A brief scan of my emails in my OCCK file reveals that my brothers and I have been strung along since September 15, 2023, with the carrot of a discussion concerning the Michigan State Laboratory’s handling of the evidence in the OCCK case. The stick? Get out of line; post about anything and well, you know what will happen . . . Also, the state lab can’t get past its “protocol,” which essentially is: We speak to no family members, we don’t answer questions, we won’t speak to the press.

Vague promises have been made about the hair evidence (mDNA) and the Y-str evidence; reevaluating it for a more complete DNA profile, then moving on to genetic genealogy. I imagine there was discomfort late this winter when the head of the state lab actually took a look at the state of this evidence. I’m guessing that was not very reassuring and was an eye-opener.

No mention of all of the other evidence in the case–presumably because somebody made some decision that it was so grossly mishandled and stored over the decades that it would be “too much” to rerun the children’s clothing, for example. No answers about why they won’t test the “Allen” letter, envelope and stamp for DNA.

So I find myself in the position of having to reconstruct the email trail of broken promises and any mention in the FOIA documents of what the state lab actually did along the way (after their misfeasance was pointed out to them by Wayne County in 2007) to test and extinquish some of the evidence. So I can construct the “agenda,” much as I did when my brothers and I spoke to the Detroit FBI office a few years ago about the public corruption in this case. Not one of those men read a goddamn word I sent prior to the joke of a conference call. Hell, the participants in the call didn’t even identify themselves until I asked who was on the call. (“Why don’t you put something together for the Oakland County office?” You mean like the motherfucking document I sent you a few days before the call? To the office I allege is also involved in the corruption? Great idea.)

Relying on the old division of labor–the state police is the investigating agency and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office is the charging agency, the state lab enjoys “limbo” protection. Here’s how that can change: The prosecutor, wanting to close the door on this open wound and disgrace in county history, asks for a full report on the evidence in the case, the exact nature of the testing (lab and dates), the current location of the evidence, any information and decisions regarding third-party lab consults, so a decision can be made regarding the possibility of further testing and genetic genealogy evaluation and investigation into any lead that may result. Or a determination is made that this, due to the handling of the entire investigation, is the end of the road.

The state lab must be moved off the dime. Regardless of the many failures and abuses in the early investigation, the buck stops with the lab when it comes to the evidence they were responsible for testing and storing. They take the position that they answer to no one–except a charging agency. So, let’s get some fucking answers via a charging agency.

The prosecutor must also demand that the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office turn over any evidence it has withheld over the years. That’s the rumor and it must be verified or dispelled as a part of forcing the lab’s hand on the evidence in the OCCK case.

A reader wrote recently that the two biggest holes in this investigation are first, the fact that no one circled back to suspect John Hastings after he bombed his polygraphs in Georgia in 2009. You know, neighbor to Chris Busch, and a man I believe was credibly accused of participation in running kids for the pedophile ring. I’ve written extensively about this fucker, who last time I checked, is still alive. Search for him in the search function to my blog if you are among the uninitiated.

The second hole (and it is a big one) is a two-parter. First is the misinterpretation of the DNA evidence. Second, the failures to stay on top of DNA advances and proper storage of the evidence to take advantage of these advances.

The DNA evidence in the case is so far limited to mDNA and Y-str (based on testing from over a decade ago). Someone with expertise (a different reader) pointed out to me quite some time ago that while the DNA was mishandled, with proper understanding the samples remain compelling.

As explained to me, with only mDNA and Y- str DNA identified in this case any matches to suspects must take into account the appropriate family member to test since mDNA and Y-str DNA is passed from generation to generation depending on whether the sample is taken from a male or female, a sibling or parent etc.  The DNA taken from relatives of the suspects may not have been from the correct relative and therefore missed the match.

For example, the source of DNA for John Crosbie (heavily implicated in the abduction of Mark Stebbins) was his sister.  They share mDNA.  His sister does not have Y-str DNA given she is female and has no Y- chromosome.  If the Y-str DNA found in Kristine was from Crosbie then the DNA of Crosbie’s sister would miss it.

Likewise, consider that the source of DNA for Crosbie’s pal Yarbrough was apparently his sons.  Father and sons do not share mDNA.  Males receive mDNA from their mother but males can not pass it on.  If the mDNA at the crime scenes and in the car were Yarbrough’s then the DNA from the sons would miss it.

The Y-str sample was partial and was evaluated by an outside lab for genetic genealogy purposes and yielded the possibility of the surname Hunt. Limited attempts to narrow this down were not fruitful and the state lab did not agree to more sophisticated testing to yield a better sample. To my knowledge a few sex offender-type “Hunts” were tested and eliminated as the “donors” of that DNA. The FBI was apparently going to take a closer look, but months later I was told the project was dropped. “Just kidding,” I guess.

There is only one reason male DNA is found in a child’s vagina. Which is why Brooks Patterson and Medical Examiner Robert Sillery went to great lengths to spin the yarn that young girls in Oakland County might get abducted by the OCCK, but never sexually abused. Not in their county.

Short of water-boarding John Hastings, Vince Gunnels, Arch Sloan and Ted Lamborgine, or the still-living law enforcement types who know how this case was derailed and have a good idea who was involved, the only thing that can do the talking in this case is the DNA evidence. Which is why it is so outrageous that it has never been properly addressed in this case. D-minus, bordering on an F.

Please consider this document prepared by a reader concerning the DNA evidence as it stands. This person is not an expert, but the experts are staying uninformed and very quiet in this case.

See also this addendum to the document:

I am attaching the file you posted on your blog in regards to my previous inquiry on this as it has some of your notes on it from my earlier questions.  If you look at the screen shot below, you will see specimen Q34.1.  [Below.] Now, I assumed it was from Tim because it is listed after the ‘debris’ found on Tim’s body and Q34.1 is titled “hair from debris from shirt”.  Q34.2 is titled the same but the full document never says whose shirt its coming from.  [This is a critical point, as the narrative is that two hairs were found on Tim–in his nasal cavity and near his groin. Whose shirt??? The hair on Kristine was said to have come from her jacket. Why isn’t the shirt further identified?] It does reference FBI document from August 11, 2008, but I can’t find that on your site to cross reference.  Anyway, here is the grid showing Q34.1 [Below.]

Looking at Q34.1, the range np16288-16355 was tested.  2 segments come up:  16311C and 16320 T.  16311 C is more common in the population.  You will see Larry Allen Smith, John McRae, Ted Lamborgine, and Gunnels all have that segment listed.  However, when you look at 16230 T, that is only listed under Gunnels.

Gunnels mtDNA looks like this:  np15998-16390 were tested.  He has 16224 C, 16311 C, and 16320 T. 

You can see compared to Q34.1, they both contain 16311 C and 16320T.  The Gunnels DNA also has 16224 C which Q34.1 does not.  HOWEVER, the range for Q34.1 started at 16288, so 16224 C was never going to show up as that part of the range was never tested.  In other words, for the range tested, the Q34.1 ‘hair from debris from shirt’ matches Gunnels.   Here is the comparison [Below images.]

I’m no expert in any of this either, but none of the above gives me much confidence in how the evidence has been handled or evaluated in this case.

Look, I know the OCP and the state lab are incredibly busy with live, active cases. Which is why, if the state police were ever serious about solving or closing this case, they would have long ago digitized the OCCK files so the case could be worked on by one of the cold case teams in Western Michigan who have gotten results and understand cold case evidentiary issues. To someone who could actually make the time to pick up the phone and get this clusterfuck looked at, big picture style, by the state lab and arrange for a third-party lab and a genetic genealogist to evaluate any better DNA samples that can be developed.

The state lab must account for the evidence it was their solemn obligation to carefully file, store, evaluate, and prepare to hand off to a third-party lab. They continue to answer to no one, not even the four victims who continue live in their steel file cabinets and plastic baggies.

Before I write about an interesting find from another reader concerning Northern Michigan, I wanted to briefly write about attending a protest yesterday. A protest against the abuses and failures of this administration and the weakness of our federal representatives.

My sign said “Tyranny is at our door. Resist.” Tyranny: “Arbitrary or despotic government; the severe and autocratic exercise of sovereign power, either vested constitutionally in one ruler, or usurped by him by breaking down the division and distribution of governmental powers.”

I went alone. The police were respectful; the crowd was awesome. If I can do it, you can do it. I know it must sound over-the-top to many of you, but do it while you still can.

***********************

Now, check out these very interesting observations from a reader:

Gary Hubbell was 26 and living in Ludington in 1978.  He and his roommate, Joseph Card, were trying to get concealed weapons permits, but each had a record so they could not, despite bothering the cops for several days.  Then Card goes to the cops by himself and tells them that Hubbell knows a lot about the Oakland County child killings and that he would try to convince Hubbell to talk to the cops. The following day, Hubbell took rifle he owned and held Card and his girlfriend hostage in their cottage.  He exchanged a few shots with cops, but there were no injuries.

Upon arrest, Hubbell told cops that he knew who the Oakland County Child Killer was.  He told them that the victims were used to make pornography in Elk Rapids (just northeast of Traverse City) and that Card was actually involved in some way.

Hubbell was very drunk and very high.  He demanded that he get the $50,000 reward money for the OCCK case. . . so the cops just blew him off.  “The bottom line,” said one of the cops, “was that he wanted me to write him a $50,000 check.”  Hubbell was charged and pled guilty.

Now, here’s what’s interesting to me:  all of this comes from an article in the little tiny once-a-week (probably mimeographed) Oceana’s Herald Journal that was written by one of the paper’s reporters.  Although larger papers, including the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, carried detailed articles about the standoff, NONE mentioned the OCCK component. 

And this too:  it was 1978.  Even though Fox Island had been exposed with some press coverage and everyone associated with it was on the run, unless I am very wrong, there was little if any conjecture at the time that the OCCK case had anything to do with pornography, let alone Fox Island (I know Elk Rapids is not Fox Island, but it’s within that tight Shelden-influenced northern MI circle: Fox, just 40 miles to the west, and Charlevoix,  just 30 miles to the east).