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Catch my Killer — True Crime
Catch my Killer

At any given time in the world, there are thousands of unsolved murders. Most of them will never be solved. The first 48 hours of a homicide are the most crucial to an investigation. Eventually, leads dry up, witnesses become less cooperative, and cases go cold (unsolved). Meanwhile, detectives continue receiving new homicide cases which push older ones to the back. After a case goes cold, it quickly becomes yesterday’s news. The public and the media will forget about the crime and move onto the next crime story.

But do you know who won’t forget about a cold case? The victim’s family and friends. They won’t forget because their case is more than a case file or news story. The victims were sons, fathers, mothers, daughters, or friends. Catch my Killer is a podcast that focuses on the victim’s surviving family and friends who give a voice to those who no longer have one. If you are listening and can help bring a killer to justice, please call in your tips. Even the smallest clue could be large enough to break a case wide open.

Please be sure to visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by subscribing to my true crime Patreon page. You will receive an extra podcast episode per month (true crime, paranormal or a combination of both.) To subscribe, please visit my Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/catchmykiller.

Copyright: © Copyright Marc Hoover

Latest Episodes:

Episode 121: Kaylene Oehling Feb 06, 2022

Show notes

This week’s story is about , a 20-year-old woman who vanished in January 2020. On January 9, 2020, Kaylene Oehling, 20, was last seen in Etna, Pennsylvania. She left home to meet her boyfriend, Mike Manno, but did not return. At 1:36 a.m. on January 10, she texted her mother to confirm she'd see her in the morning as she had plans to babysit her younger siblings while her mom worked. She never showed up and has never been seen again.
Manno is considered a prime suspect in Oehling's disappearance. However, he claims she is alive and had been in touch with her. He claims to know where she is, but refuses to tell police where or cooperate with them. He has a lengthy criminal record which includes convictions for arson, theft, auto theft, statutory sexual assault, reckless endangerment, corruption of minors, and aggravated assault. He is currently behind bars.
In the days following Kaylene's disappearance, Manno sent explicit photographs of Kaylene to both her father and her 17-year-old sister. Manno has since been charged with corruption of minors. In addition, Kaylene wrote on her Facebook account that Manno had committed a robbery. In less than an hour, Kaylene's Facebook account was deactivated. This would be unusual behavior for Kaylene because she was highly active on social media.
For this story, I spoke with Kaylene's father, Jason Oehling, who is retired but has dedicated himself to finding out what happened to his daughter and advocating on behalf of other missing people. Now on with the story of Kaylen Oehling as told by her father Jason.
To report information about Kaylene Oehling's disappearance, please contact the Allegheny County Homicide Unit at 412-473-3000. You can also learn more about this case by visiting the Missing Kaylene Oehling Facebook page.
Opening clip provided by KDKA2 News (https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/)
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com where you can submit a case.

Episode 120: Michael McKenney Jan 30, 2022

Show notes

This week’s story is about a man in his 20s named Michael McKenney who lived in the Fairfield, Ohio area with his aunt and her family. For this story, I spoke to his mother Yolanda Middleton who has been searching for her missing son since May 2020 when he disappeared from a local park.
Michael was a young man who had internal demons he had to battle. He had a drug issue and had previously overdosed. But his mother said he seemed to be on the right track when he disappeared. He had just purchased a new car and had two jobs.
Michael vanished from Hueston Woods in Butler County, Ohio. Fairfield Township Police consider the case an active and open one. Unfortunately, they have run out of leads and haven’t been able to locate Michael or figure out what happened to him. Yalonda has hired a private investigator, passed out flyers, talked to local media about Michael and has done a lot to keep her son’s name in the public.
What happened to Michael nearly two years ago? His mother and siblings need answers. They would like to bring Michael home and to find out what happened to him. His family has been searching for him for nearly two years. They are concerned about his welfare and want him to come home.
If you know anything about the disappearance of Michael McKenney, please contact the Fairfield Township Police at 513-887-4406. Or you can also contact Private Investigator John Sain, at 937-974-6026. You can also learn more about this case by visiting the Bring Michael Home Facebook page.
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com where you can submit a case.

Episode 119: Tina Mae Duffell Jan 23, 2022

Show notes

This week’s story involved A 37-year-old woman named Tina Mae Duffell who was murdered on October 17, 1974. She worked part time at a convenience store in Quapaw, Oklahoma, where she was abducted, killed, then found in a pond.
Michelle Blank, Tina's daughter, still hopes Oklahoma authorities will find out who killed her mother. At the time of her mother's abduction, Michelle was a teenager. She was the last person to see her mother alive. Michelle stopped by the convenience store to see her mother. While in the store, she noticed a tall man with dark hair drinking a soda.
Little did Michelle know that the man she saw inside the store and another man would take her mother from the store and kill her. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has looked into the case. Unfortunately, there are still no answers.
Do you know what happened to Tina? Her daughter Michelle Blank remains distraught over her mother’s death. She doesn’t know who killed her mother or why. Although it’s been nearly 50 years since her mom died, she realizes the killers may also be deceased by now.
But she continues seeking answers. If you know anything about the death of Tina Mae Duffell, please contact the OSBI at (800) 522-8017.
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com where you can submit a case.

Episode 118: Amy Lee Bracken Jan 16, 2022

Show notes

Amy Lee Bracken was a 39-year-old woman from Pennsylvania named who was last seen on January 17, 2020. She had gotten a friend to give her a ride to North Braddock, Pennsylvania, where she planned to meet a man she had met online. After speaking to this man online for a few months, Amy was ready to meet him in person. Had she known the depth of his criminal history, she may not have ever wanted to meet him.
Amy was meeting him for the first time. She carried a backpack with her belongings. Furthermore, she didn't have her cell phone because it had broken a few days earlier, and she hadn't replaced it. Amy's family became concerned after no one heard from her
After Amy's family reported her missing, authorities spoke to the man she had met online. According to him, he and Amy met and spent the weekend together, and she left to purchase drugs in the company of a black man driving a white Lexus with Ohio license plates. After that, she disappeared.
For this story I spoke to Diane Cielo, who is Amy's aunt. She told me that the family believes that after Amy met with her date, she never left his home alive. Do you know anything about what happened to Amy? If you know what happened to Amy Lee Bracken, please report your tips to Alleghany County law enforcement officials at (412) 473-1200.
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com

Episode 117: Alexander "AJ" Silva III Jan 09, 2022

Show notes

This week's story focuses on a 19 year old Houston, Texas man named Alexander "AJ" Silva III. His relatives say the last time they saw him was either April the 5th or 6th of 2021. Nearly a year has passed since anyone has heard from Silva. Friends and family say there is a reason for this. Although AJ's case is considered a missing person's case, his family claims that he is deceased.
Silva was charged with felony retaliation. As part of his bond conditions, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor. The family assumed since AJ had a monitoring device, then law enforcement would always know his whereabouts.
However, they would learn this wasn't the case because law enforcement wasn't always monitoring him. He would eventually disappear and neither his family nor law enforcement know where he is. For this story, I spoke to Paul Vasquez, who is AJ's uncle. After being frustrated with law enforcement's efforts, Paul has traveled between his New Mexico home and Houston to perform his own investigation into his nephew's disappearance.
Paul found a young woman who witnessed someone chase and shoot AJ to death. She even showed Paul where AJ's deceased body lie after he died. Paul recorded the woman's statement and shared it with authorities. According to Paul, the Houston Police Department have discredited the witness. However, Paul believes her because she had nothing to gain by lying and he felt she risked her life to share this information.
Paul has since interviewed many witnesses and has pieced together the final days of his nephew. He told me he doesn't have a good relationship with Houston PD and they will no longer speak to him. At this point, he has said he just wants justice for his nephew and for police to acknowledge that AJ is not a missing person but indeed deceased.
The family is determined to find out what happened to AJ. They are worried that law enforcement will not give this case attention because he is a young black man with a troubled past. According to AJ's electronic monitoring records, he was at a warehouse on Lumberdale Road in Houston. And it's this warehouse where a witness told Paul Vasquez she witnessed AJ's homicide.
If you know what happened to AJ Silva III, please report your tips to the HPD at (713) 884-3131. And if you would like to know more about this case, please visit the Justice for AJ Facebook page. There is also a Tik Tok account with even more information. The address is @justice4lilaj
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com

Episode 116: Alicia Markovich Jan 02, 2022

Show notes

This week's story focuses on a Pennsylvania teenager named Alicia Markovich who was 15 when she vanished on April 26, 1987 from Dunn Avenue in Blairsville, Pennsylvania. At the time, she was visiting with her father John Markovich. This year will be the 35th year anniversary of Alicia's disappearance. Unfortunately, Alicia's mother, Marcie Smith, has long given up hope that she will ever see her daughter alive again.
The day seemed like any other day. Alicia, an eighth-grader at Windber High School in Somerset County, left with her father to spend time with him at his Blairsville home. Alicia's parents were divorced. It wasn't an overnight stay. Alicia was supposed to return home that same evening.
Supposedly, Alicia and her father got into an argument around 5pm. Allegedly, Alicia stormed out of the house and has never been seen again. She is listed as a missing person with state police and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. But everyone who was close to Alicia don't believe she is alive.
For this story I spoke to Chrissie Boyer, who was Alicia's childhood friend. Chrissie is one of Alicia's advocates and is also close friends with Alicia's mother Marcie. I also spoke a Laura Valdez, who has been friends with Marcie since childhood. She knew Alicia from birth and used to take Alicia out for pizza when she was a child.
I also reached out to John Markovich and his wife and asked them to participate in this episode. Neither responded to my request. I also want to state that many people think John Markovich knows more about his daughter's fate than he has ever said publicly. However, I must state that no criminal charges have ever been brought against him and he must be considered innocent of any wrong doing in the eyes of the law.
If you know what happened to Alicia Markovich, please contact Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-472-8477 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. You can also visit www.justiceforaliciamarkovich.com for additional information about Alicia's story.
*** Opening audio clip provided by WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (https://www.wtae.com/)
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com

Episode 115: Shawn O'Brien Dec 26, 2021

Show notes

In July of 2006, Shawn O'Brien was a 34 years old carpenter who didn’t show up for work on Saturday, July 22. Around 6 o'clock that night, his sister called 911. She had found him lying in a pool of blood on the floor of his Pleasant Street basement apartment. First responders weren’t sure what happened to Shawn. They believed he had possibly had a seizure. Did he fall and hit his head? The police didn’t consider the basement a crime scene so they didn’t close it off immediately and investigate it.
Police would come back at a later time to investigate the basement. The autopsy would be inconclusive but ruled that O’Brien had blunt force trauma to his head. And it didn’t seem likely it came from a fall.
“This is a classic sign of somebody being assaulted,” said Dr. Timothy Gallagher, an independent forensic pathologist. Gallagher also said, he cannot with one hundred percent certainty rule out that it was an accident, because there are no witnesses to corroborate what exactly happened in his final moments.
But, Gallagher does not believe O’Brien just fell to the floor. “Most likely not,” he told the NBC 10 I-Team. “When a person does fall, their injuries are just one-sided, they do not hit the ground and turn over and hit the ground again and turn over and hit the ground again. They hit the ground once, creating one injury,” said the forensic pathologist.
The police have two persons of interest. A man named Armand Rouleau rented the apartment to O’Brien. The other person of interest is Armand’s then girlfriend, Lynn Hallal.
Today, Natalia St. Louis is no longer a teenager. She is an adult who is determined to find out what happened to her father 15 years ago. Please be sure to visit Today, there are no answers about Shawn’s death. Natalia St. Louis is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in her father’s case. She has a Facebook page titled “Justice for Shawn O’Brien.” And if you know anything about Shawn's death, you can contact the Cranston Police Department at 401-942-2211 with your tips.

Episode 114: Amy Jo Nelson Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

This week's story focuses on Amy Jo Nelson, a young mother from New Straitsville, Ohio who died on Sept. 18, 2017. It was initially thought she died of a drug overdose. On her death certificate, however, it stated that she died as a result of a homicide.
According to the Perry County coroner's report, both prescribed and non-prescribed drugs were in her system. However, drugs did not cause her death. The autopsy findings indicated Amy Jo Nelson's death was a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head."
"The extensive head and brain injuries are not consistent with a simple fall and are consistent with injuries incurred by multiple blunt force trauma. Given the other body injuries, it appears the decedent was assaulted by another person or persons. Abbie Vann, Amy's sister, and Pam Nelson, Amy's mother, say that they are haunted by Amy's death and relive it each day.
Amy's family has conducted their own investigation. They have done the legwork, obtained statements and documented their findings. Although they believe they know who killed Amy, they don't have any evidence to support it. Family members put out a reward in the hopes that someone will provide a tip that will lead to the murderer's arrest.
According to Pam Nelson, Amy's mother, "We have our ideas of what happened based on the information that we've been given and the facts that we have, but not knowing the exact truth to have some sort of closure for our family trying to relive it every day and thinking of all these different possibilities of things that have happen, it's really hard,"
What happened to Amy Jo Nelson? She was a mother, sister and daughter. Family members miss her. If you have any information about this case, call Perry County's tip line at (740) 721 - 0898. You can also visit Amy's Facebook page titled Amy's Gift of Hope. The family is still offering a reward for information.
*** Opening audio clip provided by WBNS TV 10 (https://www.10tv.com/)
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com

Episode 113: Alex VanDalsen Dec 12, 2021

Show notes

I spoke with a mother named Jennifer VanDalsen about her son Alex VanDalsen, a twenty-one-year old, who died under mysterious circumstances. Alex was born Jasmine Mckenzie Danaher, but planning on transitioning into a man. Therefore, I will refer to him as Jennifer's son throughout this story. At 15, Alex decided he knew he was a male and wanted to live as one. Throughout this episode I'll refer to the victim as Alex and use male pronouns. He lived in Lafayette, Indiana.
On February 3, 2021, it was a cold and snowy Indiana evening. Alex left home before midnight for unknown reasons. He did not tell anyone where he was going. On February 9th, two thousand twenty one, Alex was found dead. His death was ruled a suicide without any investigation.
Alex's family has taken issue with the ruling. Police told Alex's family that "There was no immediate sign of trauma on the body." However, it wasn't until Alex's body arrived at the funeral home that they discovered he died from a gunshot wound to the head. The family asked the detective why he said there was no trauma to the body when there was a gunshot wound?
It was less than twenty degrees when Alex was found 10 miles from his home. He also had asthma and wasn't dressed for the weather. Such treacherous weather would have made it impossible for him to walk ten miles. He would have died from exposure. Alex's family is certain he met with someone who knows what happened to him.
The family also had a concern about the actual bullet wound. I was informed the entrance wound was larger than the exit. As someone who fired weapons in the military, this isn't feasible. The exit wound is typically larger when leaving the human body.
The family also said Alex wasn't tested for having gunshot residue on his hands and the weapon wasn't checked for fingerprints. Also, Alex didn't own a gun, so where did this gun come from and who owned it?
There were also no shell casings. How could Alex kill himself with a gun and not leave a shell casing behind? And there was no blood splatter at the scene. If Alex killed himself, there would be a casing and blood present at the scene. Most likely Alex was picked up by someone, shot to death and then dumped where he was found. Unfortunately, law enforcement hasn't waivered from the suicide ruling.
Do you know what happened to Alex? Who did he go to meet on the night of his death? How did he end up dead 10 miles near his home? Supposedly, he killed himself. Problem is there were no shells or blood evidence. If have any information regarding Alex VanDalsen, please contact the Tippecanoe County Sheriff sheriff's department at 765-423-9388. And if you would like more information about this case, please visit the Justice for Alex Blake VanDalsen Facebook page.
**** This week's podcast was sponsored by the Raw Truth: Stories of Female Infidelity podcast. For additional information about this podcast, please visit their website: https://www.rawtruthstoriesoffemaleinfidelity.com/
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com

Episode 112: Cameron Collin Dec 05, 2021

Show notes

On Oct. 4, 2018, Cameron boarded a flight to Billings, Montana to attend the wedding of a college. The same day, he attended a bachelor party at a rural property. On Nov. 5, 2018, other attendees of the party left the rural residence to drive into town, and returned around midnight.
When they returned, Cameron was not where they claimed to have left him. Partygoers claimed Cameron continued to drink at the party and then went to sleep outside. A group of men then went into town leaving Cameron behind.
When the friends arrived back to the property, they didn't see Cameron. They thought he had found different accommodations. Cameron would never be seen alive again. Yet, no one called the police or the family immediately after Cameron vanished. And when he didn't show up for the October 6 wedding, everyone knew Cameron was in trouble.
Cameron never showed up for the Oct. 6 wedding, for which he was supposed to be a groomsman. The ceremony and reception continued as planned, according to Marion. On November 3, 2018, Cameron's body was recovered from Pryor Creek.
On Nov. 3, 2018 – nearly one month after he was allegedly last seen alive – Cameron’s body was recovered from Pryor Creek. Although the circumstances of Cameron's death were suspicious, law enforcement immediately closed the case and claimed Cameron was intoxicated and wandered into the pond where he drowned. The problem was there was no water in his lungs. How does one drown without water being in the lungs?
The official ruling by the medical examiner was an accidental death due to cold water immersion in association with cocaine and alcohol use, according to the report.
Also, there was blood on Cameron's clothing and someone had placed sawdust inside Cameron's clothing. The sawdust was allegedly placed on Cameron to breakdown the body faster. Cameron's finger was cut off and his college ring was taken. And the boots recovered from his body didn't fit him. So where did Cameron's boots go?
The Collin family said law enforcement has refused to re-open the case as either a homicide or undetermined. Family members believe Cameron was the victim of foul play and his body was thrown into the creek.
If you have any tips about Cameron's death, please forward them to his family through their Facebook page titled Cam Collin Updates. They will then forward the tips to law enforcement.
**** This week's podcast was sponsored by the Raw Truth: Stories of Female Infidelity podcast. For additional information about this podcast, please visit their website: https://www.rawtruthstoriesoffemaleinfidelity.com/
Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com

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