Kansas

[Sher]

Sandra K. Talbott
Unsolved Murder

Sandra K. Talbott was reported missing on July 11, 1977 from her residence in El Dorado, Kansas. Talbott was a Hispanic female, 5"0", 115lbs. and walked with a brace on her right leg. Talbott was last seen alive in Wichita, Kansas near the intersection of 31st Street South and Broadway on July 12, 1977. Her body was found on July 30, 1977 near 111th Street South and 231st Street West in southwest Sedgwick County, Kansas. This is near the area commonly referred to as the "Twin Bridges". Anyone having information pertaining to Sandra K. Talbott's murder can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Lupe Leo Ornelas
Unsolved Murder

On Friday morning, June 25, 1982 the body of Lupe Leo Ornelas was found in the south ditch approximately 3/4 mile east of Webb Road on 55th Street South in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Mr. Ornelas was last seen alive on June 24, 1982 around 5:00 PM. Sheriff's Deputies located Mr. Ornelas's 1978 white/blue Ford LTD two door at K-15 and 55th Street South on the morning of June 25, 1982. It is believed the homicide occurred on the evening of June 24, 1982 between 6:00 PM and 3:00 AM on June 25, 1982. Anyone having information pertaining to Lupe Leo Ornelas's murder can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Unsolved Murder







On October 29, 1994 the remains of an unknown white male were located west of the intersection of 47th Street South and Hoover in Sedgwick County, Kansas. The deceased is described as a white male, 5'8", six (6) feet tall, with a small to medium build. The unknown male had auburn to sandy colored hair. He was wearing a purple to lavender shirt, and was wrapped in bedding. The male had no signs of having any dental work done.

The public is asked to keep in mind the drawing is an artist rendition of what the victim looked like and should not limit the public response regarding any missing individual fitting the general description. Anyone having information pertaining to this individual's identity or information about his murder can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Cassandra L. Jones
Unsolved Murder

On March 31, 1999, the body of Cassandra L. Jones was found in the 8300 block of East 77th Street North in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Investigators believe Ms. Jones was murdered at an unknown location and moved to the 77th Street North address. Anyone having information pertaining to the murder of Cassandra L. Jones can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Jerry Hunter
Unsolved Murder

On the morning of May 2nd, 1979 Jerry Hunter was found murdered at 85th Street North and Highpoint in Valley Center, Kansas. Mr. Hunter's vehicle was located at the Kwik Shop at 85th Street North and Meridian on May 2nd, 1979. He was last seen alive at 10:00 PM on May 1st, 1979. Anyone having information pertaining to Jerry Hunter's murder can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Michael J. Fowler
Unsolved Murder

On September 14, 1988, the body of Michael J. Fowler was found in rural northeast Sedgwick County. Investigators believe Mr. Fowler was murdered at an unknown location then transported to where his body was found at 85th Street North and Oliver in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Anyone having information pertaining to Michael J. Fowler's murder can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Monte E. Dixon
Unsolved Murder

On February 10, 1998 at approximately 11:30 PM, Monte E. Dixon was shot at his residence located at 9600 E. 47th Street South and later died at a local hospital. Anyone having information pertaining to Monte E. Dixon's murder can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

Melvin D. Childress
Unsolved Murder

On October 17, 2001, the body of Melvin D. Childress was found in a field in the area of 69th Street North and Woodlawn. Mr. Childress's four (4) door white KIA was found parked at 800 N. Ohio in Wichita, Kansas on 10/18/2001. Anyone having information pertaining to the murder of Melvin D. Childress can contact:

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
141 W. Elm
Wichita, KS 67203
Investigations Division [phone] or 1-800-477-7604
Crime Stoppers at [phone]
or e-mail your tips to [e-mail].

[Sher]

The Murder of Dana Hupfer:

KSN News

Woman's killer remains a mystery
by Jason Kravarik

WICHITA, Kansas, July 22, 2002 -- When Wichita Police found a body dumped near a railroad track, it had all the markings of a notorious serial killer.

But, three years later, the case remains unsolved and the killer's identity may linger in the dark secrets of a mother of three.

It's a murder case that seemed routine, if not inevitable. A woman, once involved in drugs and prostitution, found beaten to death along some old railroad tracks.

It was enough to scare the locals on West 10th Street. And, with eerie timing to a serial killer riding the rails, it was enough to scare the police.

"When we saw a homicide that happened near a railroad track, it didn't take a whole lot of imagination to come up with that possibility," said Detective Ron Trollope, with the Wichita Police.

Raphael Resendez Ramirez, also known as The Railroad Killer, left a murderous trail as far south as Texas and as far north as Illinois. Wichita seemed on the way.

But, there was more than convenience linking the Wichita murder. Like Dana Hupfer, Ramirez dumped most of his victims near tracks. He also severely beat them. Hupfer's body was barely recognizable, even by her own mother.

"I couldn't believe that any human being could do that to anybody else," said Reenea Bryant, Hupfer's mother. "And, I couldn't have identified her. I identified her by her fingers."

In the end, the FBI's attempt to link Ramirez to the case fell apart.

"It turned out to be very unlikely, and I believe we were able to eventually find out they had a pretty good idea where he was at the time," said Det. Trollope.

So, without the headlines and the connection to a notorious killer, Dana Hupfer's death once again seemed inevitable.

But, not to everyone. Not only did she die by the tracks, Dana Hupfer grew up by them, in Ellinwood, Kansas. Not far from there, you'll find her three children: twin daughters, Lacey and Casey, both 11, and her three year old, smiling son, Devin. To them, there was no dark past in their mother's life. There was just a mother.

"When people talk about her, I cry a lot," said 11 year old Lacey Hupfer.

Their grandmother, who is now raising them, says she's concerned for Dana's children, since their mother grew up with an emotional disorder. "When you're EMH you're kind of slow. So you have problems with people picking on you and she's had that all of her life," said Reenea Bryant.

And, for all of their lives, the twins say they'll wonder why their mother is gone, until their questions are answered.

"Why this happened, why did it have to happen to my mom?" asked Casey Hupfer. A child's question, but the same one police have been asking from day one.

Finding a killer proved more difficult than you'd think. Police say witnesses in cases like Hupfer's often don't talk. "Many of them may be in the same sort of lifestyle or trap that she was in and, therefore, they're less than willing to tell us everything for fear of rebuilding themelves or just not wanting to be involved," said Det. Trollope.

With no solid leads, police turned to what they did have, a severely beaten body.

"The amount of trauma and the amount of beating she received was more than enough to do the damage it did. In most cases like this, when people take the time to do that sort of damage it's usually somebody they know," said Det. Trollope.

But, who?

Police are only sure it was not someone from Hupfer's hometown. Rather, someone she met in Wichita, perhaps only briefly.

"I don't understand why they did it," said her daughters.

Dana's family is convinced if she knew her killer, her killer didn't truly know her. They saw her as a loving mother who may have lost her way, but someone they loved.

"I just would like for them to find him. And I don't really care if they get a day in jail, just tell me why," said Reenea Bryant.

Wichita Police say leads in this case have all but dried up. If you know anything about the death of Dana Hupfer, call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111.

[Sher]

The Murder of Barbara Smith (1980)

On October 25, 1980 the body of Barbara Smith, a 37-year old white female, was discovered by her husband and daughter at their home at 1151 S. Waverly. Barbara had been murdered by severe blunt force trauma to her head. The killer had also tried to burn down the house but was unsuccessful. Her family last saw Barbara alive on October 24, 1980. Police reports indicate that there were no signs of forced entry to Barbara’s home. The type and amount of force used make police suspect the killer was someone who may have known Barbara.

[Sher]

The Murder of Cherie Fox (1996)

On September 12, 1996, sixteen-year-old Cherie Fox was getting ready to go to work at an area restaurant. She and her father had only lived in Wichita for about a month having moved here from Arizona. They shared an apartment at 2150 S. Meridian. At about 7:30 a.m. Cherie’s father told her goodbye, and left for work. It was the last time he saw her alive.

Cherie’s Father came home for lunch at about 11:00 the same day and found her lying on her bed. She had been shot to death. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment and there were no signs of a struggle. Police believe Cherie knew her murderer.

[Sher]

The death of John Rangel: The mystery continues

KSN News

WICHITA, Kansas, April 25 - An unsolved murder mystery continues to baffle Wichita law enforcement authorities and leaves a mourning family with unanswered questions.

WHEN JOHN RANGEL LEFT GARDEN CITY on December 15th of last year, it was to visit his brother in Wichita and a few friends. In the end, Rangel would never make it back to Garden City alive.

Last December, John Rangel left his brother's home with a casual goodbye, which no one predicted would be his final farewell.

"It's just any other out of the 365 days, you don't think anything's going to happen," said Danny Rangel, John's brother. But something unexpected did happen, and John Rangel would never return.

Just after 3 am, John made a cell phone call from his car near I-135 and 2nd Street. Minutes later, he crashed into an electrical transformer and flipped over. Authorities later found Rangel's lifeless body still buckled into the driver's seat.

"I was sleeping and Danny called us and he said, 'mom, there's been an accident' and I said John was killed," said Elvira Rangel, John Rangel's mother.

The whole incident was a tragedy for sure with a son lost, a family in mourning. But there was something else to this case --something no one could put their finger on, not even the police.

"Being restrained in your seatbelt, a person should have survived an accident like this and that's what really got our suspicions raised," said John Lehnherr, of the Kansas Highway Patrol. The police suspicion would later turn into fact, when the coroner confirmed that John Rangel's death wasn't caused by the crash, instead the crash was caused by his death.

"She (coroner) said I want you to be the first to know this since you were out at the scene with me -- we found a bullet wound in this guy," said John Lehnherr.

For investigators, knowing they had a homicide was the easy part, solving it was a totally different story.

"We don't have a lot of people we can go to and say what did you see? What did you hear?' It's on the highway -- there aren't many homes in that area, and it's at 3 o'clock in the morning," said Detective Ron Trollope, of the Wichita Police Department.

In fact, all police know for sure is that John Rangel was shot in the neck, and the bullet traveled through the driver's-side window, which was opened about two inches.

But the source as to where the bullet came from is still a mystery. A leading theory is that it was fired from the highway above, hitting Rangel in his car on the access road below.

"No, it doesn't make sense, how can a bullet fired off I-135 go through a window -- even if it could, it was a lucky shot," said Paul Rangel. "I'm sure there wasn't a marksman up there on that highway," he said.

In a case full of possibilities, investigators turned up one more -- the cell phone call John made minutes before he died. The question was who did he call and why? It was a chance for police to connect the personal life of John Rangel to his violent death.

"In John's case we haven't been able to do that, we learned about what he was about, what kind of a lifestyle he lead and it really hasn't uncovered anyone we can find that has a reason to kill him," Trollope said.

Police have never said publicly who Rangel called, but they're sure it had nothing to do with his death.

The Rangel family lives every day among a sea of questions, and for once, they'd like to pose one of those questions to someone with an answer.

"Even if it's a girlfriend of the person that did it or a friend of a friend, whatever you know," said Danny Rangel. "Maybe one of these days they'll be sitting in this seat, what would they think, you know?" he said.

"Someday I hope before it's too late before I'm gone," said Elvira Rangel.

Police say they are working a few leads in this case, but are very much in need of the public's help.

If you have information about this crime or any felony crime, call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111. If that information leads to an arrest, you could receive a reward up to $1.000 and no one will ask your name.

[Sher]

Who killed a McPherson bike rider?
by Jason Kravarik

KSN News

McPHERSON, Kansas, April 29 - "I think there are several people who know something, and won't talk," said Tammy Arnold. Her brother's remains were found in a remote field. Now, three months later, the hunt is still on for what happened in his final days.

The story of Les Johnson is the second in our series of reports on unsolved murder mysteries.

When Les Johnson vanished from Salina, it was a routine missing person's case. But when the 29-year-old turned up dead six months later, the case turned into a mystery.

Now, his family and police are looking for your help.

Les Johnson rode his mountain bike for miles through Salina, sometimes beyond. But for as much as that bike meant in his life, it would mean just as much in his death.

"I would in an instant trade places with him, but I can't. And I feel awfully guilty about not being able to help him," said Arnold.

On July 17th, Johnson was doing construction at a school, but left for jury duty.

"He left work at noon, took the afternoon off, and they never saw him again," his sister said.

After six months of questions, an answer finally came, from a teenage boy some 30 miles away.

"As we come down here I was walking straight at the skull," said Jamie Nelson. Nelson didn't want to, but he found the remains of Les Johnson while hunting with his father in McPherson County.

Their discovery turned an empty field near Marquette into a crime scene.

"There were bones scattered clear on down the hill there, and clear up out over the hill," said Morris Nelson, Jamie's father.

Animals got to the bones, but a pair of jeans and a wallet proved it was indeed Les Johnson who lay dead in that field.

Johnson's sister Tammy Arnold said, "I have this feeling deep in my heart that something awful happened to him and he was in severe pain and left to die. And he did die."

But, there was still "why." Why was Les Johnson alive in Salina one day, and dead on another, in a field 30 miles away. There's no car, no weapon, barely a body.

"Why is he out where he's at? Why is he where he is? That, to me, and to all of us, has been the biggest puzzle," said Detective Doug Anderson, with the McPherson County Sheriff's Department. "It leads me to believe that something very suspicious is going on here."

For a month the case turned up few clues. And then, just like that, it arrived: the mountain bike.

"The bicycle was brought to the Lindsborg Police Department by some people fishing in a neighboring pasture. They had found this bicycle in mid-September and had taken it home," said Detective Anderson.

The bike would represent two key questions: Did Johnson ride it to that field? Or, was it planted there, as a cover-up for murder.

"To make it look like he rode out there, which we don't believe he did. I'm positive he didn't," said Johnson's sister.

Arnold says that bike was her brother's prize possession, one he'd never take onto uncertain, dirt roads 30 miles from home. And certainly not in 100-degree heat, wearing jeans.

And remember Les Johnson was due in court for jury duty. Or, was he?

"We found out later by looking through his mail and things that his jury duty wasn't for exactly a week later," said Arnold.

Was there a simple explanation? Or, was Les Johnson hiding something that lead to his death.

Det. Anderson said, "There's a lot of pieces to put together and the pieces are spread out."

And that's where this puzzle remains, incomplete. But Tammy Arnold will always believe there is one more piece that will finish it off.

"Whoever did it is still walking around out there free. It's not fair. It's not fair," said Arnold.

Investigators say they're sure a friend or acquaintance of Les Johnson knows something about his death. But so far, there are no clear suspects.

If you know anything about this case, please call McPherson County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-241-8118.

If you have information about this crime or any felony crime, call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111. If that information leads to an arrest, you could receive a reward up to $1.000 and no one will ask your name.

[Sher]

THE DEATH OF BRENT THORNBURG
by Jason Kravarik

KSN News

THE DEATH OF BRENT Thornburg was the first murder in Barber County since 1976. Now, police are convinced that somewhere in their community lives a killer.

In Barber County there's scenery you wouldn't expect to find in Kansas. It's the setting for an unsolved murder you wouldn't expect to find in Barber County.

"We look at it every time things slow down. We look at it. This is a priority item," said Deputy Randy Hall, Barber County. Such a priority, the case has its own office, one it has occupied for two years, ever since Allen "Brent" Thornburg was found shot to death.

Thornburg's body and his truck were found along a desolate stretch of highway 160.

"You could see a wound to the top of his head, and I thought 'I'm in over my head, time out. We're going to call somebody. We aren't touching a thing, we're just going to back out of this deal,"' said Deputy Hall.

There was little forensic evidence, and only one solid lead. It came from a motorist who swears to have seen more than a pick-up truck alongside that road.

"They're claiming they also saw an older model, dark brown, tan vehicle with a rust spot or a primer spot on the left rear quarter panel, in the area," said Barber County Sheriff Tommy Tomson.

But the tip has gone nowhere, and police aren't surprised. Based on a description formed at 3 a.m., it was a literal "shot in the dark."

Investigators are sure of one thing, Brent Thornburg wasn't murdered out in the hills. They're convinced he was shot elsewhere, and driven to the spot where his body was found by a passing truck driver.

"Certainly it's going to take one person to move his pickup, and another vehicle or some mode of transportation to leave the scene. So, that would lead you to believe there's at least two people," said Corey Latham with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

But, who could want Thornburg dead? He was a father of two, his oldest is now 14.

"There's times when I think about how he died and, I think, it just makes me sick to my stomach," said Marilyn Thornburg, the victim's mother.

Marilyn Thornburg says by most accounts, her son wasn't a hated man in Barber County, nor in Attica, his hometown.

Sheriff Tomson said, "He liked to drink his beer when he was off work, but never any major problems."

It was clear investigators had their work cut out for them. They began by mapping out Thornburg's final hours. They learned he was last seen alive at a gas station in Medicine Lodge.

"He was headed to Lake City. We are pretty sure he got there, unless someone has really done something to throw us off. But, he was taking a baby bed to a house in Lake City," said Sheriff Tomson.

That baby bed would lead police to a glaring motive. Thornburg was dropping the bed off at his girlfriend's house, and calling it quits. Now, the murder seemed much less a mystery, and more like domestic "dirty laundry."

"I wish it were that simple. I wish it was that simple. That's where your first jump and conjecture goes to. But, in fairness to all involved we just can't jump without proof," said Deputy Hall. Proof, police say, that either eluded them at a wet, October crime scene, or that remains locked tight in someone's mind.

"There wasn't a lot of discussion floating around. And, there's still not. It's almost spooky it's so quiet," said Sheriff Tomson.

"I'm sure someone in Barber County knows what happened. And, the reality of it, sure. I'm sure somebody knows," said Deputy Hall.

So, until that one person opens their mouth, Brent Thornburg's family will wait and wonder.

"It's just the stress of not knowing, of not knowing who did it, why they did it. And also, that there's somebody out there and they could do it again," said Joy Monroe, Thornburg's sister. Deputy Hall said, "When this is said and boiled out, I think it will be probably something very simple, very up front. And we're just flat out, we're missing the keys to the car."

Investigators have not completely ruled out the report of that second car spotted near the crime scene. Remember, it had a rust or primer spot on its back, left side.

Police say it's unlikely this was a random crime. For one thing, a random criminal probably would have dumped the body back in a field and not along the road, where it was found in a matter of hours.

If you know anything about this case, please call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-KS-CRIME.

[Sher]

THE DEATH OF JUNE BIDLEMAN
by Jason Kravarik

KSN News

IT IS 17 YEARS later in Dodge City, seventeen years since the death of June Bidleman. By night, she was a 58 year old motel clerk. By day, she was a loving mother.

"I can't even think of a person she wasn't friends with or didn't care about, or made time for if they needed her time," said Caressa Gresham, Bidleman's daughter.

Bidleman worked for more than a year at the Welcome Inn. Some say it was just to pass the time. But, on March 23, 1985, Bidleman was found dead in her private room behind the front counter, stripped of her clothes, sexually assaulted and strangled.

"I think probably it was a situation where the assault took place first, and he realized he needed some money, realized he was going to have to get out of town, and emptied the cash register on the way out," said Gaylan Marble, a retired KBI agent who worked on the case.

As the sun rose, the search was on for a killer. Police were closing in.

"A clerk in a neighboring motel saw a guy walk up there at about 3 o'clock in the morning, who fit the description of the suspect we later developed," said Marble.

That suspect is a man who witnesses say hitchhiked into Dodge City. Just after the murder, a woman says he paid her $10 for a ride to the bus station. Police were catching on. They found he was going to Lebanon, Missouri. So, they called police there to say a killer was coming to town. But when the bus arrived, Lebanon police failed to meet it.

"He walked away from the bus depot down there, and we've never been able to locate him since that time," said Marble.

A composite sketch was sent to law enforcement agencies all over the country. But, there was no match. Along with a single hair sample, the sketch is all police have to go on.

"Personally,I don't agree with it," said Amy Moinette. Moinette is the new detective in Dodge City, with a profound new theory. "I honestly believe that she knew this individual, that it was not a stranger that she just let in," said Moinette.

Moinette's theory begins with the victim herself. The evidence shows Bidleman willingly let her killer into a locked room she stayed in overnight. Unusual, Moinette says, because family members have said all along that Bidleman was extremely cautious.

"The door's locked, there's a window. If they needed change or help with something she could have done it through the window. I just can't picture that she would let this person in," said Bidleman's daughter, Caressa Gresham.

But, Detective Moinette would need more to shatter a theory that's held for 17 years. She found more in her next big clue. "They got a tip from Crime Stoppers that two men were overheard speaking in a bar that they had murdered June Bidleman."

In fact, one of those men knew Bidleman, even did work at her Dodge City home. Moinette believes he came to the motel that night looking for money.

"Her purse was kept in the back room, so she was going to lend this individual money, and at one point the situation got bad, and it turned," said Moinette.

Police interviewed one of the men in 1990. He has since left Dodge City. The second man was never found.

"He's kind of disappeared into thin air," said Moinette.

At the time, the tip went nowhere for police, and Moinette isn't surprised. "I think the investigators got tunnel vision and this was the only possible suspect for them that they thought did it."

Since Moinette took over the case in January, she's worked closely with retired KBI Agent Gaylan Marble. And, while Marble welcomes a fresh perspective, he still believes the killer is that elusive face who caught a ride out of town.

"I don't think it would be unsolved today if we had just met that bus and identified the person," said Marble.

Moinette said, "I think that he was a transient that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got fingered as the person that did it."

No matter which theory is proven correct, investigators believe DNA technology will play a role in solving this case. The KBI is also looking for ways to update that composite sketch.

Anyone with information is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Dodge City Police Department.