Unresolved Mysteries

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/25721548

In June 2017, Rita Alter, a retired New York teacher, passed way in Cliff, New Mexico, a small community of just under 300 people. An Antique Furniture shop purchased the contents of the house and put them on display in Silver City – a town with a high numbet of artists and art enthusiasts.

Several customers immediately recognized it as a piece by Willem de Kooning, a Dutch American abstract artist from the early 20th century. It had been stolen from an Arizona museum in 1985 – by two suspects matching the description of Rita Alter and her husband Herman.

Fast forward 7 years later, and California writer, Lou Schachter, has recently identified two other paintings from the Alters' catalogue as stolen in 1985 from a New Mexico museum. Schachter had become obsessed with the case after seeing it online and checked the catalogue one by one against various databases of reported stolen art in the southwest.

Article about the two newly identified paintings: https://www.scdailypress.com/2024/03/15/california-writer-finds-two-stolen-works-estate-now-famous-cliff-couple/

A much longer write up on the Alters: https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/arizona/2022/10/06/who-were-jerry-and-rita-alter-missing-de-kooning-found-couples-home/8195231001/

Polybius is a supposed arcade cabinet, probably released in 1981. Apparently, this game was made by the government in order to conduct experiments on whoever played the game, by showing psychoactive visuals, which could induce seizures, insomnia, hallucinations, and many other symptoms, to the point of creating addiction. One month after its release it vanished from the arcades, without leaving any trace behind. You can expect that this is just a leg….. Welcome to the future of software. Welcome to SINNESLOSCHEN. We guarantee you will like us.

Austin Carlos Patchke was born 29 Nov 1999. He'd be 24 now. He was last seen in the area of Old St. Augustine Road in Jacksonville, Florida on 16 Nov 2022. He'd been working at the 7/11 store there. He asked his boss for a cash advance which was refused; he left (walked out) and has never been heard from since.

He was wearing a grey polo shirt with "7-Eleven" embroidered on it, dark long sleeves under it, and black pants and possibly carrying a pink bag and black Nike shoes.

Detectives didn't discover any evidence of foul play and he was not reported to have any mental/physical disabilities. His father reported him missing; he'd last heard from him 2 days earlier.

In Nov 2021 he had been arrested for drug posession/DUI and in Feb 2022 for driving under suspended license/battery. However, he had not been arrested/charged since that time and was able to obtain employment.

This is a photo of him at 21 years old and this is a photo of him at 22 years old. He may resemble any of these photos.

**He was 25-40 years old. A white man and 5'9". He weighted 193 lbs. He had hazel eyes. He had previous cranial surgery. **

He was found on November 18, 2021 and brought to hospital.

He was sleeping in the stairwell of the Samuel Gompers Houses when a man set fire to his pants leg.

A picture of him is attached here.

The full story of what happened is found in the link below but it is a disgusting/traumatic story so I would not advise reading. His photo and measurements should hopefully be sufficient to identify him. https://nypost.com/2021/11/20/video-shows-homeless-man-being-torched-to-death-in-nyc-stairwell/

If you have information, you can contact (212) 447-2030 (Office of Chief Medical Examiner NYC) ; his case number is M21-37507.

In October 1976, Palm Beach County Sheriff officers recovered the skeletal remains of an unknown male in a western, rural region of Palm Beach County off of State Highway #827 near the Talisman Farm cane field. He'd been shot and killed but there were not many clues at the crime scene.

The department partnered with Othram to find some investigative leads and through a follow up investigation, it was found that the victim was Douglas Streeter of Bryan, Ohio.

He was born September 7th, 1946. He'd traveled to Florida with a group of friends from Ohio in March 1976 and was last seen in the Spanish Oaks Apartments in Boca Raton, Florida. He never returned home and nobody knew where he was. He was listed missing as of April 26, 1946. His nickname was "Strut" and he had ties to North Adams, Michigan. He attended Bryan High School in Ohio and was 'preceded' by a baby sister, Barbara Streeter. His parents and another brother, Ed Streeter, have since passed away. He is survived by a half sister, Linda Whitney, of Edgerton, Ohio, and a half brother, Steve Reader, of Bryan.

Here is another photo of him.

Sources https://cbs12.com/news/local/douglas-streeter-46-year-old-cold-case-murder-homicide-palm-beach-county-sheriffs-office-talisman-farms-state-highway-827-bryan-ohio-spanish-oaks-apartments-boca-raton-6-13-2023

https://www.krillfuneralservice.com/obituary/douglas-streeter

https://dnasolves.com/articles/palm-beach-county-douglas-streeter/

New Mexico 19-year-old Alexee Trevizo is accused of leaving her newborn in a hospital trash can, where he was found dead by a hospital custodian.

According to KRQE, officials accuse the woman of giving birth in an Artesia General Hospital bathroom, where she placed the baby in a bag and hid him in a trash can.

While Alexee Trevizo told police the baby died at birth, an autopsy showed air in his lungs. The baby boy also had injuries indicating suffocation.

As per Artesia Police Department, Trevizo was arrested and charged with first-degree murder or, alternatively, intentional abuse of a child resulting in death. She has also been charged with tampering with evidence.

Moreover, released body cam footage shows Trevizo saying at the hospital, “I’m sorry… It came out of me, I didn’t know what to do.” Everything to know about New Mexico teen Alexee Trevizo’s murder charge

According to Carlsbad Current-Argus, Trevizo went to Artesia General Hospital in January 2023 for back pain. As per the outlet, the teenager denied being pregnant, even after a positive pregnancy test.

Hospital staff say the 19-year-old then went to the hospital’s bathroom. Authorities accuse Trevizo of giving birth in the bathroom, tying him in a trash bag and placing him in the trash. As per Law and Crime, the baby was found dead in the trash.

The official autopsy revealed the cause of death as homicide caused by a lack of oxygen.

The hospital custodian that found the baby’s corpse told authorities, “When I picked it up, I realized it was a little heavier than it would be with just like, toilet paper and a trash bag in there.”

They recalled, “So, I looked in there… and said ‘I think the baby’s in there.’”

Body cam footage at the hospital obtained by Law and Crime shows Trevizo at the hospital bed accompanied by her mother.

A hospital staff member tells them, “We discovered a dead baby in the bathroom.”

Trevizo replies, “I’m sorry… It came out of me, I didn’t know what to do.” The mother then exclaims, “I told you about this. I just asked you, baby, to tell me the truth.”

The 19-year-old then says she was “scared,” saying, “It was not crying or nothing.”

Notably, abortion is legal throughout pregnancy in New Mexico. Trevizo was arrested and released on $100,000 bond, pleading not guilty.

As shown in the released footage, a medical professional explained to Trevizo at the hospital bed, “In terms of delivering a baby, and it looked like you tried to hide it, we do have to have the police involved.”

The young woman replied, “Nothing was crying, it came out with nothing.”

Later in the video, Trevizo’s mother is informed that the baby was “full-term.” At that point, the 19-year-old repeats: “Nothing was crying.”

Police later inform them that authorities were detaining Trevizo.

Fast-forward to May and officers arrested Trevizo at her home. At the time, she was booked on a first-degree felony charge.

The arrest footage shows the moment police knocked on Trevizo’s door to arrest her. The woman’s mother opens the door, asking, “What is she under arrest for?”

Police reply there is “a warrant for her arrest,” explaining it is “on the account of homicide and tampering with evidence.”

The mother questions, “Tampering with evidence? At the hospital?” Later in the video, police arrest Trevizo.

The New Mexico 19-year-old has been released from jail on $100,000 bond. She is not required to be on house arrest or wear an ankle monitor but does have a curfew.

Trevizo awaits a jury trial in her murder case on October 2, 2023.

Reference

The Lake Bodom murders is one of the most infamous homicide cases in Finnish criminal history.

What do you think happened?

Cathy Swartz was 19 years old when she was found murdered on December 2nd, 1988 in her apartment.

She was found by her boyfriend; her 9 month old daughter was found uninjured in an upstairs bedroom. She had been stabbed, beaten, and strangled before her death. There were signs of attempted rape and self defense on her. Fingerprints, blood, and foot prints were recovered at the scene.

Investigation and Arrest

The FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime created a profile for the perpetrator suggesting that the killer might have lived in the general area and may have known the victim. The Western Michigan University Cold Case Program, which works with the Michigan State Police on cold cases also worked on the case.

Investigators with the Three Rivers Police Department in St. Joseph County, Michigan announced in May 2023 that they had used forensic genetic genealogy on DNA found at the scene through Othram. They were able to narrow down suspects to a family they had interviewed and fingerprinted. They identified Robert Odell Waters, now aged 53, as a suspect and travelled to South Carolina to interview him.

Waters turned himself into police on on the weekend and as of the next day, he was held at the Beaufort County Detention Center on a fugitive from justice charge. He is awaiting extradition to Michigan where he'll be charged with open murder. This means that a jury will decide whether he's guilty or not, as well as to what degree of murder this case involves.

Waters would have been roughly 18 years old at the time of the murder.

sources:

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article274928641.html

https://dnasolves.com/articles/michigan-murder-cathy-swartz-1988/

In late April 2023, remains were found in a field in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, UK.

An investigation was launched in May and the remains were identified as those of Alfred Swinscoe, a father of 6 children. Police believe he was killed and buried in land about four to six-foot deep.

Nottinghamshire Police said officers were contacted by Russell Lowbridge who was 4 years old when his grandfather went missing in "mysterious and unusual circumstances". Lowbridge and his father (Swinscoe's son) were matched against the remains for identification. He is believed to have been murdered due to trauma to parts of the skeleton that were found.

Disappearance

Swinscoe was 54 when he went missing, living in the village of Pinxton in Derbyshire at the time. He worked at Langton Colliery as a "cutter", someone who cuts large chunks of coal out of the coal face for others to break down. He had hte nickname "Sparrow" and was knowng as the "Champion Pigeon Man of Pinxton", due to his love of pigeon racing.

He was last seen at the Pinxton Miners Arms, a pub that was popular with miners before it was closed and converted to a house. It's located a short drive from where his remains were found. It's believed he was drinking with 2 sons and a friend on the night of his disappearance. He was last seen giving money to son Gary to buy a round of drinks and then left to use the outside toilet.

Investigation

Swinscoe's disappearance "tormented" his son Gary, who sadly passed away in 2012, never knowing what happened to his dad. Gary remembered his dad giving him some money to get a round and then never seeing him again.

His daughter, Julie, was 25 at the time and working in a factory. She remembers coming home one day and the police were searching for her dad. She says, "We never expected that the remains found in Sutton would be him. I practically went hysterical. I said: 'he can't have lay in that field for 56 years and no-one could find him until now.....I would like to think I could die knowing the truth. I am 82 now and I could go myself at any time." Picture of Russell Lowbridge and Julie.

Four of his six children are still alive, as well as many grandchildren. The investigation is ongoing on the clothes found with the remains, as well as testing to find out how he was killed and how long he'd been buried for.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said: "I cannot imagine how distressing this must have been for Alfred's family who have been waiting 56 years for answers....Some of Alfred's family members are no longer alive and will have died never knowing what happened to their loved one that night....Despite this being a crime that happened more than 50 years ago, this will not stop us from using all the investigative skills at our disposal to find those responsible."

Police said further tests were being carried out to determine how Mr Swinscoe was killed and how long he had been buried.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-65842590

In February 1988, human remains were found in the elevator shaft of an abandoned building located in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the US. It'd been abandoned since 1981 and at the time had recently been purchased for redevelopment. The details of the person were entered into NamUS in March 2021.

Then, in June 2022, detectives In June 2022, CMPD detectives the help of the North Carolina Unidentified Project to idenfy the person. The remains were sent to Othram by a forensic anthropologist at North Carolina State University where a forensic genealogist, Leslie Kaufman, was able to provide detectives with a potential name for the person.

The detectives collected DNA from a potential relative for testing and in May 2023, they were able to positively identify the unknown person as Oliver Doc Mundy, a World War II veteran.

Oliver was known to those around him as "O.D." and was born July 20th, 1923. He was from Mooresville, North Carolina, but was known to live on the streets of Charlotte.

Oliver's remains were sent to his family in Mooresville for final arrangements.

Source https://dnasolves.com/articles/charlotte-oliver-doc-mundy/

Can the mod(s) please post community rules? Ideally similar to what the subreddit has in terms of sources, description and length?

Fadden, 39, was a convicted sex offender and rapist who was about to stand trial on Monday when he carried out the killings before turning the gun on himself.

Families of the two teenage victims were allowed on the property where they witnessed a horrific scene.

A dog collar, handcuffs, drug paraphernalia, and weapons were strewn across the laundry room. The house was littered with syringes filled with unknown substances.

Holly Guess, 35, who was married to McFadden, and her three children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, were all found slain on the property of McFadden's rural Oklahoma home.

Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 16, who had visited the home for a sleepover, who were also found dead at the house.

Canadian police have released a statement that remains found in western Manitoba have been identifed as those of Melinda Lynxleg. She's been missing for three years.

She was last seen on March 31, 2020, on Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve (also known as Valley River First Nation) and was reported missing on April 16, 2020.

Investigation:

The investigation into her disappearance led RCMP investigators to an abandoned home in San Clara earlier this week. RCMP have said they are investigating Lynxleg’s disappearance as a homicide.

"In the beginning we started searching her frequent hangouts. We spoke to known associates. Melinda was well liked and she had many friends and knew a lot of people," said Sgt. Laura LeDrew, who has been one of the investigators for the case.

Police spoke with about 60 people in multiple communities while searching for her.

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/remains-found-in-western-manitoba-identified-as-woman-missing-since-2020-1.6434506

Andrew Gosden disappeared from Central London on 14 September 2007 when he was aged 14. On that day, Gosden left his home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, withdrew £200 from his bank account and bought a one-way ticket to London from Doncaster station. He was last seen on CCTV leaving King's Cross station. Despite numerous national appeals for information in the years following his disappearance, Gosden's reason for travelling to London that day, and his subsequent fate, have not been established.

Andrew's case is one of the cases I follow most closely. I'm very intrigued as to when we might hear more details about the December 2021 arrests and investigation.

What are your thoughts on what happened to Andrew?