Defrosting Cold Cases

Research website about old unsolved cases by Alice de Sturler

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Case of the Month

Christine Ann Diefenbach (May 15, 1973 – Feb 7, 1988)

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Christine Ann Diefenbach (May 15, 1973 – Feb 7, 1988) is the Case of the Month for February 2019. Her murder remains unsolved. Introduction It has been 31 years since Christine Ann Diefenbach (14) was murdered in Richmond Hill, Queens County, New York. Christine was a shy, artistic ninth-grader at Intermediate School 217 in Queens County. […]

Sandra Kay Ross (Feb 6, 1952 – missing Jan 8, 1984)

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On January 8, 1984 Sandra Kay Ross disappeared from Apex, Wake County, North Carolina. She was 31 years old and the mother of a young daughter. Her case was entered into the NamUs database on July 15, 2009 (#MP2482 link below). There is very little information online about Sandra’s case except for some repeated content. […]

Arrest in 1979 murder of Michelle Martinko

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Michelle Martinko was found dead on Dec. 20, 1979. She was repeatedly stabbed most notably in her face and chest. Police discovered her body in the family Buick in the parking lot of the Westdale Mall, Cedar rapids, Iowa. Police said there was no sign of a sexual assault, but she had wounds that indicated […]

Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I

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Albino Luciani, known as smiling Pope John Paul I, died on Sept 28, 1978 after a papal reign of only 33 days. He was 65 years old. Lack of clarity The death of Albino Luciani (Oct 17, 1912 – Sept 28, 1978) has long been one of speculation, intrigue, conspiracy, and wild accusations involving the […]

Herman Edward Wilhelm Luhrsen

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One of my readers mentioned the unsolved case of Herman Edward Wilhelm Luhrsen (Dec 4, 1886 – Feb 14, 1937). He said it was strange, with multiple angles, and without a good web presence. He kindly summarized the case for me in an email. I got curious and tried to find more articles in the public […]

Johnny Rush Bowman (Sept 15, 1952 – Aug 19, 1984)

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Virginia State Trooper Johnny Rush Bowman (Sept 15, 1952 – Aug 19, 1984) was stabbed 45 times by an unknown attacker (or attackers) on Aug. 19, 1984, around 415 am after answering the door at his own home in Manassas, Virginia. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest […]

1915 Colton John Doe

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An unknown man I call the “1915 Colton John Doe” was found hanging from a willow tree in the Santa Ana river bottom, 2 miles southwest of Colton, San Bernardino County, California. Suicide, no identification. When I read that this unidentified man picked a willow tree to commit suicide the symbolism ran wild in my […]

The 1953 Murders of Gail and Paul Schultz

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Gail Lee Schultz and Paul G. Schultz Jr., two siblings, were murdered on March 7, 1953. They were bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument. Their cases are officially labelled cold by the authorities. The chance that we will ever find out who killed Gail and Paul Schultz and why they had to die, are very […]