What do the Atlanta child murders (1979-1981), the JonBenet Ramsey murder (1996) and the Oakland County child killings (1976-1977) have in common when it comes to the concept of third-party labs that specialize in analyzing deteriorated DNA ? All three cases involve the possibility that results will cast law enforcement and city/county officials in a very bad light. There might not be the back-patting that attends the announcements of the closure of other cold cases.
I recently wrote about the relative (very relative) lightening speed with which Boulder PD was backed into a corner regarding testing and retesting of the evidence in JonBenet Ramsey’s murder case. https://catherinebroad.blog/2023/11/29/false-investigative-starts-wild-conspiracy-theories-and-a-seemingly-infinite-number-of-accusations-against-nearly-everyone-involved-with-the-case-the-murder-of-jonbenet-ramsey-26-years-ago/ . After years of evidence deterioration, Boulder PD is being forced to loosen its grip on the only evidence that may provide answers. Hopefully this will be examined by a third-party lab with greater capabilities than the state lab. They may yet lose the ability to make the utterly pathetic argument that at most what might be found is touch-DNA from a factory worker in China who packaged the underwear JonBenet was wearing when she was murdered.
Even though the process is finally in motion, there is no telling how long it will take for the cold case team to decide where to send the evidence and who’s going to pay for it, let alone how long the testing itself and any resulting investigation might take.
In the Atlanta child murders case, the mayor, police chief and county DA announced a new DNA testing effort in March 2019. See https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2021/10/19/utah-lab-to-examine-dna-evidence-in-atlanta-child-murders/ . Investigators hand delivered DNA evidence to Sorenson Forensics, located in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Draper in 2021. Id.
A year after that there was still no report on what testing might have revealed in the four decades old case. https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2022/11/01/utah-lab-not-discussing-atlanta-child-murders-progress-a-year-after-receiving-dna-samples/ . An unnamed lab worker said at that time, November 1, 2022, that they received the inquiries but could not divulge any information on the progress or confirmation of any tests on the Atlanta Child Murder victims DNA.
Some 13 months after that article, there are still no answers. So, almost five years (57 months) after the announcement that a new DNA testing effort would take place in the Atlanta child murder case, and two years after detectives hand delivered the DNA evidence to Utah, there are no updates.
That brings me to the OCCK cases. Apparently only the vaguest of discussions have taken place about testing/retesting the evidence and I don’t even know if the need for a specialized, third party lab has been broached. A predictably lame effort was made with Identifinders Int., who met with detectives to discuss the case (I have the dates, but it is such bullshit I am not even going to look it up) but apparently did nothing but evaluate the magic mtDNA hair evidence and the partial Y-str sample for suitability for genetic genealogy. Yeah, no kidding it was worthless for that purpose. And no one discussed retesting the kids’ clothing for previously unidentified male DNA?!
Walk through a hypothetical timeline with me for the inevitable and unavoidable need to have the OCCK evidence retested by a third party lab.
- Get the detective currently assigned to this case to address the need for this testing and agree to ask for approval. Too busy, so weeks to months.
- Months for “approval” up the chain of command, after consultation with the state lab workers currently responsible for this evidence.
- Argue about who is going to pay for these four homicide cases to be so evaluated.
- Assign somebody to research grants offered by private labs and whether the case would qualify for federal funds (I don’t think it would and the hoops to jump through would take another year, minimum).
- After much back and forth, put the college students working in conjunction with the MSP on cold cases on the question of grants. (Should have been done already.)
- Debate which lab to use.
- Contact lab to initiate discussions. Phone calls back and forth.
- Have state lab prepare evidence for chain of custody drop off at third party lab.
- As in the Atlanta murders, wait at least two more years.
- The lab answers only to law enforcement. Who answer only to themselves. The prosecutor defers to law enforcement because they are the “investigating agency.”
Do you see how this works? The OCCK case is almost 50 years old. Instead of foot-dragging until the next detective, the next prosecutor, is responsible for this case, expedite it. As I have said many times, the MSP has already squandered millions of dollars on the case, pushing the food around the plate. They have either paid for or arranged for third party lab testing in other cold cases in Michigan. The state lab knows the drill. The foot-dragging here is indefensible.
Good intentions and vague promises are great until they run up against the MSP, who like Boulder PD, have had to answer to no one for their failures or the status of the case. I am tired of the dance that has to be done around law enforcement officers who are charged with speaking and acting on behalf of murder victims. Do your fucking jobs.
Anything except the most expedited path in this case will mean another five years, easy. And don’t forget–you still have survivors of the child sex/porn rings in Michigan from that same era that you need to interview. “Time is of the essence” is an understatement. Every month of delay is exponential when you consider the hoops to jump through and the foot-draggers who might have to sign off.
Justice delayed is justice denied. But I think everyone involved in “investigating” this case knows that and is banking on it.
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The only honorable detective in the Ramsey murder case was the late Detective Lou Smit. Smit was brought into the case by then DA Alex Hunter. Smit stated that: “JonBenet got a piece of her attacker.” She also left claw marks on her own neck as she fought against the noose. This same noose was used on her twice, and the second use of it ended her life.
None of the Boulder Cops has any experience in a murder investigation, whereas Smit was practically considered a ‘Sherlock Holmes’ type of investigator. The highly successful Smit was very methodical in his workmanship and not flashy like the fictional Sherlock Holmes character. BTW, the transcript of the interview of Dr Olson, regarding the first three OCCK victims, is superb evidence indeed. Apparently the killer was seen and described. Despite the washings of the victims and their clothing, this same suspect was not a tidy person at all. It was agreed that the victims were apparently held alive in a clean environment. This untidy killer had an MO of using older and beat-up Ford model cars to get around in, despite the fact that a much newer and cleaner models were used to ditch the bodies. This fact that the killer was using older cars is supported by the testimony of two young male hitchhikers that he picked up when headed south and they were apparently frightened. His same description is consistent with that of the middle aged guy that was discovered in the backyard of the Euclid address, that stated that he was: “Looking for a lost boy,” which was the day after Tim was snatched. My guess on the Euclid evidence is that his suspicious appearance served several various, but intentional purposes, but these are just guesses: 1) To hint that the holding area was near or behind Euclid ? 2) Perhaps a test of the soundproofing of the holding house ? 3) To taunt the victims families? 4) Perhaps to taunt his co-conspirators by hinting at the possible holding safe-house location? 5) To show his handlers that he had been on duty as early as the Jill Robinson snatch and shotgun murder, in which he shows his extreme nerve? 6) To point to the screwy and cryptic ‘secret witness’ document, which has his JT’s and is in his handwriting? 7) To reiterate how stupid his handlers are and that they had better not harm him, lest they be exposed. 8) The rape of both Stebbins and King states that male pedophiles were involved, for which he, the killer, may have taken pictures of, for the purpose of extortion and control by the killer’s handlers. BTW, one need not look much farther that the late Epstein creep, in order to understand the motives being: Power and Control. The evidence is abundantly clear that “We the People” have practically no control over much of anything these days, sorry to say. Idaho 4 murders:…totally dick-head cops, prosecutor, judge and perhaps the public defender too. There is no evidence that puts a knife in Kohberger’s hand. No blood, and no valid DNA evidence. The phony parade of white Elantras is a sick farce. Evidence of e-tampering is abundant and shows that the killer’s camp had spy grade electronic gadgetry and that the victims and their families were monitored weeks in advance. Victim Kaylee G’s cellphone was clearly mimic-hacked, meaning a second phone basically had a copy of her sims card to work from. Lot of fuckery indeed.
The children are now in their 50’s and 60’s. Most people under the age of about 55 know nothing about this case. This includes Michigan residents who should know better. The clock is ticking.