train four miles from home. "We hope more arrests will follow.". Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer.Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and Robert Stack, beginning on NBC on January 20, 1987, becoming a full-fledged series on October 5, 1988, hosted by Stack. The next morning, an agent acting for the horse's owner showed up at Gary Simmons' office. Haataja had attempted suicide before, leading some to believe that he took his own life. Stay Overnight In This Breathtaking Cabin Just Steps From A Lake In Kansas, Youll Barely Be Able To Take A Bite Of The Massive Burgers At Big Larrys Burgers In Kansas, The Food Truck Festival In Kansas Is About The Tastiest Event You Can Experience, This Delicious Restaurant In Kansas On A Rural Country Road Is A Hidden Culinary Gem, These 9 Unbelievable Ruins In Kansas Will Transport You To The Past, 5 Disturbing Unsolved Mysteries In Kansas That Will Leave You Baffled, Gateways To Hell, Nude Slaves, And Other Disturbing Secrets About Kansas, 9 Reasons That Kansas Is The Most Terrifying, Spookiest State, Osborne, Kansas - Chamber of Commerce Facebook. The town is kind of in the middle of nowhere the closest larger hub to it is Joplin about 75 miles east. Alonzo Brooks, seen above, was found dead after attending a party in 2004. She accused the female guest of witchery claiming she had cursed her coffee. Several days lapsed before investigators combed through the Bender property in part because of bad weather. Unsolved Mysteries tweeted: "UPDATE: The FBI learned of the second party in La Cygne, Kansas the night Alonzo Brooks disappeared. Two special trains were run, one from Independence and one from Coffeyville, to a point on a railway line about two miles from the house, and teams were busy running to and from the house, and teams were busy running to and from the cars to the grounds, while the greater portion of the crowd was compelled to walk: these trains brought about 600 persons. Some of these include the 2000 murder of Raymond Aguirre, the 2008 murder of David Wakes, the 2009 murder of Jeremy Fabricius, and the 2016 murder of Deljuan Patton, among many others. Jentz was left with broken bones, and Weiss was left blind. Authorities took a fresh look at the case in 2021. The perpetrator or perpetrators were never found. More murders across America are going unsolved, exacerbating the grief of families already reeling and worsening the largely cracked trust between police and the public, especially communities of color most affected by gun violence. Six-year-old Morgan Nick waslast seen on June 9, 1995 at a ballpark in Alma, Arkansas,according to 5 News. When Sessions decided to open it years later, he found human bones. Deputies reportedly lost evidence during the investigation, and a detective bought a truck from an acquaintance of one of the victims and was seen in it the day she disappeared. At least 75 people attended the emergency meeting, including Colonel York and both John Bender, Sr. and John Bender, Jr. The article is kept in theLibrary of Congress. 500 yards away, a second fire was spotted next to a storage trailer. When that party ended after a fight broke out, guests headed to the party at a farmhouse that Brooks was attending. However, fire still burned unchecked in the trailer. Nothing like this sickening series of crimes had ever been recorded in the whole history of the country.. A group of independent investigators called the Case Breakers claimed to have identified the infamous criminal in 2021, but the San Francisco Police Department told Fox News that the investigation remains ongoing. Some children who went missing would be in their 30s and 40s today. Copyright 2007 - 2023 All Rights Reserved. Various authors have claimed to have solved the case with books such as "Slaughter on North LaSalle" by Robert L. Snow and "The LaSalle Street Murders" by Carol Sissom, but the Indianapolis Police Department still considers it an open case. During the night, the family would move the body and bury it in a nearby apple orchard. That might not be how the original rhyme goes, but it is more accurate sinceLizzie was acquitted of her parents' murder in 1893. TheKansas City Timeswrote an article that described the initial investigation. A new cold case unit at the New Castle County Police Department began reexamining the case in 2015, but there are no new developments. After opening the trap, the team found a blood splattered room the floors in particular needed seriously cleaning. On March 28, 1873, Colonel York arrived at the Benders bed and breakfast inn. The holiday season is in full swingand withthat comes the added expenses of gifts, meals, travel and more. They offered shelter and food for guests and their horses. "Unsolved Mysteries" subject Rey Rivera, pictured above with his family, was found dead at a hotel in Baltimore after apparently dying by suicide. According to the arrest warrant, his fingerprint had been found at the scene, People magazine reported. It was bloodthick, fetid, clammy, sticking bloodthat they had found groping there in the void. Cheryl Henry, 22, and Andy Atkinson, 21, drove into a secluded patch of woods in Houston dubbed a "lovers' lane" on August 22, 1990. As seen in the fifth episode of Unsolved Mysteries season 2, "Lady in the Lake," Romain's cousin, Tim Matouk, was named one of the primary suspects in her death. Missing Since: November 1988. When a woman walking her dog found a human bone in 2009, she had no idea she had come across one of the biggest crime scenes in US history. Along with the suspects' admissions to others, prosecutors introduced other crucial testimony. one of Houston's most infamous unsolved slayings, as many as 10 people mysteriously disappeared. Fire Chief F.J. Morris concluded that the fire had been hot enough to cremate the bodies, and death certificates were issued. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The father, John Mathis, was shot in the arm, but survived. Today little remains of the original site. Later that morning, it was confirmed that all six firefighters had been killed. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. She positively refused her satanic aid at this time, giving at her reason therefore that she could not do so in the day time, and while there were so many men and so much noise about.. They would mutilate the body and dump the remains through a trap door into a cellar beneath their house. Episode 1; Episode 2; Episode 3; Episode 4; Episode 5; . On June 6, 1984, 12-year-old Greenville native Sherry Lynn Marler went into town with her stepfather to run errands. Police arrested several people over the years matching descriptions of the Bender family. Prichard was pursuing amaster's degree in botany at the University of Maryland, and visited Blackbird State Forest many times for her research, according to Delaware Online. Together they questioned every traveler along the trail and visited the homesteads along the route. She was found not guilty in 2015. Real Name: Unrevealed Aliases: None known Wanted For: Arson, Murder Missing Since: November 1988 Details: At around 3am on Tuesday, November 29, 1988, two security guards at a highway construction site in Kansas City, Missouri, discovered a pickup truck in flames. The bodies had only been found after Butler's death. At 4:08am, the battalion chief arrived at the construction site, 1/4 mile from the fire. Kilventon and his crew soon had the truck fire under control. The unsolved mystery was featured on A&E's "The Killing Season.". The "Zodiac Killer" has been connected to five murders and two attempted murders between the 1960s and the 1970s, but has claimed responsibility for at least 37, sending coded messages to newspapers describing killing people. The farmhouse was the last place Brooks was seen alive. Upon request, visitors may see the weapon. At the time of her death, Grosse-Pointe law enforcement believed Romain had died by suicide, but her family believes she was the victim of foul play. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 18 times. Marshal Service's 15 most wanted fugitives today. Speculation of how Alonzo died varies from a hate crime to him dying accidentally and it being covered up. This list of unsolved murders includes notable cases where victims have been murdered under unknown circumstances. It was only two months later, her body was discovered on the Canadian side of the Detroit River, 30 miles from where she was last seen. Lester Eubanks was convicted of the 1965 murder and attempted rape of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener. When the colonel repeated the story about the knives, Elvira allegedly became aggressive. The son of LeRoy Dick, the Osage Township trustee who headed the search of the Bender property, donated the hammers to the Bender Museum in 1967. The colonel and the small army were under the impression that the Bender and a neighboring family, the Roaches, were guilty in the string of disappearances. Witnesses say that they saw her standing next to a maroon car driven by a man in his 30s on August 9, 1970. "That's when our nightmare started 30 and a half years ago," Marler's mother,Betty Stringfellow, told the Montgomery Advertiser in 2015. one of the highest-profile unsolved-mysteries in Philadelphia history. Several came forward as a result of the broadcast. Brooks, a 23-year-old black man, attended a party with friends on April 3, 2004, but never made it home. The case was featured on People Magazine Investigates on Investigation Discovery, and is the subject of the true crime book "What Happened in Craig: Alaska's Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.". Around that time, neighboring communities became increasingly concerned with the evolving number of malevolent accusations in the area, particularly around disappearances. They can also submit an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip at 316-267-2111 or . If you want a pest-free patio this spring, the most important thing you can do is take away those elements that bugs find desirable. Inforum calls it "one of the state's biggest murder mysteries.". To Captain Halloran, a check of the area suggested that the explosives had been properly stored in clearly-marked storage sheds known as "bunkers". 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Details: At around 3am on Tuesday, November 29, 1988, two security guards at a highway construction site in Kansas City, Missouri, discovered a pickup truck in flames. After the release of seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix in 2020, Unsolved Mysteries creator Terry Dunn Meurer told Gizmodo: "We had thousands of tips and leads that came in, but nothing was solved. The killer would then clean the kids' clothes and arrange their bodies in a sort of display on the streets of Metro Detroit for investigators to find. Rapper Tupac Shakur was killed on September 7, 1996, at 25 years old. A fire broke out in the Sodder home on Christmas Eve in 1945. From any of the cases included in the three seasons of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries, audiences can submit any information they might have at unsolved.com/tips/. I think that was the problem, Steven Fisher, 20, and his girlfriend Melisa Gregory, 17, She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 18 times, the evidence against him was circumstantial. The murders remain "one of Houston's most infamous unsolved slayings," according to KHOU11. Elvira ordered the men to leave the property this was the first time they got the sense her English was better than she portrayed. There were no signs of a struggle, and the couple still had money in their pockets. The fourth episode of Unsolved Mysteries season 1 explored the disappearance and death of Alonzo Brooks. His eighth victim survived. Forty minutes after the initial blast, a second one went through the site. Dont let the financial aspect of this time of yearget you down! Mulvaney's daughter said that her father was shot and killed by his brother, but the Hot Springs County Sheriff's Office never confirmed this. But witnesses said they saw the children after the fire, and 20 years later, the mother, Jennie, received a photo in the mail labeled Louis Sodder their son who was 9 at the time of the fire. Kansas Historical Society. The case involves the 2004 suspicious death of Alonzo Brooks in La Cygne, Kansas. Kate hung up posters in town claiming she had supernatural powers that could heal blindness, deafness, and other ailments. Anyone with any information about any of these cases is urged to call the police department where the crime happened. According to the Unsolved Mysteries website, half the cases in the show featuring wanted fugitives had been solved, more than 100 families were reunited with lost loved ones, and seven individuals wrongly convicted of crimes were exonerated and released. I think that was the problem," Indianapolis Police Department Captain Robert Snow told Fox59. They hoped a full examination of the area would solve the crisis. Four days after Kelly Lynn Albright disappeared from her family's home, she was found dead in a field. But no evidence of the money has ever been found, and Dominic didn't report her missing. On April 3, the colonel returned to the inn with a small army after hearing about a woman who escaped from the inn after Elvira threatened her with knives. 6ABC News in Philadelphia calls it "one of the highest-profile unsolved-mysteries in Philadelphia history." Investigators believe he was killed and then thrown off a bridge based on a trail of blood. There are nine episodes in the third season, which drop in three installments of three episodes each, on October 18, October 25 and November 1. Colonel York reportedly found a knife with a four-inch tapered blade inside a mantel clock in the Bender House. His body was uncovered by his family at a creek. Between 1968 and 1982, seven women affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison were killed by strangling and stabbing. All of the victims had long hair and lived in Madison, suggesting that the murders were the work of a serial killer or killers. About eight minutes later, Captain Kilventon and his crew arrived at the trailer. A hammer brutally came down multiple times on the skull of the guest until the person died. In 1988, Jane Boroski, who was seven months pregnant, was approached in a convenience store parking lot by a man who proceeded to stab her 27 times. We know that he has a footprint there, we know that he has associates throughout the area, we just need to talk to those people.". However, safety concerns prevented them from entering the area for several hours. "We do believe that multiple people are responsible for this crime, and the investigation is ongoing," DeKalb County Police Sgt. If you would like to remain 100% anonymous, please submit information to the The Greater KC Crime Stoppers via 816 474-TIPS, kccrimestoppers.com, our P3 app, or scan our QR code. Anyone with. This makes the story elusive but the Bender family when they were living was difficult to peg down. He was acquitted a year later when a jury found him not guilty. Mary Schlais was found dead in Spring Brook Township in 1974, stabbed 15 times. Those who fell for the poster bait became victims of the Bender family. Steven Pearsall and Christina White remain missing. He also discussed in depth the phone call between himself and Romain, which led family members to suspect he may be the killer. The story behind "Gabby's Bones" remains a mystery. Attendees left the party after a fight broke out, then headed to . | Kansas Historical Society. 24-year-old Joanne Lee Reynolds was found stabbed to death in her apartment on February 16, 1980. Nick's family founded theMorgan Nick Foundationto provide immediate assistance to families of missing children. This age progression sketch shows what Eubanks could possibly look like now. However, in 2007, a former employee of the construction site came forward to suggest that others may have been involved in the arson, including two security guards who were at the construction site the night of the explosion. The settlement of Quindaro, Kansas, in what is now Kansas . The family of a North Carolina teen who vanished from the Golden Gate Bridge nearly three years ago is offering a reward for information, as surveillance footage of her last movements has left investigators and loved ones "baffled.". No one knows for sure. Author Joseph Citro coined the term "Bennington Triangle" in 1992. "Today, the case remains Kansas City's most notorious unsolved crime," Robert Stack bellowed in a 1995 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. It is believed that Native Americans used to toss gold coins into a spring near Osborne in order to gain favor and health from their gods. Pumper 41 stayed behind to wrap up the truck one. Miss Katie Bender. She gained notoriety for conducting sances and for advocating free love. Some historians theorize the Bender family killed people not just for money but for sport. There wasn't enough evidence to charge anyone with the murder, the Honolulu Prosecutor's Office told KHON2. A police investigation is currently underway. While going and coming from the creek, John told Col. York that his sister Kate could do anything, that she could control the devil, and that the devil did her bidding. LaDonna Mathis, 30, and her two sons, aged 4 and 2, were shot dead on September 8, 1981, in Mount Vernon in Davidson County, South Dakota. The case remains unsolved. Intense rivalry between abolitionist and pro-slavery forces earned the then territory the nickname "Bleeding Kansas." Years after slavery ended, southeast Kansas still maintained a reputation. The unsolved case is the subject of the book "The Kill Jar" by J. Reuben Appelman and the Hulu docuseries "Children of the Snow.". 6 Firefighters Die in Blast in Kansas City, Police say arsonist responsible for explosion that killed 6 firefighters, Firefighters mourned; arson probe continues, Fifth suspect in K.C. Carolyn Wasilewski, 14, was the oldest of seven children. The murders have been the subject of public fascination as well as both nonfiction and fiction books. "The embarrassment is just going to keep growing over this," Laura Harth, the campaign director at Safeguard Defenders, told Newsweek. The identity of victims also remains unknown in some cases. A Catholic priest stopped by the inn to tend to his horse. They supplemented their income by taking advantage of their guests. Investigators determined that the fires were deliberately set during an attempt to steal equipment and dynamite from the construction site. Nancy Grace featured the cold case in 2010, and the family received a new home on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in 2012. The Kansas Historical Society has apodcastup on their website about the knife. Six-year-old Morgan Nick was last seen on June 9, 1995 at a ballpark in Alma, Arkansas, according to 5 News. The area was known for horse thievery and violent crimes. Marshal Service's 15 most wanted fugitives to this day. All five suspects were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The nature of the murders became clear as the search party excavated the graves. Chadron State math professor Steven Haataja was found tied to a tree and burned in 2006. They can't just have a tip and go and make an arrest.". After that, the killings stopped. Her husband Dominic told authorities that they had been planning to divorce and that Mary took off with $100,000 in exchange for their home. Officers brought the ladies to Kansas from Illinois, but police released them shortly. Lester Eubanks escaped from prison in 1973, and is still one of the U.S. Fifteen witnesses also testified that Richard had said that he went to the construction site to steal equipment and had taken part in setting the fires. Bender Family property. But others on the police force didn't think all of the cases were connected. Includes Sabrina Rae Herron, Hazel Hardesty, Louie Cuccia, Mike Licausi, Fred Renegar, Webster . When they returned to the home, Col. York tried to induce this wonderful mistress of the devil to reveal where the body of his brother was. Darlene's daughter, Becky, testified that she had seen all the suspects together one week before the fire, talking about their plans to steal equipment from the construction site. 1:42 Sometimes the most highly publicized homicides can go unsolved. ", In the 1970s, '80s, and even into the '90s, bodies of redheaded women were found in Memphis, Jellico, Ashland City, and Greenville, Tennessee, as well as Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. In January 2022, Thomas McDowell was arrested and charged with burglary, kidnapping and murder. With only her pocketbook missing, they ruled out robbery as a motive. Immersive, character-driven stories are rooted in the experiences of ordinary people who have lived the unthinkable. Rumor has it that the chest was full of gold bars valuing $400,000. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Linked to 44 murders,Woodfield only ever confessed to one, and is currently serving a 90-year prison sentence. ", investigators considered him the prime suspect. Steven Harkins and his girlfriend, Ruth Cooper, were found dead. The sign describes the fate of the Benders as one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Old West.. A Salmon saloon displayed the skull with the caption Pa Bender that was until prohibition forced the pubs closure in 1920. Atkinson was found tied to a tree with his throat slashed. Three months after Kansas City police unknowingly towed away a vehicle containing the body of Adam "AJ" Blackstock Jr., his killing remains unsolved and his family pleaded Monday for help.. The remains dated back to the early 1900s and the trunk's lock dated back to the 1930s, ruling out Gabby as a suspect. "You don't have such a violent death over just, 'Give me your pocketbook, lady. He learned that there were large quantities of explosives in the trailer. Authorities found eleven shallow graves in the apple orchard. Innkeeping was a lucrative business in the late 1800s, but it wasnt enough for the Benders. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. One arm was broken. On October 27, 1961, 19-year-oldBetty Gail Brown was found in her car in front ofTransylvania College's Old Morrison building, strangled to death with her own bra. coined the term "Bennington Triangle" in 1992. asking Russia to view satellite footage of the area, the women had tube socks tied around their necks, left an old trunk in his friendNewell Sessions' shed inThermopolis in1986. Volume 1. Her car was left parked in the driveway with the driver's side smashed in, andher wedding ring and car keys were left on the kitchen counter, according to the Hartford Courant. The 2004 Kansas death of a Black man named Alonzo Brooks is the subject of a new Netflix Unsolved Mysteries episode, titled "No Ride Home." The episode suggests that his death could have been. Forty years later, the case remains unsolved. Are the Sodder children still out there somewhere? On February 26, 1957, the body of a small boy was found beaten and disposed of in a box on Susquehanna Road in Philadelphia. A marker does stand on U.S. 169, near the former site. More than 30 years later, Fisher's estranged wife was charged with first-degree murder. On January 21, she left her boyfriend's sister's house after having dinner. The Benders built a small inn for travelers crossing the Osage Trail it was the only route at the time for traveling further west. The case was featured on "America's Most Wanted.". The group found the Bender property empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. Each article is annotated with its date and source of publication. Her family maintains a Facebook group to solicit tips from the public, and the cold case was featured on Dateline NBC.
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