Newport Beach police announced the arrest of the man who kidnapped, sexually assaulted and strangled 11-year-old Linda Ann O’Keefe in July 1973. This was yet another solve made through family tree DNA.
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-linda-okeefe-cold-case-20190221-story.html; https://patch.com/california/newportbeach/arrest-made-linda-okeefe-cold-case-murder.
Linda’s case involved nuclear DNA (semen), which was obviously stored correctly during the intervening 45 years. In the OCCK case the first three autopsies were conducted by a medical examiner who was completely ill-equipped to handle any autopsy, let alone a murder. There is only mitochondrial DNA, from hairs which were MISLABELED, misfiled and probably stored poorly for decades. Someone asked me the question even if mtDNA gets thousands of hits, can’t they still do that and then cross-reference with the top 20 suspects? Good question.
One of the above articles describes how a picture of Linda hangs in the Newport Beach Police Department for all to see. I bet the Newport Beach PD didn’t make jokes about the investigation into her murder or hack on her remaining family members. The culture of a law enforcement agency DOES make a difference.
A reader had questions and suggestions about Sloan’s Bonneville. There certainly would be ways to figure out the relative of the MSP trooper who bought that vehicle, as well as get a list of everyone employed by the MSP at that time to figure out whose relative bought that car. Yet again we are faced with a double-standard. The Sloan vehicle is important–but not that important. Mitochondrial DNA is awesome when it is from the hairs found on Tim and Mark and allegedly also found in Sloan’s car, but no good when it is mtDNA found on Kristine’s body.
Another reader asked about client/membership lists from N. Fox Island. To my knowledge, Gerald Richards destroyed all those documents before police got to Frank Shelden’s office to take a look. The very small MSP file I saw on the investigation into Shelden listed four or five men who had received communications from the sick fuck Shelden. Of course their names were redacted. I remember one was a bank exec, one was a principal and one was a parole officer. They had no idea!! what Shelden was up to–they were just donating to the boy’s nature camp. If these men are still alive, someone in LE should pay them a visit. If I ever get ahold of unreacted copies, I will publish them on this blog. Back in the day there would have been a way to look at who was involved and figure out if anyone from law enforcement was participating or covering up. But the FBI clearly preempted the MSP and, as most of you will recall, their records on Fox Island were lost in a “catastrophic flood.” As one of the victims of those animals at N. Fox Island said, you have to have a lot of money to play that game–exclusive rights to go up to the island while young boys were “at camp.” You know there were some bigwigs on that list and they lived double lives. Animals.
The ID show was so disturbing but really opened my eyes to what pedophiles do. People need to know what is out there . I was so glad to hear about Linda’s case and others.I truly hope and pray for peace and justice for the families of victims. <3
I have questions related to your latest paragraphs, above.
Please explain the meaning of “thousands of hits”, can’t they cross reference with the top 20 suspects? I am not understanding this.
Why are the hairs from Kristine no good for DNA? Thanks
Hair without skin attached only yields mitochondrial DNA, which yields genetic material connected only to the maternal side of the family. Nuclear DNA is a compete, individual genetic profile for one person. So it takes a lot more work to get after the source of mtDNA. My point regarding the hair in Kris is that they rejected that as too weak a piece of evidence. Yet the other hairs are touted as the possible be all and end all of the case.
mtDNA is sort of a hobby for me because all the male members of my family are gone. So I know that if they go into the mtDNA that they have they can see if it matches any female members or male members descended from the same maternal ancestor as any particular suspect. When I say ancestor I’m not necessarily talking about the 1800s etc. It could be a common grandmother.
So for instance, does the mtDNA they have match a suspect? Does it match the sister of a deceased suspect? Does it match the mother of a suspect? Does it match a cousin of a suspect whose mother is the common donor of that mtDNA? It seems to me they can do a lot with it.
As they say, “speak of the devil” 77 year old billionaire owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft was just charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution at a Chinese spa tied to human trafficking down in Florida.
“That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”
Time is flat circle. The True Detective shows use a lot of info from this case. Also, I’m finding it a little hard to believe that people are so dismissive of a connection to Fox Island. Does it not seem likely that these children were photographed/filmed while they were being held captive? What happened to rolls of film that were confiscated from – was it Busch? I haven’t been able to see part four yet so forgive me if this is addressed.
It doesn’t get addressed. That evidence confiscated from Busch in his January 1977 arrest is long gone. Just like the ropes found in his bedroom closet in November 1978. The ropes MSP forensic scientist David Metzger noted should be maintained in the event further evidence was developed down the road. They are also long gone. In his January 1977 interview with Flint PD, Greg Green describes Polaroids of kids, wrapped in foil, and buried near a downspout in a yard. Do you think anyone looked for that packet of evilness? True Detective, Season One–yes, my brother Chris and I immediately noticed the parallels when it first aired. Of course the four OCCK victims were photographed and/or filmed. These photographs and films may never have been disseminated through the sick channels these men went to great lengths to participate in, but of course these kids were subjected to that kind of humiliation. Do you think they were watching t.v. and playing checkers while waiting for these evil fucks to cook them a meal?
Hi Cathy,
Sometimes people and Law Enforcement cannot “see the forest thru the trees”. I believe John Hastings is the OCCK. Perhaps reading the Kill Jar chapters “Internet Sleuth” and Alpena Witness” will shed some light on John,
https://books.google.com/books?id=U1OIDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=Kill+jar+internet+sleuth&source=bl&ots=utODGhajfh&sig=ACfU3U1gK48pbakQ2sw6Lcz1vOuIwNnmEg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHi-LB8M_gAhUGo4MKHb75DRoQ6AEwAHoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=Kill%20jar%20internet%20sleuth&f=false
John lied to the police when he said he did not know Chris Busch. During his Atlanta polygraph exam John’s answers were proven to be “inconclusive” per a document Helen Dagner shared with me.. Also, it was noted that he called the polygrapher/LE back the next day and wanted to changes one of his answers. Now, who in the world does that except a guilty man???
John’s father was an executive with Zollner Pistons. In fact, when owner Fred Zollner moved his Ft. Wayne Pistons to Detroit he moved his headquarters, as well to be closer to the Big 4 at the time. Old man Hastings moved to Detroit, as well. He surely knew H. Lee Busch and other auto executives in the area. The younger John attended the same high school as I did but left halfway thru his senior year (who does that?). I have a picture in my yearbook which shows John intensely drawing in art class. Could he have drawn the picture of Mark found at the Christopher Busch suicide site of Mark Stebbins? Its a pretty good drawing and I doubt Chris Busch was an artist. John had access to his own .22 which he told Helen the killer used to finish off Jill Robinson and that the gun had a “‘Hastings” type barrel. A few coincidences about John:
1) Both he and Busch supposedly picked up Mark on his way home from the American Legion Hall. What are the odds that they were both there the same day as Mark’s abduction?
2) What are the odds that both John and Chris Busch used to drink at Hartford Lanes in Berkley where Kristine’s mom worked; which is right across the street from the 7-11 store? The Hastings family used to bowl there and John’s sister Mary is still friends with Linda Hartford (bowing owner family) on Facebook.
3) What are the odds that John Hastings lived two blocks away from Chris Busch at 200 Tuckahoe in his parents rental home by himself, next door to their home at 220 Tuckahoe,
4) Why LE buys John’s story that Helen Dagner was after him romantically is astonishing and bad police work. I know Helen had a police record at one point but it does NOT mean her information is bad. John wanted somebody to hear his story and Helen was trying to prove why he didn’t kill the four kids. I have gotten to know Alpena Witness via email and phone calls and can tell you he is an honest person. What the heck is in it for him to make up a lie like that?
5) John used to have to pick up his sister who worked at the Northville Psychiatric Hospital during that time period. He most likely would have taken 8 mile to pick her up/drop her off and passed Gill Road (Tim’s eventual drop site).
6) John was a big sports fan and used to hang out at Eton Park Ice arena to watch games and practice. Could he have seen Tim and gotten to know him there? Or perhaps the Birmingham Little League?
7) When Barry King and a Birmingham detective came up to Alpena one day to meet Helen and John to discuss the case John was a no show at the prearranged meeting. When asked by Helen why he didn’t show up John said (paraphrasing):, I couldn’t go. Mr. King would have recognized me. I went to a Tiger game on Tim’s birthday and he may remember me”.
I looked up Tim’s birthday(July 9th) and then the Tiger’s 1976 baseball schedule and sure enough, there were 51,000 plus fans at the game that night to see Mark Fidrych pitch.
8) Busch and Greene would not have kidnapped two girls. Anyway, Green was in prison at the time of Tim’s abduction/killing. I admit Green looks like the suspect drawing but so does John and his youngest brother.
Now I could go on and on about Hastings but I think this is enough for now. Surely, John is involved somehow, someway. IMO, he is most likely the killer with one of his four siblings or brother-in-law as accomplices..
Livonia Guy – I wish I could email you privately.
I have never understood how John got a pass. There is so much there. I cannot tell you the feeling I got when I went back to Michigan in 2007 and drove past the Busch family home and those two houses right around the corner owned by the Hastings. When Busch’s name surfaced and I started looking at all of those questions, Helen and all the other John is the OCCK people wrote me off as an enemy. I have always maintained that the shit involving him is no coincidence and that at a minimum he has guilty knowledge. Undeniably a freak on top of it.
Cathy, is Hastings still alive? Has anyone in LE said what it would take to get him to do another polygraph? (Assuming he is alive). I am just so confused as to why this case gets ignored, I feel so bad for all of you. I just can’t believe key evidence like ropes also went missing. What the hell? Can anyone in the Hastings or Green family be questioned?
To my knowledge he is still alive. LE spoke to Hastings numerous times and also spoke with Green’s brother. I don’t think LE spoke with Hastings’ siblings.
One of the only things connected to my sister’s case, a letter that had a stamp which could have been licked to stick on it, as well as seal the envelope was also “lost” by the Warren PD or task force when they examined the items. The incompetence runs across the profession it seems.
Or the intent is the same across the board. They are order followers after all. As far as cover-ups being urban legends and conspiracy theories – that is hilarious! Law enforcement and the abuse of authority all too often go hand in hand. I was almost liking that Detective until he said that. Of course he felt compelled to touch his face right after saying it too. How telling.
“Animals” is too kind a reference…no words!
I wish everyone in the State of Michigan would contact AD Nessel’s office and insist on a investigation regarding N. Fox Island, the OCCK’s & all the pedaphile rings that were all over Michigan and probably still are.
Michigan has a terrible history with all of this. No way they eradicated it.