Her body was found in Ashland County - about 50 miles away - a few months later. . Amy told her mother she was ok and that she was at home now, and then quickly hung up. Submissions. As is the case in many child abductions, I believe the motive in Amys case was sexual assault, but then Amy couldve identified the perpetrator, so she had to be killed. Jason reported that Amy had not come home in the time he had been there. Currently, a top suspect in the unsolved abduction and murder of Amy Mihaljevic. [emailprotected] Anyone with any information, call the FBI at 216.522.1400 or the Bay Village Police Department at 440.871.0773. Person Of Interest. Amy Mihaljevic In 2018, officials announced that they were following a potential link between Joseph Newton Chandler III and the murder of Amy Mihaljevic. And, because he was in the suburban Ohio area in 1989, authorities think that he can be behind Amys death. Renner interviewed all of Amys friends and teachers decades after the murder about the nature center. What happened to the car you were driving in the Fall of 1989? While Im sure Renner has spent more time on this than some investigators, I will respectfully disagree with him as being the perp here. He wears a beige windbreaker with plaid lining, front-pressed khakis and a button-up shirt. People will say that DR was odd in many ways (which he may have been), about how he abruptly left, gave excuses, and whatnot but leaving and not telling anyone why isnt a crime. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Amy: My Search for Her Killer: Secrets and Suspects in the Unsolved Murder of Amy Mihaljevic at Amazon.com. In 1987, Runkle set a few thousand dollars aside in a trust for Dan, according to Dan's mother. James Renner chased Runkle down to the Key West, FL area and attempted to interview him. Child abductions are some of the most upsetting cases for police, because the victims are usually killed within hours of their abduction. I remember when he saw one girl with a skirt that was way too short, he said, 'That's not appropriate, but I'm glad you wore it to my class.' There have been hundreds of suspects in this case - men, mostly, with shady pasts and weak alibis, vague connections to Bay Village or New London, histories of sexual misadventures. "Whenever I was in his car, he'd say, 'There are my breasts, these are my double-D's,'" recalls Chase. Sure enough, all the employees there recognize Runkle's picture - he's a manager, but he's not working today. 3. And he talked about how he liked kids who hadn't reached puberty yet, because "I was a runt too.". He seemed excited about a new lead. on a farm near the road where Amys body was found (Renner, 2008). He knew Amy and her friends. Finally, police discovered a link between all the girls. He got a job teaching seventh-grade science at Sailorway Middle School in Vermilion in 1967. . The FBI brought in a sketch artist, and the artist was able to create a composite sketch of the man based on the two witness accounts. I know that one of the more well known people who cover this case (James Renner) likes DR as a suspect, and Im sure its with Renners full belief that DR fits according to evidence. Cleveland newspaper reporter James Renner investigated Mihaljevic's murder case and concluded that a teacher named Dean Runkle should be viewed as a prime suspect. He asked each of them if they remembered visiting the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village. In 2002, during a Sunday Mass at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church on Lorain Road in Fairview Park, he announced that he was the one responsible for what happened to Amy. I do not believe that so much evidence can point to one person and it be just a coincidence. Most of these killers are not stupid. Your email address will not be published. Thousands of tips have come in throughout the years, but no one has ever been arrested. Nous l'avons rencontr en premier". She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and she later moved to a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. All the interviews checked out except one. Investigators think it could have been an old quilt turned into a curtain. "My sister told me about you," he says. Usually, someone that would go this far is not someone who has never done that before or hasnt done it again, Elish said. "The younger the age of the victim, the more likely the perpetrator would not have a gender preference," he says. However, this is just a theory, and, to this date, no official charge against anyone has been made. 10-year-old Amy grew up in Bay Village, OH, an altogether peaceful town on the shores of Lake Erie. But no one knows Runkle. Runkle sold his gold Grand Prix in 1991. On that Top 25 list, he would be the man at the top. All rights reserved. Over three decades after the kidnapping of 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic in northeast Ohio, local police said this week that newly-discovered DNA on a blanket and a curtain could be the key to solving the decades-old cold case. "If you do become a violent guy, you better be victimizing strangers," explains Lanning. Amy Mihaljevic. Further evidence that supports the fact that Amy was not this killers first victim is the phone call they allowed Amy to make to her mother at work around 3:30pm on the day she disappeared. "At that age, there's not a lot of difference between boys and girls. Runkle also seemed to have volunteered in the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village at the time of the murder. The man spoke to her for a few seconds, and then led her away from the sidewalk. The local middle school dismissed for the day around 2:10pm every day, but the local high school did not dismiss until 3:10pm. And that's when the old man with a Frisbee shows up. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years; Youth Pastor and Foster Dad in Florida Accused of Human Trafficking; Downtown Denver Dying? Blood was also found inside of her underwear. Most "groom" and "seduce" their victims into going along with their plans, a salesman-like approach that allows them to believe the children are willing participants. A suspect has never been identified. Renner says on the podcast he believes Lamborgine can be connected to other top suspects . The other students assumed the man was a friend or relative, and that Amy knew him, so they thought nothing of it. Some credit him for inspiring them to become veterinarians or biologists. 4. She loved horseback riding, and took riding lessons with her friends at a local horse ranch. Dean Runkle himself denies any involvement in the murder of Amy Mihaljevic and the FBI has never officially declared him a suspect. I ask. On October 27, the 19th anniversary of Amy's abduction, I made the decision to go see him myself. That night and much of the next day I show Runkle's photo around town. No other connection could be made between him and Amys disappearance. I attempted to locate it in hopes of taking a sample of carpet that could be compared to the gold fibers found on Amy. There may be circumstances or reasons that may lead him to have sex with others outside his preferred age/sex demographic." The three-hour special, premiering 9 p.m. Sunday on ID, takes a deep dive into the still-unsolved 1989 murder of 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic, who lived in a town on the shores of Lake Erie. He walks over to see what we're talking about. Even after a search of his home, police could not connect the caretaker to Amys disappearance in any way, and he had a solid alibi for the day and time Amy went missing. He names the same restaurant that had been my first stop. "I walk a lot," he says. 2.1 Dean Runkle; 3 References; 4 Further reading; Many of them are simply just look-alikes who otherwise have no connection to the crime. Dean, a former teacher in Ohio, has always maintained his innocence, but as per the last records, when the local police department started collecting DNA samples, he obtained legal council. Another key person of interest in Amy Mihaljevics disappearance and murder case is Richard Holbert, who, like a few others, has confessed to slaying Amy. "It was more than creepy; it felt like an animal noticing you walk into a room. Margaret still left work immediately and returned to her house, but Amy wasnt there. When she learned he was also living in New London, not far from where they found Amy, she called the Amherst police and then confronted Runkle directly. She says he "probably" gave some to the Lake Erie Nature Center. Amy was the subject of my first crime article - and my first book. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Another girl in the next town over came forward to police about a similar phone call as well, but this girl had something in common with Amy. So by definition, the 3 are still the "most likely suspects". Suspects Dean Runkle Runkle most resembled the famous composite drawing made with the help of Amy's classmates who saw her at the shopping center on the day of her disappearance. In 1990 when the body was found, forensic testing for DNA as we know it now and other trace evidence was not yet available. He told them he needed their help to pick out a present and asked them to come with him to the store. Meanwhile, Mark and Jason moved on with their lives as best they could. James Renner is an investigative journalist from the Bay Village area, and he was around the same age as Amy when she was killed. His hair is thick and bushy above his eyes. He was an eccentric teacher from the beginning. First Look: Campus Pollyeyes, Opening Next Week in Little Italy, Arthur Treacher's in Garfield Heights Reopened by New Owner Who Plans More Locations in Ohio. I was always at school. The mother of one of Amys friends drove down to the local news station to have them display a photo of Amy with a notice that she was reported missing. To me, Runkle is similar because there is just so much circumstantial evidence that points to him. Mother, Laura Smith, and Boyfriend Arrested in Toddler, Julian Madera's Death/ deputies say 21-year-old Landon Broussard showed up to his grandmother's house, carrying the badly bruised, naked body of the 3-year-old boy. Amy's case remains open to this day, and the Bay Village police have never let her case go cold in almost 30 years. . On Oct. 27, 1989, Amy was lured to Bay Square shopping plaza by a man who had previously called Amy at her home. Elish believes anyone who can identify those items, the curtain especially, will help solve this case. [2 . Did you see this curtain hanging in someone's house? Shortly after her friends went home, Amy was approached by a man in his 30s at the shopping center. Law Enforcement arranged a press conference and revealed new details on the Amy Mihaljevic case. I hand him the photo. As it happens, the soup kitchen is scheduled to serve free lunch in a half-hour. Investigators believe the suspect has ties to Bay Village and Ashland County. Amy Renee Mihaljevic was just 10 years old when her life was cut short in 1989. According to reporter James Renner, Dean Runkle is a possible prime suspect in the FBI investigation. Two witnesses said they saw Amy that day with a man who would now be in his mid-50s or early '60s. Today, he's a consultant for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Oct 15. Who Killed Amy Renee Mihaljevic. A homeless man says he thinks he has seen Runkle at a soup kitchen on Flagler Avenue before, but that was years ago. The Absolutely Nutty Cleveland/East Palestine/15-Minute City Conspiracy Theory, Explained, Ohio Gets an "F" for Failing to Address Lead in School Water, A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Ohio Enacted the Most Restrictive Voter Photo ID Law in America, Cleveland Public Library Hires First Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, At Householder Trial, Former State Rep. Nino Vitale Cites Hazy Memory, Distances Himself From HB6 Scandal, By Marty Schladen, The Ohio Capital Journal, What Norfolk Southerns History of Accidents Say About the Company and Industry, Scroll to read more Cleveland News articles. "Le FBI a enfin un suspect de premier plan dans le meurtre d'Amy Mihaljevic. BAY VILLAGE -- As the family of JonBenet Ramsey awaits the arrival of a primary suspect in the decade-old murder of 6-year-old JonBenet, Bay Village police are reminded there is still hope to find the killer of Amy Mihaljevic. There is new evidence in the Amy Mihaljevic murder investigation - a homemade curtain and a blanket found on the road where Amy's body was discovered in 1989. "He would stare at me in class," says Kim Raeburn. Amy is . There are no samples, according to Elish, currently being tested in a lab. At the height of the stranger-danger era, 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic from Bay Village, OH, was abducted from the Bay Square Shopping Center on October 27, 1989. As of 2014, her homicide remained unsolved. This person wanted police to find Amys body. Three and a half months later, Amy's body was found near New London, Ohio. 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. I ask him how so much circumstantial evidence could line up against one person. It seems inappropriate now, the way he treated some of the girls." A pair of sisters had also received a call from a man who claimed to be a friend of their mothers. I requested Runkle's personnel file from Nord Junior High School and ran his name through a search of newspaper articles. There is new evidence in the Amy Mihaljevic murder investigation - a homemade curtain and a blanket found on the road where Amy's body was discovered in 1989. In 2001, Margaret Mihaljevic was found dead in her apartment. BAY VILLAGE, Ohio Investigators Thursday revealed new evidence they believe will help solve the kidnapping and murder of Amy Mihaljevic. Were pursuing more so the angle of science now than we ever have in the past because DNA changes every couple of months, Elish said. Runkle also seemed to have volunteered in the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village at the time of the murder. The Handmade Curtain. Interestingly, Marks new step son, Ryan Ruiz, was walking to school one day when he was approached slowly by a car. She said she was going with a friend to the Bay Square Shopping Center. Ken Lanning dislikes the word "profiler" and seldom uses it, but that's what most people would call him. Why do you think Amys body was recovered where it was? But, they did classify that although he looked quite presentable, he didnt carry himself in a way that an accomplished or a professional person might. Case []. Adkins says she and other young girls were questioned about Runkle's behavior by the superintendent in 1995. Eventually, their method of killing starts to bore them, and the killer needs more drama, risk and excitement with each new victim. Some of them just came to our attention recently. Cleveland newspaper reporter James Renner investigated Mihaljevic's murder case and concluded that a teacher named Dean Runkle should be viewed as a prime suspect. There were at least three others. It wouldnt have been unusual for Amy to go there alone or with friends. But the only student they know who went inside was a boy named Dan, who attended Sailorway Middle School. He kept a cot in a side room and sometimes slept there overnight. AMY MIHALJEVIC - 2021 UPDATE! Recently, she saw a suspect's photo on the blog I've maintained since publishing a book about the unsolved case. Investigators said she was stabbed to death. Amy Mihaljevic is a famous Child murder victim. Unfortunately, Ryan didnt remember this incident until years after Amys body was found. BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (WOIO) - Nearly 32 years after her murder, theres a new clue in the Amy Mihaljevic case. They know this.". He looks more like the sketch than anyone I have seen before. DR seems eccentric from what Ive read, but being eccentric isnt a crime either. "That was a difficult time in my life," he says. Then Runkle suddenly quit again, in 2003, according to his personnel file; he gave no reason, declined to apply for a sabbatical that would have allowed him to reach retirement, and didn't even complete the paperwork necessary to collect his pension. Amy was just 10 years old when she was kidnapped and stabbed to death. Someone stitched this together inside their home and hung on their tall, narrow window. Police say that a man identified by his ex-girlfriend as a possible suspect in the death of Amy Mihaljevic told investigators he may have called the 10-year-old girl prior to her abduction . We knew in 2016, her dogs hair was on the curtain, but now knowing her hair is on them tells us more and is a lot stronger, explained Bay Village Det. The first place I stopped was a chain restaurant that Runkle reportedly frequented in Ohio. He didnt seem to even know where he was. . . I call. But Lanning can extrapolate some ideas about the man who killed Amy. Both witness accounts corroborated each other. This theory is based on the fact that Amys body was found re-dressed and her underwear was put back on inside out. Although the Bay Village Police have, confirmed that these same suspects have been interviewed, there are few. The killer also must have been local at the time, having known about the corn field on the remote county road for disposal of Amys body. "To me, that event is very significant," he says. She was stabbed twice in the neck and struck with a blunt object on the back of her head. None had ever talked to a reporter, until they found me in 2006. We have proof that this killer attempted to lure many other little girls into the same fate as Amy with phone calls to households with unlisted phone numbers. These other girls went to school in North Olmsted and were roughly the same age as Amy, about 10 or 11. Amys body was only ever found because her killer wanted it that way. By Nichole Vrsansky. Men with mostly shady pasts and weak alibis, vague connections to the suburban area, or those who have a history of sexual offenses are the ones who are included in the suspect list. After having a snack at the shopping center, Amys friends went home, but Amy stayed behind to wait for someone. If you're from NE Ohio, there's nothing that comes close to this case. As an FBI agent on the case said, we have the beginning and the end of what happened to Amy M, but what we dont have is the middle piece. Even today, they are working on it to find the necessary answers and to bring some justice to the young girl who unwittingly lost her life. Dean Runkle was born in the mid 1940's in New London, Ohio, on a farmhouse only a few miles away from where Amy Mihaljevic's body would be found on County Road 1181, 45 years later. It appears Dan stopped hanging out with Runkle in the fall of 1989. Her killer has never been apprehended. Other students of Runkle have since testified that Runkle engaged in sexual misconduct with them in the form of inappropriate touching and rides in his car to and from his apartment. She had been stabbed twice in the neck and hit in the head with a . They thrive off the increased risk of being caught, so they start leaving bodies out in the open and leaving behind trace evidence. This student, Dan, said that he and his teacher communicated via letters a lot, which later turned sexual in nature. July 12, 202211 items. Runkle liked to tell boys sexual jokes, says Derek Chase. His denials of involvement in her abduction and murder notwithstanding, no other suspect has ever matched the facts of the case as closely as Dean Runkle. Spaetzel also discussed the dangers of strangers. Ohio Gov. And how did the log book disappear from the nature center? Other fibers and hairs were discovered on the curtain and blanket as well, meaning they may be able to link these items to the killer and his home in the future. Mark remarried about six years after Amys disappearance in 1995. Two of Amys friends immediately told police they had met Amy at the Bay Village Shopping Center shortly after school ended. There is a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. EST. Another close timeframe, so its another no from me. One hundred days later, Amys body was found 50 miles away. "But I'm telling the truth when I say I don't remember being there.". The curtain is incredibly unique and likely homemade. The fact that Amys body was left in an open area with the blanket her body was carried in leads me to believe that this killer was getting confident, and that they were familiar with this territory. The man told Amy that her mother had just gotten a promotion at work, and that he wanted to take Amy shopping to buy a gift for her that day. In 2008, I learned of a man named Dean Runkle, who was once a teacher in the small Cleveland suburb of Amherst. Visitors had to enter their name, address and phone numbers in the book. Neighbors had seen the man talking to Amy briefly days before her disappearance, and he also resembled the composite sketch. On the 31st anniversary of finding Amy's body, a woman (who remains unnamed), called the police to tell them that her ex-boyfriend, Dean Runkle, was a potential and most likely suspect of Amy .

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