Courtney Holden was only 26 years-old when she vanished from her adoptive family’s home in Spokane, Washington. At the time of her disappearance, Courtney and her young son lived in the Heroy Avenue residence with Judy Holden, her adoptive mother, and Joshua Holden, her adoptive brother. Police were alerted about her disappearance on October 8th, 2019, after a woman named Autumn Schatz requested for a welfare check on Courtney. 

Autumn was dating the father of Courtney’s son, and she told police that they had not seen or heard from Courtney in two years. She stated that she and her boyfriend had visited the Holden residence several times over the past two years to visit the young son. The child was present each time they visited, but Courtney was not.

When police went to perform the welfare check, Judy and Joshua were reportedly uncooperative. They both said that Courtney and her son had left on foot a few days earlier, but they would not offer any further information. Judy reluctantly allowed police to see Courtney’s room—and it appeared that nobody had been in there for quite some time.

After the police were unable to locate Courtney themselves, they filed a missing persons’ report. That same day, police received a phone call from a woman claiming to be Courtney—who said she was alive and well. They would later learn that the caller was actually Courtney’s adoptive sister. Additionally, shortly before this phone call was made, Judy and Joshua withdrew $600 from Courtney’s bank account.

There have inevitably been suspicions about Judy and Joshua ever since Courtney was reported missing. According to neighbors and friends, Judy and Joshua both mistreated Courtney. The two reportedly referred to Courtney as “Cindy”-short for Cinderella-because of all the chores they made her do. Courtney confided to neighbors that Joshua was physically abusive, and she was afraid of him. Neighbors noticed several bruises on Courtney’s body on different occasions, which she stated were a result of Joshua’s abuse. 

The neighbors described Joshua as violent and unpredictable. He reportedly has a criminal record that includes sexual assault charges. In 2005, he was charged with rape, but the charges were dropped after the victim stopped cooperating with the investigation.

While investigating Courtney’s disappearance, police were eventually able to determine that Courtney has not been seen since July 2018—over a year before she was actually reported missing. This was determined after investigators learned that Courtney was taking a prescription medicine that was required daily, but she had not picked up the prescription since July 2018.

Neighbors also corroborated that they had not seen Courtney since July 2018 as well. The last known sighting of her occurred at some point during that month. A neighbor reportedly saw Courtney exiting the house carrying a large duffel bag. Judy called after her for her to come back to which Courtney replied, “I’m not staying here anymore.” Moments later, Joshua forcibly picked Courtney up and carried her back into the house. Courtney has never been seen or heard from again.

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Anesha Murnane vanished under suspicious circumstances on October 17th, 2019.The 38-year-old woman lived at MainTree Apartments in Homer, Alaska at the time of her disappearance. MainTree is a supported living facility that provides housing to individuals with disabilities and beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Health Trust. Anesha was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was considered a dependent adult, but according to her family members, she was stabilized and doing well at the time she vanished.

Anesha was last seen leaving the MainTree apartments shortly after noon on October 17th. Surveillance cameras captured her leaving the building at 12:13 PM. Anesha had a scheduled 1:00 PM appointment at the SVT Health & Wellness clinic on east End Road, and it is presumed that she was walking to that appointment when she left her apartment. Unfortunately, Anesha never made it to her appointment and has never been seen or heard from again.

After Anesha was reported missing, police sent search dogs along the route she would have taken to her appointment. Anesha’s scent was tracked throughout the route as expected, but the scent trail ended in front of Pioneer Avenue area near Thai Cosmic Kitchen. Due to this, investigators believe that Anesha was picked up in a car at this location.

Anesha’s parents have believed that their daughter was abducted since the beginning of the investigation. She has not accessed her cell phone or bank accounts since her disappearance. Anesha also had applied for several jobs before she vanished, and she also had planned trips to Oregon and Mexico. Her plane tickets for both trips were never used.

In June 2021, nearly two years after Anesha vanished, a certificate of presumed death was issued. Under Alaskan law, a person missing for over five years is considered presumed deceased–but families can file a petition for the presumed death certificate before that under certain circumstances. A jury of six people in Homer listened to testimony from detectives, social workers, and from Anesha’s parents. Afterwards, the jury ruled that Anesha is presumed deceased–and that she was likely killed by homicide.

Although the ruling was bittersweet, Anesha’s mother also stated that the ruling validated her belief that Anesha was abducted by someone she knew and then killed. Despite this belief, detectives stated that they currently do not have any suspects in the case. Homer Police are still seeking information about Anesha’s disappearance.

If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Homer Police Department at 907-235-3150 or the Alaska State Troopers at 907-269-5511.

UPDATE (May 2022):

An arrest has been made in Anesha’s case.

Kirby Calderwood (32) has been arrested and charged with first degree murder, second degree murder, kidnapping, and tampering with physical evidence. Calderwood reportedly knew Anesha because he briefly worked at the Main Tree Apartments, where Anesha lived, back in 2018. Calderwood has a history of violent behavior. He has been accused of sexual assault by women he previously dated, and he also reportedly has a history of harming animals ever since he was a child.

Investigators closed in on Calderwood as their prime suspect after a tipster reported that Calderwood admitted to being responsible for Anesha’s disappearance. The tipster told authorities that on the day of Anesha’s disappearance, Calderwood said he prepped the crawlspace at an empty home before leaving in his car to search for a victim. At some point, he spotted Anesha and offered her a ride. She accepted, and Calderwood ended up bringing her to the empty home. Once there, Calderwood reportedly tortured Anesha before killing her and then disposing of her body in a dumpster.

The tipster also told police that Calderwood kept Anesha’s Timex brand watch. When authorities went to Calderwood’s home in Odgen, Utah, they found the watch in question. Calderwood was taken into custody in Utah but will face charges in Alaska.

Although Anesha has already been declared deceased, her body has still not been found.

Shannon McClure has been missing since June 15th, 2013.The then-23-year-old was last seen in Sheridan, Wyoming. According to various reports, Shannon’s husband and father-in-law dropped her off at the local Walmart at 3:00 AM. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Shannon left behind a one-year-old son and three stepdaughters. Very little other information about her case has been reported about in the news. Various sources containing information about Shannon’s disappearance do not provide an explanation as to why her husband and father-in-law dropped her off at three in the morning and then seemingly left her behind. While it seems likely that the husband and father-in-law were investigated, police have never publicly confirmed it. No arrests have been made in the case, nor have any persons of interest been identified.

Various posts on social media and other forums indicate that many locals are aware of what happened to Shannon. In 2020, a Websleuths user posted about speaking to people in Sheridan about Shannon’s disappearance. The post reads, in part, “I broached the subject and was told that everybody knows what happened to Shannon but her husband and his family are scary people. Apparently even law enforcement are intimidated by them.”

The Websleuths user also reportedly spoke to Shannon’s brother and sister. The post does not elaborate much about what information Shannon’s brother provided, but it does say that Shannon’s sister was hesitant to speak up. “Shannon’s sister would not talk much about the case at all. It seems Shannon’s husband has forbade it and Shannon’s sister is concerned Shannon’s husband will not let anyone have contact with Shannon’s child if they talk to anyone about the case.”

None of this information has been confirmed publicly, however there is very little information available about the investigation. Shannon remains missing today. If you have any information that could lead to Shannon’s whereabouts, please contact the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office at 307-687-6178.

Hey everyone. Here’s the most recent true crime cases I’ve covered.

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-Remember the disappearance of  of Timmothy Pitzen in 2011? To refresh you on the case, the six year old’s mother took him out of school claiming there was a “family emergency”. she proceeded to take him to a zoo and water park before committing suicide in a hotel room. Timmothy Pitzen was never found. Then, in April 2019 a man found wandering the streets of Kentucky claimed to be the missing boy. (continue reading)

-Next up, the murder of Grace Packer. This has got to be one of the most disturbing crimes I think I’ve ever covered. Needless to say reader discretion is advised.Grace was adopted when she was a toddler and suffered abuse at the hands of her foster father. He was jailed for his crime but the abuse would not stop there. Soon after her mother divorced she was introduced to a whole new monster. (read this story)

-11 year old Amberly Alexis Barnett went missing from her Aunt’s mobile home in Alabama in March. Neighbors and police searched for the child but failed to locate her. 33 year old man named Christopher Wayne Madison was one of the neighbors involved in the search, but investigators would come to find out that he was much more involved than he first let on. (read the full story)

-When Diana Alejandra Keel went missing her husband didn’t seem too concerned. By the time Keel’s body was discovered in a rural area not far from their home, her husband, Rexford Lynn Keel Jr was already several states away.  Deeper investigation into the case revealed that the accident that killed his previous wife may not have been an accident at all. (read)

-On the 20th of December, 2018, the Effingham county sheriff’s office received a phone call concerning the well-being of a local teenage girl named Mary Crocker. The caller said she “feared” for the 14 year old girl’s safety after learning disturbing information about the child’s abusive home life. The mystery of two missing children from an Effingham County began to unravel. (continue)

-The last time anyone saw 19 year old Molley Lanham and 18 year old Thomas Grill alive was February 25th. The couple went missing from Indiana after going out for a drive in their black Honda Civic over a week ago, leaving behind no clues to their whereabouts. But an anonymous tip submitted to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office  lead officers to arrest a suspect in what is now considered a possible double homicide.(read this story)

-On Friday July 6th 1973, an 11 year old girl named Linda O’Keefe went missing while walking home from Lincoln Intermediate School in Corona Del Mar.Witnesses who saw Linda walk home that day came forward to report a suspicious man in a dark turquoise van. One of her classmates said that she saw the van approach the missing girl, however she couldn’t hear what was said.(continue)

-Ask neighbors and acquaintances of Jerry Arnold Westrom what kind of man he was and they would describe him as a friendly and generous Hockey dad who loved his family and was very active in the local community. But the 52 year old ex- Isanti businessman had a dark history that not many were aware of. Learn how a hotdog lead to the arrest of a man who managed to evade responsibility for a cruel murder he committed in the early nineties. (read here)

-On January 4th 2019, 22 year old mother of 4, Savannah Spurlock, got dressed in preparation for a night out at a local bar in Kentucky. She pulled on a figure hugging burgundy red pencil skirt, a black plunge blouse and a pair of stiletto heels before grabbing a cross body purse and heading out to the “other bar” in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.She vanished later that night after being captured on CCTV with two men. What happened to Savannah that night? (continue)

-On the 5th of February 2019, a highway worker in Greenwich, Connecticut discovered a large, red, abandoned suitcase in a wooded tract, just 15 feet from the highway. The worker cautiously approached the discarded luggage near Glenville road and unzipped it to reveal the grisly contents. Inside the case was the fully clothed body of a young woman with her wrists and ankles bound. The worker pulled out his phone and contacted the local police to report the discovery (continue)

(Original post here)

What happened to 10 year old Alaska girl Ashley Johnson-Barr?

Ashley Johnson-Barr disappeared from a playground in Kotzebue, Alaska on September 6th, 2018. Her parents called her cellphone repeatedly when she failed to arrive home for dinner that night and although it rang, nobody answered. The phone had been ringing in the pocket of a 41 year old man named Peter Vance Wilson, who claimed to have found the device on the ground. The truth, however, was far more disturbing…(CONTINUE READING)

What happened to missing Barron County Teenager Jayme Closs?

The bodies of a husband and wife were found in their home in Barron County after a panicked phone call to the police. An unknown assailant had seemingly forced their way into the home, murdered every adult in sight and taken a 13 year old child. What happened to Jayme Closs? (READ HERE)

The murder of Utah University Senior Lauren McCluskey

It was September 2nd 2018, Lauren McCluskey got chatting with a the bouncer at a local bar. He was fit and muscular and introduced himself as Shaun. He told her he was 28 years old and was studying computer science. They dated for a month before Lauren found out the truth, but getting away from Shaun would be a deadly endeavor. (CONTINUE)

The torture and murder of Anthony Avalos

On June 20th, 2018, at 12:15PM the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call regarding an unresponsive child due to what they were told was the result of a fall. Teachers had been reporting signs of abuse for a long time, but CPS neglected to remove little Anthony from his situation. (READ HERE)

Pensioner may be America’s most prolific serial killer

Samuel Little, who is now 79 years old, was originally convicted four years ago for a string of murders in the LA area in the eighties. At this stage in the investigation it has been said that Little has been linked to at least 30 unsolved murders and police believe him when he confessed that there is many, many more. (READ THIS POST)

Suspected serial killer Felix Vail 

Between the early 1960’s and mid-1980’s six women dated and married a man named William “Felix” Vail.
One drowned, two are still missing and several more divorced him almost as quickly as they had married. Find out about the life and crimes of this ruthless man (CONTINUE READING)

Cyntoia Brown granted Clemency

Cyntoia Brown shot a man in his bed when she was just 16 years old.  Although still a child at the time and a victim of child sex trafficking she was tried as an adult and sentenced to 51 years in prison. Many advocates campaigned for her release, including celebrities, and she has recently been granted clemency. Read this mega post about the case (HERE)

Where is Missing Woman Kelsey Berreth?

Kelsey Berreth went missing from Colorado in November of 2018. There was no sign of a disturbance at her home nor had she packed to go somewhere for an extended period of time. Police interviewed her fiancé who lived nearby on his mother’s farm and although he cooperated with them, the lingering question of why he didn’t report his own fiancée missing still loomed ominously over him. (CONTINUE READING)

American student murdered by roommate in the Netherlands

Sarah Papenheim moved to the Netherlands when she was just 19 years old. She was a psychology student at the Erasmus University in Eindhoven and an accomplished drummer who met and bonded with local musician, Joe Schelling, over their mutual love of music. Schelling had been dealing with anger issues but Papenheim was confident that he wasn’t dangerous. (CONTINUE READING)

More true crime / unsolved posts here:)

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Missing Mollie Tibbets- What happened? 

On July 18th, 2018, a twenty year old Psychology student named Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts went missing while out on a jog in Iowa. The girl was dog-sitting at her boyfriends house while he was away for work. She sent him a Snapchat, went out to run and was never heard from again. Police believed she had been abducted, and after hours of trawling through CCTV from the area noticed a suspicious vehicle driving along Mollies usual jogging route… (READ POST)

Woman goes missing on belated honeymoon sailing trip

Isabella Hellmann and her husband Lewis Bennett had been married for three months when they finally decided to take a belated honeymoon. They planned to sail through Puerto Rico and Cuba when on the last leg of the journey Julia went missing. Her husband claimed she had fell overboard and noticed that the boat was taking on water rapidly. But what really happened that night? (READ POST)

Child dies and woman found starving on the floor of  home of a man with cult connections

In November 2014, a 44 year old man form Georgia walked into a local hospital cradling the lifeless body of his 1 year old daughter.
“She isn’t breathing” he told hospital staff.
Noticing the deceased child was severely malnourished, the police were contacted and searched the mans apartment to find a starving woman in one of the rooms as well as literature belonging to a strange cult with an Egyptian aesthetic that followed a religion of Kemetism, UFO religion and ancient mysticism (READ POST)

Beverly England cold case close to being solved? 

32 year old Beverly England went missing on June 12th, 1980. Rumors had been making their way around town that Beverly had been having an affair with another woman’s husband, so she decided to meet with the woman that day at a local picnic area. Beverly was never seen again. Mitzy Abeyta, who was pregnant at the time, told police the two of them got into an altercation and Beverly attempted to attack her with a broken bottle but is Abeyta as innocent as she still claims to be? (READ POST)

Missing Maine woman Kristin Westra 

Kristin Westra had suffered several sleepless nights before she went missing. She had been feeling stressed out and arranged an emergency appointment regarding anxiety and her mental health. That night, she and her husband lay in bed reading before going to sleep for work, but Kristin could not stop tossing and turning. The following morning when her husband woke up she was nowhere to be found. Several days later two children playing in a field stumbled upon a body. (READ POST)

Read more true crime and unsolved cases HERE<<

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