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It was a normal Friday morning in November 1994 and 11 year old Nayantara Ali left her home in Forest Gate, East London, to walk to school. It should have taken less than 15 minutes but Nayantara never arrived. Family members reported her missing later that day and for three weeks there was no hint of what had happened to the confident and playful young girl. Worst fears were realised when Nayantara was found murdered just a stone's throw from her front door and in a spot already searched by police.
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Tara Calico disappeared while riding her bicycle near the town of Belen, New Mexico, in September 1988. The 19 year old fitness enthusiast would go out every morning to complete a 35 mile round trip along the NM 47 highway taking in the vast open spaces of Valencia County. On the morning of September 20th she left her home as usual but never returned. Several witnesses saw Tara riding on the highway that morning listening to a personal stereo; unbeknownest to her, she was being followed by an old Ford truck. Over the ensuing decades the investigation has seen numerous leads come and go, culminating in a significant announcement by law enforcement in the summer of 2023.
Persons of Interest
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On a Spring day in 1991 the body of Tuula Lukkarinen was found in woods near the disused Hausjarvi gravel pits in Southern Finland. The 28 year old had gone missing the previous day after leaving the mental hospital where she was temporarily staying. It was a brutal slaying, with the killer displaying disturbing and sadistic tendencies. Two years later 40 year old Maarit Haantie disappeared in the same area during a night out with friends. She has never been seen since and the Finnish police believe she was murdered. Two earlier attacks on women have also been linked to these cases and investigators believe there is a connection, with one perpetrator being responsible for all the crimes. Over the past three decades, the small towns and forests of southern Finland have been the backdrop to the search for, a rarity in Finnish criminal history, a serial killer.
Persons of Interest
If you have information about the Hausjarvi murders you can email the Finnish Police at [email protected]
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The body of Joan Maschek was found by her landlord on the evening of July 13th 1976. The 48 year old divorcee had been bludgeoned to death with a flat instrument inside her bedsit on Douglas Road, Nottingham. Police investigating the seemingly motiveless killing soon discovered that Joan herself was equally enigmatic. She was an eccentric character whom neighbours said had visitors at all times of the day and night. Nevertheless, they could find few individuals who knew Joan well, and those who did were not keen on making themselves known. The investigation would go on to focus on two separate men who police believed could hold vital information, but it was well over a decade later that the case suddenly moved in a new direction.
Persons of Interest
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It was early winter 1970 in the city of Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand. On the evening of Friday May 15th, 18 year old Olive Walker wrapped up warm and set out on foot to her sister's house across town, to babysit her nieces and nephews. Around an hour later Olive was spotted near the Odeon cinema in the centre of Rotorua, only ten minutes from her destination. This was the last time Olive was seen alive. A short time later multiple witnesses reported hearing screams from a nearby residential area. Within hours a group of teenagers discovered Olive's body in a highway rest area just out of town. The killer was long gone but had left some vital clues to their identity.
Persons of Interest
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Patricia "Lee" Parsons worked as a masseuse at a sauna in Camden town London. Lee also obtained a significant income as a high end escort. The 42 year old reportedly had hundreds of clients, many of whom were high status individuals from the worlds of politics and show business. On the evening of Saturday June 23rd 1990 Lee failed to show up at a private event being held at the restaurant she owned jointly with her boyfriend. The following day Lee's body was found inside her car in a farmer's field 45 minutes from her home. Lee had been shot three times with a crossbow and the killing had all the hallmarks of a professional hit. Thus transpired an investigation that delved into the criminal underworld of London, as police searched for a motive for this most callous execution.
Persons of Interest
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Twice widowed Mabel Harper spent the evening of August 12th 1943 at her sister's house in the Maindy area of Cardiff. Time slipped by quickly and at 10.50pm Mabel left hurriedly hoping to catch the last bus home. Unfortunately the 53 year old missed the bus by minutes, forcing her to walk the 40 minute journey alone. As she made her way alongside the highway it was particularly dark, a blackout was in full effect due to the threat of air raids from Nazi bombers. Mabel never made it to her destination. Her naked and bound body was found the next morning on a grass verge next to the road. Her injuries were catastrophic and displayed a sickening propensity for violence. The police were at a dead end until some extraordinary information fell into their hands, blowing the case wide open.
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August 15th 1945 was a joyous occasion in Australia's history. It was the day peace was declared and six long years of war ended. As the owners of a radio set, the Eastwell family were some of the first people to hear the happy news in the small rural town of Gol Gol, located on the NSW/Victoria border. For 8 year old Valerie Eastwell the momentous events in the Pacific signalled a day off school and she was tasked with going out into the community to spread the good tidings. There were several sightings of Valerie during the morning and conflicting reports regarding when she was last seen. When Valerie failed to show up for her evening meal her parents became worried and contacted the police. Valerie has not been seen since and the investigation has flitted between different theories to explain her mysterious disappearance. The case is now the oldest missing persons case in the country.
Persons of InterestFrom murderers to money launderers, thieves to thugs – police officers from the...
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Stephanie Whittaker was a happily married mother of three who had everything to live for. On the evening of March 23rd 1990 the 34 year old was due to meet friends for a drink in the centre of Newport, South Wales. Stephanie left her house at 8.25pm to walk the short five minute journey into town but she never arrived. Despite a couple of unconfirmed sightings over the next 24 hours Stephanie has not been heard of since. All her knew her agreed, that Stephanie would not have left her family of her own accord and Gwent police have said the disappearance is highly suspicious.
Persons of Interest
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*In the episode I give the date of an interview Tony Whittaker did with the Wales on Sunday as July 10th 1990. It was June 10th 1990)
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On an August evening in 2007, 7 year old Nurin Jazlin left her family's apartment and headed to the nearby night market in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nurin was alone and intent on purchasing a hair clip at one of the stalls. She never returned and witness reports would confirm she had was abducted by a man driving a white van. Almost a month later her parents' worst fears were realised when Nurin's body was discovered. 4 months later and 20 km away another little girl, Sharlinie Mohd Nashar, disappeared while playing in at a playground. She has never been seen since. A spate of abductions and failed kidnappings across Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding state of Selangor would lead investigators to suspect they were all connected.
Persons of Interest
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At the age of 35 Dr Tatjana "Tanya" Kopric had already achieved so much. She had emigrated to America from Yugoslavia in 1975 and had worked at numerous hospitals before setting up her own private medical practice in Kansas city, Missouri. In September 1980 her life was cruelly taken in a matter of seconds, when she was shot at close range as she sat in her parked car. Witnesses recognised the assassin and the search for Tanya's killer got underway. The trail led to a remote part of Canada before abruptly stopping, leaving investigators scratching their heads and a fugitive on the loose.
Persons of Interest
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On the evening of Saturday April 19th 1986 Teresa Branch and her friend Lisa were returning to Decatur in Wise County after visiting Teresa's family in Arlington, Texas. The pair had been plagued by car trouble all weekend and 18 year old Teresa's red Pontiac Sunbird stalled yet again just minutes after leaving her parents home. With no payphone in sight Teresa decided to jog the short distance back home to get help. She told Lisa to wait in the car and that she would be back soon. Within minutes she was accosted by one or more persons who sexually assaulted Teresa before taking her life.
Persons of Interest
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In the later half of 2000 three women were murdered whilst hitchhiking in eastern Romania. The bodies of Maria Bîru, Safta Ciubotaru and Marcela Tomozei were discovered along lonely forest roads near the city of Barlad. There were few clues and little in the way of forensic evidence. All went quiet and it was assumed the killer had moved away or possibly even died. Then in 2004 it appeared the killer may have struck again with the brutal murder of Mioara Danuta Manea. A decade later two further murders elsewhere in Europe would thrust a prime suspect into the spotlight.
Persons of Interest
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This week's episode is a little different. John guests on the excellent podcast Scottish Murders to examine the 1990 unresolved murder of Ann Heron.
This is part two. You can listen to part one by visiting the Scottish Murders podcast at Home - Scottish Murders or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
In part two we continue the story of Ann Heron’s murder with an arrest made in November 2005. This person was later released due to insufficient evidence. Despite various leads and multiple suspects, including Christopher Halliwell, sadly the case remains open. Durham Police and Ann’s family continue to seek information, hoping to solve a mystery that has persisted for decades. The case’s complexity is underscored by conflicting theories, a lack of definitive forensic evidence, and the emotional toll on the families involved. The search for justice continues, with the hope that new advances in forensic science will finally provide the answers needed to close the chapter on Ann Heron’s murder.
Persons of Interest
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On a September afternoon in 1962, 7 year old Diana Moon Yoli took her younger sibling Mark to the local park. The 2 and a half year old loved to play on the slide and Diana always took great care of her little brother. The playground was less than two blocks from their family home which was situated close to Camp Lejeune, a Marine base just outside Jacksonville, North Carolina. An hour later the children's mother Marilyn went out to look for them but they were gone. A few leads materialised early on but they led nowhere and Marilyn never saw Diana or Mark again. It was thirty years later that the local sheriff received a phone call from someone claiming to know what had happened to the missing siblings.
Persons of Interest
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Patricia Simpson moved to Cardiff, South Wales in 1961 looking for a fresh start. Originally from Cheshire in the north west of England, the teenager had experienced a difficult start to life. On the evening of Friday November 1st 1963 Patricia was seen leaving her home in the Adamsdown area of the city with her flatmate Mary. Twenty four hours later her strangled body was found ten miles away at the bottom of an abandoned mine. Despite several leads the case went cold. Then in the late 1990s South Wales police received a tip off which saw the investigation kick back into life and detectives travel halfway across the world chasing a new lead.
Persons of Interest
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In April 1981, 22 year old old student Caroline Harris-Reed went to stay with a friend in South London. Her friend was nervous about being alone in her new flat and Caroline thought the short visit would be a good opportunity to look for a summer job. On the evening of the 8th the pair were in the flat waiting for a mutual friend to join them when a violent intruder burst in, threatening the young women at knifepoint. After a harrowing two hour ordeal Caroline was left dead and the intruder fled into the night. He has yet to be brought to justice.
Persons of Interest
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Early in the morning of November 1st 1986 the body of 15 year old Chaim Weiss was found in his dorm room at Long Beach Yeshiva. He had been bludgeoned to death with a heavy, bladed weapon in a frenzied attack. The bright and gifted teenager had been at the Torah High School for two and a half years and on the surface it seemed he didn't have an enemy in the world. Police said they were keeping an open mind but attention was soon focused on the staff of the school and Chaim's fellow students. Four decades on there remain many questions concerning the unexplained incidents and events that surround this brutal killing.
Persons of Interest
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This is part 2 of Betty Shanks (Unsolved Murder). If you haven't done so already, please make sure you listen to part 1 first.
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In Part 2 the many theories and persons of interest surrounding this cold case will be
explored.
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At 9.32 on the evening of Friday September 19th 1952, Betty Shanks stepped off the tram at the Grange terminus, in the Brisbane suburb of Wilston. The 22 year old had spent the evening with some colleagues attending a lecture at a local technical college. She was a couple of minutes walk from her parents home as she headed down Thomas Street. Betty never arrived and her severely beaten body was found half naked in the back yard of a house not far from the tram terminus. It was described at the time as the foulest crime ever to have claimed the life of an Australian. Information poured in concerning several suspicious men seen in the area at the time, including a well-spoken man in a brown suit and a "moon faced" man seen jumping the fence near the crime scene. Numerous theories have developed over the years and several books on the case have been written. This two part episode will examine all aspects of one of Queensland's oldest open murder investigations. Part two will follow on February 19th.
Persons of Interest
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