Killed in his home March 16, 1988. Beaten and stabbed. 218 East End Avenue Statesville NC 28677. Its my grandfather. Its a cold case. Anyone know anything about it or ever looked into it? Im looking to get the case closed. Meeting with detectives Friday afternoon. If needed I can verify that I am who I say I am.
For eighteen long minutes, Nikki Wasilishin’s three-year-old sister repeated a shocking claim as they sat together in the back of a police car.
“Papi killed mommy!” little Kristina cried to Nikki, who was 10 at the time. “Papi killed mommy!”
Their mother, 32-year-old Stephanie Wasilishin, had just been gunned down inside their family home in Sedona, Arizona on July 9, 1993, after getting into a fight with longtime boyfriend Russell Peterson.
Authorities ruled the death a homicide, but no one was ever charged. Peterson has never been charged and has not responded to a request for comment.
Now, 33 years later, Nikki is pushing for answers with her TikTok page and her podcast, Papi killed Mommy, which launched in 2025. She told The Independent that she is grappling with the reality that no one may ever be charged in her mother’s death.
“If I’m not going to get justice in the court of law, I will get justice in the court of public opinion,” she said.
I’ve been going down a rabbit hole of UK cold cases recently and was curious; which cases stick with you the most and what are your theories on what actually happened?
Could be disappearances, murders, unidentified people, anything really. Interested in hearing about the lesser-known cases.
n.b. Please keep it respectful towards victims/families.
Dianne Marie Hundt was a 17-year-old who attended Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona. She was last seen alive on 12-31-1985, leaving the family home in the 8200 block of East Balfour Drive around 10pm.
The next day, bow hunters discovered her body in the desert near N El Camino Rinconado and East Tanque Verde roads near Reddington Pass. This location was 3 hours east of Tucson. Dianne had been strangled to death with her bra. Semen stains were found on her shirt. The Pima County Sherrif’s Office took over the investigation.
A 31-year-old transient named Kerry Wayne Robinson emerged as a suspect and was arrested in Riverside, California. Robinson had hitched a ride with another witness, Daniel LaBounty, from Tucson around the time of Dianne’s death.
Robinson and LaBounty were both cleared by PCSO when their DNA did not match the profile of the suspect.
The case is now over 40 years old. In 2021, PCSO announced new genealogy DNA testing was being conducted on this case. Pima County’s 88Crime program offers a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
Sources
Newspaper Archives from AZ Daily Star and Tucson Citizen
Information per old family post:
" Addiction. PTSD. Mental Health.
This is my family’s story.
My brother, Matthew Loren Wall, was last seen by my mom in October of 2017 as he was boarding a bus to California to see his daughter. On February 16, 2018, another family member dropped him off at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital in California. He was expected to go through another round of rehab for alcohol and PTSD. We have not seen or heard from him since.
The hospital refused to let us talk to my brother while in rehab. They always said “he wasn’t taking calls from family.”
Weeks go by. Weeks turn into months and we still had not heard from him. This wasn’t abnormal. Matt had a tendency to disappear for a few weeks/months, but would always reappear when he needed help, money, or just had a funny story to tell.
In February 2019, I reported him missing to the Riverside County Police Department. The male detective chastised me and said that I was a “shitty sister” for waiting so long to report it. He refused to work with me because of the time difference between California and Guam. So, he began talking with my mom and sister. My family explained that Matt has a history of suicidal tendencies, PTSD, seizures and assumed Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). *Yes, I understand that can’t be verified/diagnosed unless the patient is dead.*
The detective went on to tell my mom that he had talked to the hospital and was told my brother “just doesn’t want his family to know where he is at.” However, he never spoke directly to or laid eyes on Matt. He told my mom, “case closed. Quit calling.”
A female detective at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department told my sister that my brother committed suicide in Austin. However, she could not provide information or proof. My sister called all over the greater Austin area to no avail. Another dead end.
We never heard from the police department again. One week of mediocre work is all they gave us.
We’ve tried to list in him in National missing persons databases, but are unable to because the police department said the case was “closed.”
We’ve spent the last two years working with veteran’s groups and spreading the word over Facebook. Until today....I received a letter in the mail from the police department about property I needed to claim from the case.
They wanted to return the missing person photos we sent to them. While talking to the police department, the lady suddenly said “I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t send these to you afterall. This is still an open and active case. Your brother is still listed as missing.” She gave me the name of a new detective to talk to.
So, now we have to start this process all over. Hopefully this time we get answers.
My brother is a 10-year Army veteran who completed multiple tours in Iraq/Afghanistan. He is 35 years old with an 8-year old daughter. He’s got 3 sisters, a mom, grandpa and countless other family members who miss him. He may be going by a different name now.
If his wish is to truly remain hidden from us, we want to respect that....But we want to hear that from him. His voice. His words. We just want to know that he is safe, healthy, and alive.
We have loved him and looked for him every day for 3 years. We will continue to look for him.
Does he know his baby sister got married? Does he know I moved to another country and my number has changed? Does he know his grandpa had a heart attack and almost died? I know in my heart he would want to know those things and many others, but we have no way of reaching him.
My hope is that he knows he is loved, missed, wanted, and looked for.
Please help me share this so that, if he is alive and out there, he knows we’re looking for him and we won’t stop."
He is 40 now, has his dog tags tattooed around his neck and tattooed sleeves. Know to have suicidal ideation. No contact. No one has seen him. Has a criminal record. Past addiction issues. Possibly still somewhere around the west Coast/ bordering states.
A few unidentified men fit description on namUs.
Family is asking if anyone has seen him. They believe he is still alive.
How can I attach photos?
Can this group possibly solve this?
On August 14, 1985, 20-year-old Kristin Mary O’Connell was murdered in Ovid, a small rural town in Seneca County, New York. Kristin was visiting from Minnesota, where she was a college student, and had traveled to Ovid to see a man she met while on vacation in Florida. She had been there for less than two days. That night around 11:00 p.m., she reportedly left the man’s residence on County Road 139 to go for a walk. Witnesses later said they saw her walking alone along the road, but sometime after that she was attacked. The next day, her body was found in a nearby cornfield. She had been stabbed multiple times and her throat had been cut.
The man she went to visit was questioned early in the investigation. He was interviewed by police and has never been charged or named as a suspect, and he has denied any involvement. Still, like others who were reportedly in the area that night, it’s unclear how completely all leads were explored, and many of the details from those early interviews haven’t been made public. There are still a lot of unanswered questions overall. The murder weapon was never recovered, and witness accounts placed multiple people and vehicles in the area at the time. Despite that, no one has ever been arrested. Over the years, there have also been local rumors about possible drug activity, a cover-up, or people who may have known more than they said.
What’s especially frustrating is what happened later. In 2009, there was an effort to use newer DNA testing methods, supported by officials like Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Amy Klobuchar, but the request was denied. In 2012, a New York-certified lab again offered to test the evidence using updated technology, and that request was also rejected. Kristin’s mother has continued pushing for answers, but even attempts to reach the Seneca County District Attorney’s office have reportedly gone unanswered. Nearly 40 years later, the case remains unsolved, and Kristin’s family continues to push for answers.
SEEKING INFORMATION — Justin Pollari
Missing from Hilton Beach, St. Joseph Island, Ontario — December 7, 2001
Justin Pollari was 14 years old when he disappeared from Hilton Beach on St. Joseph Island on December 7, 2001. He has never been found. He would be 39 years old today.
We are a licensed private investigator working on behalf of Justin’s family, and we are actively investigating this case. New information has recently come to light that we believe can move this investigation forward — but we need your help.
What we know:
On the evening of December 7, 2001, Justin was at the Hilton Beach Community Hall with a group of friends. He was last seen there that night. Earlier that same day, he was seen at a local restaurant called Chez Janine’s in Hilton Beach.
Who we are looking for:
🔹 Anyone who was at the Hilton Beach Community Hall on the evening of December 7, 2001
🔹 Anyone who saw Justin at Chez Janine’s or anywhere else in Hilton Beach on December 7, 2001
🔹 Anyone who knew Justin, his friends, or his family during the time they lived at Hilton Beach on St. Joseph Island
🔹 Anyone who knew Justin from school, the skating community, or anywhere else on the island
🔹 Anyone who has any information about Justin’s whereabouts after the evening of December 7, 2001
🔹 Anyone who saw Justin riding a bicycle through the Echo Bay area at any point after his disappearance
🔹 Anyone who may have seen a young man matching Justin’s description in the Sault Ste. Marie area in December 2001 — Justin had blonde hair worn in a Mohawk style, blue eyes, stood approximately 5’9”, and was known to skateboard
Justin’s family has waited 24 years for answers. His friends have never stopped thinking about him. If you know anything — no matter how small or insignificant it might seem — please reach out.
All information is treated in complete confidence. You do not need to go to police to share what you know — you can come directly to us first.
📩 Contact Jay Nicoll, Nicoll Investigations:
289-923-7302
You can also submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers:
1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
or online at canadiancrimestoppers.org
OPP case reference: RM01176313
This appeal is posted on behalf of Justin’s mother, Lori Smith, who has never stopped searching for her son.
Lonnie Franklin Jr. killed at least ten women in South Los Angeles over 22 years. He dumped their bodies in alleys and dumpsters a few miles from his house. He went home after. Made breakfast. Fixed his neighbors' cars. Waved at people on the street.
He had worked inside an LAPD station. Servicing their vehicles. In the same division that would eventually be looking for him.
Nobody connected it.
The first body showed up in 1985. Debra Jackson, 29, shot three times in the chest and left in an alley. Over the next three years, nine more women were killed the same way. Same neighborhood. Same gun. Same method of dumping the body like it was trash.
The LAPD knew there was a serial killer. They held a press conference about it in 1985. They were criticized at the time for waiting too long to warn the community.
They kept waiting.
Then in 1988 the killings stopped. For 14 years, nothing. Long enough that the department shifted focus. Long enough that the case went cold.
He was not sleeping. Detectives who worked the case said they do not believe he stopped killing. They believe the victims during those years were simply never connected to him.
The women he targeted were Black. Many were sex workers or struggling with addiction. The LAPD's own investigators later acknowledged the department did not treat these cases with the same urgency it gave other homicides.
That is not an opinion. That is what the record shows.
He came back in 2002. Princess Berthomieux, 15 years old, found strangled in an alleyway in Inglewood. Then Valerie McCorvey. Then Janecia Peters on New Year's Day 2007, stuffed inside a plastic trash bag inside a dumpster.
Through all of it, police had DNA from the crime scenes. They just had no one to match it to.
Here is where it gets hard to read.
In 2003, Franklin was convicted of a felony. California voters passed Proposition 69 in 2004. That law required DNA collection from every convicted felon in the state. Franklin was on probation. His DNA was legally required to be collected and entered into the database.
It never happened.
Between November 2004 and August 2005, probation officers stopped collecting DNA samples from people on unsupervised probation. The department said it did not have the resources. Franklin's sample was never taken. His profile was never entered. The database that should have caught him had a gap in it, and he fell right through.
During that window, he was still in the neighborhood. Still fixing cars. Still killing.
The case did not break because the system worked. It broke because Franklin's son got arrested on a weapons charge in 2009 and had his DNA collected. When analysts ran a familial search, they found that the crime scene profile was too close to Christopher Franklin's to be a coincidence. They mapped the father's address against the locations of the bodies. Everything lined up.
An undercover detective followed Franklin to a birthday party at a pizzeria in July 2010. Posed as a busboy. Collected a half eaten slice of pizza from his table. The DNA matched.
He was arrested two days later at his house in South Los Angeles. The same house where police found over 1,000 photographs of women. Hundreds of hours of video. Most of those women have never been identified.
Franklin was convicted of ten counts of first degree murder in 2016 and sentenced to death. He died in his cell at San Quentin in March 2020.
The probation department's failure to enter his DNA as required by law is fully documented. It was not a secret. It was not disputed.
No one was fired. No one was charged. No one answered for it.
The ten women whose names are in the title of this post were killed after that law passed. After his sample should have been collected. After the database should have had his name in it.
That is not a cold case mystery. That is a documented institutional failure with a body count.
I don’t know much about the case I only heard about it through a family member from Facebook. Apparently this man is in his 70s-80s and has been searching for his missing daughter for 40 years, she was 17 when she went missing if I remember correctly. Very few people who were with her the last night she was seen are still alive. This case is from Jae, Maine. Her name was Kimberly Moreau. I hope someone can help them find peace, hopefully her father can finally move on.