OH OH - Kathryn Menendez, 16, & Sarah Boehm, 14, Berlin Reservoir, Jul & Aug 1994

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We've just released a podcast about the murders of Kathryn Menendez and Sarah Boehm. We've also included the murders of Lisa Watters and Andrew Hussey in this one because all four homicides are unsolved, all happened in a 12-month period between 1993 and 1994, and all three were found in the same half-mile area of Fewtown Road at the Berlin Reservoir.

The latter two deaths were by a sniper and most certainly aren't connected to the deaths of Menendez and Boehm. Personally, I'm not convinced Menendez and Boehm were killed by the same guy. Boehm, in particular, seems to have had an abusive guy in her life. But wow, for all four of these people to end up just a few hundred feet from each other in the same woods was a chilling coincidence, if it is a coincidence.

We're at Ohio Mysteries (look for the Death at the Berlin Reservoir episode.)

Very much looking forward to seeing if police can close any of these or other cases with the arrest of Legg!
 
Ohio Mysteries said:
We've just released a podcast about the murders of Kathryn Menendez and Sarah Boehm. We've also included the murders of Lisa Watters and Andrew Hussey in this one because all four homicides are unsolved, all happened in a 12-month period between 1993 and 1994, and all three were found in the same half-mile area of Fewtown Road at the Berlin Reservoir.

The latter two deaths were by a sniper and most certainly aren't connected to the deaths of Menendez and Boehm. Personally, I'm not convinced Menendez and Boehm were killed by the same guy. Boehm, in particular, seems to have had an abusive guy in her life. But wow, for all four of these people to end up just a few hundred feet from each other in the same woods was a chilling coincidence, if it is a coincidence.

We're at Ohio Mysteries (look for the Death at the Berlin Reservoir episode.)

Very much looking forward to seeing if police can close any of these or other cases with the arrest of Legg!
Click to expand...
Ohio Mysteries said:
We've just released a podcast about the murders of Kathryn Menendez and Sarah Boehm. We've also included the murders of Lisa Watters and Andrew Hussey in this one because all four homicides are unsolved, all happened in a 12-month period between 1993 and 1994, and all three were found in the same half-mile area of Fewtown Road at the Berlin Reservoir.

The latter two deaths were by a sniper and most certainly aren't connected to the deaths of Menendez and Boehm. Personally, I'm not convinced Menendez and Boehm were killed by the same guy. Boehm, in particular, seems to have had an abusive guy in her life. But wow, for all four of these people to end up just a few hundred feet from each other in the same woods was a chilling coincidence, if it is a coincidence.

We're at Ohio Mysteries (look for the Death at the Berlin Reservoir episode.)

Very much looking forward to seeing if police can close any of these or other cases with the arrest of Legg!
Click to expand...
I have been hoping for some resolution to these murders since I was 13 years old. The discovery of Kathy really shook my foundation. It has been a quiet thing, eating at the community's conscience and sense of safety for over 20 years now. It is pretty unusual for the murders of Watters&Hussey to still be unsolved, considering he was the son of the Sheriff's Lt.
There was another more recent casualty on Fewtown Road. Jeffrey Hathaway's car was found in one of the public hunting parking areas, in May of 2017. The search for him began the next day, after they looked up the registration on the car and called his girlfriend. I guess the procedure was that she had to report him missing before they could begin an actual manhunt. What I do know, firsthand, is that there was a TON of people, dogs, and even horses back there looking for him for several weekends in a row. They found his body sitting down against a tree. Ironically, it was after they'd given up searching. He was found (from what I understand) by some guy taking his dog out there to train or run the dog.
I've wondered if he had any connections to any of the murders.
His death was ruled a suicide. I still consider him a victim of Fewtown Road .
I appreciate Ohio Mysteries helping keep these cases relevant. I don't want these poor people to be forgotten. After DNA identified Sarah in '03, after all that time. It gave me hope that some day, these people's families will have answers, if not justice.
 
Liz F. said:
I have been hoping for some resolution to these murders since I was 13 years old. The discovery of Kathy really shook my foundation. It has been a quiet thing, eating at the community's conscience and sense of safety for over 20 years now. It is pretty unusual for the murders of Watters&Hussey to still be unsolved, considering he was the son of the Sheriff's Lt.
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Yes, I suspect there may even be more cases associated with this area over the years. Watching technology evolve so quickly now, I'm not giving up hope these will be solved, especially in the case of Kathy and Sarah, where I *hope* they have some DNA evidence.
 
Syttende said:
A few links on the cases...
Authorities seek killer after DNA tests ID body found in '94 as Rochester girl
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/boehm_s.htm
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=14687162
Beaver County Crime Solvers (Second from top)
http://unsolveditn.blogspot.com/2009/07/fbi-seeking-information.html

There's not a whole lot out there on these cases, unfortunately. They are very, very cold. I couldn't find any pages on Kathryn Menendez at all, except for what is on FBI.gov.

What do you think could have happened here? How did Sarah Boehm, from Pennsylvania, end up a murder victim from Ohio? :(

I tried to find info on Sarah Boehm's approx. TOD - there was just nothing. On one of the links, it states that Sarah's remains were "badly decomposed" - which indicates a time of death of maybe a month or two prior? Since the remains were found in November and Sarah disappeared in July... it makes me think that Sarah ran away, was on the run for awhile (perhaps left the state, since her hometown is only 15 miles from the Ohio state border) and then ran into an SK.
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I've actually been following Kathy&Sarah's cases pretty closely since I was a kid. Sarah wasn't identified until '03, thanks to a brilliant woman who got handed a stack of ice cold cases.
The complicating factors in her case are suspicious. You read references to her family's odd responses to things. Let's clarify that. The mother never gave any odd responses. The father and the uncle did. The uncle alleges he "found" a letter from her, under her pillow, in the only made bed of a teenage girl ever in history. The "letter" was 4 pages of what, to me, having been a teenage girl once, looks like several different journal entries that were pulled together to try to generate some kind of muddled narrative about an abusive boyfriend.
My suspicion lies primarily with the dad (now deceased) and this "uncle". My gut says that when Kathy's body was found, it provided a chance for them to finally dispose of Sarah's body, and (ideally, for them) obfuscate the investigation. I think when Kathy was found, ALSO strangled, naked, and beaten, they thought to themselves "Well if we dump Sarah there, maybe they'll think it's a serial killer and they'll quit looking at us!"
The father was indicted about 3 years before his death of charges of a sexual nature against...you guessed it...a teenage girl.
I have no substantiation for this, like I said. It's just my gut instinct.
 
Maplesyrup said:
I have thought a long while before posting this as I'm not sure it can really help anything. I used to travel through that area as a young college co-ed in the late 1980's [I would have been 20-21 yrs old] and was on my way home to my parents house on a Friday evening. I am unsure of the year since it has been so long ago but it was evening, around 5pm and it was still light out. The leaves were off of the trees and the corn was all cut off, fields were bare. So this means it had to be late autumn or just before spring due to it still being light at that hour and nothing growing yet. It was late 1987 or early 1988. Somewhere very near the Deerfield Circle I became aware of a car following me. It is a long desolate stretch of road in places along State Route 14 headed toward Salem. I realized this man with short dark hair was paying attention to me. He sped up and I assumed he was going to pass me. As I looked in my rearview mirror he put dark sunglasses on so I could not see his eyes. Then he dropped back. Other cars would meet us [driving toward us]. Then when no one was around he came up close behind me again and then dropped back. At some point he drove fast around me and then hit his breaks to slow me down. There were desolate side roads leading through empty fields off into the distance both ways. I had the strong feeling he was trying to get me to stop, pull over or turn off onto one of those side roads away from where anyone could see. I slowed down and he was creeping in front of me looking at me in his rearview mirror. I dropped back and he sped up. This went on all the way to the state route 45 bypass just outside of Salem. He was still in front of me and watched to see if I turned left or right. I had already made my mind up I wasn't going to lead him to my parents home. I was headed for the Salem Police Dept! I drove into Salem on State Route 14 [with him in front of me] and just before we came to a light on State Street, he abruptly pulled into a gas station on the right side of the road. He wanted to get behind me at that light and knew if he was in front and turned one direction, that I would likely go the opposite direction to get a way from him. As I was in line at the traffic light with a few other cars ahead of me waiting for it to turn green, I looked over my right shoulder at him in his car. The sunglasses were off and he was glaring at me with such anger in his eyes. His eyes were so dark and evil looking. The hair was short, dark brown or nearly black. He was actually not bad looking and could easily be seen as your average clean cut guy. He hopped back into line two cars behind me and followed me down side streets through Salem to the police dept. I was shaking and terrified. When I pulled into the lot at the police dept and into a parking space... he stopped on the street and stared at me and suddenly sped away when he realized it was the police station. He looked furious. It was clear looking at his eyes. He wanted me and I have no doubt I wouldn't have met a good ending if he had succeeded in capturing me. I ran in the door and told an officer. I was too afraid to think to get his plate number. An officer drove around the block a couple times and never saw a car matching his description. A half hour or so later an officer escorted me out of town. When it was clear that I was safe, and no one was following that fit the guy's description, the officer turned off and I drove on to my parents house. I remember this guy was in a small silver car that was in decent shape. This was definitely not a road rage incident. I did nothing to this guy but I evidently caught his eye somewhere near Deerfield and he followed me all the way to the Salem Police dept. I have always wondered who this lunatic was. I know I was blessed and so fortunate that I escaped. I just wanted to put this out there. Clearly this guy was dangerous and certainly did not have good intentions. Peace.
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I don't "like" this, but kudos for quick thinking, and thank you for sharing your story. I do think poor Kathy was a victim of convenience. They sort of blew her mom off because Kathy had been a "bad kid". It felt like, as a kid myself at the time, like the cops were saying she deserved what she got. Maybe that's not so, but I felt that way, and I'm absolutely sure her mom did too.
I'm glad you didn't get run off the road and killed. My older sister has a similar story, but hers was on 225, between Alliance and Deefield. I wonder if she remembers. At the time, she thought it was an ex boyfriend, but it was dark, so maybe she didn't get a good look.
 
Liz F. said:
I've actually been following Kathy&Sarah's cases pretty closely since I was a kid. Sarah wasn't identified until '03, thanks to a brilliant woman who got handed a stack of ice cold cases.
I have no substantiation for this, like I said. It's just my gut instinct.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that. I also don't think her death is connected to Kathy's. Very interesting theory!
 
If they're not telling us about a sexual assault on Kathryn are we to think there wasn't one? Strangled stabbed and bludgeoned they offer up but I've seen no word one way or the other regarding a sexual assault. Sarah might have been to far gone to determine but not KM. From some of the photo's I've seen of SB though, not an expert but I'm not sure if she wasn't posed.
 
LR1 said:
If they're not telling us about a sexual assault on Kathryn are we to think there wasn't one? Strangled stabbed and bludgeoned they offer up but I've seen no word one way or the other regarding a sexual assault. Sarah might have been to far gone to determine but not KM. From some of the photo's I've seen of SB though, not an expert but I'm not sure if she wasn't posed.
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Well, when I was 14 is when Kathy was found, and I heard from the very start that she had been found naked, strangled, and beaten. I always had taken "naked" as code for "raped". I don't know if they did a rape kit or anything, but that's just what I had always assumed.
 
The FBI said it is now joining the investigation into a teen who disappeared nearly 25 years ago. Billboards have been posted at different times around western Pennsylvania as investigators hoped some new clues would come forward regarding what happened to Sarah Boehm. The FBI said that, with the anniversary of her disappearance approaching Sunday, they're asking for any tips or information people might remember.

"It certainly doesn't get easier as the more time expires. That's why we're asking the public again today for any information no matter seemingly how small," said Michael Shanahan, FBI acting assistant special agent in charge...

One month after Boehm was last seen, 17-year-old Kathryn Menendez was reported missing in Alliance, Ohio by her mother. Her body was found half a mile away from Boehm's body.

While the cases have not been directly connected, Shanahan said they're being treated as parallel investigations. "Working a case like this is like putting together a large puzzle. We're looking for that one piece that could help us connect the investigation and hopefully bring some justice for Sarah and resolution to the community," Shanahan said.

Despite the amount of time that's passed, investigators said this is an active investigation on which a team continues to work.
SARAH BOEHM FBI PITTSBURGH COLD CASE: FBI hoping for new clues in teen's cold case disappearance

SARAH BOEHM: FBI seeking your help in unsolved murders of 2 teenage girls
Girls_1562939403222_15857218_ver1.0_1280_720.jpg
 
I believe the woman they were looking for in a news article from pa about tbe sarah boehm case os my aunt. I also believe her husband is a serial killer.
 
Liz F. said:
I don't "like" this, but kudos for quick thinking, and thank you for sharing your story. I do think poor Kathy was a victim of convenience. They sort of blew her mom off because Kathy had been a "bad kid". It felt like, as a kid myself at the time, like the cops were saying she deserved what she got. Maybe that's not so, but I felt that way, and I'm absolutely sure her mom did too.
I'm glad you didn't get run off the road and killed. My older sister has a similar story, but hers was on 225, between Alliance and Deefield. I wonder if she remembers. At the time, she thought it was an ex boyfriend, but it was dark, so maybe she didn't get a good look.
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I apologize for just now seeing this! I am interested in if your sister can remember anything about the guy that followed/stalked her? It was terrifying for me and I am so glad I just slowed down and didn't turn down another road or run off the road. He was clearly trying to get me into an isolated area. Please let me know if she recalled any more.
 
iulia said:
What happened to 14-year-old murder victim Sarah Boehm?
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the WKBN report on Sarah Boehm/ Kathryn Mendenez case was covered in great detail. I believe Tom Carter, former FBI agent from Sarah's case and now works for the Beaver PA office, is right, the same person or persons murdered both girls. One thing I found in viewing old news clippings of the cases was Mendenez( who was from Alliance and had attended Alliance Schools) was now going to start school at West Branch High School. West Branch is located just above Berlin Lake . Kathryn according to one article, was apparently on her way to visit a friend in Deerfield the day she disappeared. The small rural town of Deerfield is part of Berlin Lake. I am somewhat familiar with that area of Portage County and to this day, it is considered quite rural. If you zillow Rochester PA to Alliance OH and then Alliance to Berlin Lake OH, there are several major truck routes RT 14, RT 62 are two big ones....BUT ALSO, there are many natural gas properties throughout the areas Sarah and Kathryn lived. These natural gas wells have to be checked on periodically to make sure they are still pumping natural gas. Usually after a time, the natural gas wells go dry. Once that happens, the owner of that property loses their royalties paid to them by the gas companies. So it's one reason the gas companies have to keep a check on them. Many times locals in these areas are given a route and do the routine inspections of these gas wells. Rochester is just under 90 minutes from Berlin Lake. If one Has a natural gas inspection Route, a two hour drive is nothing when you live in these rural areas. I hope they considered what natural gas companies were in both the Alliance/ Rochester Area and the records of their natural gas well inspectors.
 
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