Simpson had just ended in early October 1996, but remained fresh in the public psyche and dominated . Lawson said his father had suffered recent medical issues, so at the time it seemed believable that something could be wrong with him. Even we have a limit that you can push us to before we stand up and cry foul.". That is the only person who shares your story. HARDEEVILLE, Sc. Click here to create a free account which will allow access to 5 stories every 30 days. In 2002, a tip led searchers near the Tuscaloosa County community of Samantha, where crews used a backhoe to try to unearth new information about Carrie's remains. Carrie Lawson was declared dead two years after her disappearance. And when Bland killed himself, state charges were being sought because Carrie had not been taken across state lines, which would have constituted a federal crime, they said. Tony Lynn Dobbins said he was there when Carrie was murdered. The Walker family of Osprey, Florida, included father Cliff (25 years old), mother Christine (24 years old), a son named Jimmie (three years old), and a daughter named Debbie (two years old). This was due in part to the case of Detective Hector Polanco, who was investigated for coercing 13 false confessions. Throughout the county and city, similar stories of prolonged grief are being played out; 28 unsolved homicides since 2009. "So we never heard her voice, because the tape had malfunctioned.". The WCSO currently has two Cold Case investigators that work 40+ hours a week solely on cold cases. Twenty-four-year-old Robert Bruce Springsteen and 25-year-old Michael James Scott were the only two to go to trial, and both men were convicted on flimsy DNA evidence. "Having somebody kidnapped was the last thing you could ever think. Hes a stalker; he gets excited about his victims. Churches would cook for all of the search groups," Kubiszyn said. You have no idea what God can do.". "He'd never met her, but he loved her.". The trunk was found by hunters nearly three years to the day later, with only the elderly brothers' suits inside. According to a story written by reporter Wendy Reeves and published in the Tuscaloosa News the day after the shooting, Jowers was shot in the head while walking a girlfriend to her car in the parking lot of Classics Lounge at 613 37th Street between 2:10-2:15 a.m. She was the kindest person you've ever met," she said. The woman claimed to be a nurse at Walker Regional Medical Center. Namely, members of Bostons underworld frequented Blackfriars, and on the night in question, several men in the bars basement were busy playing a game of backgammon when they were fired upon. "He had duct tape and told Carrie to duct tape my hands behind my back. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. "They had searched his house, and questioned him and left him in the house with a bunch of guns," Kubiszyn said. It just so happened that Smith and Hickock had driven to Florida in a stolen Bel Air. "I fully expected when we got down there, they would have found her and it would be over. "He would run you around every night. "I knew, and I guess that I was overly hopeful, that the minute I got back to my house, the word is going to be that he released her and we'd find her," he said. This item is available in full to subscribers. In a strange coda to the story, one of the men arrested in 1999, Maurice Pierce, was shot and killed by police in December 2010, after stabbing Austin police officer Frank Wilson in the neck. document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); Robbery is one potential motive floated to the public by investigators, as police speculate Jowers may have been robbed of cash earned at his other jobs as a carpenter and handyman after he had been shot. if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); Given the personal nature of these stolen items, investigators theorized that the killer or killers had known the Walkers, and given that Christine had been raped, it was likely that she was the main target.[2]. The bodies were not found until the following day. Montgomery man who disappeared is found murdered in an unused grain silo. Authorities got a major break when Bland was identified as a suspect. Kennedy then said investigators believe the shooter may have hidden in nearby bushes and later escaped through a wooded area behind the south part of the bar's parking lot. This group was created to bring attention to the high number of people missing, suspicious deaths and unsolved murders in Walker County Alabama (Neighboring counties). The show includes interrogation footage of Jones from Jan. 19, 2005. I'd never heard of a carjacking. "I had every hope in the world there was going to be a good ending to this.". I can remember one of the feds saying, 'Look, he had marijuana in the house. If you have any information on an unsolved murder, you can make an anonymous phone call to the LowcountryCrimeStoppers at 843-554-1111. He doesn't talk about Carrie or the case much, but said not a day goes by when he doesn't think about the kindness shown to him and his and Carrie's families. Both had been beaten to death with a baseball bat that had been a birthday present for Peter. Indeed, believe it or not, American citizens are currently living in a time of unprecedented peace.[1]. "This case affected our community," District Attorney Bill Adair said, noting hundreds of people carried out searches and held prayer vigils. The FBI, usually tight-lipped, staunchly defended their actions in an interview with The Birmingham News. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. A hammer and a knife were recovered at the crime scene, while survivor Justin Sharp provided information that led to a composite sketch. If you would like to buy one, you can reach Mitchell at (843) 683-0568, or on Facebook at Charles Mitchell. The sixth woman was also held captive but managed to survive. They reportedly found some of the ransom money -- which had been documented by serial numbers -- in a truck on his property. Many, if not most should be considered armed and dangerous. Authorities remove the body of Jerry Bland from his Jasper home on Oct. 1, 1991 after he committed suicide while FBI agents surrounded his home. (AL.com/File). Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Inside the trailer, the police found a veritable house of horrors. ", In that same interview, Frank Evans, a supervisory special agent, said, "It is so patently inaccurate, we felt an obligation to say wait a minute. Please note in order for the office to follow up on any information . Some locals insinuated, though, that the men were connected to the Mafia and had plundered clients and equipment away from Records Security. "On Day 1, they told us the statistical probabilities of someone being found alive and well. Also inside was cook Ida Holguin. "That was the first time I felt alone," he said. The murder was the latest in a violent year for Tuscaloosa, marking the ninth homicide investigated by the multi-agency unit in 1996. The numbers are only getting. Thats why law enforcement across Jasper County is asking for the communitys help. In 1997, a prison inmate claimed he had first-hand knowledge of the case. '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? "No matter what deck of cards life deals you, no matter how bad it is, you can overcome that. "It was amazing to watch. The intensity lasted for about six weeks, but ultimately the FBI and other agencies pulled out. if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; A masked gunman appeared out of the darkness and ordered them out of the car. "Mr. Johnny Swinten, Vietnam Vet. After more than two decades, different potential leads in the case have grabbed headlines, but formal charges have never been brought against a single suspect. On the horrible morning of February 10, 1990, two armed men entered the Las Cruces Bowl located on East Amador Avenue in Las Cruces, New Mexico. There were several extortion attempts on the Lawson family, one that led to a 15-year prison sentence for the convict. This booking photo provided by police in Decatur, Ala., shows Johnny Dwight Whited. Alabama Department of Corrections lists McPherson as being in a Birmingham work release program. He drove away with Carrie as Lawson assured himself she would be OK. She had to be OK. "Back in 1991, nobody got kidnapped. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). U.S. Alabama murder case goes unsolved for 25 years. "And still do," Lawson said. Despite Bland's death, and McPherson's swift arrest on first-degree kidnapping charges, the searches for Carrie continued by hundreds, if not thousands. It's a case that people still talk about. Here is a brief summary of some of the murders which have occurred in Jasper and Newton County in the last quarter of a century. A popular theory has it that ex-cons Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, the main villains in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood, actually carried out the murders. Simpson had just ended in early October 1996, but remained fresh in the public psyche and dominated headlines. Barker worked for the large corporation Bell and Howell. After asking Senac to retrieve $5,000 from the bowling alleys safe, the gunmen shot all four several times. Unsolved Alabama Murders According to Project: Cold Case, from 1980 to 2019 there were 20,003 homicides in Alabama alone, leaving 7,893 unsolved murders in Alabama. As of April 1, there were around 19 reported murders in Alabama in 2021. The 2001 murder of Sherwin Gittens and the 1988 murder of Malakia Logan, as well as a handful of strange disappearances and abductions, including the 1985 disappearance of Jeremy Grice, the 1986 abduction of Jessica Gutierrez, and the 2011 disappearance of Amir Jennings, are just a few of the most infamous South Carolina murders and "It's stuff like that that gets you through. MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) In 2005, suspected serial killer Jeremy Jones was convicted by a Mobile jury for the brutal murder of 44-year-old Lisa Nichols. Her body was found in the remains of her . Burch was a detective who investigated Nichols murder. Karen McPherson, now 60, is serving a life sentence in the kidnapping of Carrie Smith Lawson, who was abducted from her Jasper home in the early-morning hours of September 11, 1991. (Photo courtesy of McPherson's family). }else{ The victims were 37-year-old Connie R. Woolfolk of Flossmoor, Illinois; 22-year-old Sarah Szafranski of Oak Forest; 42-year-old store manager Rhonda McFarland of Joliet; 33-year-old Carrie Hudek Chiuso of Frankfort; and 34-year-old Jennifer Bishop of South Bend, Indiana. Brynn Rainey, 27, vanished . KANSAS: In 1970, 12-year-old Kelly Lynn Albright went missing and was found dead in a field in Reno County. Given the absolute horror of the crime scene, locals began to blame Satanists for the crime. November 20, 2020 / 6:33 AM The man who killed Carrie himself is dead, Frank Lancaster, McPhersons brother and the oldest of the five Lancaster children said in 2016. Patrice Endres was abducted from her Cumming, Ga. hair salon on April 15, 2004. document.write ("