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Defrosting Cold Cases

Research website by Alice de Sturler

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You are here: Home / Archives for Evidence

Evidence

Case of the Month: Jackie Johns

March 1, 2015 By Alice

Jackie Johns

Case of the Month: Jackie Johns (20) was last seen alive on June 17, 1985. The next day, her sports car was found abandoned. The backseat was covered in blood as were the clothing police found there (a top, jeans, and underwear all soaked in blood). On June 22, 1985, Jackie’s nude body was pulled from […]

Filed Under: Case of the Month, Solved Tagged With: Autopsy, Case of the Month, Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, Forensics, Jackie Johns, Missouri

Case of the Month: the Sodder Children

February 1, 2015 By Alice

Reward Poster Sodder Children

Case of the Month for February 2015 comes from Fayetteville, West Virginia: the Sodder Children. They went missing on Dec 24, 1945 after a fire destroyed their family’s house. The case is well-known so I will not summarize it. You can find more about this case below in the resource section. I will point out though what […]

Filed Under: Case of the Month Tagged With: Case of the Month, Evidence, Fayetteville, Forensic arson detection, Sodder Children, West Virginia

“Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius”

January 22, 2015 By Alice

Book Cover “Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius”

“Chase Your Shadow; the trials of Oscar Pistorius” by John Carlin is a must read. The title is well-chosen. We learn about Oscar, his family, his disability, and his career. His life was indeed filled with trials and they started well before 2013. Carlin clearly wrote this book with compassion in his heart. Some might […]

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book Reviews, Crime Scene, Evidence, John Carlin, Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, South Africa, Victim

Case of the Month: the Zeigler wrongful conviction

November 30, 2014 By Alice

William Thomas Zeigler/Grid AdS

Case of the Month: the Zeigler wrongful conviction has been part of my life since 1993 when I started working for Amnesty International in Switzerland. I am appalled that the injustice endures. In December 1975, a quadruple murder took place in the Zeigler Furniture Store in Wintergarden, Florida. The victims were Charles Mays, Virginia and Perry […]

Filed Under: Case of the Month, Miscarriages of Justice, Unsolved, Zeigler Tagged With: Autopsy, Ballistics, Capital Punishment, Case of the Month, Crime Scene, Evidence, Florida, Forensics, Miscarriage of Justice, Prosecutorial Misconduct, William Thomas Zeigler

The Grahlman murders

April 1, 2014 By Alice

Grave Jay & Jaymie Grahlman

The Case of the Month for April 2014: the Grahlman murders from April 5, 2003. I read about the Grahlman arson/double homicide case on Jody Ewing’s Iowa Cold Cases. Please read the circumstances of the crime there. No need to repeat Jody here. After I read the overview, many questions popped up in my mind and […]

Filed Under: Case of the Month Tagged With: Arson Detection, Autopsy, Case of the Month, Cedar Rapids, Cruelty, Evidence, Expert Testimony, Forensics, Iowa, Jay and Jaymie Grahlman

Help needed in Karen Caughlin case

March 13, 2014 By Alice

Karen Caughlin

OPP seeks help in 1974 cold case of Karen Caughlin as her death nears the 40th anniversary on March 16th. From CBC News: “Ontario Provincial Police hope a new appeal to the public will help reinvigorate an investigation into a four-decade-old homicide. Police on Thursday released a seven-minute video detailing the events of the day Karen Caughlin […]

Filed Under: Cold Case News, Unsolved Tagged With: Autopsy, Canada, Crime Scene, Evidence, Forensics, Karen Caughlin, Police, Sarnia, Unsolved Homicide, Victim

Wet-Vacuum Forensic DNA Collection Continues to Gain Support

March 5, 2014 By Alice

m-vac system

Wet-Vacuum Forensic DNA Collection Gaining Momentum, a guest post by Jared Bradley. Scientific related industries have been my focus the majority of my adult life. In all that time, I don’t remember a device, product, service or method that has garnered more support in a shorter amount of time than the M-Vac System, with the […]

Filed Under: Forensics, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: Crime Labs, Crime Scene, DNA, Evidence, Jared Bradley, M-Vac Systems

Case of the Month: Julia Wallace

January 1, 2014 By Alice

Julia Wallace

Case of the Month: Julia Wallace. One of the most famous unsolved homicides in UK history is the murder of Julia Wallace. Her case inspired many movies, books, and television programs. Julia Dennis married William Wallace in March of 1914. She was older than Wallace. By how many years exactly is not clear to me. […]

Filed Under: Case of the Month Tagged With: Case of the Month, DNA, Evidence, Julia Wallace, M-Vac Systems, UK, William Herbert Wallace

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Dina Fort

Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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William Thomas Zeigler

Category: ALL POSTS

On March 31, 2016, an evidentiary hearing was held to request touch DNA testing. On July 18, 2016, Judge Whitehead denied that request.

On November 23, 2016, an appeal was filed with the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court denied the request for touch DNA analysis.

On May 8, 2017 a motion for a rehearing with the US Supreme Court was filed. It was denied November 13, 2017.

In the summer of 2019, the appeal for DNA testing to the Florida Conviction Integrity Unit was denied.

Richard Lapointe

Category: ALL POSTS

In March 2015, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard lapointe. On Oct 2, 2015, International Wrongful Conviction Day, Richard was set free. The judge ruled that he cannot be retried for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Richard Lapointe died on Aug 4, 2020 of Covid19 complications.

In 1987, someone killed Bernice Martin. I hope that she will not become a forgotten file.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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