Murder of Winston Moton

Around 7:37 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2004 29-year-old Winston Morton was on the sidewalk of Northwest Couch Street in Portland, Oregon talking to several men. One of the men pulled out a handgun and shot and killed Winston. The man was described as an African American male between 25 and 40-years-old he had a medium to stocky build with a short afro wearing a dark coat.

SOURCES:
The City of Portland, Oregon

Monsters: Apotampkin

Apotampkin is a Native American monster modernly mistaken as a vampire due to its use in Twilight. This is not the case though as it is like a monster more similar to the boogeyman. It’s a giant fanged sea serpent that lurks in the Passamaquoddy Bay. It’s described as having long red hair and large teeth. It likes to drag people into the water and drown them whether the water is frozen or not.

This monster was used to dissuade children from venturing on ice in the winter and in the summer in the water alone. Some legends say that it was once a woman giving it more of a real feel to it. Children do not like the idea of being eaten by a monster and would make better choices Making sure that people don’t swim alone or recklessly in the Bay and not to fall into the ice and die this way.

SOURCES:
Native Languages
Pantheon
Wikipedia
Revolvy

Murder of Samuel H. Kessler

On Jan. 29, 2012  94-year-old Samuel H. Kessler could not be reached. A business acquaintance came to the home to check up on him at his home near Ladoga, Indiana. That was when he found the door ajar and went inside the house seemed to have been ransacked and inside the bedroom, he found Samuels body. Samuel had been shot to death. It's believed he had been killed between Jan 28th at 11 a.m. and 11:24 a.m. on the 29th.


SOURCES:
Journal Review
Journal and Courier 
Indiana State Police 

Murder of Derek Alan Lowe

On the night of Jan. 27, 1988, Derek Lowe was seen in a bar in the north end of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. The next morning at 7:20  his body was found by someone who was walking on a pathway at the Maybank Sport Field, in Dartmouth. He was laying on the pathway and when the police arrived he was found to be dead. It was found he was shot to death. 

There is a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of this case. 

SOURCES:

Halifax

Crime Stoppers

Murder of Daniel Perales

On Jan 28, 1976, 27-year-old Daniel Perales was working alone at the U-Totem Icehouse on 4802 Thousand Oaks Dr. in San Antonio, Texas. A friend of Daniel came to the store and found him on the floor behind the counter. He had been shot in the chest. It's believed that robbery was a motive because $107 was stolen.

At the time Daniel was discharged from the US Army and was working two jobs to support his family. 

There is a possible witness or someone possibly involved who was identified as a "Billy Lopez" and was 17-years-old at the time of the murder. 

SOURCES:

KSAT

City of San Antonio

San Antonio Express

Murder of Avery H. Fela

On Jan. 27, 2003 30-year-old Fela Avery was shot to death in the wooded area adjacent to a walking trail by the Athletic Club building on the Old Richardson Highway in Fairbanks, Alaska. There is not much information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Fairbanks Alaska

Who Was the Girl With The Pearl Earring?

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) is a renowned Dutch artist and at the moment there are only 36 known paintings of his. His art typically was subject of everyday life. Likely most of the people represented in the paintings are that of loved ones.

One of his most popular paintings was "The Girl In The Pearl Earring" likely painted around 1665 when he painted other motifs with pearls. It is the size of 17.52" by 15.35" or  44.5 cm by 39 cm. It has a permanent place at the moment with the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The mystery with this though is that it's unknown who the beautiful girl is. She is pictured in exotic clothing and a large pearl earring. 

It's believed that yes there was a model, but that she was used to creating a generic painting of a girl. Some theorize that the model was that of his daughter Maria Vermeer. The painting seems to have resemblances to paintings of that of his wife. Who is also theorized to have been the actual painter of some of his paintings. She was also a talented painter like her father. 

Truth is though it will never be known who the pretty and alluring girl in this painting is. It's nice to wander though. 

SOURCES:

The Met Museum

Britannica

Slate

BBC

Disappearance of Fumi Oye

On the afternoon of Jan. 25 1982 83-year-old Fumi Oye was believed to have walked from her Moiliili home in Honolulu, Hawaii to a shopping center. The shopping center is located near University Ave, King, and Beretania Streets. She's never been seen again.

Fumi Oye is an Asian female and was 83-years-old at the time. She's 4'10" to 5'0" and 85 lbs. She has grey/black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a blue dress a beige sleeveless sweater, black slippers, a black handbag, and her glasses.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

Unsolved Murder of Cynthia "Cindy" Cook

On Jan. 24, 1981 16-year-old Cindy Cook left around 7 p.m. from her home in Lemon Valley, Nevada to an arcade that was within walking distance. She had stayed at the arcade till 8:30 p.m. She played with a couple of friends while she was there. Before she left she asked them if they wanted to go to a party. She had been invited to one and wondered if they wanted to come with her. It's not stated whether or not she said where the party was or not. They refused and she left likely hitchhiking to the party. She never made it home that night. 

Cindy's body was found on Jan. 25 around 9:45 a.m. being bothered by dogs. She was lying face down near the intersection of Cold Springs Drive and the current day Village Parkway in Cold Springs Valley North of Reno. She had been stabbed between the eyes and numerous times in her chest. It was found that the poor girl was also beaten. The motivation for her murder is unknown. 

Her 17th birthday was on the 31st. Cindy was living with a foster family at the time that treated her as one of their own. It was stated, "She was no angel, but she was a good girl." She had some problems in her past but she was working out. She was a determined young lady who was succeeding at school and life. Cindy was not in the drug scene and did not drink. She was a bit too trusting of others and it could be that she trusted the wrong stranger. 

SOURCES:

Washoe County Sheriff's Office

Find A Grave

Reno Gazette-Journal 

Reno Gazette-Journal

Disappearance of Todd Eugene Collett

On Jan. 23, 1964 3-year-olds twins Todd and Travis Collett were playing with another friend named Greg who also about four. The trio was playing at the corner of Hollister Road and Turnpike Road in Santa Barbra, California. The boys knew they weren't supposed to cross the road. At the time construction for shopping centers was happening.

At one point though that was what Greg and Tod had done and Travis stayed behind. About 20 minutes went by and Greg's mother saw him across the street. Mad she went and brought him back home. She then asked him where Todd was and he responded with something about a bulldozer and fire. This indicated that Todd may have gone towards the construction site over the Turnpike overpass.

A search for Todd ensued. Dogs picked up Todds sent in the neighborhood and around the railroad tracks. This indicated that Todd had gone traveled over the Turnpike overpass.

At the time Demolition fires were happening at the construction site. They burned for four hours until they were extinguished. Law enforcement searched the ashes for Todd's remains, but they weren't found.

There was one eyewitness account of an inmate of a "chain gang" seeing a boy forced into a car by a man and drive up on the Turnpike. He didn't think it was significant until he heard of the missing child.

Neighbors also remembered a man in a car asking for directions in the area. This unsettled one woman that she asked her children inside. He had asked directions to new houses in a neighborhood full of new houses.

A strange man was also noted in the neighborhood (not sure if it's the same man in the car). He spoke good accented English and He had fair skin, a black beard, and green eyes, and wore a navy blue blazer with an insignia reading New Zealand. It's unsure if this man was involved with this case. 

It's unsure of what Todd's fate was. 

Todd is a white male and was 3 at the time. He's got blond hair and blue eyes. He was 3' and 30 lbs at the time. He has a dimple on his left cheek and a scar on his chest to stomach. He got the scar due to surgery from him getting run over by a car. His head was also ran over at the time and he may have had a lazy eye and had the tendency to randomly fall asleep after the accident. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

Todd Collett

Jan. 23, 1971 Harris County, Texas Jane Doe

On Jan. 23, 1971 a passerby found skeletal remains in a wooded area near the intersection of CE Kind Highway and East Mount Houston Rd in Harris County. She had been dead for 1 to 2 years. She was an African American or possibly biracial with Caucasian between 16 and 19-years-old. She was 5'1' to 5'6" and her weight is unknown. She had black hair.

She was wearing a red miniskirt with black, brown, yellow and orange zigzag pattern size 24 waist, a long-sleeved brown shirt size 16-36, a white bestform bra size 32C, a fringe sued jacket or vest and a pair of brown leather dressy sandal with a chunk heel size 6.

SOURCES:

NamUs

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Texas Department of Public Safety 

Murder of Margret Sheeler

On the day of December 27, 1963, pregnant 20-year-old Margaret Sheeler was at her home at 21 Bridle Path, London, Ontario, Canada. She and her husband Philip had a bad argument. She decided to leave the house and walk to her parent's home even though there was a snow storm happening.  but she never returned home so he reported her missing around 11:40 p.m. the next day. 

On Jan. 23, 1964 two boys stumbled across Margret's body in a field west of Bridle Path on Kipps Lane. Her clothes had been taken off and were strewn about the field. Her cause of death was found to be a skull fracture.

SOURCES:

London Police

True Crime Files 

Books That Were Stolen From the Carter County Clerk's Office

On Jan. 23, 1992 someone came into the Carter County courthouse in Ardmore, Oklahoma. They removed two valuable Indian Roll Books from the Carter County clerks office without permission. The two books kept records of thousands of names of the five civilized tribes who were on record in 1902. This included the percentage of Indian blood, Name, Roll Number, Census Card Number, and Age. These books were older than statehood and cannot be replaced. The books were described as being the size of average paper about 3 inches thick with red covers. 

SOURCES:

Carter County Sheriff

Murder of Crystal Lynne "Jersey" Baker

On Jan. 22, 2010 patrol officers were searching for a burglary suspect in the woods near Chandler Rd. and Ross Rd. in Durham, North Carolina. One of the police officers found the body of 24-year-old Crystal "Jersey" Baker instead. She was last seen in the area of the Budget Inn on Holloway St. It was found that she had been stabbed to death. She had been 21 times in the face, 8 times in the back and 3 times in the abdomen. 

SOURCES:

City of Durham

WRAL

WBOC

Murder of Samuel Lottery

On Jan. 19, 1996 17-year-old Samuel Lottery was reported missing from London, Ontario, Canada. No one saw Samuel alive again. In March of 1996, a letter was found at the Pillar of Fire Church at 27 Gunn St. inside the letter was information about Samuel and a picture of himself he kept in his wallet. The letter described where the body could be found. 

In November another handwritten letter arrived at Samuel's parents' home. The letter provided more information about him and contained a number of unique images on the stationary (provided above). It again described where the body could be found.

In May of 1997, a number of bones were located along the Thames River south of Blackfriars Bridge. In Nov. of 2003, a jawbone was recovered and in April of 2008, a skull was recovered. DNA testing showed that the bones were of that of Samuel's.

It's believed that Samuel had been targeted about one or more people who knew him. There may be multiple people who know what had happened to Samuel.

SOURCES:

London Police

The True Crime Files

Disappearance of Stacey Haunani Kelekoma

There are two accounts on where 14-year-old Stacey Kelekoma was last seen on August 18, 1986. The first story was that she was last seen at a party at the Anahola Beach Park in Anahola, Hawaii.

The other story was that she was last seen at her boyfriend's home in Anahola on August 25, 1986. He claimed to have gone to the store and when he came home the door was open. The television was on and Stacey's slippers were by the door. Stacey was not in the home though. 

Later in 1986, a flight attendant claimed to have seen the teenager in California. This sighting was never confirmed though. 

Stacey was 14 at the time and is a pacific islander. HSe's 5'2" to 5'3" and 118 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Stacey has a round freckle-type mark on her left ankle and a 6" to 8" scar on her elbow.

SOURCES:

The Doe Network

Charley Project

County of Kaua'i

Missing Kids

Murder of Martha Jane Maxwell

On Jan. 20, 1994  51-year-old Martha Jane Maxwell was last seen by her daughter Hilda McKoy left for work at 8:45 a.m. Her husband, Johnny, came home around 12:30 p.m. to find that the storm door and interior door was unlocked. which was strange even if someone was home.

When entering the front door he found her Martha's body lying on her back. She was stabbed and her throat was slashed. There were signs that she fought against her attacker.

SOURCES:
North Carolina State Bureau Investigation 

Murder of Paula Pouza

On Jan. 19, 1988 around 7:39 p.m. police were called to the Culter Mano Apartments on 10875 S.W. 216 St. in Miami, Florida. A woman's screams were heard from Apartment #601.It was too late though when responding officers entered the apartment and the body of 30-year-old Paula Pouza was found inside.

SOURCES:

Miami-Dade County

Disappearance of Carlton L Edmondson

On Jan. 19, 2018 Carlton Edmondson was kidnapped in Morganton, North Carolina by Leighkatherine Mina and Robert Leroy Littleton. They kidnapped and assaulted Carlton. Four other people were also involved in the incident, Brittany Arnold, Micheal Stacy-James May, James Combs, and Valerie Ann Dollar. They had taken Carlton over to Tennessee and was last seen in Trade, Tennessee. Arrests have been made in this case.

He was beaten and left to die and it was caught on a cell phone video. It's believed he had died and his body has not been found yet.

Carlton is an African American male and was 29-years-old at the time. He's 5'8" to 6'0" and 200 to 240 lbs. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has a metal plate on his left mandible. He may have been wearing a black coat, blue jeans, red shirt, and white crocks.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Morganton

Watauga Democrat 

Unsolved Murder of Eric Trinidad

On Jan. 18, 2005 Eric Trinidad was shot outside of his apartment at 1641 Gillam Way in Fairbanks, Alaska. He was still alive when he was found and was brought to the hospital. He had died during the surgery following the shooting.

SOURCES:
Fairbanks Alaska

June 17, 2009 Kenora, Ontario, Canada Millie Doe

On June 17, 2009, someone hiking near the Trans-Canada Highway near Miller Rapids rd. in Kenora, Ontario, Canada discovered a one-person tent. Inside was the body of a woman. It was found that she had died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning from a hibachi stove inside the tent. She was dressed in hiking like clothes and had equipment for rugged hiking and camping. It's believed she died a day to a week before being discovered.

She's a caucasian woman between 35 to 55-years-old. She's 5'4" and 110 lbs. She has shoulder-length light brown hair. At one point she underwent major reconstruction surgery of her jaw and face likely done in a surgical hospital 20 to 30 years before her death.

The clothing with her was a grey wool sweater, a black long-sleeve shirt, and a grey cotton undershirt with a built-in bra and straps, a black jockey underwear size 5,  a pair of dark blue midtown jeans size 6p, grey leggings with lace trim, grey wool socks, thin white cotton socks, black size 5 lace-up Rugged Outback ankle-high shoes. The jewelry was a yellow, blue, and pink three-stringed necklace with a magnetic clip and a hoop earring and brown wire-rim, oval-shaped glasses with a rimless bottom.

Her tent was a one-person Eagle Camp tent. There was a used copy of the book A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, a bookmark from McNally-Robinson bookstore, $75 in Canadian bills and $2.84 in coins. There was a container of 13 Pfizer pills and a two-pack of back and muscle pain relief medicine,.

Other Images

SOURCES:
DNA Doe Project
Canada's Missing
Kenora Online
Unidentified Wikia

Murder of Christine Miller

On Jan. 17, 1991 the body of 18-year-old Christine Miller was found at 2207 Hartford Ave. Johnston, Rhode Island in a wooded area. There is not much information on this case. 

SOURCES:

Rhode Island Cold Case

Murder of Linda Smith

On 16 Jan. 1961 12-year-old Linda Smith left her great aunt's house in the village of Earls Colne, Essex, England. She went on an errand she did most days. This errand typically took 15 minutes. She was seen by people walking down Burrows Rd to the local newsagents, but she didn't enter the shop. She just looked through the window. She then walked across the road and talked with the local cobbler. She was not seen after this even though there were many people. 

Four days later the body of the 12-year-old was found. She was found in a field 18.5 miles away in Polstead, Suffolk. She was found with her brown duffle coat spread over her and the hood over her head. She had been strangled to death with her school scarf. 

She was killed elsewhere as there was evidence a car pulled into the field and there were a man's footsteps that led to the body and to where a vehicle had pulled in. 

SOURCES:

Suffolk Constabulary
BBC
The Guardian

Disappearance of Bryan Michael Brawner

On Jan 15, 2017, 24-year-old Bryan Brawner was last seen in Hayward, California. Bryan is a biracial male and is Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Caucasian. He's 5'8" and 145 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:
NamUs
Charley Project
The State of California Justice Department 

Murder of Reginald Darnell Sease

On Jan. 15, 1993 30-year-old Reginald Sease was shot between 7:55 a.m. and 8 a.m. in an apartment he shared with his mother on 995 Tenth St. in Waynesboro, Virginia. He was shot multiple times with a large caliber and it was believed to be an execution type murder.

There are two possible unidentified suspects or witnesses that may have information about the crime. They were black males one was 6ft and 200 lbs with Army-style jacket, dark ball cap. The other man had no description. They possibly left in a dark BMW with either New York or North Carolina plats.

According to one article, Reginald had been previously convicted for distribution of cocaine. It could be that he was murdered for his involvement in drugs. Police are keeping an open mind in the investigation though.  Reginald was described as a health nut and was cheerful and caring of others.


SOURCES:
Waynesboro County
Waynesboro County PDF
The News-Leader Jan. 16
The News-Leader Jan. 17
The News-Leader Jan 19 part 1
The News-Leader Jan. 19 part 2
The News-Leader March 12

Disappearance of Norman Lamar Prater

On Jan. 14, 1973 around midnight 16-year-old Norman Prater went to the 24-hour coffee shop in Dallas, Texas. His mother worked there and he had a soft drink. He had gone with two teenage boys with shoulder-length hair and a Hispanic man. His mother didn't recognize any of them.

Norman told her he was going to be on his way home. He promised to help her move the next day but was never heard from again.

It's been looked at as a possibility that Norman was a victim of Dean Corll or the "Candy Man". He was a serial killer who targeted and sexually assaulted teenage boys and young men. He had at least 28 victims in Houston, Texas Between 1970 and 1973. He had been killed by Elmer Henley an accomplice of his crime.

Norman was living in Houston during the 1970-1971 school year. He lived in a neighborhood where many of Dean Corll's victims are from. He had currently lived in Dallas with his mother, but would regularly visit Houston on weekends.

It hasn't been proven that Norman was a victim of Dean Corll.

Norman is a white male and was 16 at the time. He was 5'8" and 130 lbs at the time. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Doe Network

Charley Project

National Missing Person Directory 

Murderpedia

Disappearance of Sylvia Linda Klayh

On August 13, 1967, 14-year-old Sylvia Klayh and her family were at their family cabin in Brereton Lake, Manitoba, Canada. Around 11 a.m. Sylvia and her father had an argument. She left the cabin without a word. When she didn't return for lunch her father reported her missing.

There was a ground search of the surrounding area of the cabin, but there was no trace of her. As she did leave the cabin on her own accord she was first considered a runaway, but since there has been such a long time without contact it's possible she met foul play.

Sylvia is a white female and was 14 at the time she disappeared. She may also be using the last name Ciprianovich. She was  5'6" and 119 lbs at the time. She has long brown hair and brown eyes.

SOURCES:
Canada's Missing
Unidentified Wikia
Calgary Herald 
The Ottawa Citizen 

Murder of Kraig King

On September 21, 1982, Loggers discovered the body of a young man along Highway 25 in Ridgeland, Wisconsin on private lands of a wooded area.  At first, it was thought that the body was a pile of clothes until it was looked at. 

It wasn't until Jan. of 2020 when the body was identified to belonging to 20/21-year-old Kraig King. He had been stabbed at least three times in the upper abdomen. This was based on both his remains and the cuts in his shirt. The cuts were so deep it had hit his spine. It was likely he died in May or April of 1982. 

At the time Kraig was living in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and it was unknown why Kraig would have been in Wisconsin. It's unknown if he was killed at the scene or if his body was abandoned there. 

His identification was done with help of DNA Doe Project. 

Image of his reconstruction

SOURCES:

DNA Doe Project

Doe Network

WEAU (Feb 12, 2008)

WSAW (Jan. 7, 2020)

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