I apologize again to people with questions unanswered from me and for posts I have promised but not yet delivered. I haven’t forgotten; I have many notes and lists. I have put a priority on forwarding requests to my Dad for DVDs people requested. And again, if you can’t cover the $20, let me know and I will take care of it. If you have asked me to get you a DVD and have not yet received it, contact me again here and please start your post with DO NOT PUBLISH. I think I have passed on all requests.
I am working on the photos of the Chris Busch “suicide” scene. There are redacted versions and unredacted versions. You need to see both versions, as well as the bullshit letter from the MSP regarding their initial “inability” to locate any of the photos in September 2011. This saga follows in five parts.
First, the MSP FOIA response, provided after my Dad had to sue them (and therefore as part of a court filing), contained NO photos of the Busch “suicide.” “That’s funny,” said Erica McAvoy, Kristine Mihelich’s sister—I SAW the photos when my Mom and I met with Det/Sgt Garry Gray of the MSP in mid-October 2009.
Second, Erica McAvoy filed a FOIA request with the MSP for these very photos. On September 15, 2011, the MSP responded that “[a]fter a thorough search of our department for photographs related to [Busch, Christopher Brian], we have determined that photos do not exist within this department.”
Third, Erica told the MSP they most certainly did have these photographs; that she had seen and touched copies of them during the “Come to Jesus” session with Gray.
Fourth, “Oh shit, I guess we do have some photos—here you go, here are redacted copies.” Yes, portions of Busch’s body are blacked out. The photo of Tim dumped in a ditch in front of a Livonia home contains no “redactions.” And he, unlike Mr. Busch, is not tucked in bed with nary a sign of mayhem except for a small bullet wound. Think Tim was posed like a little angel with his skateboard under his arm? Think again.
Fifth—when M. William Phelps from Investigative Discovery’s Dark Minds series (and a prolific true crime author) produced a one-hour show on the OCCK murders that aired in August 2012, he remarked to my family that he had NEVER seen photos in response to a FOIA request, or photos in a suicide investigation, redacted. Never. We ultimately get unredacted photos—I think courtesy of Erica McAvoy. I need to consult my notes. You will find them fascinating. They are not gory. There is no blood spatter. Mr. Busch is tucked in tight under the covers. For a suicide, especially one pulled off by someone who had a very high BAC, this was very clean. How someone who is fucked up manages to shoot himself right between the eyes with a shotgun, getting no gunshot residue on his hands, with his legs and feet wrapped tight in the covers, is anyone’s guess. Just lucky, I guess. For as long as he was dead before he was found, he is in pretty good condition. Far better condition than any of the four known victims of the OCCK, even though they were found within hours of their suffocation/shooting.
Remember when I said there is Karma when it comes to some of this stuff? Turns out Erica McAvoy is quite familiar with firearms. I LOVE IT when cops underestimate civilians. (In fact, I love it when people underestimate anyone.) She asked Gray where Busch shot himself. The answer: “Right between the eyes.” Erica grabbed the notebook with the photos as Gray was attempting to cover it with his hand and said, “there is no way this was a suicide.”
When you see the photos, you will know what she means. And don’t be too hard on me for delaying many posts I have promised. It means I have, despite what happened to my family in March 1977, a very full life. I have many people in my life who deserve my full attention and I get to this stuff when I can. It almost pulled me under in 1977 and again in 2006. Those who should feel bad about this case do not and have not for close to four decades; I’m not going to suffer any further because of their actions or inaction, or the inaction and obstruction of current law enforcement that subscribe to some sick code to protect their predecessors. In 2006 I would have responded within hours. Now I know that I can only do it when I can.
Every thought you have when you read my blog I have had a thousand times over. Doesn’t mean I don’t respect you when you raise these issues; it just means I have learned to pace myself. Don’t stop emailing me or responding to my blog posts. Just know that no one in authority is in any hurry to deal with any of this shit—in fact, they are hoping they never will have to. Like I’ve said a few times; I’m a patient person. If, with my sporadic and sometimes cryptic posts, you learn that some factions of humanity and law enforcement are utterly corrupt, even in cases where you would swear on your Mother’s grave it can’t be so, then none of us are wasting our time. Eyes wide open. It’s all we have to prevent future trauma, or at least recognize this bullshit before 30-plus years pass. Again, if it happened to us, it can happen to you. You need to know that much.