This morning Mildred, the mother of Teresa “Tess” Sue Hilt, passed away. She was 88 years old. Tess was the only child of Stanley and Mildred Elizabeth Hilt. Stanley Hilt passed away not knowing who murdered his girl. Tess was found murdered on August 4, 1973. She had been beaten, raped, and was strangled to […]
Archives for March 2016
Moira “Holly” Branagan (1962-1979)
Moira “Holly” Branagan (1962 – 1979) was murdered 37 years ago today. Holly was found stabbed 18 times in the back with a 10-inch kitchen knife. The autopsy showed she had 15 serious knife wounds, three less serious wounds, and two defensive wounds on her hands. The crime The attack was so violent that the […]
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A retrial for Daniel Dougherty
A retrial for Daniel Dougherty starts coming Monday. In 1985, Daniel Dougherty was found guilty of deliberately igniting fires in his home that killed his two sons, Danny(4) and Johnny(3). Police arrested Dougherty 14 years later, when his estranged wife came forward and claimed he confessed. A jury found him guilty on capital murder charges in […]
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El Dorado Jane Doe: help her!
There are a few things that can get me mad fast. One is people saying “I cannot think of them as a victim.” I am talking about victims of crime who are not regarded as “completely innocent” by the public. As a result, their cases get less attention as the victims are blamed for their fate. They […]
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Solving the Unsolved
Solving the Unsolved is the title of a new book from the AISOCC. With fellow members of the American Investigative Society Of Cold Cases, I contributed a chapter. I picked the unsolved case of Doni Grindstaff as it is a perfect example how an old cold case can be interpreted in various ways depending on […]
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Do you know these five women?
Do you know these five women? Because if you do, the authorities can use your help. In my last book review “Unearthing a Serial Killer” we learned that Alex Mengel had photography in his possession from these five women. He also had a Pennsylvania tourism map with marks on it (see below). The authors, David […]
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David Etienne Pimentel
A few weeks ago I received an email from Christina Hughes Babb. She alerted me to the 2014 cold case of David Etienne Pimentel (November 5, 1991 – July 28, 2014) from Dallas, Texas. The case was not very old but police did seem to be stuck. She enclosed the link to a story about […]
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The cold case of Jennifer Marie Bastian
The cold case of Jennifer Marie Bastian (April 15, 1973 – August 4, 1986) got a boost in 2013 when Tacoma Police (WA) revealed more information to the public. Despite renewed media attention and various tips, the case is still unsolved. Jennifer was 13 years old when she went missing. According to the papers, Jennifer wanted […]
