Friday, June 25, 2021

The Disappearance of Kimberly Day Jacobs

 


Kimberly Day Jacobs has been missing since August 21st, 2008. At the time of her disappearance, the 47-year-old lived in Honolulu, Hawaii with Stan Jacobs--her husband of three years. Kimberly was reportedly experiencing emotional distress on the day she vanished. She was experiencing severe back pain and was also dealing with a leak in the Waikiki apartment where she lived with her husband. Additionally, Kimberly and Stan also owned property in California, and their tenant in said property was harassing her. 

Stan reportedly last saw Kimberly around 6PM on the day of her disappearance. He said that she was distraught over the aforementioned circumstances, so he encouraged her to get some rest. Stan then left their home to go to a meeting. When he returned at 8PM, Kimberly was gone. She has never been seen or heard from again. A friend of Kimberly later reported her missing.

Kimberly left behind all of her personal items, including her passport and credit cards. According to her loved ones, it is uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning and to stay out-of-touch with her daughter. Many people have found it suspicious that Kimberly's friend is the one who reported her missing, rather than her husband. However, there are conflicting reports about Stan's potential involvement in her disappearance. Kimberly's page on the Charley Project states that Stan has cooperated with the investigation. Still, Kimberly's family members believe that he knows more than he has revealed. 

A blog run by Kimberly's sister has elaborated a bit more on their suspicions against Stan. Various posts on the blog state that Stan has held memorials/vigils for Kimberly without inviting Kimberly's family members. Some people have commented on said posts in Stan's defense, while others have also commented that they, too, are suspicious of him. Authorities have not publicly named Stan as a suspect.

Kimberly's case has many similarities to the Suzanne Morphew case. Suzanne vanished on May 10th, 2020, from her family's home in Maysville, Colorado. She was reported missing by a neighbor, rather than her husband, Barry Morphew. Many of Suzanne's loved ones had suspicions about Barry from the very beginning. Almost a year after Suzanne's disappearance, Barry was arrested and charged with Suzanne's murder. However, those charges were eventually dropped, and Suzanne still remains missing today. A write up on her case can be found here. 

Unlike Suzanne's case, Kimberly's case has not had any arrests or publicly named suspects. She remains missing today. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please call 808-529-3115.

Sources: [1, 2]

Monday, June 21, 2021

The Disappearance & Murder of Lindsey Baum

Lindsey Jo Baum was only 10 years old when she disappeared on June 26th, 2009. The night before she vanished, Lindsey told her mother, Melissa Baum, that she was frightened that something bad was going to happen to her very soon. When Melissa asked...

Lindsey Jo Baum was only 10 years old when she disappeared on June 26th, 2009. The night before she vanished, Lindsey told her mother, Melissa Baum, that she was frightened that something bad was going to happen to her very soon. When Melissa asked Lindsey what she meant, she replied “I don’t know, I just have a feeling.” This puzzled Melissa, but she did not worry for long; as Lindsey appeared to be back to her normal, happy self the following day.

That day, Lindsey and her brother Joshua spent the afternoon swimming at a friend’s house, located close to their home in McCleary, Washington. The two of them returned home briefly before heading towards another friend’s house located five blocks away. However, on the way there, Joshua and Lindsey got into an argument and Joshua went back home. Lindsey made it to her friend’s house and hung out there for a few hours

The two girls hoped to have a sleepover that night, but the friend’s mother said no, and Lindsey began to walk home around 9:15 PM. She was expected to be home by 9:30pm—her curfew. Based on the distance between the two homes, Lindsey should’ve made it home just in time. Unfortunately, she never made it there, and was reported missing by her mother by 11:00 PM that night.

An immediate search provided no sign of Lindsey, nor did it provide any clues to her whereabouts. News about Lindsey’s disappearance garnered national attention. In fact, Lindsey was on the cover of People magazine in November 2009, five months after her disappearance. Despite this, Lindsey remained missing, and there were no reported sightings.

Eight years later, Lindsey's remains were found in a remote area 20 miles west of Ellensburg, Washington. The case then shifted to a homicide investigation. 

-
The investigation while Lindsey was missing.

While Lindsey was still missing, there were several different tips, theories, and persons of interest for detectives to investigate. In 2010, the FBI searched the home of a 47-year-old man who had provided “inconsistent” statements to police, but no arrests were made. 

Two years later, investigators searched the home of local jewelry/pawn shop owner Tim Hartman. Throughout the search, investigators found ropes and handwritten notes about Lindsey’s disappearance. After this, Hartman was listed as a person of interest in the case, but he was not ever arrested or charged with anything in connection to Lindsey’s disappearance.

The Emery brothers.

During the summer of 2017, three elderly brothers known as the Emery brothers were arrested in Mason County, Washington and charged with possession of pornography. Mason County is located approximately 17 miles from Lindsey’s home in McCleary. Investigators searched their home for a possible connection to Lindsey but did not reveal if the found one.

Remains found unexpectedly.

During September 2017, a hunter found human remains in a remote area of Eastern Washington. News about these remains were not spread in the media. At that time, it is unclear if investigators even pondered the idea that the remains belonged to Lindsey, due to the fact that they were found over a three hour's drive away from Lindsey’s home in McCleary. 

The remains were sent to Quantico, Virginia for forensic testing. Months later, on May 10th, 2018, investigators announced that the remains had been positively identified as Lindsey Baum. Her death was classified as a homicide.

2021: Paul Bieker is identified as a person of interest.

In June 2021, authorities named a McCleary local named Paul Bieker as a potential person of interest in Lindsey's case. Bieker, then 50, had recently been arrested on unrelated kidnapping and rape charges from a 2003 case. The victim of the 2003 case was a 17-year-old girl who was kidnapped outside of her residence in McCleary. 

Bieker then forced the teen into her own car, drove her to an undisclosed location, and sexually assaulted her. Bieker reportedly then drove to another location before fleeing the scene - leaving the girl in the car. The girl and her father immediately reported the crime once she returned home. 

Authorities were able to collect DNA belonging to the suspect, but they were unable to match the DNA to anyone in their database. Years later, in 2020, the same DNA was submitted for genealogy testing. According to investigators, the results "revealed a short list of possible suspects that were believed to be related to the source of the suspect DNA." From there, authorities were finally able to match the DNA to Bieker. 

Bieker also lived in McCleary in June 2009 - when Lindsey was abducted. Due to this, authorities identified him a potential suspect in Lindsey's case during 2021.

2023: a new search for evidence.

In April 2023, it was reported that "the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s office plus volunteers and several agencies including the FBI and The Attorney General's HITS Investigators searched a 10-acre piece of land in Mason County." The search was in relation to Lindsey Baum's case. 

Lindsey's remains had been found in a completely separate location by this point - but investigators decided to search for other physical evidence based on an old tip. Specifically, it was reported that the Sheriff's Office said that "the department circled back to a tip it received in that area shortly after Lindsey’s disappearance." 

It's unclear what made investigators decide to revisit the tip. However, the same report stated that "up to 25 items were recovered and are being looked at as possible evidence." Since then, though, very little information has been revealed about what was found. No further updates have been provided.

Where the case stands.

In 2023, investigators stated that Lindsey's case is still active. It appears that details of the investigation are being held close to the vest. Still, there is still a public appeal for anyone with information that could help solve the case.

There's a monetary reward available for information that could lead to the conviction of Lindsey's killer(s). If you have any information that could help the investigation, please submit a tip.




Monday, June 7, 2021

The Disappearance of Mia Santiago


Mia Santiago vanished in Brooklyn, New York City on August 20th, 2005. There is very little information about Mia's disappearance, and the details that have been shared on various sources have been conflicting. What is known is that Mia was only 16 years-old at the time of her disappearance. Mia was reportedly last seen getting into a cab with an unidentified man in the 300 Block of Rodney Street. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Before delving into more details, it is important to note the following information: various online postings/sources refer to Mia as transgender. Other sources use Mia's birth name and he/him pronouns. In this post, Mia will be referred to with she/her pronouns--however there will be some direct quotations that refer to Mia with the previous name and he/him pronouns. These quotations are provided for objective and informative purposes only. 

As previously stated, there are very few details available about the circumstances surrounding Mia's disappearance. However, there has been a lot of online speculation. In 2018, a post about Mia's disappearance was featured on The Charley Project's blog. A commenter on the post suggested that Mia might have been a victim of the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK). The comment reads, "Most people who follow true crime believe that [Tyrell] Santiago is the “unidentified asian” male found dead at Gilgo beach and is believed to be murdered by the LISK. The victim was found wearing women’s clothing ([Tyrell] was Transgender) and vitals all match up as well as the composite sketch. They have the victims DNA but for some reason Santiagos family will not give a family dna sample to see if they match up. Something to do with old fashioned family views on sex etc."

Another commenter shared a link to a Reddit post from a subreddit about the Long Island Serial Killer. The Reddit post reads, "Asian male isn't even Asian at all. In fact it's nearly certain [he] is [Tirrel] Santiago, a 16 year old trans kid from Brooklyn. [He] dressed as a female and went by the name Mia. [He] went to a special theater high school in Times Square and [he] disappeared one block north of Christopher St. [He] was last seen getting into a cab with an unknown male. Why hasn't SCPD run the DNA tests for a match? Because they can't get the family to give them a sample. The area [he] disappears from and the fact [he] was a 16 year old kid tells us [he] wasn't some sex worker who was dressed in female clothes posing a female and was beaten when the LISK discovered [he] had a penis."


It's unclear where the detail about Mia's family refusing to give a DNA sample originated. In fact, about a year after these comments were posted, a commenter named Keisha replied and stated that she is Mia's sister. Her comment reads, "Listen I am [his] sister we never had a problem giving in DNA PLEASE STOP. I need information is this is my brother." In response to the comment containing the Reddit post, Keisha commented, "Please stop with the rumors." 



These comments suggest that Keisha and other family members do not believe that Mia is this unidentified person found at Gilgo Beach--but this has not been confirmed. Still, to this day, the deceased person remains unidentified, and Mia remains missing. 

In July 2023, Rex Heuermann (59) was arrested and charged with the murders of 3 young women who were murdered and found at Gilgo Beach. He is now being labeled as the Long Island Serial Killer. Although he has only been charged with 3 murders, it is believed that he is connected to other unsolved cases from the area. A link between Heuermann and Mia Santiago has yet to be made.

If you have any information that could help solve Mia's case, please contact the NYPD at 212-694-7781.
--
Sources: [one, two, three]

Sunday, June 6, 2021

The Disappearance of Lauren Spierer


Lauren Spierer vanished at the age of 20 during the early morning hours of June 3rd, 2011. She remains missing to this day. 

Lauren was born and raised in Scarsdale, New York. At the time of her disappearance, she was a student at Indiana University and was living in Bloomington, Indiana. Lauren spent the evening of June 2nd and the early morning hours of June 3rd drinking and partying with her friends. She was reportedly last seen leaving her friend Jay Rosenbaum's apartment around 4:30 AM. Lauren never made it back to her own apartment and was never seen or heard from again. 

There are many different reported witnesses/friends who saw and spoke to Lauren before she vanished. It was noted by many different people that Lauren was noticeably intoxicated in the hours leading up to her disappearance. She reportedly drank heavily that night and had also possibly snorted cocaine and/or pills. Throughout the night, Lauren lost her shoes, phone, purse, and keys. She also reportedly fell a few times and obtained bruises on her face and body. 

This information has been provided to investigators by the various witnesses/friends who saw her that night. From this information, investigators have been able to compile a detailed timeline of the events leading up to her disappearance. Despite this timeline, Lauren's fate remains a mystery. However, the timeline has led a few theories about what might have happened.


Before Lauren's disappearance.

Around 12:30 AM on June 3rd, witnesses saw Lauren leaving her apartment with her friend David Rohn. The pair then went to Jay Rosenbaum's apartment, where they also met up with fellow IU student Cory Rossman. The group then went to a local bar called Kilroy's around 1:45 AM. 

Lauren and Cory then left the bar around 2:30 AM. By this point, Lauren was quite intoxicated and reportedly left both her cell phone and shoes at the bar. After leaving Kilroy's, Lauren and Cory walked back to Lauren's apartment building. 
While there, they encountered another friend who noticed Lauren's level of intoxication and asked if she was okay. Cory and this friend reportedly got into a physical altercation during this interaction.

Cory and Lauren then left the building shortly thereafter. Around 2:50 AM, security cameras captured Lauren walking through an alley between College Avenue and Morton Street. Her purse and keys would later be found in said alley. 


A few minutes later, Lauren and Cory arrived at Cory's apartment. Cory's roommate noticed that both of them were very intoxicated. The roommate helped escort Cory to his bed, and also tried to persuade Lauren to spend the night at the apartment. Lauren reportedly refused and said she would eventually return to her own apartment.

However, by 3:30 AM, Lauren returned to Jay Rosenbaum's apartment. While there, Jay noticed that Lauren had a bruise under her eye. It's presumed that Lauren got the bruise from a fall earlier that night, but she reportedly was unable to tell Jay how she got it. 

According to Jay, Lauren left his apartment on foot around 4:30 AM. He said that he last saw her walking southbound towards College Avenue. This is the last reported sighting of Lauren, and she has never been seen or heard from again. Lauren's boyfriend, Jesse Wolff, reported her missing the following day after he was unable to get ahold of her. 

Theories on Lauren's disappearance.

In the years following Lauren's disappearance, three main theories have been established about what might have happened. One theory is that Lauren was taken advantage of by an opportunist. It's known that Lauren was intoxicated that night. It's possible that she crossed paths with the wrong person on her walk back to her apartment. 

Another theory is that Lauren came to harm at the hands of somebody she knew and trusted. It's been reported that certain people who were interviewed after Lauren's disappearance were unable to provide a verifiable alibi. Despite this, investigators have never formally identified anyone as a suspect.

The third theory is that Lauren died accidentally that night. She was intoxicated, and she was also suffering from a heart condition that required her to take daily medication. It's been speculated that Lauren possibly passed away at some point during the night, and the individuals who were with her disposed of her body to avoid being implicated in her death. 

None of these theories have been confirmed, however investigators believe it is likely that Lauren encountered one of these three scenarios. She remains missing today. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact the Bloomington PD at 812-339-4477.

-
Sources:
CBS News
Charley Project
Indy Star