Thursday, September 8, 2022

Murder of John Leonard


On September 8, 1970, 52-year-old John Leanard was working in his taxi. A call for a pick-up at the Buck Hill Inn in Barrett Township, Pennsylvania. Around 2:30 p.m. he would then park near the entrance and wait in his car. A man would be seen near his vehicle. 

When Donald Mick, the owner of the taxi service, could not get in contact with John it worried him. It was unlike John to not responding. He would then go to where his last pickup was and found the taxi still there. Unfortunately inside was the body of John, someone had shot him 4 times in the head. The motive for the murder is unknown as he was not robbed and still had his wallet.  

In 1973 his widow Madeline told her teenage children she was going to check on a lead to their father's murder. She did not return home as she had died in a car crash into the woods along Route 940 in Paradise Township. The crash was ruled an accident. 


The man seen near the vehicle was a white male between 25 to 35-years-old. He had a tanned complexion. It is believed he was around 5'10" and 190lbs with a medium build.  He was wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a bright blue sport coat. He seemed to have been carrying a heavy paper bag in his left hand. 
The Pocono Record September 10, 1970
BRCTV May 12, 2022
WNEP May 19, 2022

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

WANTED: Maury Gordon Waller



From 2001 to 2006 Murray Gordon Waller was the Executive Director of the Alabama Saftey Institute Inc. in Mobile, Alabama. It was a court referral program that monitored young men on formal probation by the court. During this time Murray would abuse his power and make threats toward a probationer under his supervision. He would threaten with going back to jail or to perform sexual acts for and with him. He also forced the young man to meet and determine their suitability for sex acts with people found on the internet.

In March of 2006, Murray Waller was indicted for extortion first degree (2 counts) and extortion second degree (3 counts), and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On March 31,2006 He was arrested and released on bond. He would appear for his arraignment hearing in May of 200, but would not for his status hearing in August. This hearing was rescheduled for September 7th, but he still failed to appear. He also failed to appear for his trial scheduled on the 18th.

A State arrest warrant was issued when he failed to appear on September 7th and on September 15th a federal warrant was issued for his arrest for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution by the U.S. District Court. In November of 2007, Waller was tried in absentia and was found guilty on all charges.


He may have fled to the Philippines. 

Murray Waller was born in Mobile, Alabama on February 25, 1947. He is a white male with blond hair and green eyes. He's 6'0" and was 190lbs at the time. 

His known aliases are Gordon Waller, Murray G. Waller, Gordan Murray Waller, Robert Charles Johnson, Bert Coners. 

SOURCES:

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

September 6, 1932 Pelham, North Carolina John Doe

On September 6, 1932, a young man was killed in a railway accident in Pelham, North Carolina. He would be buried at the Oak Hill Cemetary in Danville, Virginia. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES:

Disappearance of Lily May Huff




On the morning of September 6, 1988, 73-year-old Lily Mae Huff wandered away from the Welcome Haven Nursing Home in Winchester, Virginia where she only lived for 3 months. After having breakfast she was waiting in the hall for one of the aides to bathe her. She would then leave through the dining room's patio door, the only one that did not have a bell attached. She has Alzheimer's and had a history of wandering away which resulted in her usually being restrained to a wheelchair. A five-day search was done by local law enforcement with no results.

It's unknown what happened to her after she left. She could have wandered somewhere and succumbed to the elements or met with foul play. In 1992 one of her sons placed a $15,000 reward for information leading to Lily's whereabouts. Shortly after an anonymous letter came to the family stating that she was abducted outside of a Safeway supermarket by an older couple into their car. The writer later came forward, and it's unknown if their information was helpful in this case. 

Lily is a white female and was 73-year-old at the time. She's 5'2" and 150 lbs. She has grey hair and brown eyes. She's wearing a beige nightgown under a loose-fitting blue dress with red and white stripes, ankle socks, blue slippers, and a gold chain watch. She wears bifocal glasses. 

SOURCES:

Monday, September 5, 2022

Unknown Authors: The Queen of Hearts

From a 1901 edition of Mother Goose. Illustration by W.W. Denslow.

The poem The Queen of Hearts is an English poem and nursery rhyme based on the playing cards. It was anonymously published in The European Magazine vol. 1, no. 4 in April of 1782. It was published with three lesser-known stanzas "The King of Spades", "The King of Clubs", and "The King of Diamond" but some believe that the other stanzas were added later to what has been a much older poem. The poem is probably best known for its use in Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland. 

Poem:

The Queen of Hearts 
She made some tarts,
All on a summer's day;
The Knave of HeartsHe stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.

SOURCES:

Sunday, September 4, 2022

September 4, 1779 Liverpool, England John Doe

 On September 4, 1779, an unknown man drowned in Liverpool, England. He was buried at St. John's Garden.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Saturday, September 3, 2022

WANTED: Mieczyslaw (Mike) Widziak

Mieczyslaw (Mike) Widziak began sexually assaulting his 13-year-old daughter and continued to do so for 3 years. He became more and more violent and police were made aware of the situation. He was arrested but failed to appear for the charges. He is originally from Poland and made regular visits at the time.

He is a white male born in May of 1955. He is 79 kg (175lbs) and 175 cm (5'9"). He has grey hair and blue eyes. 

SOURCES:

Murder of Jane And Cathryn Johnson





On the night of September 3, 1996, 36-year-old Jane Johnson and her daughter, 8-year-old Cathryn, were at their home in Turner Valley, Alberta, Canada. Their neighbors would see that their home was on fire and alerted authorities. Both of them would be found dead inside in bed. Initially, it was believed that they died in the fire, but it was soon found to be wrong.

It was found that Jane was 5 months pregnant and had been stabbed to death. It's not stated how Cathryn died. The killer had set the house on fire before fleeing.

It's believed that Jane at least was familiar with the killer and they were aware of their schedule. There was no sign of it being a random act. Jane and Cathryn did not stay at the house frequently, but would mostly stay at her fiance's. They were staying the night there that night so that Cathryn could go to school from their home.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Murder of Angel Cenkov

On September 1, 1987, the body of 54-year-old Angel Cenkov was found in Bristol Township, Wisconsin. He had been shot in the head and his body dumped where it was found.

Angel is Bulgarian and lived in Chicago, Illinois at the time. He allegedly had "underworld ties" and it was believed that he may have killed two people the same year. The two murders are not involved in Angel's death.

SOURCES:

Kenosha County Sheriff's Office

Journal Times March 18, 1982

Wausau Daily Herald July 27, 1986

Journal Times July 27 1986

Journal Times August 4, 2020


LOST MEDIA: The Death of Top Fuel's Elmer Trett

On September 1, 1996, 53-year-old Elmer Trett was competing in a Top Fuel Motorcycle drag race exhibition at the  Indianapolis Raceway Park. He was going 232 mph and he ended up hitting a sand trap causing him to fall off and kill him instantly. It was known that his death was filmed, but it's a recording best left lost.

Elmer was considered one of Top Fuel's motorcycle drag racing's biggest names. He was the first rider to ride over 200, 220, and 230 mph. On August 8, 1996, he achieved a run of 6.06 seconds at 234 mph and was seeking to break the 5-second bracket. He was an inspiration for many drag racers. 

A day prior to his death Top Fuel driver Blaine Johnson had also lost his life when his vehicle suffered an explosive engine failure and it broke his rear wheels and rear wing causing him to crash into a wall near the shutdown area.

SOURCES:

Lost Media Wiki

Dayton Daily News September 2, 1996

Drag Bike September 1, 2017

Cycle Drag September 2, 2021

Cycle Drag October 10, 2021

Chu "Joe" Wong Kung

On September 26, 1946, 50-year-old Chu "Joe"  Kung was visiting Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was at the time staying at the Alexan...