After our episode exploring the post secret card mystery, we discussed briefly "Finding Don", and I told you about the old Something Awful Archives. Below is a collection of links that pertain to those subjects, and feel free to discuss away any of your theories on any of these 3 subject matters. Also, if you have a 9/11 related unsolved/unresolved mystery or missing person, this is a good place to post about it so that we can consider exploring it on a future episode.

*********************************************************************************************************

https://x.com/25YearsAgoLive 25 YEARS AGO TWITTER

SOMETHING AWFUL 9/11 THREADS:
https://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc01.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20191127065720/http://www.truegamer.net/SA_911/911%20SATHREAD/wtc-march.html 

JAMES WOODS 9/11:
https://x.com/ColorApril/status/2097622896008986658 

15 YEARS LATER (TEN YEAR OLD REDDIT POST) RE: 9/11 MYSTERIES:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/52884b/15_years_later_what_are_some_good_911_mysteries/

POST SECRET CARD:
https://web.archive.org/web/20121116185352if_/http://images.codingforcharity.org/ps/2005/5/29/postsecret_postcard_towe2.jpg 

SNEHA ANNE PHILIP: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Sneha_Anne_Philip 

PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTOS:
https://www.reddit.com/r/911archive/comments/1wawrpk/previously_unseen_photos_from_jon_walczaks_32/ 

*************************************************************************************************************
https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0020438/?loclr=blogsig
LOC 9/11 Survivor list (from immediate aftermath) (archives/collections)

https://www.nj.gov/njsp/wtc_missing.htm
9/11 missing persons list turned tribute^^^ *from NJ*

https://tcotrel.tripod.com/911deadnjf.html
Old lycos site

https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/for-thou-art-with-us/
Submitted by Sarah D. Bunting on September 14, 2001 – 12:58 PM

https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/operation-find-don/
Submitted by Sarah D. Bunting on September 10, 2009 – 2:57 PM

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1necfk2/a_911_mystery_operation_find_don/

r/UnresolvedMysteries
•
3 days ago
macabre_trout

A 9/11 Mystery: "Operation Find Don"

John/Jane Doe

Sarah Bunting, who's run a popular blog called Tomato Nation for years, published an essay shortly after 9/11 detailing her experiences in Lower Manhattan on that day. You can read it here and it still packs a punch all these years later: https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/for-thou-art-with-us/

While escaping from Lower Manhattan that day, she became "disaster buddies" with a gentleman from Jersey City named Don, who told her that it was his birthday. After publishing the essay, she was hoping to find Don to thank him for keeping her calm that day, but AFAIK was never able to locate him again. Here's the link with more info about him: https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/operation-find-don/

"Don: A (Very Very) Brief History

Don is a man I met on September 11, 2001. Don and I became “disaster buddies,” and ever since, I’ve wanted to thank him for hanging out with me and helping me keep it together — but I haven’t seen or heard from him since we parted ways late that morning.

What Don Looks/Looked Like

Don is an African-American man. I would estimate his age at between 25 and 35 on that day — probably not younger than that; possibly older, but not much.

Don is between 5’9″ and 6′ tall, and probably weighed 160-180 pounds. (I suck at estimating men’s weights.) In any case, at that time Don had a fit build — not pudgy, not skinny, well put-together.

Don had short hair and a goatee at that time. I do not recall any jewelry; he may have worn a watch, I don’t remember. No glasses.

Don had on a grey windowpane-plaid suit and was carrying a black soft-sided briefcase.

Don didn’t really resemble anyone famous, except Blair Underwood around the eyes a little bit.

Other Possibly Relevant Facts

Don and I met in the lobby of the Bank of New York building, located roughly at Wall Street and Broadway. We left the bank together at approximately 11 that morning.

Don lived at that time in Jersey City, or thereabouts — he took the ferry to Jersey City to get home, from a slip somewhere around Hester Street on the west side.

Don had come into the city that morning via the PATH train, and had gotten off at the World Trade Center stop. He had come into the city for work, but I don’t remember whether his business that day was actually at the WTC complex; I don’t believe it was. If he had gotten separated from any work colleagues, he didn’t mention it. I don’t know what he did for a living, and I don’t know if his job was based in Jersey City or in lower Manhattan, but I got the impression that he was in the city for an errand or meeting, and that he didn’t regularly commute in.

As I said, I don’t recall a wedding ring; Don did not mention a wife or any other family at that time as far as I can remember.

Don’s birthday is September 11. No idea what year, but based on my estimate of his age it’s probably in the late sixties or seventies."

Is he still out there? I think about this story every September 11th. Wherever you are, happy birthday, Don.

https://preview.redd.it/j2t4btfb4mph1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=59ef05dac13dcfc179a2be9871da02585c754c7b

*********************************************************************************************************

The following is a full rundown of links and information regarding the investigation into the home of R.C. Horsch and his son Eugene "Gene" Horsch on Chew Avenue in Philly.

First, a summary:

The case of Eugene Horsch is an active, deeply disturbing federal and local investigation in Philadelphia involving a property dubbed the "Olney House of Horrors." While Horsch is currently only facing federal weapons and fraud charges, law enforcement has uncovered graphic digital evidence linking the property to multiple missing women, drawing chilling public comparisons to notorious serial killer Gary Heidnik.

🚗 The Traffic Stop That Sparked the Case

The entire investigation unfolded by chance on June 19, 2026. A National Park Ranger stopped a black BMW illegally parked in a law enforcement spot near Independence Mall in Philadelphia.

• The Arrest: The ranger overhead a woman in the back seat cry out, "You’re going to hurt me!"
• The Driver: The driver was identified as 44-year-old Eugene Horsch.
• The Red Flags: Inside the car, rangers found two handguns, $8,000 worth of illegal drugs, and a fake FBI badge featuring Horsch's photo. Crucially, the female passenger was carrying the identification card of Blair Tonzelli, a woman who had been missing since 2023.

🏚️ The Chew Avenue "Mystery House"

Following the arrest, authorities secured search warrants for Horsch’s home on the 400 block of West Chew Avenue in Philly's Olney neighborhood. Over the course of serving nearly 100 search warrants on the property, investigators discovered a highly sophisticated and deeply unsettling scene:

• The Basement Lab: A complex setup featured water lines running directly to a 55-gallon drum, alongside a marijuana grow lab and over 20 containers of unknown chemical substances. By mid-August, over 50 containers of an oily substance were sent to a federal lab in Chicago for testing.
• Cremated Remains: Investigators recovered five urns containing cremated human remains from the home.
• The Bundy Note: Police found zip ties and a written note referencing serial killer Ted Bundy.
• The Sewers: In late July 2026, the Philadelphia Water Department and police excavated the street and tore up the sidewalk to extract a main sewer line from the house to look for dissolved human evidence.

📹 The Graphic Digital Evidence

The case took a dark turn on August 12, 2026, when Philadelphia Police announced a breakthrough from Horsch's confiscated hard drives:

• Detectives reviewing the data found "dark and graphic" photos and videos that appear to show the deceased bodies of two women.
• The women in the footage were identified as Maribel Fresses (missing since 2018) and Gabrielle Amarando (missing since 2012).
• Police currently state that four missing women are now actively tied to this single property, though hundreds of thousands of files are still being audited. No physical human remains (aside from the urns) have been recovered.

🧬 The Father's Twisted Legacy

The case is further complicated by Eugene's father, the late Raymond "R.C." Horsch. Raymond was an international fugitive, convicted counterfeit money printer, and methamphetamine cook who fled to New Zealand in the 1980s under a stolen identity.

• The Manifestos: Investigators recovered books and journals written by R.C. Horsch. The writings detail the systematic preying on vulnerable women in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood. [1, 2]
• The Dissolution Instructions: Most horrifyingly, the father’s journals contained step-by-step instructions on how to destroy a body using chemicals, writing: "I open the drum of lye... I use about forty pounds to start... In five or six hours there will be nothing left of her." [1]
• The Defense: Eugene Horsch's defense attorney has argued that many items in the basement belonged to the father, and claims Eugene had no knowledge of what his father left behind. [1]

⚖️ Current Legal Status

• State Charges Dropped: Local Philadelphia prosecutors withdrew all state-level charges against Horsch to clear the way for a more seamless federal prosecution.
• Federal Custody: Eugene Horsch remains jailed in federal custody. He is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of counterfeit federal credentials.
• No Murder Charges (Yet): As of late August 2026, Horsch has not been charged with murder or in direct connection to the missing women. Homicide detectives are treating it as an active death investigation while they seek physical evidence to back up the video files. His federal trial on the weapons and badge charges is scheduled for September 8, 2026.

The best extensive case investigation/research thus far imo:

https://joniejohnstonpsyd.substack.com/p/the-last-thing-he-forged-was-a-confession

The Inquirer:

https://www.inquirer.com/crime/inq2/eugene-horsch-olney-house-investigation-timeline-20260813.html

CROSS POST FROM REDDIT: 
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/1vnikq7/philadelphia_police_have_announced_an_update_in/ 

R.C. INTERVIEW: 
https://www.therialtoreport.com/2013/12/15/ray-horsch/ 
***READ COMMENTS UNDER LINKS***

MISSING IN PHILLY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/364035387778253/

KRISTA LINKS (Housemate who was in 3rd floor fire & left w/ Eugene when R.C. died):

**Note: apparently "Gene" aka Eugene, announced through Krista's Social Media that she had passed and declared their love & plans to marry, something that Krista's close friends stated couldn't be further from the truth.**

https://www.facebook.com/krista.killen
https://www.instagram.com/kristakillen 
https://x.com/kilen_gm 
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9482625/ 
https://kensingtonblues.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/jeffrey_stockbridge_krysta_2014.jpg (PIC BEFORE DRUGS) 2009

https://kensingtonblues.com/2014/10/02/krista-got-clean/ (read this from 2014) (play audio)
KRISTA 2025: https://glensidelocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/killen-2-1024x597.jpg 

AMY MCHALE:

https://charleyproject.org/case/amy-teresa-mchale

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1771325139787164/

https://people.com/philadelphia-home-search-renews-investigation-mom-missing-decade-12009971

https://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/episodes/2026/1/26/episode-514-amy-mchale

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP39807

FB: https://www.facebook.com/amy.mchale2

BLAIRE TONZELLI (Missing woman who's ID was with woman when Eugene was Arrested):

FB: https://www.facebook.com/blair.tonzelli.5

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/missing-person-namus-mp159856

https://charleyproject.org/case/blair-tonzelli

TWO WOMAN CONFIRMED DEAD VIA MEDIA FOUND IN OLNEY HOME:

MARIBEL IVETTE FRESSES

FB: https://www.facebook.com/maribel.fresses

https://charleyproject.org/case/maribel-ivette-fresses

https://www.facebook.com/allthelostgirls/posts/maribel-ivette-fresses-was-27-years-old-when-she-disappeared-from-philadelphia-p/1427872759438192/

GABRIELLE AMARANDO

*VERY LITTLE AVAILABLE, NO CHARLEY PROJECT PAGE, NO NAMUS PAGE*

https://www.facebook.com/gabrielle.amarando (her facebook)

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/gabrielle-amarando-olney-chew-avenue-house/ (FRIENDS OF VICTIMS DISCUSS THEIR LOSS)

Also: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DcBzONqlOKM/

MALE CHEUVANIST PIG INTERVIEW:

https://www.therialtoreport.com/2013/12/15/ray-horsch/

BLOG ABOUT R.C.'S "EXHIBIT" FROM THE WAY BACK MACHINE:

"Naked prostitutes and heroin: Is the R.C. Horsch exhibit in Kensington art or porn — or a catalog of victims?"

https://web.archive.org/web/20151002022349/http://citypaper.net/Blogs/Naked-prostitutes-and-heroin-Is-the-RC-Horsch-exhibit-in-Kensington-art-or-porn-mdash-or-a-catalog-of-victims/

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/after-traffic-stop-in-cheltenham-olney-man-charged-with-trafficking-marijuana/

https://preview.redd.it/ig8e76u01hkh1.png?width=695&format=png&auto=webp&s=382638a2302c9abb3a0ac37f40c763a604a7bdfa

A COMMENT RE: EUGENE SELLING FAKE ID'S

POOR FELLA WENT TO HS WITH GENE

GABRIELLA ALSO IN A FILM BY R.C.?

COURT RECORDS ON EUGENE VIA JUDYRECORDS.COM

COMMENTS ON RAY'S RIALTO PODCAST INTERVIEW

RAY'S EX-WIFE AMY (MCHALE, MISSING), COMMENTING ON THE PODCAST RE: RIALTO

MORE COMMENTS RE: CREMATORIUM

R.C.'S OLD WEBSITE VIA WBMACHINE:

https://preview.redd.it/v8ibtz7w1hkh1.png?width=959&format=png&auto=webp&s=e45ddb9813566e1b0aaa3c56e85ffc8159ce5187

***MORE POSTS COMING SOON***

https://crimeimmemorial.com/2023/02/22/madelyn-summerer/

websleuths: https://websleuths.com/threads/mi-madelyn-summerer-17-port-huron-24-oct-1971.584087/

Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36752424/madelyn-j-summerer

Articles:

https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/2008/01/20/area-has-its-share-of-unsolved-murders/28936441/

https://websleuths.com/threads/mi-madelyn-summerer-17-port-huron-24-oct-1971.584087/

UMPHREY CASE THAT LED TO MADELYN CASE (SCROLL DOWN ON DOC FOR ARTICLE)

https://www.facebook.com/thetimesherald/posts/douglas-laming-was-arrested-friday-for-the-1980-murder-of-karen-umphrey/1084562316272922/ 
MADELYN SUMMERER AND LYNNE PIONK:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Madelyn+Summerer%22+and+%22Lynne+Pionk%22&oq=%22Madelyn+Summerer%22+and+%22Lynne+Pionk%22&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTExOTI2ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8  
On October 18, 1971, Madelyn Summerer, 17, and her friend, Lynne Pionk, sophomores at Port Huron Northern High School, are walking to the high school about 7 p.m. through a wooded area near the Black River Canal when they are attacked. Lynne was hit first in the head and immediately lost consciousness, she would regain it hearing Madelyn’s screams. Lynne then ran to a parking lot outside of the wooded area where a couple found her. The couple stated that as Lynne ran out of the woods 3 boys were behind her but ducked back into the woods as they saw the couple as well. Summerer dies six days later of head injuries sustained in the attack. 
Local deaths: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~mistcla2/Su3.htm 
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mary+Maxim+-+Online+Ordering%2FPickup+Only/@43.0177761,-82.4465974,498m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x88259b93cc01f0ff:0x79c677145da06c74!8m2!3d43.0162181!4d-82.4471786!16s%2Fg%2F1tdwqqpc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDYwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D MARY MAXIM LOCATION
https://websleuths.com/threads/mi-madelyn-summerer-17-port-huron-24-oct-1971.584087/ 

https://preview.redd.it/t3ehu9k3bp5h1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=b5c40e2e43c6e6acf9f8abc9ef57fdd8698e3f1a

https://preview.redd.it/qxzfcak3bp5h1.png?width=860&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab16420a29c0480bae5f716271095be69407235d

Port huron times herald: NEWS

Area has its share of unsolved murders

BOBBY AMPEZZANPortHuron
Jan. 20, 2008, 12:00 a.m. ET
There are at least 19 unsolved murders dating back to 1970 in St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

https://preview.redd.it/4jrajak3bp5h1.jpg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de7476f5631e307518c3560ccec56566f03fab04

While some live on in oft-fingered binders and on dry-erase boards with recent dates added, others are known only in faded log book entries or archived news stories. All cry out for justice.

https://preview.redd.it/j7h5u7k3bp5h1.jpg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9abd7c45d905b5e3558afc366e4851ee87e8abed

Here's a glance at some cases we'll be exploring in upcoming weeks.

• **Oct. 7, 1970:**Donald R. Simons, 33, of China Township is found behind the wheel of his car which had crashed into a house at 3001 Dove Road in Port Huron Township about 2 a.m. He had been stabbed and soon would die. Two men are seen running from the scene of the accident. Shortly before Christmas, the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office issues a warrant for Estelle M. Smith. At the time, police would not reveal information connecting Smith to the murder. She was never arrested.
• **Oct. 18, 1971:**Madelyn Summerer, 17, and her friend, Lynne Pionk, sophomores at Port Huron Northern High School, are walking to the high school about 7 p.m. through a wooded area near the Black River Canal when they are attacked. Summerer dies six days later of head injuries sustained in the attack.
• **May 3, 1973:**James Smith, 60, testifies in court against Jacob Moncrief, 43, of Port Huron, who is charged with felonious assault. The judge, Walter Turton, reduces Moncrief's $1,000 cash bond to a $1,000 personal recognizance bond, and he is released that night. At 8:15 a.m. the next day, Smith is found in the bedroom of his home at 2620 Vanness St., shot in the head.
• **April 19, 1974:**Frank VanEsbroeck, 42, leaves his family's farm in Wallaceburg, Ontario, for a night out in Port Huron. At about 1 a.m. the next day, he is seen talking to an 18-year-old woman at the Red Shingle Tavern. At about 2 a.m., outside her apartment building in the 3100 block of 24th Street, he is shot in the base of the neck.
• **Feb. 28, 1975:**Lorraine June Locke's mother, Mary, leaves for a PTA meeting at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School at 8 p.m., leaving the 15-year-old behind. At 10 p.m., Lorraine is discovered lying on the bathroom floor, stabbed to death.
• **March 31, 1975:**Janis Stevens, 38, tells co-workers she plans to visit her sister in Detroit after leaving work at 4:30 p.m. that day. Two days later, she is found on the floor of her house at 632 13th St., lying in a pool of blood, dead from head injuries.
• **Feb. 4, 1976:**Carol Ann Wudarcki's body is found in a snowbank along Cribbins Road. She's clothed only in a quarter-length maroon leather coat and black suede boots. The 25-year-old from Detroit had been bound, and her corpse had been mutilated by a snow plow. One of the people who called police to report the body was Mark W.G. Ernst of Richmond, who later was convicted of killing someone else. Wudarcki's clothes were found in an abandoned building across the street from where Ernst lived.
• **Jan. 14, 1977:**Iris Christine Johnston, 20, of Sparlingville, is last seen at the Colony Club Bar, 321 Huron Ave., Port Huron, speaking with two men, ages 23 and 27. No one sees her leave, and the men never are found. On March 23, 1977, her body is discovered in a wooded area off Bryce Road between Rabidue and Cribbins roads. She had been strangled.
• **June 21, 1977:**Rex Perry, 51, is found lying under a heavy equipment trailer at his business, Perry Excavating Co., in Kimball Township, severely beaten. He dies on the way to Port Huron Hospital.
• **Nov. 2, 1980:**Karen Marie Umphrey, 21, of Smiths Creek, while driving back from a party between 12:30 and 2:30 a.m., has an argument with her boyfriend, Fred Hill. Near the 10th Street Bridge in Port Huron, Hill gets out of the car and begins walking home. Umphrey parks the car at 10th and Varney streets and follows on foot. At 3:30 a.m., a motorist calls Port Huron police and reports seeing a woman being forced into a pickup truck in the vicinity of Umphrey's parked car. Hunters walking the area of Abbottsford Road at the State Game Area in Clyde Township find Umphrey's body about 600 feet from the road. She had been shot in the head.
• **Oct. 10, 1988:**James R. Brown, a 51-year-old described as a recluse with a hot temper, is found on the kitchen floor of his Brockway Township home shot in the head. Two handguns lie on a kitchen table. Detectives rule out suicide.
• **Dec. 8, 1990:**Edward Filthaut, 54, Dave Smith and Laurene Layland go hunting in a wooded area near Filthaut's home in Carsonville. At 12:26 p.m., a gunshot is heard, and Smith sees Filthaut sink to the ground. On Dec. 10, forensic tests show the bullet did not come from guns Filthaut or his friends were carrying.
• **Oct. 27, 1992:**Cynthia Ann Lage left Jack and Gerry's Bar in Lexington Heights a little after 1 a.m. and began the trek home to the Lakewinds Motel on M-25. A motorist reports seeing her sitting in the ditch. The 37-year-old tells the motorist she's not feeling well but will be all right. At 8:10 a.m., another motorist spots her in a ditch along M-25 near Maple Street, this time dead from a hit-and-run accident.
• **Jan. 9, 1993:**William M. Paasche, 39, is shot in the head by one of two men who held him and a friend at gunpoint. The murder may be the final mystery in the life of a man who was born William Kirk Bennett and changed his identity while in the Federal Witness Protection program.
• August 1994:"Jane Doe #1" is discovered by police in an abandoned Cottrellville Township farmhouse. Through forensic analysis, it's discovered the woman, age 30 to 50, had been shot in the head and likely had been at the farmhouse for one to three years.
• **May 17, 1997:**Virginia Farrell is stabbed to death in her Clay Township home. There were no signs of a struggle and nothing was taken, leading Michigan State police Detective Sgt. James Haggerty to suspect Farrell knew her attacker.
• **May 26, 2003:**At about 6:30 a.m., an unidentified woman's body is found in a burning trash bin at 2145 S. Wadhams Road in St. Clair Township. She is later identified as a black woman about 30 years old.
• **May 23, 2006:**Jason Phillip Harris, 27, of Detroit is shot at about 10 p.m. on the back porch of a house at 2829 Little St. in Port Huron. An 18-year-old Port Huron man is arrested within hours after an eyewitness identified him as the shooter, but he later is released. After being shot, Harris ran to 2911 Little St., where he collapsed and died.
• **Oct. 7, 2006:**Ronald and Christine Jabalee, both 58, are found dead about 7 a.m. in the garage of their home at 53355 Washington St., New Baltimore. They had been stabbed multiple times sometime after 8 p.m. the night before. Christine Jabalee appears to have written a message in blood. In September, investigators took more than 500 tips after the case aired on "America's Most Wanted."

UPDATED: Here's what we know about the 1980 cold case investigation

https://preview.redd.it/r910z8k3bp5h1.jpg?width=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1f62c935afcd7d7c379e9f501a5cf14b8bd3ba1

Updated Dec. 18, 2023, 1:39 p.m. ET
The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in a case that has gone unsolved for 43 years.
Douglas Laming, 70, of Fort Gratiot, was arrested Friday afternoon for the slaying of Karen Umphrey, a 21-year-old woman who was found dead in the State Game area of Beards Hills on Nov. 2, 1980.

https://preview.redd.it/dzkr8ak3bp5h1.jpg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74bf67433cb5537f0348819d2700b9e5fb7a029a

A news release announcing the arrest states detectives identified Laming as a suspect using genetic genealogy, a crime-solving method that compares DNA samples recovered from crime scenes to samples collected by private companies that collect DNA, such as GEDmatch which offers to inform clients about their genetic heritage.
The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office states it worked with Othram, a private company founded in 2018 to utilize forensic genetic genealogy to solve cold cases. Michigan State Police also assisted in the investigation.
Sheriff Mat King said in a news conference Monday Laming was identified as a suspect in August 2022 and was confirmed to be a genetic match for DNA samples in January 2023.
"The diligence of investigators and utilization of scientific advancements, including those used by the MSP Forensic Science Laboratories and Othram, were integral to the identification of Karen Umphrey’s killer," Erika Hrynyk, public information officer for the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office, said in a news release.
St. Clair County Prosecutor Mike Wendling praised the sheriff's office's efforts in solving the cold case.
"This was years and years of hard work by the sheriff's office," Wendling said. "They refused to give up on it because they knew it would lead to a suspect, and it did."
A probable cause affidavit filed in Laming's case states he was identified as a match to a DNA sample found on a vaginal swab from Umphrey's body.

https://preview.redd.it/surmbak3bp5h1.png?width=660&format=png&auto=webp&s=1bae545268cb5f79c16edfb04bfae327efd4260a

Though the report identifies Umphrey as a victim of sexual assault, Laming reportedly told St. Clair County Sheriff's Office detectives he had consensual sex with Umphrey.
It's unclear from the affidavit as to when Laming told detectives the consensual sex happened. The report states Laming made several contradictory statements to detectives.
Laming has not been charged with any form of sexual assault in the case. An investigation into Laming remains ongoing, according to Wendling.
King and Hrynyk both said they would not discuss any personal connections between Laming and Umphrey in order to avoid compromising the case. Hrynyk refused to comment on whether Laming was under investigation for sexual assault.

https://preview.redd.it/7qqyjlk3bp5h1.jpg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb6d3590e8a2379a6a572fab625b3170cd6dd6d4

Laming has been charged with first-degree murder, punishable with up to life in prison. He was arraigned Sunday and has a probable cause conference scheduled for Dec. 26.
His bond was set at $2 million.
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.

Who Was Roxanne?

Roxanne "Roxy" Paltauf was born on January 3, 1988 and grew up in the Austin area. She was deeply close to her mother and all of her siblings — especially her sisters. She was the kind of person who made everyone around her feel loved and celebrated. When it came to her siblings' birthdays, Roxanne took the initiative to plan and make sure each one felt truly special.

She was passionate about hair and nails, and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Her humor was unmatched — she was hilarious, warm, and a genuinely caring soul. Those who knew her say she loved deeply and gave everything to the people in her life.

Roxanne was just 16 years old when she met Louis Walls. He told her he was 19 — he was actually around 28. Her family is clear: Roxanne was a child, and Louis Walls was a predator who groomed her. Friends and family later described the relationship as controlling and abusive.

On July 7, 2006, Roxanne was last seen with Louis Walls at the Budget Inn motel near I-35 and Rundberg Lane. She was never seen again. Walls has claimed she walked out of the motel room after an argument — but no one saw that happen. No one saw Roxanne leave. No one saw her after that night.

Her family does not accept that narrative — and they have evidence to back it up. Phone records show roaming charges on Roxanne's phone during the window when Walls claims the argument took place inside the motel room. That means the phone was not at the Budget Inn. Walls gave a false statement. In the days after Roxanne vanished, he also called his ex-girlfriend in New Mexico and told her he had "messed up."

The case remains unsolved. No one has been charged. Austin Police classify it as an active missing persons/homicide investigation. Her family has never stopped fighting for the truth — and they believe someone out there knows what happened to Roxanne.

For more than 20 years, businessman Gerald Carnahan, who has extensive ties to Springfield, was the prime suspect in Johns’ rape and murder. A DNA test in 2007 tied him to the murder, and he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in 2010.

Carnahan is considered a suspect in several missing person cases in Missouri, including The Springfield Three.

Trudy Darby, 1991: Darby was abducted from the convenience store where she worked in Macks Creek, Missouri, on Jan. 19, 1991, and discovered dead two days later. She was robbed, raped and shot twice in the head.

This case, covered on “Unsolved Mysteries” in 1992, was solved years later when half-brothers Jessie Rush and Marvin Chaney were convicted and sentenced to prison terms. The brothers are suspects in two other cases in the area during the same time period: the disappearance of Angela Hammond and Cheryl Kenney in 1991.

Cheryl Kenney, 1991: Like Darby, Kenney was last seen while working at a convenience store. She disappeared from Nevada, Missouri, on February 27, 1991, and remains missing.

Angela Hammond, 1991: Hammond was abducted while speaking on a payphone at 11:45 p.m. April 4, 1991, in Clinton, Missouri. She was speaking to her boyfriend on the phone when a suspicious man driving a pickup parked next to her, then kidnapped her before he fled Clinton.

Hammond’s boyfriend chased Hammond and her abductor before his car broke down. Hammond has not been seen since.

It’s possible that none of these cases are connected, but I would be surprised if at least three – Darby, Kenney and Hammond – were not. It’s also possible that somebody like Carnahan, Rush, Chaney or the individual(s) responsible for The Springfield Three are involved.

Other suspects: Robert Craig Cox: A convicted kidnapper currently imprisoned in Texas, he was convicted in the murder of a woman in Florida but released after the state Supreme Court ruled there wasn’t enough evidence. He lived across the street from the women at the time they went missing and has toyed with the Springfield police about the case for years. He also has said he knows what happened to the women to a TV reporter, without admitting to the crime

Gerald Carnahan: A businessman, he was convicted in the 1985 killing of Jackie Johns 25 years after it happened. He has ties to Springfield and a long history of legal troubles. Dustin Recla, Michael Clay and Joseph Riedel: Recla is the ex-boyfriend of Streeter told police he wanted her dead because she gave officers a statement about the men, who were charged with the felony institutional vandalism of a cemetery in February 1992. Steven Garrison: A lifelong criminal, he allegedly bragged at a party about killing the women and burying them. He currently is in a Missouri prison.

Larry DeWayne Hall: A convicted serial killer, he was a Civil War buff who participated in re-enactments in the Springfield area. His brother claims that Hall admitted murdering the women.