investigation
Whodunnit, and why? All about criminal investigations and the forensic methods used to search for clues and collect evidence to get to the bottom of the crime.
Who Killed The Pride Family?
Valerie Pride was at a great point in her life. The 24-year-old was in the final year of her four-year apprentice program with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 640 and was one of the first female electricians at the Palo Verde power plant in Maricopa County, Arizona. During the summer of 1982, the single mother purchased a new home in a quiet neighborhood of South Phoenix, Arizona, hoping that it would be a good place to raise her two daughters.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
What Happened to Alexis Patterson?
Alexis Patterson left her house in tears on the morning of May 3, 2002. It was her snack day at Hi-Mount Community School, and the 7-year-old had promised her friends that she would bring cupcakes. Her mother had taken her to a grocery store the night before, and she had bounced with excitement as she left with the cupcakes she had carefully picked out. That morning, though, her mother learned Alexis hadn’t completed her homework like she said she had, and as a punishment, she refused to allow her to take her cupcakes to school. No amount of pleading could get her mom to change her mind, and Alexis was very upset about it when her stepfather escorted her on her one-block walk to school. She was still crying as she joined her fellow students on the playground. Numerous kids would remember seeing her that Friday morning, but she never made it to class. Somewhere between the playground and the door to her school, Alexis disappeared.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
What Happened To Relisha Rudd?
Relisha Tenau Rudd was born on October 29th, 2005. She was the second of Shamika Young’s children, and the family lived in an apartment in the southeastern D.C. neighborhood of Congress Heights. Shamika wasn’t a single mom for long, as she met Antonio Wheeler in 2008.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
What Happened To Asha Degree?
Asha Degree was an intelligent and friendly nine-year-old girl who lived outside of Shelby, North Carolina. Her parents, Harold and Iquilla Degree, had gotten married on Valentine’s Day in 1988. The following year, they had their first child, a son they named O’Bryant. Asha was born the year after that, in August 1990. The family lived in a two-bedroom duplex on Oakcrest Drive, which was located in a rural area to the north of Shelby. The children were raised in a very close-knit family. Harold’s mother and sister lived right across the street, and there were numerous other family members who lived in the same general area.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
Who Killed Rebecca Young?
The Story On May 1st, 1991, the Miami police got a very disturbing call. Dispatch spoke with a man who claimed to have been a direct witness to a murder that occurred in Belle Glades. The initial details of the call were murky because the caller was speaking primarily in Spanish and at a rapid pace. Detective Burt Blanco took over the call at this point. The caller clarified that he had actually seen this murder take place several days prior to the call. He was hunting in a sugar cane field (illegally hunting) and heard a car approaching in the distance. Out of fear of being caught, he hid in an area nearby. He then saw a blue Ford Bronco pull up from a distance. Both a man and a woman got out of the vehicle. The rest of his story is as follows:
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
21 Years Ago, A Women Disappeared Before Her Wedding Day
The Story This case centers around 28-year-old Niqui McCown. Niqui was a prison guard who recently got engaged to her fiancé Bobby Webster. Niqui’s life was looking up and there were a lot of things to be excited about. However, one day she went to her mom’s house incredibly upset. On July 22nd, 2001, she told her mother about an incident while she was at a laundromat. She told her mother that two men were repeatedly harassing her while she was doing her laundry. She expressed to her mom that she was too afraid to return for her laundry out of fear of seeing the men again. Niqui eventually left her mother’s house and was never seen again.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
What Happened To Oliver Munson?
Oliver Munson made a living working as an industrial arts teacher in a Maryland school district. The 39-year-old lived in the comfortable suburb of Catonsville. In January of 1983, Oliver was in pursuit of his dream car. He went out to buy a Datsun 240Z. Unbeknownst to Munson, though, he bought from someone with shady intentions. Dennis Watson — the man who sold him his car — was actually the ringleader of a car theft operation. The vehicle that Oliver Munson just bought had been stolen three months earlier.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
Mother Murdered, Her Newborn Is The Suspected Victim Of Child Trafficking Ring
On March 28, 1989, 22-year-old Monique Rivera took her sons for a walk around their Brooklyn neighborhood. While the family was walking, they came across two women sitting in their car. The woman got out of the car and approached Monique and her sons. They made friendly small talk and asked if they could hold newborn Andre. The meeting concluded with the women inviting Monique and her children to have lunch with them at Mcdonald's. Monique accepted the invitation.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
The Case of 17-Year-Old Found In School's Gym Mat Still Unsolved
On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found in of the most unusual of circumstances: Kendrick was found upside-down and rolled up in his school’s gym mat. In what would be seen as a controversial ruling, Kendrick’s death was ruled an accident by law enforcement. The initial autopsy report showed that Johnson died due to “positional asphyxia” — meaning that he suffocated from being stuck upside-down in an enclosed space for a long period of time.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
These Parents Haven’t Seen Their Children In Over 30 years
When Unsolved Mysteries rebooted on Netflix in the summer of 2020, the country saw a renewed interest in several different cold cases. As mentioned before, the death of Alonzo Brooks was basically reopened because of the attention that the show brought. Another story that has gotten renewed attention centers around the disappearance of Christopher Dansby and Shane Walker. Both kids were abducted from a Manhattan playground in 1989. Both kids have not been seen since.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
Why Don’t We Know More About D.C.’s First Serial Killer?
The Freeway Phantom was a moniker given to a serial killer who operated from April 1971 to October 1972. The Freeway Phantom was Washington D.C.’s first serial killer who murdered six young girls during his spree. What was a key commonality all of those girls had? They were black.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
Will Jayson Artis Ever Get Justice?
This case centers around 22-year-old Jayson Artis. Jayson had just made the move from his home in Virginia to Los Angeles so that he could attend college there. Before starting his classes, Jayson decided to enjoy his new home. In July of 1998, he brought his brother Steven to Los Angeles for a visit. The two took a trip to Tijuana, Mexico for some partying. On August 1st, Jayson’s friend Michael met them at Avienda Revolucion. Jayson supposedly had a reputation for being a more rowdy person when he would drink, which made this night of partying a potentially bad combination. That was starting to show itself when Jayson became upset with a bartender. He was annoyed that the tequila he was drinking was $6 a shot and he initially didn’t want to pay for it. Michael was able to convince him to pay it and leave — which is exactly what happened.
By True Crime Black3 years ago in Criminal
