Atlantic City Eastbound Strangler 4 Women Found Dead behind Motel Egg Harbor Twp, Nov 2006

[jessr927]

A good day to bump the thread, it would have been Kim Raffo's 48th birthday. May she rest in peace, may we find justice.

 

[jaejae]

A good day to bump the thread, it would have been Kim Raffo's 48th birthday. May she rest in peace, may we find justice.

Thanks for that information I was not aware of that but you are right.

 

[jaejae]

This post is really just to 'rattle the FBI's cage' metaphorically speaking and hope cases get solved. But here is a link to a composite sketch of a possible Serial Killer in Colorado who John Kelly also profiled and also strangled his victims:Just

Composite drawing of suspect - Cold Cases

I have watched all the Dark Minds episodes and have studied John Kelly's profiles of the recently captured Golden State Killer, the Eastbound Strangler and this Colorado killer. It may just be a coincidence or the way John profiles but in the New Jersey and Colorado cases both killers strangle and both killer place the bodies according to him as if they are proud of their horrific art. Just worth looking at. As I say I will be pleased is the Eastbound Strangler case is solved with or without my suspect.

 

[jaejae]

I have watched all the Dark Minds episodes and have studied John Kelly's profiles of the recently captured Golden State Killer, the Eastbound Strangler and this Colorado killer. It may just be a coincidence or the way John profiles but in the New Jersey and Colorado cases both killers strangle and both killer place the bodies according to him as if they are proud of their horrific art. Just worth looking at. As I say I will be pleased is the Eastbound Strangler case is solved with or without my suspect.

This might be a repost but here is the Dark Minds episode about the case:

 

[imstilla.grandma]

http://www.pacrimestoppers.org/fugitive/799.htm
The Pennsylvania State Police at Media, Delaware County Pennsylvania continue their investigation into the 1991 Homicide of Denise Sharon Kulb.

On the afternoon of November 12, 1991, a resident of Birmingham, an area now known as Chadds Ford Township in Delaware County, was walking along the tree-line of a wooded area west of Harvey Road. The resident observed an object under the foliage, and upon closer examination, discovered what appeared to be the partially decomposed remains of a human body.

The victim was later identified as a Denise Sharon Kulb; she was 27-years old at the time of her death. Kulb was a White female, who stood between 5'4"-5'7" and had long brown hair. She was wearing a gray sweater, yellow sweatpants, red tee shirt and a white jacket. A friend and Kulb's sister last saw her alive the weekend of October 18, 1991. She was known to frequent the Kensington Avenue and Front Street section of Philadelphia and may have traveled to Delaware County on occasions prior to her death, either in the company of, or to meet an unidentified White male.

The last known address of Denise Sharon Kulb was in the 2200 block of Amber Street in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County Pennsylvania

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and the Pennsylvania State Police announced an arrest in a 1991 Delaware County cold case on Tuesday afternoon.

Theodore Dill Donahue, 52, has been charged in the 1991 death of his 27-year-old girlfriend, Denise Sharon Kulb. Donahue was arrested by troopers on Tuesday morning and is charged with murder, abuse of corpse, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and false reports to police.

Donahue is being held without bond.
Arrest made in woman's 1991 murder; body found in Delaware County

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Authorities say he even told them his nickname is Ted Bundy — the notorious serial killer.

Police and prosecutors are continuing to investigate.

Donahue was recently working as a pizza delivery driver in Germantown. He's now behind bars and charged with murder, abuse of corpse and related offenses.

His lawyer declined to comment.
Philly man arrested in cold case murder of young mom killed 28 years ago

 

[dotr]

TIM TAI / Staff Photographer
Pennsylvania state troopers lead Theodore Dill Donahue out of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop K barracks in West Philadelphia after arresting him as a suspect in the 1991 murder of Denise Sharon Kulb on Tuesday. Kulb's body was found in November 1991 in Delaware County.
Socks help solve 28-year-old cold case murder
"Instead of relying on DNA or physical evidence, the case was built on new investigative tools, including photo-enhancing technology that connected a pair of separated socks, which proved to be a key piece of evidence, to Donahue, officials said."
"On Nov. 15, 1991, state troopers searched Donahue’s apartment and found one yellow sock that matched the sock found on the body, and a job application with Kulb’s name on it. The photos of the socks were later enhanced to make the connection between the apartment and the crime scene."
rbbm.

 

[jaejae]

TIM TAI / Staff Photographer
Pennsylvania state troopers lead Theodore Dill Donahue out of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop K barracks in West Philadelphia after arresting him as a suspect in the 1991 murder of Denise Sharon Kulb on Tuesday. Kulb's body was found in November 1991 in Delaware County.
Socks help solve 28-year-old cold case murder
"Instead of relying on DNA or physical evidence, the case was built on new investigative tools, including photo-enhancing technology that connected a pair of separated socks, which proved to be a key piece of evidence, to Donahue, officials said."
"On Nov. 15, 1991, state troopers searched Donahue’s apartment and found one yellow sock that matched the sock found on the body, and a job application with Kulb’s name on it. The photos of the socks were later enhanced to make the connection between the apartment and the crime scene."
rbbm.

Here is a Sky News report about the above case:

Pair of socks helps police solve woman's murder after almost 30 years

 

[jaejae]

I will give these cases a bump with a recent Podcast about them:

 

[Maydayfive]

I'm new to this forum but I've always had a theory about the 4 women found in EHT and had shared this with an A.C. police officer years ago. Full disclosure I have not read every fact or theory but here's mine... The killer I've always surmised is/was a commercial fisherman. Not knowing if these women were strictly streetwalkers but the possibility that they also frequented bars is possible. In the seedier areas like the north end the killer would need to blend in and not garner a second look or stand out. Same for over on the mainland at the Key. He would have funds to throw around for drink/ drugs/ partying and be comfortable in that life. Be convincing in appearance and manner to take the women off the island to party. Be physically fit enough to kill the victims then carry or drag the bodies through the marsh. None of thos acts I suppose are easy. He would also have the opportunity to go to sea for days or weeks and not be around to be suspected. Finally for the theory of why the faces all are facing east, maybe not looking back to A.C. as many surmise but perhaps they're looking out to the ocean. The ocean where the killer works and lives. Maybe he wants them to watch him in his element. Or maybe share the beauty and terror that working on the hi seas brings. Hard to theorize the logic in such illogical acts. All these aspects point to a fisherman in my opinion. I don't believe he's a traveling fisherman like some suppose connecting the crimes in L.I. and Fla. because that group of fishermen were usually long liners which had pretty much dwindled in size by the time of the murders to very few if any transient fishermen. As fleets and crew sizes dwindle the variety of fishermen also decreases. This would be more of a local resource such as surf clammers who are in large numbers on the north end. Or maybe a scalloper. I possess the knowledge to postulate this theory because I was a commercial fisherman during this period within close proximity of A.C. and have on occasion docked and packed out there. I saw hundreds of deck hands come and go, in my career on deck and in the wheelhouse, and know many who regularly went to A.C. for just this type of entertainment, sans murder. The majority of fishermen are good, hardworking people but anyone who has done that job knows exactly what I mean about some of the guys. To me it's the most logical group in that area for the killer to come from. Honestly I don't think he'll ever be found. RIP ladies...

 

[dotr]

I'm new to this forum but I've always had a theory about the 4 women found in EHT and had shared this with an A.C. police officer years ago. Full disclosure I have not read every fact or theory but here's mine... The killer I've always surmised is/was a commercial fisherman. Not knowing if these women were strictly streetwalkers but the possibility that they also frequented bars is possible. In the seedier areas like the north end the killer would need to blend in and not garner a second look or stand out. Same for over on the mainland at the Key. He would have funds to throw around for drink/ drugs/ partying and be comfortable in that life. Be convincing in appearance and manner to take the women off the island to party. Be physically fit enough to kill the victims then carry or drag the bodies through the marsh. None of thos acts I suppose are easy. He would also have the opportunity to go to sea for days or weeks and not be around to be suspected. Finally for the theory of why the faces all are facing east, maybe not looking back to A.C. as many surmise but perhaps they're looking out to the ocean. The ocean where the killer works and lives. Maybe he wants them to watch him in his element. Or maybe share the beauty and terror that working on the hi seas brings. Hard to theorize the logic in such illogical acts. All these aspects point to a fisherman in my opinion. I don't believe he's a traveling fisherman like some suppose connecting the crimes in L.I. and Fla. because that group of fishermen were usually long liners which had pretty much dwindled in size by the time of the murders to very few if any transient fishermen. As fleets and crew sizes dwindle the variety of fishermen also decreases. This would be more of a local resource such as surf clammers who are in large numbers on the north end. Or maybe a scalloper. I possess the knowledge to postulate this theory because I was a commercial fisherman during this period within close proximity of A.C. and have on occasion docked and packed out there. I saw hundreds of deck hands come and go, in my career on deck and in the wheelhouse, and know many who regularly went to A.C. for just this type of entertainment, sans murder. The majority of fishermen are good, hardworking people but anyone who has done that job knows exactly what I mean about some of the guys. To me it's the most logical group in that area for the killer to come from. Honestly I don't think he'll ever be found. RIP ladies...

Fascinating perspective, thanks for chiming in and a big welcome to Ws Maydayfive!

 

[Maydayfive]

Thank you! I have held this theory for years but never actually wrote it out because I didn't know such a forum as this existed until last night. I had a friend in EHT who resembled one of the victims to the point of her young daughter seeing a photo on the news asked why mommy was on the news. Guess that hit close to home and made me ponder these crimes to that extent.

 

[Tbone144]

Caught a show (not sure which one) on this case while was waiting to be swabbed today. It struck my interest. There were people interviewing people and someone in particular..going to read through the other posts to see if there is something new that the show missed.

 

[PrincessOksana]

I am fairly certain that the Eastbound Strangler who killed the four women in Atlantic City was my uncle Dennis G. He was a very odd man with alot of tics and real bad ocd. He was a long haul trucker and had easy access to not only these women but I expect many others. He killed himself in a Kokomo Indiana jail after being arrested for stealing guns from a gun show and trying to take the cops weapon. The journal pagea found near where the bodies were have striking similarities to the journals we found after his death. I have talked to several women who had been hitchhiking and picked up by him and were completely freaked out. The fact that they were mothers is why thty are probably still alive. He and my aunt couldn't have kids and adopted so i think that kept them safe.

Then he's not the eastbound strangler because I know at least 2 were mothers.

 

[Ghetto superstar]

Good points as well. Which brings up the question of how would the killer know each victims particular drug of choice beforehand? From the beginning I've had the feeling that the victims knew the killer as he was running in the same circles as them. What they didn't know is that they were being stalked.

In late 2013 – early 2014 the bodies of two women were found in Atlantic County, NJ that immediately led to speculation that the individual responsible for the 2006 murders was active again. It was on that premise that I joined Websleuths and started posting about that possibility.

Authorities quickly arrested and charged an individual for the murder of Tara Rogers-Alicea whose remains had been found inside a suitcase. But that still leaves open the question of who was responsible for the murder of Joyce Vanderhoff whose body was found on the side of a road on Feb 14th, 2014.

NJ - NJ - Joyce Vanderhoff, 25, Hamilton Township, 14 Feb 2014

Sometime afterwards I was approached by the producers of The Killing Season and asked to expand upon my belief that Ms. Vanderhoff's murder may have been committed by the same person who placed four dead women in the ditch behind the Golden Key motel. I agreed on the condition that I remain anonymous.

The reason that I insisted on anonymity is that I, and others who share the same opinion, believe that there is a possibility that this serial killer, dubbed The Eastbound Strangler, is living in and possibility still active in the AC area.

Are there other cases that would lead one to that belief? Actually there are, a few right here on websleuths:

Franchesca Alvarado:
Found Deceased - PA - Franchesca Alvarado, 22, Philadelphia, 17 March 2012

Maria Morales:
Identified! - NJ - Atlantic City, Female body in hotel, Nov'15 - Maria Guzman-Morales

This last incident is quite sketchy as there's so little information available. In fairness, I can't actually say for a fact if it was ever officially deemed a homicide. These are just a few of the cases that have come to the attention of websleuths members. Perhaps there are others that have not.

The point I'm trying to make is that the AC area will continue to have the dark cloud of the 2006 murders hanging over it's head until such time that the case is actually solved, if it ever is. Personally, I don't fault law enforcement as I believe that they've made ever effort to resolve these cases as quickly as possible. Perhaps they could be a little more forthcoming in involving the public.

I also wonder if perhaps the person responsible for the 2006 murders, and possibly others, acted out on some beef he had with Atlantic County, NJ that somehow triggered that killing spree. Perhaps it was an an arrest, a foreclosure or loss of a job that set him off. It's a shame, actually, because AC is such a great place to have fun.

For the record, I don't happen to believe that the 2006 murders are connected to the Long Island cases. And kudos to Josh & Rachel for highlighting the case of Ms. Vanderhoff. Perhaps one day the families of victims who have suffered in silence will get the justice that has so far eluded them. One can only hope.

As always, just my opinion.

I lived at the budget motel when Joyce Was There. I knew her well and I loved the kid. I'm so thankful that the killer I'm her case was caught. I was there the night I she left at 3am to go to Mays Landing. I remember being there when we found out they found her body. February 14th will always be a day that broke my heart into pieces and the day I decided to get clean. I'm six years sober. I wasn't a prostitute. I didn't like the thought of what Joyce was doing however she had a heart of gold and always looked out for me. I'll never forget her. Men like these killers don't see these girls as human they see them as drug addicted street trash. So does the Atlantic Co Prosecutors offive. The four other girls they will never find out who did that to them. They want it to go away like its a stain on that crappy city. As far as knowing their drug of choice its not hard to figure out. Most of them were addicted to heroin. Not many other drugs will have a normal girl from a normal background selling themselves. I pray one day that the families see some kind of closure I truly do.

 

[dotr]

I lived at the budget motel when Joyce Was There. I knew her well and I loved the kid. I'm so thankful that the killer I'm her case was caught. I was there the night I she left at 3am to go to Mays Landing. I remember being there when we found out they found her body. February 14th will always be a day that broke my heart into pieces and the day I decided to get clean. I'm six years sober. I wasn't a prostitute. I didn't like the thought of what Joyce was doing however she had a heart of gold and always looked out for me. I'll never forget her. Men like these killers don't see these girls as human they see them as drug addicted street trash. So does the Atlantic Co Prosecutors offive. The four other girls they will never find out who did that to them. They want it to go away like its a stain on that crappy city. As far as knowing their drug of choice its not hard to figure out. Most of them were addicted to heroin. Not many other drugs will have a normal girl from a normal background selling themselves. I pray one day that the families see some kind of closure I truly do.

Welcome to Ws Ghetto superstar, glad you are 6 years sober and able to be posting here today !

 

[Ghetto superstar]

Welcome to Ws Ghetto superstar, glad you are 6 years sober and able to be posting here today !

Thank very much. Its been a long road but I'm remarried to an amazing man I have a good job and I'm actually a shop steward in my union. When Joyce was murdered it was a big turning point for me. I left NJ and was in WV on Mar. 1st. I haven't used since that day. I believe that in some ways Joyce saved my life it broke my heart and terrified me.

 

[Mary Ann]

hey there I know they said someone must be an out of towner. The idea of all the heads facing east is something of a religious thing after death. in order to relieve this person may drive up and down this area. perhaps in rental vehicles. it's a source of pride for them.

 

[guardian1234]

I lived at the budget motel when Joyce Was There. I knew her well and I loved the kid. I'm so thankful that the killer I'm her case was caught. I was there the night I she left at 3am to go to Mays Landing. I remember being there when we found out they found her body. February 14th will always be a day that broke my heart into pieces and the day I decided to get clean. I'm six years sober. I wasn't a prostitute. I didn't like the thought of what Joyce was doing however she had a heart of gold and always looked out for me. I'll never forget her. Men like these killers don't see these girls as human they see them as drug addicted street trash. So does the Atlantic Co Prosecutors offive. The four other girls they will never find out who did that to them. They want it to go away like its a stain on that crappy city. As far as knowing their drug of choice its not hard to figure out. Most of them were addicted to heroin. Not many other drugs will have a normal girl from a normal background selling themselves. I pray one day that the families see some kind of closure I truly do.

Do u remember a man named John Bitterly?

 

[Kell1]

There are also indications in this case, suggesting human trafficking may have been at play.

More than one involved in the investigation have suggested