The death of Robert Redford has brought renewed focus to the unsolved murder of his daughter’s boyfriend, Sid Wells, who was killed in 1983. While Wells’ roommate, Thayne Alan Smika, was initially arrested but not charged due to lack of evidence, a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2010 following new DNA tests. Redford personally contacted the district attorney to express his gratitude for the ongoing efforts to solve the case. The FBI is now offering a reward for information leading to Smika’s arrest.
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In a significant development just before the 70th anniversary of his death, the federal government released thousands of pages of records concerning the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. These documents, made public by the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, offer insight into the Justice Department, FBI, and U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ response to the murder. The records detail the abduction, torture, and killing of the 14-year-old, who was falsely accused of whistling at a white woman, and are released in accordance with the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018. The newly released documents also include reports, telegrams, case files, and correspondences from various sources, including the NAACP, the White House, and J. Edgar Hoover.
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A fisherman using sonar on the Mississippi River in Minnesota discovered a submerged car, leading to the potential resolution of a nearly 60-year-old missing person case. Upon recovery of the 1960s-era Buick, investigators found human remains inside and identified the vehicle as belonging to Roy Benn, who vanished in 1967. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office believes the remains are those of Benn, based on the car’s VIN and other evidence. The case has been handed over to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, which has notified Benn’s family.
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After more than 50 years, the identity of a woman found dead in Marlborough in 1974 has been confirmed using DNA analysis. Originally unidentified, the deceased was believed to be between 18 and 48 years old at the time of discovery. Through the efforts of the Brattleboro Police Department and DNA provided by her siblings, the woman was identified as Nancy Gale Erickson, who was 21 years old when she died. Before her death, Erickson worked as a nurse in Florida before abruptly leaving in 1973, with her last known employment being at the Brattleboro Retreat.
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Decades after skeletal remains, dubbed “Scattered Man John Doe,” were discovered on New Jersey beaches, Ramapo College students used investigative genetic genealogy to identify them as Henry Goodsell, the captain of the 1844-sunk schooner *Oriental*. Their research, involving DNA matching and historical records, linked the remains to Goodsell’s Connecticut family and corroborated accounts of the *Oriental*’s demise and the recovery of one crew member’s body. This identification, confirmed by DNA comparison with a descendant’s sample, marks a significant advancement in solving long-unsolved cold cases using this innovative technique. The successful identification highlights the collaborative power of law enforcement and academic institutions in providing closure to families and resolving historical mysteries.
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Twelve years after Aliza Sherman’s murder, Gregory Moore, her former divorce attorney, has been indicted on multiple charges, including aggravated murder and conspiracy. The indictment alleges Moore orchestrated Sherman’s stabbing death to prevent her upcoming divorce trial, luring her to his office building and subsequently attacking her. New evidence, including text messages and phone calls, and a re-investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, led to the indictment. Moore’s prior guilty plea to bomb threats and providing false statements during the initial investigation further incriminated him.
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Arnoldo Jimenez, a fugitive on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, was apprehended in Monterrey, Mexico. He is charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Estrella Carrera, who was found stabbed to death hours after their wedding in 2012. Jimenez allegedly stabbed Carrera in his car before placing her body in her bathtub; he subsequently fled to Mexico with the assistance of his brother. Jimenez’s arrest follows a decade-long manhunt and comes after a history of domestic violence allegations.
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Nearly 50 years after the murder of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara at Honolulu’s McKinley High School, Gideon Castro, 66, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Advancements in DNA technology, unavailable in 1977, linked Castro’s DNA to evidence found on the victim, finally solving the cold case. Castro, a McKinley High graduate who had previously been interviewed by police, was apprehended in Utah. The arrest brought a measure of closure to the community and Dawn’s family, though many unsolved cases remain.
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In 1979 and 1980, former Charlotte County Sheriff’s Deputy John Greer was implicated in the deaths of his wife, Jackie Greer, and store clerk Adele Easterly, both victims of fatal shootings. Decades later, in 2023, Greer confessed to killing both women during an interview at a Tennessee care facility, though the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death remain unclear. Greer, who died in 2024, had resigned from the sheriff’s office amid an internal investigation involving another woman. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate Greer’s potential involvement in other crimes.
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James Vanest, 68, killed in a shootout with authorities in November, has been identified as the perpetrator in the 1981 murder of Debra Miller. Advanced DNA analysis linked Vanest’s genetic material to evidence from the crime scene, despite his initial denials and subsequent flight from Ohio. The reopened investigation, utilizing modern DNA techniques, ultimately solved the decades-old cold case. Authorities hope this brings closure to Miller’s family.
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John Q. Hosedrinker