Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
E178: Bill Comeans
5.9k Plays3 years ago
Fourteen-year-old Bill Comeans was a helper. On the evening of January 7th, 1990, he took coffee to his father (who was working on the family car) and was helping to take down Christmas decorations from the front yard. He was about to walk two doors down his street to pick his sister up from a birthday party and walk her home as well. He never got that chance. Instead, less than an hour later, he was found face-down in the snow. He had been choked with his own scarf. But, this wasn’t the first time such an attack on Billy’s life had happened; years later we are still asking, who could have been targeting Billy and why?
Codex Labs Offer:
Do you suffer from eczema? Psoriasis? Dry, flaky skin? Oily or combination skin? Let your DNA drive your skin health routines with products made for you! Codex Labs offers plant-based products to promo at both skin and digestive health. To try the products yourself, go to codexlabscorp.com and use code Coffee20 to get 20% off your purchase.
Laird Superfood Offer:
Are you ready to feel more energized, focused, and supported? Go to zen.ai/coffeeandcases15 with the promo code coffeeandcases and add nourishing, plant-based foods to fuel you from sunrise to sunset.
BlendJet Offer: Use my special link (https://zen.ai/coffeeandcasespod4) or go to blendjet.com and use code coffeeandcasesblend12 to save 12% at blendjet.com. The discount will be applied at checkout!
Please consider supporting the pod by joining us over on our Patreon page! Are you up-to-date on all our regular content? Get access to monthly mini-episodes as well as one full solved case per month by joining today! Be a part of the C & C Fam by going to https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases to register!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'A Nefarious Nightmare' Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
We have got a wonderful podcast to recommend to you this week. They use their platform to advocate for victims and to fight for justice. I can't say enough good things about them. So if you want to support them like we do, check out and follow their pod. Here's a little bit about the show itself.
00:00:19
Speaker
A Nefarious Nightmare is a true crime podcast focusing on lesser known crimes and crimes against those deemed extra vulnerable. Every now and then, we cover more well-known crimes due to the fact that it is relevant or even interesting regarding the cases we cover. And the bee is a symbol for all victims as we recognize their strength, resilience, and vulnerability. So join us. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just about any podcast platform. Remember, when you mess with the bees,
00:00:48
Speaker
You get the hive.
The Challenge of Expressing Condolences
00:00:52
Speaker
Condolences are hard. When someone loses a loved one, it's hard to express the pain we feel for their brokenheartedness. To convey the empathy, we understand because we too know loss, but we don't want to minimize their suffering in that moment either. To acknowledge in silence is difficult because we are accustomed to expressing ourselves in words.
00:01:17
Speaker
But what words are best in times like these? Further, what do you say to someone who loses a loved one unexpectedly? I'm sorry for your loss, seems predictable, overused, insufficient. But I know when I say it, I mean it in the way poet Donna Ashworth describes in her poem entitled, Sorry for Your Loss. It reads as follows.
00:01:46
Speaker
When I say sorry for your loss, it may sound perfunctory, trite even. But what I mean is, I'm sorry that you wake in the night gasping for breath, heart racing in agony. I'm sorry that you will know a lifetime of what ifs and could have beens. I am sorry that you ache for one more minute with your love, knowing it can never be.
The Power of Social Media in Storytelling
00:02:15
Speaker
When I say, sorry for your loss, please know my soul is reaching out to yours in understanding and trying very hard to take away just one little ounce of your pain. Those six short words, I am sorry for your loss, may not seem to say much.
00:02:40
Speaker
but they are weighted with the message of empathy and love in a cathartic bond with the person you're addressing. And in our case this week, a cathartic bond was formed not in six words, but in 140 characters. On January 7th, 2014, a Twitter account bearing a young man's name created its first tweets.
00:03:06
Speaker
One was a video memorial, and the second tweet on that first day was the following message, quote, 34 years ago today, I was murdered. I was 14 and had my entire life to live. My family is still looking for my killer, end quote.
The Tragic Story of Bill Cummings
00:03:29
Speaker
The next day, followers of the account saw this statement, quote, tweet from the dead.
00:03:35
Speaker
Through social media, I am able to reach out from the grave and share my story, my life, my murder," end quote. All those first tweets were short messages, but heavy with impact, memory, and with pain. It is this young man's story, as well as his loss, that we are going to share with you today as well, Sleuthhounds. This is the story of Bill Cummings.
00:04:18
Speaker
Oh.
00:04:38
Speaker
Welcome to coffee and cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Alison 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.
00:04:54
Speaker
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. Maggie, our story this week is one that relies heavily
00:05:20
Speaker
on the power of the written word in so many forms, as you'll see as we progress through the case. Some are words that are used for evil and other words that are used for healing and seeking justice. I'm assuming we're talking about a young man. We are. Yes, we are. Younger than typically we cover. Okay. 14.
00:05:47
Speaker
And that Twitter account that I mentioned in the introduction is just one example of words that are used for healing when Bill Kameen's younger sister Kathleen created that Twitter account and speaks from the perspective of her brother. So giving him a voice through her own. Wow.
00:06:11
Speaker
So as we go throughout the episode, I'm actually going to intersperse her words from those tweets within the story, because let's be honest, who better to tell the story of Bill Cummings than the words of somebody who loves him so deeply. Yeah. And she has a way with words. Those were powerful words in that tweet you read. Wait till you hear some of these other ones that I'm going to share with you. They are very impactful.
00:06:39
Speaker
Bill Cummings was called Billy by his friends and family. And as the introduction stated, he was 14 years old when this case took place on January 7th, 1980. He was four days away from his 15th birthday. OK, so definitely a young man then. Yes, he had gone to Norton Middle School in Columbus, Ohio, where his family lives.
00:07:08
Speaker
They actually lived on the west side of the city in an area called New Rome. He had just begun his freshman year of high school the September before at Westland High School in Galloway. And even though he was only a freshman, he was one of those boys who grew fast and his large frame made him look much older than he was.
00:07:35
Speaker
I mean, Maggie, when you taught freshmen, there would be times I was out in the hallway to greet my kids, and I would see some of your freshmen, and I would think, that looks like a grown man. This should not be the case.
00:07:51
Speaker
And then it would be crazy, you know, four years down the road to see them walk into your door around how much they changed just in that short amount of time. Yeah. And Billy had a lot of friends and he had a girlfriend at the time. He also had a lot of personal interests in which he was extremely talented, primarily in his musical ability.
00:08:12
Speaker
In fact, he had just taken a job as a newspaper delivery person for the Columbus Dispatch, so that he could save up money for his piano. And he was also in high school choir. Yeah, and was often in musicals.
00:08:30
Speaker
That's awesome. That's something I wish I was brave enough to do independently, but I'm not. And I never really have been. I do love to sing in a choir, but to do anything where the spotlight's on me individually, that way it makes me nervous. Oh, yeah. See, I wish I could sing. I cannot. But I was in drama in high school and in college. I did plays in college also. But most important to convey was just how sweet and caring Billy was.
00:08:59
Speaker
You see, because of his size, he made the perfect Santa Claus and he had actually dressed as Santa and taken a large candy cane to the young boy who lived next door. And he had done this for several years. Oh, I know. That's so sweet. Yep. And just days before on Christmas, 1979, he had played Santa for another year.
00:09:27
Speaker
you know, for that little boy. And the little boy's name was Buddy. So for Buddy, next door. I know. And if that image of a 14 year old boy willing to dress as Santa for a neighborhood child doesn't say how, you know, many wonderful qualities Billy had to his character, I don't know what does. Yeah, really.
Investigation into Bill's Murder
00:09:51
Speaker
So obviously Christmas had just come and gone and the family had celebrated together as always as well. Billy's mom and dad, his two older brothers, Billy himself and his younger sister, Kathleen, who was nine at the time. So you know how exciting Christmas was at that age. Oh yeah. The best. Yeah. I mean, I'm going to say that's probably one of the best ages.
00:10:19
Speaker
for Christmas and Santa because they still believe in Santa Claus, but they're old enough to actually want to play with their toys and not the boxes that they come in.
00:10:31
Speaker
No, all of that stuff. And it was a wonderful Christmas for all of them. Billy had actually gotten some new winter gear. He got a scarf and some gloves. He got an ID bracelet, some clothes and other things that he wanted. And I don't know about you, Maggie, but almost as wonderful as it is to watch my family open the Christmas gifts that I got for them that I've thought so much about are the days right after Christmas.
00:11:01
Speaker
when it's not yet time to take down the decorations and there's maybe some snow on the ground and you just get to laze around the house and enjoy the gifts that you received, like read a book, watch a movie. And when I was younger, play with all the toys.
00:11:20
Speaker
Oh, I loved Christmas, like those, you know, one or two days right after and you're playing all the board games you got and playing with your new Barbie. It's so fun and you have nothing to do. Exactly. Just enjoy the new things you have. Yeah. And it sounds like the Comines family was the same. Tweet, quote, My sis got a jewelry making kit one Christmas. I made her a beaded ring. She still has it.
00:11:50
Speaker
end quote. Is that not so sweet? I can just picture Billy sitting with his little sister Kathleen and making her a beaded ring from her jewelry making kit that she got one Christmas. Did you say, I think you did, but did you say the age difference between brother and sister? So he's 14 and she's nine. So five years. Yeah, you did. Okay.
00:12:19
Speaker
And Billy was that close with all of his family. I don't know the ages of his older brothers, but I know that they were extremely tight knit. And you can tell from all the pictures that are linked on that Twitter account too.
00:12:34
Speaker
Yeah, I want to go to the Twitter account, but I'm going to wait until the end so I don't spoil anything. Yeah, right. Even the events of January 7th, 1980 revealed just how close they all were. So Kathleen had gone to a friend's birthday party down the road. It was only two doors down, to be exact. So really close.
00:12:55
Speaker
And the rest of the family had planned to, I saw in one account, go to a movie and another to go shopping, but their plan was to go out while Kathleen was at the party. But the family car was acting up.
00:13:09
Speaker
So inside no car trouble. So instead of going out, they had stayed in with Bill's dad working on the car in the garage. And while his dad was working, Billy was keeping him warm by bringing him cup of hot coffee after cup of hot coffee.
00:13:29
Speaker
Oh, that's such a sweet way to help because I feel like anytime dads are in the garage working on something, it's a testy time. So breathing coffee is a good way to keep things running smooth. That's right. Keep everybody happy. Yeah. And after helping his dad for a little bit, Billy let his parents know at around nine p.m.
00:13:50
Speaker
that he was gonna go those two houses down to pick his sister Kathleen up and walk her home. But when he got to the party, the party wasn't quite over yet. So being the awesome big brother that he was, he suggested that Kathleen stay a little bit longer and he would come back and get her and just let her play a little bit more and then come back again. Because again, the house is only two doors down.
00:14:19
Speaker
Oh, yeah, so he's not having to walk a significant distance just to get out. Exactly. Yeah, not drive a far away or anything like that. So Billy came back home, he told his mother that he was going to go back out here in just a few minutes to get Kathleen, and that he had let her stay at the party a few minutes longer until it had ended. He went to check on his dad again, took him some more coffee. And then he just took it upon himself, which again, what a good kid to start
00:14:48
Speaker
taking down the yard Christmas decorations. Yeah. He doesn't sound like a typical 14 year old boy. He's very, like, I don't want to say a very helpful and very attentive. Yes. Which is wonderful. So Billy's father came out of the garage around 20 minutes later after Billy had brought him that coffee to help Billy with the decorations. But he wasn't there.
00:15:17
Speaker
and Christmas decorations were still partially up. So he had just assumed that, you know, Billy must have gone back to pick up his sister, because he said he was going to go back in a few minutes. But he hadn't told his dad that he was going somewhere. So his dad went in to see if Billy's mom knew where Billy was. Right? Because he's thinking, okay, well, if he didn't tell me, he had to have told
00:15:40
Speaker
his mom. So he says, Hey, you know, to Billy go to pick up Kathleen, but she actually told her husband that she hadn't spoken with him since he told her that the party was running a little late and he was going to go back later. So no one had spoken with Billy and realizing that Billy had never gone to pick up his sister because he would have told them and well, what I just said, he hadn't told his parents where he was going, which was,
00:16:10
Speaker
very much unlike him, especially so given recent events that I'm going to discuss here in just a moment that you don't know about yet. But as soon as they realized that he had not told either one of them where he was going, they immediately phoned the police to file a missing persons report.
00:16:31
Speaker
You will see why it happens. And I mean, not a lot of time that's passed, correct? No, about 20 minutes. And that's 20 minutes or so by the time they... Yeah, probably. So while the police were canvassing the neighborhood, Billy's dad and his brothers and a neighbor were out searching as well.
00:16:53
Speaker
Then the next street over passed only 16 houses near the Conrail railroad tracks and about 20 minutes after their search began. So we're still less than an hour after when Billy's dad last saw him. Billy's father and neighbor found Billy face down in the snow.
00:17:20
Speaker
I mean, the look of shock on my face right now. We have had some cases that are really quick. But I don't know that we've had one that's been 50 minutes. Yeah. Billy's father yelled for help and Billy's brothers, Michael and Bob came running. Billy had been strangled with his own scarf.
00:17:47
Speaker
which was so tight around his neck. When Billy's brother Michael came running over, he had to cut it off with his knife.
00:18:00
Speaker
God, and that's so traumatic. Oh my God, I can't imagine. I know. Yeah. It is not lost on me that his brother probably carried a pocket knife without thinking about it, you know, just to like whittle wood or open up a package or everyday things like that. You never think that this pocket knife would be linked to the worst experience of your life. You know, then it becomes an everyday object that you can never view the same again.
00:18:32
Speaker
Of the other brother Bob, we have this tweet. Quote, my brother is standing in his backyard right now thinking about me. You found me in that ditch and put your breath in my lungs. I love you. End quote. You see Billy's other brother Bob immediately got to his knees and began CPR.
00:18:57
Speaker
Well, I mean, right, because he's not been deceased for very long. No, right. Yeah, this is just and I don't even know you would hold out hope. Right. It wasn't clear whether he still had a pulse at this point and had just been, you know, but again, the longer you're deprived of oxygen, obviously, that's bad. Yeah. And so
00:19:24
Speaker
I know that he wasn't, well, but let me tell you this, by the time that law enforcement got to Billy, of course they're hearing the screaming, nearly 40 neighbors had gathered around the scene crying. Wow. Yeah. That's how many people were out looking. Billy was immediately taken to the hospital where he was declared deceased at 11 PM.
00:19:53
Speaker
so pretty much as soon as he got to the hospital. The cause of death was cardiac arrest due to compression of the neck from ligature.
00:20:06
Speaker
Interestingly, a toxicology report showed Valium in Billy's bloodstream. However, according to all those who knew Billy, they indicated that they didn't know of him ever having taken Valium, nor did anyone in his family where he could have gained access.
00:20:27
Speaker
Do we have any theories on where that came into play? We do not. Nope. Well, there's one theory where it will be discussed. Yes, we will come back to it in one of the theories. But it's not necessarily a theory that I believe. So.
00:20:51
Speaker
There's that. Other than the strangulation, Billy had no other wounds, including defensive wounds or bruises on his body. And since there was no mention of needle marks that would indicate, you know, someone had given Billy Valium intravenously, it tells me that it must have been an oral dose for it to be in his system.
00:21:17
Speaker
But the coroner's report declared Billy's death a homicide. The pastor came in to let Billy's parents know that he was gone. His father sobbed. His mother screamed.
Previous Threats and Attempts on Bill's Life
00:21:31
Speaker
Tweet, quote, have you ever felt a hurt so deep that you didn't know how you could go on? Have you cried so hard you couldn't feel your body? My family has, end quote.
00:21:50
Speaker
I hope that if the person that killed Billy is still out there, that they have stumbled on this Twitter account and it is like a personal. Dagger to the heart. In their stomach every time they read. Yeah. As for his baby sister, well, this tweet said it best. Quote, September 1979.
00:22:16
Speaker
My eight-year-old little sister learned a new word this month, petechia. I wish we never knew what that meant." And petechia, for those who don't know, is when the blood vessels burst above the area of strangulation.
00:22:42
Speaker
When his sister heard the news, she threw up. Oh, I don't doubt it. So traumatic. So traumatic. This was a loss everyone who knew Billy and knew the family felt. Kathleen herself tweeted, quote, our kitchen was just the right size for the six of us around the table. Once Bill's chair sat empty, it was too big. End quote.
00:23:12
Speaker
And I do think that is so true. You feel the presence of your dead loved one all the time, obviously. But I think more so when your family is gathered around the table, it's empty and that can never be filled. Yeah, somebody else can sit in it, but it's not right. That picture, that image, it's not what it should be.
00:23:36
Speaker
And for a family who was that close for a child that young and for him to have been murdered, that's an experience that changes you at your core. I mean, someone took from this world a beautiful and talented soul. Law enforcement in a press conference said of Billy that he was, quote, a perfect student, perfect child, and perfect citizen, end quote.
00:24:04
Speaker
Yeah, I'm interested to see what you say. I know you said there was a reason their parents called the police so quickly. And I'm interested to see what that is because he does seem like the perfect person. Mm hmm. You'll hear here in just a short second and wait till you hear this contrast that came from the Twitter account tweet quote. My hands drew made music.
00:24:31
Speaker
tickled my sister, high-fived my brothers, handed tools to dad and top shelf items to mom. Your hands killed me," end quote. Wow. Yeah, the contrast of it is gut-wrenching. As you can imagine, Maggie, his funeral was also heartbreaking.
00:24:58
Speaker
all of Billy's friends attended, but as mentioned in another tweet, had to have their parents drive them because they weren't old enough to drive themselves. And, you know, that's an image that you don't ever think of either, is, you know, a funeral for someone where the friends of the lost loved one are so young that their parents have to drive them.
00:25:26
Speaker
Yeah, Billy was it is Billy was dressed in a sweater that he had gotten for Christmas. It was the first time he had worn it. No, his I know his mother leaned down to kiss him for the last time. Tweet, quote, my last Christmas, my mom gave me an ID bracelet with my name on it, just in case something happened.
00:25:57
Speaker
I was and still am wearing it. Ironic." End quote. You know what this kind of reminds me of? A little bit, not the circumstances around the death, but the tweeting that's coming from his perspective is almost like the lovely bones. Have you read that book? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Because you get a little bit of her perspective, and I feel like that's what we're getting here. I know. And I think that is what makes
00:26:24
Speaker
Kathleen speaking as if she is speaking for her brother, so powerful. And that thoughtful gift of the ID bracelet obviously hadn't been enough to save Billy. Someone had taken him from this world long before his time and know that not only Billy's friends, family, and neighbors
00:26:54
Speaker
were wondering, but also the whole city was now asking who. And that was a question that plagued the family at the time and is still plaguing his siblings today, 43 years later. So his parents have since passed. They have. Yes.
00:27:19
Speaker
Unfortunately, the crime scene itself had not provided any answers. The front yard where he was last known to be appeared as though Billy had just left abruptly. There was no sign of struggle to indicate that someone had abducted him, but the fact that he was found houses and houses away in a direction that he wouldn't have gone in to get Kathleen
00:27:47
Speaker
made his parents wonder if that is exactly what had happened was an abduction.
00:27:55
Speaker
Now, this would not have been an easy abduction to make though, right? Because he's a big boy. Mm-hmm. He is. So I would be interested to see, or to discuss, I guess I should say, how that would have taken place. What they would have said maybe to lure him away. Right. Because I don't think it would be like the same as picking up a six-year-old and putting him in your car. Correct. Yeah. And we will definitely talk about that.
00:28:20
Speaker
And even the place where his body was discovered didn't yield many clues. Around his body were beer bottles and other trash, but that was normal by the tracks. Also near his body, there was a knife, but it looked like a wooden-handled kitchen knife, among other items. Well, also, didn't we have like 40 people in the scene? So wouldn't that be a huge problem? We've contaminated everything.
00:28:50
Speaker
Absolutely. Yes, that was the biggest problem. And you just called it is because so many people had gathered around Billy, the whole scene was contaminated. And even when concentrating on Billy's personal items, everything seemed to be still with him. So it didn't appear like robbery had been a motive.
00:29:15
Speaker
It appeared as though Billy's death was violence for violence's sake. Sadly, even though Billy's death was a complete shock, an attack on him wasn't. As a matter of fact, Billy had been attacked two times prior. Now you know why his parents called.
00:29:45
Speaker
the police immediately. So I'm going to tell you about those first two attacks. But before I do that, I need to tell you about the letters. So remember in the introduction, I told you about some also some ill intentioned writing.
00:30:05
Speaker
Now is where that begins. So not long after his freshman year had just begun, Billy, along with one of his friends and his girlfriend, had been getting threatening letters in his locker at school. Okay, weird. Yes, these letters, at least some of which were typed in red ink. Others were handwritten.
00:30:30
Speaker
And still others were made up of cut out letters, which creeped me out the most, I think. All of them insinuated that Billy was going to die. Okay. They had messages like, blood will spill.
00:30:52
Speaker
In addition to that one, the one that his girlfriend received said that Billy had three months to live. And this was received in September. Okay. Billy died on January 7th. Wow. After speaking with his parents about him receiving these letters, they had actually encouraged Billy to take the letters to the police.
00:31:21
Speaker
which he did. We talk all the time about the power of DNA to solve crimes because it uniquely identifies us as well as our traits.
00:31:35
Speaker
Kodak's lab is taking the power of DNA and also using it for good and creating skincare treatment that is specially designed just for you. Their products are sustainable because they understand the best way to healthy skin is through healthy ingredients. But no matter your skincare concerns, eczema, psoriasis, sensitive, dry or inflamed skin, they have a product suited just for you.
00:31:57
Speaker
I have been trying out my products for about two weeks now and continue to be thrilled with how much more smooth and healthy my face feels. I have the combination skin kit and it is every product that I would need to balance my skin. A cleanser, a toner, a facial oil and an oil control cream.
00:32:19
Speaker
They also sell ingestible dietary supplements as well as skin care because they believe in the connection between your skin health and your digestive system. But don't just take our word for it. Codex Labs products are backed by science, not just storytelling. Your DNA and their scientific research drives their products and we can't wait for you to try them as well.
00:32:42
Speaker
To try Codex Labs products yourself to see just how effective they are, go to www.codexlabscore.com. That's C-O-D-E-X-L-A-B-S-C-O-R-P.com and try their DermScore. When you decide which products will work best for your skin, use the code COFFEE20 to receive 20% off your purchase.
00:33:09
Speaker
Every morning I wake up and crave coffee, but I was getting tired of the same old thing and the effects of the coffee didn't feel as strong anymore. Then I heard of layered superfood and their coffee that is chocked full of adaptogens. I wanted all the natural energy and focus boosters that their coffee has to offer.
00:33:29
Speaker
So we tried it. Allison got the medium roast pods with the mocha creamer and the sweet and creamy creamer, and I tried the medium roast ground coffee. And let me just say, our taste buds were not disappointed. We upped our coffee game and had a whole new experience of flavors. All layered products are sustainably sourced and thoroughly tested to ensure that you're incorporating the cleanest, finest fuel into your routine with no artificial additives.
00:33:55
Speaker
Take one thing you do every day and make it better with layered superfoods, functional superfood creamers, instant lattes, and prebiotic greens. Every product is full of wholesome plant-based ingredients to keep you charged for whoever life takes you. Are you ready to feel more energized, focused, and supported? Go to layeredsuperfood.com forward slash coffee and cases and add nourishing plant-based foods to fuel you from sunrise to sunset.
00:34:23
Speaker
Use our promo code coffeeandcases at checkout to save 15% off your purchase today. My daughter and I love smoothies, but what we don't love are smoothie bar prices. With our Blendjet 2 Portable Blender, we can make smoothie bar quality drinks for a fraction of the price.
00:34:44
Speaker
Blendjet 2 is portable so you can blend up a smoothie at work, a protein shake at the gym, or even a margarita on the beach. And it's small enough to fit in a cup holder, but powerful enough to blast through tough ingredients like ice cream and frozen fruit with ease. Even better, Blendjet 2 is whisper quiet so you can make your morning smoothie without waking up the whole house. Plus, it lasts for 15 plus blends and recharges quickly via a USB-C.
00:35:10
Speaker
You guys have heard me say it before and I'll say it again. Best of all, the BlendJet 2 cleans itself. Just blend water with a drop of soap and you're good to go. Plus they have so many trendy colors to choose from. The hardest decision you'll make is which design you want to rock. What are you waiting for? Go to blendjet.com and grab yours today. And be sure to use the promo code coffeeandcasesblend12
00:35:34
Speaker
to get 12% off your order and free two-day shipping. No other portable blender on the market comes close to the quality, power and innovation of the BlendJet 2. They guarantee you'll love it or your money back. Blend anytime, anywhere with the BlendJet 2 portable blender. Go to blendjet.com and use the code coffeeandcasesblend12 to get 12% off your order and free two-day shipping. Shop today and get the best deal ever.
00:36:06
Speaker
Okay Maggie so let's talk a little bit about these previous attacks. Yeah because again I'm interested to know how Billy would have an enemy and who this person could potentially be. I know. So even though
00:36:22
Speaker
The proximity of Billy's death to that three month period related to that letter does seem pretty ominous. The first attack on Billy actually also happened in September. So right around the time he started receiving those letters, Billy had been riding his bike home from a friend's house through the woods near Prairie Lincoln High School, which was not the high school that he was attending.
00:36:49
Speaker
He was only about 50 yards into the wooded area when he was attacked from behind and fell from his bike. It was then that the perpetrators put a garbage bag over his head and using an inner tube from a bicycle tire, though not from Billy's bike, it didn't sound like in my research, attempted to strangle Billy.
00:37:17
Speaker
Okay, now that's a little coincidental. I feel like it almost has to be the same person because they're strangling him and that's how he ends up dying. We'll talk about this. Yes. So they attempt to strangle him the entire time Billy was fighting for his life and miraculously he was somehow able to fight back enough to make them leave. And I say them because
00:37:46
Speaker
He believes it was two people, two people. Billy then ran the rest of the way home and told his mom and dad what had happened. Of course, they immediately took him to file a police report about the incident. And Billy's neck was clearly bruised from the attempted murder.
00:38:09
Speaker
And just as Billy had indicated, when law enforcement went to the scene of the attack, right where he told them it had happened, they found Billy's bike, an inner tube from a bike tire, and a trash bag.
Community Reactions and Copycat Letters
00:38:24
Speaker
And alongside that evidence was another note. This one read, he was warned. Now did they perhaps test any of that for fingerprints?
00:38:38
Speaker
Not that I read anywhere. I wonder what the justification was for that. Yeah, that's a great question. And this is why I was hoping you didn't catch it at the time. But the one tweet where his sister learned the word of patikia, of the burst blood vessels above the line of strangulation, it said September.
00:39:06
Speaker
1979. And we know he wasn't murdered until January of 1980. But that's why because in September was the first time when
00:39:19
Speaker
this attempted strangulation took place. But the problem with the investigation into the incident lay in the fact that the attack had happened from behind. So Billy hadn't been able to give law enforcement any description of what his attackers looked like because he said they immediately put the garbage bag over his head.
00:39:42
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, obviously they really planned this out because they knew where he would be when he would be there. And the best way to attack a guy that's big enough to play Santa Claus. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. The second attack happened only a month later in late October. This attack was also perpetrated by two males. And again, he was choked.
00:40:12
Speaker
Huh, coincidental again. Yeah, Billy was collecting money from customers along his newspaper delivery route along Beacon Hill and Maple, which was a heavily traveled area when a bluish or turquoise car report suggests that it may have been a Ford Falcon pulled alongside him.
00:40:34
Speaker
two Caucasian men left from the car and again came at Billy from behind with a rope and tried to strangle him. Okay, so this time he sees these attackers, which is good. Vaguely. Yeah, a little bit of a description. And then again, why are grown men trying to kill a 14 year old boy?
00:41:01
Speaker
Good question. As Billy fell to the ground, he was also pulled into some nearby bushes. What the attackers didn't realize is that Billy was still alive and that he had just lost consciousness. So when he came to, it had been almost five hours since the attack had happened and was close to 1 a.m.
00:41:29
Speaker
Oh, I bet his parents were freaking out. Yes, when he finally got back home, it was to a frantic household. And yet again, here's Billy showing up with neck bruises from where he'd been attacked. So again, Billy went to the police station to file a report.
00:41:49
Speaker
But this time it was after a visit first to the hospital to treat the severe rope burns around his neck and a head wound. This time, like you said, Maggie, at least while he didn't describe his attackers in great detail, he was at least able to tell law enforcement that the two white men looked to be in their late teens or early twenties.
00:42:17
Speaker
Again, I just don't understand who hates this kid. I'm going to be super interested to see what we say during theories. And the effect of these attacks. Oh my goodness. I mean, it affected everyone, but especially Billy tweet quote, after the second attack, I went nowhere. I stayed home. I wasn't even safe to walk two doors down to a neighbor's house.
00:42:46
Speaker
Who would have thought?" And that was what I was about to say. I bet even walking to get his sister from that party was a huge feat for him. And now you know why at the beginning I said the fact that Billy didn't tell his parents because he got into the habit very quickly of telling them, Hey, I'm going to this place. I'm going to be here.
00:43:13
Speaker
Right, because I'll be gone this long. Exactly, exactly. So that's why his parents had called immediately. Of course, after the second attack, Billy quit his paper route.
00:43:26
Speaker
And that was when he made that promise to his parents that he would tell them wherever he was going. In fact, all his family were concerned for his safety. One of his older brothers actually begged him continually to be careful wherever he was going. His parents had bought him that ID bracelet just in case something bad happened.
00:43:53
Speaker
You know, when you were listing the gifts that he got for Christmas, I was like, that's a really strange gift. But you know, each family is different. So maybe that's just a customary thing they did in their family. But now I know why. And his parents also bought him pepper spray to carry with him for protection. That pepper spray had actually been found right beside his body when it was discovered in the third and final attack. He hadn't been able to use it. Oh, so he was
00:44:26
Speaker
Billy's family, as I feel most would, struggled to figure out how to move on without one of their children. Tweet, quote, my last meal was half a bowl of ice cream. I put it in the freezer so I could go get my sis. That bowl stayed in our freezer for three years, end quote.
00:44:53
Speaker
You know, I think that's a really common thing. So the day that my brother died in his accident, my mom was making him tomatoes and macaroni, which is a very, you know, Appalachian meal. And that like pan of tomatoes and macaroni stayed on our stove, stove top until it molded because she wouldn't throw it away. Yeah, I think that's very, cause it's like you,
00:45:22
Speaker
you're so desperate to hold on to anything, even if it doesn't make sense, you know, because it's like it represents that child. Yeah, it's like the last little piece of them. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But it wasn't just Billy Comine's family that was scared and unable to move forward, especially after the third attack that took Billy's life. Then the whole community was on edge for months afterward.
00:45:51
Speaker
by the summer, and of course his murder happened in January of 1980, by the summer the fear had begun to fade but that's when the letters began again. Really? This time who were they targeting? At least eight
00:46:10
Speaker
separate households in the Comines neighborhood, all within close proximity to Billy's home, yes, began having letters arrive. And I say arrive because while some of them were delivered by mail, most were deposited at the homes overnight. So left on cars or front porches and then discovered by the resident the following morning. And the Comines family received letters as well.
00:46:41
Speaker
Now have we for sure said it's the same person or people that were giving Billy and his girlfriend the letters that did these or was it someone just trying to be funny and it's not. We will get to that.
00:46:54
Speaker
So one of the first to receive a letter was Aileen Tope, a friend of Billy's mom. In talking of the letters and the fear that accompanied them, she told a news reporter that she didn't know, like you were just saying, if the threat behind the letters were legitimate or whether this were a quote unquote sick joke related to Billy's death, since most people knew of the notes
00:47:24
Speaker
by this point that Billie had received. She told the reporter... I mean, either way, I think you would be terrified if you got one. Absolutely. And Tophe was. She told the reporter that she was terrified because she believed that the writer of the letter was at least somebody who was about to, quote, go off the deep end, end quote. That was the sense that the letters gave. I think they already have gone off the deep end.
00:47:52
Speaker
And since the letters were mostly being delivered at night, law enforcement canvassed the area surrounding the Comine's home, but they were unable to find anything suspicious going on.
00:48:05
Speaker
It was then that they began to wonder if, as opposed to being a serious threat, the letters were indeed a cruel joke, as Tope had suggested, especially when they determined in their investigation that the handwriting on these new notes didn't match the handwriting on the ones Billy had received in his locker.
00:48:30
Speaker
So, to answer your question, we at least know this round of notes and those that were received at school, the handwriting did not match. I don't understand why people do that thing, you know? Like, why do people think that's funny? I don't know. I don't know. When it's clearly, clearly not. Yeah, distasteful and disgusting. Yes. Even though the handwriting
00:48:56
Speaker
didn't match. The notes had to have been so scary for the recipients because the messages, even though they were very short, were so terrifying. They said things like, parents should guard their children carefully, or time is short, or you are next. Another one read, all have been warned. And then another one,
00:49:25
Speaker
It's time. I mean, this is almost enough that it would make you want to move neighborhoods. Oh, yeah. All of these. It reminds me of the Cindy James case. And it reminds me of the Watcher.
00:49:42
Speaker
Yeah, that's what I was about to say. Scary, anonymous notes. And the letters continued for months. They began in the summer and they lasted until October when they stopped as quickly as they had begun. But by December 1980, police had arrested the letter writer.
00:50:10
Speaker
It was none other than Aileen Tope, Billy's mom's friend. Shut up. Yes. Who lived across the street, catty corner to the comains. The one who went on record with a reporter to say how terrified she was and that someone was, she felt quote, about to go off the deep end. Okay. So I was right. Cause she clearly has gone off the deep end. So a grown woman is threatening children. Yes. Okay.
00:50:40
Speaker
And police had begun to suspect her when she began calling the police alleging that other crimes were happening to her, like harassment, break-ins, attempted abductions. And so they're canvassing the neighborhood and they're like, we haven't seen any of these things.
00:51:02
Speaker
but they especially began to question her. When they went to everyone, they started to think, I wonder if this is a cruel joke and whoever is writing them is also receiving them so they're not perceived as the guilty party. So they went around asking for handwriting samples from all the people who had received the notes.
00:51:28
Speaker
she refused to give them a sample of her handwriting. So they got a search warrant and because of that they were able to determine that Tope had written the letters. Something that she did finally admit to doing. However, law enforcement were able to determine that she was not in any way connected with Billy's murder.
00:51:56
Speaker
that something about the letters that Billy had received prior to his death resulted in her copycat actions.
Theories Behind Bill's Death
00:52:07
Speaker
Well, I hope she received the help that she needs because clearly she needs some help from a professional. And she did get professional help after they determined that she was the letter writer. Well, good. But with her ruled out, all we have are theories, and there are really only two that are discussed in this case. Homicide or suicide.
00:52:37
Speaker
See, I thought when you were talking about the initial investigation and the cause of death, I thought you were going to say that they ruled it a suicide because that's immediately where I went. If I were an investigator, I would say it was suicide. And there are people who believe that Billy could have done all of this to himself. So let's talk about those two theories and then I want to hear what you think.
00:53:07
Speaker
So let's start with the suicide theory. There are some, including detectives, who believe that Billy's death was suicide, though perhaps accidental. Right, so I don't think there's anybody who thinks that he necessarily was trying to take his life, even those who believe this theory. Is it like one of those
00:53:35
Speaker
Is it like one of those things where it was really popular for a while, kids would use like ties or something like that and choke themselves until they passed out because they got like a high from it? Yeah, so those who believe this theory do tend to believe that that is the link.
00:53:57
Speaker
with Billy. They argue that maybe Billy have been drawn to that, like you said, the autoerotic asphyxiation. So they argue that it is plausible that Billy sent the original letters to himself, which I do find weird because that obviously doesn't
00:54:24
Speaker
tied just directly to this autoerotic asphyxiation.
00:54:29
Speaker
Like why would you send yourself a letter? And I think I could maybe get behind this accidental suicide if it was the third incident by itself. But it's hard for me, I'll see what else you say, but it's hard for me to get behind it with the two other incidents and the letters. So I'm interested to see. Yeah. The letters themselves, especially because those predated
00:54:55
Speaker
any of the, well, they believe that the attacks they would put air quotes around them, but the letters predate that. So why would you have even sent yourself letters?
00:55:06
Speaker
before anything was gonna happen. But they theorize that even the attacks were made up potentially as ways to explain the bruising that happened from asphyxiation, right? So it was asphyxiation, yes, but that the choking was a chosen act on his part. So those who believe the theory, they question why, here are the problems they see with
00:55:34
Speaker
what happened as Billy told it, as I told you in the case. So those who believe this theory, they question why in the first incident that he was attacked, someone had attacked him when they couldn't possibly have known he would be there. And it's interesting because when I was talking about the attack, you said, oh, these perpetrators must have been prepared. They had everything they needed and they were waiting on him like they knew what route he was going to take.
00:56:04
Speaker
But this route home from a friend's house to his own was not his normal route, nor was it a direct route. So for a lot of people, that means it could not have been targeted. And so then they say he had potentially been followed.
00:56:26
Speaker
Now, yes, absolutely. So those who don't believe the suicide theory, who do believe that he was attacked, that would be how they explain how they were still targeting him, right? Is that they, maybe they were near the friend's house and they saw him. And so like you said, they just followed him. But those who believe the suicide theory, they say, well, is that why he couldn't describe the attackers?
00:56:53
Speaker
Right? And then they say, and besides that, who would have brought a bicycle tire inner tube to the scene? Right? That wouldn't be a choice. Random and specific.
00:57:08
Speaker
So those are the questions that people have, though, again, you can play devil's advocate and you can say, well, he couldn't describe his attackers because he was attacked from behind and he had a garbage bag immediately put over his head. Exactly. I mean, so of course he couldn't describe them. And then maybe the bicycle inner tube because they're teenagers and this is 1980. I mean, teenagers are before they're driving, they're riding their bikes around. So this would have been something that a lot of kids would have
00:57:38
Speaker
had like easy access to. Yeah. For the second incident, those who believe the suicide theory, they question how Billy could have been attacked by two people on a well-traveled street and drug under bushes with not a single witness coming forward to have seen this attack.
00:58:08
Speaker
And do you, you may have said, but remind me what time of day was it that this second attack took place? It was late at night because he came to, I did the math myself. So he came to at 1 AM and he realized that he, yeah, he had been unconscious for five hours. So it happened around 8 PM around eight o'clock. Mm-hmm.
00:58:36
Speaker
But we are in January, which means it's dark. It's not exactly rush hour. Exactly. And it's dark. So again, we can come up with- It could happen. Yeah.
00:58:51
Speaker
It's also because of these questions paired with zero leads for who would want to attack Billy. And you asked that yourself, Maggie. You were like, I need to know what possible person would have wanted to hurt a boy like this. And police came up with nothing. Nothing. And so they're thinking, okay, we have zero motive.
00:59:18
Speaker
Zero leads for who would have wanted to hurt him. And we have all these questions. And that is why law enforcement themselves actually brought Billy in to the station four days after the second attack to have him take a lie detector test concerning his reports.
00:59:44
Speaker
they said that the results showed potential deception. But again, let's play devil's advocate. Maybe, you know, they're saying, did you know who your attackers were? Right? Especially in the second one. And if he says no,
01:00:08
Speaker
couldn't that show deception? Let's say he did know who they were, but he's so scared for his life that he wants to be protected. He wants the protection from law enforcement because he was attacked, but he doesn't want to tell them who it was because then he feels like there's really going to be no way out alive.
01:00:30
Speaker
Right. And so there are a lot of things, if there was indeed potential deception, and if we can trust the results of a polygraph test that could have led to those results. Right. Which we know we can't always. Exactly. And then they question, those who believe this theory, could Billy have been living a double life that his family wasn't aware of? And then they bring up the use of valium.
01:01:02
Speaker
Because again, I didn't see anything about needle marks. Right. And that kind of threw me off too, because when you first mentioned it, I thought it maybe was something that whoever abducted him, injected into him to make him calm and just kind of, you know, easier to manipulate and kind of go with the flow.
01:01:24
Speaker
but if there were no injection marks then he had to take it and I don't think it sounded like it was a large amount of valium to where he would you know be super loosey goosey or whatever. So I don't know that one kind of throws me off a little. I know and I will say just because I didn't read anything about needle marks doesn't necessarily mean that there weren't. I just didn't find that mentioned anywhere in my research.
01:01:50
Speaker
And as for the final incident that took his life, those who believe the suicide theory, they question how was he gone from his own yard without a peep unless he chose to leave on his own.
01:02:06
Speaker
They argue that had the same attacker shown up at his home, he would have never gotten into a car with them. After all, he said they had tried to kill him on two prior occasions. So wouldn't he have screamed versus going with them, knowing that they're going to try to kill him anyway? Like, you know what's going to happen. That is just in the garage.
01:02:33
Speaker
Yeah. So he would have heard anything. And like you said, why would you willingly go with someone who you know is going to hurt you? Right. Right. At least try to scream and get somebody's attention so they can maybe run out and see them or something. And then they questioned if he had been attacked before, wouldn't he have fought back this time as well? And remember, there's no defensive marks on his body.
01:03:02
Speaker
Right. So if this were an attack, why no other injuries? I mean, I guess we could say that he forgot to tell his parents he was walking down to get his sister and the abduction happened, you know, in between those two doors of the neighborhood that he was in. But even still, I just don't think that would be very easy to do because it's not like you're kidnapping a little kid, you're kidnapping a half grown man. Right.
01:03:33
Speaker
Yeah, so it becomes very difficult when you start asking the questions, right? There are definitely questions. So you can see why there are some people who do believe suicide. But to play devil's advocate to that theory is in essence to discuss the validity of that second possible theory that Billy's death truly is a homicide.
01:04:03
Speaker
And even experts at the FBI, when they were asked their opinion of the suicide theory, completely dismissed it. So FBI investigators were basically like, no, this is a homicide. Yeah. I mean, if Billy had, for example, just written those letters to himself, my primary question is, for what purpose?
01:04:35
Speaker
Why would he have written letters? I get, okay, let's say you believe the suicide theory. You can say that he had autoerotic asphyxiation and had done this to himself. And then of course he gets home and he has to figure out a way to explain the bruising to his parents. So he says, oh, I was attacked or whatever it is. But there are elements to the story that just don't fit with that narrative. There's nothing, well, right, because if
01:05:04
Speaker
If we're saying that that's what it is, then why would he have done little things like quit his paper route? Unless he's that dedicated to playing along with his story, which I don't think he would be. And why would he make sure he tells his parents everywhere he's going when he's doing this to himself? Exactly. Yeah. If it's all a charade, that's far too involved in every aspect of his life charade.
01:05:35
Speaker
And, you know, as for the other questions that people had, couldn't he have just as likely have been stalked? And that's how people knew where he was, of course. That could explain how they had known his schedule, his paper route, when he would be alone and planned accordingly. I mean, it happens all the time. We talk about those cases all the time. Plus in the final incident,
01:06:04
Speaker
he was wearing his big gloves that he had gotten for Christmas. And you know, do you know how hard it is to do anything when you're wearing those big winter gloves? Oh, yeah. I mean, I can't that are like mittens and exactly. Yeah, I can't do anything like I can't even pick up my keys and put them in my ignition. So
01:06:26
Speaker
You're telling me he was wearing those big gloves and yet he somehow made his own scarf so tight with those gloves on that it had to be cut off. Well, I guess you could say he would have time to take those off and put them back on. Maybe. I don't think that would be a super quick way to die.
01:06:47
Speaker
but, or, you know, in this case, he doesn't think he's going to. Let's say you're going to do that. Why would he have gone to that location knowing that he has to go pick his sister up two doors down and he's going to be missed. Do that to himself.
01:07:05
Speaker
Yeah, this is not the timing. It's different than saying like, Oh, this happened to me on my way home from school. Right. Right. You know, when I'm on my paper route versus I'm going to be going to get my sister in like 30 minutes. And less than that. Yeah. Leaving my yard in the middle of taking down Christmas decorations, knowing I've got to go in 10 minutes to go pick up my sister. Oh, I'm going to walk 16 houses in the opposite direction to do this to myself. It doesn't, that doesn't make sense to me at all.
01:07:34
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. And if the letters that he and his friends had received were legitimate threats and there was a letter at that first scene that said he was warned, isn't it just as likely as him being the letter writer himself, again, that he had been followed by the letter writers and that they tried to carry through on their threats? Absolutely.
01:08:05
Speaker
And as for the deception on the line detector test, like I said, I think you could easily explain that away if he potentially did know the identity of his attackers, but he was too afraid to name them. That's what comes to mind. Yeah. I mean, in school all the time, kids lie about that stuff. Mm hmm. Whose dual part is that? Oh, I don't know. Yeah, you do. Right. Yeah.
01:08:29
Speaker
And finally, as for how and why he had left his home without making a sound, right? Because that is a question. If he is being, if something is happening to him, how or why was he taken from his home without screaming or whatever? It is possible that that knife that was collected and is in evidence, the kitchen knife with the wooden handle that was found near his body, was used to make him be quiet.
01:09:00
Speaker
to lure him into a car or something like that. In terms of leads concerning who, Billy's parents previously stated that they didn't believe that all of Billy's friends and classmates had actually been questioned as they should have to rule out involvement.
01:09:22
Speaker
Because obviously this would be someone, at least you can narrow it down to that because if he's receiving these letters in school. Yeah, they have to have access to school. Tweet, quote, since I was attacked three times, my murderer probably lived on the far west side of Columbus or Galloway area in Ohio, end quote. And that's the other thing is that not only did this murderer
01:09:51
Speaker
likely go to school with Billy because how else would they have put letters, you know, in his locker at school but had to be familiar with the areas where they're going.
01:10:06
Speaker
Luckily, unlike some of the cases that we've covered, evidence from the case was collected and well protected over the years.
Family's Ongoing Fight for Justice
01:10:16
Speaker
Obviously, this crime occurred before DNA testing was, you know, something done in these investigations. But as years passed, DNA testing techniques have only grown stronger. And thankfully, there was evidence that was collected from the crime scene
01:10:33
Speaker
that could now be tested. So there was the knife. Yep. The knife that I just mentioned was collected. There was a beer bottle near the body that was collected and Billy's scarf. And I read in 2013 that evidence was sent to the state crime lab to be tested. But here we are 10 years later and I wasn't able to find in any of my research
01:11:02
Speaker
anything about results. And a lot of the tweets that I read were saying, still waiting on DNA results, still waiting on results, but it shouldn't take 10 years. So Maggie, what are your thoughts?
01:11:25
Speaker
So I can see how the suicide theory could be tempting because I think we can make the circumstances fit suicide as easily as we can homicide with a little bit of twisting of you know what I'm saying like right making things fit. I think you can make the suicide theory fit if you try really hard.
01:11:51
Speaker
My personal belief is that the FBI agents are highly trained, highly skilled, highly intelligent people. And if they think it is homicide, then I too am going to believe that it's homicide. Yeah. And like you said, I feel like
01:12:10
Speaker
Okay, if you really tried, you could maybe argue the suicide theory. But to me, there are so many different elements to it that a suicide theory would not explain. We have to explain away a lot. Exactly. Yeah. And all of the questions that people have of the attacks, I believe that you can easily think of potential reasons
01:12:37
Speaker
or ways to answer those questions, even with a homicide theory. Yes, agreed. Since it was words that created fear for Billy and others in this community, I find it only fitting that his sister Kathleen has found catharsis in using words to heal. Tweet, quote, my sister has the rocking chair I used to sit in.
01:13:05
Speaker
She sometimes puts her hands on the arms, remembering my hands there. I see her cry, end quote. She cries because she loves so deeply. It's the same tears that came for Billy's mother when she wrote a letter to the boy next door explaining why Santa wouldn't be stopping by with a candy cane the next year. In an article titled
01:13:35
Speaker
Christmas Not Same Without Billy by Tom Finnessy. That letter was shared. And now I'll share it with you. Quote, dear little buddy, this Christmas Eve, as you prepare for your fifth Christmas, Santa Claus will not be knocking on your door. You'll learn to expect this happy soul to come bearing the biggest candy cane of the season. Your mommy always had you dressed up.
01:14:04
Speaker
and was ready to snap pictures of this happy event. The first Christmas Eve that Santa came, even your mommy was not aware he was coming. Remember, that was your second Christmas, and you had just been released from the hospital after spending many months lying near death. Naturally, Santa Claus' favorite time of year is Christmas and the giving of gifts.
01:14:30
Speaker
He wanted you to be a part of all the happy Christmases as he had been. Santa Claus would play with you during the summer months, pitching that ball back and forth and admiring your little dump trucks. You didn't know this happy-go-lucky blonde-haired person sharing the hot summer months with you was the same white-haired bearded man who bounced you on his knee Christmas Eve.
01:14:56
Speaker
Buddy, last Christmas, your fourth Christmas, and Santa Claus's 14th here on earth was the last. The absolute last that this beautiful occasion will ever be celebrated with the same two lovely people. Because Santa Claus died, Buddy. Please, Buddy's mother, hide the news from your little boy. And someday, when he's a man,
01:15:26
Speaker
Explain to him why Santa Claus did not come this Christmas Eve. I will still bring his candy cane over, but please do not see the tears in my eyes. Your dear little buddy called him Santa, but I called him son." End quote. Fennessy ended the article with these words, quote,
01:15:56
Speaker
Mrs. Komen said she cried writing this. She said she intended it as a loving memorial." Her tears were and tears in general can always be a loving memorial. And so too are words used to fight for justice. Tweet, quote,
01:16:23
Speaker
They tried to silence me 34 years ago, but I'm louder than ever." End quote. Yes, Kathleen, his story and his memories are. Thanks to you. Anyone with information is asked to call the Franklin County Sheriff's Department in Columbus, Ohio at 614-525-3333.
01:16:52
Speaker
or submit a tip anonymously by going to Sheriff.FranklinCountyOhio.gov.
01:17:02
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 Twitter, at casescoffee, 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.
01:17:31
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.
01:17:59
Speaker
And we really need it after that. I know. Listen, I'm sniffling. I've got tears. I'm wiping away. Oh, I cried every time I read that account of Santa. Every time. Got a little buddy. Oh, so sad. So sad.
01:18:24
Speaker
But we're turning on a happy page now. That's right. That's right. That's right. And we want to send a little turn the page and we want to send love to Keely, Amanda, Amy, Rebecca, Stacey, Alexis, Michelle, Joanna, Sam, Sarah, Suzanne, Leah, Paula, Tiffany,
01:18:42
Speaker
Singa Clara Brittany Julia and everybody else who reached out to us this week on social media showing your love and support Also, I hope I pronounced all of your names correctly if I didn't apologize, but I love you and you're amazing Yes, and I want to send some love to our friends at an nefarious nightmare podcast Whose promo you heard at the top of the episode they left us a review and
01:19:09
Speaker
and wrote, quote, Hi, I love this podcast so much. We recently featured your Dulce Alaves case on our feed. And I am so in love with the forethought you have in your episodes. So different because I've never heard that in any other podcast. Please keep up the great work. This podcast deserves 50 stars, end quote.
01:19:34
Speaker
I know. And listen, Courtney, one of the hosts, and I just had a conversation this last week about my earnest conviction, and Maggie, I know you feel the same way, that of all communities of podcasters, true crime podcasters who are serious about helping and making a difference should be supporting one another because it's not a competition when justice is at stake.
01:20:03
Speaker
And the ladies at an nefarious nightmare feel the exact same. So I truly hope that you are Sleuthhounds. Check out their pod and that you also leave them a review to let them know that Maggie and Alison sent you. Right, because it can be very hard to be on this podcasting road. And it's nice to have support from listeners and support from other people who are on the same journey as we are. So they are amazing. So please check them out. Yes, yes, please do.
01:20:35
Speaker
And we also have love to send to 77Sjoster, I think. Sure. Who wrote us this lovely review. Quote, thank you ladies for your dedication to these cases and bringing awareness to many I've never heard of. Keep it up. And thank you for that. And sorry that I can't pronounce names, but we appreciate that very sweet review.
01:20:58
Speaker
Yes, we do. Your support is wonderful. So thank you. And we also have lots of love going out to TGIW21 who wrote of our pod, quote, these ladies are doing their best to bring awareness to the public about cases that need attention.
01:21:16
Speaker
These cases are well-researched, the women clearly care, and the episodes are well-rounded." So thank you so, so much. We also want to make sure that all of our listeners saw our social media post this last week because it was directed to listeners who have stuck with us through everything. Listeners like you,
01:21:38
Speaker
We want to deeply apologize for one of the ads that played on our show that we did not choose to play. Yeah, not approved. And as soon as we found out about it, we made them take it down. And so we just apologized that it was even aired in the first place. Yes. Deepest apologies. We felt horrible. Yes.
01:21:59
Speaker
and i want to be the first to one let you know that patreon has been acting up a little bit that's why your last two march minis are late but they are going to be up hopefully they should be available by the time you're listening to this on thursday they should already be there but we want to send some
01:22:18
Speaker
Love out to our newest Patreon member who is returning back to us on Patreon and that is Mary. We miss you and we're very glad that you're back with us. Yes. Anytime if you guys have to leave, come back because we will welcome you with open arms. And if you would like to hear bonus content, because once a week just isn't enough, head on over to patreon.com forward slash coffee and cases to join.
01:22:45
Speaker
and any level from $5 up gets you bonus content. So make sure to check it out. And with that, all of our love is going out to each and every one of you. Until next week, Sleuth Hounds.