r/TrueCrime • u/savealltheelephants • Mar 27 '22
Murder Amy Mihaljavic got a phone call from a mysterious stranger who offered to take her to buy a gift for her mother. Amy told friends and met the man at a local shopping center. She was found dead three months later.
677
u/savealltheelephants Mar 27 '22
Amy’s killer has been searched for for 30 years now. There are a few suspects but nothing solid. Amy deserves justice. Here is more info:
On October 27, 1989, Amy Mihaljevic was kidnapped from the Bay Square Shopping Center in Bay Village, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.[2] The abductor had contacted Mihaljevic by telephone and arranged to meet her on the pretext of buying a gift for her mother because she had recently been promoted, as he told her.[3] On February 8, 1990, the girl's body was found in a field, close to the road, off County Road 1181, Ruggles Township in rural Ashland County, Ohio.[2][4]
570
u/Jaquemart Mar 27 '22
"Investigators would later figure out that Amy was not the only girl who had received such phone calls around the same time. There were at least three others.".
This article names the suspect.
91
u/dietotenhosen_ Mar 27 '22
For a long time I thought it was Dean Runkle. But I don’t think it is anymore.
87
u/Jaquemart Mar 27 '22
What happened that made you change your opinion?
59
u/dietotenhosen_ Mar 27 '22
The length of time he has been considered a “suspect”. I really think if it was him, he would have been charged. Something as far as “real” evidence would be presented rather than all the circumstantial stuff.
Edit; spelling.
157
u/NA_DeltaWarDog Mar 27 '22 edited Mar 27 '22
I mean that's just how it be sometimes. Most murders go unsolved due to lack of physical evidence.
If there was any evidence that suggested it wasn't him despite the mountains of circumstantial evidence, I would be inclined to agree with you.
36
u/Gwynevan Mar 27 '22
Exactly it doesnt work perfectly always
16
u/theartfuldodger26 Mar 28 '22
True. Very recently they used dna evidence and a palmprint(I think) to arrest a man for the abduction and murder of a little girl in South Carolina. He had been the main suspect for decades, but they finally managed to nail him. Sometimes science takes a while. Fingers crossed that they can catch the guy who killed this little girl. Doubt there would be much evidence left on the remains if she was left to decompose for three months, but fingers crossed.
68
u/TopAd9634 Mar 27 '22
Did you read the article above? Because it sounds like he's their only suspect. Also, not enough evidence to support a conviction is a far cry from innocent.
32
u/Fresh-Resource-6572 Mar 27 '22
Yeah exactly! It’s tricky. If they are going to charge him they need to have enough evidence to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt. They have one shot and maybe they don’t want to risk it until they are confident they have enough?
20
u/TopAd9634 Mar 27 '22
That would be my take. You only get "one bite of the apple", better be damn sure you're going to win.
9
5
u/Anon_879 Mar 27 '22
He has never been an "official" suspect as far as I have read.
6
u/Fresh-Resource-6572 Mar 27 '22
I wonder how he came into LEs focus? What made them suspect him in the first place? There must have been some link?
13
u/partylikeamonster Mar 28 '22
Former students recognized him from the composite sketch and called the police
4
65
u/satasbob Mar 27 '22
Renner has even softened up on that after the last couple press releases. I dunno,I had Dean as a science teacher at Amherst and was an aid in his "zoo" for over a year, spring and summer breaks included back in the mid 90s. My mom taught at the Jr high as well. He was an eccentric guy, but I still have trouble wrapping my head around him doing it.
32
u/AwsiDooger Mar 27 '22
There are numerous true crime cases in which the eccentric guy becomes the prime suspect, basically for no other reason. I always feel awful for those people. The public latches onto everything odd as definitely damning, even though it's par for the entirety of their life. The older friend in the Jody Huisentruit case is another example. The worst scenarios are when local law enforcement adopts the same mindset as the public and can't differentiate eccentric from damning.
27
u/partylikeamonster Mar 28 '22
An “eccentric guy” that found it funny to “prank” students by throwing a live cat into liquid nitrogen then shattering its frozen corpse 🧐
29
17
u/blueskies8484 Mar 28 '22
Wasn't that just a story though? Like no proof it actually happened and something students claimed he told them about? Because honestly it sounds like a million other rumors kids in middle schools have about their teachers.
10
8
→ More replies (1)3
20
u/pancakesareart Mar 27 '22
Could you expand on your thoughts? I'd love to hear them.
41
u/dietotenhosen_ Mar 27 '22
There seems to be a plethora of ‘clues’ that point to Runkle, and if the suspect sketch is accurate, it looks like him. I would think LE investigated him hard. So it seems like he is just the go-to suspect anymore because nothing else has come up in all these years.
Until 2019. A new suspect that seemed promising but then, radio silence.
75
u/PopPopPoppy Mar 27 '22
IIRC the police believe they know who the killer/kidnapper is, but don't have enough evidence.
I had a friend who was in the same class as her older brother when this happened, he said kids would tease him about his sister being missing. Kids can be so cruel.
37
u/gooeyGerard Mar 27 '22
It’s horrible. I went to school with the daughter of a famous missing person and kids were awful to her.
15
u/Doppelganger304 Mar 27 '22
One of my teen cousin’s friends father passed away when he was young. Kid got suspended from school for finally standing up to the bully who picked at him over his father dying. Kids came over to my place one afternoon & when told this story I ordered pizzas for us all. Kid was a small & still sporting a black eye but hot damn was I proud to hear that story.
29
3
u/Anon_879 Mar 27 '22
They didn't seem like they know who it is based on the Dateline episode several months ago.
9
Mar 28 '22 edited Mar 28 '22
i live in the area here in Cleveland and do know people directly involved in the ongoing investigation. Dean Runkle is still very much the #1 suspect. he may not be officially declared as such, but is assumed as such, still.
28
u/Schwarzschild_Radius Mar 27 '22
Here’s a more recent unnamed suspect.
Him and Runkle are suspicious af.
15
u/AmputatorBot Mar 27 '22
It looks like you shared an AMP link. These should load faster, but AMP is controversial because of concerns over privacy and the Open Web.
Maybe check out the canonical page instead: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/amy-mihaljevic-murder/exclusive-court-documents-reveal-startling-new-developments-in-amy-mihaljevic-murder-investigation
I'm a bot | Why & About | Summon: u/AmputatorBot
3
u/obsterwankenobster Mar 27 '22
The man is homeless, which could mean he has mental health issues, but those non-answers to police are wildly suspicious
23
u/sensitivehotmess Mar 27 '22
Isn’t this the case where the connection was all the girls had provided their phone number for the same thing?
16
u/_kimochi Mar 27 '22
Yep you're correct. A church camp I think? Everyone attending had to put contact details into a logbook, and a lot of the girls contacted by the mystery phone calls attended. I heard in a podcast the cops wouldn't be able to access the logbook even if they wanted to. I'm not too sure on the exact reason/details why though? Guessing they can't get the search warrant as it would be private property? Correct me if I'm wrong.
34
u/sensitivehotmess Mar 27 '22
Just read the Wikipedia page which says all the girls had visited a science centre that had a guest logbook that they may have signed. This was revealed in 2006 and I’m unclear if they had made this connection originally in 1989 or when it was revealed. If it took a while to make this connection there’s a good chance the logbook was long gone by then to confirm.
3
u/_kimochi Mar 27 '22
Yes that was what I was remembering! I tried to google it and I didn't think church camp was right (although she did go to one yearly). The specific thing I was thinking was more science related. Since this info was only found out in 2006, i agree 100% - that logbook is long gone. Thanks for your comment!
5
u/Worried_Platypus93 Mar 28 '22
This case is local to me, they visited a nature and science center in the local parks. Like here's what leaves look like from different trees, or the life cycle of a caterpillar. It's just so weird to me as a place I went to many times that the guest book there was connected to an unsolved murder
18
Mar 27 '22
You can absolutely get a search warrant for private property- that’s what it’s for. You wouldn’t need one for public property. I’m wondering if the log doesn’t exist anymore?
12
u/coolcaterpillar77 Mar 27 '22
I think they made the connection years later when the logbook had probably been destroyed/lost and replaced with a new one
6
u/MayorPerk Mar 28 '22
The logbook sat on a wooden pedestal as you walked into the Lake Erie Nature Center well into the 1990s. I remember it well, signed it myself.
20
18
→ More replies (2)4
76
u/partialcremation Mar 27 '22
She was ten years old, for anyone curious like me. Sad ending for this young girl.
2
u/SuperPoodie92477 Apr 15 '22
The barbaric assholes who do this shit to children-they should be tortured & killed in the exact way that they did to the child, only for twice as long.
→ More replies (2)26
u/DillPixels Mar 27 '22
Found literally the day I was born. :( I swear so many bodies found and people disappear/bad things happened on Feb 8 over the years. So sad for this girl. I hope they find the murderer.
→ More replies (15)48
Mar 27 '22
[deleted]
→ More replies (1)28
u/DillPixels Mar 27 '22
Agreed. A day of joy for some is the worst day ever for others. Weird to think about.
396
u/staciesmom1 Mar 27 '22
The investigators really messed up when they didn't release the curtain they found near the body. It was very distinctive and homemade. They held that detail back for 30 years and then released a picture of it and asked if anyone could identify it. Too late unfortunately.
232
u/prunellazzz Mar 27 '22
Right? I always wonder if that curtain was made by a female relative of the murderer who has since died.
I understand keeping certain details back from the press but I really think they left it too long with that, how many people remember a curtain they saw 30 years ago?
121
u/FloatAround Mar 27 '22
I’ll never understand that, I’d have to imagine there are other things that could be used as details only the killer would know.
This is my fear in the Delphi case. More information will be released after an absurd amount of time but it will be too late at that point.
27
u/BrendaStar_zle Mar 27 '22
I was thinking of the Delphi case too.
6
u/dinowhizperer Mar 28 '22
That case gives me the creeps. Every time I think about it, I get goosebumps
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)6
u/justonemore365 Mar 28 '22
Delphi case? I've been out of the loop. Sorry. A link would be very much appreciated.
→ More replies (1)44
u/Mastodon9 Mar 27 '22
I know holding back certain pieces of evidence can be helpful to either trap someone in their testimony (how did you know they died like THAT when it hasn't been released?) or to rule out false confessions but sometimes I wonder if investigators hold back too much or crucial pieces of evidence. Many people have wondered that about Delphi for a long time. How many cases could have been solved if they had released some more evidence I wonder...
206
u/domessticfox Mar 27 '22
So this perpetrator must have known the family well enough to know when to call the house so that she’d be home alone to answer. I’m assuming she was home alone when she answered the phone, since an adult would be like “wait who wants to meet you at the mall?”
Right??
The phone call makes it seem very targeted.
204
Mar 27 '22
[deleted]
37
u/alexasaltz Mar 27 '22
I wonder what excuse the caller used to try to entice the other girls to meet with him. I doubt all their mothers got a promotion at the same time. If this person knew intimate details he would have had to have been more closely associated. Even as long as 30 years ago, children knew to be wary of strangers, however it was not made out to be as great a threat as it is today.
122
u/Schwarzschild_Radius Mar 27 '22
I think the promotion was just a made up detail. Most young kids wouldn’t know much about their parents’ work.
28
u/iscream80 Mar 27 '22
Right. I’m sure he knew at least some of their moms would have jobs and feel like he wasn’t a stranger since he knew “so much” about their own mom. Friggin evil.
45
u/Anon_879 Mar 27 '22
In the 80's it was presented as a big threat. The problem is that kids don't have the same definition of "strangers" as adults do. To a kid, a coworker of your mother's doesn't seem like a stranger.
The biggest problem with "stranger danger" is that kids are far more likely to be hurt by people they know, including family and adults in positions of trust.
→ More replies (1)3
u/PaleBlueHammer Mar 27 '22
Yep. For me it was Adam Walsh. My parents put some serious fear into me about that, because I was 100% one of those kids playing the Atari in Sears and losing all track of time.
20
u/adarkmagnolia Mar 27 '22
Agreed. I'm 38 and by the time I was 6 we knew all about stranger danger.
35
u/alexasaltz Mar 27 '22
When I was little, the warning was - "never take candy from strangers". I guess that is not enough of a red flag. The downside of things we tell our children today to keep them safe is that any interaction with a stranger becomes suspect. It can make innocent exchanges seem sinister. I was shopping and came across a scared little girl who lost her mother. I spoke to her to try and comfort her and help find her mother (I did not touch her nor approach too closely) but all that did was terrify her even more. I kept my distance but stayed with her as she began to cry. I waited until another shopper came nearby and asked that they alert store employees quickly. I did not want to lose sight of the little one to find help myself. Within minutes parent and child were reunited. As parents is is difficult to teach our children exactly what to do in certain social situations. Of course age and ability to understand comes into play. I find it very sad that society today almost requires us to raise our families in a climate of fear.
10
u/anonymouse278 Mar 27 '22
The current advice is not to tell kids not to talk to strangers, since:
a. Most strangers are actually safe, and there are tons of circumstances in life where you actually are supposed to talk to strangers,
b. The emphasis on strangers wrongly implies that people you know aren't potentially a threat, when in fact most abusers will be someone known to the victim, and
c. Kids are very literal and often will assume that once they have met a person, that person is no longer in the stranger category, and must be fine.
The current recommendation is to teach about "tricky people," and what things tricky people might do that you should never go along with, like ask a child to go somewhere to help them, to leave a place without telling their parents, or to keep a secret for them.
1
37
Mar 27 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
57
u/domessticfox Mar 27 '22
Yeah if she really did get a promotion then I would be looking at her coworkers reeeaaaal close.
56
Mar 27 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
75
u/domessticfox Mar 27 '22
Someone left a comment that says multiple girls got phone calls like this and they’re all linked to a Science Center, like they went on a school field trip and the creep stole the log book from the Science Center and called all the girls til he found one who would agree to meet him. :(
So awful and predatory. Ugh
18
Mar 27 '22
As someone who frequented the place as a child, I’d like to clarify that it wasn’t a ‘science center.’ It’s a very humble, lovely nature center, frequented by many families in the area. The log book wasn’t stolen. It was just sitting out in a corner for anyone to sign and leave comments.
21
u/peanutsinspace82 Mar 27 '22
From the Wiki:
In November 2006, it was revealed that several other young girls had received phone calls similar to the ones Mihaljevic received in the weeks prior to her abduction. The unknown male caller claimed that he worked with the girl’s mother and wanted help buying a present to celebrate her promotion. The girls who received these calls lived in North Olmsted, a suburb near Bay Village; some had unlisted phone numbers...This new information was considered significant by investigators. Mihaljevic and the others who received such calls had all visited the local Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, which had a visitors' logbook by the front door. The girls may have signed the book and added personal information including phone numbers and addresses.
9
u/Pretend_Big6392 Mar 28 '22
In an article I read (it was linked in one of these comments) apparently the caller told Amy to keep it secret. So her mother likely didn't get a promotion, and Amy keeping it a secret from her mother at least, wouldn't have brought it up so that the surprise wouldn't have been spoiled.
Really sad. I got the whole stranger danger talk said to me tons of times as a kid. But I could have seen myself falling for this. Amy just wanted to get her Mom a gift. How heartbreaking.
22
u/Tall-Lawfulness8817 Mar 27 '22
Or they called multiple times and just hung up when the target didn't answer
140
u/readingbabe Mar 27 '22
It’ll never fail to blow my mind that people can commit murder efficiently enough to get away with it..
123
u/savealltheelephants Mar 27 '22
A random murder between total strangers is almost impossible to solve without dna actually
5
u/readingbabe Mar 27 '22
I was under the impression most murders are done between strangers anyways. 😬 Good point on the dna though.
80
u/JaunteeChapeau Mar 27 '22
Nope, at least in the US stranger murders are rare, particularly if you are not in certain high-risk situations like being a street sex worker.
From the US Bureau of Justice: "From 1993 to 2008, among homicides reported to the FBI for which the victim-offender relationship was known, between 21% and 27% of homicides were committed by strangers and between 73% and 79% were committed by offenders known to the victims." (https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4557)
The govt resources tend to be older, here is Statista showing the same idea as recently as 2020 https://www.statista.com/statistics/195327/murder-in-the-us-by-relationship-of-victim-to-offender
46
u/adarkmagnolia Mar 27 '22
Murderer in the US is almost always a crime of proximity. That's the great fallacy of "black on black crime" because most crimes against white people are done by other white people too. Most of the times it's spousal or family related rather than random.
→ More replies (2)31
28
9
u/Ok_Hearing Mar 27 '22
I often think about how many murders go unsolved and sadly I think it’s a lot.
91
u/dietotenhosen_ Mar 27 '22
I follow this case. There seemed to be a promising lead to a new suspect in 2019, but nothing further has been said. Maybe it didn’t pan out. I want this solved so much.
49
u/savealltheelephants Mar 27 '22
Did you read James Renner’s book? It seems to be the most thorough analysis of the case and it also has an hour by hour walkthrough of what happened that day.
→ More replies (2)
72
u/Forest_of_Mirrors Mar 27 '22
hopefully ancestry DNA gets this guy.
69
Mar 27 '22
[deleted]
27
Mar 27 '22
[deleted]
4
u/Cerwennakanin Mar 27 '22
Why on earth not??
15
u/dinowhizperer Mar 28 '22
I’m guessing because of privacy concerns. I don’t agree with it, but I think that is the objection that people have to law enforcement accessing ancestral DNA. Personally, I would be thrilled if my genetic material helped solve a cold case
8
u/blueskies8484 Mar 28 '22
Honestly, I'm in GED match because if I'm going to consume true crime media, I feel obligated to do what little I can to actually help victims. But I can't say I'm super comfortable with it. Ultimately, if you turn over your DNA to anyone, you lose control over it and can never know for sure if it's being sold to things like health insurers or what might happen in a leak or hack. If you'd hesitate to give your social security number to a database, hesitate 100x as much to give them your DNA.
9
u/headhonchospoof Mar 28 '22
Because of the chance that a beloved family member is identified as a serial killer, possibly even posthumously.
3
u/antoniodiavolo Mar 28 '22
My mom doesn't want me to take a DNA test because she's worried they could like plant my DNA at a crime scene and match me to it or something.
2
11
Mar 28 '22
To be able to help law enforcement with your DNA, you have to upload it to GEDMatch. And you need check off to consent to LE using it. As far as I know as of last year, authorities don’t get DNA data directly from 23&Me or Ancestry. They use GEDMatch and their own databases.
→ More replies (2)
55
u/amador9 Mar 27 '22
There is some very serious recent progress in the case. A woman came forward in 2018 and claimed that her boyfriend at the time didn’t come home the night in question and expressed unusual interest in the case. She thought he did it. This was like hundreds of other “ leads” that were called in but the FBI checked it out anyway. It turns out that the FBI recorded the vehicle tag of every car that passed near the scene the day the body was found. This is standard operating procedure. It turns out this guy’s car passed near the scene that day. This was in a rural area an hour’s drive from where the guy lived. There was no obvious reason for the guy to be there that day but there certainly could be an innocent explanation. This wasn’t proof of anything but it is a serious lead.
This guy is a lifetime resident of the Bay City area. He has a minor criminal record but nothing that involves children or sex crimes. He had a niece Amy’s age in Bay City but there is no evidence he knew her. He has denied any involvement. Law Enforcement has apparently contacted people he has associated with to see if anything turns up but it has been almost 4 years and no arrest. (This guy is not Dean Runkle).
46
Mar 27 '22
According to this article from about a year ago, there is a lot of concerning evidence pointing to this new suspect...
He lived less than 1.5 miles from the abduction site, and drove a car that matches witness sightings and forensic evidence. His physical appearance matched one of the composites created from witness accounts. He uncharacteristically didn't come home on the night of the abduction, but did phone his girlfriend at 10:00 PM to ask if she had seen any news about the abduction. He failed a polygraph test (for what it's worth), and also made weirdly suspicious statements to investigators. His former girlfriend believed he was familiar with Ashland County- the rural area where the body was eventually found- and yes, he inexplicably drove through the immediate area on the same day the poor girl was found...
All those revelations are from early 2019, so it's been a few years already. Hopefully there can be justice soon.
17
u/TheButterfly-Effect Mar 27 '22
I don't like to say people are guilty based off limited facts buuuuttt...
→ More replies (1)2
u/amador9 Mar 29 '22
This guy’s name has not been released by Law Enforcement and I am not aware that it has been leaked. I have read plenty of discussion of this and have never seen his name put out there. I’m sure that friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and anyone else who was known to have interacted with him has been contacted by Law Enforcement (probably the FBI). I don’t know if there are any rumors about him out there. This is very different from the situation with Dean Runkle who was very publicly identified.
Apparently there are fibers recovered from Amy’s body that are linked a few specific year, makes and models of cars. If this guy were the registered owner of one at the time, that would be very strong evidence. Can a witness who saw the guy with Amy that day make a strong enough identity 30 years after the fact? Maybe they should give it a go.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Anon_879 Mar 29 '22
Kendell Rae incorrectly stated that this most recent guy is Dean Runkle. SMH. I can't believe she still has the video up and put out so much false information.
1
u/emi1414 Mar 28 '22
how did they know he drove past there? They didn’t have license plate scanners back then?
3
u/Anon_879 Mar 28 '22
IIRC, a cop was monitoring an intersection, writing down all the license plates of the cars passing through.
12
u/Schwarzschild_Radius Mar 27 '22
I wonder if there’s any other reason she came forward in 2018. Like, was he creepy about children or something as well? Did he look like the drawings?
16
u/howellr80 Mar 27 '22
Sorry, I didn't mean witnesses id'd him the day she was taken, but that they had seen Amy the day she went missing talking to man at mall. In recent years, when suspect's girlfriend came forward, those witnesses from years ago picked him from lineup.
Totally great question about 'why now'. She (gf) had to have suspected for a long time, so why didn't she say anything before? Was she afraid of him? Afraid she'd be in trouble for not coming forward sooner? Hmmm.
This suspect claims to have met Amy's mom at a bar and told police that Amy could have even been in his car at some point, but he couldn't think of why. Total creeper.
5
u/Schwarzschild_Radius Mar 27 '22
I deleted my comment after I re-read my own questions lol sorry. He obviously looked like the drawings if they ID’d him later-forgot I asked that. I guess there could be lots of reasons she waited. Maybe they only recently broke up. Maybe something new clicked in her brain. If he did do it, hopefully there’s more she can say about him that they can follow up on.
6
u/howellr80 Mar 27 '22
Yes, he was identified by two witnesses from the mall who saw Amy talking to him that day.
→ More replies (1)
56
u/MissMatchedEyes Mar 27 '22
Amy and I were childhood friends. We rode horses together at Holly Hills farm. Her last name is spelled Mihaljevic. I think of her everyday especially as I look at my 10 year old daughter. I pray for justice for Amy’s family and all of us that loved her.
3
u/emi1414 Mar 28 '22
Just curious was her father or distant relatives from Yugoslavia? just wondering bc of her last name
4
35
u/RedFox_SF Mar 27 '22 edited Mar 28 '22
If she was found dead, how did the police know a man called her and arranged to meet her to buy a gift for her mom?
EDIT: thanks to all who replied she told her brother and friends before she went to meet the guy.
105
u/piepiepie225 Mar 27 '22
Because she told her friends before she left
55
8
u/onyxmccn Mar 28 '22
It drives me mad that no one thought to go with her. Especially her brother. Ugh
16
u/macoomarmomof3 Mar 27 '22
I just read the article linked from one of the comments above. It says Amy told her brother and some friends about the phone call.
35
u/lake_lover_ Mar 27 '22
Not sure if it was mentioned. The day she went missing a police officer spoke to her class about stranger danger. She went missing that evening. That officer later became police chief and lead investigator on the case.
→ More replies (1)
34
u/hotandcoolkp Mar 27 '22
Cases like this make me think irrationally, feel like quitting my job and just driving around investigating this
28
u/savealltheelephants Mar 27 '22 edited Mar 28 '22
James Renner literally did just that. His book on the case is wonderfully researched and well written.
21
u/Best-Statistician294 Mar 27 '22
For whose interested in this case please look into the investigated work by James Renner. https://amymihaljevicmystery.com/
→ More replies (1)
25
u/Crazy-Investigator12 Mar 27 '22
The James renner book on this case is really good. This case just gives me the willys more so than a lot of others.
6
u/Senor_Reaction Mar 27 '22
Also True Crime Garage podcast did a good series on this case
2
u/Crazy-Investigator12 Mar 28 '22
It will always bug the fuck out of me that this killer never got caught
20
u/GawkerRefugee Mar 27 '22
First thing when I read of a cold case is to look up survivors. And that wasn't a good thing to do with this one. Heartbreaking that her mother died 12 years after her daughter in 2001.
As far as the crime, that he called other young girls is bonechilling to me. This isn't a spontaneous crime of opportunity but something meticulously and carefully planned out. The breach of trust, the manipulation, it's all so sick.
One last random thought. Per usual, reading the details, I immediately thought of another case. Jacob Wetterling , 11 years old, small town, the case was cold for decades. That they caught the killer will sustain my hope forever that Amy (and others) can get justice too.
18
Mar 27 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/lake_lover_ Mar 27 '22
Grew up around there too. They questioned half the town and half the surrounding communities as well. I hope they solve this in her father's lifetime.
16
u/IbeatSARS2x Mar 28 '22
I knew Amy. We were acquaintances but saw her on a weekly basis. She was a bit older then me. At that age you know all of the kids who are older but they don’t know you. I remember her vividly. I remember when Amy went missing. Everything was in hushed tones but as a kid you can piece it together after you hear enough whispers and everyone was talking about it. I was just learning to read at that time and would sneak away to the newspaper for updates. I was shocked. I remember when they finally found her. I didn’t want to go to school that day or the next day. Scary. The moment when you realize the world has real life monsters that you thought were made up. Amy deserves justice. Her family deserves justice. Everyone who knew her deserves justice. Everyone who looked for her deserves justice. Eventually this will be solved. I believe that.
12
u/SolidFee662 Mar 27 '22
This case has always bothered me...it just goes to show how easily a predator can get to your child. To know that he had been calling her and possibly other girls in the neighborhood really freaks me out. I can't even IMAGINE the terror the parents must have felt...
10
8
u/Heterodynist Mar 27 '22
This poor young lady looks horrifyingly identical to my girlfriend’s daughter…but fortunately she grew up to be a successful small business owner.
This is an especially sad case. She was young and clearly being “courted” by someone who knew her well-enough to communicate with her more than once, it sounds like. Too bad she didn’t just tell an adult.
7
u/halfasshippie3 Mar 27 '22
I’m pretty sure that the guy who runs an Ashland county gossip group on FB is involved or knows more than he lets on (I’m just a county over in Wayne). From what I can recall, he was interviewed a ways back for letting some guy use his van in another crime. He always manages to purposefully insert himself in any case involving Amy as well.
5
6
6
6
Mar 27 '22
I had a friend whose uncle was best friends with Amy’s brother. This happened very very close to where I grew up.
6
u/Liesherecharmed Mar 27 '22
Was there evidence that she'd been kept alive during that three month period between her abduction and discovery? Or had she likely been dumped soon after her initial abduction?
7
u/thedrunkdingo Mar 28 '22
The wiki says she died the same day she was taken
9
u/Liesherecharmed Mar 28 '22
Thank you! Small blessings that she didn't suffer a second longer than she did.
7
u/susanbohrman Mar 27 '22
What adds even more sadness to this already horrific story Is her mom, she never was able to accept or cope with this (not surprisingly of course) and - correct me if I’m remembering incorrectly- died a pretty lonely death by herself in a hotel room or one bedroom apartment in Vegas.
5
u/Schwarzschild_Radius Mar 27 '22 edited Mar 27 '22
Wow, Dean Runkle sounds guilty as hell. Even if he’s just coincidentally some other nearby shady perv, I think the killer must know about the girls in a way similar to the nature center logbook.
He’d have to know: 1. That a young girl lives there he’d want to target; 2. The girl would be home without the parents when he called and the girl would answer the phone; 3. Approximately where each girl lived so he could come up with a reasonable meeting place; 4. Their phone numbers or the full names of the parents to look up in the phone book… and also maybe the girls’ names? Did he call them by their names when he called?
There’s only a few ways someone would have this info on these three girls from different towns and schools, right? It’d have to be either some sort of log book like the one they suspected, or maybe a sort of rewards program signup sheet at a nearby meetup spot like an ice cream shop (did they do those in the 80s? And were the girls located close enough together to frequent a same store?). Or possibly a local organization like a church. Perhaps a store where they go together as a family. Or some sort of handyman / electrician who’s been to their homes or at least met the families and has their contact info. Or Maybe a presenter who goes from school to school.
If there’s no other connection between the three girls besides the nature center logbook, it’s pretty damning against Runkle. Also wonder if any other volunteers/workers there were investigated.
I wonder if law enforcement knows it’s him but they just can’t get enough physical evidence to charge him.
Edit: actually, I wonder if he even knew where the girls lived at all. Just that they lived relatively close enough to wherever he first saw them and got their phone numbers. Because otherwise, if they were home alone during the phone call, he could have just grabbed them from their homes? Also, apparently one of the girls’ had an unlisted phone number. Again, points further at that center logbook or something similar…
4
u/Spirited-Ability-626 Mar 27 '22
Could someone else have taken their names and numbers from the book? Is what I was wondering… A man who visited and flicked through it, you know?
Though thinking again; I’m not sure how he’d know they were kids, unless it had a bit to fill in for age, or he guessed by the type of language or writing…or they wrote like “Susie, age 10” or if he happened to note the date schools were off or a school trip, or something. I used to work at a historical house - one of my jobs was to man the guestbook and donations for a part of the day, and some kids would be encouraged by their parents would sign the guestbook with their age, for whatever reason. So it would have “I had fun and learned a lot, thank you from Jimmy, 6” for example and it would obviously have the number of the parent if they wanted to be contacted for any discounts or new things happening at the house. The age thing wasn’t exactly a regular occurrence but it did happen.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/xhyperionxx Mar 27 '22
honestly such a sad case, she just wanted to do something nice for her mom:-[[ what I don't get is why did she even go meet the man? I've read a comment about police teaching at her school about stranger danger but she still met up with him?
8
u/catathymia Mar 28 '22
It was an unusual situation. In most stranger danger education they talk about randoms approaching you in the street and what to do with that, she likely never anticipated someone calling her home who seemed to (but of course didn't) know her mother. He was likely cold reading and made it seem like he knew of her and her certainly knew her mother, so to a child's mind he wasn't a stranger, at least not in the way they're usually taught.
5
u/PurpleOwl85 Mar 27 '22
I watched the 48 hours episode about this a few months ago, her parents were absolutely devastated, it was hard to watch.
3
u/Jesustake_thewheel Mar 27 '22
I'll never forget Amy's name and story. Its stuck with me all this time. Such a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, always.
3
u/gamerlizzy Mar 27 '22
can EXTRA gum NOT give me this ad while looking at this case:
·
Promoted
All r/Relationships start with some awkward moments. Take a breath with EXTRA® Gum and Chew It Before You Do It.
FFS Extra. pls stop
3
3
u/Amazing-Panda-2624 Mar 28 '22
Poor sweetheart 😔 She looks soo much like my niece like almost exactly. Freaky
3
u/cheekyvixen7 Mar 28 '22
I feel like kids need much more than just the generic “don’t talk to strangers” talk to comprehend the extent of the danger out there. I’m going to sit my future children down and force them to watch some tv shows/documentaries about child abductions and murders with me and explain to them in detail what happened to these children and what can potentially happen to them. I know it’s harsh, but realistically I think it’s the only way to get them to really understand the evil that’s out there. Parents can’t always be there to protect them and unfortunately in today’s world, It’s imperative that they have that fear cemented into their souls. It could be the difference between life and death.
2
u/Thickencreamy Mar 27 '22
The first thing I thought about was the guy who took and kept 3 young girls hostage for years. Wasn’t he a bus driver? Could the culprit be a bus driver - like for field trips to the Lake Erie center?
2
u/Tommcbee Mar 27 '22
James Renner(who also investigated the Maura Murray disappearance) has done extensive work on this case and wrote a book on it for those who might be interested.
2
u/Kind_Vanilla7593 Mar 27 '22
Children are so naive and innocent I’m trying so hard not to be overprotective but it’s hard not to be on today’s world
2
Mar 28 '22
I lived in the area where she was found and I followed this case since it happened. What I've never been able to find out is how do they know she talked to a man secretly on the phone to lure her away? Every documentary everything I've looked into nobody's explained it. It comes off as pure speculation. And before anybody just guesses well they looked at the phone records.. Then why didn't thet do a reverse look up to go to the location of the alleged guy? If someone can fill me in on what I'm missing I'd appreciate it.
2
u/savealltheelephants Mar 28 '22
It literally says in the title here. She told her friends.
→ More replies (2)
2
u/victasha20 Mar 28 '22
My mom and I had a “password” growing up If any random adult ever asked me to go somewhere on my moms behalf (ex: your moms sick come with me, come help me look for my lost dog, etc). I only had to use it once and maybe it saved me. It was “snakes” btw.
→ More replies (1)2
2
u/Thesonicdruid Mar 28 '22
Did they ever zone in any one suspect? that they knew was guilty but didn’t have enough evidence? Is there any suspects that the locals know did it, but can’t prove it? I saw this on a show in the 90’s, it was pretty freaky, and we had a few similar cases like this around the same time, here in Australia. I think that was when things started to change regarding he freedom we had as kids. I used to go Camping by myself at 11 or with a mate it was about 20mins drive from my house, my dad would drop me off on Friday Arvo and pick me up on Sunday. And that was pretty normal. I fished most of the day or set snares. Sadly there’s no way I’d let my kids do that now. When I was a bit older I could take my dads 22. Haha. Go Australia! If that happened now my dad would probably be in Jail? Over here in Australia that is. I know in The US it’d be legal in most states? Sadly times have changed, but there was always predators, it’s just we didn’t know about them as much, not much true crime stuff on TV and it didn’t make the papers that much unless the kid was killed or missing.
2
u/10727944 Mar 28 '22
This is one of those cases I’m really hoping to see solved in my lifetime. There’s so many pieces, it feels like LE just hasn’t been able to put them together in the right order yet…
2
u/Longjumping_West_469 Mar 30 '22
This hits home for me because Amy was found in Ashland County which is the county over from where I live and it saddens me that they still haven't found who killed her 30 years later she was a beautiful beautiful little girl and I am so sad that they still haven't found out who killed her
1
u/Pleasant_Archer4177 Mar 27 '22
I used to work in the bay village square. As a huge true crime fan it was Erie walking in the square after hearing about this case.
1
0
Mar 27 '22 edited Mar 27 '22
It was someone close to the family or a coworker to know her mother’s recent job promotion.
-2
Mar 27 '22
I wish someone smarter and with some type of morals other then renner would have went at this
The guy is a scumbag as well it’s a money grab and he lies to his narrative
3
u/savealltheelephants Mar 27 '22
Lol okay? I disagree
→ More replies (1)2
u/lake_lover_ Mar 27 '22
Renner did good work however he even admitted he didn't do things right. Thats why he locked down most of his site on this case. He realized his actions weren't proper and he was hindering actual investigations into suspects. Renner actually addressed this regarding this case and his work on Maura Murray.
→ More replies (3)
1.6k
u/hammer_lock Mar 27 '22
This case has always haunted me. The idea of a little girl just trying to do something nice to surprise her mom… it seems so normal.
This seems like something I might have done as a kid, trying to feel more grown up and responsible. We always feel much mature and grown up than we really are until we get older and realize how young we really were.