OH OH - William 'Bill' Comeans, 14, Columbus, 7 Jan 1980 - #1

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Very unique! Like one of the comments said, it would be good to have an article about the case and what happened.

Also, a good case for the Cold Case forum.
 
"The cause of death was strangulation. On two previous occasions, in September and October, William was attacked by two unknown males and was choked on both occasions."




How strange. And it is very odd that he was allowed to go out walking around alone, after being attacked twice already.

I agree, very strange. Could this be a bullying situation gone awry?
 
it is so strange that they were labeled as 'unknown' males. If it was a bullying situation then he would probably know who they were. Maybe he did but did not want to say.
 
it is so strange that they were labeled as 'unknown' males. If it was a bullying situation then he would probably know who they were. Maybe he did but did not want to say.

Good point. It seems weird to me that there isn't some kind of basic description of his previous attackers since I would imagine they are the prime suspects.
 

Hi, pdxmama --
I saw this article yesterday and was hoping someone would start a thread for him. Thanks for doing so!

Re the atty. gen.'s statement, is it possible this boy was roughed up by thugs for his paper route money?! The prior attacks do make it sound like he was targeted by bullies (I don't think bullies always have to be known to the victim). What a shame that he couldn't describe their faces.
 
So the good news is, when you type in Bill Comeans name into Google you get 13 pages of every news agency, blog and talk radio station having picked up the Twitter story. Brilliant.

The bad news is that there is absolutely nothing else. This article from Nov. 1st, 1980 in a local paper is the only other thing I could find.

This article states that Bill send threatening notes before he died and people on his street continued to get them after he died.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WvchAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FKEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2179,129218
 
Facebook page, set up by his sister https://www.facebook.com/groups/158081960953860/

ETA, I've read through a lot of posts and in one she describes a previous attack. Very brutal and it seems Bill may have been left for dead but he survived it. What was someone so determined to kill this kid? Horrifying.
 
Reading through the Facebook posts, it looks like the previous attacks were in September and October of 1979.
 
Just discovered, today is Bill's 49th birthday. Happy Birthday, Bill!
 
So the good news is, when you type in Bill Comeans name into Google you get 13 pages of every news agency, blog and talk radio station having picked up the Twitter story. Brilliant.

The bad news is that there is absolutely nothing else. This article from Nov. 1st, 1980 in a local paper is the only other thing I could find.

This article states that Bill send threatening notes before he died and people on his street continued to get them after he died.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WvchAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FKEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2179%2C129218

There are a few details I find strange in all of this:

(1) The notes were attached to cars and porches with leather belts?! Who has that many leather belts? What kinds of connections might a person have to get access to that many belts? Do police still have the notes and belts?

(2) While many places report him being strangled with just his scarf, I read on his sister's twitter page that he was strangled with an inner tube. Was this just lying around? Was it taken from Bill's bike (seems an unlikely adaptation, in light of the need for speed). Or did the killer(s) carry it with him/them? Is it in evidence?

(3) IIRC, the prior attacks involved TWO males assaulting Bill. I wonder if the notes reflect one or two styles of handwriting. It seems reasonable to me to assume that, in this sleepy part of the world, the prior attacks, notes, and murder would all be connected. If that's the case, wouldn't both males also be involved in the murder?

(4) We know the note writer targeted many individuals. Were any of them also ever assaulted? Did the killer(s) plan a wider spree, only to be frightened off by the media and neighborhood response?

Just dumping thoughts on the table. It seems there could be some physical evidence to apply modern forensics to ...
 
There are a few details I find strange in all of this:

(1) The notes were attached to cars and porches with leather belts?! Who has that many leather belts? What kinds of connections might a person have to get access to that many belts? Do police still have the notes and belts?

(2) While many places report him being strangled with just his scarf, I read on his sister's twitter page that he was strangled with an inner tube. Was this just lying around? Was it taken from Bill's bike (seems an unlikely adaptation, in light of the need for speed). Or did the killer(s) carry it with him/them? Is it in evidence?

(3) IIRC, the prior attacks involved TWO males assaulting Bill. I wonder if the notes reflect one or two styles of handwriting. It seems reasonable to me to assume that, in this sleepy part of the world, the prior attacks, notes, and murder would all be connected. If that's the case, wouldn't both males also be involved in the murder?

(4) We know the note writer targeted many individuals. Were any of them also ever assaulted? Did the killer(s) plan a wider spree, only to be frightened off by the media and neighborhood response?

Just dumping thoughts on the table. It seems there could be some physical evidence to apply modern forensics to ...

1. I had the same thought. How do even attach a note to a leather belt?

2. I got the impression (from his sister's Facebook) that the inner tube was used in the second attack that he survived. She said an inner tube was wrapped around his neck, a plastic bag placed over his head and he was left for dead in the woods.

3. The only thing I could find about his prior attackers was on Facebook where is sister says Bill couldn't give a description of any faces. The lack of info on the attackers is driving me crazy.

4. I can't find anything about notes being sent after that Nov. 1980 article.
 
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