Has anyone submitted any story ideas to the show lately? [Archive] - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

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Kane

11-30-2007, 08:58 AM

Ever since the recent news about the possibility of UM coming back with new episodes, I am curious as to whether any of you have written to the show to offer any new story ideas.

I mailed a letter to them this morning with four ideas, all of which are cases from my home state:

1) The 1988 disappearance of Virginia Douglas.
2) The 1995 murder of Deanna Cremin.
3) The April 1991 murder of legal scholar Mary Jo Frug (the wife of a Harvard Law professor).
4) The October 1989 disappearance of Melanie Melanson, a Woburn teenager who vanished after attending a party.

I also submitted a self-addressed stamped envelope, because I believe it might help increase my chances of getting a response from them.

joshypiano

11-30-2007, 12:15 PM

You know I hadn't thought of it but now that you mention it I'm going to send in these two local cases that have always baffled me.

1) Mary Trlica, her friend Lisa Wilson, and a young girl from the neighborhood went missing after shopping for Christmas presents in 1974.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/trlica_mary.html

2) Susan Renee Smalley and her high school friend Stacie Madison dissapeared after a night of partying in 1988. Their car turned up in a parking lot the next day. There were rumours they were absconded to mexico.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smalley_susan.html

Kane, I remember the Cremin and Melanson cases. I think they would make for great segments. The Mary Frug one sounds a little familiar. I don't know about the Virginia Douglas case. Could you tell me a little about it?

Kane

11-30-2007, 01:41 PM

Kane, I remember the Cremin and Melanson cases. I think they would make for great segments. The Mary Frug one sounds a little familiar. I don't know about the Virginia Douglas case. Could you tell me a little about it?

Sure. Virginia Douglas lived in Lexington. Her husband, Frank Douglas Sr., claimed that they went on an impromptu trip and stopped at a shopping center in Belfast, Maine so that she could use the restroom. Despite Frank's claim, the detectives were skeptical.

Here is the Charley Project profile on the case (one of the pictures of Virginia is very blurry):

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/douglas_virginia.html

Even though Frank is now deceased, it would not be impossible for UM or any other TV show to give the case national exposure. In fact, UM has featured missing persons cases in which the potential suspect was unavailable for an interview, either by choice or by some other circumstance. (An example of the former is the 1989 disappearance of Pamela Page, whose husband declined to be interviewed; an example of the latter was the disappearance Clifford Sherwood, whose father died a five years before UM did a segment on the case.)

joshypiano

11-30-2007, 08:44 PM

I totally agree with you. Even if the main suspect is dead and the chances of the person serving any kind of justice for the crime may be diminished, there is still another mystery to be solved. Where's the body? Giving the case some national exposure like this might possibly lead to finding a body. Though unlikely.

shek

11-30-2007, 10:29 PM

Amy Wroe Betchel comes to my mind as a good story for them to take on.

wiseguy182

11-30-2007, 11:20 PM

Amy Wroe Betchel comes to my mind as a good story for them to take on.

pretty sure they already did a segment on her.

joshypiano

11-30-2007, 11:32 PM

pretty sure they already did a segment on her.

They did....but I think bringing back some old stories would be great if it keeps them in the limelight.

wiseguy182

11-30-2007, 11:36 PM

They did....but I think bringing back some old stories would be great if it keeps them in the limelight.

i agree, and it sounds like they will be doing this.

gwennie2006

12-02-2007, 08:06 AM

Kane

12-02-2007, 01:55 PM

That is an awesome idea! Thank you for mentioning this. I will do the same and send off a letter. I will include the other case mention here as well. Thank you again.

You're welcome. :)

By the way, when you said "awesome idea," were you actually referring to the idea of writing to UM or the idea of sending a self-addressed stamped envelope along with a letter? In any case, that compliment is greatly appreciated. :)

Kane

12-02-2007, 04:14 PM

I thought about the Stepha Henry case, but I think it was already done by America's Most Wanted recently?

According to the AMW web site, the case was featured on the show on June 30, 2007.

boco357

12-03-2007, 11:37 AM

Johnny Gosch.

Kane

12-05-2007, 08:31 AM

Interesting story ideas everyone (although the Amy Betchel case has already been done). If you haven't submitted your ideas to UM, I strongly advise you to do so.

Write to:

Unsolved Mysteries
P.O. Box 11449
Burbank, CA 91510-1449

Also, do what I did: submit a self-addressed stamped envelope along with your letter. It might help increase your chances of getting a response from them. I sent my letter and self-addressed stamped envelope late last week, so it is too soon to know whether it will work for me.

Like just about every other TV show, UM came up with a lot of story ideas, but never brought all of them into fruition. So there is no guarantee that all of the story ideas proposed here will eventually become actual UM segments, although it's always possible that some of them will. In any case, we will never know for sure unless we offer the ideas to them.

ididn'tdoit

12-05-2007, 11:47 AM

Johnny Gosch.

Yes that'd be a great idea.

James T

12-05-2007, 12:24 PM

Steve Fossett maybe.

kamy

12-05-2007, 02:10 PM

Steve Fossett maybe.
Is he the guy that disappeared in Nevada or something when flying his plane?
You think he faked his disappearance? I think it's odd his wife is wanting to declare him dead so soon, maybe cash in on some $$$ :confused:

joshypiano

12-05-2007, 02:15 PM

Yeah thats him. The guy that was doing all the balloon riding around the world and various other adventuresome endeavors. I thought it was interesting that when they were searching for him in these really remote parts of Nevada, they found something like 8 or 10 other plane wrecks that they never knew about. I wonder how many other unsolved disappearances were they able to tie up because of those crash discoveries

James T

12-05-2007, 06:02 PM

No I think he was just a daft thrillseeker who crashed and killed himself and did not bother to let anybody know his flight plan so may never be found or if what is left of the plane is then it could be years, here we currently have a guy who vanished in 2002 from a boat and was presumed dead whose wife went to great lengths to have him declared dead quickly and then cash in his life insurance, and at the weekend he turned up claiming amnesia but it seems was in Panama with his wife last year so there are some people who will try this stuff on.

Is he the guy that disappeared in Nevada or something when flying his plane?
You think he faked his disappearance? I think it's odd his wife is wanting to declare him dead so soon, maybe cash in on some $$$ :confused:

MavFan92

12-05-2007, 08:17 PM

I second Mary Trlica and her friends. They disappeared from Fort Worth, near my neck of the woods. Their story comes up in the local paper every year.

wiseguy182

12-05-2007, 08:57 PM

Oh, that is a SWEET avatar, MavFan 92. Rod Serling and the New Exhibit. That was one of the better hourlong episodes.

MavFan92

12-05-2007, 09:14 PM

Oh, that is a SWEET avatar, MavFan 92. Rod Serling and the New Exhibit. That was one of the better hourlong episodes.

THANKS!! That's my favorite episode!:D

spark19

12-06-2007, 05:09 PM

I second Mary Trlica and her friends. They disappeared from Fort Worth, near my neck of the woods. Their story comes up in the local paper every year.

Really? I should read the paper more then. Her case freaks me out though. I know it was forever ago, but with the holiday season coming up...yea

MavFan92

12-06-2007, 11:03 PM

Yeah, seems like every year around Christmas, the Ft Worth Star runs an article about their disappearance.

kamy

12-10-2007, 01:45 PM

I second Mary Trlica and her friends. They disappeared from Fort Worth, near my neck of the woods. Their story comes up in the local paper every year.

I do too, I just read about it on doenetwork, and that is terrible! Some one should submit it.

kamy

12-10-2007, 01:45 PM

joshypiano

12-10-2007, 02:17 PM

I do too, I just read about it on doenetwork, and that is terrible! Some one should submit it.

I mailed it off a few days after I first posted about it.

pm330

10-13-2008, 10:43 AM

Is the Amy Betchel case in CD's volumes?

crystaldawn

10-13-2008, 12:50 PM

Is the Amy Betchel case in CD's volumes?

I have that segment but I don't think its on a volume.

GrfxDziner

07-28-2009, 09:15 AM

I just wanted to mention about the Deanna Cremin murder of March 29, 1995 in Somerville Massachusetts, that her Mom, Katherine Cremin has received some more NEW information as of last week. The Somerville Police and detectives are working very hard on this, as is the Middlesex County District Attorney's office. They are very, very close to solving this. If anyone has any information...ANYthing at all... regarding Deanna and/or the night of March 29, 1995 behind the elderly housing project at 125 Jaques Street in Somerville, MA....Please get in touch with the Somerville Police at 617-625-1600. There is still a $20,000.00 dollar reward for the information that leads to an areest and conviction of her killer.....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/105/294242905_fc31e60a4d_m.jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/747743187_92792ae677_m.jpg

There is more information at this link regarding Deanna Cremin's current murder investigation...
Please Help! Deanna Cremin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/GrfxDziner/294242905/in/set-72157602941233477/) | flickr.com

Thank you again so very much!! You people are the best :)

:wave:

GrfxDziner

07-10-2010, 09:45 AM

I have been looking through this some more, and I do think there are many cases that could provide for more episodes. I found an interesting article on line regarding the 20 most famous unsolved murders...
http://www.criminaljusticeuniversity.net/blog/2010/cold-cases-20-biggest-unsolved-murders/

The Deanna Cremin murder is listed as #17, one rank higher than Amber Hagerman, the child whom the Amber Alert is named after, and since its development has found and saved many, many children. All of those cases are quite familiar to almost any person, as they received scores of national, and in some cases, international exposure. With the exception of Deanna Cremin, who has received no media coverage of any kind, except from one local Fox affiliate, WFXT Fox25 News Boston, and in particular one invesigator/reporter Bob Ward. He has been so helpful and remains interested in Deanna's case...
http://deannacremin.org/?p=142

I have never understood why Deanna's case was always kept so quiet, especially of late. A couple years ago a private Investigator named Suzanne McComas of ZZ Agency, LLC volunteered her time to do some investigating. She in fact uncovered additional leads and opened up more dialog within the Somerville police department. A new suspect was unveiled.....but it just didn't get much notice. For Deanna Cremin's case to reach the notoriaty of being included in the top 20 most famous cases, she should have the opportunity to be famous, at least in hopes of finding her killer and avenging justice,

Deanna's Family and friends have held fund raisers and other such events every year since her murder, to raise monies for a Reward and Scholarship that is in Deanna's name. The Reward is currently at $20,000.00, and will be given to anyone that has the small bit of information they need. Middlesex County District Attorney, Gerard T. Leone, Jr., urges folks to come forward with any thing at that they migfht recall. It may seem almost unimportant, but combined with what they have already uncovered, it may quite vital. The District Attorney's office can be reached at 617-679-6600.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4472412767_30148a142d_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/DCMemorialFoundation/4472412767/) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3336/3593309734_23a1b1d0c4_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/GrfxDziner/747743187/in/set-72157602941233477/)
If you click either of those images, there is more information. Thank you again very much.

Sincerely,
Deanna Cremin Memorial Foundation (http://www.google.com/search?um=1&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Deanna+Cremin+Memorial+Foundation&btnmeta=search=search=Search+the+Web)
Somerville, Massachusetts

Guardian

07-10-2010, 11:21 PM

Acouple from my home town area:

-Teekah Lewis, a little girl that went missing from a Tacoma, WA bowling alley in 1999. Locally we still have updates on the news about this case all the time. There have been developments recently according to news articles but the police aren't saying much.

-Adrianna Jackson, a little girl that went missing in Lakewood, WA in the winter of 1995. Her remains were found that spring. This case pops up in the media from time to time. Police say a homeless man is a person of interest, but they have no idea where this man is.

Being a resident near where these case happened, I would love to see them solved.

silverstang84

07-12-2010, 01:42 PM

My girlfriends mother died of suspicious circumstances in 1997 when she was just 11 years old. Her mother was reported missing and after a month of searching, they ended up finding her body in the attic of her own house. There are alot of things that botherd me about the case and how the police went about searching. I belive it would make a great UM segment.
At the time her family thought she was missing, my girlfriends Aunt contacted UM about possibly running a segment about the disappearence. According to her.. UM told her " look at the police" and refused to make a segment. My girldfriend has so many unanswered questions about what really happend to her mother.... and why after searching with dogs and detectives in the house, they didnt think to check the attic until a month later.

I do think its worth it to write to them about cases. I would hate to see this show fizzle out when there are so many murders and unanswerd questions out there to be found.