So how come on February 19, 1976, a witness saw a small, shiny Pontiac or Buick near and around the time where Mark Stebbin’s body was dumped?
How come a witness saw a light blue 1967 (???) Pontiac Tempest or LeMans with primer spots on the left side of the should of N.B. I-75, near where Jill Robison’s body was found?
How come the impressions in the snow near where Kris’ Michelich’s body was found matched those of a Pontiac LeMans, Pontiac Tempest or Buick Skylark (according to b.s. from MSP)?
How come, in light of the above information, none of you living in the area crushed by these crimes remember much of anything aside from the “Blue Gremlim?”
My brother was simply seen standing near a blue Gremlin. Why on earth would that be more important than the information provided concerning vehicles at the three prior crimes? Umm, let’s see–because someone’s e.g.
I’ve asked this question before and I’ll ask it again: Who was Marjorie Hoffman, and what did she tell the police she saw? Law enforcement obviously found her story fairly credible–but why? Exactly what did Marjorie Hoffman say that she saw–have the police provided any details as to the substance of her statement? As has been said elsewhere–start at the beginning and pick this thing apart. If the police did indeed seek a blue subcompact to the exclusion of not seeking any other vehicle–why? Why did this particular lead seem so compelling to law enforcement back in 1977, and is it still compelling for the same reasons?
I know, there are no answers to this question. I’m just putting it out there as a question to which I keep returning.
Andrew, who knows if this Marjorie did go to Police. We heard what they wanted us to hear. I believe, the police kept that Blue Gremlin story going for a reason. It gave them time to cover something up!
As I asked in a previous email, why did the lead investigator request tips on people who owned BOTH a Pontiac AND a Gremlin? This seems so ridiculous. It is so much simpler, more logical and more likely to assume there were two perps, one owning each car. Am I right or????
It seems to go WAY beyond simple incompetence to me.
I’d be interested in knowing if Chris Busch had any auto accidents and if so where did he get it repaired.
Probably at the garage/gas station Arch Sloan worked at.
This is so similar to the racket they are still operating in my state. It’s absolutely eerie!
The kidnapping, similar cars, dead children, fake investigations,self-interest journalists seeking to promote some “anonymous” character who has inside information and will only report to the FBI, citizens expected to report back to the local police who in reality could care less other than wanting to be kept in the loop on local gossip they might use in the future to further their career or write a book (or their spouse write a book) and a total disregard for anyone’s rights other than their own.
They break and enter and leave hairs of every color. They decapitate hares and leave it on the AC so you can smell the death-or so they think. They destroy people’s property and often engage in (what someone else has said) vehicle accidents on purpose. I once had an elderly neighbor who was hit broadsided and claimed the person never attempted to brake. soon after her car was totaled I saw one almost identical sitting on a college campus. Mind you, it wasn’t the type of car a student would drive-old station wagon with wood-grain side moldings.
Instead of arresting these people, they actually provide protection for them. I caught some the day I bought a new car (now gone because of all the “accidents”) and they sent a deputy to keep an eye on them so someone wouldn’t smash the back of their head off while they weren’t ‘alert’ though they are trained in martial arts-which doesn’t serve them well while they are trying to carjack you.
Somethings not adding up that was never clearly explained. If Tim King’s brother saw the blue Gremlin with the white stripe parked in the parking lot later that evening while searching for Tim, how could the police not have found the owner of that vehicle if it was still there through the vin number and license plate?
The woman who saw Tim talking to a man near a blue Gremlin had not come forward at that point. When the police started talking about the blue Gremlin, Chris told them he had seen a blue Gremlin parked in that lot in the late evening. Nobody ever got a license plate or VIN.
Did law enforcement ever follow up at all on your brother’s statement corroborating the report of the Gremlin? For example, did they ask him where in the lot it had been parked–to see if he could put the Gremlin in the same parking space where Marjorie Hoffman had seen a blue subcompact? Confirming that the car was indeed a Gremlin would have narrowed things down quite a bit. Lord knows, all these years later, Hoffman still stands out the single witness in this case that law enforcement, for unknown reasons, actually found credible. What truly bugs me about all of this is that Marjorie Hoffman saw all of this after dark–how close did she ever get to her suspect and the subcompact? Did all of this happen underneath the slightly better-lit covered area of the lot directly outside the back door of the pharmacy?
This is where I keep wondering about the timeline of these events–Marjorie Hoffman saw a blue subcompact at about 8:30, and your brother saw it again later that evening. At what time did the police formally seal off the parking lot, presumably with no Gremlin present?
All that said, I still have quite a bit of trouble visualizing a scenario in which a criminal seeking to abduct somebody would choose to do so using a hatchback. Still, with so many indications that this case has multiple suspects, the likelihood of multiple vehicles then becomes that much more likely.
I just stumbled onto your site. I have thought of your brother often through the years. I did not know him, but I remember the fear his death struck in me. I had just turned 11, lived in Birmingham (Harlan Elementary), and rode my bike up to Hunter-Maple Pharmacy to buy my comic books frequently. His disappearance and murder is seared in my young memories.
I moved to Chicago in 1998 and had not heard updates in years. The more I read about what has become of this case, the more I am struck by the cover up. Was it incompetance or corruption? I must be getting cynical because my first reaction is the latter of those two.
I remember more to the story than just the blue Gremlin. And now reading some if your posts, this strikes a fear in me about the year(s) if other vehicles; specifically dating back to possibly 1967.
My brother and I were playing in the front yard while my parents were out walking. I was about 4 or 5. I was born in 1964. And light blue Pontiac LeMans, sure if the vehicle because I can see it in my head to this day, pulled up to our front yard with 2 guys in it. They opened the door and wanted to take pictures of us, very nice camera for the time, and asked us to get in and go with them because they would be able to get us in TV.
I won’t get into anymore of the story, except that we did not get into the car.
That vehicle description was drilled into my head out of fear. I don’t remember the guys except that both had brown hair. Seeing this info about an older model LeMans makes me wonder…….
What is really sad is that for every attempted abduction by the OCCK, there were probably 100 times that many of attempted abductions taking place from random child predators, and this really adds to the confusion. It is easy to associate Chris Busch, Greg Green, Theodore Lamborghine, Richard Lawson, and Arch Sloan to the OCCK because they all have the history of hurting children. The truth is, that these were only a fraction of all the predators hurting children back then (and now) and this has to be taken into consideration as far as being the OCCK. There is one thing that is very certain of the OCCK killer(s), and that is a plan of holding a child for a definitive amount of time & then to dispose of their bodies where they would actually be found. It really doesn’t matter if the OCCK wasn’t really a “babysitter” to take care of these children or not. The fact is that he/they had wanted the public to believe this. It appears that an evolution towards cleanliness happened by the time Timothy King’s body had had been dumped (Livonia), but “the babysitter” loved the game being played on police. Here is a list of evolution theory:
1. Mark Stebbins dumped between two cities.
2. Jill Robinson dumped across from Troy P.D.
3. Kristine Mihalic held for 19 days.
4. Timothy King fed fried chicken.
This was a person playing a “horror game” with the public. Most of the sexual predators out there are not going to be thinking along these lines. They would be trying to get away with their evil deeds. It is very hard to believe that the person responsible for the OCCK had the ability to “just stop” playing this game when they were so well ahead of everyone. It is very hard to pin this on Chris Busch because of the year and a half lapse from the Timothy King abduction/murder in March 1977 until his suicide in late 1978. Someone or something had either intervened in that time to stall Chris Busch (until his murder), or he simply wasn’t the OCCK. A child predator who gets away with hurting many children isn’t necessarily going to have to be murdering them. This person who was responsible for all these murders (4) was first & foremost a murderer (of children). The next thing they were was someone willing to use the murders in a game with police & to scare the hell out of the public. This person would only be a sexual predator thirdly, but there also is the possibility that the “objects” used against both Stebbins & King could have been used by an “apprentice” of the OCCK. Busch & Green are perfect candidates for “apprentices cause they both liked young boys. This is why both the girls had not been violated sexually. The OCCK “mastermind”most likely is not a sexual predator, but a cold-blooded killer of children to be sure.