january 11, 2013 in valdosta, georgia, united states. seventeen year old kendrick was last seen walking his school hallways, heading towards the gym. school surveillance videos show very little, as four relevant cameras glitched at the same time, resulting in an hour to two hours of footage being lost. fellow students discovered kendrick’s body in the late afternoon of january 11. kendrick had been rolled up inside of a gym mat, then vertically stacked with other mats. several students reported that kendrick was one of many students who would remove their shoes and throw them inside of the mats, forcing students to climb into the mats in order to retrieve their shoes. kendrick was not wearing shoes at the time of discovery - though a pair of shoes were thrown in on top of him. a state autopsy concluded that kendrick had been accidentally asphyxiated. though kendrick’s organs had been destroyed after the first autopsy, two independent autopsies were subsequently performed. both concluded that kendrick had died of blunt force trauma to the right side of his neck, one doctor going so far as to state that his injuries could not have been accidental. after extensive litigation, the department of justice ruled in 2016 that there is insufficient evidence to prove that kendrick was murdered. kendrick’s family is still fighting this ruling.
Chloe Hoson was a 5-year-old girl living in Sydney, Australia. She was described as a happy, playful girl who loved animals.
In 2003, Chloe’s mother told her to play outside while she cleaned the family caravan. While outside, Chloe saw the man who lived in the neighbouring caravan, 22-year-old Timothy Kosowicz. Kosowicz lured Chloe into his caravan telling her that she could play with his new kitten. Kosowicz claimed that while inside Chloe knocked over a pot of cannabis and that he ‘lost the plot’ and choked her before suffocating her with shopping bags and abusing her body. He then put Chloe’s remains in a sports bag which he dumped at a nearby creek.
Kosowicz was not convicted of the crime due to being found mentally ill, he spent 15 years on a psychiatric unit before being released.
Ashleigh Hall was a 17-year-old student living in Darlington, UK. She was in her final year of college and hoped to become a childminder or a nursery nurse.
Ashleigh struggled with her self-esteem and preferred to make friends online. She met a boy who she believed was around her age on the social media network Facebook, he had an attractive profile picture and thousands of Facebook friends. As the pair began to speak, the boy showered Ashleigh with compliments and flattery, she eventually agreed to meet the boy in person.
On the day the two were due to meet, 25th October 2009, the boy texted Ashleigh and told her that his father would pick her up and drive her to see him. Ashleigh left her home telling her mother she was going to see a friend. When she arrived at the meeting point the boy texted her giving her a description of his father who was waiting in his car, she got in and was never seen alive again.
It soon emerged that the boy Ashleigh had been talking to was fictitious and that the man behind the profile was actually 32-year-old drifter Peter Chapman. Chapman raped and murdered Ashleigh before dumping her body in a field. Further investigation found that Chapman was a known predator and convicted rapist. He had also attempted to meet two 15-year-old girls before murdering Ashleigh. One of the girls had arranged to meet him in the car park after being lured by his fake profile but had run away when she saw him sitting in his car, it is thought that it was then that he came up with the ruse of telling Ashleigh she would be meeting the father of the boy she thought she had been speaking to.
Chapman was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Ashleigh’s mother urged families to be vigilant online and young people not to meet people without telling their family where they were going.
Victoria Marinova was a 30-year-old Bulgarian journalist and television host. Victoria was the administrative director of a television show and had recently started her own talk show called ‘Detector.’ She had recently reported on the controversial issue of the fraud of EU funds by high profile businessmen and politicians.
On 7th October 2018, Victoria’s body was found by a passerby in a popular park, she had been beaten, raped and murdered and her cause of death was listed as blows to the head and suffocation. She had been beaten so severely her face was unrecognisable. Victoria was one of three EU journalists killed that year. Severin Krasimirov, 21, was eventually arrested and confessed to the rape and murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors claimed the attack appeared to be a random sexual assault unconnected to Victorias work as a journalist.
Clare Morrison was a 13-year-old Australian schoolgirl, she was described as outgoing and enjoyed socialising with her friends.
On 18 December 1992, Clare was last seen shopping in the local mall with her friends. She told her friend she would take the bus home to get money for Christmas shopping, this was the last time anyone saw Clare. A witness claimed he had seen Clare getting into a blue car, but this was later shown to be false.
The next day, Clare’s half-naked body was discovered by surfers on the beach, the body had been thrown into the ocean and had been bitten by sharks which destroyed much of the evidence. An autopsy was able to find she had suffered head and neck injuries and been strangled although the exact cause of death could not be determined. The case went cold, with no witnesses and no forensic leads. Clare’s family continue to appeal for information on her murder which remains unsolved
Melanie Hall was a 25-year-old British woman living in Somerset, UK. Her parents described her as ‘vibrant,’ and noted she had achieved her 'cherished’ dream of graduating with a degree in nursing.
On 8th June 1996, Melanie arranged to spend the night with her boyfriend, Philip Karlbaum, her mother dropped her off at his house. The couple, along with two friends, went to Cadillacs nightclub, Melanie was seen arguing with Karlbaum and he had left the club following this. Melanie was last seen sitting on a stool in the club at 1.10am, she was reported missing when she failed to turn up for work later that week. There was an unconfirmed sighting of a woman arguing with a man between 1.45 am and 2 am around the corner from the entrance of the nightclub, police have not ruled out that this was Melanie and appealed for any witnesses who may remember this to come forward, so far none have. Despite a long search, it seemed nobody knew what had happened to Melanie, televised appeals and a £10,000 reward for information did not give any clues as to what may have happened. Melanie was declared legally dead on 17 November 2004.
5 October 2009, a plastic bag containing bones was found on a slip road off the M5 motorway. The bones included a skull, thigh bone and pelvis and further human remains were found buried and spread around the nearby field. A piece of jewellery found at the site was recognised by Melanie’s parents who confirmed that it belonged to their daughter. The remains were formally identified through dental records and confirmed to be Melanie. Her skull, cheekbone and jaw had been fractured by blunt force trauma. She has also been tied up with rope. Despite the discovery of the body and fresh appeals, police still struggled to find any leads on the case.
In October 2019, new forensic techniques made it possible for police to obtain a partial DNA profile from the rope that Melanie had been tied up with they stated they were confident that Melanie’s killer would be caught. A £50,000 reward was issued for any information leading to an arrest and conviction. Despite this, and renewed media attention, no one has ever been charged and Melanie’s killer remains uncaught.
It has been suggested that there may be a link to serial killer Levi Bellfield, who is currently serving life in prison for three murders of young, blonde women committed between 2002 and 2004. A link was also made to convicted murderer Christopher Halliwell. Both men have DNA on file which does not match the evidence found in Melanie’s case.
Deanna J. Cremin was a 17-year-old student living in Massachusetts, USA. She worked part-time at a local shop and did volunteer work with third-grade students at her school, Deanna dreamt of becoming a preschool teacher and loved caring for young children.
On 29 March 1995, Deanna went out with friends and visited her boyfriend, when she missed her normal curfew of 10pm her parents began to worry and contacted those she may have been with. Deanna’s boyfriend, Tommy LeBlanc, told them he had walked her halfway home, this was the last time anyone had seen her. Deanna’s family described LeBlanc’s behaviour as ‘unusual’- he usually walked Deanna all the way home.
Four days later, two young children stumbled upon Deanna’s body behind a housing complex. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, the body was only a block away from her home.
Three main persons of interest were identified; Deanna’s boyfriend, who was the last person to see her alive, a local firefighter who was said to have been 'fixated’ with Deanna, and a third adult male who was later imprisoned for an unrelated crime. No charges were pressed and no arrests were made. Deanna’s case grew cold.
In 2019, the case was re-opened by a cold case unit who hope new DNA technology may provide a breakthrough, the unit claimed to know who killed Deanna but that they need more evidence to facilitate an arrest. Deanna’s murder remains unsolved.
Barbara Ann Barnes was a 13-year-old American schoolgirl living in Ohio, USA. She was described as being a soft-spoken and intelligent girl who excelled in school. Barbara’s father had been shot to death in 1989 which had affected Barbara’s personality greatly, following the tragedy she became quieter and warier.
Barbara lived close to the middle school she attended, because of the short distance to her home she walked to and from school every day alongside other students. On 7 December 1995, Barbara was walking to school as normal, a neighbour recalled Barbara waving to her as she walked past and a classmate saw her walking her normal route. Barbara failed to arrive at school and when she never arrived home that afternoon an investigation began. Despite widespread searches and appeals for information, no trace of Barbara or clues as to what had happened to her were found.
On 22 February 1996, Barbara’s partially decomposed remains were discovered in a riverbed. The cause of death was determined to have been strangulation and Barbara had been raped. Despite extensive interviews and witness statements being taken police did not manage to find the killer or charge anyone in relation to the case. Barbara’s murder remains unsolved.
Hae Min Lee (이해민) was an 18-year-old Korean-American student living in Maryland, USA, her family had moved from South Korea to the USA in 1992. Hae Min Lee enjoyed lacrosse and field hockey and was described as athletic and friendly.
On 13 January 1999, Hae Min Lee was due to pick up her younger cousin from daycare at around 3.15pm, she never arrived and was quickly reported missing. She had attended school, as usual, that day and had been seen leaving the school campus.
On 9th February, Hae Min Lee’s partially buried body was discovered in a park. Days later the police received an anonymous phone call suggesting that Hae Min Lee’s ex-boyfriend and classmate, Adnan Masud Syed, had been involved in her murder. One of Syed’s friends also came forward confessing that Syed had confessed to the murder and that he had helped Syed bury the body. Syed was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, force imprisonment, and robbery. Syed claimed not to have seen Hae Min Lee after she had left school the day she disappeared.
Syed was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. He has since attempted to appeal his conviction but has been unsuccessful.
Yingying Zhang (章莹颖) was a 26-year-old woman from Fujian Province, China. She was an intelligent and motivated woman who had graduated from Peking University with honours. In 2017, Zhang arrived in the USA to carry out research in Illinois and had ambitions to eventually become a professor. She was due to marry her boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou, in October 2017.
On 9th June 2017, Zhang was travelling on a bus to an apartment complex where she was due to sign a new apartment lease, along the journey she got off at the wrong stop and walked a few blocks to another bus stop. CCTV footage shows a black car passing her at 2pm while she waited at the bus stop, the car then circled back at 2.03pm, Zhang spoke to the driver for around a minute before entering the car.
And 2.38pm, the leasing agent sent a text message to Zhang but received no reply. Zhang’s friends also became increasingly worried when she did not return from her trip. She was reported missing and a huge search began, Zhang’s family flew from China to the USA to join the search for her.
The car Zhang was recorded getting into eventually traced to Brendt Allen Christensen a former student of the University of Illinois. He was interviewed and his car was inspected. He initially claimed he did not remember what he was doing at the time of Zhang’s disappearance before later claiming he may have been sleeping or playing video games. His car had been extensively cleaned, particularly the passenger side door in an attempt to conceal evidence. During questioning, Christensen admitted to giving Zhang a ride but claimed to have dropped her off after only a few blocks. Christensen’s girlfriend was approached by FBI agents and agreed to wear a wire, while being secretly recorded Christensen told his girlfriend he had taken Zhang to his apartment and killed her. He also bragged he was a serial killer and said Zhang had been his 13th victim, no evidence of other victims could be found and officials doubt this claim was true. It was also discovered Christensen had recently accessed a forum on a fetish website called ‘Abduction 101.’ Additionally, he had previously posed as an undercover police officer before in an attempt to abduct student Emily Hogan, Hogan had refused to get in the car and reported the incident to police.
Christensen was arrested and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Zhang’s body has still not been recovered.
Cynthia Udoka Osokogu was a 24-year-old Nigerian woman who owned a clothing boutique in Keffi, Nigeria. She was a former model and postgraduate student who was described as hardworking and loving by her family.
Cynthia enjoyed using social media and developing new friendships on the social networking site Facebook. She befriended Okwumi Echezona Nwabufor and added him on Blackberry Messenger, she also later met his cousin, Ezike Ilechukwu Olisaeloka. The pair told Cynthia they were in the same business as her and offered to sell her clothing at cheaper prices. The men seemed normal and promised to host Cynthia when she came on a business trip to Lagos to discuss the arrangements. The trip was organised for 21st July 2012, when Cynthia flew to Lagos to meet the ‘retailers,’ she called her mother and let her know her flight had landed safely.
Nwabufor had secretly been stalking Cynthia for months and looking for ways he could gain her confidence, what Cynthia assumed to be a business trip was a dangerous plot to kidnap and harm her. The two men picked up Cynthia from the airport, as previously agreed, they took her to a hotel and offered her a drink which was drugged, the drug did not take effect quickly. Then two men then beat Cynthia and demanded she give them money, she told them she had none to give her as she did not carry cash. At this point, the men became angry and tied Cynthia up, gagged her, stole her possessions, raped her and strangled her to death. The next morning, they abandoned the body, left the hotel and unfriended her on Facebook.
Cynthia’s body was found in the hotel room by staff. CCTV and evidence from workers at the hotel identified Nwabufo and Olisaeloka. At trial, both men attempted to lie their way out of trouble, Nwabufo stated he had met Cynthia at a mall and repeatedly claimed she had been his girlfriend despite not being able to tell the court her birthday, hometown, mother’s name or anything about her. Eventually, both men were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to death by hanging.
Alexia Daval was a 29-year-old banker living in rural Gray-La-Ville, France. She was independent, loving, outgoing and enjoyed jogging. Alexia had married her high school boyfriend, Johnathann Daval.
In October 2017, Alexia’s husband, Daval, reported her missing telling police she had gone jogging and never returned home. Alexia’s body was found two days later partially burnt and covered in branches in a forest far away from her usual known jogging route. Daval appeared in tears at a press conference with Alexia’s parents following the discovery of her body and pleading for information on what had happened to Alexia calling her his ‘oxygen,’ he wore the jacket he had worn for their wedding to her funeral. Daval and Alexia had been trying for a baby and Daval admitted they had sometimes argued, he explained scratches on his hand as Alexia fought him when they had argued but reiterated he would never hurt his wife.
Suspicions began to fall on Daval, there seemed to be inconsistencies in his stories. Neighbours had heard his car leave early on the day Alexia had gone missing despite his claims he had not left the home until much later. Tyre tracks near Alexia’s body matched Daval’s vehicle and his car’s GPS showed he had been to the site his wife’s body had been found at. Police continued to question Daval on what had happened. Three months later, he confessed, he had beaten Alexia to death in a heated argument knocking her face against a wall strangling her. It was suggested Alexia may have wanted to leave her husband shortly before her death.
Daval was sentenced to 25 years for the murder of Alexia Daval.
Kaylee-Jayde Priest was a 3-year-old British girl, her grandmother described her as a happy girl with a beautiful face. She lived with her mother, 22-year-old Nicola Priest and her mother’s boyfriend, 22-year-old Callum Redfern.
On 8th August 2020, Kaylee was put to bed at about 7 pm, she wanted to stay up and play and began to cry. Priest and Redfern lost their tempers and one or both of them beat Kaylee until she vomited, inflicting a torn intestine, fractured rib and deflated lung on the infant. Kaylee-Jayde died later that night. An ambulance was not called until the next day by which time it was too late and Kaylee-Jayde was dead. Both Kaylee-Jayde’s mother and Redfern attempted to blame each other for the girl’s death and it is unclear who delivered the fatal blow and whether both were involved.
Disturbing details about Kaylee-Jayde’s tragic life emerged. During Redfern’s relationship with Priest, the child’s discipline became increasingly forceful and violent. Kaylee-Jayde had suffered historical injuries, these included broken ribs, lower leg fractures and a broken sternum. The post mortem examination of the body revealed around 68 separate injuries, some of which had occurred as early as two months before her death
In a text message Priest had told Redfern ‘I’m gonna kill her… because she keeps leaving the living room or going in the kitchen, so I’ve paled [hit] her one and smacked her for [soiling] her nappy,’ Redfern had replied, 'Good, give her one from me.’ Kaylee-Jayde was frequently heard crying, being called a brat by Priest and Redfern and being told to 'shut up,’ and 'go away.’ A neighbour also recalled hearing a bang on one occasion followed by Kaylee-Jayde crying and Priest saying 'I’ll just say she fell off the bed.’ When Redfern was asked after Kaylee-Jayde’s death how he felt he replied, 'It’s not my child… it’s not really affected me.’
Nicola Priest and Callum Redfern were both convicted of manslaughter. Priest was also found guilty of an additional offence of child cruelty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Redfern was sentenced to 14 years, both must serve at least two-thirds of their sentence.
Lois Martha Roberts was a 39-year-old Australian woman. Previously a hairdresser, Lois sustained a brain injury in a car accident and had to undergo major rehabilitation, after which she moved to live in Lismore. Her family remember her as a vivacious and intelligent free spirit, who loved to travel and was known to hitchhike.
Lois was last seen outside Nimbin Police Station on 31 July 1998, it seems that she was hitchhiking between Nimbin and Lismore and was abducted at some point along this journey. Lois was seen getting into a white car, that was the last known sighting of her and remains unconfirmed. Six months later in January 1999, her mutilated body was found wrapped in an electrical cord. She had been tortured and raped before death, it is believed she was held captive for up to 10 days before she was murdered.
Theories surrounding Lois’ brutal murder include that she was about to expose a paedophile ring, that she was killed by a man who was in love with her twin sister and that she was murdered by a serial killer. The truth of what happened to Lois after she went missing remains a mystery. There have been no arrests; the murder remains unsolved.
Shona Stevens was a 31-year-old mother of one living in Ayreshire, Scotland. Shona’s daughter, Candice, was only seven at the time of her mother’s murder.
On 10th November 1994, Shona went shopping at the local supermarket. She was last seen at about 1:10 pm walking home, just 10 minutes later, her unconscious body was found approximately 200 yards away from her home on a wooded path. The area Shona was found was regularly used by the local community as a shortcut to the supermarket. It is thought that the brutal attack on Shona lasted for about eight minutes and happened just after she was last seen. She had sustained serious head injuries and died in hospital.
In a bizarre twist, police released images of a novelty semi-naked toy figure wearing a red coat, the item was found at the scene of the crime. The police stated that the item looked like it had been broken off the keyring and had not belonged to Shona so may have belonged to the killer.
The motive for Shona’s murder remains unknown. There have been no arrests made concerning the case, the killer remains uncaught.
Summer Lee Baldwin was a 29-year-old American woman, she was an only child who was close to her family. At the time of her murder, Summer was living in a motel and working as a sex worker, she was also five weeks pregnant. Summer’s body was found stuffed in a suitcase in a landfill on 13th September 2005, she had died from asphyxiation and/ or blunt force trauma and had been beaten before her death.
Joanna Kathryn Rogers was 16-years-old when she went missing in May 2004, after the discovery of Summer’s body police began to wonder if the two cases were linked. A thorough search of the landfill Summer was found in confirmed this; Joanna’s body was found at the same place, also stuffed into a suitcase, she had been murdered in the same manner with the cause of death being asphyxiation and blunt force trauma.
Rosendo Rodriguez III was arrested in connection with the murders, he had no prior convictions. CCTV footage captured Rodriguez buying the suitcase Summer’s body was found in from a Walmart near the landfill. He had also been seen with Summer the night she went missing. Rodriguez was also linked to Joanna and the two were thought to have been acquaintances; analysis of both of their computers confirmed they were known to each other.
Rodriguez refused a guilty plea deal and was found guilty by a jury, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was executed on 27th March 2018.
Kami Ring was a 10-year-old elementary schoolgirl from Maryland, USA. She had just finished fourth grade and enjoyed playing the violin, singing, drawing and dogs, especially her pet dog Sadie.
In June 2013, Kami was staying with her grandparents for a week, she was last seen when she went to bed at around 10 pm. The next morning, a family member went to check on Kami and could not find her. Police were called to the residence and noted that Kami’s bedroom window was open and the screen was gone. By 6.20 pm that day, Kami’s body had been found lying face down wearing only a tank top in a field across the street. She had died from blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, she had also been raped. The body had a cutting injury to her neck and male semen was found at the crime scene.
A friend of the family Richard Madden, 29, was arrested for Kami’s murder. Madden, who had met Kami before, had been staying across the road where Kami’s body was found and had previous arrests for drug charges and theft. Biological evidence linked Madden to the crime scene and Kami’s body, he also had scratch marks on his chest which he could not explain. Madden had also been observed doing laundry early that morning which was described as out of character, he had also cut his nails recently. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
As modern forensics techniques get better and better, it allows detectives to solve crimes that were previously thought unsolvable. One of the key areas that has led to a rise in convictions for previously unsolved cases has been DNA analysis. DNA is generally used to solve crimes in two ways. Firstly, when a suspect has been identified, a sample of that person’s DNA can be compared to a sample taken from the crime scene. Secondly, in cases where a suspect has not been identified, evidence from the crime scene can be compared to profiles in DNA databases to attempt to find a match. DNA is thought to be more reliable than traditional forensic techniques such as fingerprints. DNA can also be used to clear suspects so the police can focus their enquiries. With the rise of people submitting the DNA online for genealogy tests and advances in storing and collecting samples, more and more DNA is being uploaded daily. Cases have been solved decades after the crimes were committed, and there are calls for many cold cases to be reanalysed using modern technology. One of the biggest problems with DNA today is the backlog of analysing DNA samples from crime scenes. Many crime scene samples, including from sexual assault and murder cases, wait unanalysed for a long time. This prevents the perpetrators from being identified earlier.
