OH OH - Michael Klitch, 12, Grandview Heights, 28 June 1971

[margarita25]

:bump:

 

[mikkismom]

Someone mentioned RR tracks by the tennis courts. I tried to follow the tracks on a current map and got nowhere... I remembered that there is a 'Rails-to-Trails' section that follows Route 3. I used to take Worthington Road to Plumb Rd. to Route 3 to avoid all of the rush hour traffic going north.

Here is the map of one of the trails from an old rail bed. http://dcft.typepad.com/genoatrail/

I know the tracks were there until at least the late 70s because I know someone who walked the tracks as a shortcut to get home.

jmo

ETA - not sure if link works. If not try this one: http://www.ohiobikeways.net/gmap.htm (Genoa Trail)

 

[nerosleuth]

Here's a new map that shows the location of the railroad tracks in Grandview Heights.





The blue dot is where Michael Dean Klitch lived.

The black dot is the high rise apartments.

The red dot is the tennis courts where Michael Dean Klitch was last seen.

The purple dot is the swimming pool.

The green line is the possible route that Michael Dean Klitch may have took when he walked from his home to the tennis courts.

The yellow line is the location from the tennis courts to the swimming pool and the route Michael's mother would have took to drive from the tennis courts to the swimming pool.

Looking at the red dot where the tennis courts are, you can see that the railroad tracks are right behind the tennis courts.

 

[nerosleuth]

Here are two maps of the railroads in the Columbus area.




On the color map, the blue dot is where Michael Dean Klitch lived and the red dot is the tennis courts where he was last seen.

Take a look at the set of railroad tracks which is the Buckeye Rail yard located north of I-70 and west of I-270 between Trabue Road and Roberts Road on the far west side of Columbus.

The Buckeye Rail Yard is approximately 5 miles from where Michael Dean Klitch was last seen in Grandview Heights.






The black and white map is a December 1969 Penn Central Railroad Map of all the railroads operating in the Columbus area back then.

 

[nerosleuth]

Here is a link to see the street view of Goodale Boulevard and Urlin Avenue in Grandview Heights.

I don't think that area has changed much over the years, but it will give you an idea of what the area looks like where Michael Dean Klitch was last seen at the tennis courts.


https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Goodale+Boulevard+%26+Urlin+Ave+Columbus,+OH&hl=en&ll=39.976686,-83.050719&spn=0.000016,0.006899&sll=39.976684,-83.050648&layer=c&cbp=13,72.34,,0,5.57&cbll=39.976686,-83.050719&hnear=Goodale+Blvd+%26+Urlin+Ave,+Grandview+Heights,+Ohio&t=m&z=17&iwloc=A&panoid=UiZE2eX3a1k0Kn-wvFtSaQ


And here is the link to see the street view of Africa Road and Plumb Road in Delaware County.

When you drag the cursor on Africa Road in street view, you will see the dirt road that is near Africa Road and Plumb Road.


https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Africa+Road+%26+Plumb+Road+Galena,+OH&hl=en&ll=40.209983,-82.949792&spn=0.000016,0.006899&sll=40.209983,-82.949793&layer=c&cbp=13,138.62,,0,39.53&cbll=40.209984,-82.949794&hnear=Africa+Rd+%26+Plumb+Rd,+Galena,+Ohio&t=h&z=17&iwloc=A&panoid=-YACyWZqhv8UGuI1oYz89g

 

[nerosleuth]

Here's some info from the Columbus newspapers about the old wooden tool shack where the body of Michael Dean Klitch was found.

The shack did not burn down to the ground. One side of the shack wall and some of the shack floor had been scorched.

The Delaware County Sheriff told reporters at the crime scene that the shack would have burned to the ground if gasoline or another type of fuel had been used to burn the body.

A week after the body had been found in the old wooden tool shack, another ground search was conducted by LE in the area near the shack. Two cans of charcoal lighter fluid were found nearby in the tall weeds.

The Columbus newspapers also reported that one resident who lived in the area near the shack recalled seeing a light green Chevrolet turn in that area late one night.

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Probably goes without saying. But they mentioned he was in a hurry to leave and dropped the ball. He could have been abducted while he was leaving and dropped the ball.

 

[nerosleuth]

From what I was able to understand from the 1971 Columbus newspaper articles, the floor and wall boards from the wooden shack, and the two cans were taken to the state crime lab. The newspaper articles didn't mention any brand names from the two cans or if the cans were new or old cans.

The Columbus newspaper articles from 1971 also mentioned that there weren't any ransom demand for Michael Dean Klitch during the time the youth was missing.

In a January 1993 Columbus Dispatch article, a Delaware County law enforcement officer who investigated the Klitch murder case on and off since 1971 was retiring after a 34 year law enforcement career.

The retiring lawman revealed believed that any potential clues that the killer may have left behind were washed away by rain before the boy's body was found. It was also revealed that investigators were not able to determine who had committed the murder.

 

[Satch]

Not to give them any credit, but the killer was possibly smart enough to know that the place where they dumped Michael would be indefinitely underwater in the near future.

This is heartbreaking!

Where could his body have been placed before being found in that shed, that would be an underwater location later on? What lakes and rivers and in that area? I have a horrifying feeling that Mike could have been abducted by surprise and very quickly with his tennis ball still at the court, as well as the description stating that he was not comfortable around new places or people. His abductor and killer probably sought to take advantage of Mike presumably being alone.

Were their ever any leads or suspects in his case?

Satch

 

[bflocket]

The Scioto River is fairly close. That is where Alum/Walnut creeks (the water from the reservoir) eventually winds up, then going to the Ohio River.
The Olentangy River is nearby.
The "big" rivers that are somewhat close are Great Miami River and Little Miami River.
The Ohio River is a bit further south, but it's where area water eventually drains to.

Deliverance and this case gave me something to think about...
Are there any people in clandestine graves buried (far) beneath any of my local reservoirs?
I know there were cemeteries moved when they made Taylorsville Lake nearby when I was a kid, but murderers/etc don't usually use "official" burial grounds.

 

[Satch]

I found a website on Mike's case,

It's the Office of the Attorney General in Ohio's list of cases. But when you go to it, it takes forever and a day to load because there are so many cases on the page. There is a case description of Michael Klitch there. However, to get to it, because the site never stops loading, you have to use the Find Text in your browser, and type in "Klitch." There are four matches on the page that included the following:

1.) A Huge picture of Mike like a school portrait or something that I can't resize
2.) A description of his disappearance and the horror of his remains being found, this includes a time-line of approximately when he may have been killed.
3.) Another picture (Very emotional) of Mike playing tennis and bending down to pick up a tennis ball
4.) A link for tips.

It's hard to get to because the site is constantly loading up pictures of other cases. Not just Mike's. The page "loads" (moves) making it very hard to navigate. This is in Firefox 32. Maybe someone with good photo cropping software and editing skills could bring Mike's information from that site to here? (Or try a different browser?)

http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides

I found (and lost) another bit on Mike's case Google Searching. It is a bi-line from Columbus Ohio Dispatch articles about Mike's case. You can't read the articles, you have to contact the office to get them. I assume fees may apply.

Satch

 

[bessie]

Satch, see post #7. I included the photo and info from the Ohio AG's site, with a direct link to Mike's page.

 

[Veidt]

Nerosleuth linked me to this case. For now, I have some thoughts on this that I figured I'd share.

When I started reading, something that jumped out at me was where Michael's belongings were found. They were found in an illegal trash dump near the shed. How big was this dump? Was it a large one or more like a small ditch where people would toss stuff if they were passing by? What kind of items would be there? I find it really strange that whoever did it didn't bother trying to burn those items, especially when there was clearly a search for Michael going on that seems to have gotten some publicity. It makes me wonder why and makes me think that perhaps the illegal trash dump wasn't used often (or they could have been noticed earlier). I also wonder why the gasoline cans weren't dumped in there as well.

Another thing I find strange is that Michael's body was charred and the corpse was partially burned. It seems like the day Michael disappeared was a very hot day, it was in the summertime too. I'm guessing the following days were equally hot. I'll try to look up the weather for those days, as well as rain fall. I'm saying this because I find it strange that the fire didn't spread to the whole shed and especially to the vegetation around the shed, which seems like it was very dense. My guess is that the killer was trying to burn Michael's body, maybe the fire got out of control a bit but they put it out to avoid drawing attention.

The fact that Michael didn't leave a note before leaving home seems strange but I think it's probably because he'd already told his mother where he was going to be.

There are some questions I have. I don't know if anyone here can answer them at all but they're questions I think are worth asking:
* How frequented were the roads like the one near the shed? I'm guessing they were quite isolated. Were they something only locals would know about? Would they be easy to find otherwise?
* How spread out were the properties on the site?
* Was it well-known that the area would be submerged soon?
* How many people were still living in the area? Was anyone still living in the property that had been recently sold? Any reports of anyone squatting? We know there was the neighbor who saw a car and the family who found Michael's body.
* Would there be any other people who could be very familiar with the area? Say, people working for property-owners, people who did work related to the forest, even people who did work related to the dam and who would know the terrain well?

 

[Satch]

Is it also known who among Mike's family is still living?

There is almost nothing on his case concerning suspects or leads, especially in compared to other unsolved crimes.

Satch

 

[Satch]

Below is a link to the Grandview Heights City Recreation Park Directory in Ohio,

http://www.grandviewheights.org/index.aspx?nid=88

Post #25 has Google Maps and a Street View of the Tennis Courts were Mike Klitch was last seen.

Satch

 

[Satch]

At the time that Michael Dean Klitch left home on the afternoon of June 28, 1971, the temperature at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon was 93 degrees with a heat index of 96 degrees.


http://www.wunderground.com/history...tml?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

That would explain why Michael was the only person at the tennis court that afternoon and why it was empty when his mother arrived to pick him up that afternoon.

Thanks for that weather information,

Seemingly too hot to be playing tennis with a heat index of almost 100 degrees. Oh this poor kid! With his tennis ball being at the court and Mike not found of new people I have two theories of what could have happened to him:

1.) He was grabbed from behind, possibly when he was about to leave, or abducted by force some other way. You wonder as he was not found of new people or situations, did he scream? Did he try to run away?

2.) The other theory is that his abductor tried to charm him, saw he was hot and uncomfortable, perhaps offering him a ride home, which lead to tragedy. I think Mike would be very apprehensive of strangers, so my first guess I think is more likely.

When I was looking for information on Mike's case I recall reading about some unsolved cases in and around Ohio over a ten year period of time. I wish I could find the exact site that had this information. How many other unsolved disappearances and/or murders existed in Ohio from say 1971-1981 near the area were Mike Klitch was last seen?

It seems that from what I have read, it can be inferred that Mike's killer was familiar with the area.

Hope for some closure!

Satch

 

[nerosleuth]

Were their ever any leads or suspects in his case?

According to the Columbus newspaper articles from July 1971, law enforcement authorities focused their investigation on sex deviates as possible suspects.

A Columbus newspaper article from late August 1971 reported that the murder investigation had turned cold. The article reported that investigators didn’t have any suspects and investigators had run out of leads as many people had been eliminated as suspects.

And in a Columbus newspaper article from January 1993, the Delaware County lawman who was retiring after a 34 year law enforcement career and was the lead investigator in the Klitch murder case revealed that all leads that they had received over the years had been checked into but didn’t pan out.

When I was looking for information on Mike's case I recall reading about some unsolved cases in and around Ohio over a ten year period of time. I wish I could find the exact site that had this information.

How many other unsolved disappearances and/or murders existed in Ohio from say 1971-1981 near the area were Mike Klitch was last seen?

It was the Marvin Lee “Beau” King thread on Websleuths that mentioned the unsolved cases involving boys of similar ages who were abducted and murdered along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio from 1970 to 1980.

Here are the other unsolved murders along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio from 1970 to 1980.

October 3, 1970 Indianapolis, Indiana
Victim: Jerry Michael Bayles Junior, age 10, of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Jerry Michael Bayles Junior does not have a thread on Websleuths, but there is a memorial website that has details about his cold murder case.

http://jerrymichaelbayles.weebly.com/


January 25, 1973 Springfield, Ohio
Victim: Marvin Lee “Beau” King, age 12, of Springfield, Ohio

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ot-Beau-quot-King-12-Clark-County-25-Jan-1973


January 7, 1980 Columbus, Ohio
Victim: William “Bill” Comeans, age 14, of Columbus, Ohio.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-Jan-1980-Family-Seeks-Info-thru-Social-Media

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...an-1980-Family-Seeks-Info-thru-Social-Media-2

 

[nerosleuth]

Is it also known who among Mike's family is still living?

I believe his parents and siblings are still living.

I have two theories of what could have happened to him:

1.) He was grabbed from behind, possibly when he was about to leave, or abducted by force some other way. You wonder as he was not fond of new people or situations, did he scream? Did he try to run away?

2.) The other theory is that his abductor tried to charm him, saw he was hot and uncomfortable, perhaps offering him a ride home, which lead to tragedy.

I think Mike would be very apprehensive of strangers, so my first guess I think is more likely.

You have two very good theories regarding how Michael Dean Klitch could have been abducted.

If he was grabbed from behind or abducted by force some other way, you have to wonder if the abduction was committed by one person or by two persons. You also have to wonder if chloroform was used in the abduction.

If it was an abductor that tried to charm him, you have to wonder if it was someone that Mike and his parents knew. Maybe a parent or an older sibling of his friends or his sibling’s friends, or someone from his neighborhood. I don’t think Mike would have accepted a ride from someone who was a complete stranger to him or his parents.

I agree with you that Mike would be very apprehensive of strangers, so I believe your first theory is the most likely scenario involving his abduction.

 

[nerosleuth]

I find it strange that the fire didn't spread to the whole shed and especially to the vegetation around the shed, which seems like it was very dense.

When Michael’s body was found, the Delaware County Sheriff told the news media reporters that if a more flammable liquid such as gasoline had been used, the whole shed would have burned to the ground.

Charcoal lighter fluid cans were found near the shed. Police investigators believed that charcoal lighter fluid was used to set Michael’s body ablaze.

Charcoal lighter fluid is generally used on outdoor grills for cooking food in the backyards or at picnics.

Something that jumped out at me was where Michael's belongings were found. They were found in an illegal trash dump near the shed. How big was this dump? Was it a large one or more like a small ditch where people would toss stuff if they were passing by?

There are some questions I have. I don't know if anyone here can answer them at all but they're questions I think are worth asking:

* How frequented were the roads like the one near the shed? I'm guessing they were quite isolated. Were they something only locals would know about? Would they be easy to find otherwise?

* How spread out were the properties on the site?

* Was it well-known that the area would be submerged soon?

* How many people were still living in the area? Was anyone still living in the property that had been recently sold? Any reports of anyone squatting? We know there was the neighbor who saw a car and the family who found Michael's body.

* Would there be any other people who could be very familiar with the area? Say, people working for property-owners, people who did work related to the forest, even people who did work related to the dam and who would know the terrain well?

I don’t know how big the dump was. From the pictures that appeared in the Columbus newspapers, the dump was a makeshift landfill at an abandoned quarry. The dirt road was a quarter of a mile or so away from the county roadway, so it wasn’t where you could toss stuff from your car as you were driving by.

The dirt road near the shed was quite isolated and barely noticeable from the county roadway. I believe the dump was known by those that either lived in or was familiar with that area. The county roadways in the Cheshire area of Delaware County are easily connected to U.S. Route 23, U.S. Route 36, and Ohio State Route 3.

Since it was a rural farmland area, I believe the properties were spread out back then.

It was well known from news media reports that a dam and a reservoir were being constructed in that area. The development planning, land acquisition, and construction of a dam and reservoir can take many years.

I don’t know about the squatting situation, but it was mentioned in the Columbus newspapers that many “rough” and “weird” looking strangers were often seen by area residents who lived nearby.

I believe there would be plenty of other people who didn’t live in but could be very familiar with the area. Since the area was rural farmland, there would be people working for property owners on their farms, people working for the utility company (electric, telephone, etc.), and people who did work related to the dam project.

Keep in mind that the shed and the dump where Michael Dean Klitch’s body was found happened to be at an old abandoned quarry. There would have been former quarry workers and people who knew that there was a quarry in that area.

 

[Satch]

I am not sure,

But if Mike's Dad was Richard Klitch, Richard was a very prominent tennis coach in the Ohio area. Here is an article about him:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...R_sjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SRIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2862,698237

It is from 2003.

If this is a relation, and I have almost no doubt it is, it is even more heartbreaking that Mike was abducted and killed simply doing something he likely enjoyed. Who knows? Maybe his Dad pushed him into tennis and Mike could have been reluctant, but my instinct is that Mike really enjoyed the game. Oh geez, I just thought of the article that talks about the special ball that his Dad gave him that was found at the court. Oh is this awful!!!


Satch