6 Cold Cases That Were Recently SOLVED | Documentary

Today we take a look at Cold Cases That Were Solved.

00:00 Intro
00:06 Linda Lunsford
11:52 Michelle Bright
21:55 Jennifer Bastian & Michella Welch
33:45 Janet March
01:10:24 Reba Caroline Bailey
01:35:59 Barbara Blatnik

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#coldcases #solvedcases

[Music] Linda Lunsford was supposed to pick up her daughters after work on boxing day 1996 that never happened sometime after clocking out that morning Linda vanished Without a Trace as they began investigating the case the authorities had their eye on someone close to Linda last person to see her alive however they needed more than a hunch to solve this case they needed hard proof sadly for Linda’s family it would be 25 years before they got what they needed to convict the person responsible on December 25th 1996 38-year-old mother of five Linda Lunsford was working her evening shift she worked at Walmart in the Village Marketplace Shopping Center in Chesterfield County Virginia she was helping to make sure that the store was in order for the post Christmas clearance sales that would be going on at 8:30 a.m. Linda and co-worker John Howard had finished their shift they were grabbing breakfast at a fast food restaurant not far from the store the pair had dated previously and had an onag again off again relationship John and Linda had started dating about 6 months prior before she ended up calling things off Linda had grown close to Jon’s children during their short time together this meant she wanted to keep things amicable between them additionally they worked together and Linda did not want any awkwardness between them after grabbing breakfast she was supposed to swing past her mother’s home and pick up her three daughters however Linda never arrived as the hours went by concern began to mount her mother wondered where else she could possibly be Linda liked to keep to a carefully planned out schedule she had to as she worked three jobs to ensure her children had everything they needed if Linda was late for something it would throw off her entire day when family members went out to look for Linda they made a worrying Discovery her 1994 burgundy Nissan Sentra was parked in front of the Food Lion store in the village Marketplace it was locked and there was no sign of Linda even though the car showed no signs of a struggle her family was still concerned that evening Linda was reported missing to the Chesterfield Police they pressured the authorities to take immediate action they they explained that this was extremely out of character for the dedicated mother the investigators pulled up the CC TV footage from Linda’s place of work they determined she had left of her own free will then their focus turned to John Howard he was the last known person to have been with Linda that day he was brought in for questioning and admitted to spending time with Linda that morning for breakfast John’s children on the other hand offered a different version of events when they were questioned the children told investigators they had seen Linda at their home that morning this is not what John had told them when confronted with the new information John conveniently changed his story John then claimed Linda had come over to his house to speak about their relationship he wanted them to start seeing each each other again a feeling that Linda did not share John insisted that Linda had driven away from his house that morning alive and well the investigators felt Jon was not telling them the truth since no other major leads had presented themselves they focused in on him the investigators looked into his purchase history in the days before Linda’s disappearance they discovered JN had purchased a trash can lighter fluid and duct tape sure each of these items could have an innocent reason behind them but considering the circumstances they raised a few eyebrows feeling he was their main suspect the Chesterfield Police applied for a search warrant to examine his home when it was granted they looked through every inch of Jon’s residence they looked for any signs of Foul Play there was nothing knew found during this search other than the Curious fact that Jon could not explain to the investigators where the items he bought ended up even though they had not found anything the investigators working to find Linda still felt that Jon had something to do with her disappearance but a gut feeling means nothing in a court of law they needed proof and despite trying every Avenue they just could not find any evidence that tied him or anyone to the case months passed with no future sightings of Linda and gradually the case grew cold in early May 2021 after years of false hope and frustration the Chesterfield Police had an update in the Linda Lunsford case all those years later they finally believed they had enough evidence to link 62-year-old John Howard Ed to Linda’s disappearance he was arrested on May 17th he pleaded not guilty and the case went to trial in August 2022 during the trial prosecutors played a video from an initial interview with a Chesterfield County Police Department ccpd detective and Howard during the interview Howard attested that his relationship with Linda was intense at the time he admitted to seeing her the day after Christmas but said that she left his house alone and he never saw her again the trial lasted a week before the jury returned with their verdict they found John Howard guilty of taking the life of Linda Lunsford even though her body was never found exactly what evidence the police had for the conviction is not publicly known Matt worked with both Howard and Linda at Walmart while in between semesters as a college student he hoped the conviction would bring closure to their loved ones I am a dad so the emotions of a mom working to provide for her kids she disappears what are their lives like he said I know that would have had to be very traumatic and sad just the thought of what happened things run through your head Barlo said he never met Linda’s children but that she spoke about them often you could tell she really loved her kids he said I am just truly sorry that that happened Barlo described Linda as kind and outgoing while he said that Howard was quiet and No Nonsense I remember when he came back to work and they said that Linda had disappeared or was missing and that John was a potential Person of Interest we were all shocked just more shocked at the fact that one of our co-workers disappeared and honestly it felt scary even to this day when I go into that store there is not a time I do not think about her Barlo said that there were rumors swirling when he worked at Walmart about what had happened to Linda and whether Howard was involved Howard was in custody at Riverside Regional Jail awaiting sentencing in November 2022 his attorney filed a motion to strike and set aside the August verdict he argued that the evidence is insufficient to prove Linda Lunsford has passed away and that the circumstantial evidence is insufficient to prove Howard had slain Linda Lunsford 8 News legal analyst rust Stone said the judge had a hearing on that and denied the defense’s motion to strike so that was the status of the case at this point but there was still a Twist to come while awaiting sentencing Howard passed away on February 7th 2023 at VCU Medical Center his passing thereby concluded the case against him on February 2nd court documents showed that Howard’s attorney filed a motion to continue sentencing citing the defendant’s health issues according to attorney Greg Sheldon Howard had been receiving treatment for cancer throughout the proceedings of this case in response a pre-sentence report and Status hearing was set in Chesterfield circuit court for February 21st but Howard passed away before reaching that Court dat according to leesia Johnson with the office of the chief medical examiner both Howard’s cause and manner of fatality are pending his lawyer stated most recently he suffered a fall at Riverside Regional Jail and according to his daughter fractured his orbital bone and several ribs and suffered two brain bleeds resulting in two surgeries ber Linda’s family the news was devastating while they did not care for Howard himself his disappearance meant that he took with him the knowledge of where he disposed of Linda’s body the legal analyst Russ Stone also said when you do not have a body obviously question number one is can you really prove a cause of demise and if you cannot then it is hard to prove who was the actor that actually did that in this case ultimately after many hearings and much consideration the court still found that the jury’s verdict should stand but they are definitely unusual cases there is no record of a motion being filed that could have included questioning Howard to determine the whereabouts of Linda’s remains Stone noted that that could have been part of the defendant’s sentencing her children never got a chance to properly grieve their mother and lay her to rest instead they have to live with the unknowns of what happened during her final moments and where her remains lie today maybe one day someone will find something and they will be able to bring their mom home in the early morning hours of February 27th 1999 17-year-old Michelle brigh had finished up enjoying an evening out she was with friends celebrating a birthday she was walking back home to her parents house in New South Wales Australia but Michelle never made it home that night the once quiet town of gulgong found themselves thrust into a mystery a mystery that would span 21 years until the truth of who had taken Michelle’s life was revealed a man who had slipped through the cracks when Michelle asked her mother to attend a friend’s 15th birthday party on the evening of February 26th 1999 she was happy to let her daughter go Michelle had always been responsible also their hometown of gulong was a safe close-knit Community with less than 2,000 residents Michelle had a fun evening before the party Drew to a close and everyone said their goodbyes when Michelle walked out the door it was well into the early morning hours of February 27th our friends likely believed they would catch up with Michelle at school soon but that is not what happened at some point during her walk home 17-year-old Michelle brigh vanished Into Thin Air when her mother awoke woke that morning she was shocked to find Michelle was not in her bed the relevant authorities were contacted and a desperate search began to locate her had she been intoxicated and potentially Fallen injuring herself maybe Michelle had chosen to spend the night with a friend instead of making the walk home everyone hoped There Was an explanation for Michelle’s sudden disappearance she was last seen the previous morning at 12:45 a.m. by a friend who dropped her off in Main Street but after a 3-day desperate search everything came to a grinding halt a horrific Discovery was made lying in a patch of long grass along a railway track near Barney’s Reef Road was the partially clothed body of Michelle brigh she was found less than a kilometer from her home the police followed up on thousands of leads without getting any closer to who was responsible for taking Michelle’s life the minister for police Michael daily announced that the New South Wales government offered a reward of $500,000 to solve the case of Michelle this is the second highest reward offered in nsw everyone in goong was talking about the senseless act the people were theorizing about who they thought was responsible in such a small town there was a distinct feeling of looking over your shoulder the people would always wonder if the perpetrator was walking amongst them for years this feeling remained only decades later it was revealed that the person responsible had Slipped Away quietly 2 weeks after Michelle was found he moved from goong to just outside Sydney he believed he had gotten away with it Michelle’s case seemed like it was never going to come to a conclusion over the years the investigators had five suspects that stood out to them there was no concrete evidence tying them to Michelle so there was little they could do the case went cold those who knew and loved Michelle had to live with the thought that the perpetrator was out there living their life without consequence it was not until 2019 that a major development in the case occurred a team of detectives were tasked with looking at Michelle’s case after reexamining everything at their disposal they were able to narrow down that suspect list of five to two individuals one of whom was a 50-year-old father of four children named Craig Henry rumsby he was previously a neighbor of the brigh family confident that he could be their man an undercover police operation was launched to befriend rumsby it began in November 2019 when rumsby met a group of individuals who he thought belonged to a gang an elaborate story had been created that involved a mysterious higher up called the big boss a large sum of money to be made and a dirty cop but this was all a fabrication for the next 8 and a half months rumsby was involved in various acts on behalf of the gang the members continued to stress how important loyalty was to them it was March 2020 when the corrupt police detective came into the picture while speaking with this undercover officer rsby stated that authorities had tried to pin Michelle’s slaying on him 5 months went by as the group continued to further their relationship with rumsby then various members began calling him to alert rumsby that the authorities were looking at him for some case one of them stressed to rumsby that we cannot do anything if there is heat on one of us so this has to be fixed before anything goes ahead on August 10th 2020 the reward was raised to $1 million rumsby commented on that appeal posted to the nsw police force Facebook page saying it is so sad they have not caught her perpetrator Michelle was like a sister to me I feel sorry for the family then rumsby was called to meet the boss he told rumsby that he was a suspect in two cases and this attention was bringing heat to the family and this is when the Trap was set the boss said to rumsby if you are not honest with me mate I cannot help you and the Fallout of that is that unfortunately we cannot do any more work together he initially feigned innocence telling the boss that he knew nothing about the case about 2 hours later rumsby was shown copies of police documents and records including a photo of his R Ford Falcon not long after he moved in 1999 rumsby was interviewed on the phone by police in relation to Michelle’s case the next day the red Ford Falcon he owned at the time was destroyed by fire in a soft but solemn tone he began offering details to the boss as to how he took Michelle’s life he held his hand over her mouth until she stopped breathing he said he left his neighbor’s home at about 11:00 p.m. and drove to another friend’s house before heading into gulgong in his red Ford Falcon he stopped at the post office Hotel before dropping in at the commercial hotel to speak with the Publican he revealed he may have left there and walked in a certain direction but claimed to have no further memory of what happened in relation to Michelle the boss suggested it might help if his associates took rumsby to gulgong to jog his memory afterwards they would take him to mudi where a chartered plane would fly him to bolina that night to hide out later that evening while on Barney’s Reef Road in gulgong rumsby detailed dragging Michelle by her hands across Ross the road into the scrub so no one could find her body he told the men he did not think he assaulted Michelle but admitted he pulled her bra down after he was done rumsby said he went home had a shower another beer washed his clothes and slept the next day Craig rumsby was taken into custody with the pandemic putting major strain on the court system it was not until May 2023 that rumsby was finally brought to trial after seven grueling weeks he was found guilty by the jury he was sentenced to 32 years imprisonment by Justice Robert Allen Hy on August 7th Craig rumsby will not be eligible for parole for 24 years meaning he will be 77 years old before he has a chance of getting out Michelle’s case was finally solved thanks to a team of intelligent and dedicated Law Enforcement Officers they were all committed to bringing her justice he might have gotten to live 20 years without answering for what he did but at least Craig rumsby will likely spend the rest of his Natural Life Behind Bars where he belongs in August 1986 13-year-old Jennifer Bastian walked out of her Tacoma Washington home she hopped on her bicycle and left behind a note to her parents she wanted to let them know she would be home by dinner time Jennifer was last sighted at 6:00 p.m. 30 minutes before she said she would be home after that Jennifer was gone an investigation was launched and soon her case was thought to be tied to that of another girl she had gone missing under similar circumstances years later a shocking truth would be revealed that pushed the investigation in a New Direction entirely on August 4th 1986 Jennifer hopped on her bike at 2:30 p.m. and rode off to get some needed training time she had an upcoming Bike Tour of the San Juan Islands she was stew to go on soon Jennifer had a 5em loop planned through Point Defiance Park an area she had cycled often in recent times numerous Witnesses saw Jennifer at the park that afternoon nothing seemed to miss the last confirmed sighting came in at 6:00 p.m. and then something happened something that made sure that Jennifer could not make it home by 6:30 p.m. like she had promised she would when Jennifer still was not home by 8:30 p.m. her parents reported her missing Point Defiance Park was searched thoroughly as was the surrounding area but they found no trace of Jennifer still the search continued volunteers joined to try and make sense of what had happened that day 3 weeks after she was last seen the search came to a tragic end on August 28th a person was jogging through 5em drive the same track Jennifer had been spotted on the jogger noticed a foul odor along the path a closer inspection revealed a body when the police arrived on the scene they confirmed the body belonged to Jennifer Bastion her bicycle was also found nearby Jennifer was taken in for a forensic examination with a coroner determined she had passed from asfixia this was no longer a missing person’s investigation there was a predator on the loose 4 and a half months before Jennifer disappeared another little girl had gone missing after finding Jennifer’s Body the investigators working on her case began to consider the possibility that these cases were linked when you look at the Stark similarity it is easy to see why 12-year-old michella Welsh was last seen on March 26 1986 in pette park in Tacoma Washington michella like Jennifer had been out on her bike that day she was accompanying her two younger sisters one of whom was also on a bike while the other was riding along on a skateboard once they reached the park Michelle’s sisters scampered off to play she decided to cycle home and make lunch for them all an hour later at 11:00 a.m. michella made it back to the park and placed the packed lunch on one of the tables then she went off to find her sisters who had gone to a store close to the park they wanted to use the restroom when the girls returned to the park they found the lunch michella had brought them but their older sister was nowhere to be found they continued to play a while longer until around 2:00 p.m. then one of the girls noticed Michelle’s bike had been left along with hers this sparked a Pang of worry if michella was in the park where was she after being unable to find her the girls went back home to alert their parents at 3:10 p.m. police were at the park to search for michella hours later later her body was found she was less than half a mile from where her sisters had spent most of their time playing it was clear whoever took her life was a violent sick individual based on the injuries found swabs were taken but in 1986 DNA forensics was in its early stages for criminal cases it was little help at the time for finding who was responsible the the investigators working on michella and Jennifer’s cases felt they were looking for the same man the similarities were too obvious for it to be a coincidence thousands of tips came flooding in with each one being scrutinized unfortunately none of them LED anywhere months turned into years and the cases went cold in 2006 the swabs taken from michella were re-examined a profile was developed however any hope that this would bring a conclusion to the 20-year-old case was crushed when no results came up across any databases the next development came in 2013 an investigator looked into Jennifer’s case he requested that the swimsuit she was wearing that day must be tested for DNA it had not been tested all those years ago since it was found around her ankle therefore an assumption was made that there would not be any significant DNA from the perpetrator but when tested the swimsuit was found to contain bodily fluids from the perpetrator now it was time to compare the samples what the test revealed shocked everyone who had been involved in the investigation they were not looking for one perpetrator they were looking for two the DNA profiles found on michella and Jennifer did not match they now knew the investigations needed to be handled separately the sample found on Jennifer’s swimsuit was compared to the National Database but there were no matches going back through old records the investigators working on Jennifer’s case singled out a list of potential suspects they wanted to take DNA samples from them one of these men was Robert wasburn in 2017 Robert was 60 years old and living in Illinois when asked to provide a sample Robert willingly agreed something that did not stick out as something a guilty person would do but when they got the results it turned out that Robert wasburn was exactly who they were looking for he was responsible for what happened to General for Bastian Washburn was taken into custody and extradited back to Washington to face the charges back in 1986 Washburn was 29 years old he worked as a mechanic for Boeing and lived just nine blocks from Jennifer’s family home at some point Washburn got married and moved away he had a daughter and lived his life as a free man for the next three decades never raising suspicions about his horrific past to those who knew him Washburn was simply the man who spent most of his time caring for his disabled daughter washburn’s name had been on the original investigator’s raadar back in the early days of the investigation but there was never anything solid enough to tie him to the case at the time he was one of many suspects they considered with his trial date fast approaching Washburn changed his initial not guilty plea to a plea of guilty to the charges laid against him Washburn was sentenced to 26 and A2 years in prison with a minimum term of 20 years served before he can be considered for parole while he did not speak during the sentencing a written statement was read out on his behalf part of it read I Rec recognize there is little that my words can do to diminish the tremendous sense of pain and loss that this has caused many people Patty Bastion Jennifer’s mother described to the court how there is always a cloud of fear and foreboding for the family on nice summer days we continued to live and laugh and love but in a much different way she said she also described how the crime changed the City kids stopped playing outside unsupervised and walking to school became a logistical nightmare she said Jennifer’s sister Teresa Bastian told the court that she had not taught her daughter how to ride a bike you made me an only child she told Washburn thanks to DNA michellea Welsh also got some sort of Justice in the end a family tree was created for the perpetrator through DNA phenotyping through this a link to Two Brothers both possible suspects was established the pair lived in Tacoma around the time Michelle disappeared with that information the police set out to get DNA samples from each of them it was Gary Hartman who proved to be a match he was charged with the offense and taken to trial in 2022 after being found guilty Hartman broke down in tears and repeated I am so sorry the then 70-year-old was sentenced to 26 years in prison that leaves one thing fairly certain he will spend the rest of his life Behind Bars Michelle’s Mother Barbara Leonard and younger sisters Angela valises and Nicole eie spoke in court about how her demise and impacted their lives michella was a happy child she was also trusting too trusting Barbara said adding that she has often wished to trade places with Michelle this is the day Hartman faces the judge I say lock him up and throw away the key it will not bring her back but Justice will have been served Nicole talked at length about having to grow up too soon suffering from repeated nightmares after her sister’s demise she still struggles with putting up walls with other people including her family because she is afraid of losing more people she loves she also said she forgives Hartman in 1996 Samson March started kindergarten his first day was not a good one not because of the typical First Day Jitters but because his mother had been away for a week as his sixth birthday neared he got more anxious according to his teacher Samson had not said goodbye to his mother his father attorney Perry March told everyone that Janet was on vacation he admitted that they had a disagreement before she left it all started with his involvement in a $24,000 outof Court settlement it was related to a harassment incident at his former workplace bass Barry and Sims Janet had not known about it she hastily packed her bags and departed she left Perry with a list of tasks to complete during her absence calling it Janet’s 12-day vacation despite Perry’s assurances to Janet’s parents that she would return in time for Samson’s birthday party Janet failed to show up this was strange because the argument took place on August 15th if Janet had intended to go on a 12-day vacation even in Anger she knew she had sent out invitation saying that the party would be held on August 25th but Perry said she would be back on the 27th then Perry tried to cover for Janet he informed Samson’s kindergarten friends parents that she was in California visiting her brother he blamed an ear infection as the reason for her prolonged stay However Janet never returned this left Perry to wonder if she had disappeared or run off and left him with the responsibility of raising their children alone the daughter of one of the richest lawyers in Nashville was missing but what led to this strange disappearance why would Janet leave her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter so abruptly had she been kidnapped to help us understand this we have to know more about Janet Gail LaVine March and Perry avam March Janet Gail LaVine was born with a silver spoon in her mouth in the year 1963 it might sound exaggerated but her family were prominent Jewish lawyers settled in Nashville Tennessee her father Lawrence LaVine had built an insurance law practice that would go on to become LaVine or and jerisha eldest of two siblings Janet aspired to become an artist which was unconventional given her father had worked so hard to provide her with a life of luxury her brother Mark became a lawyer like their father but long before graduating University School of Nashville her work was exhibited at the Jewish Community Center and various rest restaurants Janet was called The Eccentric Visionary in her Circle described by her friends as unique blend of sensitivity nurturing instincts and offbeat charm she was affectionately labeled as the quintessential artist type one notable example of her unconventional nature was her ownership of a patent for a collapsible baby chair she designed it and knew it would work and sell yet she never pursued its commercial potential however amidst her creative flare Janet’s Close Associates noted her tendency to become challenging during what they referred to as one of her moods Janet pursued her art at the University of Michigan and that is where lightning struck Harry and Janet were both undergraduates at the University of Michigan Janet roommate Stacy Goodman introduced them Janet missed their first date the two had made a date to go to a synagogue together on Russia Shana the Jewish New Year but Janet overslept she apologized profusely and he would come to know her quirky forgetful side when they finally had a chance to spend time together they became Inseparable almost immediately they started living together and would continued to do so until she went missing Harry aam March was born in 1961 his father author March was a pharmacist and Romanian Jewish by Heritage his mother Zapora was an Israeli immigrant originally their surname was marovich due to people misspelling the surname they had to change it to March Harry was the eldest of three siblings his younger brother Ron and sister Kathy were barely toddlers when darkness took over their lives when Perry was only 9 years old his mother Zapora passed away under mysterious circumstances according to author she took Darvon a pain reliever for a headache brought on by injury she reacted severely to the medicine and went into anaphylactic shock the certificate would go on to show that her condition was caused by an illegal substance overdose back in those days traditional people found taking your own life to be an embarrassment they would then misrepresent such incidents it was a rumor in the community but the truth never came out following the demise of their mother Authur moved his children to their summer home in Michigan Harry attended La lumier school and was successful in both curricular activities as well as Sports he was a first-degree black belt in karate Authur retired from the army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel Harry went off to the University of Michigan his options were limited as his father had already retired as an instate student his tuition would be lower he majored in Asian studies and was known to have a slight temper in fact a woman came forward to claim Perry had struck her in the face when they were students at the University of Michigan but Perry denied that claim upon graduating college Perry started working as a broker for Oppenheimer and Company an investment bank and finance company in Chicago Illinois about 6 months later Janet joined him they spent 2 years in Chicago while Perry worked as a management trainee at a subsidiary of Oppenheimer and Company as the couple relocated Janet started taking classes at the Art Institute but Janet could not handle Chicago and wanted to go back home she persuaded Perry to move to Nashville where Perry could attend Vanderbilt law school she also convinced her father to pay for Perry’s tuition at Vanderbilt University Law School Larry LaVine graciously agreed why would they pay so much for someone who was not family when Janet introduced Perry to her parents they knew he was the one for her he was hardworking and ambitious and they believed in him Janet’s mother was affectionate towards him and treated him like her own son Harry excelled at law school and became a member of the law review he he was an ambitious competitor and hard negotiator he prioritized financial success Above All Else his classmates joked that he was the Prime candidate for future indictment on Securities fraud charges Janet always the Romantic grew impatient waiting for Perry to pop the question taking matters into her own hands she proposed to him on a bended knee at Percy Warner Park in 1987 Perry and Janet tied the knot in Nashville again Janet’s parents helped the newlyweds by giving them a down payment to buy a house in a nicer part of the city it was a hillside house on 32nd Avenue very Posh for people still in school Perry appreciated the assistance especially since his father’s financial situation had recently worsened author faced for closure on his home in Michigan by Lakeshore Bank and Trust in early 1986 his home on 42 Apache Trail in mishana Michigan was now bank property Larry LaVine Perry’s father-in-law came to the rescue and purchased the property from the bank for $115,000 Larry graciously allowed author to reside in the house rentree however he later suggested suggested that author relocate to Nashville to be closer to Perry and Janet their love and generosity for their only daughter and son-in-law knew no bounds even when Authur moved to Nashville the Lavin leted him move into their home they borrowed money to get up and running and were overall very warm and welcoming as for his Michigan house he did not know this but Larry LaVine had terminated his Le in early 1987 he termed it a failure to pay rent and in 1988 he sold the house for $144,500 after graduating Perry had some big job offers with cushy salaries they were from two prestigious new york-based law firms graas Swain and Moore and Sherman and Sterling despite the Allure he opted to join bass Barry and Sims an esteemed law firm in Nashville his initial salary clocked in at $42,500 during the late 1980s bass Barry and Sims underwent significant Transformations pressure mounted from prominent Nashville Jewish figures and the firm had to diversify its legal team in 1988 Perry March and his Vanderbilt classmate Bennett Ross Made history as the first Jewish attorneys to join the traditionally non-jewish firm alongside them Dale Wright an African-American and several female attorneys also joined bass Baran Sims that year this marked a big moment for the firm Janet put her skills to use and became a children’s book illustrator in 1990 after 3 years of being married their first child was born they named him Samson unfortunately back at work Perry had some trouble in the summer of 1991 a pargal filed a complaint about a letter that showed up on her chair using steamy words it read I am lost I have read that when a person drowns they fight savagely for air and then when fate ultimately defeats them and they succumb they say it feels so good so comforting it also spoke of the lack of intimacy in a marriage and how it becomes mundane after a few years there was another letter about 2 weeks later dated July 31st it was just half a page long and like the first letter it was typewritten the writer directed her to contact him in a very interesting way she was to check out a certain book from the library he would contact her thusly according to the instructions in the letter she removed a certain book she signed a checkout card and left it in the space where the book had been filed the writer became more excited he did not realize it was a plot to Simply catch him on August 14th he wrote her another letter absolutely ecstatic but by then the security firm had the culprit on tape it was none other than Perry March he was given an ultimatum he either faced termination or he must resign the paralal went away on a paid vacation by the company but when she returned Perry was still working there she kept bumping into him in the parking lot they both used it made her uncomfortable when she needed to go to the bathroom or grab a coffee feeling upset about it all she decided to quit the firm and get herself a lawyer 2 weeks later Perry left the firm’s boss said some nice things about him in a memo some lawyers thought the firm wanted to avoid trouble by handling Perry’s departure quietly they also thought it seemed suspicious that Perry left right after the paralal quit Perry had to compensate the woman for harassment he kept the payment secret from Janet he agreed to to pay $25,000 over the next 4 years the first $112,500 in monthly installments and the last half as a lump sum at the end of that time this was to avoid a harassment lawsuit against him and the firm Harry had to join his father-in-law’s firmm LaVine or and jerish he represented local businesses such as the Platinum Club music City mix Factory and Rich residents of Nashville he even worked pro bono for the Jewish Community Center this helped him to build a good reputation Janet kept working on her art she often ate lunch by herself at nearby restaurants while she Drew on her sketch pad she stayed distant from her friends and did not talk much about her relationship with them some of them thought she looked sad sometimes almost depressed in 1994 they got pregnant with a little girl they chose to name her after Perry’s late Mother seapora after the birth the couple was planning to make a 5300 ft house with a 4 acre open space in Forest Hills their new home as always the Lavin were paying for it this was going to be Janet’s Dreamhouse she picked the name for the street she first called it chocolate street but had to change it to Blackberry Road after a neighbor complained according to Perry he was the one who took action in the marriage Janet was the one with all the Big Ideas the contractors recall her being difficult as they worked on the house she designed to carry out and bring to life all the details she had designed could be difficult but each time Janet would throw a fit contractors were used to rich clients being a little specific about details so they did not complain but they knew each time she got in a mood it was Perry who stepped up and smooth things over Janet had a list of what she would achieve in life a successful career husband house and kids one by one it all came true but that was all on the surface behind closed doors there was trouble in Paradise the Charming French style house was meant to fulfill Janet’s dreams but her marriage had not been truly happy for a While Janet did not trust Perry because he did not handle their money well worried Janet might file for divorce the Lavin made sure all of her property was in her name Harry had confessed to Carolyn Janet’s mother that he and Janet were facing marital problems shortly afterward they began seeing a marriage counselor the following year 1996 their marriage was still on the Rocks so to speak the day before she disappeared August 14th the children’s Nanny noticed that Janet was quiet and aloof instead of her usual talkative self she was working on her computer and kept her office door closed which was not like her at all the following day August 15th Janet’s friends saw that she was preoccupied and seemed almost afraid of Perry the couple had an appointment to meet a divorce lawyer on August 16th two Carpenters were carrying out warranty work that day for about an hour checking everything Janet watched them closely while Perry played with the children but nothing seemed out of the ordinary that night Perry and Janet had an argument that was the end of their relationship Perry knew they were tired of fighting the kids were in bed so they had no idea what went on according to Perry his wife was Furious and decided she had had enough they went on the front porch to keep away from earshot and everything came out at around 8:00 p.m. Perry suggested he should stay at a hotel for the night to give Janet space she refused instead she said she was going on a short vacation to a place she would not tell him about according to Perry she packed some clothes into two bags and a suitcase she then took her a gray Volvo 850 along with her passport $115,000 in cash and a bag of marijuana she was going away for 12 days and prepared a list of chores for him to do 12 days is oddly specific especially since her son’s sixth birthday was within 10 days but she said she would be in time for his birthday Harry did not know when the birthday party was planned but his wife had already given out the invitations around midnight he called the Lavin to talk about the recent fight her parents were used to her tempers and advised him to let her cool off but the following morning Janet did not return her parents called her friends called hotels but she was not registered anywhere this was worrisome together with Perry they looked at parking areas went to the airport and drove around around 10:00 Marissa Moody and her 6-year-old son arrived at Janet and Perry’s House Samson and seapora seemed happy and healthy on that particular Friday morning Marissa felt ignored she and Janet had planned for their sons to play together that day but when they arrived nobody was around to greet them seora was playing with the nanny outside Samson let them in and they hung out in the kitchen Samson told Marissa that his mom was not home but his dad was upstairs working Marissa did not see Perry but got a message from Samson that it was okay to stay and play she thought Perry was just ignoring her as usual Marissa left her son to play and went home the only strange thing Marissa noticed was a big rug which did not fit with the rest of the House’s simple style when she came back later to pick up her son the rug was gone by Sunday night August 17th Carolyn LaVine started getting concerned Janet had never been away from her children for so long without saying anything she thought about calling the police but Perry and his brother Ron who had come to help convinced the Lavin to wait until the 12-day period was over Samson’s 6th birthday went ahead on August 25th as scheduled her family knew people would ask questions Harry and the Lavin decided to tell the party guests that Janet was in California visiting her brother Mark they made up a story that Janet could not fly back home due to an ear infection the police were not told until August 29th 2 weeks after Janet disappeared Janet’s brother Mark had come to Nashville by this time shortly after the report was made an mnpd police car came to the Lin’s house Harry who was also there became so anxious at the sight it took him several tries to stand up from his chair due to his uncontrollable shaking he then asked Mark to call his brother Ron on September 7th Janet Volvo was discovered parked at brickworth apartment complex on Harding Road the complex is about 5 Mi away from her house most of the items Perry claimed she had taken were left inside the detective who examined the Volvo found dust and pollen on the exterior they indicated it had been unused for some time inside police found Janet’s purse with her identification credit cards passport and a small amount of cash also a packed suitcase and a toiletry bag however the gray suitcase Perry said Janet had taken was missing from the vehicle the front passenger seat was pushed back while the driver’s seat was pushed forward Janet’s white sandals were carefully positioned on the floor suggesting they were not discarded in haste investigators also noted that Janet’s suitcase lacked certain items there were no bras toothpaste or a hairbrush which a woman would typically pack on the same day a private investigator hired by the LaVine spoke to Perry who referred to Janet in the past tense Perry later angrily demanded a list of everyone the investigator had spoken to regarding Janet’s car 5 days later the mnpd searched Perry’s Jeep and found hair and fiber evidence in the back seat during a police interview on September 10th Harry appeared nervous and acknowledged his rights as an attorney he provided a handwritten statement detailing his account of the events on August 15th and the list of tasks he had to do this is when Carolyn LaVine Janet’s mother realized she had seen the exact same list on a yellow notepad but scribbled in Perry’s handwriting whereas the list Perry showed everyone was typewritten which was not like Janet at all Janet’s mother mentioned that Janet typically either wrote her lists by hand or dictated them to others rather than using a computer to print them out when she did write Janet exclusively used lowercase letters whereas her list to Perry used capital letters Janet usually dated her lists at the top of the page while Perry’s list was dated at the bottom this was more his common practice multiple Witnesses informed the police that Perry March had been seen with other women during the months leading up to Janet’s disappearance one witness reported seeing Perry leaving Bell Court Cinema arm in-arm with an attractive blonde another witness claimed to have observed Perry having an intimate dinner with a brunette at boundry restaurant interestingly Janet and her friends had dined at the same restaurant for a girl’s night out on a Tuesday just before she vanished during a weekend in mid-september Harry took the children to Chicago to celebrate Russia Shana with his family his father author did not join them due to financial reasons meanwhile the mnpd obtained a search warrant for the March house they notified Perry’s lawyer on September 16th of their plans to execute it the next day when they searched the house they found that the computer’s hard drive Drive had been forcibly removed and could not be located Perry was informed in advance that they wanted to check the hard drive the police continued investigating Perry’s activities since Janet’s disappearance a resident who worked for an airline told the police that he had returned from work around 1:00 a.m. on August 16th and seen a surprised Perry walking a mountain bike past him they also discovered that on August 21st almost a week after she went missing Perry had visited a local tire store he purchased new tires for his Jeep despite the existing ones being in excellent condition Perry claimed he wanted a different brand records also revealed that Janet typically used a Visa credit card before her disappearance while Perry primarily used a MasterCard however Janet had not used either card since she disappeared while Perry had used both the Lavin were furious with him Larry LaVine was adamant that Perry had done something to his daughter Perry had to move to a $3,000 a month rented home in the North Chicago suburb of will met he took most of his and Janet’s belongings Andrew Sachs a friend who helped him pack noticed Perry seemed frustrated Perry was angry towards the Lavin and the Nashville police Andrew advised Perry not to contact them anymore Diane a friend of Janet’s mentioned a disturbing conversation Harry asked her what she would say if he told her he had put Janet’s body in her car left with the kids at home and then came back as if nothing had happened according to phone records Harry called his brother Ron in will met at 9:11 p.m. on the night of August 15th they talked for 3 minutes then at 9:14 p.m. Perry called his sister Kathy at her boyfriend’s house in New Buffalo Michigan their conversation lasted 4 minutes detectives think these calls were Perry’s first attempts to hide a dark reality that he had accidentally taken his wife’s life however Perry says he just called his siblings to tell them that Janet had left him and the kids Ron’s wife Amy said they were getting ready for bed when Perry called she confirmed Ron talked about Janet leaving and added that she scolded him for not being more supportive of his brother Kathy March and her boyfriend Lee bwitch both backed up Perry’s version of the events after Perry finished talking to his sister at 9:18 p.m. the police thought he may have hidden Janet’s body in the woods or the basement of their house then they believe he packed Janet’s bags put them in her Volvo and drove the car to the brickworth apartment complex according to the police he left the car there and either jogged or rode a mountain bike the 5 miles back home meanwhile the police think Perry’s to two kids were sleeping upstairs the lavine’s Wrath was too much for Perry and he had to go he was even disbarred and had to stop practicing law there were suits filed for visitation rights and many disputes but Perry knew he had to move out of their powerful reach so he went to Mexico to stay with his father who had moved there a few years back in May 2000 the Lavin visited aiek Mexico to demand visitation rights with the children which Perry refused they returned a month later with a Mexican court order leading to Perry’s arrest on Visa violation charges despite later dropping the charges the lvin took the children from school and flew them back to Nashville they sought permanent custody believing they acted legally while Perry considered it abduction Tennessee lawyers took Perry’s case pro bono invoking the international child abduction remedies act the Lavin argued they had rightful custody under a visitation order and claimed the children’s home was not in Mexico they also cited risks and human rights concerns the Lavin believed Perry took the life of their daughter and filed a civil suit against him they did not claim that the children witnessed it or that they had been harmed in his care AR’s outstanding contempt citations did not meet the criteria to Bar his petition as a fugitive thus the children had to be returned to Perry after the 39 days the Lavin disputed every aspect while Perry argued they had no standing the judge criticized the Lavin for surpassing the authority of the Mexican court order and incurring kidnapping charges in Mexico after the children children returned to him Harry settled in Mexico working as a business advisor and got remarried within a week of settling down Harry married a local woman Harmen roas in 2003 he won another legal Victory against the Lavin when the Tennessee court of appeals overturned the wrongful demise judgment the court found that the Lavin offered no new evidence of Perry’s involvement in Janet’s demise their delay in amending the claim was undue although Perry’s Behavior did not warrant a default judgment the court did not dismiss the wrongful claim on its merits one judge dissented arguing that the issue of Janet’s possible slaying had been part of the proceedings from the start in April 2006 Harry was found guilty of embezzling $23,000 from his father-in-law was firm this happened over 2 years before Janet disappeared 2 months later he was convicted of conspiracy regarding The Disappearance of his wife despite civil cases ruling in Perry’s favor the mnpd reopened Janet’s case Perry’s business dealings in Mexico led to accusations of fraud against him in 2001 he allegedly threatened a lawyer and client there subsequently Harry was indicted on charges of slaying his wife evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse all of this was based on evidence presented to a grand jury he was arrested in August 2005 and returned to Nashville where he confessed to some details of the case but he maintained his innocence Harry tried to solicit and recruit another inmate Russell Farris to get rid of his in-laws for good in return he would post Russell’s $3,000 Bond baale and then he must hide in Mexico his father Authur would assist him with a place to stay Harry did not know that Russell was working with the police he contacted Authur and he explained to Russell how he must take the lavine’s life the older man told him the right time of day to go to the Lavin where to get a gun what kind of gun to use to wear surgical gloves the whole time and how to get to AEK afterwards another inmate Cornelius King testified that Perry confessed to hitting Janet with a wrench during an argument and disposing of her body Reno Martin had a cell next door to Perry he recalled that one day Perry had returned from one of the child custody hearings visible agitated upset by having to deal with the Lavin again Perry exclaimed it should have been them that he had taken care of instead of then suddenly stopped himself Martin recalled that Perry looked pale afterwards after a week-long trial Perry was found guilty on all charges 10 years after Janet’s alleged slaying Harry received a 56-year prison sentence with conc current terms for theft and conspiracy to slay his in-laws followed by a consecutive sentence for taking the life of Janet March author March was also arrested for assisting in the conspiracy to slay the lvin to lessen his sentence he agreed to testify against his son he then said that Perry asked him to assist in disposing of Janet’s body after an accident happened and then he did did he wanted to help his son he was unable to recall exactly where they had disposed of the body and it has never been found Harry’s father’s plea bargain was rejected and he was sentenced to 5 years in prison however only 3 months later author passed away after Perry’s conviction the Lavin campaigned for changes in Tennessee law this resulted in expanded grandparent visitation rights and termination of parental custody in cases of culpability for the other parents demise Janet was honored with an art gallery at Nashville’s Gordon Jewish Community Center Harry maintains his innocence to this day while he is behind bars there was certainly enough evidence and testimony to put him away a strange mystery would land in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office they were tasked with identifying the remains of a nameless person with amnesia in life he called himself seven but he turned out to be a biological woman who was seven and why could she not remember anything about herself it was a particularly cold day in Chicago Illinois in 1976 when Denise PL was getting ready to go to work at the hospital she lived in a shelter at St francis’s Catholic Worker house they helped people back on their feet while also serving as a soup kitchen as she was leaving she saw someone unusually curled up on the porch it looked like a middle-aged man wearing a camouflage jacket and an aviator cap under the chin when she got close she realized it was a woman this encounter was so strange that even now at 83 years old Denise plunket remembers it the individual referred to themselves in the third person and avoided answering personal questions about their origin when asked about their name they would simply respond with either Mr seven or he is a number not a name his name is seven the reason behind this strange Behavior remained unknown her initial assessment that seven was a man was also due to the fact that this person had thick fingers and WID set shoulders almost like a man there was also the army style jacket could she be military the people at the worker house did consider this possibility as well but seven was a woman so why the disassociation with themselves people usually refer to themselves in the third person due to mental health problems during Denise Plunkett’s time working with seven at the house there were suspicions of potential mental health issues yet seven declined assistance Denise lived at the worker house until 1983 but cared for seven deeply together with some other members and management they tried to get Seven’s mental health evaluated seven would not cooperate despite this seven swiftly assumed a prominent role within the household everyone discovered she was an excellent cook as if she had been a chef all her life she became useful making beans rice dishes and pasta casseroles almost daily seven skills made her popular since the neighborhood was home to a majority of the homeless Community several organizations actively funded soup kit kitchens or shelters for people living in less fortunate circumstances soon people began to flock to the Saint Francis Catholic Worker house it was fairly a new shelter built only in 1974 but seven contributed to its popularity people would stand in lines for Seven’s cooking sometimes over a 100 people for one single meal the residents accepted seven for who she was for over 20 years s lived at the Housing Shelter often seen smoking on the porch she mostly hung out with men and even chose to sleep in the men’s quarters people suspected perhaps seven knew exactly who she was but chose not to speak about it or maybe it was Amnesia brought on by severe emotional trauma but one thing they knew for certain she would tell her story when she was ready Sam guino an uptown social worker tried working out Seven’s mystery but he accepted seven for who she was 27 years passed and seven remained at the house she spoke of childhood memories of visiting the Indiana Dunes a national park along Lake Michigan she could distinctly recall a family but not exactly a face to the name she was also Al a big Cubs fan and would watch all games on the communal television or listen to the game on the radio as long as she could remember she had supported the team but in 2003 one of the residents called an ambulance when they found seven unconscious in the hallway when she was rushed to the hospital doctors discovered she was in a severe diabetic shock the worker house would not be able to keep up with the medical EXP expenses of a diabetic person she required monitoring insulin and Care by now seven looked like she was in her 60s or so it was hard to judge because she had the kind of face that could be anything between 35 to 60 smooth calm but gray-headed since seven did not legally have a name or social security number Chicago police were called to the hospital Chicago PD launched a found person’s report they attempted twice to take her fingerprints but Seven’s fingers were deemed unreadable they were severely disfigured this usually happens to burn victims or the elderly the mystery kept getting deeper was s perhaps a Survivor from a fire incident s’s photos were circulated to other Illinois police departments and law enforcement agencies initially it appeared that they found the person named scin but that turned out to be a false alarm because the person had perished in a car crash when going through missing persons online web sleuths thought she could be the missing teen from Cook County Mary Anne switalski Maryanne was last spotted at a carnival held at St Priscilla’s Catholic Church in Chicago on July 15th 1963 just 2 days after she vanished her parents received a letter it was postmarked from Oak Park Illinois though seemingly in MaryAnn’s handwriting the letter bore a different writing style it reassured her family of her well-being and expressed her intention to earn money to support them however no further communication followed there are suspicions that maryan might have been coerced into joining a door-to-door sales group destined for California or perhaps she had been in some kind of accident she certainly matched Seven’s features they had the same eyes nose and gentle smile both had a strong set bone structure seemingly of Polish descent but there was no way to be certain seven was described as a heavy set woman with few two teeth with one noticeably large front tooth she had short white hair blue eyes and a light complexion authorities overlooked gender identity they relied solely on biological gender despite seven statements the police report mentioned seven believes she is a male a medical exam showed that seven is female shortly after the investigation into Seven’s identity was abandoned the police report concluded she has no last name and cannot recall her past before 27 years ago there is no information on relatives and she currently lacks a social security number without a positive match for identity of next of kin or any family at all seven ended up as Award of the state she was placed in a nursing home in Lake Michigan years later in 200 12 the Chicago Tribune ran a story on some of the unidentified adult Wards of the state they mentioned seven as well but nobody came looking for her and then 3 years later in 2015 seven passed away at Apex hospice administrator on November 18th she appeared to be in the later Decades of the century anywhere between the late ’70s to early 80s the medical examiner report stated heart disease as the main cause of demise it was brought on possibly by her diabetes and dementia in November of 2015 The Examiner had been successful in taking some fingerprints this could be because postmortem the moisture content in the skin of a deceased person decreases over time this can result in clearer and more defined fingerprints compared to those taken from living individuals where moisture can interfere with the process it is also possible that there was a mixup or incompetence as there were only two previous attempts to take Seven’s prints whatever the case the office ran her fingerprints in the police databases as usual there was no match for a person with a criminal record she was laid to rest at the edge of the mount olvet Catholic Cemetery in Chicago in the section for unidentified people her grave was marked by a cement cylinder in the ground with the number 0498 5 the medical examiner had marked it as the 4,985 case of the year and so it appeared seven would be forgotten by the world while she lay nameless but numbered but Seven’s case would prove to be the most unusual Cold Case to land in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Tom dart’s office became quite famous for working on cold cases since they identified victims of the notorious serial perpetrator John Wayne gasey it became a specialty of them to find missing women in the state officer Dart commented we never had anything like that before this one is different and it just keeps getting more different his office typically works on cases that have been cold for at least 3 years they do not want to interfere with open ongoing investigations so they started working on it in 2021 they ruled out Foul Play or becoming a victim at someone’s hands with the medical examiner report they ran Seven’s fingerprints in a nationwide database such as Federal and Military databases and finally after years of a nameless existence seven had a name and was not merely a number anymore her fingerprints matched with Reba Caroline Bailey enlisted in the Army investigators discovered Army records from 1961 belonging to Reba they then searched for her relatives from the 1970s they found five siblings who had passed away with the most recent being a sister in 2007 additionally they found several nieces and nephews who were alive a marriage record and evidence of difficult events that would help them understand her life Reba had lived a life before she went missing in the 1970s Reba’s living relatives and next of kin were mostly nephews and nieces who lived in Florida Alabama and Illinois most of them never had a chance to meet her but they had indeed heard of Aunt Reba who had gone missing it was part of the family folklore a story they told children when they all gathered testing out theories speculating about what had happened to her while all of Reba’s six siblings are deceased she has more than half a dozen nieces and nephews Rick Bailey a Florida funeral home director was going about his day when he got a call from Cook County Sheriff’s Office he was in absolute shock when they explained about his long lost aunt’s demise Richard was named after his father who had passed in the year 2000 15 years before his younger sister passed away the 65-year-old Richard explained that his father had tried to look for his little sister for many years he would have been Overjoyed to know she was alive and well loved and cared for Richard Junior and other relatives have helped investigators learn more about Reba’s early years born on May 19th 1940 in the town of Danville Illinois it made sense why Reba had memories of going camping the town is famous for outdoor enthusiasts who like sports such as biking hiking camping and fishing it is a well-known tourist spot featuring The Great Outdoors Rebo was the daughter of a carpenter named Edward Franklin biley they had to move houses often for his work the family changed their address multiple times from Illinois to Alabama when reeba was only 10 years old she lost her mother in a devastating car wreck reeba her elder brother Richard and their father were severely injured according to an October 1950 article her father reversed his car to pick up a random suitcase he saw lying beside the highway a speeding vehicle then crashed into their car Reba’s mother Edna Bailey 46 years old at the time was pronounced deceased at the hospital Reba’s photo does not appear in the yearbooks of public or private Catholic schools in Danville the building in Chicago’s Gold Coast where 1950 Census records show her family lived no longer exists her name also does not appear in a nearby High School’s yearbooks Rebo was employed as an elevator operator at a private club and as a sales clerk in a department store military records report that Rebo loved swimming bowling and golf she also had a passion for photography when Reba was 20 years old she was enlisted in the women’s Army Corps serving in Alabama Texas and California she was awarded a medal for good conduct during the time she served then in 1962 Reba Found Love she met John Henry bilbury also working for the Army in California a year older than her John was born on July 6 1939 in Hamilton Texas reebo was honorably discharged from the Army due to marriage there are no records for reeba and John’s div divorce so it is safe to say the couple remained married until she possibly went missing but 14 years later in 1976 records show John got remarried in Clark Nevada Reba’s husband tied the knot with Donnie Anne Rolston on the 1st of September oblivious to his wife being alive rebba would be found the following month in October 1976 by Denise plunket at St francis’s Catholic Worker house 1976 is also the year in which her father passed away John bilbury passed away in brown Texas when he was only 49 years old in 1989 he was buried in Zephyr Cemetery in brown Texas John’s new wife and two siblings were not alive anymore either so there was no way to ask about reeba little is known about her discharge from the military except for the rumors and myths in the family the family talked about how Rebo once visited relatives in Arizona and sometimes they would visit her in Chicago but something had changed she had started taking illegal substances and was an alcoholic she even began dressing as a man and calling herself a man it is said that the were fights between the husband and wife as he was not so accepting of her new lifestyle but all that is hearsay since nothing of the sort was documented and no divorce lawyers were involved one relative in particular was convinced that this was the aunt they had been searching for all these years Amanda Ingram the family’s official historian was keen on documenting the family tree as it grew one missing pieace had always been the Lost sister her grandfather had been searching for she looked at reeba’s photographs from the time she identified as seven and realized there were certainly some recognizable B features her face was long and she had prominent teeth especially the one that protruded but in a button-down shirt and hair cut very short Reba could have easily been one of her grandfather’s Brothers Amanda keeps all sensus records and photographs on their family’s website she wanted to know more about this Aunt to document her journey and where she ended up it is kind of like an onion Amanda said you keep peeling it back and hopefully you find the story you wanted to know Reba’s eldest sister was Virginia biley born in 1920 and deceased in 2007 then there was her brother Edward biley who passed away when he was year old then came her brother William Franklin Bailey he was born in 1927 and passed away in 1992 Peggy Bailey another sister did not make it past her second year Richard Lewis Bailey who was in the car crash with Reba’s mother passed in 2000 he was born in 1934 so he was the closest to any of the siblings with Reba another infant was born after him but only made it to 3 years before she passed away and then it was Reba Caroline Bailey born on May 19th 1940 Reba’s surviving family members who have learned more about their great aunt’s life in later years have found comfort in the fact that she was comfortable and loved we know she was cared for Amanda Ingram commented that is the best that my grandfather could have ever asked for all these years the balies thought Reba had been kidnapped assaulted or perhaps was living on the streets it is still unclear as to what happened to her after her military discharge and whether she fought with her then husband family members are left with a lot of questions about reeba’s life did she have children what became of her marriage and even about their aunt’s gender identity the reasons behind her disappeared from their lives remains a mystery family stories hint at a possible disagreement with her father investigators have attempted to unpack the mystery of rebo’s memory loss they have explored theories ranging from potential brain damage caused by the car accident that tragically claimed her mother’s life to the impacts of her military service it was recently revealed that REO was working at Fort or in California a polluted former Army base and fort mclen in Alabama once the home of chemical weapons training the federal government has acknowledged potential exposure to toxins for nearly 8 decades soldiers stationed at Fort or face the Grim realities of military service it is possible that Seven’s dementia and Amnesia were caused by her time spent in service no one has been able to figure out the meaning behind the name seven investigators hypothesize that it was possibly related to military service or a birth order as Rebo was the youngest of six siblings however a discovery was recently made by Amanda her great niece on ancestry.com she got potential matches for previously unknown relatives this possibly included another B sibling Amanda recalled her grandfather occasionally mentioning the possibility of another baby in the family despite efforts to confirm this through public records in Illinois and some checks with the police no evidence of another birth could be found nevertheless if indeed there was another sibling rebba would certainly have been the seventh bile child in the family hence the title seven according to investigators the next Next Step would be to honor her with a new gravestone and military honors Commander Jason Moran who oversees the missing person’s unit stated that the sole purpose of solving such cold cases was dignity a body must be laid to rest with a name a name they lived by human identification is a mix of Science and Circumstance Moran who has been with the sheriff’s department for more than two decades said of his work it makes it very interesting to learn about who they were the passage of time creates these difficulties so we do the best we can to piece together who they were in life Reba’s case has the potential to establish a change in Illinois legislation the Cook County Sheriff’s Office is advocating for an alteration to the state’s missing person’s identification act they propose that postmortem fingerprints should be crossed referenced against all accessible state and federal databases it must be expanded Beyond solely law enforcement databases this proposal aims for a more detailed search process at the time of passing which could expedite the identification of individuals with unidentified slain victims an earlier match could help with investigations that are already affected by the amount of time that has passed it could also possibly give closure to the loved ones of the deceased in Reba’s case relatives could have held a memorial service and buried her where they wanted when she passed away as a family they made the choice not to disturb where she lay according to Richard they could have brought her remains to her family buried in Florida or Alabama her brother Richard Bailey was buried at baranis National Cemetery in Florida as he was a Vietnam War veteran however transferring her remains there would have been a bit expensive and they would need the entire family to pitch in Richard Jr said we decided as a family not to disturb her at least we know where she is now when told about the recent identification of reeba and her early years those who lived with seven at the workers house had a similar response Denise Plunkett said it is absolutely mindboggling the sheriff’s office is pursuing a new gravestone military marker and a memorial ceremony for Reba’s life advances in forensic technology have once more aided in reuniting families the mystery of seven has been solved and her loved ones find comfort in knowing what became of her but why Reba went missing is still an unsolved my history buried with the Elders of the baly family our Story begins when a 17-year-old girl goes to a party on a Saturday night this was back in the 80s she did all the right things she called her parents to let them know she would be returning soon but the night passed and the Teen did not return shockingly her body was recovered just 30 m from home for Cleveland Ohio this was an un unbelievable crime because this was the safest place one could think of the fear it caused would remain with the residents for years to come initially detectives had theories of what could have happened to the missing girl but years later police would unmask the perpetrator just as her family was about to get closure the man evaded the police in the most surprising way possible in December of 1987 Barbara blatnik was a typical 17-year-old girl from Garfield Heights Ohio she lived on band drive with her Mother Teresa her Father John and her 19-year-old sister Donna better known as Barbie she had puffy feathered 1980s style blonde hair and was known to be a people person bright and cheery always happy and bubbling Barbie was beloved by all her father called her a free spirit who lived for heavy metal music makeup dancing and babysitting she always socialized with her extensive circle of friends Barbie’s sister Donna knew her younger sister as a girl who lived life to the fullest partying and enjoying her life Barbie enjoyed drinking experimenting with illegal substances smoking and embracing the party lifestyle as mentioned she had a likeness for loud heavy metal music with ACDC being her favorite band Barbie switched high schools in January she transitioned from Garfield Heights High School to eie viw Catholic she attended as a junior according to Donna her sister had an affinity for boys and was known to date various individuals without committing exclusively to anyone she liked to be free she was too young to be tied down this free natured Spirit got her in trouble on a few occasions there was one person she liked to see more often than others Barbie had a boyfriend named Jerry their relationship was characterized by its on andof nature over the course of about a year it was casual dating as teenagers do nothing too serious or tied down furthermore Barbie maintained a close-knit group of girlfriends despite being a handful at times Barbie had no known enemies in fact she had a lot of friends everyone knew the blonde with the happiest smile on December 19th 1987 a normal Saturday afternoon Barbie went off with friends to attend a party dressed in jeans and a sweater and accessorized with jewelry she carried her comb money and cigarettes in her back pocket this was customary for her as she hardly ever kept a purse or a bag she did not like handling things at a party parties were for fun newspaper reports from that time differ on the exact time of her leaving her home some cited 400 p.m. and others stated 6:30 p.m. it is unclear why there is a time difference or whether it is relevant her elder sister Donna recalls saying bye have fun as Barbie went off a party could mean anything it could range from a small group of eight people in a living room to a larger event with a hundred attendees or even a few teenagers hanging out in a backyard or a park Barbie was picked up from her home by her friends Michelle trodden and Sheila salmon then the girls visited a local bar here they could be served underage it was common for Barbie and her friends to patronize such places where they were flexible about drinking rules and age limits they never ided one this might sound incredibly Shady now bars allowing miners in but in the 80s and ’90s a lot of bars and pubs did not Implement age restrictions to get more customers to walk in through the doors regulations and laws became a bit stricter in the early 2000s but before that a 16-year-old could easily order a drink at a bar then they made their way back to Garfield Heights to visit their friend Philip null this was between 7: and 8:00 p.m. there they drank and hung out some more then they went to a local bike shop on Warner Road named motorcycle Specialties it was within walking distance they often hung out with a group of neighborhood boys there the owner of the bike shop welcomed pretty girls and would provide alcohol and marijuana for their entertainment he believed if there were girls he was bound to get customers to hang around for longer or return the teens often hung out in the basement of the bike shop the shop owner Jeff had set it up for such parties the party included Barbie Michelle Sheila and Linda among others Barbie’s ex-boyfriend Dave was also present at this party at 10:30 p.m. Barbie made a call to her parents the exact location from where she made the call remains unknown she informed her family that she would be returning soon this act was highly unusual for Barbie as she typically did not check in she was a bit of a rebel she liked to be treated as a grown-up and hated curfews or restrictions normally Barbie would spend time with friends and return home later or she would spend the night at a friend’s place sleepovers for Barbie were normal her family had accepted that sometimes she even liked to stay out all night but she was a sensible girl she took calculated risks her family also knew tying her down could backfire as she did not want to be restricted given that this was 1987 there were no cell phones so to make a call home Barbie would have to use a landline her her parents picked up her call according to her friend Michelle while they were at the shop nothing appeared out of the ordinary there were no individuals who seemed suspicious or threatening Michelle stated that they remained at the shop until 3:15 a.m. after leaving Michelle drove Barbie to the intersection of Warner Road and Grand Division Avenue near the bike shop this area is like a mix of residential and commercial buildings including convenience stores and car repair shops Barbie told Michelle that she was heading to Jerry’s house he lived with his older brother Bob and their parents behind the AC Delco Auto Parts store after Michelle dropped Barbie off they went their separate ways what she did not know was that Jerry was not home he was hanging out with his friends that night it is unclear whether Barbie knocked on the door or just left when nobody answered some possibilities include Bob Jerry’s brother or someone else answering the door it is unclear if Barbie did try to contact Jerry while walking the streets Barbie’s home would have been far but she could take a shortcut through the woods and reach home sooner another option was for Barbie to walk to Gina’s home her friend Gina lived with her boyfriend Rodney just two blocks away on Grand Division Avenue Rodney was not keen on her going out with Barbie to Warner Road that night Gina revealed that Barbie called her that Saturday she invited her to hang out but she declined she she later regretted this decision she believed she could have protected Barbie Gina mentioned that her boyfriend was one of three feared Brothers in the area she implied that Barbie might have been safer with them despite this Barbie did not make it to Gina’s house that night although it was close to where she was dropped off despite the unusual call saying that she would be home soon Barbie did not arrive home that night her parents went to bed without much of a thought they assumed she was staying with a friend they were not alarmed when her bed remained unslept the family was already caught up in the upcoming Christmas festivities as well as Donna’s wedding Barbie was supposed to be the maid of honor it was all very exciting the following morning Barbie’s mother and sister went out for Christmas shopping Donna bought Barbie a new blow dryer for her fluffy hair they also bought things they might need for the wedding and lots of presents but as soon as Barbie’s mother pulled into the driveway way she felt something was wrong and said so to Donna two police officers had arrived at their house just after they left for the shops they summoned Barbie’s father to the morg in kayoga Falls he was confused as to why the officers were asking him to come with them he had to ID someone as he went on his way they informed him of the impossible his little girl had been found deceased Barbie is gone these were her mother’s words when she had pulled into the driveway it was pure intuition her family was distraught this was shocking and highly unexpected Barbie’s body was found nuded and bruised in the woods off O’Neal Road this is near the Blossom Music Center in kayoga Falls Ohio but that is not the worst part of the tragedy the body was not where everyone initially thought she was found the detectives came back on December 22nd and set the record straight turns out Barbie was discovered near a wooded area next to a quiet Access Road in Summit County this place was not busy or crowded on a Sunday morning in December as for Blossom Music Center it is highly doubted it was even open in December except maybe for some special holiday gigs where was Barbie found definitely not the town’s usual teen hangout spot details surrounding Barbie’s Discovery are a bit here and there there have been newspaper reports suggesting that an employee of kst oil and gas stumbled upon her body while driving along the road reports indicated she was found approximately 10 ft north of O’Neal Road this is exactly within an area where the road shifted from running north south to a sharp eastwest curve before resuming its North South Route this particular section of O’Neal Road lay between two sparsely used roads it ran parallel to another road bordering the kioga Valley National Recreation Area it does not sound like a place for an oil and gas worker to be going along but maybe he visited the isolated Road as part of Duty or nearby work obligations according to Barbie sister Donna the person who found her said Barbie lay naked and discarded like used trash on the roadside she might have been barely breathing even still alive despite her horrible ordeal and clinging to life tragically her struggle for survival was shortlived this left whoever found her haunted by meeting someone on the brink of losing their life on such an isolated Road The Summit County coroner William A Cox wasted no time in conducting Barbie’s autopsy promptly after her Discovery a preliminary report surfaced the Monday containing Cox’s intriguing statement his controversial statement gained attention from various media Outlets including the Beacon Journal Cox’s conclusion was surprising Barbie had not sustained her injuries where she was found she likely met the person who took her life elsewhere and was on the brink of her demise then her body was transported to the location where it was laid merely hours before its Discovery Cox gave some explanations for his findings given that Barbie was still breathing when found she would not have survived the long exposure to the cold following a brutal assault she should have lost her life within an hour or so after the assault alternatively someone perhaps the oil and gas worker or another eyewitness could have traveled too O’Neal Road mere hours before she was discovered this means her body was not placed at that particular spot coroner Cox remained steadfast in his timeline assessment he insisted that the O’Neal Road Site was not the scene of the crime however the basis for this claim whether derived from blood evidence signs of a struggle or other indicators of Foul Play remains undisclosed the method by which Barbie was transported to the dump site whether carried dragged or thrown out from a car remains a mystery additionally Cox noted Barbie was quite possibly drunk when she lost her life this report proved Michelle’s account of events to be true while coroner Cox did not exactly specify the time of demise it has been established that Barbie was still alive when discovered at 10:20 a.m. by deducing from Michelle’s provided timeline Barbie was last seen at 330 a.m. this means that the assault occurred sometime between those hours the attack was so completely brutal that it left deep dark bruise marks on Barbie’s neck her neck had to be covered with a scarf during the funeral due to the severity of the bruises she was found with contact lenses in her eyes and a ring given to her at school it was inscribed with her school’s name and her first name her clothes jewelry comb and money were missing this was particularly curious because the as salant took the time to take off her other jewelry but he did not take off the ring why not not this hinted that perhaps he left the ring so she would be easily identified maybe slaying her was not the plan or maybe Barbie had taken off her clothes and jewelry because she knew her as salent and was intimate with him the detectives could only guess after the autopsy coroner Cox made some statements to the media that were interesting Barbie passed away due to strangulation there was no way of telling whether it was by hand or with some object because of the dark marks but the most important ele El was she had been assaulted the coroner also claimed she was assaulted by more than one person this tragedy was shared with the media on December 22nd given the fact that this was 1987 forensic DNA analysis was not that developed this was hard to understand how could the coroner make such a claim the coroner lifted different samples of male DNA from different parts of Barbie’s body blood testing revealed different blood groups there was no reason for Barbie to hang out in the area where she was found Barbie and her friends frequented Blossom Music Center her investigation was limited to where the body was found not where she was last seen alive or the party she had attended with her friends if the person who took her life was anywhere near Garfield Heights then it is highly possible they wanted to dump her body as soon as they were done so Summit County was a viable option an interesting find on her body was two lines written in the palm of her left left hand the first line contained a series of numbers and the second line consisted of words this was quite possibly an address this is where the story gets truly shocking without Barbie’s family’s consent or informing them her left hand was amputated and sent to a lab in Washington to be studied by the FBI it was of course because they had Superior technology but it was unethical that her family did not know about this happening DNA found under the teenager’s fingernails suggested she had fought back against her attacker she was a tough broad one of her friends mentioned in an interview describing her fighting Spirit Barbie was not one to give up so easily unfortunately that is the last anyone heard of the writing perhaps it was the number of a taxi or the address of the party maybe Barbie was meeting someone whatever the case the information was lost and handled poorly time passed by 10 years pass and in 1997 the lead kuah hoga Falls detective on the case Larry Wagner claimed it was a hardto solve case the case was committed 30 Mi off of Garfield Heights and it was hard to gain any Witnesses while Barbie was a popular teen nobody knew anything since Michelle dropped her off the newspapers added further confusion to her story Cleveland was a relatively safe area they statistically had a high solve rate of such cases but there were rumors at the time that Barbara’s case was part of a serial perpetrator spree by the end of 1987 there were four unsolved cases of Four Women in the area they all occurred in the last four months of that year the women all had something in common they were all middle class white women in safe neighborhoods the bodies appeared to have been dumped in a diamond pattern there were three main theories each stirring up panic and fear the first Theory suggested that someone close to the victim may have attacked and slain her the second theory proposed that perhaps it was someone she thought she knew or someone on the outskirts of her Social Circles lastly the most chilling Theory suggested that she may have been a victim of an unknown serial perpetrator just a few years back there was an incident involving a local man named George while drunk at a bar he confessed to a disturbing story while talking to Kelly a friend of Barbie’s he revealed something that should have been investigated years ago George claimed that on the night of Barbie’s demise Jerry Barbara’s boyfriend and his two brothers approached him for assistance they asked for his help in cleaning their car with bleach and washing their clothes when George questioned the reason behind this urgent cleaning spree one of them revealed we just slain Barbie blatnik shocked by this Revelation Kelly later relayed the story to Barbie’s best friend Gina Who then took it upon on herself to share it with a detective however Gina felt that the detective did not show much interest in this information if George’s account holds any truth and he is not merely a drunken Storyteller he could be telling the truth and perhaps detectives should have looked into it but one reason not to pursue this lead was that Jerry had been thoroughly investigated as time went on one of the brothers that were mentioned in George’s statement passed away and just like that time buried the files of Barbara blatnik three decades passed and each year her family held a small memorial in her honor but with time everyone moved on Donna became Donna zanth and she went on to have her own children and grandchildren Barbie’s mother passed away unable to make sense of who ended her daughter’s life so mercilessly as technology advanced Donna started Facebook pages in her name looking for answers tirelessly but it all faded away like a bad memory there was no hope of finding any answers Donna suffered from severe PTSD she forgot her childhood memories and could not remember much about high school she got a tattoo on her arm that read T Monga it is French for I miss you but translates to you are missing from me she frequented the West Side reliving the memories of her sister with time in August of 2019 the case came to be highlighted by the porch light project the porch light project was a nonprofit organization that worked on solving cold cases in Northern Ohio the organization partnered with the kyoga Falls Police Department it was founded by famous akan author and investigative reporter James rener the porch light project managed to rake up $6,000 to carry out a DNA analysis all this time Barbie’s file was buried away but with advances in genetic genealogy there was a chance that maybe her as salant would be finally captured the DNA recovered under Barbie’s Nails was sent for analysis finally in May 2020 32 years after Barbie’s untimely demise cfpd had some shocking new information Barbara blatnik as salant was identified police arrested 67-year-old James E zonic he was charged with first-degree slaying zonic is a resident of Cleveland Ohio he did not have a criminal record but his family was bad news allegedly zonic Brothers had also served time in prison for assault crimes surprisingly on the 30th anniversary of Barbie’s tragedy one of zonic siblings went missing and went on to become a Cold Case Ben zonic went missing from his home without a trace Karma or a coincidence was there a connection once he learned that DNA connected him to this case he admitted on a phone call that he might have been intimate with Barbie according to him he was driving down Warner Road when he saw the teen he asked her if she needed a ride and she said yes she wanted to make a call so he took her to his house he lived nearby Barbie argued with someone on the phone and was upset when she hung up she started crying and then he started to comfort her then he said one thing led to another and they ended up in bed the last he saw barbie was when he dropped her off at the corner of grand Division Warner Road this was his final story as he denied involvement in her untimely demise zonic trial date was set for the 22nd of October 2021 the bond was set to be $35,000 which was paid immediately Donna was not happy about the man behind her sister’s fate roaming around free she was quite vocal about it but unfortunately zonic was already very ill suffering from cancer he went on to live with a relative in mogador while receiving Hospice Services Donna’s Facebook friend told her in a private message that zonic was truly sick the man maintained his innocence and the first time Donna saw him was via video conference zonic was in his brother’s house drinking coffee this angered Donna because her sister was gone and the man allegedly responsible for it was roaming free covid-19 cases spiked during this time and it was rumored that either the trial would shift or everyone in court would have to wear masks zonic was already too sick to be in court Barbie’s family believed they would finally get answers on their questions why was Barbie left at the side of the road broken beaten and naked what happened to her clothes shoes and other belongings covid-19 had already caused a lot of delays as it is and the case was late in going to trial with 2 months left to go to trial in August of 2021 Barbie’s family once more lost all hope of having any answers James asonic passed away taking the event of December 19th 1987 to the Grave with him Donna had to find closure all over again she thanked the porch light project for at least putting a name to the tragedy of Barbie blatnik her loved ones sought comfort in the fact that this person who violated the teen and took her life so barbarically would no longer hurt anyone while Barbara blatnik case was solved it still intrigued everyone what did zonic do to her was he the one responsible for everything that happened to her or was he just an accomplice since he maintained his innocence it could be possible that he was not guilty of the crime let us know your opinion on this case what is your theory do you agree with the DNA results or do you think barbar’s case was part of something bigger perhaps a Serial perpetrator or a scorned lover [Music]