1949). ", And though most victims of child abuse know their attackers, when a child is killed, often it's at the hands of a stranger who has gone outside his safe zone. The details surrounding her disappearance and subsequent murder are a parent's worst nightmare. Dean Runkle. We knew in 2016, her dogs hair was on the curtain, but now knowing her hair is on them tells us more and is a lot stronger, explained Bay Village Det. Through Renners research and his own private investigation, Renner has produced what is by far the most valuable lead in Amys case so far. The latest update in the case is forensic testing of the one piece of evidence found with Amys bodya blanket that had been sewn into a curtain panel, found a few feet away from the body. Amy Mihaljevic's cause of death was determined to be homicide by stabbing. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Both witness accounts corroborated each other. Why do you think Amys body was recovered where it was? Amy Mihaljevic disappeared in 1989 when she was ten years old. The lengths that Joseph went to hide his real name and the longevity of his identity theft led them to speculate that he was a dangerous fugitive. Jason became concerned quickly and called his mother Margaret at work to ask where Amy was. Runkle is an interesting suspect for many reasons. Since Runkle is exceptionally well liked as a teacher by many former students, Renner became the subject of strong criticism, unlike anything he had faced from naming previous suspects, when he named Runkle. 2.1 Dean Runkle; 3 References; 4 Further reading; Amy Mihaljevic was 10 years old when she was abducted from the shopping plaza across the street from the police station in Bay Village, Ohio, on a sunny Friday afternoon in 1989. LP04 Assignment_Amy Mihaljevic Cold Case Investigation.pptx, The word abstinence most nearly means a to avoid b to embrace c to expunge d to, To the realist the real world is the physical world of the physical matter of, The objective functions also called cost functions used during optimization, Otitis media among children in Al-Ahsa.docx, Using outside vendors can reduce but not totally eliminate an organizations, Explorations in Media Arts, Section 75.pdf, In a combinational circuit the output at any time depends only on the at that, False Challenging Networking p 9 94 Research conducted by Luthans supports the, ISP550 Topic 8.1 UML Activity Diagram.pptx, Big Picture Concepts Exam 3 Matterial (1).docx, 3.4 - One variable calculus applications - producer's behavior.pdf, This is typically implemented using the processor specific functions called, ICS 2241 python conditional statement_draft.pptx, When were FASTag introduced In 2014 FASTags were set up as a key project in the, IMA FSA 230 The retained earnings statement a is the equity statement for a. "And it better be someone who cannot be linked to you, because when a child is abducted and murdered in this country, trouble will rain down upon you. Tag: Dean Runkle. someone shouts. Science teacher from the area, lived in Ashland County and grew up. Sometimes he talked about how his father beat him if he didn't finish dinner when he was younger. He said knowing where the curtain came from and who it belonged to is so important right now. But when Renner questioned other teachers and students, they all confirmed that this teacher, Dean Runkle, did in fact frequent the nature center. Further evidence that supports the fact that Amy was not this killers first victim is the phone call they allowed Amy to make to her mother at work around 3:30pm on the day she disappeared. I'd watch him put his left hand on her back and bend down to whisper in her ear. Searchers discovered Amy's body on February 9, 1990. But no one knows Runkle. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com, If youre interested in learning more about Amys case, please check out James Renners book about this case. New DNA results reveal Amys hair was on both items. Several students say they were invited back to Runkle's apartment after school. By the time police made this connection, the log book had vanished from the nature center. She was known for being a Person. Hes a suspect who looks good from a standpoint of circumstantial evidence, but when we need concrete evidence it all falls apart. BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (WOIO) - Nearly 32 years after her murder, theres a new clue in the Amy Mihaljevic case. News of the other suspicious phone calls in the area spread around, and suddenly, no children went anywhere alone. He knew her number, her address, the area where she lived, where her mother worked, and even the fact that the latter had recently earned a promotion. And though I've never seen him in person before, I recognize him immediately - not from the grainy 13-year-old newspaper photos but from the composite sketch of Amy's abductor. People will say that DR was odd in many ways (which he may have been), about how he abruptly left, gave excuses, and whatnot but leaving and not telling anyone why isnt a crime. The man also tried to lure the girl out of her house to go shopping for a gift for the girls mother. Mark remarried about six years after Amys disappearance in 1995. Your email address will not be published. The killer also must have been local at the time, having known about the corn field on the remote county road for disposal of Amys body. At the height of the stranger-danger era, 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic from Bay Village, OH, was abducted from the Bay Square Shopping Center on October 27, 1989. Four months later, her body was found in a corn field off a remote county highway. Police say that a man identified by his ex-girlfriend as a possible suspect in the death of Amy Mihaljevic told investigators he may have called the 10-year-old girl prior to her abduction . "He's one of those men who makes you feel uncomfortable when you're alone with them," she says. The curtain is incredibly unique and likely homemade. Ryan said the car followed him a ways until it pulled up beside him and the man inside slowly lowered his window. Unfortunately, what looked like a slam dunk case ended up fizzling out. Finally, police discovered a link between all the girls. Amy Renee Mihaljevic (December 11, 1978 - October 27, 1989) was an ten-year-old American elementary school student who was kidnapped and murdered in the U.S. state of Ohio in 1989. No mention of that investigation was contained in his personnel file. Friends said she never recovered from Amys death and the lack of solid leads in solving the case. We should also mention that a former student of Dean has publicly accused him of inappropriate contact. As it happens, the soup kitchen is scheduled to serve free lunch in a half-hour. During those delays, I learned that Runkle was that suspect. This interaction was seen by two separate witnesses, both fellow middle school students. She waits outside, standing on a bench, twirling around a pole, her head down. "His eyes popped out of his head. By Dateline NBC. Dean Runkle himself denies any involvement in the murder of Amy Mihaljevic and the FBI has never officially declared him a suspect. He was an eccentric teacher from the beginning. In 2002, during a Sunday Mass at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church on Lorain Road in Fairview Park, he announced that he was the one responsible for what happened to Amy. But don't tell her what we're doing. Amy was the subject of my first crime article - and my first book. Searchers discovered Amy's body on February 9, 1990. I remember when he saw one girl with a skirt that was way too short, he said, 'That's not appropriate, but I'm glad you wore it to my class.' Thursday marks 33 years since Amy was taken from a shopping plaza in Bay Village. Amy . Law Enforcement arranged a press conference and revealed new details on the Amy Mihaljevic case. Keeping all this in mind, only a handful of strong suspects remain. Some recognize him as a piano player in local bars, but these tips don't get me any closer. "Le FBI a enfin un suspect de premier plan dans le meurtre d'Amy Mihaljevic. I wasn't going to chance it because I didn't trust him based on his unfounded and mean spirited hatchet job on his personally manufactured suspect, Dean Runkle, in the Amy Mihaljevic case. She was never seen again. First Look: Campus Pollyeyes, Opening Next Week in Little Italy, Arthur Treacher's in Garfield Heights Reopened by New Owner Who Plans More Locations in Ohio. But what motivation could this man possibly have to lie to police during their investigation in 1989? Some credit him for inspiring them to become veterinarians or biologists. In 2018, officials announced that they were following a potential link between Joseph Newton Chandler III and the murder of Amy Mihaljevic. The offender is identified to be a white male. A couple hours later after no response, the Mihaljevics filed a missing persons report with the Bay Village Police Department. Ryan was terrified, said no thank you to the man and quickly ran away to school. As seen on the Oxygen mini-series The Disappearance of Maura MurrayWhen an eleven year old James Renner fell in love with Amy Mihaljevic, the missing girl seen on posters all over his neighborhood, it was the beginning of a lifelong obsession with true crime. Multiple witnesses say that he matches the man they saw . Powered by WordPress.com VIP. A search warrant for the suspects house was executed, but no evidence linking the man to Amy was found. It was dinnertime when I got there, and I quickly surveyed the room. He kept a cot in a side room and sometimes slept there overnight. Dan says their relationship was never physical. The sketch was released to the public, and soon the tips started pouring in. Sunday, July 18, 2010 . In 2001, Margaret Mihaljevic was found dead in her apartment. Friends of hers claim she slid into alcoholism. The FBI got involved in this case almost immediately to lend their resources to the Bay Village Police Department. They intend to keep it open for the next 30 years until it is solved. Puberty seems to be a very significant issue for many of these serial offenders.". Amy Mihaljevic disappeared on October 27, 1989. Thankfully, though, a few people noticed him with Amy that day, and so a sketch of what he looked like was made. She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and she later moved to a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Another girl, Maddie, sees this and thinks the boy might be picking on Amy, so she keeps an eye on both of them to make sure nothing happens. Mother, Laura Smith, and Boyfriend Arrested in Toddler, Julian Madera's Death/ deputies say 21-year-old Landon Broussard showed up to his grandmother's house, carrying the badly bruised, naked body of the 3-year-old boy. Suspects Dean Runkle Runkle most resembled the famous composite drawing made with the help of Amy's classmates who saw her at the shopping center on the day of her disappearance. Another angle is that this killer is toying with police. Amy Mihaljevics abduction and murder, unsolved, is still ongoing, and it seems as if the authorities will not stop until they bring the 10-year-old girl some justice by arresting and convicting her perpetrator/s. But when that approach doesn't work, they may resort to violence, "because they can't figure out another way to get the child to have sex with them. He told different stories to administrators and students, everything from eating bad food while on safari in Africa to contracting a blood disease after cutting his hand on coral. But Lanning can extrapolate some ideas about the man who killed Amy. Sure enough, all the employees there recognize Runkle's picture - he's a manager, but he's not working today. When he couldn't find a textbook up to his standards, he wrote his own and passed it out to the kids. Edit: Press conference just ended. Gold-colored fibers were found on Amy's body, according to the Ashland County coroner's file on the case. However, a few minutes after she hung up from Jason, Margaret received a call from Amy herself. By 1982, he had collected a 9-foot-long boa constrictor, a prairie dog named Susie, a tank of piranhas, a ferret, and countless hamsters, gerbils and mice. Were pursuing more so the angle of science now than we ever have in the past because DNA changes every couple of months, Elish said. Today, in his late 70s, he remains free and resides in Key West, Florida, where he works as a restaurant shift manager. According to Jason, for months and years after Amys disappearance, Margaret would do nothing but go to work, and then come home and barricade herself inside Amys room. INTERVIEW FOLLOW-UP The evidence is highly circumstantial toward Dean Runkle. Investigators said she was stabbed to death. By allowing her to make contact with her family, the killer bought themselves the precious hours they needed to commit the assault and murder before she was reported as a missing person to police. A couple thought they had. I ask him about Dan and he quickly became emotional. Cleveland newspaper reporter James Renner investigated Mihaljevic's murder case and concluded that a teacher named Dean Runkle should be viewed as a prime suspect. The report of a missing child from their own neighborhood frightened every soul in Bay Village. "I'm meeting a friend.". As an FBI agent on the case said, we have the beginning and the end of what happened to Amy M, but what we dont have is the middle piece. Lanning cites Ted Bundy, who is best known for raping college-aged women even though his last victim was 12 years old. Runkle also seemed to have volunteered in the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village at the time of the murder. As per our current Database, Amy Mihaljevic died on Oct 27, 1989 (age 10). Categories Posted Recently. He didnt seem to even know where he was. Amys case remains open to this day, and the Bay Village police have never let her case go cold in almost 30 years. "But I'm telling the truth when I say I don't remember being there.". The shopping center was located directly across the street from the school. This is a huge reason why I dont like DR as a suspect. Her body was found in Ashland County - about 50 miles away - a few months later. I suspect they preyed on school-age girls by attempting to lure them out shopping under the guise of getting gift for their mothers. There are no samples, according to Elish, currently being tested in a lab. Unfortunately the remote farmland surrounding Bay Village offers predators the perfect cover to abduct, assault, kill and dispose of their victims without attracting any attention at all. Published: Oct. 25, 2021 at 7:26 PM PDT. Renner parked his car and confronted Runkle. Runkle was born in New London and grew up in a farmhouse just a couple miles from where Amy's body was dumped, along County Road 1181. The witnesses described that he was within the average range for a males height, weight, and build, making him unremarkable in appearance. Runkle also seemed to have volunteered in the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village at the time of the murder. His hair, thick and bushy, fell on his forehead, just above his eyes, and he was probably in his mid-to-late 30s at the time. "I'm meeting someone," says Amy. I'm still going on the fact that Mr. Case knew everyone from that small town and he did not say that Dean Runkle was the man that was with the unknown child . I don't think unjust collateral damage matters to him if it is likely to enhance his readership and thus his profit. Two of Amys friends immediately told police they had met Amy at the Bay Village Shopping Center shortly after school ended. . He admitted he was a teacher at Amys middle school, but denied he had anything to do with the nature center. On the 31st anniversary of finding Amy's body, a woman (who remains unnamed), called the police to tell them that her ex-boyfriend, Dean Runkle, was a potential and most likely suspect of Amy . She loved horseback riding, and took riding lessons with her friends at a local horse ranch. But he remains free, managing a restaurant in Florida. What history do I have of inappropriate behavior with kids? Another key person of interest in Amy Mihaljevics disappearance and murder case is Richard Holbert, who, like a few others, has confessed to slaying Amy. Feeling like police never investigated the local nature center lead after the log book disappeared, Renner began his own investigation. While Im sure Renner has spent more time on this than some investigators, I will respectfully disagree with him as being the perp here. If we can find out where that curtain came from or who owned that, we believe strongly that will take us to the person responsible for this, he said. Dean Runkle is still the prime suspect in the case, according to one FBI agent, but the case against him is still circumstantial. . One such prank supposedly involved dipping a cat in liquid nitrogen and then smashing the frozen carcass to bits on the floor. The abductor had contacted Mihaljevic by telephone and arranged to meet her on the pretext of buying a gift . Family Life. Last Friday, I flew to Miami, then drove to Key West, where Dean Runkle has been living since his abrupt departure from Ohio in 2003, which occurred as investigators began to question his relatives and co-workers. On October 27, the 19th anniversary of Amy's abduction, I made the decision to go see him myself. The mother of one of Amys friends drove down to the local news station to have them display a photo of Amy with a notice that she was reported missing. Whether it came out of that persons house, whether it came out of the location where Amy was killed. Margaret started to panic, so she ran down the block to the middle school to inquire after Amy. Thus, Amy found herself home alone every afternoon for about an hour before her brother Jason came home from school. And then Maddie sees the man. Right now, there is a theory going around about the possibility of Amys case having multiple assailants, with a connection to a pedophile ring in Michigan. Amy ignores him. For 19 years, the FBI and the Bay Village Police Department kept the identity of these other girls a secret. For more info about Amy's case, you can read through the blog I've devoted to it since 2006. The calls all came at times when the children were at home, and the parents were typically at work. Amy's case, beginning with the phone calls from a stranger posing as a family friend, appears to have been a seduction gone wrong. Both of Amys parents worked full time. The police also released a letter to all households with school-age children asking if they had received any mysterious phone calls similar to the one that lured Amy out to the shopping center. its a blog about my life. BAY VILLAGE -- As the family of JonBenet Ramsey awaits the arrival of a primary suspect in the decade-old murder of 6-year-old JonBenet, Bay Village police are reminded there is still hope to find the killer of Amy Mihaljevic. At that time, they told me that on the week of St. Patrick's Day in 2005, a retired FBI agent who worked on Amy's case contacted each of the girls from North Olmsted. Read More: Where Is Amy Mihaljevics Father Now?