To anyone still working this case, whether on the cop pay roll or for a book, screen play or another documentary, the gaps in this goddamn case are still obvious for someone willing to take the closer look law enforcement refused to.
It should really shock no one who has more than a passing acquaintance with this case. Despite reporter Marilyn Wright’s comprehensive reporting for the Traverse City Record-Eagle on a pedophile ring operating in connection with N. Fox Island during the same time period as the OCCK murders, no serious attempt was made to try to investigate any possible connection between the two. This even as Senate hearings were being held on child pornography during the summer of 1977, with Michigan resident and N. Fox co-conspirator Gerald Richards having a prominent speaking/lying role. Chris Busch’s suicide scene reads like a murder? Responding officer Richard McNamee was a pedophile? John Hastings is a neighbor of Chris Busch? Who cares? The case was never meant to be solved, just stashed in old file cabinets for posterity and the occasional “no comment” on this “still open” case.
Did anyone else ever notice that there was never even an empty cop/prosecutor promise back in the day? The “we will never rest until this killer is brought to justice” line you hear in almost every heinous, unsolved case? No. It was “oh well, the killer is probably dead, institutionalized or incarcerated.” That worked for these tools for 30 years. The last 20 have been spent mostly pushing the food around the plate.
A reader contacted me and told me they had done a deep dive for an afternoon on the OCCK case using only publicly available sources — this blog, FOIA-released documents referenced therein, Wikipedia, ClickOnDetroit archives, CrimeImmemorial, the James Carner North Fox Island article, the Michigan DOC OTIS system, and the Michigan Sex Offender Registry. What followed was this interesting read.
Compiled by a reader:
PART 1: SYNTHESIS
The Schonebeck / McCracken’s / Sloan Connection
The most specific finding I can offer: Carl Schonebeck appears in Det. Cory Williams’ detective notes as a person of interest who worked at McCracken’s gas station alongside Arch Sloan during the period of the murders. Williams flagged him for polygraph. Carl Schonebeck was subsequently convicted of CSC-1 in 1985 and sentenced to 20–40 years. His brother Ralph Schonebeck was also named in the detective notes.
I searched the Michigan DOC OTIS system and found no current record for either Carl or Ralph Schonebeck — suggesting Carl has either served his full sentence, died, or left Michigan. He does not appear on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry. A broader last-name search found two other Schonebecks in the MDOC system: Jack Schonebeck (discharged April 6, 2026) and Kevin Schonebeck (DOB 10/24/1986, currently on parole in Midland). Their relationship to Carl, if any, is unknown.
What I cannot determine from any public source is whether Carl Schonebeck’s DNA was ever compared to the unknown male hair recovered from Arch Sloan’s car — the hair that microscopically matched fibers associated with two OCCK victims. If that comparison was never made, or its result was never publicly disclosed, it seems like a meaningful gap given his direct workplace connection to Sloan and his subsequent CSC-1 conviction.
Christopher Busch — Key Inconsistencies
1. The “suicide” scene. Busch was found shot in the head at his Alma, Michigan home in 1978. No gunshot residue was reportedly found on his hands, and he was found wrapped in a blanket — both inconsistent with a self-inflicted gunshot. The first officer on scene was later identified as a convicted pedophile. These facts together have never received a satisfying official explanation.
2. The Ess Lake cabin. During Tim King’s disappearance, a neighbor near Busch’s Ess Lake cabin reportedly called police about suspicious activity involving minors at the property. Whether that call was ever formally logged as part of the OCCK task force record is unclear from public sources.
3. Busch named three abduction locations before Tim King was murdered — documented in FOIA materials. Who received that information and what was done with it has never been fully answered publicly.
4. Richard Thompson was present at Busch’s polygraph interview and later dropped charges against him. Thompson subsequently became Oakland County Prosecutor. The conflict of interest this represents has been documented but never formally addressed.
5. Bobby Moore reportedly took boys to H. Lee Busch’s home (Christopher’s father), connecting the Cass Corridor network directly to the Busch family’s private property.
6. The blue Gremlin vs. blue Vega with white stripe discrepancy. These are meaningfully different vehicles. The discrepancy was apparently never publicly resolved by the task force.
The Gunnels DNA Gap
James Vincent Gunnels’ hair was microscopically linked to fibers found on two victims. A Y-STR DNA sample from Kristine Mihelich’s vaginal swab was reportedly sent to Identifinders International around 2022 — results have never been publicly disclosed. Vince Gunnels’ brother Paul Gunnels has apparently never been interviewed under oath despite Vince’s direct connection to Busch.
John Hastings
Georgia polygrapher Steve Duncan administered a polygraph to John Hastings in 2009. The written conclusions have reportedly never been publicly released despite being referenced in MSP communications. A targeted FOIA to MSP for those conclusions seems like a tractable next step.
The Tazelaar / Faxon Political Connection
Det. Williams’ notes reference Willem Tazelaar and a connection to former Michigan State Senator Jack Faxon. This appears in FOIA documents but has not been pursued in mainstream reporting. Whether Tazelaar or Faxon had any documented relationship with Frank Shelden or the North Fox Island network remains underexplored publicly.
The “Mino” Farmington Hills Lead
Your blog references a man known as “Mino” who lived on or near Violet Street in Farmington Hills and drove a blue Gremlin in the early 1970s. I was unable to identify this individual further from public sources. I’m in West Bloomfield — adjacent to Farmington Hills — and would be happy to check local historical records or city directory archives if you have any additional detail on this lead.
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PART 2: FULL RESEARCH NOTES
Sources consulted:
– catherinebroad.blog — sampled across the archive including specific posts on Gunnels, Hastings, Faxon, Busch polygraph, FOIA puzzle pieces, the Mino lead, the Schonebeck/Shultz/Crosby reader theory post
– ClickOnDetroit archives (2012 new evidence article, 2016 40th anniversary)
–
mspsor.com — Michigan Sex Offender Registry (active searches conducted May 10, 2026)
MDOC OTIS search results (May 10, 2026):
Carl Schonebeck: 0 results
Ralph Schonebeck: 0 results
Schonebeck (last name only, all offenders): Jack Schonebeck (discharged 4/6/2026); Kevin Schonebeck (DOB 10/24/1986, parole, Midland MI)
Kent Shultz: 0 results
John Crosby: 0 results
Michigan Sex Offender Registry:
Carl Schonebeck: 0 results
Victim summary:
Mark Stebbins — abducted February 15, 1976 (Ferndale). Found February 19. Cause of death: asphyxiation. Evidence of sexual assault. Body clean, neatly dressed.
Jill Robinson — abducted December 22, 1976 (Royal Oak). Found December 26. Cause of death: shotgun wound to face. No evidence of sexual assault. Body clean, neatly dressed.
Kristine Mihelich — abducted January 2, 1977 (Berkley). Found January 21. Cause of death: asphyxiation. No evidence of sexual assault. Body clean, neatly dressed. Unknown male hair recovered from vaginal swab — Y-STR sample sent to Identifinders International approx. 2022, results not publicly disclosed.
Timothy King — abducted March 16, 1977 (Birmingham). Found March 22. Cause of death: asphyxiation. Evidence of sexual assault. Body clean, neatly dressed. His mother’s KFC coupon found with the body. Last seen at Hunter-Maple Pharmacy.
Key suspect notes:
Christopher Busch — Convicted of multiple prior CSC offenses. Repeatedly secured probation despite charge severity. Polygraphed by MSP — showed deception on OCCK-related questions. Sketch found in his home after death matched composite of suspect seen near abduction sites. Ligature found in home consistent with bindings used on victims. Found dead November 1978, Alma MI — ruled suicide (gunshot to head). No GSR reported on hands. Found wrapped in blanket. First officer on scene later identified as convicted pedophile. Father: H. Lee Busch, General Motors executive.
Arch Sloan — Convicted of CSC offenses involving minors. Hair found in his car microscopically matched fibers from two OCCK victims. Worked at McCracken’s gas station with Carl Schonebeck. Never formally charged in connection with OCCK murders.
Greg Greene — Convicted of CSC offenses. Polygraphed — showed deception on OCCK questions. Told cellmate he and Busch were responsible for the murders. Died in prison.
James Vincent Gunnels — Abuse victim of Busch. Hair microscopically matched to fibers on OCCK victims. Cooperated partially with investigators. Has not given full sworn testimony. Brother Paul Gunnels reportedly never interviewed under oath.
John Hastings — Named as suspect by multiple sources. Polygraphed by Georgia polygrapher Steve Duncan in 2009. Written conclusions never publicly released. Placed near Hunter-Maple Pharmacy area around time of Tim King’s abduction.
Frank Shelden / North Fox Island network — Shelden operated North Fox Island as a child sex abuse and pornography production site. Network included wealthy Michigan businessmen and political figures. Shelden fled to Netherlands when investigation began, died abroad. Network documented to have overlapping membership with individuals connected to OCCK suspects.
Willem Tazelaar / Jack Faxon — Named in Det. Williams’ detective notes. Faxon was a Michigan State Senator. Nature of connection to OCCK investigation not fully established in public record.
Unresolved questions from public sources:
– Whether Carl Schonebeck’s DNA was ever compared to the Sloan car hair
– Full written conclusions of Steve Duncan’s 2009 Hastings polygraph
– Y-STR results from Kristine Mihelich vaginal swab (Identifinders, approx. 2022)
– Paul Gunnels’ current whereabouts and whether he has ever provided sworn testimony
– Identity of “Mino” — Farmington Hills, Violet Street area, drove blue Gremlin, early 1970s
– Whether the Ess Lake cabin neighbor’s police call during Tim King’s disappearance was ever formally logged
Actionable next steps:
1. FOIA to MSP: Full written conclusions of Steve Duncan’s 2009 Hastings polygraph
2. FOIA to Oakland County Prosecutor: DNA testing status of Paul Johnson and Paul Gunnels
3. FOIA to FBI Detroit Field Office: Status of Y-STR sample from Kristine Mihelich reviewed by Identifinders approx. 2022
4. MSP OCCK tip line (1-800-SPEAK-UP): Submit tip on Carl Schonebeck — coworker of Sloan at McCracken’s, CSC-1 conviction 1985, flagged by Williams, DNA comparison status unknown
5. Ancestry.com research on Carl Schonebeck — if deceased, maternal-line relatives could bear on the mitochondrial DNA question from the Sloan car hair.
Thanks to this reader.
For the saga of my FOIA requests to both the MSP and Georgia Public Safety, search Duncan’s name in the search function for this blog. My attempts to reach out to Duncan personally were met with silence. And as we know, FOIA requests to the MSP in this case just got a lot more expensive ($75/hour). This is because they now know they need someone with a higher pay grade to wade through their morass of files because there is a good chance there is actual evidence rotting in between those old papers. Not that anyone at any pay grade took the time over the past 50 years to double-check that shit.
I’d say it’s unbelievable. But in this case is is just consistent with past practices.