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Ellen Mathys and David Schuldes Part 2 of 2 Oct 30, 2023

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Episode 85 Ellen Mathys and David Schuldes Part 2 of 2

This is part 2 of the Mathys/Schuldes case, if you have not listened to part 1 yet, stop now and go back and listen to part 1 first.

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Ellen Mathys and David Schuldes Part 1 of 2 Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Episode 85 Ellen Mathys and David Schuldes Part 1 of 2

A stunning double murder shocked quiet, rural Marinette, Wisconsin in 1976. A loving engaged couple went camping in one of the verdant parks in the northern part of the state – and were found dead. David had been shot in the throat; Ellen had been raped and shot to death. The senseless, seemingly random crime double homicide rocked Marinette County, and set determined investigators on a 40 year journey to catch a killer. Despite a good sketch of the suspect, he remained unidentified until forensic genealogy led investigators right to his door – 20 miles from the park where he had slain David and Ellen. Prosecutors put together a case against grandfather Raymand Vannieuwenhoven that was largely based on the DNA – would it be enough for the jury?

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Doe: ID Kathy Ann Smith Oct 23, 2023

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In June, 1979, the body of an unidentified woman was found near Highway 290 and FM 696 in Elgin, Bastrop County, Texas. The condition of her remains made it tough to determine a cause of death, let alone figure out who she was. Police theorized that she was the victim of a hit and run due to a broken pelvis. She was laid to rest in Elgin cemetery. Years later, in an effort ID the unknown Jane Doe, her body was exhumed multiple times for DNA testing. Finally, she was identified via forensic genetic genealogy, as Kathy Ann Smith. To date,not much has been shared publicly about Kathy's background besides the fact she was adopted. While police are still investigating her death and can't confirm whether she was murdered, infamous serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to Kathy's murder before recanting. Police have not ruled Lucas out in Kathy's death.

If you have any information about Kathy's case, please call the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office at 512-549-5100

After more than three decades, this Texas Jane Doe has her name back, it's Kathy Ann Smith, and this is her story.

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Cheryl Thompson Oct 16, 2023

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Episode 83 Cheryl Thompson

Cheryl Thompson was missing for 15 days in 1978 before her body turned up dumped on a riverbank in Loveland, Ohio. Investigators weren't certain whether she'd been held captive, alive – and they also weren't sure what to make of the story her boyfriend told. It involved car chases, blown tires, shaggy haired strange men – all on the last night Cheryl was seen.

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DOE: ID 'Frog Boy' Winston 'Wint' Maxey III Sep 25, 2023

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Episode 82 DOE: ID 'Frog Boy' Winston 'Wint' Maxey III

In July, 1971, some teen boys in Coos Bay, Oregon discovered a decomposed body along Snedden Creek. The body was that of a young male in his teens, but due to the condition of the body, the medical examiner could not determine exactly when the young man had died, or a cause of death, but he deemed it suspicious. Since there was no ID with the body, investigators didn't know who the young man they affectionately called 'Frog Boy' was, and their efforts to find someone missing from the area that matched his description came up empty.

For decades, the identity of Frog Boy remained a mystery until advancements in DNA & genealogy finally provided a name for him; Winston 'Wint' Maxey III, who had left his Idaho home as a teenager, and had never been reported missing. It turned out that his daughter, who was born weeks after Wint went missing and put up for adoption, had been looking for him.

Questions remain to this day. How exactly did Wint die, and was he the victim of foul play?

'Frog Boy' now has his name back; it's Winston 'Wint' Maxey III, and this is his story.

If you have information about Wint, please contact Captain Patterson at (541)-396-7820 or call the Coos County Sheriff's Office at (541) 396-7800.

Visit the Facebook page set up by Wint's Daughter Lori to learn more about the case, or to help Lori find more information on her father.

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Lisa Holstead Part 2 of 2 Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Episode 81 Lisa Holstead Part 2 of 2

This is the second part of the Lisa Holstead case. If you have not listened to part 1 yet, stop now and listen to that part first.

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Lisa Holstead Part 1 of 2 Sep 18, 2023

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Episode 81 Lisa Holstead Part 1 of 2

Lisa Holstead vanished sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. on the night of August 12th-13th, 1986. Her boyfriend told the police Lisa had jumped out of his car after an argument, and he never saw her again. Police were skeptical of this story, even after two witnesses said they saw Lisa getting out of the vehicle at a stop light. Lisa was found the next day in a nearby marsh. She'd been strangled by her own braided hair. Her boyfriend became the target of the family's suspicions and the police investigation for years to come. Not until forensic genealogy pointed modern investigators in another direction altogether was Lisa's case finally cracked, and her real killer brought to justice.

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DOE: ID 'Nogales John Doe' Donald Sigurd Hadland Jr. Sep 11, 2023

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Episode 80 DOE: ID 'Nogales John Doe' Donald Sigurd Hadland Jr. In September, 2002, a man using the name 'Edward C', checked into the low budget Time motel in Nogales, Arizona. He claimed to the hotel manager that he was there to get surgery in Mexico. Just days after checking in, the mysterious Edward C was found dead in his hotel room. An autopsy determined that the guest had died of an apparent accidental overdose. When the authorities tried to notify the man's next of kin, they discovered that he was using a false identity; one that had been stolen from a real Edward C, and he was alive and well in Florida. That began a years-long search for the man's identity. Eventually, in 2023, a determined group of college students taking a genealogy course provided the answer. The man who had been dubbed 'Nogales John Doe' was actually Donald Sigurd Hadland Jr. His family had lost track of him years before. Although the authorities finally knew who he was, questions remain, including just why it was that he chose to steal the identities of others. "Nogales John Doe' now has his name back; it's Donald Sigurd Hadland Jr, and this is his story.

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Jeanne Childs Part 2 of 2 Sep 04, 2023

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Episode 79 Jeanne Childs Part 2 of 2

This is part 2 of the case of Jeanne Childs. If you have not listened to part 1 yet, stop now and go back and listen to part 1 first.

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Jeanne Childs Part 1 of 2 Sep 04, 2023

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Episode 79 Jeanne Childs Part 1 of 2

The 1993 stabbing murder of 35 year old Jeanne Childs was just one of the many homicides Minneapolis investigators had to deal with during the "Murderapolis" era. But crime scene technicians did a thorough job, and carefully preserved many crucial pieces of evidence from the bloody scene in the apartment Jeanne shared with her boyfriend and alleged pimp, Arthur. Several potential suspects emerged, including a man who had killed another woman in a similar fashion, and a man whose blood was found near Jeanne's apartment. But one clue – a set of bloody male footprints, would prove to be a vital supplement to the male DNA found at the scene. Forensic genealogy led investigators to a man whose name was not on police radar – but was in Jeanne's client list. His name is Jerry Westrom, and his footprints placed him in Jeanne's apartment next to her bloody corpse.

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