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E256: Christine Cole Part 2
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January 6th, 1988 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island began like so many others for the Cole family. It was yet another frigid day but Christine, who had just turned 10, was excited to help by running some errands for her mom. Christine had clear directions on where to go and what to get. But, as dinnertime came and went without Christine returning from her errands, her mother knew something was wrong. And, weeks later, her worst fears were realized.
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Transcript
The Disappearance and Initial Investigation
00:00:00
Speaker
In our last episode, you heard about the disappearance of Christine Cole after leaving home on an errand in the cold winter evening of January 6, 1988. We discussed potential sightings and timelines at Red Seafood, a friend's home, Saints Market, and likely Star Market, as well as the discovery, 54 days later, of Christine's body on the waterfront in Warwick, Rhode Island.
00:00:30
Speaker
Initially, police explored the theory that Christine's death could have been a tragic accident, though that theory didn't seem to explain all the circumstances of her clothing, nor of the bloodstain. But, initial polygraphs and theories didn't seem to lead anywhere concrete. This is episode two in the case of Christine Cole.
Podcast Introduction and Mission
00:01:28
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron. We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
Theories Around Christine's Disappearance
00:02:05
Speaker
In this episode, we will explore even more theories related to Christine Cole's case. To end the last episode as a recap, I spoke of the theory that Christine had run away from home. She had done it before and often, but then there's where she was found, her fear of the water, and the details about the cinging of her pants, as well as the missing underwear that make an accident unlikely.
00:02:34
Speaker
Despite the problems in Amanda Milkovich's article updated November 25th, 2024 in the Boston Globe, she notes that John Haberley, lead investigator on the case at the time and Detective Lieutenant in Pawtucket, told the Pawtucket Times on the same day as Christine's funeral that there was, quote, no evidence the death was anything but an accident, end quote.
00:03:02
Speaker
Even decades later, when asked again about the case in the summer of 2024, he stated, quote, The evidence, in my opinion, doesn't show murder. My opinion, without further evidence, is that she fell through the ice and drowned. Not on purpose, no suicide, just a horrible accident that happened to this young girl, end quote. So we do still have this theory as a possibility.
00:03:31
Speaker
Then there was the initial thoughts that this Alphonse Toby, which was theory number two, was somehow involved because he lived close.
Suspects and Dead Ends
00:03:40
Speaker
He was tangentially related to the deaths of two other children, but he passed a polygraph in Christine's case, and there isn't really much to link him to it.
00:03:53
Speaker
With those out of the way, now I want to get into the theories with even more connections to Christine's case. Another theory that emerged, theory number three, involved a man named Richard J. Graves, who was arrested in Lexington, Massachusetts for the sexual assault of a child, a five-year-old little girl.
00:04:14
Speaker
I bring him up because according to one of my sources, police found a newspaper clipping about Christine's case in his hotel room, which included a photograph of Christine. It was the story from February 29th concerning the discovery of her body. Was this article that he kept from the Pawtucket Evening Times some kind of a token and proof of his interest in the case because of his involvement?
00:04:44
Speaker
or had he cut out the article only because of the photograph. The detail of the news article, while concerning to me, could be explained away.
00:04:55
Speaker
However, also in Graves' hotel room was a phone number, the number of the cemetery where Christine had been buried, and a note he left himself about taking flowers to the grave. Now that is odd. One link could be explained away. Can two?
00:05:16
Speaker
Without direct involvement in Christine's death, I find it difficult to explain why there would be this interest in leaving flowers. Plus, law enforcement found books in his place both for children and about children, more specifically about child psychology.
00:05:37
Speaker
Add to the fact that police had been watching him long enough to know that he had an interest in young girls around 10 or 11 years old, and he becomes a solid theory number three.
00:05:50
Speaker
Graves was also out on bail for another sexual assault charge when he was arrested in Lexington. This evidence led investigators to question Graves about his possible involvement in Christine Cole's death. However, Graves's lawyer prevented him from speaking with Pawtucket Police, and there does not appear to be any substantial evidence that he was ever directly linked to the crime.
00:06:16
Speaker
The lack of follow up on this lead raises questions though. As a man with a history of sexual assault on children and the victim's photo in his possession, my opinion is that he should have been more thoroughly investigated.
00:06:31
Speaker
Another theory, theory number four, is a man named Richard Gardner. Another local with a history of trouble, Gardner also drew scrutiny due to his proximity to Christine's neighborhood and his possible connections to other unsolved crimes.
00:06:48
Speaker
According to reports in the Boston Globe, Gardner had previously pled guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy and was out on bail when he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a six-year-old boy in Warwick, Rhode Island, the town in which Christine's body was discovered.
00:07:06
Speaker
As such, even though the victims we are aware of with Gardner are males and Christine is female, Gardner is mentioned in many of my sources as one whom law enforcement suspected in the death, not just of Christine, but of other unsolved child murders in Massachusetts where his first crime occurred and in Rhode Island where he was later convicted in three kidnapping cases, though I didn't read the gender of the victims in all of those cases.
00:07:35
Speaker
The reason he's usually named in Christine's case, I think, is because all three of those cases from Rhode Island happened in 1988 when Christine's case happened.
00:07:47
Speaker
To play devil's advocate, the cases in which Gardner was convicted were kidnapping and sexual assault charges, not murder charges. So we are talking about a different charge here. But there are those who believe in his guilt, who say that if you were involved in Christine's case, the death may have been an accident that ultimately resulted in the disposal of her body in the river.
DNA Evidence Complications
00:08:12
Speaker
While the theories surrounding Graves and Gardner rely heavily on circumstantial evidence and suspicion, the case took a pivotal turn decades later with the emergence of new DNA testing of the evidence. Yet this development was not without its own complications, even in the discovery and testing of the DNA itself.
00:08:33
Speaker
Remember that the events we've been talking about with Christine happened in 1988. As I mentioned in Part 1, in 1998, 10 years later, the FBI DNA unit tested Christine's clothing, specifically her pants, for blood and semen, and found nothing.
00:08:51
Speaker
Per an article by Amanda Milkovich in the Boston Globe, 10 more years would pass until Pawtucket law enforcement would take another shot at finding potential DNA on the clothing and submitted several pieces of evidence to the forensic unit at the Rhode Island Health Department.
00:09:08
Speaker
It was now 20 years after the crime in 2008 that an analyst noted a dark stain located on the inside of Christine's pants that could be blood and tested it. However, court records say the test was negative and that a DNA profile couldn't be developed because of the condition of the sample.
00:09:31
Speaker
Other sources note that in 2010, testing did reveal a handful of alleles, six to be specific, as a partial DNA, alleles of the Y chromosome. So, a man. But not nearly enough markers to link to any specific male.
00:09:52
Speaker
It wasn't until years later that a new detective, Susan Cormier, reopened Christine's case in 2018 and again focused on potential DNA evidence when a new suspect emerged. Her suspect is theory number five.
00:10:08
Speaker
Joao Monteiro. According to Detective Formier, he was linked to the crime through the DNA found on Christine's pants. You see, she, again, sent that same evidence to the Rhode Island Health Department to be tested again. This time,
00:10:24
Speaker
Forensic expert Tamara Wong located several more alleles, now up to 14, providing more information to point in the right direction and, they say, enough to enter the evidence into databases and get a hit. The results showed a partial match to a man who was incarcerated in 2014. The problem was that he couldn't have committed the crime in Christine's case. He wasn't born yet.
00:10:54
Speaker
Cormier believed that meant that it had to have been a male in the same family line, and who better to hone in on than the hit's father, Joao Monteiro. As a little background, Joao Monteiro, who, according to one source, went by John, legally immigrated to the United States in 1982 from Cape Verde. He was married with four children, and he had held down the same job for the past 15 years.
00:11:21
Speaker
Born in June 1960, he would have been 28 at the time of Christine Cole's murder, and of interest to law enforcement, he had an arrest record. Through the 80s and into the 2000s, there were charges of possession of stolen motor vehicle parts, felony assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence charges, and DUIs. Detective Cormier began tailing him and investigating Monteiro herself.
00:11:48
Speaker
In her opinion, Cormier reported that Monteiro lived, quote, a very covert lifestyle, end quote. She reported that based on her tale, where he lived didn't match his license nor registration. She noted that he had lived in 19 different addresses in the past 30 years.
00:12:09
Speaker
that he had mail delivered to his sister's home rather than his own, that at work he parked between two delivery trucks so his car wasn't visible from the road, that at home he parked behind the building next door rather than in front of his own residence building. And her address search revealed that Monteiro had lived right above Saints Market where Christine had gone the night of January 6th.
00:12:35
Speaker
Law enforcement collected Monteiro's trash in an attempt to obtain his DNA to compare with the evidence in Christine's case. And when it came up empty-handed, Detective Cormier joked to forensic scientist Tamara Wong about punching Monteiro in the mouth to obtain a blood sample.
00:12:53
Speaker
Police also noted his past criminal record as further evidence of his propensity for violence as well as the other elements of the, quote, covert lifestyle, end quote, claims that were made by Cormier.
00:13:08
Speaker
As a result, Cormier was able to receive a warrant to collect Monteiro's DNA. Monteiro was given a polygraph, which he failed. During this time, Cormier texted Wong, anxious to get the results of the DNA comparison. The following was a portion of the text conversation between Detective Cormier and Wong, as reported by the Boston Globe.
00:13:30
Speaker
Cormier, is it a match? We're all on the edge of our seats waiting for your reply, my chief major and FBI. Wong, it's a match. Nice detective work, Sue. Congrats.
00:13:43
Speaker
and then Wong sent over the official results, which Cormier asked Wong to explain at a layman's level, since the comparison showed only 95% confidence. Cormier said, quote, so there's no one in 10 billion match type of stats, just 95% confident?
00:14:04
Speaker
Wong wrote back, quote, Unfortunately, not with YSTRs. Because they're shared with family members, the stats are always low, end quote. She was referring to the DNA comparison being made via the 14 detective alleles. Cormier then texted magistrate Jay Patrick O'Neill that the DNA was a match. No qualifications given.
00:14:28
Speaker
Monteiro was arrested that same evening in July 2019 and charged with Christine's murder. Police told him that they had found DNA evidence linking him to the crime. That detail, combined with records from Cormier that he had lived in an apartment above the market where Christine was last seen, the case seemed a slam dunk.
00:14:51
Speaker
a la
00:14:57
Speaker
a a But a closer look proved quite the opposite was true, and charges were dropped only months later. You see, those 19 different addresses? Well, some of them had belonged to someone else entirely. Someone with the same name that was not THIS Joao Monteiro.
00:15:22
Speaker
And while he had lived above Saint's Market, that wasn't the last place Christine was reportedly seen, remember the reports from Star Market. And Monteiro hadn't lived above Saint's Market until 13 years after Christine Cole's death.
00:15:43
Speaker
Cormier's tailing of Monteiro was reportedly also sporadic. He had parked between the trucks at work to eat his lunch. He had received mail at his sister's house because it was easier to get there. And he parked behind the building next door instead of in front of his own residence building because that was where his assigned parking spot was located.
00:16:08
Speaker
The polygraph that he had failed could have also been because Monteiro spoke Creole and the polygraph was given in English. He had requested a translator and one detective captain who spoke Creole offered to translate. Both were denied. Furthermore, Monteiro consistently maintained that he had never met Christine, a statement supported by the lack of any direct connection between them. And as for a covert lifestyle,
00:16:42
Speaker
Monteiro's lawyers argued he had a public Facebook page and had maintained the same job for the past 15 years. Then there's the DNA evidence. The primary evidence against Monteiro was a partial YSTR DNA profile from blood found on Christine's pants.
00:17:03
Speaker
According to one source, quote, that would indicate that the suspect for the blood found on the victim's pants was in the close male lineage of him, him meaning the original tested subject, Monteiro's son, such as his father, grandfather, uncle or brother, end quote.
00:17:22
Speaker
However, despite the initial excitement, the DNA evidence was not as definitive as initially portrayed. The partial match could be shared by many men in the same paternal line of the Monteiro family, yes, but that reveals a familial match and not a unique match to prove unequivocally that Joao Monteiro was the guilty party.
00:17:46
Speaker
Furthermore, the testing results found that the sample could be shared by one in every 1,909 male individuals, including males outside of the Monteiro family.
00:18:01
Speaker
This meant that the DNA did not specifically link Monteiro to the crime, but merely suggested that he was one of many possibilities. He couldn't be excluded, true, but neither could a lot of people. Additionally, the DNA sample was small and degraded, raising concerns about contamination and the reliability of the results.
00:18:25
Speaker
In January 2020, charges against Monteiro were dismissed for, quote, insufficient evidence, end quote. By January 2021, a lawsuit was filed by Monteiro's lawyers against the city of Pawtucket, Detective Cormier, and four others, claiming that Monteiro was falsely arrested, deprived of his constitutional rights, slandered, and had faced it malicious prosecution.
00:18:53
Speaker
He further claimed that police used his language barrier to their advantage. According to Kim Kalunyan, writing for WPRI, quote, the lawsuit alleges the DNA evidence used in the case was either misrepresented or falsified. For some unknown reason, the Pawtucket defendants decided to target plaintiff, an innocent man, end quote.
00:19:17
Speaker
In fact, Monteiro's lawyers said, quote, but for his race, ethnicity and or national origin, defendants would not have targeted him for unlawful arrest, end quote. That lawsuit was recently settled for $1 million, dollars though the city of Pawtucket refused to admit any wrongdoing.
00:19:39
Speaker
In fact, police have continued to maintain that Monteiro is still the prime suspect in the case, though no new evidence has emerged. According to an article in the Boston Globe updated November 26, 2024, Monteiro stated, quote, what I wish they could do is apologize, which they're not going to do, but I want to clear my name, end quote.
00:20:05
Speaker
Despite the settlement, Monteiro's name has not been cleared and he continues to live in fear of further police action and as a result of the accusations that were leveled against him, of his trial, he lost his job and his home and endured the stigma of being labeled a child murderer.
00:20:27
Speaker
Detective Susan Cormier's role in the case was both pivotal and controversial. Cormier, who spearheaded the investigation, is deeply committed to solving Christine's case, which she described as particularly meaningful to her as a mother.
00:20:42
Speaker
Cormier's communications during the investigation reveal how strongly she believes in Monteiro's involvement. Christine's family, desperate for answers, publicly supported Cormier's efforts, believing she was bringing them closer to justice. They and Cormier still believe their initial instincts. But here's the thing to bear in mind.
00:21:07
Speaker
other than all of the other reasons I've just given as to why the suit was settled. There's one final reason.
New Suspects and Legal Battles
00:21:14
Speaker
Detectives knew at the time that they were laser focused on Monteiro, that there was another potential perpetrator, which leads us to our final theory. Court documents revealed that a man named Anthony Suarez, incarcerated in Fort Devon's prison, implicated a fellow inmate named Pedro Ortiz in Christine's death, putting Ortiz as our final theory, theory number six.
00:21:42
Speaker
Suarez was even interviewed by Detective Cormier, among others. According to Suarez, Ortiz allegedly confessed to his involvement in Christine's death. The source also states that Ortiz had a scar on his forearm that he claimed was a result of, quote, the little B-word, end quote.
00:22:05
Speaker
Ortiz was also known to be unhoused near where Christine was last seen, near Star Market, the late night potential siding with the other little girl where the scent dogs had traced her scent. In this quote-unquote confession, Suarez said that Ortiz mentioned details like the young girl not liking water,
00:22:26
Speaker
and not being able to swim. However, investigators did not obtain a blood sample from Ortiz to test against the DNA profile from Christine's pants, raising questions about why this lead was not pursued. Perhaps there was a reason the police didn't believe the lead, or perhaps they were so focused on their case against Monteiro and didn't want to consider other possibilities.
00:22:53
Speaker
The lack of thorough investigation into this lead is a major flaw in the case. Without concrete evidence, the theory of Ortiz's involvement is difficult to substantiate, but it does leave us with a lot of questions in this heartbreaking case.
00:23:10
Speaker
In conclusion, while Joao Monteiro was a prime suspect, the evidence against him was far from conclusive, and there were many issues with the investigation that led to his arrest.
Unresolved Mystery and Investigation Failures
00:23:22
Speaker
The lack of a definitive cause of death, the DNA evidence in itself, and the ignored leads,
00:23:30
Speaker
all reveal the reasons why the death of Christine Cole is still unsolved. The case highlights the importance of careful investigation, the ethical collection and interpretation of forensic evidence, and the proper treatment of suspects, particularly those from marginalized communities.
00:23:49
Speaker
Cormier's methods and findings have been heavily criticized, particularly concerning the arrest of Joao Monteiro. She was accused of being a, quote, media hound who frequently issued press releases in order to be in the limelight, end quote, according to one source.
00:24:06
Speaker
This included her creation of playing cards with victims' faces on them, frequent appearances on television, and speaking at conferences. The lawsuit filed by Monteiro also alleged that Cormier, quote, wanted publicity for solving cold cases, end quote. But is this wanting media recognition or is this the work of a good detective?
00:24:31
Speaker
Those are the two competing arguments. Some people view Cormier as a dedicated and compassionate detective. One source stated that she is quote, tenacious and her determination will make her successful end quote. She was known to connect with the victims and their families, offering a sense of hope to those who had long waited for answers. Cormier herself said quote, there were a lot of tears because a lot of people said,
00:24:56
Speaker
I didn't think anybody was still working on this or anybody still cared. I said, I care." end quote Another source mentioned that Cormier was quote, very even keeled and quote, and had a quote, commanding presence and quote. However, these comments are contrasted by the sources that paint a picture of Cormier as unprofessional fame seeking and willing to engage in misconduct to close a case.
00:25:25
Speaker
An internal affairs report revealed that she had been reprimanded in the past for conducting inadequate investigations. The report also indicated that supervisors had complained that Cormier was not completing her investigations in a timely manner.
00:25:41
Speaker
But regardless of how you feel about Cormier as a person, there do seem to be issues with the way Monteiro's potential involvement was handled. The investigation and arrest of Monteiro occurred without the involvement of state prosecutors, which is highly unusual. According to the sources, when prosecutors did become involved, it was found that Cormier's DNA evidence was not as definitive as portrayed, and other evidence was either misrepresented or omitted.
00:26:10
Speaker
Despite these issues, Cormier continues to insist that Monteiro is guilty, even after the charges were dropped. She stated, quote, I 150% believe that I have the right person, the person responsible for this crime, and I am never going to stop, end quote.
00:26:29
Speaker
Christine's brother Clint Cole stated in an article, quote, until she has justice, I'm never going to give up hope. I just want answers, end quote. While it's not stated explicitly in the source who Christine's family believes the perpetrator to be, Christine's brother further stated, quote, I just hope that she has her day.
00:26:52
Speaker
and that way she can finally be at rest because who's at rest if the case is not solved." end quote This question suggests that the family has not given up on their quest for answers. They are still seeking justice and they do still have hope.
00:27:09
Speaker
The story of Christine Cole is a complex and tragic one. It's a story of a young life cut short, of a family's enduring grief, and of a community's search for answers. It's also a story that exposes the flaws in our justice system and the impact of flawed investigations on the lives of everyone involved.
00:27:29
Speaker
It highlights the importance of integrity and accountability in law enforcement, while reminding us that the pursuit of justice should never come at the expense of truth and fairness. Monteiro's lawyer, William Devine, stated to Globe reporter Amanda Milkovich for an article published January 31, 2020, quote,
00:27:49
Speaker
You have the victim's family thinking the case has been solved. And now you have another person who is accused, whose life is ruined. Two sets of families whose lives are ruined right now. There's a human toll here." end quote Though the extent of that toll has yet to be fully realized, I feel for all of those who have been caught in its web. And I pray that Christine's family will one day have all the answers they so desperately need.
00:28:19
Speaker
If you have any
Call to Action for Listeners
00:28:20
Speaker
information about the 1988 unsolved case of Christine Cole in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, please call 1-877-RI-SOLV. That's
00:28:40
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:29:08
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.