Post by Helen Dagner on Jun 21, 2012 4:18:03 GMT -5
Maybe,I can answer that-John told me that he feared he left a finger print on Kris' jacket-he had problems closing it and took off his gloves to try and fix the zipper-He was so concerned about this -that he study a Canadian book on Latent Prints,that he said was written by -the same person-who tried to get finger prints off Kris body-Det. Gray mentions the print in 2005 in this article-and since I know they can now work with this type of damage finger print-Have they had that done? Is that what we are waiting for?
**Child-killer task force cites clues**
9 police agencies in 29-year-old case
February 19, 2005
BY FRANK WITSIL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
New information is turning up the heat on a case opened 29 years ago today when police found the body of a 12-year-old Ferndale boy -- and later, the bodies of three other children -- all abducted and then killed, police said Friday.
"This case will not be closed until we find out who did it," Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Garry Gray said, officially announcing that nine police agencies plan to pursue the case of the Oakland County child killings with renewed vigor and optimism. "We have not given up."
Gray said the new information surfaced within the past month. However, he declined to discuss the new leads, saying only that they appear credible and consistent and that disclosing them now might dissuade the tipster from talking.
For years, police have been seeking a suspect originally described as a professional white man -- possibly driving a blue AMC Gremlin.
"He may still be in the area," Gray said. "He may still be alive."
But, police also said, the new search may challenge detectives to rethink what they have thought for years.
Flanked by police officers from eight other police agencies at the State Police Oak Park Post, Gray said that in addition to the new tips, new technology -- computerized databases and new methods of DNA and fingerprint matching -- could help solve the case.
Among the evidence, he said, is a smudged fingerprint and a hair found on one of the victims.
In the meantime, Gray said, he is seeking a federal grant to pay for the database, which could take a year to develop, and detectives installed a hotline for anyone with information to call. "The tip line has been ringing off the hook," Gray said.
The four children who were killed in 1976 and 1977 -- Mark Stebbins, 12, of Ferndale; Jill Robinson, 12, of Royal Oak; Kristine Mihelich, 10, of Berkley; and Timothy King, 11, of Birmingham -- were abducted while alone and held for several days and left on roadsides.
Their bodies, police said, appeared to have been washed before they were placed near roads.
The cases were linked to a single suspect because they seemed to fit a similar pattern.
Barry King, the father of Timothy King, the last victim found, sat quietly while Gray talked about the case. King attended the announcement to show his support for police efforts, Gray said, but he declined to discuss his son's death because the memories were too painful.
Shortly after the slayings, police set up a task force of about 250 police officers to investigate. Patrols were assigned to watch certain areas and tens of thousands of tips were collected -- but none pointed to the killer.
In the months and years that followed the deaths, the county was gripped by fear, police said.
Berkley Police Sgt. Ray Anger and Ferndale Police Det. George Hartley, police officers who were involved in the investigation after the bodies were found and have continued to pursue a killer, said the suspect's description came from a woman who said she saw Timothy King talking to in a Birmingham parking lot just before he disappeared. She also reported seeing a blue Gremlin.
However, the detectives said, the man might not be the killer at all and the description that the woman gave of him -- and the car -- might have been wrong.
"Maybe she's right," Anger said. "But what it's going to take to solve this case is for someone to call in -- and that one right person will have the information we need."
Police are asking anyone with information to call 248-584-5755 anytime.
**Child-killer task force cites clues**
9 police agencies in 29-year-old case
February 19, 2005
BY FRANK WITSIL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
New information is turning up the heat on a case opened 29 years ago today when police found the body of a 12-year-old Ferndale boy -- and later, the bodies of three other children -- all abducted and then killed, police said Friday.
"This case will not be closed until we find out who did it," Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Garry Gray said, officially announcing that nine police agencies plan to pursue the case of the Oakland County child killings with renewed vigor and optimism. "We have not given up."
Gray said the new information surfaced within the past month. However, he declined to discuss the new leads, saying only that they appear credible and consistent and that disclosing them now might dissuade the tipster from talking.
For years, police have been seeking a suspect originally described as a professional white man -- possibly driving a blue AMC Gremlin.
"He may still be in the area," Gray said. "He may still be alive."
But, police also said, the new search may challenge detectives to rethink what they have thought for years.
Flanked by police officers from eight other police agencies at the State Police Oak Park Post, Gray said that in addition to the new tips, new technology -- computerized databases and new methods of DNA and fingerprint matching -- could help solve the case.
Among the evidence, he said, is a smudged fingerprint and a hair found on one of the victims.
In the meantime, Gray said, he is seeking a federal grant to pay for the database, which could take a year to develop, and detectives installed a hotline for anyone with information to call. "The tip line has been ringing off the hook," Gray said.
The four children who were killed in 1976 and 1977 -- Mark Stebbins, 12, of Ferndale; Jill Robinson, 12, of Royal Oak; Kristine Mihelich, 10, of Berkley; and Timothy King, 11, of Birmingham -- were abducted while alone and held for several days and left on roadsides.
Their bodies, police said, appeared to have been washed before they were placed near roads.
The cases were linked to a single suspect because they seemed to fit a similar pattern.
Barry King, the father of Timothy King, the last victim found, sat quietly while Gray talked about the case. King attended the announcement to show his support for police efforts, Gray said, but he declined to discuss his son's death because the memories were too painful.
Shortly after the slayings, police set up a task force of about 250 police officers to investigate. Patrols were assigned to watch certain areas and tens of thousands of tips were collected -- but none pointed to the killer.
In the months and years that followed the deaths, the county was gripped by fear, police said.
Berkley Police Sgt. Ray Anger and Ferndale Police Det. George Hartley, police officers who were involved in the investigation after the bodies were found and have continued to pursue a killer, said the suspect's description came from a woman who said she saw Timothy King talking to in a Birmingham parking lot just before he disappeared. She also reported seeing a blue Gremlin.
However, the detectives said, the man might not be the killer at all and the description that the woman gave of him -- and the car -- might have been wrong.
"Maybe she's right," Anger said. "But what it's going to take to solve this case is for someone to call in -- and that one right person will have the information we need."
Police are asking anyone with information to call 248-584-5755 anytime.
-John had