Norman Ladner's parents. I don't know, they seemed like a nice hard working mild mannered family who genuinely loved their son. As far as I remember there werent any other children

Pat Conway, the husband of Ayleen Conway who mysteriously was involved in a car accident despite their house being disturbed implicating a robbery (etc. garden hose and iron on). They had 7 kids by the looks of it and Pat seemed like such a nice church going man who loved his wife as well. It had to have hurt him not knowing why Ayleen was out on that deserted road. Was there a robbery? Was it all an accident? Suicide? Or did she not want anyone knowing why she was out there in the first place. I felt sorry for him, married 33 years to her, a mild mannered man by the looks of it. Not sure if he is still alive though

The husband of the Blind River murders (forget his name). His wife of 39 years is gunned down by a man while they were camping out in their motorhome. How could you live with that vision for the rest of your life of seeing that? Reminded me of Pat Conway in a way

Rob Shaver. Okay I know there are a slew of people that think he has something to do with Angela Hammond's disappearance but I have never thought that. If his story is in fact true than that is a torturous way to see your fiancee kidnapped by chasing the car only to have your transmission blow. I always felt like he fought back tears in the interview only to try and put on a brave face. 20 years old too. Sad.

Dwayne McKorkindale's widow. Two young girls to raise after her husband is senselessly shot dead at a pay phone. She claims she has to explain to her girls that "daddy is with Jesus" and can only show pictures to them of their father.

Mary Morris' husband Jay I believe it was in the "Two Mary Murders" segment. I'm not talking about the prime suspect Mike Morris the husband from the other Mary Morris but the first one who had his wife die from what looks like a mistaken hit. If it's any consolation I believe the families of the two Marys (other than Mike Morris) have bonded together and helped each other out.

Christophe Day's father. He never sees his son and is so close pretty near every chance he gets and then last I heard Christophe eventually died in 1998 while living with his mother in Europe.

That's all for now, but I know others have more

The husband of the Blind River murders (forget his name). His wife of 39 years is gunned down by a man while they were camping out in their motorhome. How could you live with that vision for the rest of your life of seeing that? Reminded me of Pat Conway in a way

Rob Shaver. Okay I know there are a slew of people that think he has something to do with Angela Hammond's disappearance but I have never thought that. If his story is in fact true than that is a torturous way to see your fiancee kidnapped by chasing the car only to have your transmission blow. I always felt like he fought back tears in the interview only to try and put on a brave face. 20 years old too. Sad.

Christophe Day's father. He never sees his son and is so close pretty near every chance he gets and then last I heard Christophe eventually died in 1998 while living with his mother in Europe.

I agree with all the ones you mentioned, especially these.

Yeah, Gordon (the Blind River husband) seemed like such a nice old man that had been through a horrible loss. I thought it was especially heartbreaking (albeit understandable from his pov) when he said to the effect of "I don't care if he comes back for me" - implying that he barely wanted to live after his wife was murdered. :(

I also believe Rob Shaffer did the best he could in catching the suspect, and even if it wasn't his fault you could tell he blamed himself for it (as Angela's mom also said) and felt horrible in both respects. It's really too bad that cellphones didn't really exist en masse in 1991 (there were but usually just carphones until the mid-late 90s) since I'm sure alot of cases like Angies could've been prevented or at least lessened.


Just off the top of my head I'd also add the Baskins, Colleen Ritter and Gordon Page's parents.

I really feel sorry for a lot of people who have missing loved ones. I remember feeling sorry for Sharon Zelinski was abused her dad and foster families. I remember having tears when Keith Warren's mother was interviewed. I also cried when Jodi Bordeaux's husband talked about he tried to save Jodi and their unborn baby.

Let's not forget Christi Nichols' family (excluding Mark of course), Wendy Camp's family (excluding Chad Noe of course), Philip Fraser's parents, and those already mentioned here.

I always have felt sorry for Brooke Bakers mother. She seemed totally lost without her daughter and extremely angry...then when the case was solved she seemed like she had no reason to live and totally numb.

My heart broke for Guss Hoffman's mother. She was literally begging with any UM viewer that may have information, to go to the police. She was the most desparate person I've ever seen on UM. :(

Yeah, Gordon (the Blind River husband) seemed like such a nice old man that had been through a horrible loss. I thought it was especially heartbreaking (albeit understandable from his pov) when he said to the effect of "I don't care if he comes back for me" - implying that he barely wanted to live after his wife was murdered. :(

I too felt (and still feel) sorry for Gordon McAllister. Tragically, a significant part of him died with his wife Jackie, so I don't blame him for making the comment that you described. When you experience the death of a spouse to whom you were married for a long time, I don't think you ever fully recover from it. :(

I always felt badly for the Nixons, who followed up all those leads on Kari Lynn--no matter how tenuous--only to discover years later that she had been murdered the night she disappeared.

Kathy Hobbs' mother was proud of and so distraught over her daughter, and it was heartbreaking to watch, especially when she said, "And as well as being my daughter, she was also a very good friend."

Rogest Cain's son Lynn, who was interviewed extensively in the update after following a lead to Kansas City where his missing father had been sighted, was another. He was poised, but the look of total disappointment on his face and the sound of it in his voice after finding no trace of his dad was upsetting. :(

I agree with all the ones you mentioned, especially these.

Yeah, Gordon (the Blind River husband) seemed like such a nice old man that had been through a horrible loss. I thought it was especially heartbreaking (albeit understandable from his pov) when he said to the effect of "I don't care if he comes back for me" - implying that he barely wanted to live after his wife was murdered. :(

I also believe Rob Shaffer did the best he could in catching the suspect, and even if it wasn't his fault you could tell he blamed himself for it (as Angela's mom also said) and felt horrible in both respects. It's really too bad that cellphones didn't really exist en masse in 1991 (there were but usually just carphones until the mid-late 90s) since I'm sure alot of cases like Angies could've been prevented or at least lessened.


Just off the top of my head I'd also add the Baskins, Colleen Ritter and Gordon Page's parents.

I always used to get a lump in my throat every time I watched the Gordon Page segment.

The Baskins.

I always used to get a lump in my throat every time I watched the Gordon Page segment.

Yeah, that poor kid being misdiagnosed all those years. Was misdiagnosed as a schizophrenic, was given medication and had horrendous reactions to it. The scene where Gordon was having nightmares and telling his father that "cats are scratching inside my body" was so sad. The music in that scene made it ever more creepy.

Since Gordon Page's parents had decided to move/retire to FL from MI, I wonder why they decided to leave Gordon at a group home for special needs people back in MI.

Why didn't they take him to FL with them, then find a good place for him there? They could have visited him much more often if he was in the same state, as opposed to 1200 miles away.

I understand that the experts were (erroneously, imo) telling Gordon's parents that he needed more independence, or whatever, but why did that mean he needed to be separated from his family by such a great distance?

He could have been treated in a group home close to his family, and had normal visits with them, if he was in the same state. But all the way up in MI, he'd be seeing them, maybe twice a year. For someone with his condition, that's torture.

I don't understand why they chose to make that decision. Was it pressure from the "experts"? Were his parents under the impression that MI had the best group homes? And where were his brothers? Were they in MI, were they in school, had they graduated college, did they move to FL too, what was going on with them?

Dorothy and Ken Sova.

Patty Stallings (when she breaks down at the end of the interview - "I've lost everything.")

Craig Reinhardt's wife - she finds him, but he has no memories of her or their marriage. Heartbreaking.

I agree about Craig's wife. I felt so bad for her. There was just something about her. I can't describe it. But I know women like her. I don't even know how to explain what I mean. She just seemed so happy to get married. It's so sad how she's so heartbroken and just wants her husband back and then he has no memory of her at all. I can't even imagine going through that.

I felt bad for a lot of those mentioned here.

The Baskins, for sure.
Gordon Page's family, though I agree with TracyLynn, I never understood why they had to have him so far away!
Keith Warrens mother
Any people who have a family member missing and they get pranksters calling or sending letters to make them think the person is alive, giving them hope, only to find they had been dead all along.
Cindy James, her life must have been hell whether or not it was real or she had some mental illness that made her to it to herself.

Since Gordon Page's parents had decided to move/retire to FL from MI, I wonder why they decided to leave Gordon at a group home for special needs people back in MI.

Why didn't they take him to FL with them, then find a good place for him there? They could have visited him much more often if he was in the same state, as opposed to 1200 miles away.

I understand that the experts were (erroneously, imo) telling Gordon's parents that he needed more independence, or whatever, but why did that mean he needed to be separated from his family by such a great distance?

He could have been treated in a group home close to his family, and had normal visits with them, if he was in the same state. But all the way up in MI, he'd be seeing them, maybe twice a year. For someone with his condition, that's torture.

I don't understand why they chose to make that decision. Was it pressure from the "experts"? Were his parents under the impression that MI had the best group homes? And where were his brothers? Were they in MI, were they in school, had they graduated college, did they move to FL too, what was going on with them?

I wondered a lot about that too. I thought it was weird that would move out of the state and leave Gordon in a group home. I can understand where families of people with disabilities and special needs feel that their loves ones should be in a group homes. But I agree they would have probably only seen Gordon maybe 1 or 2 times a year. Group homes exist everywhere. I have a friend who works at a group home for high functioning autistic people. Some of the residents in that home have part time jobs and have attended college. I think Pages could have taken Gordon to Florida with them. Florida is a pretty big state. The Pages on the advice of experts could have placed Gordon in a group home that wasn't nearby their home. They could visited him once or few times a month. They could have given Gordon some independence without having to be too far away. I do wonder a lot about the brothers maybe they stayed behind in Michigan to finish school or work.

I felt horrible for Larry Dickens' sister, and mother. They had to see their loved one die right in front of their eyes. The sister also mentioned that the family was torn apart by his murder. Just awful..:(

I also felt bad for Susan Markowitz. She said that she was half a person since her son died; she looked numb even a year after his death.

I felt horrible for Larry Dickens' sister, and mother. They had to see their loved one die right in front of their eyes. The sister also mentioned that the family was torn apart by his murder. Just awful..:(

I also felt bad for Susan Markowitz. She said that she was half a person since her son died; she looked numb even a year after his death.

I have read a lot about Susan Markowitz. She dealt with depression and weight gain after her son's death. I even remember reading somewhere that she attempted suicide.

I have read a lot about Susan Markowitz. She dealt with depression and weight gain after her son's death. I even remember reading somewhere that she attempted suicide.

Susan Markowitz doesn't ring a bell for me...what was the name of her son?

Susan Markowitz doesn't ring a bell for me...what was the name of her son?

Her son was Nick Markowitz, who was kidnapped and later murdered by that little sh*t Jesse James Hollywood.

Her son was Nick Markowitz, who was kidnapped and later murdered by that little sh*t Jesse James Hollywood.

Okay, I definately remember that one, but haven't watched the segment in a long time. I wonder if his trouble maker brother is still in prison, he looked like a snake.

RE: Jesse James Hollywood

The UM website says that he "grew up in a loving middle class home and was given every chance to succeed". But a wiki article on him states that his dad has been in trouble in recent years for manufacturing GHB (the date rape drug) and he's had charges against him involving pot.

If this is what the guy's dad is doing in his old age, then I'm sure JJH grew up learning how to be a criminal from dear old dad. Not quite the middle class suburban life that UM was trying to create, imo.

Here's his wiki page. While he was in Brazil, he was employed as a teacher of english as a second language, and a dog walker. Also, it says that his trial was to start in late April 2009. I haven't looked up any more info to find out what's going on with that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_James_Hollywood

Since Gordon Page's parents had decided to move/retire to FL from MI, I wonder why they decided to leave Gordon at a group home for special needs people back in MI.

Why didn't they take him to FL with them, then find a good place for him there? They could have visited him much more often if he was in the same state, as opposed to 1200 miles away.

I understand that the experts were (erroneously, imo) telling Gordon's parents that he needed more independence, or whatever, but why did that mean he needed to be separated from his family by such a great distance?

He could have been treated in a group home close to his family, and had normal visits with them, if he was in the same state. But all the way up in MI, he'd be seeing them, maybe twice a year. For someone with his condition, that's torture.

I don't understand why they chose to make that decision. Was it pressure from the "experts"? Were his parents under the impression that MI had the best group homes? And where were his brothers? Were they in MI, were they in school, had they graduated college, did they move to FL too, what was going on with them?

I agree. :) It's been YEARS since I've seen this segment (iI only saw it once as a kid in the early or mid 90s), so some of the details are lost on me now. But I remember the basics and I always wondered that myself.

From what I remember though...even though Gordon's parents (especially his dad) seemed like nice people, I thought they were a little TOO deadset on making him be independent when he really couldn't in some respects. Of course there's alot of parents on the opposite end of the extreme too, neither of which is good. I think people didn't know as much about autism and developmental disabilities back then, so that could be part of it too.

I'd probably say he was a "high functioning person with disabilities" if that makes sense. Like I kinda remember one part of the segment he got a job as a courtesy clerk as a teen, but got fired when he couldn't communicate with the customers that well.

Their overdesire to force him to be independent probably explains them moving away, but I agree with you. He could've still been independent living 10 miles away as opposed to halfway across the country!

I still wonder why his dad didn't open the car door when Gorden tried to get in (the last time they saw him for a visit). I really need to see the segment again for a refresher, but I remember Stack saying that he regretted that. That really made me feel for him too. :(

I still wonder why his dad didn't open the car door when Gorden tried to get in (the last time they saw him for a visit). I really need to see the segment again for a refresher, but I remember Stack saying that he regretted that. That really made me feel for him too. Yes add me to the list of folks who felt sad for Gordon Page's parents. I, too, wondered why they didn't move to Florida with Gordon and find a home there but I also don't want to sound like I am rubbing salt in their wounds.

I felt very bad for Susan Markowitz as well. She looked like a shell of her former self.

The widow of one of Dr. Swango's victims who said he left her with "a quiet house, an empty bed, and a broken heart."

The woman whose life was turned upside down when she found she'd married a crook who skipped town. She said she decided she was through crying over him and awoke with a saturated pillow after crying in her sleep!

The woman whose hopes of solving her daughter's murder were raised by those two lying DJs.

Larry Dickens's sister and mother got to me the worst in many ways.

Jennifer Pratt-It is so senseless to just wack someone with a wooden plank to make it a joke. How anyone could harm a seemingly sweet woman to the point where they can barely speak properly is beyond me and unforgivable.

Patty Stallings-she lost many years of her life because of half-ass investigations and detectives not listening to the experts. It is a miracle she was found not guilty.

Susan Markowitz-she lost what was most precious to her because of something she had nothing to do with

Jay Durham-he lost half his body because someone chooses not to take responsibility for large truck accidents.

"Debbie"-the bastard who harmed her deserves to be eaten alive

the parents of Norman Ladner-their son was murdered, and the police refuse to take the investigation that direction.

the parents of Norman Ladner-their son was murdered, and the police refuse to take the investigation that direction.

Was that those poor people who had to sift through the evidence at the crime scene because the authorities insisted it was a suicide?

The family of Esther Kidd because they are left with the image of their mom tied up to a tree in the woods.

The Jules guy? Married to Dottie? I felt for him as he had the most close-together eyes I have EVER seen in my life.:lol:

I agree about Patty Stallings - I felt for her big time.

Jay Durham-he lost half his body because someone chooses not to take responsibility for large truck accidents.

I haven't seen that segment in a few years but I recall it being NO accident. If the trucker had truly accidently hit Jay, he would have immediately pulled over to the side of the road after the collision to see if he was alright.

Instead, he crashed right into him, saw him hanging for dear life on the front of his truck and instead of stopping, sped up and tried to squish him to death against another truck. That's why Jay jumped when he did.

When the trucker finally did pull over, it was to jar the motorcyle loose from under his truck, not to check on Jay. Never in a million years would I understand what this man had to gain by doing this.

The Jules guy? Married to Dottie? I felt for him as he had the most close-together eyes I have EVER seen in my life.:lol:

Oh yeah, his eyes were freaky looking. What did Dottie ever see in him?

Was that those poor people who had to sift through the evidence at the crime scene because the authorities insisted it was a suicide?

Cori, best I remember, this is that case. I think the parents even found the fatal bullet in the ground, possibly right under where Norman Ladner's head had been lying?

There should be quite a bit of informative discussion about it, here. Just do a search for Ladner or Norman Ladner and see what you can come up with. IMO, it was not a suicide.

The widow of one of Dr. Swango's victims who said he left her with "a quiet house, an empty bed, and a broken heart."

The woman whose life was turned upside down when she found she'd married a crook who skipped town. She said she decided she was through crying over him and awoke with a saturated pillow after crying in her sleep!

The woman whose hopes of solving her daughter's murder were raised by those two lying DJs.

Larry Dickens's sister and mother got to me the worst in many ways.

I remember that case those douches pissed me off when it was revealed it was prank. Do you remember the names of the woman and her daughter?

I remember that case those douches pissed me off when it was revealed it was prank. Do you remember the names of the woman and her daughter?

No, and I don't remember the names of the DJs or radio station either.

Ken and Dorothy Sova. They tried so damn hard and endured so much to find answers on what happened to Kurt, and basically got nowhere. I think about them a lot, and I hope and pray they someday learn what happened to their son.

No, and I don't remember the names of the DJs or radio station either.


The name Gene Baxter comes to mind as one of the dj's.. Total morning show radio jerk, with one of those broadcast personalities to match.


Someone who I always felt sorry for was the train conductor who ran over the bodies of the two Arkansas boys. I just felt bad for him to even think he somehow did something to end their lives.

Of course the Sova's, Larry Dickens mom and sister witnessing that horrible event, I even felt sorry for the actress that had to play Mrs. Dickens, that wouldn't have been fun knowing that was real.

All of the KC firefighter widows and that haunting audio tape of the dispatchers trying to get them to answer knowing they never had a chance.

Just to name a few..

The name Gene Baxter comes to mind as one of the dj's.. Total morning show radio jerk, with one of those broadcast personalities to match.

The other DJ's name was Kevin Ryder. I nominate both of them for UM Biggest Idiots award. :mad:

Someone who I always felt sorry for was the train conductor who ran over the bodies of the two Arkansas boys. I just felt bad for him to even think he somehow did something to end their lives.

Stephen Shroyer. I agree. He looked visibly pained during the interview and it was so sad to watch.


Cliff Davis was another person I felt awful for. Not only was Morris murdered in an especially selfish and senseless way, Cliff had to respond to that ambulance call without ever knowing--until he entered the house--that it was his own brother who'd been shot. I can't imagine the shock and horror he must've gone through.

Obviously the poor Hansen parents. The mother describing her wounded daughter and the father saying, "We've lost three of our four kids over this." And offering the childrens' education money as a reward. :(

Sue Billig. That woman went through hell to try and find her daughter.

Pamela Straight. She was the mother of the three boys who went fishing with their father aboard the shrimp boat The Liebling. This woman lost all three of her children at once, I can't even imagine how horrible and heartbreaking that would be.

Michael Rosenblum's mother, you could see how much guilt and pain she felt for trying tough love and I believe she will torture herself with that forever. It was like she blamed herself for what happened.

Ken and Dorothy Sova. They tried so damn hard and endured so much to find answers on what happened to Kurt, and basically got nowhere. I think about them a lot, and I hope and pray they someday learn what happened to their son.
I know you posted this a while ago, but I unfortunately heard on here that they've both passed on. I hope I heard wrong. I always felt so bad for them, especially when the mother says ''I couldn't do that to someone's animal, let alone a human being.''

Shannon Mohr's parents- what heartbreak they went through just because their POS son-in-law wanted money.

I felt for Teresa Stamper- imagine being watched and that incident with the car and the kidnapping must have been a horrific experience, watching your boyfriend get shot by your ex. I hope she's having a good life. Paul was paroled way too soon in my opinion.

Wow. Far to many to list.

1. The Hansens were already mentioned. You wonder how people bare that
kind of hurt.

2. Lauren Jackson's mom struck a chord with me, and any parent who had a child abducted. That has to be terrible beyond anything.

3. The grandmother and surving child of the Jordan children who were caught in that house fire set by those two drug dealers. I believe Kentrich Jordan was his name, he had to have prosthetic legs on top of losing his brothers and sisters. That makes the personal tragedies of most people seem like a joke.

4. Christine Williamson, scoured the country side looking for her missing husband Craig only to find out either he didn't remember her or just faked amnesia to get out of his marriage. What a huge heartbreak that had to be for her. And what a douche he turned out to be.

5. The family whose baby was shot by those dirtbags in the other car when he held his teddy bear in front of him. Alvie Williams I believe was the name of the shooter but I can't remember the family's name.

Really to many to list, Unsolved Mysteries was full of people who had terrible tragedies.

Sarah Beard, who was beaten and raped by Wadada

Bill Day, who was looking for his son Christophe after his ex Betty kidnapped him, only to find out he died

Mark and Debbie Baskin, especially when Debbie said "There's a little boy who will go to bed at night and say "Please don't let nana and papa come to steal me too".

Denise Allan, who searched half-way around the world for her missing son Charles Horvath

David and Patricia Stallings, when they cried in their interviews

Kevin McElroy, when he learned his son Kyle was murdered

Travis and Wendy James, when they explained how they found their baby son Robert after a road rage incident

Lisa Osteen, when she said she could've been killed by the mail bomb and wanted the guy to turn himself in

There's more but I'll update later

Bill Day (Christophe's father)-I always believed that if Betty never fled, either Christophe may have never contracted leukemia, or if he still had, his father would have been able to help him.

Norman Ladner's parents-With the treatment they recieved from the police, it was pretty much a slap-in-the-face based on how they've been ridiculed because people they could supposedly trust were simply not interested in finding the truth but instead, just wrapping it up with no regard for the conclusion.

Patty Stallings-Again, another case of incompetent public officials who have disgraced their office. They only cared about proving a specific conclusion and had no regard for due process.

Lee Selwyn's mother-Her emotions. You could tell her son was her life and it was taken from her by some pathetic psycho with no respect for human life.

While I agree an injustice was inflicted on the Stallings, I don't know if I totally fault the investigators for coming to the conclusion they did.

The first reason is that most police officials not employed in physical science or forensics are not likely to be familiar with a very rare metabolic disorder that just so happens to present with excess chemical compounds in the brain, which just so happens to look like what happens when someone ingests ethylene glycol. Both produce the same crystallized compound in the body. For someone who investigates crime on a daily basis, the thought of ruling out a genetic disease wouldn't be something that would come readily to mind--especially when there's already an open antifreeze container in the house with "ethylene glycol" displayed prominently in the label.

The second is that if you look at the structure of oxalic acid (which is what ethylene glycol becomes in the body) and the structure of methylmalonic acid (which is what presents in larger-than-normal amounts in the disease Ryan had), they're rather similar.

I chalk it up to inexperience and ignorance. That doesn't excuse what happened to David and Patty, but I guess I don't necessarily feel the police were intentionally malicious.

Dustin Johnson, whose mother was murdered by Dennis Keith Smith, his own uncle. The way he cried in the beginning of the segment when he said his mom wasn't there when he came back from visiting his father.

I know people usually bash him, but Dan Killaby I also feel sorry for. He was flaky for one night and that cost him his wife. We've all made stupid mistakes. Losing your spouse because of them is not usually the result and he has to live with that now.

David Cox' girlfriend. She seemed so happy for him to have gotten a new job and even expressed that excitement in her interview. I felt really bad for her and his mother, who was rightfully angry that someone had killed her son. What a sad case.

The Parents of Jaclyn Dowaliby

Such a heartbreaking case. I could not imagine loosing a daughter and then being accused of her murder.

The Parents of Jaclyn Dowaliby

Such a heartbreaking case. I could not imagine loosing a daughter and then being accused of her murder.

Yes, David especially. There wasn't a shred of motive for those two people to have murdered their daughter and I have no idea why the investigators were so dead-set on hanging them on such flimsy "evidence" (remember the "nose identification"? :rolleyes:).

Although he wasn't mentioned, Jaclyn's biological father was incarcerated in Florida for sexual battery (committed long after he and Cynthia split) at the time of her murder. Regardless of what terrible crimes he committed, he still lost his child to murder, and no one deserves that.

Yes, David especially. There wasn't a shred of motive for those two people to have murdered their daughter and I have no idea why the investigators were so dead-set on hanging them on such flimsy "evidence" (remember the "nose identification"? :rolleyes:).

Although he wasn't mentioned, Jaclyn's biological father was incarcerated in Florida for sexual battery (committed long after he and Cynthia split) at the time of her murder. Regardless of what terrible crimes he committed, he still lost his child to murder, and no one deserves that.

I was unaware of that. Wow...

Luis Diaz aka. Bird Road Rapist

Maybe I have a soft spot for innocent people getting locked up but this case breaks my heart. I don't understand how juries can convict with so little evidence. Eyewitness evidence is some of the worst evidence ever. If he had the panties or drivers licenses or maybe some DNA evidence (not available at the time?) then yes but not on the strength of eyewitness testimony alone.

Luis Diaz aka. Bird Road Rapist

Maybe I have a soft spot for innocent people getting locked up but this case breaks my heart. I don't understand how juries can convict with so little evidence. Eyewitness evidence is some of the worst evidence ever. If he had the panties or drivers licenses or maybe some DNA evidence (not available at the time?) then yes but not on the strength of eyewitness testimony alone.

This was one final appeal case where I didn't even need to hear all the evidence. The moment I first saw Diaz being interviewed, he seemed so harmless and sincere that my gut told me: "There's NO WAY this guy's a serial rapist!". I always find it heartbreaking when he talks about his wife leaving him. I hope it was because she wanted to move on with her life and not because she legitimately thought he was the rapist.

Another person I felt really sorry for was the daughter of Kay Beeman, the guard who broke her convict lover out of prison and went on the run with him. She gave this teary-eyed interview in silhouette about how she didn't understand why her mother would abandon her like that. And then they did an update where the couple was captured and making out in the back of the police car, so it seemed that Kay had no remorse for what she did.

I think the one person I feel the most sorry for is the woman who's baby was kidnapped as she was leaving the hospital. She had a beautiful baby girl she named Marlena and a woman confronted her and took baby Marlena. Every time I watch that segment I just cry. I couldn't imagine carrying a baby for nine months, giving birth to her and then having someone take her from my arms. Heartbreaking. :(
I hope that little Marlena will be someday reunited with her real mother. The bitch who stole her can rot in hell. :mad:

This was one final appeal case where I didn't even need to hear all the evidence. The moment I first saw Diaz being interviewed, he seemed so harmless and sincere that my gut told me: "There's NO WAY this guy's a serial rapist!". I always find it heartbreaking when he talks about his wife leaving him. I hope it was because she wanted to move on with her life and not because she legitimately thought he was the rapist.

Another person I felt really sorry for was the daughter of Kay Beeman, the guard who broke her convict lover out of prison and went on the run with him. She gave this teary-eyed interview in silhouette about how she didn't understand why her mother would abandon her like that. And then they did an update where the couple was captured and making out in the back of the police car, so it seemed that Kay had no remorse for what she did.
Agree 100% about Diaz. That case was horribly botched. The attacker spoke English and Diaz clearly DID NOT. This means that the detectives who claimed he had conversed with them in English for an extended period of time were lying. It's just despicable. Then we have other members of the investigation twisting words of witnesses into claims that they had heard him speak in English on the telephone. This case makes my blood boil in fury. He was railroaded big time, including by that one witness who claimed ''I don't think it's him but I'm going to say it is.'' What the hell? I can't watch that case without getting really upset.

Also agree about Kay Beeman's daughter. Apparently she and the fugitive moved in together after their releases from prison and Kay died a few years later. I feel really bad for her daughter. I really wonder how old she was when Kay ran off.

Yes, David especially. There wasn't a shred of motive for those two people to have murdered their daughter and I have no idea why the investigators were so dead-set on hanging them on such flimsy "evidence" (remember the "nose identification"? :rolleyes:).

Although he wasn't mentioned, Jaclyn's biological father was incarcerated in Florida for sexual battery (committed long after he and Cynthia split) at the time of her murder. Regardless of what terrible crimes he committed, he still lost his child to murder, and no one deserves that.
Yes! Absolutely. I really think the Dowalibys are innocent of any crime. I find the detectives to be ridiculous here. ''Someone in that house is responsible.'' Ok, that's what you believe. Don't state it like a proven fact, because it's not. ''Isn't it weird that only you and your son were awake? In my family, if one person is up, we're all up.'' So we're supposed to be suspicious about what David says because your family is different, Mr. Detective? :rolleyes: I can understand them investigating the family, certainly. But the evidence was at best extremely flimsy, as you said, Meg. I think they would have solved this crime by now had they not zeroed in on the family and been so arrogant/stubborn about their opinions. And yes, the nose evidence was the most ridiculous thing ever!

Although they weren't interviewed on UM, I've always felt sorry for Bob Bean's children.

Although they weren't interviewed on UM, I've always felt sorry for Bob Bean's children.
:rotflmao:

High five, TheCars, high five.

Also agree about Kay Beeman's daughter. Apparently she and the fugitive moved in together after their releases from prison and Kay died a few years later. I feel really bad for her daughter. I really wonder how old she was when Kay ran off.

Found this article about the case. Apparently, Kay lived in a trailer park with her adult son and daughter and was constantly fighting with them. She seemed pretty unhappy with her life, which would explain why she felt compelled to take off like that:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-04/news/1990308210_1_beeman-allegany-county-cumberland

The most surprising piece of information in the article is that Beeman was set to be married to ANOTHER inmate at the jail, who had no idea that she was also involved with Edgar Kerns.

Found this article about the case. Apparently, Kay lived in a trailer park with her adult son and daughter and was constantly fighting with them. She seemed pretty unhappy with her life, which would explain why she felt compelled to take off like that:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-04/news/1990308210_1_beeman-allegany-county-cumberland

The most surprising piece of information in the article is that Beeman was set to be married to ANOTHER inmate at the jail, who had no idea that she was also involved with Edgar Kerns.
Wow, thanks for the article. Sad to see that other inmate was pretty devastated.

Another person I felt sorry for was Sherry Eyerly's mother (and of course friends/family who were not interviewed). What an awful situation. There is not even the hope that she could still be out there because of the obvious abduction :( That's thirty years (this past summer) not knowing exactly what's happened to your child, only that they were in all likelihood murdered. It is really too bad she has never been found.

Susan Billig/Rose Hoffman/Patty Doel as well.

Norman Ladner's parents. I don't know, they seemed like a nice hard working mild mannered family who genuinely loved their son. As far as I remember there werent any other children


Yeah I really felt so sorry for them too :( can't imagine how horrible the whole situation would be. Ummm they did have other children- I think Norman was the eldest son in a family of 6 or 7 children from what I can recall from the segment.

Don't know if this one has been mentioned but I really felt sorry for Paula Pasciak's mother Barbara. She discovered her own daughters decomposing body under her own bed after Paula had been deceased for nearly a week!
:( and Barbara was so traumatised that she ended up losing her job and home and ended up being homeless on the street :(

I'm unsure whether she is still alive or not but this case happened in the mid 80s so I doubt Barbara would still be alive but you never know. Anyways the whole case was very sad :( at least Paula's killer was caught though!

Don't know if this one has been mentioned but I really felt sorry for Paula Pasciak's mother Barbara. She discovered her own daughters decomposing body under her own bed after Paula had been deceased for nearly a week!
:( and Barbara was so traumatised that she ended up losing her job and home and ended up being homeless on the street :(

I'm unsure whether she is still alive or not but this case happened in the mid 80s so I doubt Barbara would still be alive but you never know. Anyways the whole case was very sad :( at least Paula's killer was caught though!

Yeah I always felt awful for the mother. Even though the scumbag Jerry was caught, he only served six years in prison, IIRC.

Yeah I always felt awful for the mother. Even though the scumbag Jerry was caught, he only served six years in prison, IIRC.

He was released in 2006. If I had to guess, that probably completely crushed what was left of Barbara's soul.

Yeah I always felt awful for the mother. Even though the scumbag Jerry was caught, he only served six years in prison, IIRC.


I know! Justice was certainly NOT served in this case!! :(

Henry Rollins

His pain was palpable as he discussed Joe's death and his inability to save him. What he doesn't mention in the segment is that he was actually arrested and accused of Joe's death by the cops because the cops thought they were lovers.

Here are videos of him telling the full story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vasIL6mtNIk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThZFJwlqfNM

Henry Rollins

His pain was palpable as he discussed Joe's death and his inability to save him. What he doesn't mention in the segment is that he was actually arrested and accused of Joe's death by the cops because the cops thought they were lovers.

Here are videos of him telling the full story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vasIL6mtNIk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThZFJwlqfNM

Henry is the man. I love his powerful storytelling and speaking style (it's an injustice to call his spoken word performances "standup comedy", even if there's obviously some humor in alot of it). That was one of his deeper and more serious bits, the entire story of what happened to Joe was heartbreaking. And being blamed for it and ridiculed by the responding officers must've poured salt in the wounds. I know there were some corrupt LA cops in the late 80s/early to mid 90s, but even in that context, it seems pretty cold.

Found this article about the case. Apparently, Kay Beeman lived in a trailer park with her adult son and daughter and was constantly fighting with them. She seemed pretty unhappy with her life, which would explain why she felt compelled to take off like that:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-04/news/1990308210_1_beeman-allegany-county-cumberland

The most surprising piece of information in the article is that Beeman was set to be married to ANOTHER inmate at the jail, who had no idea that she was also involved with Edgar Kerns.

This was a case that I never caught on Lifetime all those years and have only the faintest of faint memories from when it originally aired. I watched it on Amazon the other day and looked up the same article you posted here, mostly because I wanted to see if there was some kind of reconciliation between Kay and her daughter after Kay was captured and eventually released.

I'm thinking no. But that already seemed a little obvious in the update when she and Kerns, both in handcuffs and being put in the back of a police car are all smiles and kissing each other. Once they both finished their sentences, they lived together until Kay's death in 2002.

But the true WTF moment is, like you mentioned, the fact that Kay was already engaged to a different inmate at the prison when she ran way with Kerns, just two days before the wedding.

If Kay was truly as unhappy as the article says, the dysfunction she created for herself had to make her happy. But I still felt for her daughter who was pretty devastated over the whole ordeal.

Gordon Page’s parents. I cannot fault them for what they did. Not as much was known about Autism as it is now. They didn’t know much about it either, so they followed the advice of the doctors because they thought the doctors knew more. You can see the regret carved into their faces and you know they’ve spent every day, hating themselves for leaving Gordon at that home.

Also the old man who survived the Blind River Rest Stop shooting...his face is filled with nothing but raw grief and pain as he talks about the horror of what he’d been through. What’s really heart-clenching is when he talks about how he wished he’d died that night, just like his wife

The mother of the guy who....I can't remember the case bit it had one of the longest and interesting Update segment ever bc they actually filmed it. I think he faked amnesia? You see his mom who is clearly heartbroken

The mother of the guy who....I can't remember the case bit it had one of the longest and interesting Update segment ever bc they actually filmed it. I think he faked amnesia? You see his mom who is clearly heartbroken

Arthur Paul Beal, aka "Tyler."

Victor Simon. I believe he died without ever finding any living members of his family.

Yes Paula pasciaks mother Barbara mentioned above. Every time I watch that segment it’s tough not to cry watching her get through the interview. And I also don’t understand how the guy did only a few years in prison.

Joe Amado

Morris Davis' brother. I can't imagine the pain of being an EMT arriving to a scene only to find your brother dead on the floor. The poor guy.

Jonathan Francia's parents.

Sharon Stevens. Not only was she a victim of child abuse, but one of her babies was killed by an abusive relative, too. I'm glad she found the Zelinskis, but this segment always makes me heartsick.

I have always felt bad for Jay and Lorene Bible. At the time of the UM interview they both seemed so defeated. I felt that the police were kind of inept at first and that they lost some valuable time within that first 72 hours because of the attitude of the police. Not saying it would have saved Lauria and Ashley...but they seriously dragged their feet at first.

sterek1974 who's that guy in your Avatar? he looks very familiar.

sterek1974 who's that guy in your Avatar? he looks very familiar.

Bryan Nisenfeld. I find his case to be one of the mysteries that should be easily solved but never has been.

Brenda Gipson, Kenneth Oldens girlfriend in the Texas crime spree.
Also patsy Wright’s daughter that really tugs the heartstrings.

Philip Fraser’s mother too is very hard.

Jeremy Rolf’s was arduous too.

Bryan Nisenfeld. I find his case to be one of the mysteries that should be easily solved but never has been.

I felt bad for his family as well. But I've always thought this case was pretty cut and dried as to either be a suicide or an accident.