The segment, titled “The ‘Unsolvable’ Murder of Roxanne Wood” will air on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 10/9c on CBS and streaming Paramount+.
— Read on www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/48-hours-to-feature-1987-murder-of-michigan-woman/
The Oakland County Child Killer
What the Hell is the Deal with the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation?
The segment, titled “The ‘Unsolvable’ Murder of Roxanne Wood” will air on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 10/9c on CBS and streaming Paramount+.
— Read on www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/48-hours-to-feature-1987-murder-of-michigan-woman/
Cathy, is it possible for you to reach out to the professor at Western and ask her to see if she can get MSP to let her students work oh the OCCK files? I know the chances of them letting that happen are slim, but maybe if the request comes from her….
By way of contrast, the OCCK case was reviewed in 2011 by Dr. Michael Arntfield and the Cold Case Investigative Society at the University of Western Ontario and the media covered the 2012 report that was issued. https://catherinebroad.blog/2019/11/05/investigative-report-the-oakland-county-child-killer-case-issued-june-2012-the-cold-case-investigative-society-the-university-of-western-ontario/. See also https://catherinebroad.blog/2022/06/09/how-to-solve-a-cold-case/. The state police worked with Western Michigan University in the Roxanne Wood case. But even acknowledge the work of Dr. Arntfield and his students in the OCCK case? Hell no. What’s good for other cold cases is somehow never workable in the OCCK cold case. Watch the 48 Hours episode (link in post) and ask yourself why Roxanne Wood is entitled to justice and Mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich and Tim King are not.
The MSP would not even share documents, as they did in the Wood case. We provided the $11,000 of FOIA documents (a fraction of the case documents) to the University. This is actually pretty enraging. This was 11 YEARS AGO. Now it’s big news that WMU works with the MSP in 2022. This stinks.
Cathy,
I am sorry I upset you with my suggestion. It truly was not my intent. I watched the episode when it aired in my area. I thought the same thing you did. In fact, I even commented to my husband about it. Mark, Jill, Kristine and Tim are EACH entitled to justice. That is why I tried to “think outside the box”. The fact that the MSP DID work with the professor and students at Western is a small step forward, but at least it is a step. As Mary de Young commented it “Gives reason for optimism.”. I have followed this case since I read the first article about Mark when I was a junior in High School. I have read practically every document you have posted on this blog. You have every right to be enraged by what MSP (and others) didn’t do in the past! It is totally unacceptable! Unfortunately, we cannot change the past. All we can do is to keep moving forward. Even if it is only baby steps. You personally have made strides in keeping this case in the public eye and have gotten many people to come forward with information. Now that MSP has worked with the Western program they have set a precedent! The Niles Police Department was able to use the catalogued files and get the DNA sequencing done! There are eight Police Departments involved in the OCCK Investigation. They each wanted to be the department to solve the case. Maybe one still can be. MSP doesn’t “own” the DNA evidence in this case, they are the custodians of it. Mark’s body was found in Southfield and one hair was found on him. Arch Sloan’s car was searched in Southfield as well and a matching hair was found in it. Maybe Southfield PD can request those two pieces of evidence back and submit them for DNA Sequencing. Another step to keep moving things forward.
Terri, your suggestion in no way enraged me. What was kind of enraging was to contemplate the disparity in treatment in the cases. The good news is that the MSP HAS to rerun the evidence and HAS to report to the public with any answers they do/do not receive.
Determination, hope and a ‘gnat’s eyebrow’ worth of DNA…and solved. Gives reason for optimism!
How does a case get started using the latest DNA technology? Would the OCCK case have to be initiated by the Attorney General, Michigan State Police, Oakland/Wayne County Law Enforcement or outside sources? I hope its not the victims families who have to initiate or spend money on such an endeavour.
Even if evidence collected which may have been compromised, if a suspect’s DNA is found on clothing or other items, isn’t it enough to prosecute? How does the person whose DNA is found explain it???
Just heard that the Colorado Police Dept. is going to further look at the Jon Benet Ramsey case and DNA.
Come on OCCK Law Enforcement, get with the times and get going!
They have to rerun the evidence. They have done it in other cold cases. Then they have to report to the public and answer real questions for the first time in over 45 years.
And they have to report it all to 48 Hours. Otherwise, it reeks of duplicity and cover-up.
I feel that if any of the guilty, either directly or by association, are still alive, they will never run the dna. Just my opinion though.
Hence the beauty of a third-party lab, not the Michigan State lab that is under the thumb of the MSP. Recall that even retired MSP scientist David Metzger (Busch ropes, anyone?) signed a strained and ridiculous affidavit for Cooper’s #2, Paul Walton in 2012. The question would be how they “package” any results or lack thereof, whether they would attempt to keep the public in the dark, lock down an independent lab from speaking freely, and refuse to answer questions from the press (as always).
It strains credulity that in FOUR homicide cases there was no viable evidence and that after digging up that creep Norberg in 1999 for DNA testing the MSP would not have made a careful accounting of ALL of the evidence in these cases, catalog it and then store it properly once it became known that DNA testing had opened a new frontier.
I heard offline from a reader this morning who said: “It sucks, those complicit enablers, generations in some of the same cop and judicial families in MI, continue to be the road blocks in solving [this]case. Solving [this] case would expose the conspiracy that prevented it from being solved.”
And picture this–if they were to get viable DNA in one of the cases, would the police even track down the person’s links to others who were involved in these four crimes? I believe multiple men had contact with these four kids. They get a DNA hit–how hard are they going to investigate the links??
So far the MSP and the OCP have failed in responsibility and accountability. For close to five decades. Do their jobs, come clean and apologize to the public? Their track record says otherwise. Complete transparency is called for. It is the only way to keep these people from conducting the public’s business without public scrutiny. They’ve had their cake and ate it, too. The bill is coming due. Get off the tired half-truths cop train and step up to the plate like so many around the country have done in the past five years.