MI MI - Deborah Polinsky, 20, Holland, 23 July 1977

New Posts

Nina Michigan said:
I believe that the DNA enhancements which would present a "picture" of the attacker are simply awaiting $$$ being approved by the county. I wish they could do a go-fund-me. ;)
Click to expand...

I live in that county. How could a Go Fund Me get started? Anyone I could bug? Lol

Thanks for all your great info, Nina!
 
You and I are on the same wave length. I jokingly asked about a "bake sale" to cover the cost. Was told to keep my fingers crossed and send good vibes on the case.

Hoping this means something good is percolating!
 
Nina Michigan said:
Her autopsy is not public because - open investigation. My understanding (and I could be mistaken) is that she was at a family gathering on Saturday, which ended around 9-9:30p. She was likely killed on Sunday, no show for work Monday, found deceased Tuesday.

From my episode, the murder weapon was not recovered or identified.

I believe that the DNA enhancements which would present a "picture" of the attacker are simply awaiting $$$ being approved by the county. I wish they could do a go-fund-me. ;)
Click to expand...

I am not surprised. They found unknown female DNA inside the house. I am sure females have entered and left that house over the decades. Same for males. So I am assuming this female DNA was found on a belonging of hers, whether it be an item, clothing, cigarette etc. I thought I read she was stabbed to death. Perhaps I am mistaken. My question, I wonder if she thought about renting a room to help pay for things or extra money. Not officially, like running an ad. She would have needed the owners permission for that. But perhaps behind the scene. I still have doubts about a female killer/or female being their at the same time the crime occurred. I still think she was killed by a male after coming home that night and ready for bed.
 
Also, Deb, except for her pets, lived alone by all accounts. She didn't have a roommate.
 
The guys at Ottawa County Sheriff's department are really working this, exploring every avenue available to them. It's refreshing to see a case this old still getting attention. I hope (for Deb's friends and family) that they can identify a suspect and make an arrest!
 
Deborah's murder occurred around the same time that the serial killer, Don Gene Miller (born 1954) was active. He is currently in a Michigan Prison for murder and other crimes of violence. Miller was active in the Lansing, Michigan area.
 
holland is 90 miles from lansing, seems unlikely that Miller would pop over to someone's house two hours from home to kill them
 
"The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office cold case team, created in 2009, solved a 2002 cold case murder earlier this year. But there are still three outstanding murders in the county the detectives on the team would like to solve.

Detectives Jeremy Baum and Sara Fillman said so far, the cold case team has solved four cases and detectives on the team are continuing to work on the three unsolved murders.

Right now, the detectives are focusing on the 1977 death of Deb Polinsky, 20, who was stabbed in her home in Port Sheldon Township. Polinsky was found stabbed by her coworker when she didn’t show up to work after the weekend, and she was found with her German shepherd, Thor, standing guard over her body."
'Somebody knows something': Cold case team highlights unsolved Ottawa County murders

There are a number of other cases discussed in this article.
 
1 February 2017 Article:

Detectives have uncovered new clues in a 40-year-old cold case murder investigation in Ottawa County.

In July 1977, 20-year-old Deborah Polinsky was found stabbed to death in her Port Sheldon home.

Detectives say advanced technology, such as DNA, is leading to progress in the investigation. WZZM 13's Alex Shabad spoke to Polinsky's sister, Tami Elzinga, about the decades of waiting, the new sense of hope and getting answers to some big questions that have spanned over four decades...

LINK:

New clues uncovered in 40-year-old cold case murder | wzzm13.com
 
The circumstances and locality of Deborah's murder are very similar to the murder of Kathleen Mary O'Brien Doyle, who was brutally attacked and killed in her own home by Dennis Bowman in Virginia Beach, VA in 1980. He was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Dennis Bowman is currently facing charges for the first degree murder of his adoptive daughter Aundria Bowman, whose body has recently been recovered from under a shed on his property.

I wonder if law enforcement officers in charge of Deborah's case will be interviewing Dennis Bowman?
 
Richard said:
The circumstances and locality of Deborah's murder are very similar to the murder of Kathleen Mary O'Brien Doyle, who was brutally attacked and killed in her own home by Dennis Bowman in Virginia Beach, VA in 1980. He was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Dennis Bowman is currently facing charges for the first degree murder of his adoptive daughter Aundria Bowman, whose body has recently been recovered from under a shed on his property.

I wonder if law enforcement officers in charge of Deborah's case will be interviewing Dennis Bowman?
Click to expand...

I assume Bowman was still in Michigan in 1977. He sounds like a possible suspect, but the finding of foreign female DNA is intriguing, too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: byo
Warwick1991 said:
I assume Bowman was still in Michigan in 1977. He sounds like a possible suspect, but the finding of foreign female DNA is intriguing, too.
Click to expand...

I do not have a complete chronology of where Bowman was at given times, but he was a long time Holland, Michigan resident.

Bowman was a Naval Reservist and so he traveled a bit for two week active duty assignments. He was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia at times, but always returned to his home in Michigan.

Here is a link to the Websleuths thread about his adoptive daughter's disappearance. Bowman has been charged with her murder and burial of her remains in his shed.

MI - Aundria Michelle Bowman (14) - Holland MI, 1989
 
 
Here is a link to the Websleuths thread about his adoptive daughter's disappearance. Bowman has been charged with her murder and burial of her remains in his shed.
Click to expand...

She was buried under a concrete slab behind their home - not in his shed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: byo
Richard said:

Deborah Lynn Polinsky, age 20
Murdered 23 July 1977

LINKS:

Police Announce New Leads in 1977 Cold Case Murder of Michigan Woman

Police find new leads in 40-year-old cold case

Deborah Lynn Polinsky

February 1, 2017 — Updates in the Deborah Polinsky murder investigation
Click to expand...

The color photo is of Debra Wilson - another Holland woman who was murdered on Christmas eve 1987. Police are convinced that they know who the perp was, but he is now deceased.

I'm not sure what their evidence is that convinces them of that, but I've never been satisfied that this wasn't another of Dennis Bowman's murders.

Debra Wilson was home alone. Her husband was attending a Christmas party held by his employer. She was chased into her own back yard, where she was fatally stabbed multiple times.

Bowman had lived only a couple of miles from Wilson's home, and was known to have committed break-in sexual assaults of woman in the same neighborhood, and we know he had a knife fetish. When he was arrested for the 1980 murder of Kathleen Doyle, police collected 115 knives from his home. His biological daughter was born less than two weeks prior.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 135 more.
Total: 4,197 (members: 136, guests: 4,061)

Online statistics

Members online
136
Guests online
4,061
Total visitors
4,197
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,405
Messages
17,968,466
Members
228,767
Latest member
Mona Lisa
Back
Top