View Full Version : Our UM board mentioned in Chichester article...


crystaldawn
08-07-2008, 07:21 AM
Apparently channel 5 in Boston finds our comments about Chichester interesting.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17108571/detail.html

Unsolved Calif. Case Long A Dark 'Net Mystery
Internet Bloggers Have Posted Theories For Years

BOSTON -- Internet aficionados of unsolved mysteries have long followed the Sohus disappearance case, a decades-old disappearance about which police now want to question Clark Rockefeller.

The former San Marino police chief said Rockefeller's fingerprints match those of Christopher Chichester, a person who knew California couple John and Linda Sohus before they mysteriously disappeared in 1985.

"Anyone remember this case? Really odd, probably one the strangest dissapperances (sic). Linda and John were supposed to go on some trip and ended up and europe and never were heard or seen again," Web site poster Boodie23 wrote in 2002 on the www.sitcomsonline.com message board following an episode of the television program "Unsolved Mysteries."

"I remember this case. They found a body buried in the backyard many years later didn't they? And didn't they say it was probably John? It's been a while, but I remember this case," forum poster Brent88 wrote a year later.

Rockefeller, 48, was arrested in Baltimore Sunday, charged with kidnapping and assault and battery in connection with the alleged abduction of his daughter, Reigh "Snooks" Storrow Boss, 7, from a Boston street during a custody visit July 27.

He and the child's mother, Sandra Lynn Boss, were divorced in 2007 after a 13-year marriage in which they lived in Boston's posh Beacon Hill neighborhood and kept a vacation mansion in New Hampshire.

Divorce records indicated that Rockefeller gave up custody of the child rather than reveal his true identity.

Now, homicide detectives from California want to know whether Rockefeller is really Chichester, a man linked to the Sohus case through fingerprints Chichester once provided on a driver's license application.

A Pasadena, Calif., newspaper reported that Chichester rented an apartment from the Sohus couple before their 1985 disappearance. Some time later, postcards allegedly from the couple arrived from Europe.

Then, in 1994, a crew digging near a swimming pool in the Sohus house back yard discovered bones that may have belonged to John Sohus. DNA from the bones was never tested.

Chichester also left the area, turning up in the late 1980s in Connecticut driving a truck registered to John Sohus.

Posters on the Unsolved Mysteries Web site have blogged about their theories on the case for years.

"Some of the couple's relatives received strange postcards from Linda and John saying that are bad at geograpy and they some how ended up in France. There is also a man, forgot his name, that is a suspect. He supposedly sold John Sohas's pick-up truck after the disappearance. I wonder if this missing persons case is closed or open. I hope it's open because just because this happened almost 20 years ago doesn't mean that it should'nt be solved. Don't you agree?" poster UMFan77 wrote in 2003.

Another wrote, "I asked the same question under the post of Christopher Chichester. Christopher Chichester is a pseudonym for Christian Gerhard Streider a German citizen who is considered a suspect in the disappearance of John and Linda Sohos," said poster Rieder, from Australia, in 2003.

Another poster identified as Crystaldawn wrote in 2002 that Linda Sohus' maiden name was Linda Mayfield. She said Mayfield worked in a Los Angeles science fantasy bookstore until meeting and marrying John Sohus, described as a quiet, "nerdy guy."

"Shortly after Linda married this Sohus guy, things went south. Linda Mayfield Sohus quit her bookstore job. Soon, she and her husband disappeared. The bookstore owner, Lydia Marano, got a postcard from Linda & John saying that they were in France. They never returned," Crystaldawn wrote in the post.

She goes on to write, "John’s alcoholic mother, Didi, had claimed that John and Linda’s former tenant Christopher Chichester was providing her with exclusive information that John and Linda were on a top secret “mission”. Then just as mysteriously Chichester broke off contact and he too vanished. In a final bizarre twist in May of 1994 the remains of John Sohus were found buried underground on his own property.”

Rieder
08-07-2008, 07:55 AM
I noticed the article while searching for information on Rockefeller.

videohunter
08-07-2008, 08:06 AM
wow !,amazing !, although i'm not surprised because this board is awesome :)

hovaslash
08-07-2008, 08:39 AM
Wow it's good when things make news for all the right reasons (unlike 99.9999% of music and tv and books).........

ididn'tdoit
08-07-2008, 10:51 AM
Yeah, way cool :) Thanks for posting that, CD :)

crochetbuff
08-07-2008, 10:54 AM
Wow! Crystaldawn, you're famous!!! Or is it infamous!!!

Now get ready for all the peeps to come here and post and drive us crazy!:crazy:

joshypiano
08-07-2008, 11:32 AM
So are you going to take requests for autographed DVD's now that you are famous CrystalDawn?

crystaldawn
08-07-2008, 11:36 AM
So are you going to take requests for autographed DVD's now that you are famous CrystalDawn?

Absolutely...;)

charmedsignora
08-07-2008, 01:19 PM
I never knew that the bones were never tested for DNA! (Unless it was mentioned in the segment and I wasn't paying attention.) I wonder when (or if) they're going to test them, and if they do, maybe some of Chicester's/Rockefeller's DNA is on there as well if he is indeed guilty. That evidence would most likely nail the case; it would be hard for Chicester/Rockefeller to talk his way out of that.

LooksLikeCRicci
08-07-2008, 02:58 PM
I'm not surprised that the UM Boards have made some headlines. Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner... in my time here, I've seen some pretty amazing theories from some of our fellow posters. :)

Personally, if another UM thread makes headlines, it should be the one where it seems like the whole board is tag-teaming Paul Polis (led into battle by Dislimb and a certain lawyer we all know)... that will always give me fuzzy feelings. :)

joetnymedic
08-07-2008, 03:15 PM
this is the supposed postcard that was sent from paris. front and back

James T
08-07-2008, 06:48 PM
Possibly the most unconvincing postcard ever, I am sure they would have had more to say than that- most people do. Looks more like an attempt to buy time.

LooksLikeCRicci
08-07-2008, 08:48 PM
*shrug* I dunno. When I was 15, I went to Washington DC, which was the farthest away from home I had ever been (and the first major city I ever visited.) I sent my mom a postcard that simply said "Woooo-hoooo!"

:)

joetnymedic
08-07-2008, 10:38 PM
How's this for a timeline. It's pretty much what I've been able to dig up so far. I'm working to fill in the blanks:


1961 Christian Karl Gerhartstieter is born in Germany

1978 attends and graduates Business School in Germany

1979-1981 Shows up in Berlin as Exchange Student. Attends Berlin High School Graduates 1981 as an average student except for history and sociology ( other students say they believe he was older than the 17 years old he said he was) First lived with the Savio Family until he was kicked out for locking their young daughter outside for 4 hours in the dead of winter. Then moves in with librarian he befriended until he is kicked out for running up a large phone bill (which he did pay back) Some time later he contacts Mrs. Savio and tells her he is producing films under the name Christopher Crowe.

1981 - Moves to Madison, Wisconsonson marries Amy Jersild, gets his green card. Marriage license gives parents names as Simon and Irmengard Gehartsreiter.

1983 - Divorces Jersild, moves to Cailifornia

1983-1985 Poses as University of California Student under his Christopher Chichester name. Moves into the Guest house of John and Linda Sohus and his mother "Didi". In San Marino, CA

Feb. 1985 John and Linda disappear. Mother says a 3rd party, which she later said was Chichester, had been acting as a go between and that he advised her that they were on a secret mission for the government.
By April Chichester is gone.

1985 Shows up in Greenwich at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. Gets hired at S.N. Phelps and Company a brokerage firm. Quits for unknown reasons.

1987-1989 Works under the name Christopher Crowe at Nikko Securities International in NYC. Fired for incompetence. (It is also discovered that "Crowe used the social security number of Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz)

1988- Tries to sell a truck belonging to John Sohus to a Greenwich, CT ministers son. When the purchaser tries to register the truck at DMV he finds out that there is a lien against the truck. "chichester" under his "Crowe" persona cannot come up with paperwork and the purchaser reports the incident to Greenwich Police. A VIN check is done and the vehicle comes back as wanted in connection to the John and Linda Sohus missing person case in California"

1989 - Lands a job at Kidder Peabody as an International Sales Manager fired 2 weeks later after he requests time of to find his "parents who were kidnapped and held for ransom" Two days later Connecticut State Police and FBI show up at both jobs looking for "Chichester" in connection with the John and Linda Sohus disappearance. Police have discovered that Chichester and Crowe are one in the same.

1988- Didi Sohus dies of a heart attack believing her son is on a mission for the govt.

1989-1993 Lives in NY under unknown alias, meets Sandra Boss and her sister, tries to date, pursue the sister and is rebuffed. Turns his attention to Sandra.

1993 Is dating Sandra Boss as Clark Rockefeller it is unknown if they are in Boston at this point in time or NY.

1994 a pool company doing an in ground pool installation discovers bones in the rear of the Sohus property which has been sold to another family. The bones are tentatively identified as John Sohus, Linda is not found on the property. A homicide investigation ensues and police begin looking for Christopher Chichester again this time as a person of interest.

1995 - Clark Rockefeller and Sandra Boss marry in a small ceremony on Nantucket. Sandra states Clark will handle the paperwork which is never turned in. The couple live in a Brownstone in Boston.

2001 - Reigh Rockefeller is born.

2002 - Rockefeller and Boss purchase a mansion in Cornish, New Hampshire

2004 - Rockefeller suggests and wins his wife over and purchases a renovated church in Cornish for $1.00 promising to donate a large sum of money to rebuild the police department.

2006 - Boss buys 2.3 million dollar Boston Brownstone

Jan 17, 2008 - Boss files for divorce. In the paperwork she brings up the fact that she does not know who Clark Rockefeller really is. Rockefeller is supposed to bring his birth certificate to court but never does.

December 2007 - The Boss/Rockefeller divorce is finalized after Boss agrees to pay between $800,000 and 1.5 million dollars to Clark Rockefeller in exchange for full custody of Reigh. Rockefeller never has to disclose his name as part of the agreement. The court orders Rockefeller 3 supervised visits a year. Boss changes Reighs name to Reigh Boss.

Late 2007 - Rockefeller contacts a realtor in Baltimore, MD and as "chip" Smith starts looking for a place for himself and his daughter to live.

December 2007 - Rockefeller tells a friend how much he misses Reigh and says "I may have to Kidnap her". He has already been working on a plan possibly since 2006.

April 2008 - Finalizes purchase of carriage house on Ploy St in Baltimore.

July 27, 2008 - Kidnaps Reigh during supervised visit. Drags social worker while fleeing with person he told that the worker was his estranged gay lover. Driver is paid $1000.00 to transport Rockefeller and Reigh to another location in Mass. Amber alert issued as Reigh is determined to be in danger.

July 28, 2008 Rockefeller arrives in New York by Grand Central station after paying another acquaintance $500.00 to drive him to New York from Mass. Tells acquaintance he is going to the Peru or Bahamas with Reigh and asks if she wants to join them. After dropping them off she learns that Rockefeller has abducted Reigh and goes to the Police Department in NY.

July 28 - Aug 1, 2008 - Multi State manhunt for Rockefeller and Reigh, multiple sighting but none pan out. Getaway vehicle is found and examined by Police investigators. Police report they have found a clue but do not elaborate.

Aug 2, 2008 - Police and FBI stake out the carriage house after being tipped off by the realtors. They watch from an apartment and on the street. Rockefellers boat has been found docked nearby and investigators along with the marina operator devise a ploy to coax Rockefeller out saying that his boat is taking on water. Rockefeller is apprehended Reigh is found inside the carriage house unharmed.

Aug. 4th - Rockefeller waives extradition to Boston.

Aug 5th - Rockefeller is flown back to Boston and is arraigned and held without bail. he is also named as a person of interest in the Sohus homicide/missing persons case. Police release the fact that a fingerprint lifted from the getaway vehicle was identified as belonging to Chistopher Crowe from an application to become a stockbroker which was filed. as well as Chritopher Chichester who is wanted as a person of intrest in a homicide probe in San Marino, CA, as well as numerous phone tips have shown that Rockefeller may be Christopher Chichester. The print also comes back to immigration paperwork filed in the late 70's for Christian Gerhartsreiter, connecting the three.

Aug 6th - Investigators from the L. A. County Homicide Unit try to interview Rockefeller but he refuses.

PrettyinPink55
08-08-2008, 02:32 AM
WOW!!!! :eek: This is probably the most active/interesting UM board out there on the internet!!! It makes me proud!!! :D

Everytime I see Chichester's picture, it gives me the creeps!!! :eek:

Cori aka ChrisSCrush
08-08-2008, 04:57 AM
This board is awesome. We rock. :cool: