View Full Version : The Orange Sock Murders
Dislimb 05-10-2006, 09:09 AM I was watching Heather's compilation DVD last night and this one seemed to jump out at me more than it had before. Were there ever any other suspects in this case besides the husband or was this case ever solved? Personally, I don't think the husband had anything to do with it. It was such a small town that I don't find it hard to believe that he picked up the other woman when she was hitchhiking and gave her his business card. They even said that the "local" bar was a 30 minute drive away and everyone around there hitched rides now and then. This is just a weird case.
I know that the segment has a short update mentioning that Bobbie Jo Oberholtzer's husband was no longer considered a suspect, and that the detectives were looking into other things. Although it didn't elaborate, the update appeared to imply that there other people of interest.
A serial killer named Thomas Luther has been considered a possible suspect in the murders of Bobbie Jo Oberholtzer and Annette Kay Schnee. I don't think he's been ruled out, but as far as I know, there is not enough evidence to link him to either murder. But Thomas Luther isn't going anywhere; he's incarcerated for murders he committed during the 1990s.
A book has been written about him: "Monster", by Steve Jackson.
Dislimb 05-10-2006, 10:59 AM Thanks for the info, Kane. Man, you always seem to come through when asked about these old cases. I never saw the update before, but I'm glad they don't think the husband had anything to do with it. He just seemed like a straight up, laid back guy. Like the kind of cat you'd sit on the porch and drink a few tall boys with, not the type of dude to kill his wife and then some random broad for no reason.
crystaldawn 05-10-2006, 11:02 AM I didn't realize there was an update that said that. I never thought her husband was responsible either. I read a book months back that profiled some unsolved crimes and Annette and Bobbi's murders were in there. They made it sound like Bobbi's husband's brother was the one trying to implicate him. They made mention that Bobbi's husband thinks his brother had a thing for his wife and thats why he was doing it.
Thanks for the info, Kane. Man, you always seem to come through when asked about these old cases.
Well, not literally always, but I admittedly come through very often. Nevertheless, thank you for the compliment. ;)
Dislimb 05-10-2006, 05:51 PM They made mention that Bobbi's husband thinks his brother had a thing for his wife and thats why he was doing it.
The plot thickens! Maybe the brother had something to do with it. Perhaps his jealousy got the best of him and he snapped like a rubber band. Then again, why would the brother kill the other girl? Some of these cases just seem like they can never be solved.
wiseguy182 05-10-2006, 06:05 PM I didn't think it was the husband either. It just seems more likely that it was some stranger who murdered two women he probably didn't know than it would be a guy murdering his wife and somebody else he knew only vaguely. In other words, they could come up with a motive for Bobbi Jo's husband to kill his wife, but what would his motive be for Annette? One thing that jumped out about me in this case was that it was mentioned that hitchhiking was very common in this town at the time. I think somebody driving through the town picked up on that, and unfortunately took advantage of people's kindness and trust, twice.
Beetlejuice69 05-11-2006, 12:20 PM Henry Lee Lucas was convicted and sentenced to death (later reduced to life, now dead) for the murder of an "Orange Socks". Same one you're talking about? :confused:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/BigTMan/jrstreaktwo.jpg
Ireneparalegal 05-11-2006, 12:28 PM Henry Lee Lucas was convicted and sentenced to death (later reduced to life, now dead) for the murder of an "Orange Socks". Same one you're talking about? :confused:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/BigTMan/jrstreaktwo.jpg
That's what I last heard. Henry Lee Lucas is a supposed serial killer, who was either tied to the orange socks murder or convicted, don't remember. Is this the same murder or is there another murder called the orange socks murder?
as for the brother being a possible suspect, maybe he killed the other woman to throw the detectives off the trail. Kinda like when those people who put poison in many pill bottles...they wanted several people to get sick, maybe die, so the finger couldn't be pointed at them for killing a family member.
Henry Lee Lucas was convicted and sentenced to death (later reduced to life, now dead) for the murder of an "Orange Socks". Same one you're talking about? :confused:
No, that's a different case. The "Orange Socks" case for which Lucas was charged was in Texas; the woman was found dead in October 1979 (sadly, she has never been identified). The murders of Bobbie Jo and Annette occurred in Colorado in 1982.
The "Orange Socks" cases in Colorado are not connected to the Texas one. Well, maybe CINO (Connected In Name Only). :lol:
Beetlejuice69 05-11-2006, 02:40 PM I saw a pair of orange socks at SEARS last week and it reminded me of "Orange Socks". :(
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/BigTMan/orange-socks.jpg
dynoguy88 05-11-2006, 04:36 PM IMO, this segment was the scariest one Unsolved Mysteries ever featured.
Yes, Thomas Luther has long since been considered a suspect in these murders. Unsolved Mysteries never mentioned him but I guess they wanted to keep it that way at the time. I've read the book "Monster" and here are some interesting facts concerning Luther and Oberholtzer/Schnee murders. -
*Both Bobbie and Annette matched the physical descriptions of ALL of Luther's other victims - Attractive, petite females with shoulder length hair.
*Annette's body wasn't found until 6 months after her murder. While Luther was in jail for the assault on a girl named Mary Brown (a woman hitch hiker he attacked a month after the Schnee/Oberhotlzer murders) he saw a news segment showing Annette's picture - he stared at the picture with this awful glare and said, "They'll never find that b*tch."
*Also while he was in jail for the assualt on Mary Brown, Luther bragged to other inmates that he had killed two other women out in the woods.
*Luther's live in girlfriend stated that he was gone the entire evening of the murders and didn't come home until very late that night.
*Luther called off of work the day before and the day after the murders but he told police that he worked both days.
Back in 1982, EVERYONE in that area (women AND men) hitchhiked. Everyone got to know each other. Murders were extremely rare for that area and time period. The murders threw Summit County, and particularly Breckenridge, into a panic.
Here is a passage from the book -
Breckenridge was still the sort of town where people didn't bother to lock their doors. Anybody who had lived there more than a couple of months knew everybody else, and they watched out for each other. Even strangers were greeted warmly, so long as they didn't act too much like the monied snobs in Vail or Aspen.
The only violent crime was apt to be the heat of passion sort of thing - friends who got in an argument after having a little too much to drink and took a few swings. A night in the pokey and they were friends again by morning. There was the occasional robbery of a gas station or conveniance store, usually by some stranger passing through. But people in these parts couldn't remember the last time there'd been a murder so near Breckenridge until Bobby Jo Oberholtzer (and eventually Annette Schnee).
The dissappearence and murders of the two women changed the town, forever. It would never again be as innocent and trusting. Residents went out and bought guns for protection, something nobody would have imagined before the murders.
The difference in the atmosphere seems pretty different than before. Here is another passage taken from the book that also makes Luther look pretty guilty -
Detectives Richard Eaton and Charlie McCormick keep Luther on the short lists of suspects and follow each lead as it appears. They have tried to trace a report that an airline stewardess in California, who sold Luther the truck he was driving in 1982 when he assaulted Mary Brown, was later found beaten to death. But so far, it remains a rumor.
Initially, Eaton was troubled that Bobby and Annette were executed with a gun, while Luther attacked his other known victims with a hammer and his hands. But then Luther was convicted of shooting Cher Elder to death in 1993.
Breckenridge is no longer a stranger to murders and other violent crime. It keeps Eaton too busy to devote much time to the murders of Bobby and Annette. But he still pulls over whenever he reaches the summit of Hoosier Pass and also pauses by the small white cross beside a stream if other matters take him to Alma. "No one stops being a suspect until I got the guy who did it," he says.
Although they're not his cases and he keeps a discreet distance, Richardson remains convinced that Oberholtzer and Schnee are Luther's work. He points out that the murders, rare for the area back then, stopped when Luther was arrested.
There are other factors that continue to point the finger at Luther for the murders. He wasn't working the day of or after the murders yet he told investigators that he was. He drove a truck similar to the truck the hitchhiking Breckenridge couple insisted having seen Bobby in the night she hitched a ride home. And by his own accounts, he had access to several guns.
Here is a good link involving the case. It's got plenty of details, pictures, maps and even has pictures of the women's belongings including the orange socks.....
http://www.Rockymountaincoldcase.com
Dislimb 05-12-2006, 10:26 PM Wow, just wow. That's an excellent site! Thanks for the info! :)
dynoguy88 05-13-2006, 11:04 AM Wow, just wow. That's an excellent site! Thanks for the info! :)
Yes, it is a very good site. And I didn't notice until now the updated link (posted just last week) about the new TV program "Sensing Murder" on the Discovery Channel where this case will be featured later this year. We'll have to keep our heads up. Wouldn't want to miss it.
http://parkbull.com/newsextra/filmingcoldcase050706.html
KKT22603 09-16-2008, 10:03 PM I'm researching the 'Orange Socks' case in Texas. Anyone have any info on that, or know where I might find some info on it? I'm looking everywhere; not much investigation done on it, especially on trying to ID the woman. Anyone?
Dandy 09-16-2008, 11:56 PM Try the Doe Network: Case File 33UFTX. Hope this helps.
Dislimb 09-17-2008, 02:54 AM Old threads are fun to remember a few years afterward. I had forgotten how hot Annette Schnee was. She was a real "stormbringer" if I've ever seen one!
LooksLikeCRicci 09-17-2008, 02:14 PM Oh, Dislimb.... you slay me. :)
Dislimb 09-18-2008, 02:57 AM Oh, Dislimb.... you slay me. :)
If I "literally" slayed you then who would defend me when I was on trial for said slaying, my dear? ;)
lilmissd 09-19-2008, 10:47 AM I watched the show "Sensing Murder" and I do agree with them when they said that they think these 2 women were killed by 2 different killers! I agree. I think they were operating together to prey on women. They were collaborating with each other, which is why the 2 women disappeard on the same day only within a few hours of each other. It's more than likely that one killer would not have the time to do this. They were probably on the lookout for women who were alone and looked vulnerable; they were easy prey for guys like that. It didn't hurt that the women were attractive either; but I do think that they were definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid the price for it, sad!
dynoguy88 09-20-2008, 11:34 PM I watched the show "Sensing Murder" and I do agree with them when they said that they think these 2 women were killed by 2 different killers! I agree. I think they were operating together to prey on women. They were collaborating with each other, which is why the 2 women disappeard on the same day only within a few hours of each other. It's more than likely that one killer would not have the time to do this. They were probably on the lookout for women who were alone and looked vulnerable; they were easy prey for guys like that. It didn't hurt that the women were attractive either; but I do think that they were definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid the price for it, sad!
I remember watching the "Sensing Murder" special when it originally aired and I was dumbstruck over how accurate the psychics were in their notes compared to the Unsolved Mysteries segment, aritcles and book I have read on the case.
As I recall, the psychics said they thought two different men committed these murders, however BOTH of them were present for the murder of Annette. They suspected the friend that helped dump Annette's body got some sick high over the murder and wanted to do it himself...so he went out alone, found Bobbi and killed her.
The psychics believed the way in which the women were killed were pretty close to what we saw in the Unsolved Mysteries segment except for a few differences in Annette's case. In the UM segment, investigators speculated that she was driven down that dead end road, raped and murdered in that same area. However, the psychics saw in their visions Annette being driven to a different location and being raped inside a car. Then she dressed again in a hurry (her shirt was on inside out and one of her socks was in her jacket pocket) and was let go for some reason only to be shot. The men then put Annette's body in the trunk of the car, drove out to the creek and dumped her body where it would be found 6 months later.
Bobbi's death was spot in every detail with what we saw in the UM segment. Her attacker picked her up, drove her about 10 miles, attempted to rape her by binding her wrist, she fought him off and escaped out of the van running about 100 feet down the road. The killer followed her in his van and When he stopped his vehicle, Bobbi turned and ran off the road (probably in an attempt to hide behind some trees) and that was when she was shot in the back and killed.
One more detail in regards to Bobbi's killer, the psychics said she knew her killer and he had come on to her before when she had always wished he would just go away.
Even all these years later, this case still gives me the creeps.
StackTime 03-15-2009, 03:59 PM I have no idea why, but the Speed Limit 50 sign really freaks me out in the segment
mozartpc27 03-15-2009, 05:50 PM I have no idea why, but the Speed Limit 50 sign really freaks me out in the segment
?
slasherman 03-16-2009, 12:52 PM I watched the show "Sensing Murder" and I do agree with them when they said that they think these 2 women were killed by 2 different killers!
No one killer.
I think many times psychics destroys more than they help in a case. As to why the psychics is "spot on" many times is because they know the case. It is simply not believable that they did not have a lot of information on this case and all other cases on Sensing Murder. These are well know cases and a psychic are more interested in murder cases than a average person. They lie when they say that they know nothing about the cases. And this lie tells me that these people are not helping, on the contrary they are confusing and damaging the investigation. I have seen a lot of the episodes of Sensing Murder and not one new thing have "they" come up with. Not a single thing. What is the name of the killer, where is the licenses plate number, where does the killer live. Just bull**** like: I'm inside the head of the killer now, I can feel the victims pain, she is okey where she is now(talking to the victims parents).
But it is always good to have a case on the tv anyway. But I don't understand the concept of these programs: The lesser you know the better. This is of course bull****. The more information you have even if you are so called a psychic the better. And stop pretending you know nothing because you wanna impress with your psychic ability's; Deb Webber, Sue Nicholson, Kelvin Cruickshank and the rest.
And now to the Thomas Edward Luther speculation. It's not him ! Get that!
“We were sure it was Luther,” McCormick said. But there wasn’t enough evidence to take the case to trial. No physical evidence tied him to the murder scenes, and when investigators interviewed him, he denied involvement.
Then in 1993, Luther was charged with the murder of Cher Elder, who was shot in the head and dumped. Luther had cut off her ring finger and lips because she threatened to expose an illegal sports-card ring connected to him.
Thomas Edward Luther
The following year, Luther was convicted in West Virginia in a the rape of a 30-year-old Virginia woman. In each of Luther’s convictions, he attacked women who resembled his mother, who abused him, prosecutors have said.
At about the same time, the blood on Oberholtzer’s wool glove that was found on the other side of a barbed wire fence along U.S. 285 was tested for DNA. Investigators had long believed that it was her blood because it was her blood type. But the DNA was that of a man.
“Whoever’s blood it is has a lot of explaining to do,” McCormick said. “We’re 99 percent sure it’s the blood of the killer.”
McCormick said investigators were convinced that the blood would link Luther to the crime and be the key evidence leading to his conviction. But his DNA did not match.
One theory is that Luther was with someone that night and that the blood is that of an accomplice, McCormick said. But when they tested the DNA of a friend of Luther’s from Vermont who had been with Luther in Colorado, there was no match, he said.
Luther remains a suspect, but in all likelihood, the culprit is someone else, McCormick said.
Jeff Oberholtzer’s blood was tested and also did not match. Several other suspects have been tested and excluded.
But another suspect, Tracy Petrocelli, on death row in Nevada after killing a man during a cross-country spree with stops in Colorado, continues to be a suspect, even though his blood didn’t match, either.
So now that he is out of question. Lets talk about the case ;)
MegtheEgg86 09-27-2009, 05:37 AM I have no idea why, but the Speed Limit 50 sign really freaks me out in the segment
I get you, bro.
One more detail in regards to Bobbi's killer, the psychics said she knew her killer and he had come on to her before when she had always wished he would just go away.
I haven't seen the Sensing Murder episode, but I have read that Jeff Oberholtzer was sure his wife wouldn't have taken a ride from someone she didn't know, especially at night--she wasn't exactly fond of hitching, but had no choice as Jeff needed their only vehicle for work. He believed that whoever killed her was a friend or acquaintance; someone she trusted enough not to bother with calling Jeff and asking him to come pick her up.
The personalities of the two women are interesting elements. Bobbi has been described as "scrappy", outspoken, a very strong personality. Annette was somewhat docile, quiet, and introspective. Of the two, Bobbi would've been far more likely to fight against her attacker (evidence of which was found on Bobbi's wool glove and the several Kleenexs found with her backpack--the blood was not hers, but almost certainly the assailant's; authorities believe she may have popped him in the nose at some point during the struggle). I think her killer knew her--and this particular nuance of her personality--for two reasons:
1. The killer DID drive the correct route towards Bobbi's Alma home from Breckenridge with no deviations or detours. Perhaps he believed doing so would immediately arouse his passenger's suspicion and compel her to cause an unmanageable ruckus. That is why he waited until he got to Hoosier Pass before attacking her--it's not an uncommon place to find a parked vehicle, but obscure enough at that time of night, away from city lights, traffic, and activity.
2. The killer attempted to restrain her with flex-cuffs, something he did not do during the attack on Annette. He knew she would fight.
There is no way of knowing exactly where Annette was killed. If she was indeed murdered where she was found near the dead-end road off CO HWY 9, she was driven a pretty fair distance from her home in Blue River--past the Oberholtzer home, in fact. She would've certainly known she was in danger well before she was murdered. It seems Annette did not resist in an attempt to survive, and perhaps this is why her attacker felt he could take more liberties with her. Possibly he was acquainted with her as well. Perhaps he was simply banking on the debilitating fear he'd strike in her or just the stereotype that women are passive.
As a sidenote, Annette seems to have a lot of people in her story that are yet to be identified--the unknown woman she was talking to that day at The Drug Store in Breckenridge shortly before she set to hitch home, and an unidentified man whose photo was found with her belongings:
http://www.rockymountaincoldcase.com/images/mysterywoman50.jpg
http://www.rockymountaincoldcase.com/images/schneeunknownphoto.jpg
Mastermind 09-27-2009, 11:15 AM 2. The killer attempted to restrain her with flex-cuffs, something he did not do during the attack on Annette. He knew she would fight.
Really, he used flex-cuffs? How common are they among non-law enforcement back then?
I assume they could be bough in any army/navy store? no?
MegtheEgg86 09-27-2009, 12:34 PM Really, he used flex-cuffs? How common are they among non-law enforcement back then?
I assume they could be bough in any army/navy store? no?
I stand corrected. Turns out they were cable ties, the plastic zip ties used to bundle electronic wires together.
That provides a whole other interesting element altogether. One would have to at least know of cable ties, and where to go for them. I can't imagine those being readily available at your average discount store, especially in Alma. Perhaps an electronics store or repair shop (or someone's place of employment) in a bigger city, like Breckenridge or Denver.
MegtheEgg86 09-27-2009, 01:45 PM From COLD CASE ARREST STIRS HOPE FOR LOCAL INVESTIGATORS, Park County Bulletin NewsExtra (2 FEB 2008):
Can You Help Investigators?
Do you have any recollection of
or information on:
Old Colorado License Plate ZD-25
Anyone with any information or tips on possible owner of old local license plate is asked to contact investigators
(see image below)
Former Placer Valley residents sought Note: These individuals are sought for possible information only and not as suspects..
Do you remember two brothers who rented a house in Placer Valley known as the Chicken Coop? (2191 Park County Road 6 near Alma)
Other information on the brothers:
-Employed by NORDIC PLUMBING, a 1980s local business owned and operated by Fairplay resident, Brian Nordby
-They may have been from Kentucky or Tennessee.
-The younger brother may have just married at the time and had a small infant child
-They drove a gray Chevrolet or Dodge van
(Information released by Investigators)
See Contact Information Bottom of Page
http://parkbull.com/newsextra/080202dnadatabase.html
kadrmas15 09-27-2009, 01:54 PM Yes Megtheegg, very interesting. Cable ties. I would imagine that the killer's occupation also would involve something that used cable ties. Clearly he was familiar with them and how to use them to restrain someone. I think the odds are pretty good that Bobbie and Annette were killed by the same person or persons. I am not sure if it was one man or a two man team that did these killings.
I will say though, regardless of who did it, assuming it was the same person or persons that did this, they were pretty bold to do these killings on the same night. That tells me they were experienced in what they were doing. An inexperienced killer would not do two killings on the same night like this because frankly he would not know what to expect. So that tells me these were not the first and probably not the last killings this guy did.
I also find it interesting and I think there is a reasonable chance that at least Bobbi Oberholtzer knew who this killer was or at least had met him before. Clearly he knew where she lived, in that case he went the way of her home, whereas in Annette's case he went in a completely opposite direction. This leads me to believe that while the killer knew Bobbi Oberholtzer before this happened, he did not know Annette. That photo that Annette had of that unidentified man is interesting. Judging by his haircut he looks like he was in the military at the time the photo was taken. Either that or he was perhaps even a state prisoner as at least at that time it was not uncommon for prisoners to be required to have haircuts like that depending on what state they were in.
MegtheEgg86 09-27-2009, 02:19 PM Yes Megtheegg, very interesting. Cable ties. I would imagine that the killer's occupation also would involve something that used cable ties. Clearly he was familiar with them and how to use them to restrain someone. I think the odds are pretty good that Bobbie and Annette were killed by the same person or persons. I am not sure if it was one man or a two man team that did these killings.
I will say though, regardless of who did it, assuming it was the same person or persons that did this, they were pretty bold to do these killings on the same night. That tells me they were experienced in what they were doing. An inexperienced killer would not do two killings on the same night like this because frankly he would not know what to expect. So that tells me these were not the first and probably not the last killings this guy did.
I agree. It was brazen to commit two murders on the same night, and I too think whomever did this had certainly done it before--maybe in the same area, perhaps not. I get a weird feeling I can't quite put my finger on that leads me to believe the individual(s) had lived in the Breckenridge/general vicinity of South Park area for a good while, but was/were not originally from that area. And aren't in that area anymore.
I also find it interesting and I think there is a reasonable chance that at least Bobbi Oberholtzer knew who this killer was or at least had met him before. Clearly he knew where she lived, in that case he went the way of her home, whereas in Annette's case he went in a completely opposite direction. This leads me to believe that while the killer knew Bobbi Oberholtzer before this happened, he did not know Annette. That photo that Annette had of that unidentified man is interesting. Judging by his haircut he looks like he was in the military at the time the photo was taken. Either that or he was perhaps even a state prisoner as at least at that time it was not uncommon for prisoners to be required to have haircuts like that depending on what state they were in.
That's exactly what I thought about the photo. It's poor quality, but the clothing he's wearing reminds me of an enlisted Navy uniform--or a prisoner's attire. His hairstyle is a stark contrast to the longish looks of the early '80s worn by many men--facial hair was also fashionable then; this man is clean-shaven. In fact, I contacted rockymountaincoldcase.com and mentioned that. The individual who replied agreed and allowed to me that absolutely no one with ANY ties whatsover to Annette thus far has been able to provide even an idea of who the man may be--including her family in Iowa. (The people at rockymountaincoldcase.com are great, by the way. They replied to my message within 24 hours and are very friendly.)
Is it just me, or does his right eye look impaired in some way? It almost looks like someone's socked him, but there's not any intelligible significant bruising surrounding the eye that I can see.
dynoguy88 09-28-2009, 12:51 AM Unfortunately, the locations of the murders made them pretty easy to get away with which makes me think they were not too brazen.
These crimes took place out in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere on a bitterly cold night where temperatures reached zero degrees. The chances of any witnesses coming by were slim to none. Nobody would hear the gun shots. Heck, you could have fired a dozen cannons off at the same time and nobody would have heard a thing.
I guess that's another thing that always creeped me out about this case. That helpless feeling both women must have felt. There's nobody within miles to hear their screams for help and there was no place for them to hide. Bobbie tried to escape with hopes of hiding in the trees about 200 yards from the scenic overlook. But even if she had made it to the trees, she still would have had to run through deep snow banks once she got off the road. Have you ever tried sprinting through deep snow? You're not going to outrun a bullet.
lilmissd 10-08-2009, 02:05 PM dynoguy88-you bring up some good points here. From the feeling I get about the whole case even though Annette was killed first, her body was found last. 6 months after the murders. This leads me to believe from the location that it was found, that the killer(s) had more time with her and found a secluded spot,because they didn't want her body to be found! That is why it was in such a secluded spot, off the beaten trail. With Bobbie, it was different, they were in a hurry to leave the area, so they just shot her and left her where she lay. They didn't care if/where HER body was found. And they got rid of the back packs that the women were wearing in totally different locations, they just dumped them off and ran. I think they seperated the womens' bodies from the backpacks to throw the cops off the trail. This case has always bothered me for years. I hope one day that it is solved!
Mastermind 10-08-2009, 03:34 PM This crime has to be serial in nature. Unless he's in jail or dead, I find i hard to believe that this guy only committed this act twice.
1.One thing that has occured to me is the possibility that this killer is more a rapist than a murderer. It could be only a coincidence that he killed both women because they resisted his advances.
2. This guy has to be somewhat local to the area if he knows that hitchiking was a common practice around those parts. Though I think this incident happened around the tail end of the "hitchiking is safe!" period of Americana.
mattc 12-30-2009, 01:22 PM I also think that this was a serial type of killing. It has all the signs of a sadistic, psychopathic type of slaying. In fact, I looked up Ted Bundy to see what date he was arrested, b/c I remember that he killed someone in Colorado, and wondered if he was in the area at the time; turns out he was arrested a few years before the orange sock murders.
I also agree that this was one of the scariest segments ever featured, especially because the feeling of horror was so dramatic and intense; I can't even imagine how horrible and debilitating Bobbie Jo and Annette must have felt. Really sad case.
I am really surprised that this case has not been solved, honestly, because with the DNA evidence, and the fact that this person most likely has killed before/after (or at least committed other crimes), it would seem that a match would have turned up by now. Perhaps the killer is dead. One last thing, the whole idea that the killer drove bobby in the direction of her house, it doesn't necessarily mean she knew him, as she would have told him where she lived immediately after getting in the car... he might have been heading in that direction to no arose suspicion.
I was just thinking, it seems possible that he drove her past her own house before committing the murders, which I find very very creepy.. talk about feeling completely helpless.
I really hope this case is solved, b/c that bastard(s) needs to be off the streets.
Mastermind 12-30-2009, 04:47 PM Regarding the crime of rape:
1. There are a lot of police departments that don't treat rape the same way as other departments. Some police departments don;t even put rape on their statistics for the year!. It's not a given that a rape case in that area is treated with as strongly as a case.
2. Many rapes are never reported. Victims embarassed, afraid, scared, etc..
The point I'm making is their could be a serial rapist at work without anyone knowing.
Somewhere out there is another crime that can be linked to these two.:mad:
dynoguy88 12-30-2009, 09:51 PM I also think that this was a serial type of killing. It has all the signs of a sadistic, psychopathic type of slaying. In fact, I looked up Ted Bundy to see what date he was arrested, b/c I remember that he killed someone in Colorado, and wondered if he was in the area at the time; turns out he was arrested a few years before the orange sock murders.
The woman Ted Bundy killed in Colorado was named Caryn Campbell. She was from my city of Dearborn, MI. My parents even went to her funeral. My family has known Caryn's family for over 40 years. She was vacationing in Colorado with her fiance and his two children at the time. The four of them left their hotel room and went downstairs to the swimming pool. As soon as they reached the swimming pool, Caryn realized she forgot her magazine in their room. So she left to get it and she never returned. The next day, her body was found just off the road about 2 miles from the hotel.
It was case of extremely bad timing. Some time between leaving the pool and getting upstairs to the hotel room, she met up with Ted Bundy. Bundy's usual act was to fake having a broken leg while hobbling along on crutches and trying to carry a set of books or a few bags. Any time he saw a young woman alone anywhere near him, he would deliberately drop his things so the woman would pick them up and while feeling sorry for him, help him carry his things out to his van. Once they reached the van, he would knock the woman out (usually with a crowbar), throw her inside the van, drive away and then rape and kill her. That's what ended up happening with Caryn.
This happened in 1975 which was 7 years before Bobbie Oberholzter and Annette Schnee were murdered outside Breckenridge. Like you said, Bundy was already in prison by then. But even so, the orange sock killings never seemed like the work of someone as demented as Ted Bundy. They took place out in the middle of nowhere. Whoever killed these women knew the perfect place to strike and had knowledge of all the country roads where he wouldn't be found. That's why I always thought the killer might have been a local guy and not just some psycho driving through the area.
SageSlowdive 04-10-2010, 01:27 PM So, really no one suspects the husband, in the least?
MissFit29 04-10-2010, 02:14 PM So, really no one suspects the husband, in the least?
I never have suspected Jeff Oberholtzer. There wasn't any motive presented. Plus, Annette was murdered first - making it more unlikely, IMO.
WishfulDreamer 04-10-2010, 07:12 PM Wasn't the husband exonerated by way of DNA evidence? I never thought he was guilty, from the beginning. I found him to be quite sincere and when he spoke about his wife. He seemed like a good guy.
WishfulDreamer 04-10-2010, 07:12 PM Sorry for the doublepost. ^
Mastermind 04-10-2010, 10:02 PM So, really no one suspects the husband, in the least?
The cops had only one lead/piece of evidence. Which was that Jeff Oberholtzer knew both women and had his card in Annette Schnee's car.
IMHO, this was enough to list jeff as being a suspect in the murders. But far from enough to arrest him.
The DNA did not match Jeff Oberholtzer.
If you list the evidence in you yellow pad, you have 1 plus and 1 negative check mark on Jeff Oberholtzer. They both negate each other.
Unless new evidence comes to light against Jeff...I see no reason why he should be pursued anymore than another suspect?
There wasn't any motive presented.
Considering this is a potential serial killing..lack of motive isn;t an issue here. Psychosis requires no motive
dynoguy88 04-11-2010, 02:53 AM Jeff Oberholzter was considered the main suspect for about a decade but was finally ruled out when his DNA didn't match the blood found on Bobbie's mitten. He also put himself in a better light with police during the time frame that Annette was missing when he saw her picture in the newspaper and came forward and told them that he had picked Annette up once while she was hitchhiking and had given her his business card. That would have been hard for him to explain once Annette's body was found with his business card in her backpack had he continued pleading ignorance.
"Monster" by Steve Jackson points out many details about this case that seem to rule Jeff out as a suspect as well. The day of Bobbie's death actually started out wonderfully for her when she arrived at work that morning and found out she was getting a substantial pay raise. After work, she called Jeff at around 6:00 p.m. and told him she was going to the village pub with two of her co-workers to celebrate. Those two friends would drive her home afterwards. An hour and half later, it was clear that Bobbie's friends wanted to make a night out of this while Bobbie just wanted to go home. So she told her friends that she would hitchhike home. She left the bar around 7:30 p.m.
Annette, on the other hand, had vanished hours earlier. She was last seen in Breckenridge at 4:30 p.m. at a pharmacy in the company of a mysterious dark haired woman. She bought one pack of cigarettes and a prescription because she had not been feeling well that day. Both women left the pharmacy together making small talk. Annette set off to hitchhike home. She had to get home to change into her work clothes because she worked at a bar in the evenings. She never made it home and her uniform was neatly laid out on her bed when police later investigated.
Finally, Jeff has an alibi for that evening. Unsolved Mysteries brought it up but the book goes into more detail. Shortly before 7:00 p.m., a friend of Jeff's named Joe Urban stopped by for a visit. The two men then went to a nearby gas station and got a can of gas for Joe’s truck. From there, they went to a liquor store and bought a six pack of beer. (Receipts and workers at the two locations confirmed seeing them.) After leaving the liquor store, the two men returned to Jeff’s house where they drank beer and watched television for an hour. Joe then left at 8:00 p.m.
If you combine these 3 angles together in a timeline, it would have been impossible for Jeff to commit these murders. If Jeff was involved, he would have had to have abducted Annette in Breckenridge some time after 4:30, driven back over Hoosier Pass to the area around Sacramento Creek and killed her. Somewhere during that time, he would have forced her to undress, raped her, and then let her dress again. All by 6:00, when he was home to receive his wife’s telephone call.
After that, he would have had to calmly shovel snow until Joe Urban arrived shortly before 7:00, gone to the gas station, a liquor store and back home to drink beer and watch TV until 8:00. Then, only after his friend left, could he have driven to Breckenridge, located his wife in the darkness, driven her to the Hoosier Pass summit and finally murdered her. It all seems very unlikely.
SageSlowdive 04-11-2010, 03:08 PM I wasn't necessarily saying he was guilty, but I find it surprising no one is still accusing him.
mwcarolina 04-19-2010, 11:52 PM I wasn't necessarily saying he was guilty, but I find it surprising no one is still accusing him
he was cleared for reasons i dont know about, but i didn't suspect him much anyway. I think it's someone who they hitched rides with, thought they could trust, couldn't.
SageSlowdive 06-06-2010, 08:46 PM Hmmm...after reading a little bit, I wonder if there was a female accomplice who sort of lured the women in...anyone feeling this?
Guardian 06-07-2010, 05:34 AM How so? Just to put them at ease? That isn't the general MO of a serial killer/rapist. Rarely would there be an accomplice much less a woman accomplice. Not impossible I suppose, just doesn't seem likely.
Hambone2421 06-07-2010, 09:41 AM How so? Just to put them at ease? That isn't the general MO of a serial killer/rapist. Rarely would there be an accomplice much less a woman accomplice. Not impossible I suppose, just doesn't seem likely.
I agree. Sure,there are people out there that would feel reassured if a woman was there but there are also people who wouldn't think twice about it. The people that wouldn't think twice are the ones that were targeted and killed, most likely.
dynoguy88 06-07-2010, 10:34 AM This took place in 1982. A very different time. Homicides were nonexistent in the area. Everyone knew each other. Nobody locked their doors and hitchhiking was done by the majority of the public who didn't have a car. It was second nature to get rides with strangers. Again, this was just a very different time.
It's possible Annette may have been a little too trusting with who she hitched a ride with. She was younger, just 21 years old, and probably easier to subdue. Bobbie was a little older, 29 years old, married and by all accounts, was very scrappy in nature. Despite her small size, if you cornered her, she wouldn't go down without a fight. And that was proven the night she was killed. She used her king ring to stab her attacker and he bled all over her mittens.
SageSlowdive 06-07-2010, 12:54 PM Uh, Annette was last seen with an unknown female, no one had even seen....did everyone forget this?
lilmissd 06-07-2010, 02:37 PM Yes. That is a well known fact. But according to eyewitness statements Annette talked to the woman who reminded her to buy cigarettes. She seemed to be friendly with her and knew her, and the authorities believe that this woman had nothing to do with her disapperance/murder, they just want her for questioning as to what she may have seen that day.
dynoguy88 06-07-2010, 05:35 PM Yes. That is a well known fact. But according to eyewitness statements Annette talked to the woman who reminded her to buy cigarettes. She seemed to be friendly with her and knew her, and the authorities believe that this woman had nothing to do with her disapperance/murder, they just want her for questioning as to what she may have seen that day.
Exactly. Although I do find it pretty weird that here it is 28 years later and police STILL have no idea who this woman is. She knew Annette well enough to know what brand of cigarettes she smoked yet her identity remains a mystery even after all these years.
Mastermind 06-07-2010, 06:47 PM Hmmm...after reading a little bit, I wonder if there was a female accomplice who sort of lured the women in...anyone feeling this?
1. I don;t know that the killer necessarily has to use a lure. Apparently women were already comfortable hitching rides with strange men in the area. Not like the killer was doing anything out of the ordinary.
2. I would argue a lure might hurt his chances. Women might think that he is some sort of swinger looking for a threesome.
slasherman 06-08-2010, 10:50 AM Women might think that he is some sort of swinger looking for a threesome.
Don't bring your personal life into this... ;)
Anyway my theory is still:
- One killer
- Two killings because the first rape attempt failed
- The killer probably a person on vacation in the area
- Probably not a serial killer
I cannot see why people think this killer is a sadistic killer and a serial killer. There is no sign of sadistic behavior and the killings seems more like a act of incidental panic. When he had killed the first one he had nothing to lose by killing the second. This is often seen when a person is on a rampage.
Mastermind 06-08-2010, 11:36 AM Anyway my theory is still:
- One killer
- Two killings because the first rape attempt failed
- The killer probably a person on vacation in the area
- Probably not a serial killer
He may be a serial rapist, though.
Not all rapes get reported.
There is no sign of sadistic behavior and the killings seems more like a act of incidental panic
Rape isn't sadistic, enough?
Hambone2421 06-08-2010, 11:53 AM Don't bring your personal life into this... ;)
Anyway my theory is still:
- One killer
- Two killings because the first rape attempt failed
- The killer probably a person on vacation in the area
- Probably not a serial killer
I cannot see why people think this killer is a sadistic killer and a serial killer. There is no sign of sadistic behavior and the killings seems more like a act of incidental panic. When he had killed the first one he had nothing to lose by killing the second. This is often seen when a person is on a rampage.
The fact that the killer killed someone is sadistic enough for me, but I see your point.
I agree though that it wasn't a serial killer, but more of a spree killer. If more murders are confirmed to be from this person, then I would agree that it is a serial killer.
slasherman 06-09-2010, 08:53 PM Rape isn't sadistic, enough?
Rape has nothing to do with sadism but a rapist can be a sadist. It's a big difference.
Luckily very few people are sadists...
Mastermind 06-10-2010, 11:33 AM Quote:
Originally Posted by Mastermind
Rape isn't sadistic, enough?
Rape has nothing to do with sadism but a rapist can be a sadist. It's a big difference.
Luckily very few people are sadists...
People use rape to torture and humiliate people all the time.
MegtheEgg86 06-10-2010, 05:04 PM The DA responsible for the case in Colorado was seeking information a while back on a "couple of brothers" who owned a van and lived in the area at the time. What does everyone think of the possibility that two different men launched attacks on Annette and Bobbie Jo?
slasherman 06-11-2010, 11:38 AM The DA responsible for the case in Colorado was seeking information a while back on a "couple of brothers" who owned a van and lived in the area at the time. What does everyone think of the possibility that two different men launched attacks on Annette and Bobbie Jo?
The sock pretty much dismisses that possibility. They where also shot by the same gun if I remember correctly....
MegtheEgg86 06-11-2010, 05:12 PM The sock pretty much dismisses that possibility. They where also shot by the same gun if I remember correctly....
Not if they're brothers and use the same vehicle to commit their separate crimes. The socks belonged to Annette Schnee. She was, LE has theorized, murdered first. In her haste, she failed to replace one of the orange socks, leaving it in the van. It later comes out as Bobbie Jo tries to escape. The socks don't discount the theory at all. I guess I should've been a bit clearer there.
dynoguy88 06-11-2010, 07:41 PM I don't think we know for sure that the orange socks were Annette's. She was already wearing longer white and red striped socks when she hitched the ride out of Breckenridge. After she was raped, she was allowed to get dressed but couldn't find one of her white socks (it was later found in her coat pocket once her body was found.)
http://www.rockymountaincoldcase.com/images/schnee_1_rightbootsock50.jpg
Those orange socks were little booties. Certainly not the kind of socks you'd wear in that part of Colorado where the Winter temperature reaches below zero more often than not.
I think the socks might have belonged to the girlfriend or wife of the killer and they happened to be in the van that night.
MegtheEgg86 06-11-2010, 08:04 PM Thanks, dynoguy. I was always under the impression that they were hers as she put one on, but I suppose it never occured to me that the orange socks could've been there before Annette ever got in the vehicle.
That photograph is chilling. All of the evidence photos from this case are, really. :(
slasherman 06-12-2010, 09:43 AM Not if they're brothers and use the same vehicle to commit their separate crimes. The socks belonged to Annette Schnee. She was, LE has theorized, murdered first. In her haste, she failed to replace one of the orange socks, leaving it in the van. It later comes out as Bobbie Jo tries to escape. The socks don't discount the theory at all. I guess I should've been a bit clearer there.
So do you mean both brothers were in the Van or that they worked separately? If so where was the other brother when he was not in the Van?
Either way that theory don't seem plausible.
MegtheEgg86 06-12-2010, 03:33 PM So do you mean both brothers were in the Van or that they worked separately? If so where was the other brother when he was not in the Van?
Either way that theory don't seem plausible.
It's not that implausible at all.
What I mean is, one brother went out and killed Annette--alone, by himself, with no one accompanying him. Where the other brother was during that time is irrelevant. Later, the other brother takes the van--alone, by himself, with no one accompanying him. He kills Bobbie Jo. The premise, as it goes, was that the brothers had committed similar crimes, together as well as separately. When the first brother came home and told the second brother what had transpired earlier, it excited and compelled him to commit a crime of his own.
Check out the "Can You Help Investigators?" box:
http://parkbull.com/newsextra/080202dnadatabase.html
mwcarolina 09-10-2010, 12:30 AM Not if they're brothers and use the same vehicle to commit their separate crimes.
are the crimes separated by DNA?? If not, unless they are twin brothers, it's likely one man did this.
She was, LE has theorized, murdered first. In her haste, she failed to replace one of the orange socks, leaving it in the van.
it showed in the segment that she couldnt find her own sock and put on an orange booty.
It later comes out as Bobbie Jo tries to escape. The socks don't discount the theory at all.
yep, Bobby kicked the sock out, As for the theory, you are right, the socks dont discount your theory, i could agree with you theory IF i knew DNA evidence shows that two men did this. If it shows it, then it could be two brothers.
It's not that implausible at all.
your right, it's not, it could happen.
What I mean is, one brother went out and killed Annette--alone, by himself, with no one accompanying him. Where the other brother was during that time is irrelevant. Later, the other brother takes the van--alone, by himself, with no one accompanying him. He kills Bobbie Jo. The premise, as it goes, was that the brothers had committed similar crimes, together as well as separately. When the first brother came home and told the second brother what had transpired earlier, it excited and compelled him to commit a crime of his own.
if i hear that this case has two cases sepearted by DNA, i could buy into this theory, if not, then i think the case could be like this. Two men were together, one was dropped off, while the other one was out looking for victims, but that's only if we find out that both women were killed by the same man.
Drakken 09-11-2010, 10:03 PM People use rape to torture and humiliate people all the time.
There's a big difference between the two: intent.
Non-sadistic rapists use rape to overpower women and use them for sexual gratification and dominance. They overwhelm the woman, rape her, then let her go/kill her.
Sexual sadists use rape as one of the tools for the explicit aim to inflict pain and humiliate the victim for the sexual pleasure of it. What's important is not the power, nor the sex, but pain and suffering as sexual gratification. The sadist will seek to make it last in time until he has had his kicks, then he will let her go/kill her if she hasn't already died of shock or her wounds.
One cannot be a sexual sadist if he or she doesn't derive sexual pleasure from the suffering inflicted on others. It's how they frame it.
dynoguy88 10-17-2010, 12:48 PM As many of you know, the Oberholtzer/Schnee murder case was featured on a short lived television program called "Sensing Murder" in 2006. I was able to buy all the episodes on DVD from Amazon.com for just $9.00.
I've uploaded the entire episode to the forbidden site if anyone wants to watch it. Just send me a pm and I'll give you the links which have 3 parts.
Some things I liked about this special:
*The police detectives and psychics go to the exact locations of where the women's bodies were found. So you get to see what the surrounding area looks like during the daytime. It's beautiful up in the mountains but very remote.
*One of the psychics takes a detective to the area she believes Annette was raped and murdered. It's a rock quarry on private property about 3 miles from the creek where her body was found.
*A couple people from the Unsolved Mysteries segment that you might recognize although they have obviously aged; Jeff Oberholtzer and Det. Jim Hardtke are interviewed again.
*Tons and tons of pictures of Bobbie and Annette. Both women really were beautiful.
*Plenty of crime scene photographs and pictures of evidence.
*The psychics trace the women's final moments extremely accurately and add some interesting tidbits of what they feel motivated the crimes.
Again, just send me a note if you would like to watch this and I'll pass the links along to you.
alistaircrane 10-17-2010, 01:09 PM How so? Just to put them at ease? That isn't the general MO of a serial killer/rapist. Rarely would there be an accomplice much less a woman accomplice. Not impossible I suppose, just doesn't seem likely.
I guess you haven't heard of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka...
88keys 10-17-2010, 11:40 PM He said it was unlikely, not impossible. Bernardo/Homolka is kind of a rare, extreme case.
mwcarolina 10-19-2010, 12:01 AM As many of you know, the Oberholtzer/Schnee murder case was featured on a short lived television program called "Sensing Murder" in 2006.
hmm..didnt know that, i hope they put this case on another show so we can find out other information.
[QUOTE=dynoguy88]Some things I liked about this special:
*The police detectives and psychics go to the exact locations of where the women's bodies were found. So you get to see what the surrounding area looks like during the daytime. It's beautiful up in the mountains but very remote.
hmmm....interesting.
*One of the psychics takes a detective to the area she believes Annette was raped and murdered. It's a rock quarry on private property about 3 miles from the creek where her body was found.
from the segment, it showed her being raped in a van, i dont know where it was, but hopefully they find the guy or guys who did this.
*A couple people from the Unsolved Mysteries segment that you might recognize although they have obviously aged; Jeff Oberholtzer and Det. Jim Hardtke are interviewed again.
not a shock because Jeff is the husband and the Det. is the guy investigating.
*The psychics trace the women's final moments extremely accurately and add some interesting tidbits of what they feel motivated the crimes.
what did they say motivated the crimes and do the psychics say the same person did it??? i heard some opinions of it being two guys, i think it was only one though, my guess is that the motivation is he wanted to sexually assault them.
MegtheEgg86 10-19-2010, 10:03 AM what did they say motivated the crimes and do the psychics say the same person did it??? i heard some opinions of it being two guys, i think it was only one though, my guess is that the motivation is he wanted to sexually assault them.
One of the psychics said she felt Annette Schnee's murder was committed by two men, and that one of those two men also committed Bobbie Oberholtzer's murder. The idea, she felt, was that Oberholtzer's murder excited this man, which in turn excited the second man, who resolved to go out with the first man for a crime to commit together.
dynoguy88 10-20-2010, 04:11 PM One of the psychics said she felt Annette Schnee's murder was committed by two men, and that one of those two men also committed Bobbie Oberholtzer's murder. The idea, she felt, was that Oberholtzer's murder excited this man, which in turn excited the second man, who resolved to go out with the first man for a crime to commit together.
The feeling was that both men were friends and they were both present for the murder of Annette. It is believed that both men might have raped her as well. But obviously only one of them can pull the trigger. According to the psychic, the smaller man came up with the idea to do this to Annette and he needed his friend to help him dispose of her body. So once she was dead, she was placed in the trunk of the guy's car and driven 3 miles away to the creek where her body would be found 6 months later. As far as the rape itself, it seems the circumstances around it match what happened in the UM segment. She was sexually assaulted in a vehicle and then appeared to get dressed in a hurry. She might have tried to flee once she got dressed but she was eventually shot in the back.
The bigger guy who helped his friend roll Annette's body into the creek apparently got some sort of sick high off this and drove by himself into Breckenridge where he picked up Bobbie, tried to rape her and then killed her on top of Hoosier Pass. Her death was much more cut and dry then Annette's because Bobbie's body was found so much sooner.
It is also interesting to note that the other psychic came up with possible names of these two men which were bleeped out. Apparently one of these men drove the type of car seen in the psychic's vision of Annette's murder and he bought a gun a week before the murders took place. This man eventually was killed in the 90's after trying to rob a bank. All we know about the other man from the psychic (which we were allowed to see on TV) was that he was not a highly educated man. He had come on to Bobbie in the past and she had always wished he would just go away. After the murders, he left the area but came back many times because his mother still lives there. Police have run DNA samples on both men but the results obviously were not made public. I guess it takes a while to find out.
SageSlowdive 10-20-2010, 09:23 PM The feeling was that both men were friends and they were both present for the murder of Annette. It is believed that both men might have raped her as well. But obviously only one of them can pull the trigger. According to the psychic, the smaller man came up with the idea to do this to Annette and he needed his friend to help him dispose of her body. So once she was dead, she was placed in the trunk of the guy's car and driven 3 miles away to the creek where her body would be found 6 months later. As far as the rape itself, it seems the circumstances around it match what happened in the UM segment. She was sexually assaulted in a vehicle and then appeared to get dressed in a hurry. She might have tried to flee once she got dressed but she was eventually shot in the back.
The bigger guy who helped his friend roll Annette's body into the creek apparently got some sort of sick high off this and drove by himself into Breckenridge where he picked up Bobbie, tried to rape her and then killed her on top of Hoosier Pass. Her death was much more cut and dry then Annette's because Bobbie's body was found so much sooner.
It is also interesting to note that the other psychic came up with possible names of these two men which were bleeped out. Apparently one of these men drove the type of car seen in the psychic's vision of Annette's murder and he bought a gun a week before the murders took place. This man eventually was killed in the 90's after trying to rob a bank. All we know about the other man from the psychic (which we were allowed to see on TV) was that he was not a highly educated man. He had come on to Bobbie in the past and she had always wished he would just go away. After the murders, he left the area but came back many times because his mother still lives there. Police have run DNA samples on both men but the results obviously were not made public. I guess it takes a while to find out.
Wow, that's really interesting. It seems like a plausible theory too - hopefully the DNA will prove something.
slasherman 10-22-2010, 12:57 PM When it comes to psychics and murder cases I want to quote myself...
I think many times psychics destroys more than they help in a case. As to why the psychics is "spot on" many times is because they know the case. It is simply not believable that they did not have a lot of information on this case and all other cases on Sensing Murder. These are well know cases and a psychic are more interested in murder cases than a average person. They lie when they say that they know nothing about the cases. And this lie tells me that these people are not helping, on the contrary they are confusing and damaging the investigation. I have seen a lot of the episodes of Sensing Murder and not one new thing have "they" come up with. Not a single thing. What is the name of the killer, where is the licenses plate number, where does the killer live. Just bull**** like: I'm inside the head of the killer now, I can feel the victims pain, she is okay where she is now (talking to the victims parents).
But it is always good to have a case on the TV anyway. But I don't understand the concept of these programs: The lesser you know the better. This is of course bull****. The more information you have even if you are so called a psychic the better. And stop pretending you know nothing because you wanna impress with your psychic ability's; Deb Webber, Sue Nicholson, Kelvin Cruickshank and the rest.
dynoguy88 01-07-2011, 04:13 PM A sad anniversary today for Jeff Oberholzter. Bobbie's body was found 29 years ago today. 1/7/82
SageSlowdive 01-08-2011, 05:39 PM It's horrible knowing this case still hasn't been solved...
dynoguy88 02-09-2011, 10:25 PM As usual, I'm playing with Google Street View and I found the area of Bobbie's murder on Highway 9 between Breckenridge and Alma.
This is Hoosier Pass which is used as a scenic overlook. Bobbie's killer attempted to rape her in this parking lot.
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Orange1.jpg
This next photo shows you the path of Bobbie's final steps. After the killer attempted to bind her wrists inside his vehicle, she escaped from him and ran along Highway 9. The circle to the right is the south side of the parking lot where she exited and the circle to the left is where she was killed.
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Orange2.jpg
Going further down Highway 9, we get a closer look at the trees surrounding the spot where she ended up. This set of trees was where Bobbie hoped to hide from the killer after escaping him in the parking lot. Just on the other side of the 50 MPH speed limit sign is where she turned to run off the road.
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Orange3.jpg
I was able to find the cross that was placed where Bobbie's body was found. It's circled. When you zoom in on Google Street View, the picture quality gets a little blurry so it's not the best photo. But I was surprised I found the cross.
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Orange4.jpg
You'll notice that the cross is very close to the edge of the road suggesting she didn't make it very far. But that's not exactly where she was shot. Her tracks and blood in the snow turned around back to the road suggesting that the killer drove off right after he shot her and she tried to make it back to the road in hopes of flagging somebody down. Unfortunately, the snow banks at the time were so deep that it was next to impossible to climb back up to the road in her condition. She made it about halfway before finally losing strength and collapsing where the cross is.
MegtheEgg86 02-09-2011, 11:26 PM Thanks for taking the time to do this, dynoguy. This is by far one of my favorite UM cases and it was a real treat to find the thread bumped with your latest street view finds. :)
That stretch of highway looks virtually unchanged since 1982.
hostedbyrobertstack 02-10-2011, 01:41 AM DynoGuy, looks good! Funny, I had actually street-viewed this and found the cross a couple of weeks back as well...I wasn't sure if it were the cross or not, so I'm glad someone else found it as well. Now, if you can just find Annette's location for me :) It's a dirt road area, so it won't be street-viewable. Also, I was on a colorado hitch recently and you can actually street-view the road up to the Mother Cabrini shrine where Mark Groezinger's car was found, not sure of the exact spot though where it was found.
Yes, it is crazy to think that this road probably looks identical to how it looked almost 30 years ago, no changes and no reason for changes. It is a very strange feeling to think
dynoguy88 02-10-2011, 12:02 PM It took me a while to find the cross at first. From the book and the articles I read, it said Bobbie's body was found just about 100 yards from the parking lot. I had to go back and watch the Sensing Murder episode clip where the psychics spot the cross and they see it from the road right after walking past the speed limit sign, so I knew it had to be very close by.
Kudos to the Unsolved Mysteries crew. When they reenacted Bobbie's death scene for the segment, the actress playing Bobby ran off the road at the speed limit sign. They were were very precise in using the exact location of the actual murder for filming.
I tried looking for the location of where Annette's body was found in Sacramento Creek but the road isn't available in street view. The best I could find was the turnoff of the road from Highway 9 which takes you to the crime scene. But street view won't let me travel down it.
88keys 02-10-2011, 02:02 PM What a beautiful location. Sad to think something so horrible happened there.
mwcarolina 02-10-2011, 09:17 PM On this psychic show i seen online, one person thinks there are two killers while the other thinks there's one. To me though, they need to identify the person behind one of the killings, then check in to see if this guy did the other killing or if he had a friend who did it.
soilentgreen 02-10-2011, 10:31 PM Thanks for the images, dynoguy. I've always wanted to see that area, and unfortunately haven't traveled near it.
I have no idea if this has been posted, but it mentions more about Annette and Bobbie's last hours before they were picked up:
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20050827/NEWS/108270031
The only part about the husband that had sketchy details was his times did not match the other guys times that he said he was hanging out with on that night. Only problem and odd part was the police didn't find and confirm with the guy he was hanging out with on the night of the killings until 9 years later. Than again 9 years is a long time and who knows he could have messed up the times.
mwcarolina 06-08-2011, 09:30 AM The only part about the husband that had sketchy details was his times did not match the other guys times that he said he was hanging out with on that night.
i am over the husband, i know some people will say the husband did it because of his story and all, but the police have eliminated him as a suspect with good reason, i still think that the killer was a guy who just raped and killed hitchikers.
SageSlowdive 06-09-2011, 09:06 AM i am over the husband, i know some people will say the husband did it because of his story and all, but the police have eliminated him as a suspect with good reason, i still think that the killer was a guy who just raped and killed hitchikers.
Exactly - he is still making himself public and trying to find his wife's killer. He is innocent.
mwcarolina 06-09-2011, 05:48 PM Exactly - he is still making himself public and trying to find his wife's killer. He is innocent.
yeah, plus he was (if i am right) proven innocent thanks to DNA, i just think that the guy who did this was a killer who likely did this before and he had two opportunitities.
TracyLynnS 02-03-2014, 08:52 PM Bump
Due to recent conversations about this case in another thread.
TheCars1986 02-04-2014, 09:55 AM Jeff was cleared well back in the early 90's. He's no longer considered a suspect, thanks to DNA testing.
TracyLynnS 02-04-2014, 11:17 AM I wanted to bring this info over from the other thread (which isn't specific to this case) because a few of us have read the book that Dynoguy88 is talking about here and I thought this was significant and should be shared in a thread about the Oberholtzer/Schnee murders. Dynoguy88's post:
A big thanks to MegTheEgg86 for mentioning the book 'Murderers Among Us.' I bought the book off of Amazon and I read the entry for Bobbie Oberholtzer and Annette Schnee.
The entry is only about 15 pages long, too short to give a case as serious as this the kind of detail it deserves. From an investigation point of view, it doesn't add anything that we didn't already know. But it's got minor details from Jeff and Bobbie's personal life that are kind of interesting, even though they don't really have anything to do with the murders. For instance, it mentions that Bobbie got pregnant when she was a senior in high school and she missed her graduation because she was away giving birth. She married the baby's father but given how young the couple was, the marriage didn't last long and they divorced at age 22. Not long after, Bobbie started dating Jeff and four years later, they were married. Bobbie's ex got full custody of their baby. Again, nothing relevant to the case but it's an interesting back story I never knew.
Now on to the disturbing facts brought up in the book.
1. The police response to Bobbie's disappearance was bad on epic proportions. Jeff first reported Bobbie missing at 3:30 a.m. It was too early to file a report. I don't fault them here because back in those days, a person had to be missing for multiple days before police would even think of getting involved. But several hours later, Jeff and his friends returned to the police to report Bobbie missing again, this time with some of her belongings they had found that had been strewn across the highway including her backpack and mitten that was covered with blood. Even with this evidence, the police did nothing. The sheriff made no attempt to join in the search for Bobbie. Even more infuriating, the deputy that Jeff had spoken to told him to go home because Bobbie had most likely decided to split. This is why Jeff and his friends had to do all the work on their own; the questioning, the investigating, the search party. The police didn't do a thing until after Bobbie's body was found which ended up being just a few hours later.
2. In the UM segment, Jeff briefly mentions that his wife wouldn't have gotten into a vehicle with just anyone while out hitchhiking. In this book, he is adamant repeatedly that Bobbie would never get a ride from a complete stranger. Everyone in town knew each other and the people you weren't exactly close friends with, you still knew as locals and people you could trust with a ride. (This was small town in the early 80's. A different time.) A bartender at the pub Bobbie was having drinks at before she left to hitch home told police that Bobbie was annoyed that her two friends weren't making any effort to leave. They were the ones who were originally going to drive her home and when it looked as though they wanted to make a night out of it, she told the bartender that she was leaving and don't even bother telling her friends that she had left. Jeff discounted the bartender's story because it made no sense to him. In his own words...
"She knew I was at home. The thing that sticks in my craw is that no locals hitchhiked over to Alma at that time of night, especially in such horrible weather conditions. I believe she walked out in the hall to the payphones and saw someone she knew and they left together. That's why she didn't go back in the bar. It was 30 below that night and the wind was blowing hard. There was absolutely no way she was going to go outside hitchhiking home when she could have made a call to me to come and get her."
3. There was hardly any mention of the orange socks at both crimes scenes. That was always one of the most fascinating things about these crimes and UM fans always refer to this case as 'The Orange Sock Murders,' but the book didn't seem interested in that factoid.
4. Lastly, the most surprising and depressing accusations from Jeff's brother Jamie and his wife Cindy. They apparently believe that Jeff is the killer of the women. A direct quote from Jamie....
"I can't prove it. All the evidence is what you would call circumstantial. But I believe he killed her."
Jamie and Cindy claim that Jeff was a womanizer. They claim that the marriage was always a nightmare. They said that 4 days before the murder, Jeff had asked Bobbie to bring home a pizza for dinner. She ended up being an hour late, the pizza was cold, so he got angry, took a swing at her, missed and punched a hole in the wall. Jeff claims they argued over the dinner but it was nothing more than that and Jamie doesn't have a leg to stand on with that accusation saying, "We bickered over cold pizza so I decided to murder her? Does that make sense?"
Jamie and Cindy also claim that they found a note in the Oberholtzer home that was written by Bobbie paraphrasing: "Jeff, if you kill me today, how can I have your baby tomorrow?" They said they gave the note to the police but the police and investigators claim they never received any such note. And given how they spent 7 years doing everything in their power to bust Jeff for the murders, I highly doubt they would have intentionally lost such a damning piece of evidence. All reports from Jeff and Bobbie's friends say they had no idea what Jamie and Cindy were talking about and that they never saw any evidence that the marriage was the nightmare described.
I have to say, I can see why 'Unsolved Mysteries', 'Sensing Murder' and the book 'Monster,' decided to pay no attention to Jamie and Cindy Oberholtzer. To put it gently, they sound like a couple of nuts. Cindy in particular doesn't sound like a person who is all...there. Case in point: She says shortly after the murders, she was woken up in the middle of the night by an evil spirit she named, Mr. Death. She says it's not the occult. She just so happens to always see spirits because they enjoy saying hello to her. She says Mr. Death was dark, 7 feet tall, stood at the foot of her bed that night and they made eye contact with each other for seven straight hours. In her mind, the spirit wanted vengeance against Jeff for killing Bobbie. Ummmmmm.....O.K. I don't think there's an emoticon that can accurately describe my response to that other than :rolleyes:
originally posted here:
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=320684&page=4#ixzz2sMnI2TRd
dynoguy88 10-22-2015, 09:32 PM I was organizing some old books this evening and I found my 'Monster' book which mentions Bobby and Annette's murders as possibly having been connected to Thomas Luther, who attacked (and killed) several other women in the area over the years.
This one section I turned to briefly mentioned the filming of the UM segment and I thought some here might like to read it...
January 6, 1992 – Alma, Colorado
Detective Richard Eaton of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office stood beside Sacramento Creek listening to the silver movement of the water running beneath the thin coating of ice. He was at the spot where the body of Annette Schnee had been found by a boy on a fishing excursion nearly a decade earlier.
It was a beautiful, if lonely, place for Annette to have died, Eaton thought. The creek wound like a snake from the snow capped peaks to the west across South Park, a high plain that lay between two arms of the Rocky Mountains, dotted with lonely ranch houses and the occasional small town like Alma. The land lay locked in winter beneath a pale blue sky, much as it had when Annette was killed. Looking west, he could see the V-shaped cleft in the dark wall of mountains that identified Hoosier Pass, where Bobby Jo Oberholtzer died.
Around him bustled the film crew of the television docudrama Unsolved Mysteries, which he had contacted late in 1991 in hopes that a re-enactment of the deaths of the two women might generate new information from viewers. Eight years earlier, he had promised their families that he wouldn’t stop until he brought the killer or killers to justice. But now, though he would admit it to no one, he was running out of ideas.
Eaton looked at his watch and cleared his throat. “In a couple of hours, it will have been exactly ten years since Annette Schnee was last seen alive,” he announced. The film crew, actors, and private investigator Charlie McCormick stopped what they were doing and stood quietly looking at the surrounding beauty.
Annette’s family had come to Colorado for the filming of the Unsolved Mysteries segment. They stood quietly with the others when Eaton made his announcement at the place where Annette, the happy child in their family photo albums, had been found.
The next day, the Schnees and Eaton gathered with everyone else at the top of Hoosier Pass where the film crew prepared to shoot the scene re-enacting Bobby Jo’s final moments. To get the camera angles and lighting right, the director had the actress playing Bobby Jo lie down in the snow on the exact spot where the body had been discovered ten years earlier, almost to the hour.
It took the crew forty-five minutes to get everything just right. By then, the actress was shivering and turning blue from the cold. She was not dressed for the weather; in particular, her boots had been designed for fashion not practicality, and her feet felt like frozen blocks of ice.
The director told her to go warm up and come back for the final take. As the girl stood up and moved painfully toward a trailer in the parking lot that had been set up as a dressing room, Annette’s mother rushed forward to cover her with a blanket.
As Eaton watched Mrs. Schnee half carry the poor girl to warmth and safety, he felt his throat tighten. A mother who had been too far away on the night a monster took her daughter was trying to make up for it the only way she could. When the actress later returned to film the scene, he noticed that she was wearing the warm winter boots of Mrs. Schnee.
Hambone2421 10-23-2015, 12:30 PM I was organizing some old books this evening and I found my 'Monster' book which mentions Bobby and Annette's murders as possibly having been connected to Thomas Luther, who attacked (and killed) several other women in the area over the years.
This one section I turned to briefly mentioned the filming of the UM segment and I thought some here might like to read it...
January 6, 1992 – Alma, Colorado
Detective Richard Eaton of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office stood beside Sacramento Creek listening to the silver movement of the water running beneath the thin coating of ice. He was at the spot where the body of Annette Schnee had been found by a boy on a fishing excursion nearly a decade earlier.
It was a beautiful, if lonely, place for Annette to have died, Eaton thought. The creek wound like a snake from the snow capped peaks to the west across South Park, a high plain that lay between two arms of the Rocky Mountains, dotted with lonely ranch houses and the occasional small town like Alma. The land lay locked in winter beneath a pale blue sky, much as it had when Annette was killed. Looking west, he could see the V-shaped cleft in the dark wall of mountains that identified Hoosier Pass, where Bobby Jo Oberholtzer died.
Around him bustled the film crew of the television docudrama Unsolved Mysteries, which he had contacted late in 1991 in hopes that a re-enactment of the deaths of the two women might generate new information from viewers. Eight years earlier, he had promised their families that he wouldn’t stop until he brought the killer or killers to justice. But now, though he would admit it to no one, he was running out of ideas.
Eaton looked at his watch and cleared his throat. “In a couple of hours, it will have been exactly ten years since Annette Schnee was last seen alive,” he announced. The film crew, actors, and private investigator Charlie McCormick stopped what they were doing and stood quietly looking at the surrounding beauty.
Annette’s family had come to Colorado for the filming of the Unsolved Mysteries segment. They stood quietly with the others when Eaton made his announcement at the place where Annette, the happy child in their family photo albums, had been found.
The next day, the Schnees and Eaton gathered with everyone else at the top of Hoosier Pass where the film crew prepared to shoot the scene re-enacting Bobby Jo’s final moments. To get the camera angles and lighting right, the director had the actress playing Bobby Jo lie down in the snow on the exact spot where the body had been discovered ten years earlier, almost to the hour.
It took the crew forty-five minutes to get everything just right. By then, the actress was shivering and turning blue from the cold. She was not dressed for the weather; in particular, her boots had been designed for fashion not practicality, and her feet felt like frozen blocks of ice.
The director told her to go warm up and come back for the final take. As the girl stood up and moved painfully toward a trailer in the parking lot that had been set up as a dressing room, Annette’s mother rushed forward to cover her with a blanket.
As Eaton watched Mrs. Schnee half carry the poor girl to warmth and safety, he felt his throat tighten. A mother who had been too far away on the night a monster took her daughter was trying to make up for it the only way she could. When the actress later returned to film the scene, he noticed that she was wearing the warm winter boots of Mrs. Schnee.
Thanks Dynoguy! I enjoyed reading this!
dynoguy88 01-06-2017, 04:37 PM It was 34 years ago tonight that Bobbie and Annette were murdered. Investigators have not given up, but still no new developments in this case that I'm aware of.
I desperately hope the scum who killed these ladies get what he/they deserve.
hostedbyrobertstack 07-12-2018, 06:01 PM Hi All, I wanted to bump up this thread as I am currently in Breckenridge. I decided to reach out to Charlie McCormick, one of the investigators on the case. I was able to meet up with him today for about 3 hours and he went over the entire powerpoint presentation that was done up for the case a few years ago for the presentations in Frisco, etc... I will say it was an amazing experience to learn more about the case (I thought I knew every detail) and to see more photos and details (including more crime scene photos that were very heartbreaking to see.) Anyways, he had said if me and my group had any theories that make sense he's always open to hearing them. Hopefully something will soon be solved with this case with all of the advancement of the DNA lately.
dynoguy88 07-12-2018, 07:15 PM That's amazing that he agreed to meet with you. I always thought Charlie seemed like a really nice guy from the interviews I've seen of him.
Did you ask him if investigators are planning to do a forensic genealogy test of the blood on Bobbie's mitten? A few cold cases have been solved using that and I'm starting to wonder if that is the last hope of ever solving this case.
hostedbyrobertstack 07-12-2018, 09:56 PM That's amazing that he agreed to meet with you. I always thought Charlie seemed like a really nice guy from the interviews I've seen of him.
Did you ask him if investigators are planning to do a forensic genealogy test of the blood on Bobbie's mitten? A few cold cases have been solved using that and I'm starting to wonder if that is the last hope of ever solving this case.
Yes, that was the first thing I brought up...it sounds promising for the future, hopefully. I am sure this will be solved sometime and it's exciting to see that potential. Yes, I was quite surprised he agreed to meet with me (and didn't think I was a psycho for being so interested in this case) and surprised I had the courage to ask him to meet with me, ha!
Definitely still such a puzzling case. It was sad to see the crime scene photos of the girls and of Bobbi's eyes wide open.
dynoguy88 07-12-2018, 11:50 PM Definitely still such a puzzling case. It was sad to see the crime scene photos of the girls and of Bobbi's eyes wide open.
Oh, Lord. One of the books mentioned she was found on her back (not face down like in the reenactment) and the look of terror was still on her face.
I don't think I would want to see that picture.
Huskerz85 07-13-2018, 01:37 PM Yes, that was the first thing I brought up...it sounds promising for the future, hopefully. I am sure this will be solved sometime and it's exciting to see that potential. Yes, I was quite surprised he agreed to meet with me (and didn't think I was a psycho for being so interested in this case) and surprised I had the courage to ask him to meet with me, ha!
Definitely still such a puzzling case. It was sad to see the crime scene photos of the girls and of Bobbi's eyes wide open.
It's awesome he agreed to meet with you - though it'd definitely have to be hard to view some of the case details first hand there.
Would definitely be interesting to see here whether Forensic Genealogy could find the killer (and possibly connect the case to Thomas Luther)
hostedbyrobertstack 07-13-2018, 05:57 PM Honestly I think the serial killer angle is too convenient. I think there is more to it than that. Like a local or something. Also Luther has already been ruled out via DNA as is. Yes she was face up and did have a look of terror and her eyes wide open. Almost allows you to relive what she was going through in her last moments. Very sad.
WishfulDreamer 07-13-2018, 10:16 PM Like a local or something.
Yes, I think it absolutely could have been a local or someone who had once been a local. This killer knew some of the secluded overlooks he could pull over in to commit these crimes. After committing one murder he went right back to do it again the same night, indicating that he knew hitchhiking was extremely common in this area and he'd be able to nab another woman.
That's sad to hear about Bobbi's eyes being wide open. I can only imagine how terrified she and Annette must have been. :(
MegtheEgg86 07-14-2018, 07:58 AM hostedbyrobertstack, so cool you had the opportunity to meet with Charlie McCormick. Thanks for bringing your experience back here to us.
I too think it almost certainly had to be someone local based on the Schnee crime scene alone. Few people other than local residents would know about that back road.
I know several years ago there was some talk of the responsibles being a set of brothers who were not from Colorado, but had lived in the Park/Summit County area for quite a while. The theory goes that one brother had gone out to commit the attack on Bobbi and then told his brother about it, who then, either in a state of some sort of sick one-upmanship or arousal, set out to commit the attack on Annette. Shortly thereafter, the pair returned to their home state, fearing prosecution. I know a rough version of this theory was put forth by one of the psychics on that 'Sensing Murder' episode they did on the case over a decade ago. However, I do clearly remember reading about this specific theory in a news article about the case as well and it was information the investigating agencies had developed, apparently unconnected to the aforementioned psychic. I would reckon y'all didn't discuss suspects as the case is open, but I was just curious if that idea was ever discussed or if anyone else here remembers this.
DALLASTEXAN!! 07-15-2018, 07:29 AM Hi All, I wanted to bump up this thread as I am currently in Breckenridge. I decided to reach out to Charlie McCormick, one of the investigators on the case. I was able to meet up with him today for about 3 hours and he went over the entire powerpoint presentation that was done up for the case a few years ago for the presentations in Frisco, etc... I will say it was an amazing experience to learn more about the case (I thought I knew every detail) and to see more photos and details (including more crime scene photos that were very heartbreaking to see.) Anyways, he had said if me and my group had any theories that make sense he's always open to hearing them. Hopefully something will soon be solved with this case with all of the advancement of the DNA lately.
wow, that is quite the update. great work! This is very high on the UM cold case list for next to be solved. One of the most memorable segments and unfortunate cases I have ever heard of.
tsaun 07-16-2018, 04:34 AM East Area case was the one case I thought would never be solved.
It really gives me hope after Deangelo was captured that any case can be solved and hopefully we aren't too far away from solving this one.
Huskerz85 07-16-2018, 08:21 AM hostedbyrobertstack, so cool you had the opportunity to meet with Charlie McCormick. Thanks for bringing your experience back here to us.
I too think it almost certainly had to be someone local based on the Schnee crime scene alone. Few people other than local residents would know about that back road.
I know several years ago there was some talk of the responsibles being a set of brothers who were not from Colorado, but had lived in the Park/Summit County area for quite a while. The theory goes that one brother had gone out to commit the attack on Bobbi and then told his brother about it, who then, either in a state of some sort of sick one-upmanship or arousal, set out to commit the attack on Annette. Shortly thereafter, the pair returned to their home state, fearing prosecution. I know a rough version of this theory was put forth by one of the psychics on that 'Sensing Murder' episode they did on the case over a decade ago. However, I do clearly remember reading about this specific theory in a news article about the case as well and it was information the investigating agencies had developed, apparently unconnected to the aforementioned psychic. I would reckon y'all didn't discuss suspects as the case is open, but I was just curious if that idea was ever discussed or if anyone else here remembers this.
This is the first time I've heard this........would almost fit Occam's Razor better than a serial killer or something else.
hostedbyrobertstack 07-19-2018, 01:58 PM A couple of quick tidbits that I thought were interesting...
Annette had a certain drug in her body at the time...so it is either thought that she had done this at the hotel before she left work, or that means that she had gone somewhere after the pharmacy and did this with the mysterious woman. Also, it is interesting to note that her prescription was never opened nor taken.
Charlie McCormick can actually be seen in the UM reenactment. He is one of the skiers that comes across Bobbi's body. If you watch close, you can see...I just saw this in the Farina version.
DALLASTEXAN!! 08-21-2018, 02:57 PM I listened to the trail went cold podcast the other day. It was great btw. I did not know about the picture found In Annette’s backpack. Kind of creepy that the picture is similar to the way Robert Ben Rhoades has his right eye closed in his pictures.
TheCars1986 09-27-2018, 01:57 PM I'm not jumping into the whole "Rob did it" bandwagon with this question, but if the police theorize that because some of the suspects DNA did not match the blood found on Bobbi's glove that they could have had accomplices, what's stopping them from running with the theory that Jeff Oberholtzer could have had an accomplice?
dynoguy88 07-17-2019, 11:23 AM Apparently this case was profiled on ID's, 'On the case with Paula Zahn,' back in May and I never noticed. The episode should be on Demand, so I'll give it a watch tonight....
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/05/13/bobbie-joe-oberholtzer-breckenridge-cold-case/
dynoguy88 07-18-2019, 09:40 AM Just a few notes about the ‘On the case with Paula Zahn’ episode for those interested.
- Nothing major in terms of development on the case was revealed but there were plenty of loved ones interviewed. Familiar faces like Jim Hardtke, Charlie McCormick and Jeff Oberholtzer were featured. Jeff got emotional when he described the police officer opening the body bag and having to identify Bobbie’s body. Bobbie’s sister and Annette’s mother and sister were also interviewed.
- A little surprising to me but when Bobbie’s sister was asked if Bobbie and Jeff had a happy marriage, the sister said got the sense that Bobbie wasn’t happy. But she said nothing to follow that statement up with why she felt that way other than, “she was my sister and she couldn’t fake it with me.” We then hear nothing from her until the end of the episode when she stated that every day, she walks by the cemetery were Bobbie is buried in their hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.
- Annette apparently had a goofy sense of humor and was always trying to make her friends laugh. She went to a modeling school in Omaha for a year before moving to Colorado.
- The orange socks definitely belonged to Annette. Her mother instantly recognized them as the same ones she had given Annette at Christmas, just a couple weeks before the murders.
- We get a little more detail about the one instance where Jeff had picked up Annette when she was hitchhiking, a couple months prior to the murders. He pulled up alongside her and asked where she was going. She replied she needed to get to Frisco. Jeff said he was also heading to Frisco but that he needed to stop at the bank along the way first. On the car ride, he gave Annette his business card. When they arrived at the bank, Jeff went inside while Annette waited in the truck. At this point, a friend of Bobbie’s who worked at a business across the street from the bank noticed Jeff’s truck and a woman with long blondish/brownish hair sitting in the front seat. Thinking that the woman was Bobbie, she walked over and it wasn’t until she reached the window that she discovered it was Annette. This friend told police of this instance and it helped back up Jeff’s account that he had definitely once picked up Annette while she was hitchhiking.
- The picture of the man found in Annette’s wallet was shown but he is still to be identified. Also, there was no mention of the black haired woman Annette was last seen with at the pharmacy just before she disappeared. She too has never been identified.
- Thomas Luther was mentioned as the main possible suspect for a while – and for years, I couldn’t imagine it being anyone else. But he was eliminated when the blood on Bobbie’s mitten (which was from a male) was not his. The blood was also not Jeff’s.
- The friend of Bobbie and Jeff who was part of the search party and discovered her body noticed it from a far distance, much like what was shown in the UM reenactment. He was smart and didn’t go any closer in order to not disturb the crime scene.
- There was no mention of the friend who visited Jeff the night Bobbie disappeared.
- Conveniently, the episode also made no mention of the police’s abysmal initial response to Bobbie going missing. It was stated they immediately got involved once the bloody mitten and backpack were discovered. But that completely contradicts what was written in the books, ‘Monster,’ and ‘Murderers Among Us,’ which both stated when Jeff returned to the police for the second time (in 3 hours) after finding the mitten and backpack, was once again turned away. They did not get involved until Bobbie’s body was found.
- The blood on the mitten is still getting tested and was put in a database but there’s still no developments.
Todd Mueller 07-18-2019, 10:37 AM Just a few notes about the ‘On the case with Paula Zahn’ episode for those interested.
Thanks, dynoguy! This is a great synopsis.
WishfulDreamer 07-18-2019, 09:30 PM Thank you so much, Dynoguy :) It's sad there aren't really any new leads, but at least the case is still getting attention.
hostedbyrobertstack 07-18-2019, 10:45 PM I really, obviously, think they need to go the familial DNA route w/ this one and at least see what path it leads down. Seems odd that no hits in CODIS. Although, I do know that some inmates don't have their DNA taken until they are released from prison, which could be a while for some people. So, it stands to reason that either the perpetrator never committed any other crimes, or is incarcerated for a crime and not yet released. Makes very quite the mystery...
MegtheEgg86 11-20-2019, 01:04 PM Annette had a certain drug in her body at the time...so it is either thought that she had done this at the hotel before she left work, or that means that she had gone somewhere after the pharmacy and did this with the mysterious woman. Also, it is interesting to note that her prescription was never opened nor taken.
I'm assuming the drug found in her system was illicit?
Also kind of odd that her prescription was never opened nor taken, as it was intended to treat a yeast infection, presumably a vaginal one. Those are pretty uncomfortable, and you might surmise she'd want to get a start on getting it cleared up as soon as possible, so to speak. Maybe you were privy to this detail, but the form and route of the drug might have been a factor. Please forgive the frankness, but if the prescription was for a vaginal suppository rather than an oral antifungal, Annette may have delayed inserting it until she could get to a more optimal location to do so, like her home.
I just watched the 'On the Case with Paula Zahn' episode about the case on Prime yesterday, and it left me thinking about that man in the photograph. He really bothers me; he's bothered me for years. I'm pretty well convinced that photo probably has nothing to do with the case, but no one in Annette's life--including her family--has ever been able to identify the man.
That haircut almost certainly indicates the man is of an institution of some form, be it military or prison. That is the standard high and tight I've seen a million times in the armed forces. But I don't think he's wearing a military uniform. It doesn't fit most uniforms worn at that time in any of the U.S. armed forces. I considered whether the man could've been wearing the old OG-107 uniform that was still worn by the U.S. Army and Air Force around that time (although it was being phased out by 1982) as it would be the closest fit, but there are no nametapes on either side of his chest or rank/branch insignia on his lapels. It could just as easily be a service member in civilian clothes. It could also be a prison intake photograph, but I feel like those typically feature a placard indicating information about the inmate and the facility.
We actually really don't know when this photo was even taken. I would be interested to know if the photograph paper itself was ever analyzed, similar to what happened in the Tara Calico case.
In any event, I strongly suspect it's unrelated to the case, but I don't understand what it's about.
TheCars1986 11-21-2019, 09:16 AM In any event, I strongly suspect it's unrelated to the case, but I don't understand what it's about.
I too don't think the photo has any bearing on the case, but I also am legitimately curious as to who this person is and why Annette was carrying this photo around. The photo looks older than one that would have been taken in the 80's, and it looks either military or a prison mugshot. Maybe an ex-boyfriend of Annette's that was a brief relationship?
ETA: A year or so ago, this case was mentioned on reddit and a poster (who seemed to have intimate knowledge of the case) made a comment that they would never not suspect Jeff as the murderer. I private messaged this person and never heard back. It appears that the person deleted their reddit account.
MegtheEgg86 11-21-2019, 11:22 AM ETA: A year or so ago, this case was mentioned on reddit and a poster (who seemed to have intimate knowledge of the case) made a comment that they would never not suspect Jeff as the murderer. I private messaged this person and never heard back. It appears that the person deleted their reddit account.
You think it might be Jeff's brother or someone close to him? I know he pointed the finger squarely at Jeff at the time of the murders, and as far as I can tell continued to do so up until the early '90s. Beyond that, I don't know what his feelings might have been, but at the time they seemed pretty fixed.
TheCars1986 11-21-2019, 11:54 AM You think it might be Jeff's brother or someone close to him? I know he pointed the finger squarely at Jeff at the time of the murders, and as far as I can tell continued to do so up until the early '90s. Beyond that, I don't know what his feelings might have been, but at the time they seemed pretty fixed.
I'm not sure, it was on a post about "unpopular opinions" about true crime, and they popped in and said nothing would ever convince them that Jeff wasn't involved in the murders. I wish I could remember more, but the tone of it came like it was from someone closely associated with the case. I have also looked for over an hour trying to find a link.
MegtheEgg86 11-21-2019, 12:19 PM I don't know if this is house the Oberholtzers actually lived in, but it definitely was used in the UM reenactment of Bobbi leaving her house to go to work on January 6, 1982. In any event, it's for sale:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/460-Main-St-Alma-CO-80420/13992101_zpid/
dynoguy88 11-21-2019, 03:26 PM I don't know if this is house the Oberholtzers actually lived in, but it definitely was used in the UM reenactment of Bobbi leaving her house to go to work on January 6, 1982. In any event, it's for sale:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/460-Main-St-Alma-CO-80420/13992101_zpid/
Exactly down the road from Hoosier Pass, where Bobbie ended up. I'll bet that's the exact house...
https://cdn.summitdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/SD_SD200510108270031AR.jpg
EighthStreet 11-30-2019, 12:10 PM Annette had a certain drug in her body at the time...so it is either thought that she had done this at the hotel before she left work, or that means that she had gone somewhere after the pharmacy and did this with the mysterious woman.
Would explain why the people she was seen speaking with never came forward. Probably want to stay clear of the police when your [alleged] cocaine buddy gets killed.
DALLASTEXAN!! 12-28-2020, 01:13 PM Would explain why the people she was seen speaking with never came forward. Probably want to stay clear of the police when your [alleged] cocaine buddy gets killed.
A year late for me, but this is a good point. I don’t want to speculate on anyone’s actions that may or may not be true, but look at how the investigation treated Jeff. It seems like he was cooperative and they took his honest cooperation and used it against him, the famous line sticks out in my memory, when they find his business card in Anette’s wallet.
It seems like they were desperate to charge Jeff because they had nothing else to work with. And it took 9 years to talk with the friend that Jeff spent time with on that day? All things that make it seem like they had a tough time getting anyone other than Jeff to cooperate with them or maybe they didn’t want to formally eliminate Jeff. It looks like people may not of trusted the investigators?
FanfromES 03-07-2022, 08:06 PM this case was recently solved, am i right?
FanfromES 03-07-2022, 08:11 PM this case was recently solved, am i right?
https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/park-county-cold-case-murders/73-8dff6903-eae6-4071-8cdf-0c83bac319a1
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