It’s a cold case that has puzzled Owensboro Police for more than three decades. In the summer of 1986 a young woman and two teenagers all went missing within a matter of weeks. To this day, 16 year old Shannon Green has never been found. Green would be turning 50 this year and a recent age-progression photo is renewing interest in her case.

In 1986, Green was student at Owensboro High School but that summer would be the last time anyone saw her alive. On July 6th, Green was walking down 2nd and Poplar Streets on her way to babysit for a man named John Reneer but whether she made to the home is unclear. Detective Mark Saffran with Owensboro Police investigated Green’s disappearance. He’s now a retired reserve officer for OPD and says after so many years he does not believe Green is alive.

The summer of 1986 was a mysterious one in Owensboro. In June, a young woman went missing and within weeks two teens also disappeared. The body of one of the three missing people would eventually be discovered in a cornfield off Lower River Road, a couple miles West of the city. The body of 23 year old Mary Ethel “Angie” Dickens was found October 2nd, nearly three months after she was originally reported missing. What happened to Dickens still remains much a mystery and who’s responsible is a question that remains.

Owensboro Police investigated Dickens’ and Green’s cases for any possible connections but say the department never found any corroborating evidence. Green’s disappearance has always been a missing persons case and John Reneer was OPD’s number one person of interest. Reneer has always denied having anything to do with her disappearance and even had a recording he told police would prove his innocence, “Reneer taped a conversation with DeWayne, DeWayne had come over was needing some money to get out of town,” said Detective Saffran.

DeWayne Bell was 18 and worked for Reneer along with his father David Bell. Reneer had a lengthy criminal history and told authorities he recorded the conversation to protect himself not knowing he would be taping a quasi-confession, “Initially just hearing the voice said, I’ve killed, I’ve hurt my girlfriend,” said Det. Saffran. What police heard on the tape raised even more questions when Reneer asked DeWayne why his girlfriend couldn’t go to police, “He says no she can’t go to the police. He says why not? Well I killed her, then he mentions he killed another person, another girl and a child.” Investigators were able to determine it was in fact DeWayne Bell’s voice on the recording but Bell was never arrested. Five days after Green went missing — DeWayne Bell was missing too. Some believe it was at the hands of his father David who was also implicated in that recording — helping to bury Green.

Year after Green’s disappearance OPD received a tip as to where they could find her remains. Investigators dug in a field for days but nothing was ever recovered. To this day Green nor Bell’s bodies have ever been found and with little physical evidence there’s an even slighter chance of solving the crimes decades later, “We investigated it, the investigators back then investigated it and it’s frustrating not being able to solve something for the family. I mean I know what the family went through and that is the frustrating part, is not being able to give answers to the family,” said Det. Saffran.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Owensboro Police.

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She was a Boonville teenager, her name, Amanda Vanscyoc. In 2001, the teen’s body was found thrown out like trash near the Ohio River in Yankeetown, Indiana. Authorities in Warrick County say Vanscyoc’s case undoubtedly involves foul play, “People don’t just die inside a wrapped up carpet,” said Sergeant Aaron Bennett.

Vanscyoc was 18 when she was found strangled to death, now nearly 18 years later, investigators with the sheriff’s office are still trying to answer who killed Amanda. In November, 2001 two hunters in rural Warrick County made the grim discovery, “They were just walking around that area and saw a carpet that was rolled up that they didn’t recognize before and when they walked by close to it, they were able to see there was a body wrapped up inside of it,” said Bennett.

Bennett was working for the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office in 2001 and responded to the scene. “I was the officer who went down and found her. At that point, once you know there’s a body we just kind of leave it as is until the crime scene can be dealt with so the point of really knowing that was Amanda at the time was probably a day or so later is when I realized it.”

Vanscyoc was no stranger to authorities. She ran around in drug circles and was caught up in the court system. According to court records at the time of her death she was on probation. She also signed up to work as a confidential informant but the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office maintains that had nothing to do with her murder.

Today you can find evidence of partying where Vanscyoc’s body was found — campfires, empty beer cans, even spent shell casings but nearly 18 years ago when the teen’s body was discovered little evidence was recovered at the scene.

The evidence collected from where Vanscyoc’s body was found was sent off to Indiana State Police to be examined and what investigators learned raised concern. DNA that did not belong to Amanda was found on her body. That DNA would eventually come back to be identified as semen from the teen’s stepfather. Initially he denied knowing how his DNA ended up there but eventually admitted to having a sexual relationship with his wife’s daughter.

Linda Warner, Amanda’s mother and her husband were both questioned as part of the investigation but Linda’s husband was never named a suspect or person of interest, “We have a good story line, however we need someone to come in with the odds and ends of it to tie up the details to make sure we get a prosecution and a conviction,” said Bennett.

The Warrick County Sheriff’s Office never named anyone as a suspect or person of interest in order to protect the investigation. Now, nearly 18 years later Bennett is hoping there could be a break in this case, “If anyone does know anything then we hope as a result of this story they will call in with maybe something they didn’t think was important at the time, that is extremely important to us.”

Sergeant Bennett has five years left with WCSO and says this case is one he believes will be solved in his career. We reached out to Linda Warner for an interview but she did not respond before our deadline. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office.

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Who Killed Boonville Teen Amanda Vanscyoc? on 44News | Evansville, IN.

Traditional cable companies are trying to stay competitive but more and more customers are ditching the cable box and cutting the cord. If you are still paying a traditional cable company you might want to take a look at your options. The rise of online streaming has contributed to the fall of cable. A recent survey suggests 60-percent of cable customers have cut the cord, “They were charging us like $200 a month and all we had was internet and the basic package of cable,” said Angelique Moran.

Moran and Dakota Mathis are proud parents of a one week old. They’re just like millions of Americans who have cut the cord with their cable company after being charged hundreds of dollars every month. Moran says she thinks they easily save $150 a month, money that goes toward expenses for their little one. They turned to online streaming and use Netflix, HULU and Prime Video — just a few of the streaming services out there, “There’s plenty of different options if one streaming service doesn’t have it another one does,” said Moran.

According to Forbes the average cable bill runs just under $110 dollars a month but with all the tacked on fees some companies are charging customers more than $200 just to watch TV. It was a cost the Locke family couldn’t justify, “We were paying about $179 a month for our service that we had and we decided to get rid of it because, we weren’t really using it that much.” said Tiffany Locke.

The Locke’s also took the money they were spending on cable and bought season passes to Holiday World Splashin’ Safari this year. Mom says cutting out cable has opened up opportunities to create life-long memories, “Having experiences is more important to us than sitting around and watching television, I know not everyone has that opinion but that’s kind of how we view it.”

Alternative options to cable & online streaming services:

Amazon Prime Video is included in a Prime membership which now cost $119 a year or $13 a month. Amazon Prime Video also allows subscribers to add premium channels like HBO and Showtime for $9-$15.

HULU offers subscribers several options, basic HULU starts at just $6 with ads or $12 a month without adds. HULU has a live TV option that runs about $45 a month. HULU’s live TV option is great for cord cutters looking for an alternative to cable. HULU live comes with about 60 channels, including major networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. HULU live has several popular cable channels such as A&E, Cartoon Network, CNN, Disney, Fox News, FX, TBS, and TNT. HULU live also keeps sports fans in mind, the lineup also includes CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports for people who just have to have their sports.

Netflix was one of the first online streaming giants to emerge and the service now costs customers about $9-$16 a month depending on what you want.

Sling TV offers three main subscriptions, its Orange and Blue packages both start at $25 but offer different channel lineups. A combined package costs $40.

There are so many streaming options out there you have to find what is right for you or if you need to subscribe to anything at all?

Click for more and to comment: Ways to Save: Ditching Your Cable Company on 44News | Evansville, IN.

The murder of an Evansville marine remains unsolved two years later. David Basham was gunned down outside his Evansville home in December 2017. That shooting triggered a tsunami of uncertainty for his family.

Basham’s niece Paige Basham says, “He was always my hero growing up to whenever he went to Iraq which at the time I didn’t really realize how serious that was.”

In 2004, the Iraq War had begun, and Basham wanted nothing more than to serve his country. By September of 2004 more than 1,000 soldiers had died in Iraq. His sister Schelle Shelby says, “He was proud of his country and was proud of where he was from and this was something that he knew like I said he was born to do, he would say that ‘I was born to be a marine’. He was born to be a marine. He knew he would be the best.”

Under the pressure of the war, Basham served only one tour. Back in the states, Basham returned to Camp Pendleton in California, but his experiences overseas followed him and with his support system hundreds of miles away a tough decision had to be made.

“He is a family guy and I know he missed all of us and didn’t want to deal with the things he was dealing with alone, mentally, so he came back home,” says Schelle Shelby.

In 2006, Basham returned to the Evansville area and started a family. He welcomed a daughter in 2007 and a son in 2015. Though, Basham’s time with his family would be cut too soon.

On December 16th, 2017, about a half hour to midnight, police were dispatched to Basham’s home on East Missouri Street for reported shots fired. Prior to the shooting, Basham told his neighbor to call 911. According to court documents, Basham had been shot in the groin in severing his femoral artery.

Schelle Shelby says, “He coded when he got to the ER. They took him to surgery one of our vascular surgeons repaired the severed artery, but he lost so much blood.”

For the next six weeks, family and friends were by his bedside every day. Paige Basham says, “One minute we were all there with David wondering about him and the next minute we were like who shot him? What was he doing? Who was he talking to? Where was he going? Who was he hanging out with?”

While Basham fought for his life on that hospital bed officers were trying to track down who was responsible. Schelle Shelby says, “He made friends with everybody he was around so he might be running around with one person and get introduced to another one and start running around with them and I think progressively in some aspects of his life there were some people who may not have been the best influence for him.”

Just six weeks after being shot Basham died from an anoxic brain injury which causes the brain to lose oxygen.

Paige Basham says, “Sometimes I’m in denial. David is just away he’s still here. I think that’s my biggest thing I’ve been in denial for about two years now until it hits me, and I honestly don’t think that will ever go away. When something good happens in my life it’s sad because one of the first things I want to do is call my mom, but I want to call David. When I passed my huge exam I studied for. I balled into tears because I realized I couldn’t tell him and I’m afraid that’s going to happen every single time I have something big happen.”

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Murder of U.S. Marine Remains Unsolved Two Years Later on 44News | Evansville, IN.

A gruesome murder in Evansville leaves police searching for answers more than two years after it happened. In 2017, violent crime was on the rise, Evansville had nearly 20 murders by the time the year was over. Among them, 24 year old Charles Baltzell who was gunned down on September 17th, 2017. Baltzell was murdered while driving along Covert Avenue just blocks away from his childhood home but his case remains unsolved.

Two years later Baltzell’s family just wants answers as to why their loved one was gunned down in cold blood. As detectives with Evansville Police try to track down Baltzell’s killer, his family is pleading with anyone who knows anything to come foward, “I don’t understand the way this happened in a residential area, nobody knows anything?” said Baltzell’s mother Kelly McGloghen. Her son’s car was riddled with bullets in the 900 block of Covert Avenue and he ultimately died from being shot multiple times.

In 2017, Evansville Police responded to hundreds of shots fired calls, 19 that ended up deadly. Baltzell was the youngest of 3 children and his mother’s only son, “He was the only boy.”

Baltzell’s family says in school he was a quiet kid and being so his friends gave him the nickname silence, “He was just a real humble, quiet, he was just starting to open up but he was a real quiet person. He would do things for you if you’d ask him. Didn’t matter if he was tired he’d still do it for ya.”

Kelly remembers her son as humble and always ready to help. It’s one of the reasons she and her family struggle to understand what happened in the dark of that early morning in September 2017, “He never really had problems with anybody. Anything that came up was because somebody else or something but he wasn’t the one who initially had problems with anybody and this is just crazy.”

McGloghen remembers waking up that morning to a detective at her door who had shocking news, “I’m going, “‘Shot?”‘ You know it was just shocking. I looked around, I guess I kind of flipped out because I left him on the couch asleep.”

Kelly had been up late and saw her son asleep as early as 1:00 AM, but just hours later, what was supposed to be a fun time with a friend turned deadly. Baltzell had been out with a buddy at Scores and minutes after leaving the bar someone opened fire on him, “He was just driving down the street and then there’s bullets flying.”

The deadly shooting happened around 3:00 in the morning. Baltzell was driving in the area of Covert and Grand when more than 20 shots were fired. Several of those bullets hit Baltzell, one in the back of his head.

His family has heard story after story as to what happened but nothing supported by enough evidence to make an arrest. Two gas stations in the area had surveillance video but nothing was caught on camera tying anyone to the deadly shooting.

For two years Baltzell’s family has been living a nightmare of not knowing why this happened or who’s responsible. It’s a hole deep in his mother’s heart who just wants justice for her son, “We just feel like we’ve lost so much. There’s anger and heartbreak and when you still see…when you still see grown men crying two years later you know he affected a lot of people in a good way,” said McGloghen.

Anyone with information in the murder of Charles Baltzell should contact Evansville Police. To leave an anonymous tip you can always call the we-tip hotline. That number is 1-800-78-CRIME.

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Who Gunned Down Charles Baltzell? on 44News | Evansville, IN.

Chances are we all have things lying around the house or apartment that can easily be traded for cash. Taking those items you’re no longer using can be a great way to put some money in your pocket, that’s why were showing you a handful of stores where you can cash in, shop and save.

If you’re looking to score a deal you might want to avoid Eastland Mall and look across Green River Road to save some green. Style Encore, Once Upon a Child, Plato’s Closet and Super Mega Replay are all businesses that back a model of recycling.

Style Encore caters to women of all ages, opening its doors 5 years ago — in Evansville, “All the items in our store are locally not grown but locally sold to us by local customers. We pay them cash for the items they bring in and then we sell it,” said store manager Cari Brooks.

The model is simple, the store takes gently used items, prices them through automated computer system — you’re then offered cash on the spot for what they can take – or store credit. Items are priced based on brand and condition and no matter your price point, shop or sell — you’re likely to make or save some money.

Once Upon a Child also has a similar business model for parents or caregivers looking to save, “All of our inventory besides our new product comes from the community which I think is great you know, buy it here have your kids wear it once they outgrow it then sell it back to us.”

Kelcey Hellberg has been managing the store for the past year and says with kids growing and changing sizes so fast, buying regular priced clothing can be a waste of money. While the season just changed to fall, Once Upon a Child accepts everything pretty much always, “Strollers, bouncers, bassinets, cribs, and shoes, boots, sandals…all year round, I mean we are all seasons, all sizes, all the time here so we take it whenever you bring it pretty much,” said Hellberg.

Once Upon a Child has clothes for infants all the way up to teenagers. Teens can also shop at Plato’s Closet for discounted gently used clothing.

Super Mega Replay is another store that offers cash on the spot for items like books, movies, bluerays dvd’s and other home electronics. Cheers to getting rid of your junk!

Click for more and to comment: Ways to Save: Cash in on Recycling Retail on 44News | Evansville, IN.

The 1972 murder of a high profile businessman shocked the community of Henderson Kentucky. He was a well known insurance agent who helped others make ends meet through small loans.

Morris B. Vaughn was his name and his murder has never been solved. October 17th, will mark 47 years since Morris Vaughn was last seen alive. His body was found less than a week later along Horseshoe Bend in Henderson but how Morris ended up there and who killed him are still unanswered questions decades later.

If you take a drive along Main Street in Henderson one of the first buildings you’ll see is a local insurance agency. A.B. Vaughn and Company Insurance opened in 1917. When Vaughn Sr. died in 1952, his son, Morris B. Vaughn took over, a businessman who ran around with high rollers, “He loved the high life. He ran with the big boys, he loved the horses, he loved to gamble,” said Nibby Priest.

Priest is the current owner of Vaughn Insurance and recalls Morris had a big heart always helping those in need, “Many times people would come to him when they needed to borrow money. We’re talking about people who would need to borrow money for gas, rent, food, he would loan them $5 and $10 dollars and they would pay him back whenever they could but he was known as quite a generous man.”

So who would want to kill someone so well-liked in the community? It’s a question that’s never been answered. On October 17th, 1972 Vaughn left his office just after 5pm. He drove a black Cadillac and always parked the car facing south.

Morris was also seen at the local post office that night but the next time anyone would see him would be six days later and he was dead, “His body was found in the Horseshoe Bend area of Henderson County which is close to where the former harness racing track was here in Henderson,” said Priest.

The murder of the high profile businessman made headlines. Morris had been shot at close range in the back of the neck with a shotgun and was also shot in his face.

Perhaps his affection for the high life got him caught up? That was at least one of the theories around town, “There could have been some debts he might have owed for gambling and things of that sort that got him into trouble,” said Priest.

His body was found on the edge of a soybean field face up fully clothed but several things police discovered in the investigation pointed to foul play.

Back at the insurance agency Morris had left behind his billfold and medication for his heart all found inside a safe at the business. Even more puzzling to police was his car and how it was parked. Morris always parked the car facing south but it was parked facing north, not something Morris ever did.

At the time a $1,500 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction but to this day the case remains unsolved.

Priest says people still ask about Mr. Vaughn, “It and usually comes up around October of every year, about Mr. Vaughn’s murder and I just say it’s one of those Henderson mysteries.”

Anyone with information on the murder of Morris B. Vaughn should contact Kentucky State Police.

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Who Killed Businessman Morris Vaughn? on 44News | Evansville, IN.

He was a flamboyant businessman who made millions off oil right here in the tri-state. Ray Ryan was a millionaire who ran with the stars in Hollywood and high rollers in Sin City. Ryan loved to gamble but eventually got caught up in the game and some believe the mob targeted the multi-millionaire.

The old saying goes, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you, your future.” Ryan was a man with many friends, some in high places but the Evansville oillionaire couldn’t be protected. The multi-millionaire had an affection for big game hunting and gambling but in the end Ryan would be the one to be hunted down. More than 42 years have passed since the oilman was murdered in Evansville. Ryan’s death is a case that remains unsolved but many say the murder was a mob hit.

Oil is what brought Ray Ryan to Evansville in the 1930’s. His family lived an affluent life, their home a sprawling mansion off Lombard Avenue on the city’s east side. Ryan was a businessman but he also had a hand for gambling, “He was the big high stakes gambler that everybody knew in Vegas,” said Vanderburgh County Historian Stan Schmitt.

Hollywood stars and signers were among Ryan’s good friends but he was also known to do business with another group of people, “He was also tied in various instances to people in the mob,” said Schmitt.

In the 1960’s well after Ryan had made his money in oil, he started investing as a developer. Ryan was a part owner of the famed Mt. Kenya Safari Club, he also purchased Palm Springs Hotel in California. Ryan’s business dealings got him caught up with the IRS but that may have been the least of his worries. Gambling brought characters into Ryan’s life no one wouldn’t want to make enemies with, “There was an attempt to kidnap him to extort money from him which other people said he owed gambling money and they were trying to collect, Jimmy the Greek his name came up in this,” said Schmitt.

Sin City, 1963 — Ryan evaded being kidnapped by a handful of people with ties to the mob. Years later he would testify against those defendants in Federal Court, “They were lower down on the list but they were involved with like the Genovese family and some of the bigger names you would have heard from New York, these people were involved in those families.”

Ryan’s testimony against members of those families is what many believe led to his demise.

October 18th, 1977 — An explosion on the east side of Evansville outside a health spa sent shock waves though the community, “The first thought everyone had was that it was a mob hit,” said Schmitt who was living in Bloomington at the time. Schmitt recalls the news made regional and national headlines, “Cars don’t blow up in Evansville.”

Ryan was leaving Olympia Health Spa on Bellemeade Avenue, the multi-millionaire got into his car not knowing it was rigged with a bomb, “As he backed out it exploded and his car, part of it ended up all over the place in the neighborhood there,” said Schmitt.

The Lincoln continental was but a shell, parts of the car found more than 300 feet from the bombing. Evansville Police requested the assistance of ATF and the FBI even investigated but did the mob really take out Ray Ryan? It’s a question that still peaks interest some four decades later, “People came up with possible reasons, possible people who would have been behind getting rid of Ray Ryan but nothing was ever proven and nothing was ever prosecuted.”

If you’re interested in Ryan’s murder — “Mob Murder of America’s Greatest Gambler” is a book the lead detective on the case, late EPD Officer Steve Bagbey wrote a book combining his notes with a local reporter. Also — Maturity Journal contributor, Peggy Newton is doing a multi-part series on the Ryan murder. You can find the monthly magazine at a handful of local businesses or groceries in and around Evansville.

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Mob Blamed in Deadly Evansville Car Bombing on 44News | Evansville, IN.

The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office files a motion to dismiss charges against Elizabeth Fox. Fox is the wife of Evansville firefighter Robert Doerr who died after being shot multiple times outside his home in late February.

The 51-year-old private was found on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds in the 2700 block of Oakley Street in Evansville.

Days after Doerr’s funeral Fox was charged with obstruction of justice and false informing. Evansville Police have been actively investigating the murder and asked the prosecutor’s office to drop the charges.

Here is the full statement from the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office:

“The Level 6 Obstruction of Justice and B misdemeanor case against Elizabeth Fox has been dismissed. The Evansville Police Department requested the dismissal to ensure that the prosecution of this case did not interfere with a related, ongoing investigation.

The case has been dismissed without prejudice. Once the Evansville Police Department has concluded its ongoing investigation, a determination will be made as to what charges would be appropriate. All parties who are impacted by this dismissal have been contacted and apprised of the situation.”

According to court records, a hearing on the motion to dismiss is set for Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

Click for more and to comment: Charges Dismissed Against Wife of Slain Firefighter on 44News | Evansville, IN.

Donald Westfall Jr. was reported missing in June of 2018 and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain a mystery. He was last seen in Warrick County and was captured on surveillance video at a convenience store, but what happened after he left is question Indiana State Police investigators are still trying to answer.

When Westfall was reported missing his family knew something was gravely wrong. His case is now labeled “missing under suspicious circumstances” but Westfall’s family says his disappearance likely has to do with the company he kept.

Cassi Meyer, Westfall’s cousin, says, “We know that on June 26th, 2018 Donnie was at the Circle K in Boonville, Indiana.”

A father of four on the road to recovery goes missing. “He was spotted on surveillance video that day it was in the evening there were other individuals with him and they were seen leaving there heading east toward spencer from that point we’re not really sure where he went or what took place,” says Meyer.

The next morning, a man walking his dog one county over in Chrisney County found Westfall’s abandon van.

“The keys were in the ignition, the battery was stripped, there was a cell phone found in the van,” says Meyer. But it was a burner phone holding little information. And Westfall’s van which could have held clues, in this case, was never examined rather a company was called to come tow it away.

“I think the van is crucial because had the van been put in impound a lot of our answers were on that,” says Meyer.

Criminology experts say the first 72 hours in a missing persons case are crucial. Initially, Westfall’s daughter reported him missing.

Spencer County Sheriff’s Office took the report but did little to investigate according to family. “Spencer County assumed he was a runaway addict who didn’t want to be found they posted it on Facebook,” says Meyer.

The 40-year-old did have a history of addiction and his drug of choice was meth. But Westfall was trying to deal with his demons getting out of a recovery center days before his disappearance.

“Anytime he needed something family is where he came he didn’t run and hide, you know there would be a couple days where we would go and maybe not see him but someone would always talk to him and with this, there was no communication at all, there were no sightings or communication,” says Meyer.

The silence brought a sinister feeling the kind where you know something isn’t right. A handful of people were seen on surveillance with Westfall at the Circle K in Boonville, but what happened after they left and who were involved are pieces to a puzzle police have been working on for more than a year.

Investigators are missing a huge piece of evidence one that could tell a story all on its own. “I think that is where all of our answers lay is wherever he is and without his body there cannot be closure but there can also not be justice,” says Meyer.

Westfall’s family has accepted what’s likely inevitable after not seeing or hearing from their loved one since last summer.

“We believe 100 percent that he was murdered in a different spot from where he is currently things have led us to believe that we don’t have any confirmation from state police in regards to that that is solely our opinion but I don’t think where he was murdered is where he is now,” says Meyer.

The family believes whoever Westfall was last seen with lured him to the gas station to rob him knowing he had meth on him at the time. “I don’t think that they committed a cold-blooded murder I truly don’t. I think that whatever they did went wrong and they felt they had no way out other than to kill him. Did they commit murder? Absolutely they committed murder, but it wasn’t premeditated I don’t think that’s what they set out to do from the very beginning but unfortunately, that’s how it ended,” says Meyer.

The people Westfall was last seen with have all been questioned. Multiple polygraph tests were failed. For Westfall’s family the what-if’s keep them up wondering if they’ll ever get closure and justice.

Meyer runs Westfall’s missing person Facebook page. She’s organized searches, walked fields with people who also want to help find him.
Ever since her cousin went missing, Meyer has made it her mission to bring Westfall home. “I don’t want a cold case and I don’t want him to never be found. I want our family to know where he’s at. The thought of its 19 degrees outside, it’s raining it’s snowing why are you leaving him out there?”

There is a $5,000 reward for any information that would lead to an arrest and conviction in this case. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Westfall can contact ISP.

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Foul Play Suspected in Disappearance of Donald Westfall Jr. on 44News | Evansville, IN.

The case involving the stabbing of a college professor has remained unsolved for over four decades.  Her name was Ann Kline and this January will mark 47 years since Kline was killed. 

Kline was a professor for Lockyear Business College in downtown Evansville.  The college sat directly across the street from Vanderburgh County Courthouse where the school stored books in the basement of the building. 

On January 18, 1973, Kline reportedly walked across the street to the basement, but she never walked out.  That night, Kline was found dead by one of her students.  According to records, the 26-year-old had been stabbed 19 times and had several defensive wounds indicating she fought for her life.  An autopsy showed Kline died from a heart wound.

Evansville Police investigated the case but in the ’70s DNA technology was not what it is today.  Perhaps one of the reasons this case remains cold and surrounded in mystery. 

Kline’s husband told reporters his wife did not have any enemies, but she was wary of at least a couple of her students. The student who found Kline spoke with the police as part of the investigation but was cleared. 

So, who killed Ann Kline?  It’s a question police are still working to answer some four decades after the professor’s death. 

Anyone with information on Kline’s murder should contact Evansville Police at (812) 436-7896 or We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME. 

Click for more and to comment: Cold Case: Math Professor Slain in Brutal Stabbing on 44News | Evansville, IN.

Marie “Bridget” Patrick would have turned 54 this past Sunday, but she never celebrated another birthday after turning 15.

In November 1981, Patrick and her friend, Robbin Walker ran away from their home– a small suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio but only one of the teens would return.

Patrick told her father she and Walker were going to see a movie but really their sights were set on the LoneStar state. But the teens never made it there.

They were caught in the crosshairs of a trip that took a deadly turn in the Hoosier state. Patrick and Walker had been traveling with a trucker who picked them up outside of Cincinnati.

For miles, everything seemed to be going as planned but a couple of hours into the trip things started to get uncomfortable.

The trucker, who identified himself as “Bill”, reportedly started making sexual advances toward Patrick and Walker while driving.

Crossing over from Perry into Dubois County the two teens demanded to be let out of the truck. But Bill wouldn’t stop and a violent attack started.

In a struggle to get away, 15-year-old Patrick was stabbed; the girls’ starry-eyed trip to Texas quickly turned into a fight for their lives.

Around mile marker 67 on I-64 Patrick made a move that would be life-saving for her friend.
She pushed Walker from the moving semi. Walker suffered a minor injury but lived to tell police the terrifying story of what happened along the interstate.

On Wednesday, November 11, 1981, just hours after running away from home, Patrick’s body was found about five miles from where she pushed Walker out of the semi. Autopsy results revealed Patrick died from a fractured skull.

The starry-eyed trip that took a deadly turn made front-page back home. The Cincinnati enquirer spoke with Patrick’s father who called her a “daddy’s girl”.

It was later learned from Walker’s mother the two teens were headed to Texas to be with Patrick’s boyfriend. In pursuit of young love Patrick died.

Indiana State Police in Jasper investigated the case, but with little information to go on and only a suspect sketch, the question remains: Who is Bill?

If you have any information on the death of Marie “Bridget” Patrick call Indiana State Police in Jasper.

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A deadly Tri-State shooting from the 1980s remains unsolved after a man’s body was found with bullet holes at the Vanderburgh County landfill.

That man’s name was Joseph Carl Vincent.

A worker at the Vanderburgh County landfill found Vincent’s lifeless body back in 1982 which had multiple wounds from an apparent shooting, but the deadly crime has gone unsolved for decades.

Vincent was 49-years-old when he died, and no arrests were ever made in connection to this deadly attack.

Little evidence was left behind, but it was what investigators didn’t find at the scene that led them to believe that Vincent may have been robbed.

“His vehicle was found a short distance, uh – near Highland School. It had been moved apparently after he had been shot, by probably whoever shot him or was involved,” Lieutenant Douglas Daza of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office said.

Vincent’s truck was located about 3 miles from where his body was found, parked near what is now Highland Pizza at the corner of Kratzville Road and First Avenue in Evansville.

But, how it got there and who drove it, begs more questions than answers.

“They did have a number of leads. I think a lot of them based on tips and interviews of his acquaintances, friends, relatives – people that knew him,” Lt. Daza said.

In July 1997,  the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office got a major break in the case – 15 years after the deadly shooting.

Multiple pieces of evidence were recovered in another county.

The newly found clues prompted a hard review of what happened in the deadly shooting.

“The case was re-investigated, basically as if it had just occurred. They conducted their investigation as well as the evidence being examined and, and you know as of yet it hasn’t led to an arrest,” Lt. Daza said.

This July will mark 38 years since the murder of Joseph Carl Vincent.

If you have any information that could help investigators solve this crime, contact the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.

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For more than two decades authorities in southern Indiana have been trying to piece together the disappearance of a Pike County man.

This November will mark 25 years since Pat King vanished without a word.  The 32-year-old was reported missing from Pike County just two days before Thanksgiving in 1995.

While the case has gone cold the investigation into what happened to King has never been closed.

Did King go missing or was his disappearance something more sinister?  It’s a question authorities have been trying to answer for more than two decades.

Adults are allowed to go missing there’s nothing illegal about it.  But in King’s case, the discovery of his pickup truck and where it was found would point to foul play

The day after King became a missing person his green 1991 Ford Ranger was found in a marshy area near the Pike-Gibson County Line.

It’s known as Snakey Point located in the Patoka Wildlife Refuge.  It’s a place where people can find some reprieve but also where investigators found their first clues in this case.

DNA evidence was found inside King’s pickup.  Police collected blood, hair, and fingerprints.  Back in 1995, DNA testing was not what it is today and unfortunately, the amount of blood found was not enough to be tested.

But how King’s truck ended up at Snakey Point is still unknown.  Over the years, a host of people have been investigated in connection to King’s disappearance. In 2009, just 14 years after King went missing, authorities obtained a search warrant for a home off South Meridian Road. 

It’s where Kerry Thomas lives to this day.  A witness reported that Thomas was involved in King’s disappearance.  The unidentified witness said King’s body was buried underneath the garage at the home and Thomas was ready to move it.

Articles from the Evansville Courier and Press detail the search of Thomas‘ property.  At the time of the search, Thomas was in Pike County Jail after threatening to blow up the county courthouse.

Authorities were looking for human remains, hair, clothing a belt buckle and other evidence related to King.  More than 160 gallons of bone fragments were recovered in the excavation of the garage.  Two k-9’s trained to detect human remains were also brought in.  The first dog indicated human remains were present but the second dog only made investigatory swipes where the garage was dug up.

The bones were sent off to a forensic pathologist but were never determined to be human remains.

Anyone with information that could help investigators solve the disappearance of Pat King is asked to call Indiana State Police.

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Arthur Denton was usually the man prosecuting criminals but on August 18th, 1991, Denton and his wife were met with crime knocking on their door.

The couple lived in a home in rural Posey County not known for crime; a home that seemed like a quiet, safe place for retirement.  Although what happened inside the Denton’s home on that August day and who killed the 78-year-old still remains a mystery.

The Posey County Sheriff ‘s Office, Mt. Vernon police and Indiana State Police have all worked together to try and solve the case.

According to court documents, authorities found Denton bludgeoned to death inside his home. His wife, Wilma Denton however, was unharmed.  She was in the basement bound to a chair.  Upon freeing herself, she was able to call 911. The violent crime shocked those who lived in the rural area

Would someone want to kill the former prosecutor because of his job?  It was a possible motive that was investigated but at the time of Denton’s death he hadn’t prosecuted a case in some 40 years.  The notion that someone would wait that long for revenge didn’t seem plausible to detectives on the case.

Money was also looked at as a motive in the slaying.

Denton died on Aug. 18, 1991.  Just over a year before in Aug. 1990 Denton married Wilma who had three previous husbands.  In Jan. 1991, Denton updated his will making Wilma Denton the sole heir to his estate an estimated $400,000 at the time.

Just a few weeks after her husband’s death Wilma hired an attorney and investigators had little contact with her after that.  Now more than two decades later the death of the retired state legislator and former deputy prosecuting attorney remains unsolved.

If you have any information that could help detectives solve Denton’s murder, you’re asked to contact ISP at (317) 232-8248.

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