A reader took a deep dive into elements of Mark Stebbin’s case. Mark was the first victim of what the press and law enforcement would soon call the OCCK. But as we know now, it was far worse than “OCCK.” It marked the beginning of a string of group killings of children who were kidnapped from Oakland County, Michigan. It wasn’t just one “K.”
Mark was abducted in Ferndale on February 15, 1976. His body was found in Southfield on February 19, 1976.
Many readers have carefully parsed the FOIA documents I have posted on this blog. Forty-nine years later, family members and civilians investigate these murders because the people who are paid to do it are too busy, don’t want to or have been told not to. Or they investigate in furtherance of some future project that will do nothing to close these cases.
Here are some interesting details this reader found.
The Royal Oak Tribune reported on Saturday, February 21, 1976 that a scripture service would be held at 8:00 PM on Sunday at the Spaulding-Curtin funeral home. There was a visitation at the funeral home prior to the scripture service.
Take a look at who showed up to Mark’s wake on Sunday, February 22, some time before 5 pm:
Oakland County Prosecutor L. Brooks Patterson and his Chief Deputy Richard Thompson. I can just hear it, can’t you? “Our deepest condolences, Mrs. Stebbins. We will find and prosecute the person who did this, don’t you worry.”
Southfield Police Department Det./Lt. R. Jerry Simmons was in charge of the investigation into Mark’s murder. His name does not appear in the guest register for Sunday, but perhaps as the lead detective he attended Mark’s funeral the next morning.
Two days after Mark’s body was found and less than 24 hours before the scripture service for Mark, the lead detective was at Hartfield Lanes, a bowling alley in Berkley, between 11:30 pm and midnight. We know this because his car was broken into that evening between 11:30 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, February 21, 1976.
Maybe he was visiting his wife, who worked at the bowling alley. FOIA document M4-Final, page 10 shows Donna Simmons, Age 42, white female, from Lathrup Village being an employee of Hartfield Lanes.
Simmons bowled at Hartfield Lanes. Kristine Mihelich’s mother worked at Hartfield Lanes. She knew Simmons from her work there and described calling him after her daughter went missing.
And we know who else bowled at Hartfield Lanes–Chris Busch, who seemingly gladly told Southfield Detectives Simmons and Doan (summoned to Flint in late January 1977 when Greg Greene dimed Busch as the killer of Mark Stebbins) that he had a “little brother” in the Big Brother program “that he often took to Hartfield’s bowling alley.” (The Snow Killings by Marney Keenan, page 98.) (The horror of this “little brother’s” claims never being seriously investigated by Birmingham police is beyond the scope of this post, but not beyond the scope of my rage.)
Simmons and Doan’s first report after speaking with Greg Greene on January 25, 1977:
Let’s go back to Simmons’ visit to Hartfield Lanes on Saturday, February 21, 1976. Doubtful the guy is bowling two days into an investigation of a 12-year-old’s murder and 30 minutes isn’t a long time period. He reports the break in, noting dashboard and glove box damage by a crow bar, but nothing missing. The two earlier break ins resulted in a CB radio and 36 8-track tapes being stolen from inside the cars. Simmons reports that his CB radio was placed in the trunk that night because of recent thefts. Why would someone break into a car with nothing in plain sight and force open a glove box that may contain nothing valuable?
Here’s what else Simmons kept in his trunk:
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Tommy McIntyre, page 39.)
Was the damage to the glove box a result of searching for the nickel-plated .45? Did somebody steal that cut-down, double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun with a sling? (WTF??) While a police report would have to be filed for insurance purposes on the car damage, would a cop report having his prize weapons stolen from a bowling alley parking lot? That’s a bad look. Maybe they were both safe in the trunk of his car, along with the CB radio; who will ever know?
And how much time had Jerry Simmons and his wife spent in the presence of Chris Busch or perhaps John Hastings or even Arch Sloan at Hartfield Lanes, a location that plays a prominent part in this sad case? “Hey Jerry, how’s the investigation going?”
Thanks to a reader who pulled these facts together.
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In all your findings has anyone talked about the Rams Horn resturant in Farmington. This restaurant was across the street from the gas station that Arch Sloan worked at. My father and I would go to the resturant on Friday evenings, there was a CB group who met there. I know I had read that Arch was into CB’s.
Not to me–anyone else??
I also do not recall any mention of a Rams Horn. Especially that one. That does not mean something may not have occurred there. I am often amazed as to what is not in some of the FOIA documents that should be. Like the list of attendees at the Ferndale American Legion on 2-15-1976. Or specific tips of people of interest and the cars they drove.
I do remember that CB radios were the craze in the mid 1970’s, and there were many articles about civilians using CB radios to assist in the OCCK manhunt. Everyone from 10 years old to 80 years old were using them in the house or in the car. I also seem to recall certain police men carrying a CB radio in their car in addition to Simmons.
I bowled at Hartfield lanes as a boy around the same time Kristine went missing, scared the hell out of me. I lived a mile away. Hartfields closed up last year i believe.
It would be great if you had any pictures to share from inside the bowling alley back in those days.
Simmon’s shotgun … Jill’s cause of death.
Also, never noticed until seeing your interactive overview (well done), that all but Mark were found near rivers/streams.
https://catherinebroad.blog/occk-case-overview/
I think that’s a logical conclusion, swiss. And wouldn’t that send quite the message.
*I had help on the overview and other interactive pages. Appreciate your input.
Being from Berkley, I also bowled there and I remember the tiny, smoky bar packed with chain smoking men the overlooked the pinball machines we used to play after bowling
It would be great if you had any pictures to share from inside the bowling alley back in those days.
I am certain Jill was shot with a 12 gauge. Was the empty ever recovered ?
You are absolutely right. Page 12 of The Snow Killings says shotgun pellets were retrieved from the ground, but no shell casings were found making identification of the make and model of a shotgun next to impossible. All that can be determined was that it was a 12 gauge shotgun.
There has been someone from the Hastings family in recent times that still has very close ties with the Hartfield family. This has been proven without a doubt and something showing it has been circulated around.
This is true. about someone from the Hastings family.
And Sloan’s co-worker and friend (Robert Stevens) had a sister (Shirley Brisky) that worked there as well . Her son was also one of Kristine’s babysitters. These are all stated in the Wayne County notes dated 6-3-2014 and 6-5-2014. And Shirley’s daughter states (5-29-2014 notes) that her mother worked there when the abduction occurred.
Interesting that nobody interviewed Donna Simmons or Shirley Brisky. Brisky is not even listed as an employee in the FOIA document.
Saw you shit talked me on your Reddit thread. Helen trained you well, Alpena Witness.
Thank you, G Man. I was with Jill maybe two weeks before her abduction. Her father Tom was my mother’s boss at OCC.
No problem. It appears we both know someone that worked with Tom.