David Ombler was 72 years old when he was beaten to death in his own home. His murder is possibly Britain’s oldest unsolved homicide. It happened May 30, 1914. The Case On May 30, 1914, Mr. Ombler (72), a market trader from Hull, was found by his neighbor lying on his back on his kitchen floor […]
Unmasking the East Area Rapist / Golden State Killer
Some crimes are committed by unknown persons. In other cases we know their names. Sometimes we discover their DNA and learn details about them without yet having a name. And some carry more than one name. I knew the name “Night Stalker.” This name usually refers to Richard Ramirez who was on death row until […]
The cold case of Walter Harrison Arnold, Sr.
Walter Harrison Arnold, Sr. (Aug. 31, 1940 – Dec. 4, 2008) was found dead on Dec. 4, 2008 in his bedroom at home in the 700 block of Morninglory Lane (Victoria, Texas). He was 68 years old. He had just learned he was cancer-free. Arnold, Sr. liked hunting, fishing, cooking, and play cards. He was […]
Remembering Harry “Buddy” Browe, Jr
The family of Harry “Buddy” Browe, Jr. contacted me. To be precise, Tina, the daughter of Louise who is Harry’s youngest sister, emailed me. She told me that the family has tried for years to get attention for this case. They contacted radio and TV shows but everyone told them that they already have enough […]
In Loving Memory: Patricia Louise Smith
Patricia Louise Smith would be 84 years old today. She was born on September 19, 1933. Her life was ended Jan 10, 1984 by an unknown person who raped and murdered her inside her own home. Patricia’s murder is connected to a string of hammer murders in Aurora, Colorado. DNA Unfortunately, having DNA has not advanced […]
Who killed Alice Louise Lee?
Alice Louise Lee (Jun. 3, 1953 – Aug. 29, 1960) was just 7 years old when she was murdered. Physical evidence was not properly stored. It could make it impossible to use modern DNA analysis to help solve her case. Case overview Alice Louise Lee disappeared around 10am on August 29, 1960 from the bean field […]
Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies
Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death explores the surprising intersection between craft and forensic science. Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962) made the “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” in exquisitely detailed miniature crime scenes to train homicide investigators. In a nutshell: “to convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and […]
Sally Shepherd, Margaret Lightfoot, and Clara Kirton
The unsolved homicides of Sally Shepherd, Margaret Lightfoot, and Clara Kirton feature as Cold Cases of the Month for September 2017. My friend Steve Morton told me about the unsolved homicides of Sally Shepherd and Margaret Lightfoot. I googled their names and found information on the BBC’s website from December, 2016. While reading about Sally’s […]
Sum it Up! #54
In this Sum it Up, we explore forensics and wrongful convictions. Identifying 9/11 victims On Aug 7, the Washington Post reported that “the remains of a man killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 have been identified nearly 16 years after the terror attacks.” The article explains that 2’753 people were killed on September […]
How to find a cold case on my blog
There are several ways to find a cold case on my blog: 1: the tab “cold case database” in the green menu bar sends you to my database. There you can find a case by the victim’s or the wrongfully convicted person’s last name. There are more than 210 cases listed there. 2: you can […]