While the forest is popular with hunters, her death was ruled a homicide. She did not return home that night. Duncan a possible suspect in unsolved North Dakota murder Nancy Grace featured the cold case in 2010, and the family received a new home on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in 2012. His body has still not been found to this day. She was found not guilty in 2015. No one knows for sure. Based on data which has been published on Project: Cold Cases unsolved homicide statistics page, there are only 84 North Dakota cold cases which remain unsolved today. Daniel Knutson died from suicide a year and a half after his sisters murder. The case was featured on People Magazine Investigates on Investigation Discovery, and is the subject of the true crime book "What Happened in Craig: Alaska's Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.". '", The News and Observer calls it Moore County's "coldest case.". The murdered body of Anita Knutson was found in her Minot apartment on June 4th, 2007. For many residents of Tallahassee, the Florida capital lost its innocence on October 22, 1966. 18, 2021 at 4:23 PM PDT. "He epitomized what it was like to be in the country, in terms of friendliness, kindness, empathy, people helping each other. Nearly 15 years after 18-year-old college student Anita Knutson was found murdered in her off-campus apartment in Minot, North Dakota police have made an arrest in her case. The location is adjacent to the Missouri River. Those with information regarding the disappearances are asked to contact the Bismarck Police Department at 701-223-1212. Despite recent advancements in DNA technology, there is no easily accessible information online about any cold cases in which Bismarck murders DNA was used to solve any cold cases, as well as no easily found information about any cold cases in the entire state of North Dakota being solved with DNA. Additionally, you may be able to find a few short lists of notorious North Dakota criminals around the internet, if you would like to learn more about them. Police suspect that her death may have been the work ofRandall Woodfield, a former Green Bay Packer who became known as the "I-5 Killer." After that, the killings stopped. A well of grief: the relatives of murdered Native women speak out So I just started naming people. Sandra was married twice, with both relationships ending in separation. Klug said its difficult to know if the severed screen was a move by the killer to make it look like he or she had entered the apartment through the window, but he claims it is possible. 4 People Found Dead After Apparent Murder-Suicide in North Dakota, 3 of the Deceased Were Relatives Justin's fianc, Paige Dykstra, spoke to WDAY about Justin, calling him a "wonderful man". On the near horizon, Klug also said there will be a renewed effort to bring in new investigators from around the region and country to gain a fresh perspective on the case and hone in on any details that deserve attention. He was later identified as Ronald S. Johnson, and his body showed signs of having fought for his life. Gang rivalries were suspected as a motive, but his death has spawned a host of conspiracy theories, including some that believe he's still alive. Her body was found a week later inBlue Island with a rope from the family's garage tied around her neck. into the stories you've heard before, and encounter many others you haven't, in ways that actually help. Unsolved Laramie murder stuck with NY Times reporter for decades I think its just that there may be some people that fit a little stronger on the list for us, but theres not a strong suspect at this point, he said. Yet with every turn, the case hit barriers. Eugene Butler (serial killer) - Wikipedia Anita Knutson was fatally stabbed to death, and found facedown on her own bed. But again, its one theory that we have.. He and his work partner, Curtis Heck, got into a bar fight in Edmore, ND in October of 1988. While she and her brother, Daniel, were just a year apart, Anita was three years olderan age difference that led Anna to admire everything her big sister did. The crime: On Nov. 3, 2006, the body of 29-year-old Michelle Fisher Young was found by her sister, strangled and bludgeoned in the Raleigh home Michelle shared with her husband, Jason Young, and . $20,000 reward: Maple Grove Unsolved Homicide unsolved July 30, 2021 26-year-old Dayton Rossetti (pictured) of Minneapolis was found dead as a result of a gunshot wound early in the morning of July 30, 2019. There were cords around her right wrist and neck and she was wearing her favorite pageant nightgown, according to Vanity Fair. The story behind "Gabby's Bones" remains a mystery. Of the five missing people, only the bodies of Kristina Nelson, Jacqueline "Brandy" Miller, and Kirstin David were found. The problem is particularly acute in the 200,000-square-mile Bakken region straddling the Montana-North Dakota state line, where attacks on Native American women have increased as tens of thousands of transient oil workers flow into temporary housing units called "man camps" on and near tribal lands. The women had all been involved with sex work, and cocaine residue was found in each of their systems, suggesting that the killer targeted women from the underground drug trade along Cache Road in Lawton. Anita Knutson's Murder in North Dakota Is Still Unsolved Below are the total number of homicides reported in each state, the rate at which homicides are cleared and the estimated number of unsolved homicides. A 2013 book and a 2014 documentary, both called "Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere" explore the case. That short travel time proved invaluable in June 2007, when Anita did not respond to her parents calls all weekend while they were in Bismarck for their son, Daniels, baseball tournament. On June 6, 1984, 12-year-old Greenville native Sherry Lynn Marler went into town with her stepfather to run errands. Hebron podcaster puts North Dakota crime cases in the spotlight These discussions can cover anything from speculation of evidence, the sharing of factual details of a case, the sharing of theories, and on occasion include conversations about Bismarck murders pictures. Contact the Renville County Sheriff's Department at 701-756-6386. We will not release specifics on DNAexcept we are hoping new advances in technology will lead us to a suspect, Klug added. All that was missing was her drivers license. Anita Knutson did have a roommate she did not get along with. A man confessed to the crime in 1965, saying he had been drunk, but the jury didn't buy it and the trial ended in a hung jury. Robert . In 1977, 19-year-oldTerri Jentz and her college roommate Shayna Weiss spent the night at Cline Falls State Park while on a cross-country bike trip. A family friend namedGlenn Davis was a suspect in the murder, but the evidence against him was circumstantial. On April 9, 2013, Daniel Knutson died by suicide. Her case was turned into a made-for-TV movie called "Gone In The Night" (pictured). That might not be how the original rhyme goes, but it is more accurate sinceLizzie was acquitted of her parents' murder in 1893. Klug said that, to the best of his knowledge, there were no obvious signs of blood left on the screen. 1-800-472-2600 within ND only Consumer Protection 1-800-472-2600 within ND only, BCI Tip Line To this day, it stays one of the oddest unsolved murders in North Dakota. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked. However, theres no hard evidence to support this. Suspect in Minot Abernathey murders released from prison - Kfyrtv 603 West 5th St. Sioux City, IA. Coincidentally, or not so much, Engy was found dead in his garage that night. Visit the In Loving Memory of Anita Knutson Facebook page. The man who owned the farm was named Eugene Butler. The 1994 disappearance of Michelle Julson, the 2011 disappearance of Christopher Mann, and the 1996 disappearance of Sandra Jacobson and her son John Jacobson can also be found included within various lists, representing a few of the unsolved murders Bismarck, North Dakota, even though they are not murders. Cold Cases | CRIMEWATCH Anita Knutson came from a close-knit family from the Butte, N.D. area. Grand Forks murder still a mystery 25 years later Additionally, you may be able to find a few short lists of notorious North Dakota criminals around the internet, if you would like to learn more about them. Though North Dakota is one of the safest states to live in when it comes to crime, thats not to say the state goes without its own gruesome stories. On September 16, 1991, the decomposing body of Joseph Anderson was found in the trunk of his 1979 Buick Riviera, which was parked on the north side of the Gladstone Inn in Jamestown, North Dakota. Jessica Gutierrez, 4, was kidnapped from her bed onJune 6, 1986, in the Red Bank area of Lexington County, South Carolina. Three men were found dead inside 1318 North LaSalle Street on December 1, 1971, and the killer remains unknown. There hasnt been anything to indicate that it would have been earlier. Johnson had been shot three times. No place is without its share of mysterious and dark parts in its history. The perpetrator or perpetrators were never found. Comments Unavailable. Law enforcement deemed the time of death to have occurred at some point in the early hours of Sunday morning a claim Klug said was reached based on the information known at the time. It was hard for everybody her family, her brother, my classmates, there are still so many people who are heartbroken over it, Haustveit said. Marler's disappearance was featured on the TV show "Unsolved Mysteries.". LaDonna Mathis, 30, and her two sons, aged 4 and 2, were shot dead on September 8, 1981, in Mount Vernon in Davidson County, South Dakota. Alongside two maintenance workers who helped him enter his daughters off-campus apartment, former Butte Mayor Gordon Knutson was met with a grisly scene: his teenage daughter fatally stabbed to death, facedown on her own bed. Phebus disappeared and was presumed to have been murdered on or about October 20, 1962. But after 100 years, the identities of the victims remain unknown. On March 27, 1963, the body of Larry Phebus, age 14, was found two and one-half miles south of Alexander, North Dakota. This helped to temporarily revive the search for the pair, as the case had since gone cold. Autopsy results indicated that Phebus died as a result of asphyxiation. Authorities took a fresh look at the case in 2021. Jentz returned to Cline Falls 15 years later to investigate the crime herself, but the attacker was never found. Steven Pearsall and Christina White remain missing. One-Year Anniversary of the Unsolved Murder of 12-Year-Old Angel Gaspar. At times, their verbal altercations had led to accidental physical contact, yet no arrests were ever made. most-covered, watched and listened-to case in the recent history of the state. Her ears were pierced. Turcotte was last seen at the Simonsons Gas Station in Grand Forks, ND on July 12, 2002, where he was waiting for a money order to travel home to Montana. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation works with law enforcement agencies across the state on unsolved missing person and homicide cases. There were multiple people working on this farm as regular laborers and house keepers and the property was generally a busy place. Check out five truly baffling unsolved murders in North Dakota and see if you know anything about any one of them you never, ever know. On December 7, 1924, barber Nels Anderson and his wife, Annie, were bludgeoned to death with an ax they kept in their shop for chopping wood, leaving behind four children. But witnesses said they saw the children after the fire, and 20 years later, the mother, Jennie, received a photo in the mail labeled Louis Sodder their son who was 9 at the time of the fire. According to the Lexington Herald Leader, her mysterious killer became "a mythological figure in Lexington, a kind of all-purpose boogeyman." She was 36 years old, and was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt; a blue down-filled jacket; a pair of blue jeans; glasses; and a pair of brown lace-up boots. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. On this day, exactly 100 years ago, a horrifying discovery was made on a farmstead in Turtle Lake. Did habits lead to Arden Anderson's death near Webster in 1983? a family was killed. Her murder remains an unsolved cold case. In addition to law enforcement and investigation agencies, Project: Cold Case, in partnership with the Murder Accountability Project, has put together a comprehensive list of the unsolved homicide statistics per state on their website. Local authorities from all five states enlisted the help of the FBI to track down the serial killer, but they have continued to elude arrest. The Burleigh County Sheriffs Department dive rescue and recovery team attempted to search the river between Centennial Beach and the railroad bridge, but found it difficult, due to the swift current and the amount of ice in the water. The case remains active. ", investigators considered him the prime suspect. Although investigators took several people into custody for questioning, nobody seemed to have any connection with the murders. At the time of her disappearance, she stood between 55 and 56 and weighed 145 pounds. This list of unsolved murders includes notable cases where victims have . Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. Furthermore, the Federal Bureau of Investigation distributes a Uniform Crime Report every year which focuses on outlining the typesthe crimes committedalong with theircrime rates for most cities and counties within every state, along with a report on crime in North Dakota. Its just a tough situation all the way around," Lt. Jason Sundbakken told the Minot Daily News in 2012. coined the term "Bennington Triangle" in 1992. asking Russia to view satellite footage of the area, the women had tube socks tied around their necks, left an old trunk in his friendNewell Sessions' shed inThermopolis in1986. Police could find no evidence of who committed the crime, but arrested their daughter Lizzy and charged her with murder. Following her death, a tip also led to a sketch drawing of a man seen running away from the apartment around the suspected time of the killing. Anitas death prompted Minot State University to ramp up their security, including the installation of video cameras in school parking lots and new lighting. It will probably always remain one of North Dakotas craziest cold cases. But on September 19, 1986, her detailed notes stopped around 10 a.m. She was found the next day partially clothed and dead from a shot to the back. Mathis murders: 30 years later some authorities remain convinced of John Mathis' guilt "September 8 is coming pretty fast," Swenson, the former longtime Davison County sheriff, said last week. I think that was the problem, Steven Fisher, 20, and his girlfriend Melisa Gregory, 17, She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 18 times, the evidence against him was circumstantial. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As time goes on the case gets colder, but it will never be forgotten. Cold cases looking for hot leads- right now there are 30 open unsolved deaths or disappearances with ties to South Dakota, leaving families of the missing . ", In the 1970s, '80s, and even into the '90s, bodies of redheaded women were found in Memphis, Jellico, Ashland City, and Greenville, Tennessee, as well as Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. Unable to get in through the front door and unable to get an answer to his knocks he requested the assistance of the maintenance worker and janitor, who initially pointed out that the window screen to Anita Knutsons bedroom was slashed. The unsolved case is the subject of the book "The Kill Jar" by J. Reuben Appelman and the Hulu docuseries "Children of the Snow.". When Sandra and John did not return to her parents residence by 10:00pm, Bernice grew worried and reported them missing. The case was featured on "America's Most Wanted.". The man quickly came forward in cooperation with investigators. I guess we havent done anything, as far as an in-depth trial, to see if it could be done, but with where the cut was, where the window was, it appears that maybe the cut was done as a stage and not necessarily as an entry point, he said. Photo courtesy of In Loving Memory of Anita Knutson Group. On February 28, 1983, a female body with the head missing was found in an abandoned building in St. Louis. When we were really little, we always had matching outfits, which was really fun. A handful of the few northern North Dakota unsolved murders which you may be able to find within law enforcement websites and additional databases include the 1981 murder of Clifton Wendell Marsh, the 1994 murder of Ronald Johnson, the 2007 murder of Anita Knutson, and the 1985 suspicious death of Olivia Lone Bear. The case remains unsolved to this day. As of today, the case is still open and we'll never really know for sure what happened that night. On April 30, 1972, the body of 14 year old Lora Jean Dugan was found approximately three miles southwest of Medora, North Dakota, in a hilly and wooded area approximately one mile south of Interstate 94. The six people were never identified and odds are, never will be. Murdered and missing Native American women challenge police and courts On August 20, 1978, the body of William Wolf Jr. was discovered in the Red River approximately three miles north of Kragnes, Minnesota. The most notorious person from each of Ohio's 88 counties Data for the specific public interest focus areas of Violent Crime, Property Crime, and Drug/DUI crimes is compiled and available . Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug said his death is an "unresolved death case.". John Henry Jacobson was also last seen in Bismarck, Burleigh County, North Dakota on the evening of November 16, 1996. Sandras mother raised Spencer after she went missing. The trial remains ongoing. Anderson's body was clad only in a pair of white Jockey underwear and was covered with a green sheet. South Dakota's unsolved mysteries: 5 to remember - Argus Leader You'll receive your first newsletter soon! However, his packed suitcase and a map depicting the travel route he planned to take were found inside his home along with other personal items and medication. On November 16, 1996 at approximately 8:00 pm, Sandra M. Jacobson and her five year old son, John H. Jacobson, left a relative's home in Bismarck, ND, to get gas for her vehicle. The ripple effects were boundless. Diede and Anderson were last seen on August 15, 1993, in Wishek. Contact the McKenzie County Sheriff's Department at 701-444-3654. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Things like that dont happen to people we know.. But that wasnt the case. Diede was in the company of her boyfriend, 32 year old, Robert Michael Anderson. Keddie cabin murders. The Lizzie Borden House where her parents were found murdered is now a popular tourist attraction and was featured on an episode of "Supernatural.". For Haustveit, its difficult to imagine that someone who knew her would be capable of taking her life. The bill, nicknamed after Fargo, North Dakota resident Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind who was murdered in August 2017, just one example of the horrific statistics regarding abuse and homicide of. On August 20, 1993, a Dodge van thought to have been driven by Diede and Anderson was found abandoned in Aberdeen, South Dakota. New Rockford, ND, 1987 - Kathy Bonderson left her house after an argument with her husband to go look for her teenage son who had snuck out that night. Matt Murphy, a student at Minot State University who lived in the apartment across the yard from Anitas, told the Bismarck Tribune at the time that he noticed her bedroom window was broken on Monday morningand that glass was on the ground. Four days after Kelly Lynn Albright disappeared from her family's home, she was found dead in a field. And to this day, there still isn't any new evidence. Also known as "The Babysitter Killer" whose identity is still unknown, the killer is believed to haveabducted, in some cases sexually assaulted, and killed four children between 1976 and 1977. She is simply known as "Little Jane Doe" in theNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children's database. Absolutely, it was difficult for all of us, but whoever killed my sister had a hand in also killing my brother.. Luckily, it seems that the number of North Dakota homicide and true crime stories in North Dakotahave been decreasing at a steady rate over time. Law enforcement continued to look into other factors of the case, including the screen on the window that had been cut. Both Carr brothers would die prematurely in the years following Berkowitz's 1977 arrest.Just months after Berkowitz was detained by police, John was shot in the head in North Dakota. At the time of her separation from her second husband, Alan, she and her sons were living in an apartment in Center, North Dakota, a rural city in Oliver County. One of the two men convicted in the murder of an elderly couple after a burglary in Minot is out of prison after three decades. It still isnt. Eight people were found murdered. Witnesses say that they saw her standing next to a maroon car driven by a man in his 30s on August 9, 1970. She managed to drive to a friend's house, and both she and her baby survived the attack. Hours later, her car was found parked along the highway in Kailua, and her decomposing body was found 10 days later. Mary Schlais was found dead in Spring Brook Township in 1974, stabbed 15 times. And who were these bodies? Homicides were, and still are, rare in North Dakota. He was outgoing, he was funny, he was homecoming king, people loved being around him, Haustveit said. As for who killed Anita Knutson, so many are still at a loss to answer that question. But when the blaze was finally put out, firefighters found no trace of their other five children. If anyone knows anything at all, I am just asking people to have a little courage here and just speak up, Anna said. In January 2022, Thomas McDowell was arrested and charged with burglary, kidnapping and murder. Contact the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department 701-662-0700. An unidentified man in a red truck who was seen driving away around the same time Nick disappeared was deemed a suspect, but after countless leads, authorities are no closer to finding her. What are some of the weirdest, strangest murders in North Dakota? I never saw him again." ~~~ Fifth generation farmer Jessica Hawkes is seeking non-profit . Arrest made in 2007 murder of Anita Knutson in Minot, North Dakota They woke up to a truck driving over their tent. Cheryl Henry, 22, and Andy Atkinson, 21, drove into a secluded patch of woods in Houston dubbed a "lovers' lane" on August 22, 1990. Family offering $10,000 reward in decades-old unsolved murder of South . Was it an accident? Some have also reported UFO activity and Bigfoot sightings in the area. He had lived in Niagara for most of his life and didn't know much about a life outside of it. One thing Anita Knutsons family and friends could cling to during those first turbulent days, weeks and months was a hope that answers would soon be delivered. This mystery is about a century old and was baffling to residents of the small town of Niagara, North Dakota back thenand it still is now. #ColdCase #Murder #NorthDakota #Unsolved. The Vanishing Triangle During the late 90's, 8 young women in Ireland disappeared without a trace. BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - A Hebron man with an interest in crime and murder mysteries has turned his passion into a full-time job.