Latest news with #unsolvedcase
National Post
4 days ago
- National Post
RCMP give update on missing Nova Scotia siblings, including discovery of pink blanket
More than two months after two young siblings went missing in Nova Scotia, the RCMP say they have received thousands of videos and found a pink blanket belonging to one of the children, but the case remains unsolved. Article content The investigative team in the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Lilly Sullivan and Jack Sullivan who went missing from their rural home in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, N.S. Article content Article content Article content 'Our collective efforts will continue every day until we determine with certainty the circumstances surrounding Lilly and Jack's disappearance,' said Sgt. Rob McCamon, Officer in Charge (acting), Major Crime and Behavioural Sciences, in a statement released July 16. Article content Article content Lilly, six, and Jack, four, were first reported missing on the morning of May 2, 2025, by their mom and stepfather, who believe the kids disappeared while they were still asleep. The stepfather looked for them in neighbouring roads as the mom called police that morning. Article content The latest update on the case doesn't bring any new information about where Lilly and Jack could be or what happened to them, but gives the public an overview of what the next stage of the investigation will look like. Article content The Nova Scotia RCMP said they are reviewing approximately 5,000 video files of Lansdowne Station and its surrounding areas and assessing more than 600 tips from the public. Article content Article content Police have formally interviewed over 60 people, including some with a polygraph test, and are requesting judicial authorizations to seize and examine materials and devices that can help in the investigation. Article content Article content Police also said they are performing forensic examinations on 'materials' found in the search areas, including a pink blanket found near the home on Lansdowne Road. It was confirmed by the family to belong to the children. Article content 'A tremendous amount of careful, deliberate investigative work is underway by people here at home and in other parts of Canada,' said McCamon. Article content When asked in a press conference if the case lacked urgency, a concern expressed by people close to the investigation, spokesperson Cpl. Carlie McCann told reporters that 'an RCMP family liaison is in regular contact with a designated relative of Lilly and Jack.' Article content The Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit is assisted in the investigation by RCMP units in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario as well as the National Centre of Missing Persons, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and provincial and municipal police agencies from Nova Scotia and other parts of Canada.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Inside Peter Falconio murder mystery after killer's death as Brit's parents reveal hope £250k reward will help find body
FOR an agonising 24 years, Peter Falconio's elderly parents have clung to the hope that his killer might finally reveal where their son's body is hidden. But when monster Bradley Murdoch, 67, died in a prison hospital this week, so too did any chance of him admitting what he did with their beloved boy's remains. 10 10 Heartbroken Luciano and Joan Falconio just want to lay Peter to rest back home in Huddersfield, West Yorks, where he belongs. Instead, they bear the pain of knowing he is likely buried in an unknown spot, amid a 1,200 square mile area of Australia's vast and largely uncharted Outback. Speaking from their home yesterday following Murdoch's death from throat cancer, Luciano, 83, who has three other sons, said: 'He's gone now. "I don't feel any sadness or hate, I am a generous person. But he should have admitted his crime. 'He is the only one who knows where my son is. 'I don't think he will have shared anything with police, but he may have told someone. I really hope so.' Luciano added: 'I am in pain for my wife. I hope I find my son, for both of us. We need an end while we are still here.' Finding Peter's body would not only help bring peace to his parents. It would also end two decades of speculation about his murder. Ever since his girlfriend Joanne Lees told police in Australia's Northern Territory how she was tied up after Peter, 28, was shot in the head on the Stuart Highway near remote Barrow Creek in 2001, this case has generated controversy. 'Weight's been lifted' The calm demeanour of Joanne, now 51, when she spoke to officers led some people to suspect she had somehow been involved in her boyfriend's death. Joanne Lees breaks down reliving her escape from Peter Falconio's killer And there were numerous fake 'sightings' of Peter in the wake of his killing that only increased the pain for his family. Questions were raised about what motive Murdoch could possibly have had for shooting a stranger dead at point blank range. Plus, there were discrepancies in Joanne's account of her terrifying ordeal at the killer's hands. Murdoch went to his grave maintaining he was innocent. And if you were to believe the glowing tribute from his family last night, you would think he was a saint. They described him as a 'gentle giant with a heart of gold' who 'earned the affectionate title of uncle from many indigenous prisoners.' That would be the same Bradley Murdoch who had a tattoo of an Aboriginal man hanging from a noose and was convicted of shooting at people celebrating at an Australian rules football match in 1995. Police, prosecutors, the jury, Peter's parents and many others who had the misfortune of crossing paths with Murdoch have no doubt that he was guilty of the British man's slaying, regardless of what he claimed. Luciano and Joan Falconio made their feelings clear when they said last night: 'Upon hearing that Bradley John Murdoch had died, our first feeling was of relief. It's like a weight that's been lifted.' Born in Geraldton, north of Perth, Murdoch worked as a mechanic in Broome on the northern coast of Western Australia. Peter and Joanne, who had been touring Australia in a VW Kombi campervan, had the misfortune of being on the same road as Murdoch He was a self-confessed drug smuggler who would put amphetamines into his tea to keep him awake as he transported cannabis long distances across Australia — a move which reportedly made him increasingly paranoid. In 2003, he was cleared of raping a 12-year-old girl, who prosecutors had claimed he abducted with her mother 'for insurance' as cops probing Peter Falconio's murder closed in. Justice for the killing finally caught up with him in 2005. Peter and Joanne, who had been touring Australia in a VW Kombi campervan, had the misfortune of being on the same road as Murdoch north of Alice Springs on July 14, 2001. He flagged Peter down and told him there were sparks coming from the old vehicle, before shooting him dead. 10 10 He tied Joanne up at gunpoint and bundled her into his truck. But she was able to escape into the pitch black Outback, hiding for almost five hours until she flagged down a passing vehicle. Snipers on rooftops Senior Sergeant Erica Gibson, the first police officer to speak to Joanne about the terrifying ordeal, described her as 'absolutely shell-shocked' but not 'hysterical or overtly emotional'. She said that victims 'express their trauma and emotion in a different way, so it wasn't for me to judge how she reacted'. Joanne's appearance at a press conference about the attacks, at which she wore a tight-fitting Cheeky Monkey T-shirt, led some people to suggest she was not really mourning. Her version of events was not helped by a couple of shopkeepers claiming they had seen Peter buy a Mars bar a week after the murder. But Joanne's description of the killer matched that of Murdoch and his white Toyota. This placed him on a list of 100 suspects and made the police nervous when they went to arrest him in 2002 for the alleged rape of the 12- year-old. They considered him to be so dangerous that they placed snipers on rooftops and under vehicles with their rifles trained on the car park of a Woolworths where Murdoch was shopping in Port Augusta. In the back of the fiend's Toyota pick-up, the police found handcuffs made from cable ties, a pistol, gloves, a shotgun, crossbow and a rifle with a telescopic sight. He was found not guilty of the alleged rape, but detectives had much better evidence to link him to Peter's murder. At his trial in 2005, the jury heard how Murdoch's DNA was found on Joanne's T-shirt. CCTV footage also showed he had been at Alice Springs prior to Peter's murder, and other witnesses put him in the area of the crime. His defence tried to cast doubt by claiming Joanne had slept with another man a few months prior to the killing. But she insisted: 'I did love Pete with all my heart and, when that happened, I did overstep the boundaries of friendship, but it made me love Pete even more and value what we did have.' The jury took just eight hours to find Murdoch guilty, and he was sentenced to at least 28 years in prison. A year later, Joanne published a book titled No Turning Back, in which she gave her account of the traumatic events. She said in an interview with The Times: 'Others have their opinions about that night, about what happened, about what I did or didn't do. 'But they weren't there. They can never know what I saw, the terror I felt, or what Pete and I meant to each other.'' The night that Joanne escaped and we lost Peter, [Murdoch] lost control and as a result of that he felt wronged and angry. To gain some control was to never co-operate and have that power over the Falconio family. Colleen Gwynne, Lead Investigator It didn't stop the doubters. A four-part Channel 4 documentary titled Murder In The Outback: The Falconio And Lees Mystery questioned Murdoch's conviction in 2020. It repeated claims Peter may be alive. 'Future taken away' And it revealed that truck driver Vince Millar, who found Joanne by the side of the road, had seen a red car in the vicinity. He speculated that Peter's body might have been in this unidentified vehicle. 10 10 10 None of this has changed the mind of the detectives who knew Murdoch. The lead investigator in the case, Colleen Gwynne, said last night that she had suspected the killer would take his secrets to the grave. She added: 'I'm not surprised, just disappointed. 'I always said I don't think he'll ever speak to police. 'The night that Joanne escaped and we lost Peter, he lost control and felt wronged and angry. 'To gain some control was to never co-operate and have that power over the Falconio family.' There is still a £243,650 reward available to anyone with information that leads to the discovery of Peter's body. It is possible that Murdoch bragged to a friend or cellmate — or that a former associate might have an idea where he buried the remains. The police said in a statement: 'The Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation. "We continue to appeal to anyone who may have information that could lead us to Peter Falconio's remains to come forward, no matter how small the detail may seem.' Peter is not the only person to have gone missing in the Outback. And he may not have been Murdoch's only victim. Today, though, Luciano and Joan want to forget about the killer, saying: 'We are only forced to think about him now that he's died. 'We don't want to let him ruin our lives more than he already has. 'The awful thing is, our family's future with Peter was cruelly taken away. 'Today we instead focus on the three children we have left and our grandchildren.' 10
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
New DB Cooper files shed light on hunt for world's most elusive plane hijacker – including mystery suspect in wheelchair
NEW FBI files shed light on one of the longest-running unsolved hijacking cases in US history. A 398-page document compiles decades of tips on DB Cooper - the mysterious man who hijacked a plane in 1971 and parachuted away with $200,000. 6 6 6 Dan "DB" Cooper is the alias of the man who hijacked Northwest Flight 305 over Portland, Oregon, in November 1971, en route to Seattle. He demanded $200,000 ransom and parachuted from the plane with the money, never to be seen again. Described as a dark-haired man in his mid-40s, Cooper passed a flight attendant a note claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase - which he revealed contained wires and red sticks. After the Boeing landed in Seattle, Cooper released 36 passengers in exchange for the cash and four parachutes. The plane then took off with several crew members, heading towards Mexico City under Cooper's orders. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, Nevada, at 10,000 feet, Cooper jumped from the back of the jet with a parachute and the ransom money. The document, released by the FBI on Tuesday, reveals that despite interviewing hundreds of suspects, the agency remains at a dead end. One suspect was even a man in a wheelchair, with the report concluding: 'A man confined to a wheel chair [sic] did not hijack the plane in this case.' While multiple suspects are named in the files, further investigation - including showing photos to witnesses - often led agents to mark their files with a handwritten 'eliminated'. The files include the well-known claim by Donald Sylvester Murphy that he was DB Cooper. New DB Cooper 'suspect' and DNA unearthed as pressure piles on FBI to act now and identify skyjacker to solve mystery Murphy made this claim to a former Newsweek editor, but it was later revealed to be part of an extortion scheme. The elaborate plot saw Murphy posing for photographs 'wearing a wig and glasses and otherwise appearing much like the widely circulated 'artist's conception' of 'D.B. Cooper,'' according to a court document included in the files. Murphy and a conspirator were sentenced to prison for the fraud, according to a 1973 report by The New York Times. Notably, Richard McCoy Jr., whose children claimed he was DB Cooper last year, does not appear in the files. 6 In fact, most suspects remain unknown to the public. They range from an Alabama man who died of cancer just months after the hijacking, to airline pilots, parachutists and Boeing employees. Previously, The Sun has reported independent investigator Eric Ulis' probe into the DB Cooper case. In August last year, Ulis identified Vince Petersen, a deceased metallurgist from Pennsylvania, as his leading suspect - a theory he has pursued since 2022. Ulis and forensic expert Tom Kaye discovered dozens of rare titanium particles on a clip-on tie left behind by the skyjacker. Tracing the particles led them to the now-defunct Crucible Steel plant in Midland, Pennsylvania, where Petersen worked for several years. Meanwhile, the memories of those aboard the hijacked flight paint a portrait of DB Cooper himself. Michael Cooper, then a 31-year-old teacher traveling home for Thanksgiving, told The Sun he remembered the hijacker as a suave and level-headed man who exuded quiet authority. "He was probably in his 40s, and he was wearing a jacket and a tie and he was just real quiet," Michael, who is now 84, said. 6 6
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Nine years later, Algiers murder on Kent Drive remains unsolved
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — On June 26, 2016, the New Orleans Police Department was called to a shooting scene in the 2800 block of Kent Drive in Algiers. Officers found a man who'd been shot multiple times. He died at the scene. Nine years later, the murder remains unsolved. It's the latest case to roll on the Wheel of Justice. NOPD: Robber used RTA bus for getaway The shooting happened around 6:30 that night. Shortly after the crime, police announced they were looking for a dark-colored SUV, but the case went cold from there. The victim was identified as 38-year-old Errol Gant. NOPD looking for robbery suspect who struck at ATM If you can help police solve the case, call CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111. So far, more than 475 people have been booked after their cases rolled on the Wheel of trend already identified among 'Generation Beta' babies, BabyCenter claims Eight people shot within nine hours in New Orleans Two dead in Lower Ninth Ward homicide investigation Boil water advisory issued in New Orleans after 30″ main break How do the chemicals in sunscreen protect our skin from damage? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
DNA advances identify Oklahoma man in Pueblo County cold case from 2000
The remains of an Oklahoma man found in a field have been identified after 25 years, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office. Marvin Majors of Oklahoma was 34 years old at the time of his death. Majors was homeless and was believed to have been sleeping in a field just north of the Walking Stick development, where his body was found in 2000 by a woman who was walking her dog. The area is just north of the Pueblo city limits. The body, which was mostly skeletal remains, did not have any identification, the sheriff's office said in a Thursday, June 26 news release. The Pueblo County Coroner's office conducted an autopsy, and while the cause of death was undetermined, foul play was not suspected. An anthropologist was contacted to analyze the remains and estimated that the man was of mixed race, between 35 and 50 years old, and had a height of 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-3. The man also had thick black hair that was in dreadlocks. For months after the body was found, sheriff's detectives worked unsuccessfully to identify the man, PCSO November 2001, a sculptor from the University of Colorado made a facial reconstruction using the man's skull to create a clay bust. Photos of the bust were sent to the media and the public. They were also posted on websites for missing persons seeking help in identifying the man. The sheriff's office said detectives only received a few leads, including from a rancher who identified the man as someone who had camped on his property in August 2000. The property was near the field where the remains were found. The rancher told detectives the man told him he was traveling from New Mexico to Denver, according to the sheriff's office. However, while detectives continued to work the case, it would stay unsolved for over two decades. In June 2021, detectives revisited the case and learned that the FBI had completed a DNA profile of the man, and that information was now in a combined national DNA database. Sheriff's detectives obtained a new DNA sample from an item in evidence that was taken from the campsite when the body was found. With assistance from CBI, the new DNA sample was submitted to a genetic genealogy database in 2023. A genealogy match was made with a distant family member of Majors in November 2024. Detectives then obtained a DNA sample from a suspected sibling. On the week June 22, the DNA comparison was verified by a forensic investigative genetic genealogist as a match for Majors. Family members said that Majors, who was from Oklahoma and grew up in Los Angeles, lived atransient lifestyle, according to PCSO. The family said they had not seen or heard from him since around 1998-99 and wondered what had happened to him. They expressed appreciation for the work the detectives put forth to identify Majors, according to PCSO. 'Through modern science and teamwork, our detectives were able to get the breakthrough theyneeded to identify this person,' said Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero in the release. 'The years of dedication, diligence, and perseverance by our detectives demonstrate that no matter how old a case is, they are committed to solving it. This was somebody's family member, and our team went above and beyond to identify him and to bringsome closure to his family.' Lucero also thanked CBI for working with the sheriff's office on this case. 'This shows that through our partnerships, we can solve decades-old cases," he said. More: Texas man who drowned at Lake Pueblo identified by coroner Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@ Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado cold case remains from 2000 identified as Oklahoma man
