I love the older episodes and I got a number of them on tape and have been going through them over the past week or so. One that has always intrigued me is the case of Michael Rosenblum, the Pennslyvania teenager who mysteriously vanished on Valentine's Day of 1980. Rosenblum was one of the many young victims of the "drug war" that was gripping the youth of our country at that time and was into heavy illegal prescription drug use. On the night before he vanished Michael's parents turfed him from the house and told him to "sober up". The next day Michael who was suffering from a severe drug hangover was asked by his girlfriend Lisa to check himself into a hospital, Michael refused and took off with her car saying he'd meet her back at his parents house a few hours later. Michael never showed up and remained missing for around ten years. During these years allegations arose involving the Baldwin Police Department's role in Michael's disappearance including allegations of a cover up stemming from the apparent impounding of Michael's girlfriend's car without giving her notice that it was impounded. The car later turned up and the police chief Gaboolie proffered a letter that he claimed to had mailed two days after the car was impounded (the day Michael vanished 2-14-80 so the letter according to Gaboolie would have been mailed on the 16th) - It was later shown that the letter was not widely circulated even around the police department and in fact was typed on or around May 20, 1980 - Michael's father Maurice campaigned to have the Chief of police removed from his post and was temporarily successful although Gaboolie eventually got his post back.

In the interim the Baldwin police issued a warrant for Michael's arrest two months after his disappearance and Maurice Rosenblum was beginning to recieve phone calls that Michael had been arrested by the Baldwin Police on the day of his disappearance. For their part the Baldwin Police denied any knowledge to both the Pittsburgh police department or the general public in regards to Michael Rosenblum's disappearance. Michael Rosenblum's remains were later found and identified ten years later scattered down a cliff in Baldwin, Pennslyvania but because of the aging of the remains and their condition a likely cause of death will never be arrived at based on the forensic evidence alone. What follows is my theory on the final hours of Michael Rosenblum on 2-14-80. It may be a bit crackpot and is not intended as a indictment of the Baldwin Police Department specifically but I figured it might be a good way to brook some discussion on the case.

On 2-14-80 Michael Rosenblum was suffering from a severe drug hangover (ie: he probably also still had some of the illicit drugs in his system as well) and was driving his girlfriend's car around the Baldwin, Pennslyvania area. He was angry at his parents for turfing him from their house the previous evening and as previously stated probably was still suffering from a bit of a hangover. Michael's refusal to be admitted to the hospital is key here, it should become obvious to the viewer of the UM segment that Rosenblum did not want ANYONE in any official capacity be it a doctor, a social worker or a police officer to find he had drugs in his system for obvious reasons.

Rosenblum might have been pulled over by the Baldwin police shortly after taking off with his girlfriend's car - Let's suppose it was just a minor traffic offense due to the hangover lets say Michael was driving erratically. Michael Rosenblum obviously does not want to be brought in for any type of drug test because he would then be looking at a stiff penalty including possible jail time. Rosenblum resists arrest and/or initiates an altercation with the arresting officers and during this altercation he is killed possibly not deliberatley but perhaps somebody got him with an "unlucky punch" or something or even hit him with an object. The arresting officers realize that they might have a case of police brutality on their hands and over the next few hours dispose of Michael's body in a shallow grave at the bottom of the cliff in Baldwin. They leave the car abandoned on River Road where it is found and impounded several hours later by another officer Chester Lombardi and so begins the entire web of events detailed in the UM segement. This is just my theory about what happened to Michael Rosenblum -

Nothing else that I've racked through my mind makes any sense at the moment as to why this boy's body would end up at the bottom of a cliff. I thought maybe Michael who was under the influence of drugs had a car accident (there was tire damage to the car) and died during this accident - Well that is all well and good but there would be no reason to cover that up as it is simply a sad case of a teenage boy knocked out on too many prescription pain killers having a tragic and fatal car accident. The family would have been notified of the tragedy immediatley. I thought maybe a random act of violence but again that doesn't make sense either given the background laid out by the UM segment. In my mind in some way shape or form Michael ran afoul of the law that day and died likely because of it. Also two disturbing questions still remain regarding the Baldwin police: In addition to not notifying Michael's girlfriend about the state of her car, the Baldwin police's accusations that Rosenblum was involved in a robbery attempt two months after his disappearance says one thing to me: that the Baldwin police thought it better that Rosenblum would be percieved in the eyes of the Baldwin public as not only still being alive but alive and well in their very own community when this was obviously not true!

Also if you "buy into" this theory the fact that Rosenblum's remains were found in a deserted area where few people would travel on a day to day basis is key because the people who killed Michael also thought it would be better if Michael Rosenblum was percieved still alive but missing instead of deceased. Nobody involved with this crime wanted it to be known that Michael Rosenblum was dead or to have his remains found.

Later.

I think Michael's body was killed somewhere else and left to decompose for a couple years. Afterwards, the person(s) involved in the crime dumped different body parts along the place where he was last seen. The chief is definitely suspect number one.

Nothing else that I've racked through my mind makes any sense at the moment as to why this boy's body would end up at the bottom of a cliff.

Michael's clothing parts weren't found at the bottom of the cliff, but above the road, overlooking the location where his girlfriend's car had been found by the Baldwin police. So it has not gone downward, but gone upward! How did these pieces of clothing find themselves laying above the level of disappearance scene, and not below?

Also, not all remains were found, but only a piece of human bone and pieces of garments and corduroy from his clothes (above River Road) and the skull fragment (at the site three miles away). The skull fragment could have been carried away by scavengers weeks or months after death. I have more faith that the human bone found near of the pieces of clothing, though, was were Michael's body was laid to decompose.

Your theory is as good as any I've heard. I always thought he died in police custody, and it would have to be under suspicious/illegal circumstances or they would have no reason to cover it up. I imagined that it was an interrogation gone bad. Like maybe they found drugs in his car or something, brought him in, he was defiant, and somebody just lost it.

What's really sad about this story is that it amounts to every parents' worst nightmare. Parents are told not to enable their children who are using drugs. Michael's parents did the right thing, and they never saw their son again. I don't place any blame on them at all, but you have to imagine that they blamed themselves to a certain extent.

What's really sad about this story is that it amounts to every parents' worst nightmare. Parents are told not to enable their children who are using drugs. Michael's parents did the right thing, and they never saw their son again. I don't place any blame on them at all, but you have to imagine that they blamed themselves to a certain extent.

They definitely did the right thing. Michael needed to get himself together and they were only laying down the law within their household. I'm sure they loved him dearly, but it just couldn't be tolerated. It was bad enough that he was using in the first place and they had to draw the line. How could they ever have expected him to disappear afterwards? It's heartbreaking because it's as if they viewed it as some kind of karma for having demanded that he leave.

^ I don't think "tough love" works at all at least in the way that Michael's parents chose to use it. I obviously don't blame them for their son's death as that was a horrible turn of events but between this case and the death of a close friend in my own life, I've almost made it a personal mission when I counsel parents of children who have drug problems to persuade them to avoid "tough love" at any and all costs. I don't think it works and I think its propaganda thought up by people who were misinformed on how to deal with addicts.

My theory is that he died because he was on drugs and frustrated(driving away from his girlfriend). When his car wheels got flat due to bad driving or something in the road. He walked from the car and died. Either from a natural causes due to heavy drug use, accident or suicide. His body then was lying there so that animals and nature (wind and rain) would spread it around, some will also fall into the river. The strange behavior of police could be explained with bad police work and errors in the red tape. That's what I feel about this case. Sorry if I destroy the mystery ;)

My theory is that he died because he was on drugs and frustrated(driving away from his girlfriend). When his car wheels got flat due to bad driving or something in the road. He walked from the car and died. Either from a natural causes due to heavy drug use, accident or suicide. His body then was lying there so that animals and nature (wind and rain) would spread it around, some will also fall into the river. The strange behavior of police could be explained with bad police work and errors in the red tape. That's what I feel about this case. Sorry if I destroy the mystery ;)

I do think thats a very plausible theory on what happened. Sometimes UM goes out of their way to incinuate something sinister when its possible it didn't happen that way. I think there's a very good chance that Michael Rosenblum died of a drug overdose and the coverup by police wasn't to hide his murder but just to hide their incompetent actions in his case.

^ I don't think "tough love" works at all at least in the way that Michael's parents chose to use it. I obviously don't blame them for their son's death as that was a horrible turn of events but between this case and the death of a close friend in my own life, I've almost made it a personal mission when I counsel parents of children who have drug problems to persuade them to avoid "tough love" at any and all costs. I don't think it works and I think its propaganda thought up by people who were misinformed on how to deal with addicts.

Well considering that you actually counsel those who are in search of help for their loved one(s), or/and are distressed by the drug problem of their loved one(s), what do you suggest? Though I'm aware that not all cases are successful, overall, is process involved? Have you ever counseled those who have done all they possibly could (or presumed themselves to have), but were stricken by tragedy regardless?

Regarding this case, I think that the police chief's "incompetence" was strictly that: incompetence. I don't think he actually murdered Michael Rosenblum. I don't think anybody did.

Either Michael died of natural causes while being held by the police and they covered it up by getting rid of the body, or the tires of his car went flat and he was so frustrated that he decided to take a hike to clear his mind and he came across something in the mountains.

I met Michael in 1974 while vacationing in Long Beach Island, Beach Haven, N.J., I was 16 years old at the time. I am a Canadian from Quebec and every summer I spent two weeks in Beach Haven with my family. When I met Michael, he was with his cousin, two very nice guys, I found Michael very charming and fell for him. He was funny and down to earth. He introduced me to his parents... two beautiful people.
We met again in 1975 and we'd write in between. When I returned summer 1976, I was very disappointed to find a different Michael, he was in his own world, obviously on drugs.
I remember he once said to me '' one day I will come to Canada and surprise you!'' needless to say, many mornings when I heard a car pulling down our driveway, I'd get out of bed to see if it was Michael surprising me. I waited. But he never did surprise me. And he stopped writing. It was only in 1986 that I heard about him on unsolved mysteries. I was shocked and very sad by the news. I tried to find his letters, but never did find them. I do believe the theory that he tried to avoid being stopped by the police for obvious reasons and that's when things got out of hand. But we will never know. This is truly a sad story.

**** I love this website.

If they have the word Unsolved Mystery in the dictionary they should include this case as an example.

It is a mystery in the true sense of the word.

I realize this is an older thread but since there seems to be many of you interested in the fate of this young man Michael Rosenblum, I just wanted to make a few things clear.

All of my life I have live in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Michael disappeared. Baldwin is basically a city community with its own police jurisdiction because it is a suburban neighborhood right across the river from downtown Pittsburgh. Only bridges seperate Baldwin from the inner city. Where Michael's car was found and where all the footage was shown on the UM segment are HEAVILY TRAFFICED urban areas. Personally I have driven around that area thousands of times and it is inconceivable to me that somebody could wonder off and die there without any witnessess. We are talking about bumper to bumper urban traffic every day of the work week. The wooded areas depicted were Mt. Washington, which is a scenic overlook to the downtown area on the Baldwin side of the river. There are lookout posts complete with binoculars and telescopes, scenic overlooks, also many climbers who adventure through the area as a hobby.

I believe that Michael died or was killed elsewhere and somebody intentionally disposed of his body in a way that it would not be found. I believe the Baldwin police surely made significant errors in this case but I do not think they were directly responsible for his death. I feel this way because of the locations involved, how heavily trafficed they are, and how far would have been able to travel on foot. Another theory is that he fell or was thrown into the river which connects to the Ohio River which connects to the Mississippi River. I do not know much about river currents however.

Just was curious if anyone was intrested or wanted to discuss this case. Always been one of my favorites because it is so close to home.

Where Michael's car was found and where all the footage was shown on the UM segment are HEAVILY TRAFFICED urban areas. Personally I have driven around that area thousands of times and it is inconceivable to me that somebody could wonder off and die there without any witnessess. We are talking about bumper to bumper urban traffic every day of the work week...

I also don't believe that he had "wandered around and died". If Michael was disoriented from drugs and wandering around, he would have been found by someone that knew him. He was from the area and probably had a lot of aquaintences/friends.

well after watching the Rosenblum case again, I relized that the car's tyres were probably flat when he drove off erractally because they were being pumped before he drove off. He stopped the car, realized the tyres were flat obviously walked off to get his tyres fixed and then met with foul play.

Would like to learn more about this case and if it is still being investigated.

I believe someone said in another thread that Michael's father died in the last few years. It was wierd seeing this segment on television, because I worked at the library, which was on the opposite corner from where Michael drove down the road.

My theory is that he died because he was on drugs and frustrated(driving away from his girlfriend). When his car wheels got flat due to bad driving or something in the road. He walked from the car and died. Either from a natural causes due to heavy drug use, accident or suicide. His body then was lying there so that animals and nature (wind and rain) would spread it around, some will also fall into the river. The strange behavior of police could be explained with bad police work and errors in the red tape. That's what I feel about this case. Sorry if I destroy the mystery ;)

I completely agree with you... Although there is a lot of stuff going on on the side with this case, here's my theory: He left with a drug "hangover." That is a weird word for me (hangover of strong pain meds usually means withdrawals). My feeling is that he was going through withdrawals from pain meds, and that's why he was so erratic and aggitated. I have been there personally, and pain med withdrawal makes you want to die, and you don't think clearly at all.

I think he was driving on river road, and the tire (which he apparently had just put air in, so it had a leak perhaps) went flat, and he either wondered into the woods, or, in my strong opinion, committed suicide.

When you are withdrawing from pain meds you truly want to die, and you feel horrible, depressed, desperate etc. I think, given that his parents had just told him not to come back home (and had Im sure, kept his pills with them) he just got frustrated and ended it.

The bones and clothing scattered are a result of wind, animals, etc. Finally, I think too much is being made of the letter. I think the police made a mistake, and the chief was embarrassed about the mistake (in not reporting the car). I don't, however, think the events surrounding the letter indicate that they were trying to cover up Michael's disappearance. Remember, we're just talking about someone not notifying the right people about a car... it was a mistake. A bad one, but still a mistake. The private investigator that they showed (whom the Rosenblum's hired) talked a lot of none sense in my opinion; speaking about the sketch as though it was made from Michael's photo. Remember, PI's are hired by a party and tend to tell the party what they want to hear. For the poor Rosenblum's, the idea that their child killed himself soon after they kicked him out of the house is very difficult to deal with indeed.

Of course, mine is just an opinion. But I know how one feels when coming off of heavy doses of pain meds, and suicide is a very very likely possibility.

Sorry if I destroy the mystery

Nothings been proved anything, so I'm confused as to why you think the "mystery is destoryed"?

I think a better classification for this case is UNEXPLAINED DEATH.

It's important to keep in mind the reasons why homicide was a possibility in this case:

1. The suspect was involved with illegal activities: drugs. Heck he was a felon with an arrest warrant active at the time he was missing.
2. There is compromised evidence in this case, whether via incompetence o cover up, we may not have all the evidence in this case.
3. Michael was missing and his body was found in a remote area by itself.

The decision here is whether a homicide investigation is warranted. Should Michael Rosenblums death should be a cold case homiced?

Personally, I don't see the harm in the Rosenblums investigating their son;s murder or the police classifying this as a cold case. It;s not like the police have to actively investigate the case and take time from their other. No taxpayer money will be spent on the case unless there is an actively lead.
Michael Rosenbaum will be just a name amongst other cold case homicides.

I completely agree with you... Although there is a lot of stuff going on on the side with this case, here's my theory: He left with a drug "hangover." That is a weird word for me (hangover of strong pain meds usually means withdrawals). My feeling is that he was going through withdrawals from pain meds, and that's why he was so erratic and aggitated. I have been there personally, and pain med withdrawal makes you want to die, and you don't think clearly at all.

I think he was driving on river road, and the tire (which he apparently had just put air in, so it had a leak perhaps) went flat, and he either wondered into the woods, or, in my strong opinion, committed suicide.

When you are withdrawing from pain meds you truly want to die, and you feel horrible, depressed, desperate etc. I think, given that his parents had just told him not to come back home (and had Im sure, kept his pills with them) he just got frustrated and ended it.

The bones and clothing scattered are a result of wind, animals, etc. Finally, I think too much is being made of the letter. I think the police made a mistake, and the chief was embarrassed about the mistake (in not reporting the car). I don't, however, think the events surrounding the letter indicate that they were trying to cover up Michael's disappearance. Remember, we're just talking about someone not notifying the right people about a car... it was a mistake. A bad one, but still a mistake. The private investigator that they showed (whom the Rosenblum's hired) talked a lot of none sense in my opinion; speaking about the sketch as though it was made from Michael's photo. Remember, PI's are hired by a party and tend to tell the party what they want to hear. For the poor Rosenblum's, the idea that their child killed himself soon after they kicked him out of the house is very difficult to deal with indeed.

Of course, mine is just an opinion. But I know how one feels when coming off of heavy doses of pain meds, and suicide is a very very likely possibility.

I agree with your sentiments 100%. I never considered the suicide angle, but it makes a lot of sense.

Isn't this case currently listed as probable homicide by the police?:confused:

I also seem to remember that they have not been able to find a cause of death, either?

Why was his body found in that area?

Why was his body found in that area?
His body was never found, just some bone fragments.

His body was never found, just some bone fragments.

But they were identified as being Michael Rosenblum, no?

But they were identified as being Michael Rosenblum, no?
I'm not sure but I think so. At least his clothes was identified. If I remember correctly Mr. Rosenblum also tried using psychics to find Michael's body.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mastermind
But they were identified as being Michael Rosenblum, no?

I'm not sure but I think so. At least his clothes was identified. If I remember correctly Mr. Rosenblum also tried using psychics to find Michael's body.

So they have found Michaels "body".

Yes, they used psychics.

I met Michael in 1974 while vacationing in Long Beach Island, Beach Haven, N.J., I was 16 years old at the time. I am a Canadian from Quebec and every summer I spent two weeks in Beach Haven with my family. When I met Michael, he was with his cousin, two very nice guys, I found Michael very charming and fell for him. He was funny and down to earth. He introduced me to his parents... two beautiful people.
We met again in 1975 and we'd write in between. When I returned summer 1976, I was very disappointed to find a different Michael, he was in his own world, obviously on drugs.
I remember he once said to me '' one day I will come to Canada and surprise you!'' needless to say, many mornings when I heard a car pulling down our driveway, I'd get out of bed to see if it was Michael surprising me. I waited. But he never did surprise me. And he stopped writing. It was only in 1986 that I heard about him on unsolved mysteries. I was shocked and very sad by the news. I tried to find his letters, but never did find them. I do believe the theory that he tried to avoid being stopped by the police for obvious reasons and that's when things got out of hand. But we will never know. This is truly a sad story.
I realize this was posted over a year ago, but I would love to talk with you if you ever happen to see this message.

Let me explain: I was going out for a smoke earlier tonight and my dad tagged along, saying he wanted a puff or two. He asked if he could light it, since I've been a wee bit sick lately, so I handed him my Zippo. He immediately pulled a cool little Zippo trick and had the cigarette lit in seconds.

I didn't really do much but smile at him, but he was clearly thinking of something. He went on to tell me that he hadn't used a Zippo in ages, but the one he'd always had was given to him by a friend of his. That friend was Michael Rosenblum.

They'd gone to Taylor Allderdice High School, in Squirrell Hill of Pittsburgh, together, and had even been members of a sort of club he and a few dozen guys from his class had formed. He said Rosenblum was the craziest, wildest friend he'd ever had, but that they really did have some great times together over the years.

Then he went on to tell me about his disappearance, how the police were implicated in his alleged murder, and how nothing had ever been solved.

I was obviously intrigued, but my dad was reminiscing hard. He ran up to his room and managed to find the Zippo Michael Rosenblum had given him (in 1976, for the record). After looking at it for a while, he remembered he had kept a Pittsburgh Magazine from 1988 with a feature on the mystery of his disappearance. He found it rather quickly and brought it out to me.

Right on the cover was a photo of Rosenblum with the headline "The Search for Michael Rosenblum". I couldn't believe it. And if I thought I was amazed and shocked and all that at this point, reading the article only further awed me. I wish I was able to find a copy online, but Pittsburgh Magazine doesn't keep an online archive beyond a few years.

The article went into much greater detail than the Unsolved Mysteries, and makes what seemed to me to be a bullet-proof case that Michael Rosenblum was murdered by one or more unknown members of the Baldwin Police Department, and that Aldo Gaburri, Warren Cooley, Donald Misencik and others had done everything in their power to cover it up. I even found a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about how the Baldwin PD made efforts to prevent the filming of this episode.

Here's the link to that article: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19880430&id=UVMNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9W0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6804,9520905

I'm still reeling from all of this. It's a lot to take in.

If anyone has any thoughts, though, or interest in the case, please respond. And if there's enough interest, I'll work to transcribe the article. I'm even considering a piece for either the Post-Gazette or some other local paper about the story.

The fact that this remains "unsolved" is unfathomable.

Michael's father fought so hard to find out what truly happened to his son. He died not knowing for sure. And every time I accompany my dad to visit his dad at the cemetery, he always makes sure to stop off at the grave of "the dad of a friend who died when we were young". Now that I know the whole story, or as much as is publicly known, I'm enthralled.

Michael disappeared 30 years ago today. :(

The thing that bothers me is the suspicious phone calls. "Your son Michael has been arrested. Just plain weird. And his dad seemed like an honest man that wouldn't make that type of thing up.

Somehow someway I believe the cops were involved. It could be anything from killing him by using excessive force to an even more sinister reason. The cops not talking and showing their side of the story makes it worse. It isn't outlandish to suggest that there were some crooked cops that might have been involved with his drug use/lifestyle. You never know

Michael disappeared 30 years ago today. :(

wow; and it still isn't solved :(

Hello everyone,
I'll start by saying this was the first case I decided to investigate further upon seeing the original episode of Unsolved Mysteries (from 1988, and also the 1992 update). It is indeed one of the most baffling. At the time it was aired and even more now after the passage of many more years, it seems one of those which may be destined to remain unsolved. Even with forensic science, there just aren't enough clues or a "smoking gun" which can point in any particular direction.

I've watched the segment a few times since, and have taken a few notes on some particular unanswered questions.

Firstly, when Michael drove off in his girlfriend's car, what was his destination? Did he reach it and how did the car come to rest at the spot where it was found by police? There can be many theories; perhaps he had gone out to buy or acquire some drugs. Or perhaps he simply wanted to drive and be alone. I also wonder if it is known how Michael obtained the prescription painkillers he used when he was alive; was it through street dealers, forged prescriptions, both, or another source? How do the flat tires of the car factor into the case?

In the end, the car was found on the side of a road, under a steep hill, near Baldwin. One of the posters mentioned it is quite a busy road. If this is the case, it would have been difficult for him to have been killed by one or more police officers, or another party altogether, on the side of the road without anything being noticed by anyone. This suggests he may have been killed, or died, at another location.

I firmly believe he did not die of anything self-induced, whether by suicide or accidentally overdosing. He, after all, was used to the drugs he was taking. And if he did wander off and die on his own, this would be a much simpler case, without so many bizarre other factors and behaviour.

Question 2: The phone calls made to Michael's father, Mr. Maurice Rosenblum, which said that Michael had been arrested by the Baldwin police. Who were the made by, and why? And why the timing of the calls? It suggests someone knows that something sinister had transpired, and the fact that the caller remained anonymous suggests not wanting to get directly involved in a scandal. The possibility of Michael having indeed been involved in an armed robbery is remote, but is it possible he was arrested on February 14th, 1980? If so, why? Could he have died in police custody? There seems to be no known records to back this up.

Question 3: The car itself was "discovered" and removed from where it was found the day of Michael's disappearance, February 14th, 1980. When a missing person's case was filed with Pittsburgh's police department, one of the main objectives was to find the car. All local police departments including that of Baldwin were contacted, but they said they didn't have it, when in fact they did have it in their impound lot. For them to have kept it there until May of 1980, after three months, is unusual, especially as another police department had been asking about it. So, why keep it there for three months? Of course Baldwin stated they had mailed Michael's girlfriend, the car's owner, a letter. There is no proof of this, which is further put into doubt by Jean Haslett and Fred Capelli. If there was nothing to hide, why in a manner of speaking, hide the car? Three months is quite a long time during which evidence could have easily been eradicated, if a crime had been committed.

Question 4: Who sent the anonymous letter to Maurice Rosenblum, saying he should talk to Jean Haslett? Was it Ms. Haslett herself, or someone else? Why? And why send this letter six years after the disappearance? Ms. Haslett and Mr. Fred Capelli certainly knew that there was some abnormal procedures going on regarding this case and said this. It is unlikely that they know anything about Michael's fate. However, what would they have to gain by lying?

Question 5: The police officer, Chester Lombardi, who was apparently present at the site where the car was found, refused to sign the backdated letter which was eventually sent to Michael's girlfriend, regarding her impounded car. This suggests there was never an original letter written in February of 1980. In the end, he refused to sign a backdated letter; why? Was he or was he not present at the site of the car? It was stated he himself is no longer alive, thus unable to shed any light on the case.

Question 6: Why did the Baldwin Borough Police or a representative refuse to talk to Unsolved Mysteries regarding the case? There may be logical reasons. There may not be. But it does increase suspicion.

Question 7: A small bone fragment was found in 1988, along with patches of clothes which matched those Michael wore when he disappeared. These were found above the road where the car was found, in a steep, wooded area. In 1992, a skull fragment was discovered in the woods three miles away, and identified as being part of Michael's remains. I have not been able to discover any information on any further discoveries (but I'm guessing nothing else has been found). Why were his remains scattered over such a distance? And where is the rest, in fact the majority, of Michael's remains? Do any of these places present a possible place of death for Michael, or was his body left there, or placed there later? Or scattered by nature?

These are just a few questions I can think of. Perhaps it is a case full of coincidences. But there are too many inconsistant factors in this case to suggest that Michael simply wandered off and died or took his own life. If so, an intact body would have more likely been found, and above ground, not too far from the car. It is possible that animals carried away parts of the body, but why were the bones in pieces? Animals scavengers are more likely to be concerned with the flesh. Perhaps the rest of the body is buried or hidden in a third location quite a distance away. I believe that finding the rest would certainly shed some light in a rather shady case, or otherwise add more baffling questions.

I also just realized that it is 31 years ago yesterday that Michael disappeared. A very sad case indeed, made all the more sad by it's been unresolved these many years later.

Hello everyone,
I'll start by saying this was the first case I decided to investigate further upon seeing the original episode of Unsolved Mysteries (from 1988, and also the 1992 update). It is indeed one of the most baffling. At the time it was aired and even more now after the passage of many more years, it seems one of those which may be destined to remain unsolved. Even with forensic science, there just aren't enough clues or a "smoking gun" which can point in any particular direction.

I've watched the segment a few times since, and have taken a few notes on some particular unanswered questions.

Firstly, when Michael drove off in his girlfriend's car, what was his destination? Did he reach it and how did the car come to rest at the spot where it was found by police? There can be many theories; perhaps he had gone out to buy or acquire some drugs. Or perhaps he simply wanted to drive and be alone. I also wonder if it is known how Michael obtained the prescription painkillers he used when he was alive; was it through street dealers, forged prescriptions, both, or another source? How do the flat tires of the car factor into the case?

In the end, the car was found on the side of a road, under a steep hill, near Baldwin. One of the posters mentioned it is quite a busy road. If this is the case, it would have been difficult for him to have been killed by one or more police officers, or another party altogether, on the side of the road without anything being noticed by anyone. This suggests he may have been killed, or died, at another location.

I firmly believe he did not die of anything self-induced, whether by suicide or accidentally overdosing. He, after all, was used to the drugs he was taking. And if he did wander off and die on his own, this would be a much simpler case, without so many bizarre other factors and behaviour.

Question 2: The phone calls made to Michael's father, Mr. Maurice Rosenblum, which said that Michael had been arrested by the Baldwin police. Who were the made by, and why? And why the timing of the calls? It suggests someone knows that something sinister had transpired, and the fact that the caller remained anonymous suggests not wanting to get directly involved in a scandal. The possibility of Michael having indeed been involved in an armed robbery is remote, but is it possible he was arrested on February 14th, 1980? If so, why? Could he have died in police custody? There seems to be no known records to back this up.

Question 3: The car itself was "discovered" and removed from where it was found the day of Michael's disappearance, February 14th, 1980. When a missing person's case was filed with Pittsburgh's police department, one of the main objectives was to find the car. All local police departments including that of Baldwin were contacted, but they said they didn't have it, when in fact they did have it in their impound lot. For them to have kept it there until May of 1980, after three months, is unusual, especially as another police department had been asking about it. So, why keep it there for three months? Of course Baldwin stated they had mailed Michael's girlfriend, the car's owner, a letter. There is no proof of this, which is further put into doubt by Jean Haslett and Fred Capelli. If there was nothing to hide, why in a manner of speaking, hide the car? Three months is quite a long time during which evidence could have easily been eradicated, if a crime had been committed.

Question 4: Who sent the anonymous letter to Maurice Rosenblum, saying he should talk to Jean Haslett? Was it Ms. Haslett herself, or someone else? Why? And why send this letter six years after the disappearance? Ms. Haslett and Mr. Fred Capelli certainly knew that there was some abnormal procedures going on regarding this case and said this. It is unlikely that they know anything about Michael's fate. However, what would they have to gain by lying?

Question 5: The police officer, Chester Lombardi, who was apparently present at the site where the car was found, refused to sign the backdated letter which was eventually sent to Michael's girlfriend, regarding her impounded car. This suggests there was never an original letter written in February of 1980. In the end, he refused to sign a backdated letter; why? Was he or was he not present at the site of the car? It was stated he himself is no longer alive, thus unable to shed any light on the case.

Question 6: Why did the Baldwin Borough Police or a representative refuse to talk to Unsolved Mysteries regarding the case? There may be logical reasons. There may not be. But it does increase suspicion.

Question 7: A small bone fragment was found in 1988, along with patches of clothes which matched those Michael wore when he disappeared. These were found above the road where the car was found, in a steep, wooded area. In 1992, a skull fragment was discovered in the woods three miles away, and identified as being part of Michael's remains. I have not been able to discover any information on any further discoveries (but I'm guessing nothing else has been found). Why were his remains scattered over such a distance? And where is the rest, in fact the majority, of Michael's remains? Do any of these places present a possible place of death for Michael, or was his body left there, or placed there later? Or scattered by nature?

These are just a few questions I can think of. Perhaps it is a case full of coincidences. But there are too many inconsistant factors in this case to suggest that Michael simply wandered off and died or took his own life. If so, an intact body would have more likely been found, and above ground, not too far from the car. It is possible that animals carried away parts of the body, but why were the bones in pieces? Animals scavengers are more likely to be concerned with the flesh. Perhaps the rest of the body is buried or hidden in a third location quite a distance away. I believe that finding the rest would certainly shed some light in a rather shady case, or otherwise add more baffling questions.

I also just realized that it is 31 years ago yesterday that Michael disappeared. A very sad case indeed, made all the more sad by it's been unresolved these many years later.

Some answers:

3) Michael's girlfriend Lisa relocated to Florida almost immediately after Michael's disappearance. To spin a popular current phrase "She literally fell off the grid". When she resurfaced she told "The Pittsburgh Press": "I couldn't handle it. I went to Florida to get away from all the hassle". In the UM segment Maurice Rosenblum asked why in the months the police had the car in the impound lot that they never contacted the young woman who owned the car? A strong possibility is they couldn't locate her to begin with.

4) George Galovich sent Maurice Rosenblum the anonymous letters. Galovich had been on the Baldwin Police Force for seven years at the time he mailed Maurice Rosenblum the letters.

5) Chester Lombardi's widow was unable to conclusively identify the handwriting on the letter to be that of her husband Chester. A handwriting expert also concluded that the signature on the letter was not forged.

6) The reason that the Baldwin Borough Police Department did not participate in the UM broadcast is because Police Chief Aldo Gaburri specifically instructed them not to do so.

I think a movie should be made regarding this case. It is quite a mystery.

I think he was murdered and Chester Lomardi was one of the people involved in his murder, if not the main person. I don't know if he was murdered in a remote location (maybe not far away from the wooded area where his remains were found) or if he was taken to jail that day and murdered in a enlcosed room away from the others in there but I think he was murdered that day or on 2/15/80.

It is odd that his girlfriend Lisa Sharer moved away, apparently, rather quickly after he was considered a "missing person". I suppose it could have been her way of coping once she realized he was missing and because of the struggles of their relationshop instead of being something done as a way to avoid being questioned by Michael Rosenblum's family.

Being from Pittsburgh this mystery has always intrigued me. The scene they showed of him driving up a street in his girlfriends car is the main street in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of the 'burgh. I worked in the library on the corner.

Regarding this case, I think that the police chief's "incompetence" was strictly that: incompetence. I don't think he actually murdered Michael Rosenblum. I don't think anybody did.

Either Michael died of natural causes while being held by the police and they covered it up by getting rid of the body, or the tires of his car went flat and he was so frustrated that he decided to take a hike to clear his mind and he came across something in the mountains.

If he died in police custody, why wouldn't they simply have called an ambulance? Even if he was beaten, the police could simply claim that this was how they "found" him. We are talking about a time period when only gross police misconduct was investigated and even that was rarely prosecuted.

There would simply no reason for the police department to cover up Mr. Roseblum's death. They had no idea who he was (or rather who his father was) and any death could have been explained away as having nothing to do w/ his being in custody.

W/O knowing Mr. Rosenblum's overall state of health, mental state and what he was wearing when he disappeared, a death due to health problems, drug intoxication and/or exposure cannot be ruled out. Since it was an extended period before a search for him was conducted, animal predation and decay could easily explain why he wasn't found.

Police incompetence and misconduct explain the rest.

I posted this awhile back in an older thread, but this is my take on the Rosenblum disappearance:

I had never seen this case before, and after watching it I'd have to say it's one of the top three most bizarre cases ever profiled on UM. After watching it though, I don't see any clear evidence of any murder or police cover up on anything other than shoddy police work. It's pretty cut and dry that the police chief had his clerk forge the documents. Why else would two different people lie to implicate the chief in a missing persons case? The flat tires can easily be explained as just faulty tires. He was at the gas station having them refilled, so there was obviously a problem with the tires and the pressure from having more air put in the tires expanded the leak and probably made it worse. I've had two tires randomly go out on me before, shortly after refilling them with air. I think that he was probably going to buy more drugs when he left his girlfriend stranded at the gas station. Maybe that was the only way he knew how to come down from such a hangover? I think he then got some drugs and en route back to his parents house is when the tires went flat. I really can't say for sure if he died accidentally or killed himself. If he died accidentally, he was probably high on drugs at the time he abandoned his car. But it seems unlikely than an overdose victim would ingest drugs, then wander around into the wilderness and die. But stranger things have happened. If he killed himself it's possible that the stress from being back on drugs and getting kicked out by his parents would lead him to suicide. Maybe he was on drugs when he killed himself, and the flat tires were what ignited him to do so. It was known that he was irritable (from the drug withdrawal he was experiencing) at the time since he was seen arguing with his girlfriend, who kept trying to take him to the hopsital. Add in the fact that he most likely still had drugs in his system and it's obvious that he was unstable at the time he left his girlfriend. So suicide IMHO is a very likely scenario. The reason why his body was never found was because it was there for a long period of time, and succumbed to the elements.


As for the cover up by the police, I think it was done just to cover their own asses knowing that they did a horrible job in investigating his disappearance. As for the phone calls Michael's father received, I tend to think they were either pranks or placed by someone who was a "conspiracy theorist" who figured that the cover up implicated that the police had a hand in Michael's disappearance. And does anyone else NOT find anything odd about the arrest warrant? Just because you're considered a missing person does not automatically exempt you from comitting crimes...and I think the composite looked a lot like Michael. Even if you were to visually place sunglasses on the composite you could still see a strong resemblence. Hence the reason they issued the warrant. Michael's parents should have sued the PD for their lackluster attempt to find their son and also for trying to cover up their own mistakes. If the police were involved, don't you think someone would have came forward accusing them? Two people publically appeared on camera stating that the chief had the letter to Michael's girlfriend forged, so wouldn't it be logical that one of these two people (or certainly others) would have heard rumors about Michael being arrested by the Baldwin PD and came forward as well?


Like others have stated before, I think UM tried bringing out all of the "mysterious" aspects of every case, no matter how trivial they were, just to boost their ratings and to tell a good mystery tale. Michael was a known drug user and clearly unstable at the time of his disappearance. That's why I believe it was either suicide or (less likely) an accidental drug overdose.

Many thanks DarkDante, for your answers to the questions. Ironically, after posting, I found those newspaper articles you had posted regarding the case, many of which answer many of the questions I had. There was certainly much more information than was presented on Unsolved Mysteries[/I]. Once again, many thanks on behalf of all of us (who seem to be more than I had expected) who have taken an interest in this case, for your research and insight.

I did think it was curious that Lisa was not interviewed on the episode; after having read the articles it seems clear why. Although her reactions seemed cold, we need to see this in perspective of course. It seems that she had quite a lot to put up with during her time with Michael, I imagine many stressful situations (as can be the case with someone struggling with addiction), also being a mother which I hadn't known; she indicated that she believed he had gone off of his own free will, and if that had been the case she had every reason to be angry.

Regarding the Baldwin Police and their attempts to contact her regarding finding her car: on one hand, it's possible that attempts were made to contact her, but she long gone by then. But in terms of the Pittsburgh Police contacting all local police departments asking for the car, and the Baldwin Police not acknowledging their possession of it, this is where the suspicion begins to set in, at least for me. It did cross my mind that perhaps the letter got lost in the post, as does happen frequently. However, for Baldwin not to acknowledge having the car (especially one they took in very recently at that point)...Hmmm...

I wonder what reason George Galovich had for sending the letters? It certainly wouldn't have helped his career with the Baldwin Police Department.

Given that the handwriting expert concluded the letter was not forged, this makes the scenario all the more bizarre. I just can't see any reasons that Jean Haslett and Fred Capelli would make up their stories; as with Mr. Galovich, they certainly weren't going to win over any new friends with Baldwin by fabricating these stories. Perhaps Mr. Capelli was a very convincing forger (especially of Chester Lombardi's signature). Who knows. It's a shame Officer Lombardi isn't around to clear this one up.

For the Baldwin Police not to have talked to UM, it came as no surprise that Gaburri was the one who instructed them not to. I sort of guessed that. I would have thought that it would have appeared better to the public if they had a spokesperson, rather like the man from the civil service commission, appear to say something rather official like he did (i.e. something like "we did everything strictly according to the book", etc.). But alas, it was their decision.

I also think it can't be ruled out that the police bungling was simply incompetence upon incompetence, or rather a botched attempt at investigating, and not a cover-up. But many of the aspects of the case do bring forth suspicion nonetheless.

If I lived near I would be curious to have a look at the sites involved in the case, such as River Road and the hill overlooking it, but not quite feasible as I live in the UK.

oneoftheblue,

Just curious: are you an American living in the UK or are you a native UK'ian?

As for my feelings on this case, I started a thread about it a long time ago here: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=198051&highlight=michael+rosenblum

There's some good discussion there as well.

oneoftheblue,

Just curious: are you an American living in the UK or are you a native UK'ian?

As for my feelings on this case, I started a thread about it a long time ago here: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=198051&highlight=michael+rosenblum

There's some good discussion there as well.
Hi Thiussat,
Many thanks, I look forward to reading your theories.

I'm Swedish-born, been in the UK for many years, so not quite a native.

I wonder if Michael's mother is still keeping the case alive?

I've always thought that Michael Rosenblum was murdered by the police and then it was covered up. The letter forgery might have been just "shoddy police work," but I find those words a bit tame due to the deliberateness of it, how can you explain the phony composite tailored to look exactly like Michael, and how an arrest warrant was dispatched for him TWO MONTHS after he disappeared without a trance. The fact that the Baldwin Police Dept. did everything in their power to prohibit UM from touching the case is just the icing on the cake for me.

As for the two phone calls, I think it was from a concerned friend who was trying to use as little time and as few words possible to imply that Michael had been killed by the police. He was probably scared to death when he was making those calls (I don't blame him), and said that Michael was arrested instead of openly saying "The police killed Michael" due to fear of a tap.

I've always thought that Michael Rosenblum was murdered by the police and then it was covered up. The letter forgery might have been just "shoddy police work," but I find those words a bit tame due to the deliberateness of it, how can you explain the phony composite tailored to look exactly like Michael, and how an arrest warrant was dispatched for him TWO MONTHS after he disappeared without a trance. The fact that the Baldwin Police Dept. did everything in their power to prohibit UM from touching the case is just the icing on the cake for me.

As for the two phone calls, I think it was from a concerned friend who was trying to use as little time and as few words possible to imply that Michael had been killed by the police. He was probably scared to death when he was making those calls (I don't blame him), and said that Michael was arrested instead of openly saying "The police killed Michael" due to fear of a tap.

Do you think the officers that pulled him over (or just confronted him somewhere along River Road) took him to the jail first and then one or two of them ended up killing him somewhere inside the jail or do you think they took him out to that cliff area where some of his remains were found and killed him there?

how can you explain the phony composite tailored to look exactly like Michael, and how an arrest warrant was dispatched for him TWO MONTHS after he disappeared without a trance.

Michael was missing at the time. I'm sure his family feared for the worse, but a missing person can still be alive and can still commit crimes. I don't find it all that odd that a warrant was issued for his arrest, the composite looked a lot like Michael.

As for the two phone calls, I think it was from a concerned friend who was trying to use as little time and as few words possible to imply that Michael had been killed by the police. He was probably scared to death when he was making those calls (I don't blame him), and said that Michael was arrested instead of openly saying "The police killed Michael" due to fear of a tap.

A real friend of Michael's would have came forward and discussed what he knew with Michael's father face to face. The fact that this caller was very vague and brief with Michael's father would seem to indicate that he was either a prank caller or didn't have much information regarding this case, and may have been trying to collect some type of reward for information. And where is this friend today? I'm sure most of the "principals" in this case have either passed away or long since retired, so what would there be to fear now?

Michael was missing at the time. I'm sure his family feared for the worse, but a missing person can still be alive and can still commit crimes. I don't find it all that odd that a warrant was issued for his arrest, the composite looked a lot like Michael.



A real friend of Michael's would have came forward and discussed what he knew with Michael's father face to face. The fact that this caller was very vague and brief with Michael's father would seem to indicate that he was either a prank caller or didn't have much information regarding this case, and may have been trying to collect some type of reward for information. And where is this friend today? I'm sure most of the "principals" in this case have either passed away or long since retired, so what would there be to fear now?

You don't find it odd how the composite was drawn WITHOUT the sunglasses? Has there ever been an instance where a guy with sunglasses robbed a place and his composite was drawn without them?


There's just too much "shoddy police work" to make all of this crap seem like a coincidence, especially how Lisa's car was withheld by the Baldwin PD for 91 days when they damn well knew that the Pittsburgh PD were after it.

You don't find it odd how the composite was drawn WITHOUT the sunglasses? Has there ever been an instance where a guy with sunglasses robbed a place and his composite was drawn without them?

Yes, it happens quite frequently, since law enforcement wants the public to see what these people most likely look like "normally". Remember the lady who was a spot on composite artist, who interviewed a man from Texas about a suspect (I think his nickname was Tex) in a murder who wore a cowboy hat? She drew him with and without the hat, and the witness only saw him with his hat on. If the Baldwin PD did in fact murder Michael, why even put a warrant out for his arrest if they already knew he was dead? I think it has a lot more to do with the lax attitude they had about this case instead of some warped conspiracy cover up.

I don't see why the police would cover up the case unless they had something to hide; I think the theory presented is a rather good one. If Michael perished why in police custody or was offed by the police (either intentionally or accidentally) then it would explain their actions.

I understand what you are saying about the composite TheCars1986, but I think the sunglasses angle is too strange. A hat is different, because the face is not obscured; removing the sunglasses from the suspect involves guess work about the eyes and top of the visage. So I think that's pretty incompetent of the police to attempt that, when they don't know the true structure of the upper face and eyes or have any witnesses to go on. I think it's very shady and do believe that they copied the sketch straight from the missing poster of Michael. If it's not a cover up, then it's very shoddy police work, as Kyte said.

Whatever happened, it's obvious the police tried to cover up SOMETHING, even though it might have been something as minor as simply forgetting to send out the letter about Lisa's car being in the impound.

If the only screw-up the cops actually made was forgetting to send the letter and they are completely innocent, then this whole case is a lesson in why it's a bad idea for LE to go to great lengths to cover up their mistakes. All they might have done wrong was make a simple clerical error, but because they wouldn't admit it and tried to pretend it didn't happen, the whole thing wound up looking mighty suspicious and blew up in their faces.

Whatever happened, it's obvious the police tried to cover up SOMETHING, even though it might have been something as minor as simply forgetting to send out the letter about Lisa's car being in the impound.

If the only screw-up the cops actually made was forgetting to send the letter and they are completely innocent, then this whole case is a lesson in why it's a bad idea for LE to go to great lengths to cover up their mistakes. All they might have done wrong was make a simple clerical error, but because they wouldn't admit it and tried to pretend it didn't happen, the whole thing wound up looking mighty suspicious and blew up in their faces.

That is exactly what I think happened in this case.

The whole point of police departments is for them to enforce the law and solve cases. I think we can all agree that PD's want cold cases to be solved right? And what better for an unsolved case to be broadcasted nationwide by a major TV network like NBC and given mass attention? But yet Gaburri, the same person who forged the letter and withheld the car for 91 days, told all his officers not to assist NBC in filming that UM segment. That just affirms his guilt in the case for me. He does not want it solved, not now and not ever, and he's had a hand in it since the beginning.

I watched this case again last night. I didn't see any convincing evidence that the Baldwin police department covered up anything other than the fact that they failed to report they picked up the car. It wouldn't be the first time that a clerical error was made and someone tried to cover their butt. In this case, it backfired and made them - Baldwin Police department, Gabourri(sp?), et al. - look as if they were trying to cover up something far more sinister.

I don't think there is enough information to determine what happened to Rosenblum. One thought that occurred to me was he might have tried to buy drugs from some unsavory character(s) and was murdered. That's just a guess though based on the fact that he was suffering from withdrawal so he probably wanted more of whatever drug he was coming off of, and the fact that he didn't want the girlfriend to go with him - he might have known that contacting these people or this person might be dangerous. Unfortunately, that doesn't account for his car being found where it was with flat tires. The discovery of the car in that condition would lead me to think he may have walked away or hitchhiked out of the area.

There really isn't any evidence either way.

I watched this case again last night. I didn't see any convincing evidence that the Baldwin police department covered up anything other than the fact that they failed to report they picked up the car. It wouldn't be the first time that a clerical error was made and someone tried to cover their butt. In this case, it backfired and made them - Baldwin Police department, Gabourri(sp?), et al. - look as if they were trying to cover up something far more sinister.

I don't think there is enough information to determine what happened to Rosenblum. One thought that occurred to me was he might have tried to buy drugs from some unsavory character(s) and was murdered. That's just a guess though based on the fact that he was suffering from withdrawal so he probably wanted more of whatever drug he was coming off of, and the fact that he didn't want the girlfriend to go with him - he might have known that contacting these people or this person might be dangerous. Unfortunately, that doesn't account for his car being found where it was with flat tires. The discovery of the car in that condition would lead me to think he may have walked away or hitchhiked out of the area.

There really isn't any evidence either way.

I concur.

The whole point of police departments is for them to enforce the law and solve cases. I think we can all agree that PD's want cold cases to be solved right? And what better for an unsolved case to be broadcasted nationwide by a major TV network like NBC and given mass attention? But yet Gaburri, the same person who forged the letter and withheld the car for 91 days, told all his officers not to assist NBC in filming that UM segment. That just affirms his guilt in the case for me. He does not want it solved, not now and not ever, and he's had a hand in it since the beginning.

While my gut tells me the PD didn't have anything to do with Michael's death, that is a very valid point. I often forget that Michael's remains were not found at the time the segment originally aired and that he was officially still a missing person. I mean, this wasn't one of those cases where someone was found dead under suspicious circumstances and the police weren't cooperating because they believed it was suicide and had officially closed the case. When UM approached the Baldwin PD, there was still a missing human being out there, so there was really no reason for them not to cooperate unless they had something to hide and did not want the case to be solved. Their assistance could have even served as damage control for their original mistakes.

Guilty or not, I think we can all agree that Chief Gaburri and the Baldwin PD has some lousy PR skills!

I think the lack of cooperation from Gaburri and his department stem from the fact that it's a "hot issue". Gaburri lost his job/position because of it (although he was able to get his job back). I could understand being cautious and not wanting to get involved in further conversation about the back dated letter due to those circumstances. He could have received legal advice that it wasn't a good idea to cooperate with UM. Who knows.

To be honest, I really don't know where I stand on this case and perhaps never have (once I began truly researching it that is). I've had so many theories advanced to me over the years about what might have happened to Michael from suicide to accidental drug overdose and then there is always the possibility of an encounter with police.

The case itself is just so frustrating especially when you get into the articles and read how much the Baldwin Police Department put themselves through with a lot of their clerical errors and how a little swifter police work might have given us the answers to this case within hours of Michael's disappearance.

Another thing I've found puzzling about this case is how according to the Baldwin Police Department, Michael's family was uncooperative initially in the investigation not wanting word put out there about the circumstances of their son's disappearance.

In my opinion drugs had something to do with Michael's disappearance. In what way, shape or form though to me is the question that always had bothered me about this case.

To be honest, I really don't know where I stand on this case and perhaps never have (once I began truly researching it that is). I've had so many theories advanced to me over the years about what might have happened to Michael from suicide to accidental drug overdose and then there is always the possibility of an encounter with police.

The case itself is just so frustrating especially when you get into the articles and read how much the Baldwin Police Department put themselves through with a lot of their clerical errors and how a little swifter police work might have given us the answers to this case within hours of Michael's disappearance.

Another thing I've found puzzling about this case is how according to the Baldwin Police Department, Michael's family was uncooperative initially in the investigation not wanting word put out there about the circumstances of their son's disappearance.

In my opinion drugs had something to do with Michael's disappearance. In what way, shape or form though to me is the question that always had bothered me about this case.

I think the possibility of drugs playing a factor - either directly or indirectly - in Rosenblum's death is real, and should not be ruled out.

The major problem with this case - as contrasted to others on UM - is that we have no definitive starting point. I believe the PI interviewed in the segment alluded to this fact as well. Unfortunately, I think the blame lays squarely on the Baldwin Police Department. Had they done due diligence with regard to reporting the recovery of the car to Pittsburgh, we wouldn't have so many unanswered questions, and perhaps this wouldn't even be a mystery.

Letting the car sit in the lot for 3 months (was it 91 days?) is reprehensible and a huge detriment to solving the case. No doubt crucial evidence was destroyed or compromised, potential witnesses moved on or otherwise unavailable, all because of that long lapse. It is very frustrating.

I think the possibility of drugs playing a factor - either directly or indirectly - in Rosenblum's death is real, and should not be ruled out.

Agreed. I also think his girlfriend moving away shortly after he disappeared seems to suggest she may have knew something. I don't buy the whole she had to "get away from it all". Perhaps he died in some sort of accidental overdose, and in a panic those who were there hid his body (kind of like in the same vein as the Kurt Sova case).

this case ALWAYS intrigued the hell outta me because, all strange facts and occurences aside, they only found a couple of bone FRAGMENTS and we still don't know WHAT HAPPENED??? Was he murdered? This is probably my most favorite old UM case...

I still think the biggest issue here is that Michael was going through severe narcotic withdrawal when his parents told him to leave their house. The segment described it as a "drug hangover," which kind of downplays the severity of narcotic withdrawal.

As anyone who has been through it will tell you, it is a torturous experience, to say the least. You feel absolutely horrible and suicidal, and desperate. That is why people going through such withdrawals resort to things like robbing pharmacies, or stealing. It is so horrible an experience that law abiding people are reduced to hurting others in order to relieve the pain of withdrawal.

That is why I feel this is not a mystery. Having been kicked out of his parents house, and after having a fight with his girlfriend, Michael finally said "**** it" after his tire went flat. I think he killed himself in the woods, and his clothing and bones were scattered by the elements and animals.

Again, the withdrawal from pain meds is truly horrifying, and in such situations, suicide is a distinct possibility to escape from the emotional and physical torment. I can understand, however, why his parents (having just kicked him out of their house) did not want to accept this, and instead starting looking for conspiracies and cover ups.

Do you think that he just jumped off a cliff or steep area where some of his remains were found?

Even if that were the case, it's kind of hard to believe that no one from the Baldwin PD would have searched that area, because it really wasn't THAT far from where his girlfriend's abandoned car was.

Suicide is always a possibility when there are drugs involved. But unless there were additional factors (a history of suicidality and/or depression, for instance), I wouldn't feel comfortable assuming this was a suicide. If he was walking to a phone because his tires were flat, he may have become nauseous or suffered from vertigo, but would probably have vomited or whatever right there on the side of the road. Being killed by a dealer would make more sense. I don't think that the police had anything to do with his death, but I do think they were a crappy police force, that's for sure.

^ I don't think "tough love" works at all at least in the way that Michael's parents chose to use it. I obviously don't blame them for their son's death as that was a horrible turn of events but between this case and the death of a close friend in my own life, I've almost made it a personal mission when I counsel parents of children who have drug problems to persuade them to avoid "tough love" at any and all costs. I don't think it works and I think its propaganda thought up by people who were misinformed on how to deal with addicts.

I don't know why people think there is a "proper" way to deal with addicts. I've seen addicts scream and belittle care workers and methadone clinic employees and destroy the lives of people around them trying to help. No one should be obliged to help such people.

I don't know why people think there is a "proper" way to deal with addicts. I've seen addicts scream and belittle care workers and methadone clinic employees and destroy the lives of people around them trying to help. No one should be obliged to help such people.


That is very easy for a non addict to say. I wont even start in how its been all but proven that addiction is a disease. And i cant totally agree with you that addicts who act like the above treat people the way you've just described. THOSE kind of people don't want help yet and shouldnt be forced to. They only are there to get methadone to keep themselves from being sick. But the truth is MOST addicts are humbled by their disease by the time they are ready to seek out help and don't act that way. If they act that way, i certainly have nothing for them, but most dont act that way.

However, at the same time i've seen so-called "caregivers" treat others bad much more than ive seen the addicts treat the caregivers bad

Its wrong to put them all in one bucket like that.

Whatever happened, it's obvious the police tried to cover up SOMETHING, even though it might have been something as minor as simply forgetting to send out the letter about Lisa's car being in the impound.

If the only screw-up the cops actually made was forgetting to send the letter and they are completely innocent, then this whole case is a lesson in why it's a bad idea for LE to go to great lengths to cover up their mistakes. All they might have done wrong was make a simple clerical error, but because they wouldn't admit it and tried to pretend it didn't happen, the whole thing wound up looking mighty suspicious and blew up in their faces.

Plus one. I concur.

That is very easy for a non addict to say. I wont even start in how its been all but proven that addiction is a disease. And i cant totally agree with you that addicts who act like the above treat people the way you've just described. THOSE kind of people don't want help yet and shouldnt be forced to. They only are there to get methadone to keep themselves from being sick. But the truth is MOST addicts are humbled by their disease by the time they are ready to seek out help and don't act that way. If they act that way, i certainly have nothing for them, but most dont act that way.

However, at the same time i've seen so-called "caregivers" treat others bad much more than ive seen the addicts treat the caregivers bad

Its wrong to put them all in one bucket like that.

I'm not concerned with what addicts do to themselves but if they harm myself or my children, I will defend myself accordingly. I don't care if they have a disease. Using the same reasoning, pedophiles have a disease. It's irrelevant to me that they have a valid medical condition, if they hurt myself or my children I will do what it takes to stop that.

Its wrong to put them all in one bucket like that.

ITA.

Making generalizations doesn't solve anything.

I think a lot of what went wrong in this case is BECAUSE police wrote him off as a loser addict that wasn't as worthy of the same respect and treatment a "normal" person would receive. Whether it was brutality or he simply wandered off - chances are the case was not treated properly at first because "Oh, he's just another addict. No one will care."

A HUGE problem with treating addicts is that the family often thinks it's just the addict that needs help. A mindset that leaves them ill-equipped to properly handle the situation. (Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to deal with addicts. Just like anyone else with a mental/physical disorder.)

The prevailing concept in our society of "I don't care what they do to themselves, just don't hurt me or my family" when it comes to people who need help is part of WHY these people get to that point in the first place. People end up so concerned about their lives that the deeper issues in others are ignored until they are out of control. It's not like they just wake up one day and *poof* they're an addict.

Well, Michael Rosenblum is the victim here.

And, since he's dead and has been for 32 years, I suspect you and your children are safe from him. So you can stop bashing him and saying what you'd do if he came after your children. He had parents too. Parents who loved him. Parents who mourn for him. Parents who want answers. That's what this is about.

I agree, Necco. Also, these comments in question seem highly irrelevant. Something bad happened to Michael. What was it? Whatever happened, it doesn't change the fact that his father suffered wondering that for nearly 30 years and his mother still has to wonder. No doubt his girlfriend is probably haunted by it to as well as his friends. Addict or no, the chances that someone killed him are high and that's what's disturbing here. We still don't know what happened to this young man and why his life was cut short. That is the issue at hand, not any substance abuse issues he may have had, not his "danger" to others.

Well, Michael Rosenblum is the victim here.

And, since he's dead and has been for 32 years, I suspect you and your children are safe from him. So you can stop bashing him and saying what you'd do if he came after your children. He had parents too. Parents who loved him. Parents who mourn for him. Parents who want answers. That's what this is about.

+1

100% with you. I'd say he could've very well killed him,self due to withdrawals. Been there too, BUT, there is one question that desperately needs to be answered for me to accept this-how was he getting the medication? If this is from a doctor or something like that, that is hard/impossible to replace, I say you may have nailed it. But, if they were acquired through the streets, I believe that's where he's going. The problem here is a flat tire, but if you're on your way to a deal, you don't just kill yourself. I would have asked someone for a ride to a payphone if I gauged it too far too walk and would've called the dealer there. I didn't see this episode, so all I really know is theories being tossed around, but yours sounds it could be. Also, if he is buying them from a dealer, it could've been something with that. I know dealers would kill their clients to rob them and pretend they were going to sell them something. A similar murder happened here not too long ago, and you'd swear it was a police cover-up too if you didn't know inside info. First post here, so I'm trying to keep everything as straight as I can with what facts I do know you guys are posting on the um case.

ITA.

Making generalizations doesn't solve anything.

I think a lot of what went wrong in this case is BECAUSE police wrote him off as a loser addict that wasn't as worthy of the same respect and treatment a "normal" person would receive. Whether it was brutality or he simply wandered off - chances are the case was not treated properly at first because "Oh, he's just another addict. No one will care."

A HUGE problem with treating addicts is that the family often thinks it's just the addict that needs help. A mindset that leaves them ill-equipped to properly handle the situation. (Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to deal with addicts. Just like anyone else with a mental/physical disorder.)

The prevailing concept in our society of "I don't care what they do to themselves, just don't hurt me or my family" when it comes to people who need help is part of WHY these people get to that point in the first place. People end up so concerned about their lives that the deeper issues in others are ignored until they are out of control. It's not like they just wake up one day and *poof* they're an addict.
Couldn't agree more. Drug addicts who go missing should definetely be looked into. Simple fact is, they lead a much higher risk lifestyle because of the DISEASE of addiction, and feel there is no way out, but to get what your body is demanding at all costs. This puts them into an even more dangerous area, where the buyer may agree to something or meet someone they don't usually buy from just to get something quick. I seriously think the possibility of a dealer turned murderer is a really good possibility, probably the best and first thing I would think of.

Well, Michael Rosenblum is the victim here.

And, since he's dead and has been for 32 years, I suspect you and your children are safe from him. So you can stop bashing him and saying what you'd do if he came after your children. He had parents too. Parents who loved him. Parents who mourn for him. Parents who want answers. That's what this is about.

Very well said. As I do think it was his choice to be in that world, he surely didn't know he'd be killed and he didn't deserve to die. If only someone cared enough to reopen his case and find the person(s) responsible, then maybe his heartbroken parents could be at ease finally.

http://coldcaseshardcopy.blogspot.jp/2011/10/who-murdered-michael-rosenblum.html

just found an article in here (scroll down a bit) that says thanks to the UM airing, an unidentified man says he saw Michael incarcerated and shared a cell with him the very day of his disappearance and he appeared to be wounded.

I don't remember hearing about this lead.

http://coldcaseshardcopy.blogspot.jp/2011/10/who-murdered-michael-rosenblum.html

just found an article in here (scroll down a bit) that says thanks to the UM airing, an unidentified man says he saw Michael incarcerated and shared a cell with him the very day of his disappearance and he appeared to be wounded.

I don't remember hearing about this lead.

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I seem to recall UM showing or mentioning this in their segment. Didn't Michael's father get a phone call saying he was "beat up" and placed in a jail cell?

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but I seem to recall UM showing or mentioning this in their segment. Didn't Michael's father get a phone call saying he was "beat up" and placed in a jail cell?

Michael's father got two anonymous phone calls claiming that he had been arrested by the Baldwin police, but I don't recall them mentioning anything about him being beat up in a jail cell. Interesting piece of new info there.

Michael's father got two anonymous phone calls claiming that he had been arrested by the Baldwin police, but I don't recall them mentioning anything about him being beat up in a jail cell. Interesting piece of new info there.

There was a call fielded by UM the night the segment was first broadcast from an individual who claimed that he was incarcerated with Michael on the day of his disappearance. The authorities were never able to substantiate the caller's allegations and I'm guessing it eventually got written off as a hoax.

Incidentally on the night of the initial broadcast of the Rosenblum segment, UM fielded over two hundred calls on the case.

I think it's hard to believe that Michael Rosenblum was actually ever in a jail cell before he died. I doubt that the cops would have taken his body from the jail and placed it over in that cliff/valley area where his remains were discovered in 1992 (I think it was '92).

Michael's father got two anonymous phone calls claiming that he had been arrested by the Baldwin police, but I don't recall them mentioning anything about him being beat up in a jail cell. Interesting piece of new info there.
Yeah, the article I posted said he ''appeared to have been shot'' in the leg. I find that really hard to believe (why would they risk having him seen by others, among other questions). But I do find it very interesting. I hadn't known there were such tips called into the phone center.

The girlfriend was the last person to see him....so she says.

What's not detailed here: They met in drug rehab. She hitchhiked from the gas station and then committed herself to another drug rehab and mental institution the day he went missing. Then she moved to Florida immediately. She also had a 3 year old and was a previous Playboy playmate.

Wonder if she's not revealing everything she knows? Maybe a deeper drug involvement with the Baldwin PD? Who's to say she wasn't in the car when it broke down and saw what happened?

The girlfriend was the last person to see him....so she says.

What's not detailed here: They met in drug rehab. She hitchhiked from the gas station and then committed herself to another drug rehab and mental institution the day he went missing. Then she moved to Florida immediately. She also had a 3 year old and was a previous Playboy playmate.

Wonder if she's not revealing everything she knows? Maybe a deeper drug involvement with the Baldwin PD? Who's to say she wasn't in the car when it broke down and saw what happened?


Wow. Got a source for any of that?? Definitely seems compelling.

Thinking about it though, the absence of a clear motive seems to make all of that incidental. She might've been sketchy/had sketchy connections, but how could any of that be tied into/lead to a motive for wanting Michael dead?? Michael's disappearance/death could've just as easily caused her to fall back into whatever bad rut she had been stuck in, hence her checking herself into a different hospital/institution. Then, after getting out, she moved to FL as a way to make a clean break and move on.

TheCars1986 had a good hypothesis that I expounded upon in this other thread (scroll all the way to the bottom)

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=273816&page=2&highlight=michael+rosenblum

Wow. Got a source for any of that?? Definitely seems compelling.

Thinking about it though, the absence of a clear motive seems to make all of that incidental. She might've been sketchy/had sketchy connections, but how could any of that be tied into/lead to a motive for wanting Michael dead?? Michael's disappearance/death could've just as easily caused her to fall back into whatever bad rut she had been stuck in, hence her checking herself into a different hospital/institution. Then, after getting out, she moved to FL as a way to make a clean break and move on.

TheCars1986 had a good hypothesis that I expounded upon in this other thread (scroll all the way to the bottom)

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=273816&page=2&highlight=michael+rosenblum

Those facts are mentioned here:

http://trailwentcold.com/2016/07/07/...ael-rosenblum/

I'm not saying she wanted Michael dead. I'm wondering if maybe she was actually still with him when he got pulled over and knows more than she ever said. There was mention that her 3 year old was with them when he left her...maybe the cops pulled them over, let her go since the kid was there and then proceeded to shake down Michael. If they threatened her kid, that'd be enough to keep her mouth shut and move away ASAP.

Those facts are mentioned here:

http://trailwentcold.com/2016/07/07/...ael-rosenblum/

I'm not saying she wanted Michael dead. I'm wondering if maybe she was actually still with him when he got pulled over and knows more than she ever said. There was mention that her 3 year old was with them when he left her...maybe the cops pulled them over, let her go since the kid were there and then proceeded to shake down Michael. If they threatened her kid, that'd be enough to keep her mouth shut and move away ASAP.

Perhaps. Might be worth it for someone to talk to her again. If most of the principals in this case are dead (or close to it), she might be more inclined to open up

I still think this was a suicide. His girlfriend, according to UM, went to Michael's parents house after he left her stranded at a gas station. That's why she had to hitchhike to get there. If she was involved in his death, I don't see her willingly giving up/abandoning her car (for 3 months because that's when she was finally notified that her car was found) when she could have just as easily said Michael took off running from the gas station and she couldn't find him. She may have had issues with drugs too, but I don't think that has anything to do with Michael's death.

I'm not particularly firm on what I suspect happened to Michael, but after all these years I still don't understand why anyone would've thought the Baldwin Police was responsible for his disappearance (and presumably, his death) aside from the very obvious butt-covering surrounding the impoundment of Lisa's car and a couple of anonymous calls to Maurice Rosemblum. That's it. There's no evidence the Baldwin Police ever stopped, questioned, or held Michael Rosenblum on February 14, 1980. I just never understood the assuredness about it.

I'm not particularly firm on what I suspect happened to Michael, but after all these years I still don't understand why anyone would've thought the Baldwin Police was responsible for his disappearance (and presumably, his death) aside from the very obvious butt-covering surrounding the impoundment of Lisa's car and a couple of anonymous calls to Maurice Rosemblum. That's it. There's no evidence the Baldwin Police ever stopped, questioned, or held Michael Rosenblum on February 14, 1980. I just never understood the assuredness about it.

I actually changed my mind on this case after seeing this thread which contains PDFs of an extensive cover story published about the case in Pittsburgh Magazine in May 1988:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=314947

The article directs a lot of suspicion towards two Baldwin police officers, Warren Cooley and Donald Miscensik, who were heading to an address in McKeesport to serve a warrant on the day Michael was disappeared. This route would have required them to travel on River Road shortly before Lisa's car was discovered. But Cooley and Miscensik apparently never served the warrant, never reported seeing the car, and stayed off the radio for the next three hours. It was also Cooley who made the strange decision to issue the arrest warrant for Michael when he was suspected of robbing the drug store months later. There's a lot more suspicious info in the article, but the prevailing theory at that time was that Cooley and Miscensik may have crossed paths with Michael after the tires on Lisa's car went flat and if he was behaving erratically because of drug withdrawal, something could have gone horribly wrong.

However, the disclaimer is that Cooley and Miscensik filed a defamation of character lawsuit over this article and settled with the magazine right before they were scheduled to go to trial. The lawsuit was filed around the same time UM produced their segment about the case, which might explain why they made no mention of Cooley and Miscensik. But if most of the information in that article is accurate, then it lends a lot more credence to the theory that the Baldwin P.D. were responsible for Michael's disappearance, IMO.

I actually changed my mind on this case after seeing this thread which contains PDFs of an extensive cover story published about the case in Pittsburgh Magazine in May 1988:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=314947

The article directs a lot of suspicion towards two Baldwin police officers, Warren Cooley and Donald Miscensik, who were heading to an address in McKeesport to serve a warrant on the day Michael was disappeared. This route would have required them to travel on River Road shortly before Lisa's car was discovered. But Cooley and Miscensik apparently never served the warrant, never reported seeing the car, and stayed off the radio for the next three hours. It was also Cooley who made the strange decision to issue the arrest warrant for Michael when he was suspected of robbing the drug store months later. There's a lot more suspicious info in the article, but the prevailing theory at that time was that Cooley and Miscensik may have crossed paths with Michael after the tires on Lisa's car went flat and if he was behaving erratically because of drug withdrawal, something could have gone horribly wrong.

However, the disclaimer is that Cooley and Miscensik filed a defamation of character lawsuit over this article and settled with the magazine right before they were scheduled to go to trial. The lawsuit was filed around the same time UM produced their segment about the case, which might explain why they made no mention of Cooley and Miscensik. But if most of the information in that article is accurate, then it lends a lot more credence to the theory that the Baldwin P.D. were responsible for Michael's disappearance, IMO.

THAT explains a lot, Robin. Thank you very much.

I've listened to your podcast on the case pretty much every night winding down for bed but after the kind of week we've had at work, I keep falling asleep before I can finish it. :lol:

Just finished reading the article.

I agree with what Terscek said in the segment: were it not for that car being towed, we'd probably know what happened to Michael today.

I'm not sure how I feel about the officers that may have come into contact with Michael--although it's certainly interesting they were known to be in the area just before the car was found and were off comms for hours that afternoon (as well as the fact that Michael was reluctant to pull over for a pursuing officer on at least one prior occasion, signifying that he may have tried to run from the pair if there was indeed an encounter), I'm not willing to hang my hat on those to being the responsible party for the disappearance and death. What I do ABSOLUTELY co-sign is that that police department had a leadership problem grave enough that it singlehandedly caused the cloud obscuring all facets of the investigation (and calling it an investigation is charitable). It's nearly 40 years after the fact, and there apparently isn't even a file on the Rosenblum disappearance in the jurisdictional department. It's dereliction of duty in the highest degree.

I wish the PA state police could've found an appropriate angle to move in before Gaburri had the opportunity to muck it up beyond all salvageability. Forty years ago or not, it makes me angry that one man with a little bit of position and power is pretty much the sole reason why the Rosenblums were never able to learn what happened to their son, and that people either lost their jobs or were threatened with the same for just telling the truth.

THAT explains a lot, Robin. Thank you very much.

I've listened to your podcast on the case pretty much every night winding down for bed but after the kind of week we've had at work, I keep falling asleep before I can finish it. :lol:

Holy hell... If I listened to TTWC as I tried to fall asleep, I would definitely have weird dreams if not straight up nightmares. :lol:

I agree with RobinW. To that end, Cars, how do you explain the actions of the police? I think suicide is a strong possibility, but why would the police have done so much to cover up then? If it was just CYA over finding the car I could write it off, but they went to great lengths to cover up what they did (or failed to do). If you add in what RobinW found in that article, then this thing really stinks of an active cover-up of illegal activity.

I'm not sure how I feel about the officers that may have come into contact with Michael--although it's certainly interesting they were known to be in the area just before the car was found and were off comms for hours that afternoon (as well as the fact that Michael was reluctant to pull over for a pursuing officer on at least one prior occasion, signifying that he may have tried to run from the pair if there was indeed an encounter), I'm not willing to hang my hat on those to being the responsible party for the disappearance and death. What I do ABSOLUTELY co-sign is that that police department had a leadership problem grave enough that it singlehandedly caused the cloud obscuring all facets of the investigation (and calling it an investigation is charitable). It's nearly 40 years after the fact, and there apparently isn't even a file on the Rosenblum disappearance in the jurisdictional department. It's dereliction of duty in the highest degree.

I wish the PA state police could've found an appropriate angle to move in before Gaburri had the opportunity to muck it up beyond all salvageability. Forty years ago or not, it makes me angry that one man with a little bit of position and power is pretty much the sole reason why the Rosenblums were never able to learn what happened to their son, and that people either lost their jobs or were threatened with the same for just telling the truth.

Oh yeah, I definitely agree that the Baldwin P.D. was one hell of a dysfunctional police force and Aldo Gaburri was a terrible police chief. It's always bugged me that he refused to allow the department to cooperate with UM when they filmed the segment, especially since Michael was still a missing person at that point. I know it was common for police departments to decline to participate in UM segments about cases which were officially closed because the victim's death was ruled suicide or accidental, but Michael's is the only missing persons case I can think of where this occurred. Some of the most fascinating info in that article involved George Galovich, the Baldwin police officer who was willing to be interviewed on UM until his roommate police officer called them back and flat-out impersonated Galovich to turn them down.

I think it says a lot about Gaburri's dysfunctional leadership that he tried to get the two officers who found Michael's car to do something illegal by signing a backdated letter, but they still refused to go along with it, forcing Gaburri to get his clerk to forge one of their signatures. That just seems like a lot of trouble for a police chief to go to simply cover up a mistake involving impounding a car and sending out a letter, which is why I feel he was trying to conceal something much darker.

To that end, Cars, how do you explain the actions of the police? I think suicide is a strong possibility, but why would the police have done so much to cover up then? If it was just CYA over finding the car I could write it off, but they went to great lengths to cover up what they did (or failed to do). If you add in what RobinW found in that article, then this thing really stinks of an active cover-up of illegal activity.

Though this was directed at Cars, I thought I might toss in my two cents.

(another thread where I expounded upon points of his and also RobinW can be found here: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=273816&page=2&highlight=michael+rosenblum)

The Baldwin Borough Police had leadership problems for sure & investigative sloppiness/laziness was so bad it was almost institutionalized.

Cars mentioned that the police perpetrated a cover up solely to cover their own butts because they did a horrible job investigating his disappearance and I agree. They tried to cover up their laziness, but it quickly got out of hand, to the point where it was just easier for them to keep spinning their BS rather than come clean (this would include their attempts to stonewall further investigation by UM and other sources).

If the police did have a more direct involvement in his death, I'm betting it was accidental in nature (i.e. he ODed/died while jailed, or from being handled too roughly - nothing deliberate)

I agree with RobinW. To that end, Cars, how do you explain the actions of the police? I think suicide is a strong possibility, but why would the police have done so much to cover up then? If it was just CYA over finding the car I could write it off, but they went to great lengths to cover up what they did (or failed to do). If you add in what RobinW found in that article, then this thing really stinks of an active cover-up of illegal activity.

The article details the corruption of the police department but has nothing but innuendo and a possibility that 2 of their cops may have been in the same area at the time Rosenblum ditched the car. There was exactly one anonymous phone call received by Rosenblum's father which said he was in the custody of the Baldwin PD. Nothing has ever come forward (former employees or officers) which would back this claim up. I just don't see this as anything other than a guy who had the misfortune of going missing in a jurisdiction policed by one of the most corrupt and incompetent departments ever featured on UM.

If anything, IMO, the incompetence of their actions supports the fact that they weren't bright enough to cover up a murder or accidental in-custody death. They called the tow in roughly 50 minutes after Rosenblum was last seen alive. The next day, the dispatcher at the Baldwin PD was called letting him know that an officer had located the owner of the towed car and that she had said that Rosenblum was in missing (and in danger) along with her car. I don't see how this would be construed as a cover up of a death as opposed to a dispatcher not passing the information along. Once they found out about Rosenblum's drug history, I think they stopped caring or showing any interest in finding him. I think that is more likely than sloppily covering up a potential murder.

I still think this was a suicide. His girlfriend, according to UM, went to Michael's parents house after he left her stranded at a gas station. That's why she had to hitchhike to get there. If she was involved in his death, I don't see her willingly giving up/abandoning her car (for 3 months because that's when she was finally notified that her car was found) when she could have just as easily said Michael took off running from the gas station and she couldn't find him. She may have had issues with drugs too, but I don't think that has anything to do with Michael's death.

But if it was suicide, where did his body go? I find it hard to believe his body was on that hill all that time and nobody saw it.

But if it was suicide, where did his body go? I find it hard to believe his body was on that hill all that time and nobody saw it.

According to the lengthy article, the area where his body was found was not searched thoroughly. His remains were found in a wooded, hilly area 12 years after the fact. I don't find it odd that it took that long to find him. It took 12 years to find the remains of Brian Barton (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/remains-missing-punk-rocker-seattle_us_598381a3e4b08b75dcc5ec1d), and he was found in a tiny wooded area behind a church that sat up against a neighborhood. (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Evergreen+Bible+Chapel/@47.296806,-122.3601173,298m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xfb439d85df8c6872!8m2!3d47.2963076!4d-122.3602449)

The article details the corruption of the police department but has nothing but innuendo and a possibility that 2 of their cops may have been in the same area at the time Rosenblum ditched the car. There was exactly one anonymous phone call received by Rosenblum's father which said he was in the custody of the Baldwin PD. Nothing has ever come forward (former employees or officers) which would back this claim up. I just don't see this as anything other than a guy who had the misfortune of going missing in a jurisdiction policed by one of the most corrupt and incompetent departments ever featured on UM.

If anything, IMO, the incompetence of their actions supports the fact that they weren't bright enough to cover up a murder or accidental in-custody death. They called the tow in roughly 50 minutes after Rosenblum was last seen alive. The next day, the dispatcher at the Baldwin PD was called letting him know that an officer had located the owner of the towed car and that she had said that Rosenblum was in missing (and in danger) along with her car. I don't see how this would be construed as a cover up of a death as opposed to a dispatcher not passing the information along. Once they found out about Rosenblum's drug history, I think they stopped caring or showing any interest in finding him. I think that is more likely than sloppily covering up a potential murder.

I tend to lean this way, for the reasons outlined.

No doubt at all that police department ate its own, though.

Got to digging into this case again.

The Pittsburgh Magazine article Robin posted mentions a George Galovich, former Baldwin Police officer and presumed author of the "Concerned Friend" letter received by Maurice Rosenblum. Galovich was contacted by UM when they were in Pittsburgh filming the segment and asked if he would be willing to give an interview. He was suspended and then fired from the department shortly thereafter after his roommate, also a Baldwin cop at the time, posed on the phone as Galovich during a follow-up call with the UM crew, refused the interview offer, and subsequently ratted Galovich out to Aldo Gaburri.

Apparently Galovich is still alive, still in Pittsburgh, and currently working as a private investigator. However, he seems to have a history of impropriety in the various law enforcement jobs he's held since at least 1995. It seems after being reinstated sometime in the mid- to late-80s as a Baldwin police officer after suing the department for wrongful termination, Galovich started his PI business. After using police computers extensively for that business, he was fired from the Baldwin police. Sometime after this he became a police officer with the Mars, PA department, and there he stole something like $1000 from an evidence locker. He served a short jail sentence for this crime. Additionally, in his capacity as a PA state constable, he was found guilty of withholding $4,000 of collected fines that should have been delivered to a judge in Saxonburg (yep, the same Saxonburg in the Greg Adams murder).

I guess at best this is an interesting footnote, and at worst could call into question Galovich's credibility concerning the Baldwin police department and the Rosenblum case. I don't automatically dismiss him on that, but it does give me a little pause.

I guess at best this is an interesting footnote, and at worst could call into question Galovich's credibility concerning the Baldwin police department and the Rosenblum case. I don't automatically dismiss him on that, but it does give me a little pause.

Kind of reminds me a little bit of Dave Coburn from the Michael Lloyd Self segment. A shady and bitter ex-employee of a law enforcement agency who goes on to trash their reputation. Not that the trashing was untrue, but it always struck me of sour grapes more than coming out to do the right thing.

The area above E. Carson (aka River Rd) is being turned into a park by the City of Pittsburgh:

https://friendsofhayswoods.com/

I just returned Monday from a visit to Pittsburgh. I was able to gain a little more insight into this case by being there; it's remarkable what context you can gain just by being physically present in a location.

Pittsburgh, like a lot of major cities, has a lot of distinct neighborhoods that all carry their own flavor. Baldwin is actually *outside* the city limits, to the southeast of the location where Lisa's car was found. The car was found in the Hays neighborhood of Pittsburgh (not Baldwin) on E. Carson St, which I learned is a heavily traveled, major artery on the south shore of the Monongahela River. It would not have been particularly unusual for either Michael nor cops from a nearby township to have used this road. The rail overpass bridge is long gone, but the pillars do remain. The tracks on the north side of the road are still active, but the storage tanks clearly visible in several of the aerial shots of this location are gone. All that remains is a gravel lot. A scrap metal facility appears to be the current owner.

Apparently, Michael and Lisa spent the night of February 13, 1980 at Lisa's adoptive mother's house in Whitehall, another township just outside Pittsburgh proper a few miles northwest of Baldwin. They drove north on PA 885 and then turned east toward Homestead, a fairly rough, heavily industrialized neighborhood of Pgh in order to take the Homestead Grays Bridge over the Monongahela back to Shadyside, the neighborhood in which Michael and his parents lived. From their starting location, this would've been the fastest route to the Rosenblum home. It was there Lisa nicked her tire and had to refill it with air at a gas station in West Homestead (I actually got lost driving and ended up in West Homestead on Saturday). From here, the rest is history: Michael commandeered the car and drove off, never to be seen again.

Instead of heading toward his home, Michael stayed on the south side of the river and drove west in the opposite direction of the Homestead Grays Bridge. From where the car was found, he also would've missed the opportunity to hit PA 885 to head back to Lisa's home. I have no idea where he might have been going specifically, but he would've been headed directly toward the neighborhood of South Side Flats through Hays, nowhere close to his parents' home.

The car was called in only about an hour after he left Lisa about four or five miles away in West Homestead. I suspect that if the story about Michael encountering two Baldwin cops on their way to serve a warrant is true, it probably only happened within minutes of him leaving the gas station.

Michael was under the influence of drugs or in withdrawal. He blew the tires on the car, got out and wandered off into the woods where he died.

The whole point of police departments is for them to enforce the law and solve cases. I think we can all agree that PD's want cold cases to be solved right? And what better for an unsolved case to be broadcasted nationwide by a major TV network like NBC and given mass attention? But yet Gaburri, the same person who forged the letter and withheld the car for 91 days, told all his officers not to assist NBC in filming that UM segment. That just affirms his guilt in the case for me. He does not want it solved, not now and not ever, and he's had a hand in it since the beginning.

This is an excellent comment. I re-watched this case this morning. It has been quite a while and I truly have no idea what happened to Michael. I will say, though, that this entire case could be something very elaborate or something very simple. I think it's just as likely that Michael drifted off either in a drug filled haze and died of exposure of some sort of random injuries as it is that something happened with a Baldwin PD officer and he was killed.

I can't get past the the fact that the Baldwin PD seemed to go out of their way to sabotage and destroy any evidence that did or possibly could have existed in this case. I find it very hard to believe that they went through these lengths simply to cover up them bungling the reporting of the car. At the same time, I have no idea why the Baldwin PD would do anything to do this kid and if they did, why not destroy the car or make it very hard to be located? Just a very strange case all around and one of the best Unsolved Mysteries segments ever produced.

Got to digging into this case again.

The Pittsburgh Magazine article Robin posted mentions a George Galovich, former Baldwin Police officer and presumed author of the "Concerned Friend" letter received by Maurice Rosenblum. Galovich was contacted by UM when they were in Pittsburgh filming the segment and asked if he would be willing to give an interview. He was suspended and then fired from the department shortly thereafter after his roommate, also a Baldwin cop at the time, posed on the phone as Galovich during a follow-up call with the UM crew, refused the interview offer, and subsequently ratted Galovich out to Aldo Gaburri.

Apparently Galovich is still alive, still in Pittsburgh, and currently working as a private investigator. However, he seems to have a history of impropriety in the various law enforcement jobs he's held since at least 1995. It seems after being reinstated sometime in the mid- to late-80s as a Baldwin police officer after suing the department for wrongful termination, Galovich started his PI business. After using police computers extensively for that business, he was fired from the Baldwin police. Sometime after this he became a police officer with the Mars, PA department, and there he stole something like $1000 from an evidence locker. He served a short jail sentence for this crime. Additionally, in his capacity as a PA state constable, he was found guilty of withholding $4,000 of collected fines that should have been delivered to a judge in Saxonburg (yep, the same Saxonburg in the Greg Adams murder).

I guess at best this is an interesting footnote, and at worst could call into question Galovich's credibility concerning the Baldwin police department and the Rosenblum case. I don't automatically dismiss him on that, but it does give me a little pause.
Great posts in this thread. I have enjoyed them. This is a new case to me and one I have really sunk my teeth into. I will add to this. Hopefully not too far off the rails, but I think you at least would be interested.

Galovich's improprieties certainly give me pause as well, but after reading through some of the allegations swirling around various officers within the Baldwin PD at and around this time, Galovich by comparison seems like a choir boy. Some of the charges against his roommate Heidenreich for example were staggering (I can detail these more in another post) - and if even a fraction of them were true, Galovich's infractions seem almost small by comparison. I certainly still scratch my head either way.

We know Heidenreich directly interfered with Galovich's cooperation with Unsolved Mysteries. We also know Heidenreich ratted him out to Gaburri. Looking into these characters and those in their orbit at the time is a really strange trip.

Baldwin Suspends 2 Police Officers Over Shoving Match (Sept 21, 1989). (https://books.google.com/books?id=O6kcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA34&dq=%22lawrence+heidenreich%22&article_id=4300,4021919&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiihZ6u5viIAxUQrokEHdebFegQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=%22lawrence%20heidenreich%22&f=false)

The above is from September 1989, after Gaburri was re-instated and then officially retired. Police Chief Kelly, referenced in the article, took his place.

A quote from the article:

"Galovich has "complete faith in the fairness of Chief Kelly and the current leadership of the Baldwin Police Department," he added. "It's unfortunate that the actions of the prior administration and the people involved in those past problems continue to trouble Officer Galovich."

Yet, it seems as Chief Kelly had his hands full with both Galovich (semi-helpful to the Rosenblum case) and Heidenreich (direct meddler with Galovich/UM).

October 1989: Baldwin Officer Suspended Again (https://books.google.com/books?id=4pMcAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA40&dq=%22lawrence+heidenreich%22&article_id=3709,1445120&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiihZ6u5viIAxUQrokEHdebFegQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=%22lawrence%20heidenreich%22&f=false) (Galovich)

^ Alleged to have taken records from the department and provided them to his attorney (Sansone) without the Chief's permission.

Aug. 23, 1990: Baldwin Officer Suspended for Fourth Time (https://books.google.com/books?id=-OQhAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA41&dq=%22george+galovich%22&article_id=6804,4619003&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjq2s2E9PiIAxVTK1kFHZKYLVIQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=%22george%20galovich%22&f=false)

Nov. 1, 1990: Baldwin Officer Gets Suspension (https://books.google.com/books?id=0FINAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA27&dq=%22george+galovich%22+%22kelly%22&article_id=6006,231041&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWl9Cx8fiIAxVfL1kFHQW9EN0Q6AF6BAgLEAI#v=onepage&q=%22george%20galovich%22%20%22kelly%22&f=false)

Interesting that this one also involves Robert Weber, one of the responding officers to the disabled Rosenblum vehicle on Feb 14, 1980. Galovich and Weber respond to an underage drinking situation and Weber instructs Galovich to "destroy" the keg, and Galovich discharges his firearm and shoots it, earning himself yet another suspension.

As for twists that give me definite pause...in 1993, Chief Kelly becomes the target of a civil rights lawsuit brought against him by 3 women who claim they were unlawfully arrested, detained, and then extorted for money. It was dismissed in 1997, but Kelly contended through and through that it was his belief that Galovich, in a vendetta, influenced the women to bring forward those charges: Mar. 7, 1997: Suit Falls Against Baldwin Chief (https://books.google.com/books?id=cedRAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA21&dq=%22Kelly%22+%22Galovich%22+%22civil+rights%22&article_id=6082,4647441&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8yJml-viIAxUWGVkFHbauAgcQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=%22Kelly%22%20%22Galovich%22%20%22civil%20rights%22&f=false)

The possibility that Galovich, for all we know, could have again been going rogue to try to orchestrate the downfall of yet another Police Chief, sure gives me more pause., That said, I'm not going to pretend like I have any idea what is true there.

Two years after the women file the suit (perhaps at Galovich's behest, perhaps not), Galovich gets fired for misusing computer systems; Chief Kelly claimed Galovich was misusing police databases for his own private investigation business:

Feb. 22, 1995: Suspended Officer Fired By Council (https://books.google.com/books?id=Tt0oAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA37&dq=%22george+galovich%22&article_id=5583,4163678&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj6roO69fiIAxWVGVkFHXPdFUMQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=%22george%20galovich%22&f=false)

Clearly, these two had a checkered seven years following Gaburri's retirement from the department.

As numerous as these suspensions are, compared to some of the allegations lobbed against other figures in the Rosenblum investigation and the general landscape of the Baldwin PD at the time, I do find them a lot easier to "devil's advocate" my way out of or at least understand and contextualize. A shoving match with Heidenreich in the especially contentious post-UM months, "evasive" testimony in the Lisa Sharer backdated impound letter snafu where by most if not all accounts he gave truthful testimony (though apparently didn't go out of his way to volunteer it and getting that information was pulling teeth), being fired 2 or less years after removing records from the department that assisted the civil rights suit against Kelly, etc. Was Galovich going rogue to do the right thing or was he a bad actor himself? :crazy:

In short, I have no idea much stock I put into his overall truthfulness either, but I think there is enough to generally accept his claims on the backdated impound letter. IMO, there were enough people (Walter "Skippy" Dobson, Haslett, Capelli), the damning Pittsburgh Magazine tidbit about how miraculously a photo of Lisa Sharer was published as part of an article on Rosenblum, which Sharer later said was stolen from a photo album in her car), and some overall murky and insufficient statements and explanations by Gaburri given over the years quoted in numerous articles. At the same time, I also see Galovich through his years in the Baldwin PD was no doubt "up to some games" so to speak...and I'm more than a little puzzled by Galovich not once but twice was accused of gamesmanship to dethrone BOTH of the Police Chiefs he worked under (Gaburri and Kelly).

This is definitely one of the cases that has stuck with me the most throughout the years. One detail that has never seemed clear to me in everything I've read: The backdated letter was concocted to make it appear as if Lisa had been notified about the car in a timely fashion. But what about Captain Rocco? Presumably Baldwin was one of the first departments she reached out to in the search for the Sunbird, and she must've been told they had no knowledge of the car's whereabouts. If so, that means they either lied or there was some failure of communication in the department. Was it just a case of trying to minimize the damage? Apologies if this has already been answered somewhere else.

This is definitely one of the cases that has stuck with me the most throughout the years. One detail that has never seemed clear to me in everything I've read: The backdated letter was concocted to make it appear as if Lisa had been notified about the car in a timely fashion. But what about Captain Rocco? Presumably Baldwin was one of the first departments she reached out to in the search for the Sunbird, and she must've been told they had no knowledge of the car's whereabouts. If so, that means they either lied or there was some failure of communication in the department. Was it just a case of trying to minimize the damage? Apologies if this has already been answered somewhere else.

That’s a very good question. DID Lisa ever contact the department to ask about the car? I cannot imagine that she didn’t or wouldn’t.

This is definitely one of the cases that has stuck with me the most throughout the years. One detail that has never seemed clear to me in everything I've read: The backdated letter was concocted to make it appear as if Lisa had been notified about the car in a timely fashion. But what about Captain Rocco? Presumably Baldwin was one of the first departments she reached out to in the search for the Sunbird, and she must've been told they had no knowledge of the car's whereabouts. If so, that means they either lied or there was some failure of communication in the department. Was it just a case of trying to minimize the damage? Apologies if this has already been answered somewhere else.

I think this is the most likely explanation. A CYA after the fact.