Remembering Ena and Willie Cordt as the wonderful mother and son they were is easily overlooked when this case is discussed. The case after all, is a labyrinth with many possibilities. On July 27, 1985, Ena Mary McIntosh Cordt (Nov 15, 1956 – July 27, 1985) and Rory Wilhelm “Willie” Cordt (Aug 3, 1980 – […]
Archives for 2016
New DNA Technology
Victims and Investigators Deserve This Technology is the latest guest blog post by Jared Bradley, MBA. Our readers know that Jared is the CEO of M-Vac Systems and that he has joined the fight to solve as many cold cases as possible. Jared’s father, the late Dr. Bruce Bradley, was founder of Microbial-Vac Systems and inventor […]
New details in Bastian-Welch murders
New details in the Bastian-Welch murders have been disclosed in an renewed attempt to solve these cold cases. Last Thursday, Tacoma Police explained that they do not believe anymore that the same man is responsible for both girls’ murders. From the News Tribune: “There are two separate suspects for two separate cases,” police spokeswoman Loretta […]
Controversial: the Zeigler case
Controversial: the Zeigler case has too many questions open despite the prosecution’s stand that there are none. The case of William Thomas Zeigler is covered in so many posts on my blog (60+) that he has has own category. Yesterday, attorney Dennis Tracey III explained in his opening statements that many of those open questions could […]
Case of the Month: Victoria Collins
Case of the Month: Victoria Collins (May 17, 1970 – Aug 6, 1996). This case needs more media attention as Jasmine Collins still wonders what happened to her mom and why. There isn’t much online about Victoria’s murder but that doesn’t mean that we cannot do anything at all. We can make sure that Victoria’s case […]
R.I.P. Mildred Elizabeth Hilt
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]