MI MI, Calumet - Karl Heikell,11, Disappeared on walk, Remains found in nearby woods 1 yr. later, 31 Oct. 1981, *Librarian revived case, New Initiative*

[dotr]

Lawrence and Pat Heikell holding up a photo of missing son KarlDaily Mining Gazette

Lengthy article.
Oct. 29, 2022 rbbm.
By Sarah Portney

Michigan librarian dedicated to 41-year-old Halloween cold case

11-year-old Karl Heikell told his parents he was going for a walk in Calumet, Michigan. He never returned home.

www.nbcnews.com

''On October 31, 1981, 11-year-old Karl Heikell told his parents he was going out for a walk in his town of Calumet, Michigan. The boy never returned home. A year later, evidence of his remains would be found in the nearby woods.

Forty years later, locals in the town of Calumet are still wondering what happened that Halloween night in 1981.


Now, after all these years, a local librarian is trying to bring the case back into the minds of Calumet residents. Dillon Geshel lives in Chassell, Michigan, just a few miles from Calumet. About 10 years ago, he heard a story that he could not believe.''

In an interview with Dateline, Dillon said he was told this story by a fellow library employee. “So the story was there was someone who moved to the Calumet area for a new job,” Dillon said. “They had a 40-acre plot of land that they were going to use to hunt on. The very first night he was up in a tree stand and he could hear a boy crying in the forest. When he would turn his floodlight on to look around, the crying would stop. Likewise, when he shut the light off, he could hear more crying. He felt like, at times, the crying was maybe getting closer to him.”

Dillon continued. “So this person apparently approached local librarians with this story to say, ‘Can you help me find out if anything strange happened on my property in the past?’”

Dillon said that it was on a return visit to the library that the person read Michigan Tech University’s archives about a child who went missing and was later found on his property.

Dillon’s curiosity was piqued immediately. “So I went to the Michigan Tech University’s archives and pulled the vertical file on missing persons in Michigan's Upper Peninsula,” Dillon said. “And sure enough, I found newspaper clippings about Karl Heikell going missing.”

The young librarian was eager to learn more about this local mystery. “So I put in Freedom of Information Act requests to the state police to get their files and looked to other Upper Peninsula libraries to find some more newspaper clippings,” Dillon said.

As he read through the documents, the decades-old story began to unfold…''

The detective told Dateline he is hoping to close the case. “It's not cold in my opinion anymore,” he said. “I would call it warm.”

After all this time, Dillon Geshel is hoping that his work will help uncover more answers about the boy who went missing all those years ago.

He has compiled the information he’s gathered into a website that details the case.''

''Patty is hoping that the recent interest in her brother’s case brought on by Dillon Geshel’s work will lead to answers. “Over the past 40 years, my parents -- they found out where my brother was at,” she said. “But they don't know what happened to him. So there was never really closure at all,” she said. “Give my mom some peace.”

If you have information about the disappearance and death of Karl Heikell, contact Detective Sergeant Cleary of the Michigan State Police Calumet Post at 906-337-5145''

 

[dotr]

Excellent info. at site.

The Case — Halloween 1981: An Investigation and Archive

www.halloween1981.com

''On October 31, 1981, 11 year old Karl Heikell left his home in Centennial Heights, Michigan between 4:00pm and 4:30pm, after telling his father he was going for a walk. Karl told one of his sister’s he was going to a “drinking party” as he left the house. The next day, Karl's parents contacted the police because he didn't return home. Despite many possible sightings of the boy in the coming days, and an investigation that included volunteer ground searches, tracking dogs, helicopter and plane flyovers, police could not find Karl for nearly a year.

Karl's remains were discovered on October 2, 1982 in a wooded area about .5 miles northeast of his home in Centennial Heights. All that remained was torn clothing, tufts of hair and two bone fragments. The cause of death and the specific circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown''.

.........
''Loretta Blau tells police she saw Karl walking by Row Oil Co., which is near Harter’s Party Store, at 1pm on October 31, 1981.

A store employee claims that children came into the store on October 31, 1981 saying they were scared; that an older man with a mask was following them around in a car.

John Hella, who knew Karl Heikell and was familiar with the boy through his father, Lawrence (Larry) Heikell, is positive he saw and spoke with Karl at Harter’s Party store on October 31, 1981, sometime after 6PM. Hella, Alan Palovaara’s employer at the time, also notes that Alan often browsed paperback books in Harter’s Store.''

Harter’s Party store is still open, located at the corner of Sixth and Pine Streets.

 

[Laughing]

11 year old plus drinking party? Hhhmmm.

Hope their work pays off!

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Ozoner]

11 year old plus drinking party? Hhhmmm.

Hope their work pays off!

jmho ymmv lrr

I know what you mean. I don't think that there's much of a mystery here.

I visited Calumet for a couple of days many years ago. It was the end of August, but it was already extremely cold at night.

I don't know what the low temperature was on October 31st, 1981, but I can see Calumet as being an area where someone could easily die of exposure on the first night outdoors. An eleven-year-old who had been drinking would be very vulnerable.

I suspect that he got lost or simply passed out while walking home. If someone did host an underage drinking party, then it is likely that there are multiple people who are still living who could provide information.

 

[dotr]

The Case — Halloween 1981: An Investigation and Archive

www.halloween1981.com

rbbm.

'Persons of Note'
''Alan Palovaara is the only person that police refer to as a possible suspect in the death of Karl Heikell. He grew up on 3rd street in the Centennial Heights area and lived at various locations therein as an adult.

Police first began exploring Alan as a possible suspect after a Copper Country Mental Health (CCMH) Social Worker contacted police in August of 1984. The social worker reported that Alan contacted CCMH for support with a personal problem. In his initial phone call with CCMH, Alan revealed that he had sexually abused his sons from the time they were approximately 5 or 6 years old until they were 10 or 11, from around 1972 - 1977. This social worker also shared with police that Alan’s ex-wife, Jane Palovaara, told him there was some chance that he may have been involved in the death of Karl Heikell.''

''Alan worked steadily for Paul Heikell Sr., Karl's uncle, and various other owners at the Mr. Radiator transmission shop located at the corner of Pine and 5th streets in Calumet in 1984. Alan was employed here at the time of Heikell's disappearance, although the shop was at that time located two blocks over, at the corner of 3rd and Pine streets.''

 

[Richard]

41 years ago...

In the early evening of October 31, 1981, Karl told his parents he was going out for a walk. As it grew dark, and Karl had not yet returned home, Karls family began to worry. Patty told Dateline her little brother was terrified of the dark. That child was definitely afraid of the dark, Patty said. He slept on our sofa in the living room because the street lamp was shining through the window. He wouldn’t sleep upstairs in the bedroom because it was dark.

When Karl still hadn't returned home the next morning, his family reported him missing to the Michigan State Police...

LINK:

https://thedailycable.co/10/30/general-news/626409/karl-heikell-michigan-cold-case-warming-up-decades-later/

 

[Ozoner]

The Case — Halloween 1981: An Investigation and Archive

www.halloween1981.com

rbbm.

'Persons of Note'
''Alan Palovaara is the only person that police refer to as a possible suspect in the death of Karl Heikell. He grew up on 3rd street in the Centennial Heights area and lived at various locations therein as an adult.

Police first began exploring Alan as a possible suspect after a Copper Country Mental Health (CCMH) Social Worker contacted police in August of 1984. The social worker reported that Alan contacted CCMH for support with a personal problem. In his initial phone call with CCMH, Alan revealed that he had sexually abused his sons from the time they were approximately 5 or 6 years old until they were 10 or 11, from around 1972 - 1977. This social worker also shared with police that Alan’s ex-wife, Jane Palovaara, told him there was some chance that he may have been involved in the death of Karl Heikell.''

''Alan worked steadily for Paul Heikell Sr., Karl's uncle, and various other owners at the Mr. Radiator transmission shop located at the corner of Pine and 5th streets in Calumet in 1984. Alan was employed here at the time of Heikell's disappearance, although the shop was at that time located two blocks over, at the corner of 3rd and Pine streets.''

"Alan’s ex-wife, Jane Palovaara, told him there was some chance that he may have been involved in the death of Karl Heikell."

That's pretty vague. It isn't clear from that article whether the ex-wife had evidence or just a hunch.

Maybe Palovaara lured the boy by inviting him to a drinking party that didn't exist; maybe Heikell arrived to find that Palovaara was the only one there.

It's a pity that the boy's remains weren't found sooner. If the body had been found while it was still intact, then perhaps a cause of death could have been determined. As it stands, there's no realistic chance of proving that a murder occurred (and I'm not convinced that one did).

 

[cenazoic]

In November 1983, at the request of Karl’s mother, the facts and order of Karl’s death were published. The cause of death was listed as hypothermia.

1 - how could that be determined from partial bone fragments?

2 - in 1984, the police changed the classification of the case to homicide. Why?

 

[I Survived]

Only my two cents. Karl was abused in an isolated place, then left here. Trying to come back home, he died because of the cold.

 

[dotr]

One scenario i could imagine, is that KH was lured by bullies or a perv to a so-called drinking party near the woods, something bad happened and he was chased, or he ran into the woods to hide.

Maybe he waited till he thought it was safe to leave, but by then it was dark, and KH was afraid and lost,
so he cries himself to sleep and succumbs to hyperthermia.
imo, speculation.

 

[cenazoic]

I’m wondering how they could make a determination of hypothermia based on some bone fragments, not how he may have come to die via that reason.

 

[Nina Michigan]

I have an episode coming out about this case in a few weeks.

 

[Richard]

The story related to Librarian Dillon Geshel (see first post in the is thread) is an interesting possible clue.

The source of the story is said to be another library employee who claimed to have been hunting from a tree stand on or about 31 October 1981 when he heard the sounds of crying in the woods near-by. He mentions using a flashlight to try to locate the source of the crying.

31 October 1981 fell on a Saturday and sunset would have occurred about 5:50 pm, with visible twilight lasting for perhaps an additional 30 minutes (depending on cloud cover and moon phase).

Whitetail deer are often hunted from tree stands - other types of game are usually not hunted that way. In Michigan the firearms deer season always begins on 15 November- but bow season begins in September. Legal hunting hours are from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.

So it seems that the Bow hunter/librarian's account fits the case in a reasonable way. This would have placed him in his tree stand as late as about 6:20 pm or a little later - at which time he would have needed a flashlight to see in the woods.

A question begs asking: How far was the wooded area in question from last known/reported sightings of Karl? Could he have walked there in the time frame - or was he transported there? Was it anywhere near or on the way to another possible destination?

Another question might be: Did any potential suspects have a connection or previous familiarity to the area where Karl's body was found?

 

[Nina Michigan]

The story related to Librarian Dillon Geshel (see first post in the is thread) is an interesting possible clue.

The source of the story is said to be another library employee who claimed to have been hunting from a tree stand on or about 31 October 1981 when he heard the sounds of crying in the woods near-by. He mentions using a flashlight to try to locate the source of the crying.

31 October 1981 fell on a Saturday and sunset would have occurred about 5:50 pm, with visible twilight lasting for perhaps an additional 30 minutes (depending on cloud cover and moon phase).

Whitetail deer are often hunted from tree stands - other types of game are usually not hunted that way. In Michigan the firearms deer season always begins on 15 November- but bow season begins in September. Legal hunting hours are from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.

So it seems that the Bow hunter/librarian's account fits the case in a reasonable way. This would have placed him in his tree stand as late as about 6:20 pm or a little later - at which time he would have needed a flashlight to see in the woods.

A question begs asking: How far was the wooded area in question from last known/reported sightings of Karl? Could he have walked there in the time frame - or was he transported there? Was it anywhere near or on the way to another possible destination?

Another question might be: Did any potential suspects have a connection or previous familiarity to the area where Karl's body was found?

I believe that the person with the tree stand was hearing (or claiming to have heard) a ghost. They came to the library to investigate their land's history.

 

[Richard]

I believe that the person with the tree stand was hearing (or claiming to have heard) a ghost. They came to the library to investigate their land's history.

That was not clear in the post. I thought it was about a hunter actually witnessing an incident taking place in real time.

A coyote or fox can sometimes sound like a human in distress. They become active and vocal just about sunset.

 

[Nina Michigan]

That was not clear in the post. I thought it was about a hunter actually witnessing an incident taking place in real time.

A coyote or fox can sometimes sound like a human in distress. They become active and vocal just about sunset.

I talked to Dillon G a couple of days ago ahead of interviewing him for the podcast. The interaction at the library with the landowner definitely happened more recently, not back in 81.

 

[Richard]

I talked to Dillon G a couple of days ago ahead of interviewing him for the podcast. The interaction at the library with the landowner definitely happened more recently, not back in 81.

Understood that the interaction at the library was recent, but when did the alleged incident in the woods occur?

If the hunter could be named, checking land records could confirm if and when he owned the property.

 

[Nina Michigan]

Based on his website, he started working on Karl's story in 2014. So I would place the landowners visit/incident in the woods no earlier than 2013.

 

[dotr]

Police report.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62bf1e95c67a302bc68441b6/t/6334eb29db67315c6186bcff/1664412461712/doc000-220223223047-1-1.pdf

<modsnip - not an approved source>

 

[Nina Michigan]

I did an episode about the case which includes an interview with Dillon Geshel, the creator of the website about the case - the death of Karl Heikell - Already Gone Podcast