OH OH - Amy Mihaljevic, 10, Bay Village, 27 Oct 1989

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I think a way to solve this case would be through Amy's missing items. It's obvious the perv still has them and probably still takes them out from time to time. These items should be aired on a 48 Hours episode or Dateline. Somebody has to have seen one these items at some point. It could be a long time but one of these "trophies" will probably turn up *someday* – I just hope it is soon because of the passage of time...

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Local CBS channel did a news story about Amy. The 31st anniversary of her kidnapping. They played some recent interviews with her dad Mark. A couple of things I found interesting:

He didn't recognize the person in the sketch of the man witnesses saw. Not surprising in most cases, but interesting because the killer seemed to know a lot about Amy and her family. That has always been unique in this case. He knew where her mom worked, that she had just gotten a promotion, what time she got home from school, info about her brother, etc. LE really focused on Amy's mom's co-workers, for good reason. Who else would know about her mom's promotion, but her dad wouldn't recognize.

Mark also said he believes the killer is still alive. He's still committed to keeping Amy's name and the case information out in the public for this reason. Such a nice man, I'm so sorry he and his family had to go through so much pain and horror.

The Amy Mihaljevic Case: Investigators hold out hope that DNA advancements could soon help solve 1989 cold case

As the years pass by, Mark’s plea is that this case is not forgotten. He believes DNA advancements will eventually uncover Amy’s killer.

But he also believes someone out there right now has the keys to unlock this murder mystery.

'It’s too big of a secret for someone not to have told somebody. People don’t keep secrets like this without telling somebody," says Mark.
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New Chief Kathy Leasure says the department is now consulting with big DNA labs in California and other parts of the country.

“We’re now trying to look into the labs to see if there’s anything. The technology has moved far enough ahead that we would be able to submit what we have to help with our case,” says Chief Leasure, adding , “We’re hopeful that we have something in our evidence that will lead us to a suspect.”
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BBM

As they point out, the DNA they have is mitochondrial vs nuclear DNA. Most labs have told them they would have to use up all the DNA evidence LE has to test it, so they have to be careful.
 
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Here's a good article from 1999. It has a great timeline, details and quotes from the experts. They interviewed a lot of people who worked on the case and who were part of the search. This was when Amy's mother was still living, so she's interviewed as well.

Who Killed Amy?

Some interesting analysis about the killer from the experts at FBI Quantico

"Stephen Etter is supervisory special agent for the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. Wayne Lord is a supervisory special agent with the Critical Incident Response Group: Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit. These are the formal names of the fabled FBI "Profiler Units," now a generation advanced from the criminal behavior analysis group made famous in TV shows and films such as "Silence of the Lambs." Lord and Etter are part of the most sophisticated criminology team in existence, composed of experts in diverse scientific disciplines who collaborate on determining factual and theoretical attributes of unknown violent criminals.

"These experts tell the whole story, including a summary status of the case: Of the thousands of potential suspects ever to appear on the radar screen, less than two dozen remained priorities after acute investigating. However, investigators continually review a comprehensive list of previously investigated subjects.




"Some rumors persist that one of two men on that list may have been the killer, but investigators are virtually unanimous in the certainty that neither one was involved. Suspect No. 1 was a troubled young man from Fairview Park who joined the Volunteers for Amy early on. He was questioned several times, his story checked and double checked. He was found to have serious personal problems, medical and emotional, unrelated to the case. Months after Amy's disappearance, he consumed a lethal amount of ethanol — "dry gas" — and died three days later.

One veteran FBI agent briefly involved in the case had questioned this suspect personally and maintained a "gut feeling" that he was hiding something. He later cited the suicide as a possible indication of guilt and named the man publicly as a good candidate for the Unknown Male. All other investigators insist he was not the one.


"After his death, we had access to his home and belongings," Wrenn recalls, "and there wasn't a shred of evidence [for] this or any other crime." Etter adds that "...he simply didn't have the capacity to commit this type of crime."

Suspect No. 2 worked at the stable where Amy went horseback riding on weekends. His appearance was vaguely similar to the known description, and a background check had focused serious attention on him for months. Intense surveillance and exhaustive investigation yielded nothing. "He didn't do it," says Wrenn. "I'm as certain as I can be in an uncertain world."


"Of all the suspects," says JimTompkins, "20 to 25 were most interesting, but we never had a sense of, 'Yeah, this is the guy.'" Authorities believe the Unknown Male is still out there, waiting to be caught."

The profiler's report on Amy's missing possessions:

Lord goes on to describe FBI theories of the missing items. "We see enough cases where the offender keeps items from the victim, sometimes gives them as a gift to someone else." The shoes were uncommon: black leather ankle boots with vertical rows of silvery studs, bloused at the ankle. The Unknown Male could have had a problem getting them back on her feet, then tossed them in a trash can many miles from the scene. But he may have been too obsessed with the shoes to part with them so quickly.

"The earrings are even more likely "souvenir" items. "They are particularly important," says Etter. "Just the kind of things the offender might give to another female." They were "tiny blue turquoise silhouettes of a horse's head," according to Amy's mother, "mounted on gold metallic studs." Amy's favorites.

"Amy also had her school backpack, a fairly common blue denim design with red piping and black plastic buckles, and a plain, white nylon windbreaker. Neither one is unusual for a fifth grader, but it would be odd for a grown man with no children to have one in his home or car.

"The last item is exceptional. Amy's dad had given her a sleek, black leather folder with a brass clasp emblazoned with the Buick three-chevron logo and the legend, "Best In Class." An award item from the GM sales catalog, there are relatively few like it and it is unlikely one would circulate far beyond the realm of Buick dealers or GM sales or service staff."
 
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Cont'd. from above, here is the FBI profiler's updated profile of the killer (from 1999). I don't think I've read all these details before:

The offender is a white male. At the time of the crime, he was in his mid- to late 30s, older than average for a first-time child aggressor. He is not remarkable in appearance, within average ranges of height, weight and build. He may look presentable, but not accomplished or professional. "He is socially marginalized, " according to Etter. "Not in the mainstream, not a run-of-the-mill citizen."

"He won't fit in with his peers very well, especially women," adds Lord, "and the people who know him will describe him as 'odd' or 'difficult.' It's likely that he was living alone, with a single roommate, or maybe still at his parents' house." It is most unlikely he was in a successful marriage, with a normal home and family life.


One of the most intriguing aspects of the report is that the killer was most likely to have undergone some sort of dramatic change in his behavior, personality or appearance in the weeks preceding the crime. He developed a sudden compulsive or obsessive disorder, experienced a personal catastrophe or an emotional setback. "He may have started drinking heavily, or stopped drinking suddenly," says Wrenn. "He could have started into hard drugs or quit a drug habit." There was a drastic change in his life, maybe a sudden fascination with a cult or radical religious group. Something happened to this man in the fall of 1989, something that would have been noticeable to close friends or relatives. "There was a pre-event stressor," says Lord, "something that took him from fantasy to action."


The stress in his life may have been reflected in a dramatic change in his physical appearance. He let his hair grow long or cut it very short. His health suffered. His weight fluctuated. There were changes in his appearance or lifestyle.

More about his habits and the way he planned the crime

"This man was not passing through. Contrary to the family's trusting conviction that no one known to any of them was involved, authorities are confident that the Unknown Male has "... reason to know this area," according to Etter; "A resident, a contract worker or delivery person familiar with Bay Square." Lord cites the need for such a predator to select a "hunting ground where he can ... move comfortably through the tall grass."

Lord explains that the Ashland County location is just as important. "This was not random," he says. "When you are disposing of something that could ruin your entire life, you're going to be careful." The Unknown Male knew County Road 1181. He had been on that lonely stretch of asphalt before. He knew he could quickly place Amy's body just over a shallow ridge a few yards from the pavement and expect it would go undiscovered for weeks or months. Wrenn confirms the conclusion: "Yes, we think he was familiar with Bay Village and familiar with the area in Ashland."


The experts go another step. "We believe he had knowledge of the family," says Etter, "personal knowledge in considerable detail."

The most disturbing part of the report concerns his behavior since the crime. Because there has not been a similar crime reported — at least nothing like the complicated telephone plot to lure Amy to a deadly rendezvous — the general perception is that, to the best of the investigators' knowledge, the Unknown Male has never claimed another victim.

"We don't know that he hasn't done this again," says Etter. "He may have left the area and done something far away, or he may have changed his M.O." Etter goes on to explain the difference between an M.O. and the signature of a criminal. "An M.O. is just what works, and it can vary," he notes. "The signature aspects of a crime do not vary — they are fundamental." Because of the single known crime and limited evidence, there is no known signature in Amy's case. The unique M.O. — the phone-call setup — may have evolved to a different tactic.

"The best hope experts cite for new information is from past victims, and they believe there may have been some who have never spoken up. "If you look at the statistics," says Etter, "it is likely this person had criminal sexual contact with other female children and some of those acts may not yet have been reported."


"Many women are hesitant to report sexual assaults for a variety fo reasons," adds Lord. "It could well be that this offender made other attempts that did not end in death." Information from a past victim would be of paramount interest to investigators.

"You may have good recall of what he looked like, his vehicle, where he went —things that deceased victims cannot tell us," says Lord. He adds that through forensic study, "...Amy tried to tell us a lot. Now someone else has to help, add just a little more. That's what we need." Etter provides a startling statistic: "In 70 percent of cases, there are unknowing witnesses that have valuable information they never thought to bring to light."

"Is it you? Are you that unknowing witness?"

 
Although it is possible the killer had some connection to Margaret and her work place, I think it is equally possible that he had no connection to Margaret and her work place. One of the things I remember an officer quoting the killer was that she was GOING TO receive a promotion (making it sound like her promotion was to be kept a secret and had not happened yet). However, this originally came from the killer to Amy to classmate to police so exactly what the killer said may not be verbatim. I think it is also possible he had only been to Bay Village a few times.

I liked how the police chief said they are consulting with labs in California. It sounds like she is just as committed to solving this case as Chief Spaetzel. I actually was going to send in a tip that they should try working with an "M-Vac" Evidence Collection | Ryan Forensic
as it is much more likely to pick up trace DNA. They should try this on all of Amy's clothes.

Who thinks this man living in Florida is really responsible?
Police don't seem so sure. I would at least try to get a warrant for his place and maybe they would at least find Amy's missing items.
If he really did it, I hope he is brought to justice before it is too late.
 
mothwings said:
Although it is possible the killer had some connection to Margaret and her work place, I think it is equally possible that he had no connection to Margaret and her work place. One of the things I remember an officer quoting the killer was that she was GOING TO receive a promotion (making it sound like her promotion was to be kept a secret and had not happened yet). However, this originally came from the killer to Amy to classmate to police so exactly what the killer said may not be verbatim. I think it is also possible he had only been to Bay Village a few times.

I liked how the police chief said they are consulting with labs in California. It sounds like she is just as committed to solving this case as Chief Spaetzel. I actually was going to send in a tip that they should try working with an "M-Vac" Evidence Collection | Ryan Forensic
as it is much more likely to pick up trace DNA. They should try this on all of Amy's clothes.

Who thinks this man living in Florida is really responsible?
Police don't seem so sure. I would at least try to get a warrant for his place and maybe they would at least find Amy's missing items.
If he really did it, I hope he is brought to justice before it is too late.
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Re Amy's mom's promotion, her mom actually had just received a promotion. The killer told Amy he worked with her mom and was taking her on a shopping trip to a big mall to buy her mom a gift. Since Amy knew her mom was getting a promotion, she went along with the ruse. It's also possible, JMO, that the killer was fishing for info and Amy told him about her mom's promotion.

Yes, the new chief sounded very optimistic they would eventually solve this case. She said the DNA testing technology was improving rapidly. Re the guy in FL, IANAL, but there probably isn't enough probable cause for a judge to grant a search warrant to search his things for any evidence of the crime. JMO I hope they've tried the MVac.

ETA: It was interesting to read about Amy's conversation when she called her mom the last time. Her mom was suspicious because she gave her short, one word answers to her questions, when she was normally very chatty. I wonder if Amy felt in danger at that point? Maybe she wasn't calling from a pay phone at a local mall? Either way, the killer knew (or got Amy to tell him) when her brother would get home from school and knew he had to make Amy call her mom before she became suspicious. LE said that bought the killer an hour of time before police were called.
 
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Betty P said:
Re Amy's mom's promotion, her mom actually had just received a promotion. The killer told Amy he worked with her mom and was taking her on a shopping trip to a big mall to buy her mom a gift. Since Amy knew her mom was getting a promotion, she went along with the ruse. It's also possible, JMO, that the killer was fishing for info and Amy told him about her mom's promotion.
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This is interesting because law enforcement in that Lake Erie Murders doc said it wasn't "really a promotion. She had gone from full time to part time". Which is kind of a promotion? I'm just thinking that it is just possible that the killer had the promotion idea in mind prior to talking to Amy and didn't know anything about her mom other than what research he could have done prior to the kidnapping. This ruse would probably would work on a lot of the girls the killer was calling over those past few months. If this man was connected to Margaret's employer, I'm surprised this case hasn't been solved because police would have such a narrow POI list. It also seemed in the doc that police could not confirm for sure that it had to do with Margaret's work place and looked in a lot of other directions. The killer using this ruse might have done exactly what he wanted the police to do—throw them off in a different direction. Fits with his meticulous MO. JMO
 
Betty P said:
ETA: It was interesting to read about Amy's conversation when she called her mom the last time. Her mom was suspicious because she gave her short, one word answers to her questions, when she was normally very chatty. I wonder if Amy felt in danger at that point? Maybe she wasn't calling from a pay phone at a local mall? Either way, the killer knew (or got Amy to tell him) when her brother would get home from school and knew he had to make Amy call her mom before she became suspicious. LE said that bought the killer an hour of time before police were called.
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I think Amy may have realized that it wasn't about the present at that point but MAY have not realized she was in danger. I can see the killer wanting to spend more time with Amy and making some excuse to prolong their time together (i.e. going to a better store). I think Amy did not want to get in trouble and didn't want her family to know how she had placed such trust in a complete stranger (not that they couldn't have seen each other and talked at some point before like the whole Nature Center offered just as an example).

She may have thought she could take advantage of the time frame—get the present, ditch the creep and get home all without her mom and dad knowing.
 
mothwings said:
I think Amy did not want to get in trouble
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I think you hit on a reason. At that point she may have been afraid she had made a mistake in going with this man, but still thought she could deal with it. Either she thought she could get out of it, or she was truly afraid by then.

Who Killed Amy?

Timeline

3:00 pm
Amy last seen by others at Bay Square Shopping Center

3:14 pm
Amy's brother called his mom at work to tell her Amy was not home. Mom thought she might have a meeting after school and told him to call back if she wasn't home

3:30 pm
Amy's brother called mom again and said she still wasn't home. Mom is a little suspicious and starts getting her things together to go home

3:40 pm
Amy calls her mom from payphone. Mom thinks she's calling from home. Brief conversation, Amy only gave one word answers. Robert Ressler says killer was right there, knew he had to make her call. More complicated, personal and well planned than most child abductions.

Approx 4:00 pm
Mom is still suspicious, packs up and goes home

4:30 pm
After arriving home, mom searches the house and gets back in her car to start looking for Amy. Sees her bike abandoned at the Middle School. Drives a few blocks to the Bay police station, reports her missing. Bay officers pick up on it and start investigating

5:14 pm
Bay PD issues first bulletin to other PD's in the area with description of Amy, telling them they think she's been abducted - Westlake, Rocky River, Fairview Park, Avon Lake. (JMO, he may have taken her to Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted, south of Bay).

6:00 pm
Amy's dad arrives home from business trip, learns Amy is missing, goes to police station. Meets with officers and FBI, begin search

7:00 pm
Massive search begins. Amy's dad goes with a large group of officers to Cahoon Creek, near the Middle School, and walks it all the way to Lake Erie, searching for Amy along the way.


It all happened very fast, but the killer had a plan. He had figured it all out.
 
Hello everyone, this is my first time posting on this site. I just finished watching the ID docuseries on this case and, maybe I missed it, did they ever pinpoint with certainty where the phone calls came from? I was 13 in 1989 and remember many pay phones having phone numbers. I’m certain they must have had the technology to either trace the call from Amy’s phone to a specific phone number/location or search phone calls made to Amy’s house using nearby pay phones (if they were certain it was a pay phone). Did the phone company ever give them that information considering this was the preferred MO for this perp? And I know this may come across as silly now, but wasn’t *69 a thing back then? This was just bugging me the whole time watching the show. The phone call is the thing!
 
Becky_GQ said:
Hello everyone, this is my first time posting on this site. I just finished watching the ID docuseries on this case and, maybe I missed it, did they ever pinpoint with certainty where the phone calls came from? I was 13 in 1989 and remember many pay phones having phone numbers. I’m certain they must have had the technology to either trace the call from Amy’s phone to a specific phone number/location or search phone calls made to Amy’s house using nearby pay phones (if they were certain it was a pay phone). Did the phone company ever give them that information considering this was the preferred MO for this perp? And I know this may come across as silly now, but wasn’t *69 a thing back then? This was just bugging me the whole time watching the show. The phone call is the thing!
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Hi! According to Google, one article I found says *69 came out in 1995, the other said 1992. I guess it wasn’t a thing in the 80’s.
 
Becky_GQ said:
Hello everyone, this is my first time posting on this site. I just finished watching the ID docuseries on this case and, maybe I missed it, did they ever pinpoint with certainty where the phone calls came from? I was 13 in 1989 and remember many pay phones having phone numbers. I’m certain they must have had the technology to either trace the call from Amy’s phone to a specific phone number/location or search phone calls made to Amy’s house using nearby pay phones (if they were certain it was a pay phone). Did the phone company ever give them that information considering this was the preferred MO for this perp? And I know this may come across as silly now, but wasn’t *69 a thing back then? This was just bugging me the whole time watching the show. The phone call is the thing!
Click to expand...

Welcome Becky GQ!

No it wasn't possible to trace the call then. The call was made locally, from a pay phone, so it didn't retain a record.
 
Betty P said:
Welcome Becky GQ!

No it wasn't possible to trace the call then. The call was made locally, from a pay phone, so it didn't retain a record.
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thank you, Betty. I guess I find it difficult to believe they couldn’t get or track that information during those times. Our old phone bills used to have all calls - incoming and outgoing - listed. Caller ID had already been invented then (not all states participated, though) so it doesn’t seem out of the realm of reality that they could’ve located the phone lines used to make the phone calls.
 
Becky_GQ said:
thank you, Betty. I guess I find it difficult to believe they couldn’t get or track that information during those times. Our old phone bills used to have all calls - incoming and outgoing - listed. Caller ID had already been invented then (not all states participated, though) so it doesn’t seem out of the realm of reality that they could’ve located the phone lines used to make the phone calls.
Click to expand...

Yes its very frustrating, but there was no record.
IIRC it was because the calls were made from pay phones. Amy's case was, and still is, investigated by some of the top investigators at the FBI, so if there were some records they could have retrieved, they would have found them. It's a question that comes up frequently, I think.

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