This week the Douglas County,CO Sheriff’s Department announced that they had finally identified a woman who was killed in 1993. https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/she-is-someone-she-is-no-longer-our-jane-doe-douglas-county-authorities-id-woman-killed-in-1993-cold-case. In June 1993, the body of an unidentified white woman was found near the Rainbow Falls campground in the Pike National Forest in Douglas County. Through the use of investigative genetic genealogy, deputies said ‘Rainbow Falls Jane Doe’ has now been identified as Rebecca “Becky” Ann Redecker.
The identification of Becky has jumpstarted the investigation and the sheriff’s office said they have a lot of work to do. At a press conference, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said: “I cannot stress enough that if you knew anyone or you knew Becky or you had anything connected in Becky’s life, please call our office and help us identify the suspect or suspects that were responsible for her death.” A phone number and the name of the lead detective were given. There is a $10,000 reward.
A deputy who had worked the case from the beginning said that over the decades, the office worked with a variety of agencies to attempt reconstructions of what Becky may have looked like, of the crime scene, and reexaminations of the evidence. Someone came forward with information leading to a positive identification just last month. Douglas County partnered with United Data Connect, Inc., a recognized leader in forensic science computing with an established reputation for its innovative approach to DNA Familial Searching and Forensic Genetic Genealogy Analysis. https://www.uniteddataconnect.com/home.
If you have read Marney Keenan’s book, The Snow Killings, Inside the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation (July 2020–Amazon has 6 copies in stock this morning and “more are on the way”), you will have a sense of how and why the Michigan State Police handled the evidence in the child killer case in the manner they did. The article about Becky’s case was so foreign to me–a sheriff’s department that actually works on cold cases; partnering with United Data Connect; a press conference to tell the public about developments and to genuinely ask for help from the public (giving a detective’s name and phone number), someone who came forward with information to jumpstart the investigation, reward money. Unbelievable.
Even though there was no such thing as DNA testing in 1977 and 1978, why on earth would the task force so mishandle, misfile and generally abuse evidence in a case involving the largest manhunt in history at that time in such a heinous case? When they “put the case to bed” why wasn’t it put on the shelf in a format that would allow future detectives to hit the ground running? Why is it that to this day, the next hand off to the unlucky detective who gets this case, is a clusterfuck?
Read Marney’s book and you will know why. I am not on social media, but someone sent me a screen shot of a FB discussion of the book. A woman commented: I don’t need to read it, I lived it. Unless you were a family member or close friend of Mark, Jill, Kris or Tim, you didn’t really live this–you watched it. And your perception is skewed because of the narrative Oakland County and the Michigan State Police spoon-fed to the media there. The book will tell you why you will never see an honest press conference in this case with anything close to good news. Can’t handle it? Could you handle a repeat of something like this in Oakland County?
Note that someone went to the sheriff’s office in Douglas County with information in this 27 year old case last month. They didn’t go to a family member or journalist and ask to stay anonymous. Investigators don’t need to reveal your identity as they proceed, but they need your information first hand. “I want to stay anonymous.” You’ve stayed anonymous for over 40 years. Your anonymity is protecting monsters. Protecting your family name or someone in law enforcement? I don’t know how you do it.
If you have information in the OCCK crimes, pedophile/child pornography rings that operated in Michigan in the 1970s and early 1980s, know something about how and why this case was covered up, call the tip line and leave a message. You don’t even have to speak to a human being.
833-784-9425.
Cathy, any reason why Barnes and Noble and Books a millions bookstores dont have Marney Keenan’s book? I keep telling people about it but, the only options to order it are Amazon or the publisher, nothing locally.
Thanks,
Jeremy
Downer. Local is the best way to go. I asked my local book store to order it and a friend in Illinois did the same thing. I guess it’s the reason Amazon is so dominant. I’m sure COVID-19 is playing a part here, too. Local bookstores in Oakland County should be carrying the book. I don’t have a good answer.
I saw that Literati in Ann Arbor has copies in stock. I think you can order for delivery or do a curbside pickup there.
MOST law enforcement WILL ask the public for any and all help it can offer. The reason why this wasn’t handled in a simple straightforward way in Michigan is because LE and politicians are CORRUPT THERE. WHY? I don’t know. I can hardly believe they would go to these extreme, unconscionable lengths just to “protect” the “reputation” of old Mr. Busch, the exec dad. He wasn’t GOD. I mean, WHO CARES? It makes no sense.
Here’s how it kind of makes sense. The breathtaking level of effort that has gone into circumventing the truth was not just to protect the reputation of the evil Busch family and GM. It was also to protect the careers of Robert Robertson, Joseph Krease, L. Brooks Patterson and Richard Thompson. Although because of governmental immunity/qualified immunity, we would not have been able to sue Patterson and his office for their mis/malfeasance in this case, these men and others unnamed all went on to get promotions and never had to answer to the public for the failings of this investigation.
Furthermore, I believe pedophiles were getting murdered in Oakland County during this time and no one wanted to inquire too deeply there. It was a decent solution in many ways, but could never be acknowledged.
The “suicide” of Chris Busch was especially relevant. Someone/some people clearly wanted him to be outed as the child killer. But that shit gets shut down on the spot. The Bloomfield Township PD and the MSP totally play ball. So does Oakland County. Busch gets quickly cremated, the ropes from his closet disappear, and by then I’m sure the suitcase full of child porn from his arrest in Flint in January of 1977 is long gone. Money may have changed hands. Remember, Elsie Busch had her driver take her to Flint to track down Vince Gunnels to try to give him money so he would not testify against her son in the CSC case. These people are all so dirty and so are the enablers. Truly a Pandora’s box. The only way this works is if everyone keeps their mouth shut. Which they have. But you are so right, bitamoney. Oakland County was totally corrupt in the 70s and nothing has been done to change or remediate that in the intervening decades. It is a stain on all of Michigan.
Cathy,
I have given COTS two part series multiple repeat viewings, as well as gone over Marney’s book a few times.
Your Dad claimed in post 2006 that a friend of Tim’s from his hockey team worked in a clothing store in Birmingham with many Cop clients. Further, in 1992 he made a sale to a cop and enquirer about Tim’s case. The Officer got to the door, but came back to say words to the effect “Don’t worry the case has been solved, and it was the son of a GM Exec”. Later in the book it said Cory confronted Kalbflesh as to if he was that cop (possible denial at that time), and the book goes onto clarify Kalbflesh called Cory back to admit it WAS him, and remembered it.
Question: How did Det. Kalbflesh know in1992 it was the son of a GM Exec. —- unless that became the knowledge of any or all task force members. ???
Patrick
Sent from my iPhone
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Exactly.
I can’t help but wonder if LE ever looked into Ralph Cabot’s finances from around the time of him polygraphing Busch and Greene. Maybe he was paid to say they had passed, when they hadn’t. I guess that would only be circumstantial evidence anyway. If he was, it more than likely would have been in cash and therefore not traceable back to the family.
Ralph Cabot, just like his equivalent at the Oakland County Medical Examiners Office, Robert Sillery, got a big fat pass. He didn’t last long at the MSP, but he certainly did enough damage. Sillery lingered longer and did more damage as OC ME.