The little girl disappeared while playing outside her family’s apartment in December 1989; her skull was later found in March 1991.
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Rodolfo Martinez and Leticia Hernandez, 32, lived with their six children in a ground-floor apartment in the 1300 block of Bush Street in Barrio Posole, Oceanside, California. The apartment complex they lived in housed mainly Mexican immigrants who came to California seeking better lives for their families. It was considered a safe environment to raise their children.
In December 1989, the family prepared for a magical Christmas and looking forward to spending as much time together as possible.
Hernandez’s namesake had just celebrated her seventh birthday on Dec. …
The investigation revealed the victim had been living two separate lives.
Born on Aug. 30, 1969, to Johnny and Jogary Chisholm, Dana Vonde Chisholm and her two siblings grew up in a middle-class section of Rock Hill, North Carolina. She attended Northwestern High School, where she sang in the school chorus and was a cheerleader and member of the homecoming court. By all accounts, Dana was a typical American teenager.
As many teens do, she became rebellious in high school and dabbled in drugs. She also once ran away from home. However, she cleaned up her act and decided that she wanted a better life for herself.
After high school, Dana…
Houston socialite Joan Robinson Hill died under suspicious circumstances in 1969. Three years later, a man gunned down her husband in a possible murder-for-hire.
Joan Robinson Hill was born on February 6, 1931, and adopted by David Ashton “Ash” Robinson and Rhea Robinson, who raised her in the Houston area. She was the couple’s only child. Ash Robinson was a prominent Texas oilman, and therefore, his daughter never lacked for anything. He once shelled out nearly $30,000 for a saddle horse for her.
Joan was a beautiful and independent young woman who excelled at equestrian sports, earning seven world amateur five-gaited grand championships. She was considered one of Texas’s best horsewomen and often pictured on the local newspaper’s society pages.
At the age of…
The blaze started shortly before Christmas break 1992.
CARBONDALE — Kimiko Ajikoa was a 25-year-old senior marketing major at Southern Illinois University, originally from Osaka, Japan.
An aunt and uncle of Ajikoa’s had previously attended the university and helped ease her transition from Japan to Carbondale.
During college breaks, she traveled to places such as Colorado and Niagara Falls.
Her family had described her as “courageous” because of her decision to study abroad.
Ajikoa adjusted well to life on campus and had many friends. She once told her aunt that her time at college had been one of the happiest times of her life.
Unfortunately, tragedy would strike…
His father was later convicted and released from prison, but did he kill the boy?
AZALEA, Ore. — Larry Gibson worked as a deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
At 11:30 a.m. on March 18, 1991, Gibson’s youngest child, Thomas Dean “Tommy” Gibson, two years old, went outside to play while Gibson headed out for a jog.
Gibson usually carried a .45-caliber pistol in a shoulder holster because of a problem with stray cats living on his property. He claimed he shot a neighbor’s cat but thought he had missed and resumed his jog. Authorities later found a dead cat on the lawn near where his son had played in the yard.
When Gibson…
Albert Raymond Musalo was born on April 13, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York, to Albert and Louise Musalo.
Joan Elizabeth Behrman was born on November 1, 1931, in Brooklyn to Harold and Matilda Behrman.
Albert was a graduate of Saint Michaels’ High School in Brooklyn. Joan graduated from Fort Hamilton High school, also in Brooklyn.
The couple met while working together at Brooklyn Gas and Electric. They married on January 24, 1953, at Our Lady of Angels Church in Brooklyn, and eventually had four children: Sue, Richard, Joanne, and Robert.
The Musalo family resided in several places across the U.S…
Lisa Jane Bonham was born on November 6, 1970, to Vernon and Doris Bonham. She has an older brother, Darin. The Bonham family resided in Martinez, California.
In early September 1977, the family was headed home to California when they decided to stop in Reno, Nevada, to visit Vernon Bonham’s relatives at 2485 Riviera Street near Idlewild Park.
On September 3, 1977, Darin, 12, and Lisa, 6, spent time riding the amusement park rides at Idlewild Park, about half-mile away. At 2 pm, Lisa walked back to their family’s home to ask Doris for a dollar.
When Lisa had not…
Candi Elizabeth Talarico, 4, lived with her mother, Diane Van Gilder, 29, in an apartment at 2500 Q Street in Sacramento, California. On June 4, 1988, Candi played outside with two friends, ages three and seven, in an alley between Q and R Streets.
Dawn Martin, the youngest girl’s mother, checked on the children and told them not to climb in the dumpster or talk to strangers. Dawn then joined Diane in her apartment.
Minutes later, Dawn’s daughter came flying into Diane’s apartment in a distressed state.
“Mom, Candi is in a car with a man!”
Candi’s seven-year-old friend, Gina…
Beth Lynn Barr was born on December 20, 1977, to Charles and Donna Barr. She has an older brother, James. The Barr family resided on Princeton Boulevard in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, a borough seven miles east of downtown Pittsburgh.
It was Thanksgiving Eve — November 23, 1977 — and Johnston Elementary School at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Ardmore Boulevard in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, dismissed one hour early for the holiday break.
Around 2:15 pm, Beth Lynn Barr, 6, began the 10-minute walk to her home on Princeton Boulevard. …
Greely, Colorado is located 30 miles southeast of Fort Collins and approximately 50 miles northeast of Denver. It is the county seat of Weld County and home to the University of Northern Colorado.
The town is named after Horace Greeley, American editor of the New-York Tribune, who arrived in the Centennial State during the 1859 Colorado Gold Rush, originally known as Pike’s Peak Gold Rush. Greeley is often credited with the famous slogan, “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.”
Denise Davenport was born in Greeley in August 1964 to Hal and Carrie Davenport. She has one…
