The rape and murder of 9-year-old Carol Ann Daugherty went unsolved for 63 years and 1 day. The Bucks County District Attorney announced the case was solved in a press release and press conference yesterday.
A reader sent me a link to the below YouTube video this morning. Even though it is lengthy (50 min press conference), once I started watching, I could not look away. I hope some of you will take the time to watch the entire video. The contrast between the handling of the cold case rape and murder of young Carol Ann and the OCCK cases could not be more stark.
Early on in the above press conference, the DA thanks her assistant for scanning 1,000s of pages of case documents so the entire cold case team had a single report to work from. While the OCCK case probably involves 10s of 1000s of pages, it is four homicides. These cases were handicapped by the fact that the four cases were lumped together and offloaded to an agency with a culture that to this day is antithetical to solving a case of this nature. Especially with the political overlay of one L. Brooks Patterson, the Oakland County prosecutor who put his wicked thumb on the scales before offloading the case to the oblivion of the MSP case files.
The MSP has steadfastly refused to digitize the case files in spite of promises made by them to my dad and my brother to do just that in 2007. I know those case files are a disgraceful mess. I have begged the current Oakland County prosecutor to push for these files to be digitized. I am informed that MSP resistance is now due to cost and of the current prosecutor’s concerns that there is actual evidence commingled in those files and overstuffed bankers boxes.
I have begged them to consider using the students from university programs the state police affiliate with to go through these files, organize them and scan them. This counters the cost argument. These students could be informed of the unique challenges involved in these particular case files and what to do to prevent any further contamination of evidence they may find. Here are a few great things about college students motivated and committed enough to join this program. They are smart and committed and work harder than the average public servant. They aren’t protecting some cop or agency that dropped the ball. They won’t get far in their field if they misuse their position to write a book or a screenplay. (Seriously, is everyone writing a screen play about this case?)
Imagine what could be done with AI if those case files were digitized. Imagine what could be found quickly if there is a point where genetic genealogy or a direct DNA match is found and a name or names buried in that currently unorganized and shameful mountain of paperwork must be reviewed.
I understand the challenges presented by a case like the OCCK case with four murders committed in 1976 and 1977. However, I also understand the foot-dragging, the manipulation of polygraph evidence in 1977, the hiding of polygraph evidence in 2009, the turf battles that damaged this investigation, the ignored leads, the failure to digitize the case files, the failure to investigate and believe survivors of Michigan pedophile rings, the resistance and battle involved in getting the evidence in this case tested using the most modern DNA technology, the concern about books and screen plays over solving the crimes. I know. And you know I know. I am making it my job to make sure lots of people know.
And something you will never hear in the OCCK case: “We’re happy answer any questions you may have.”
If anyone affiliated with this investigation makes the claim that they have never forgotten Mark, Jill, Kristine and Tim, I would respond that for almost all of you, your actions and inactions fully belie that claim. Your cowardice in the face of L. Brooks Patterson placing his big, fat thumb on the scales of justice in this case belies that claim. And you will hear my screams from 1,200 miles away.
Thanks to the reader who sent the links.
See also:
https://bucks.crimewatchpa.com/da/29567/post/cold-case-finds-justice-suspect-identified-1962-murder-carol-ann-dougherty (Press Release from the Bucks County (PA) District Attorney’s Office.)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-vuoth8y8yI4P41jqMpyBw (The Coldest Murder, a true crime podcast about this case, also available on Apple podcasts.)