Kansas

[Sher]

THE DEATH OF Sefanie Welch
by Jason Kravarik

KSN News

LAKIN, Kansas, May 20, 2002 -- "There's just no clue. And that's what makes this case so unique, is we have no physical evidence as to what actually happened to Stefanie Welch."

She vanished from a small town. And, more than a year later, authorities in western Kansas are still looking for a killer.

When Stefanie Welch left her home one February morning, she had no idea her life would become the biggest mystery in Lakin, Kansas.

"This is a tremendous mystery for a town our size. It is a bewildering mystery for southwest Kansas and this is one of the more unique cases for all of Kansas," said Dennis Jones, the Kearny County Attorney.

Stefanie spent her final hours dropping off her children at daycare. Six year old Kyle and two year old James didn't know it, but their mother would never return.

"From there, she went to a home that she was in the process of moving out of. We really don't know why she went to the home. Speculation has been that there were some kids toys and clothes and things like that that she was picking up," said Jones.

That's the last time Stefanie Welch was seen alive. But the real question was, "Why?" Stefanie was going through a divorce and living with another man. Some in Lakin wondered if she'd simply run away.

"There was money left in her car she'd been driving. She would have never left those boys without taking them with her, because she loved those boys more than anything," said Jeff Petersen, Stefanie's father.

Finding Stefanie was now her father's focus, and that of Kearny County authorities. Their first big clue was her abandoned car, found in a mobile home park, along with an elusive man dressed in black.

"The person who got out of that car would be our prime suspect, if we knew who that person was," said Jones, the Kearny County Attorney.

Even though the car wouldn't produce a supect, it was close to leading police to Stefanie Welch herself.

Here's how.

That abandoned 1990 Mazda was reported to police about two hours after Stefanie was last seen at the daycare. Which means if she was killed, whoever did it had only that two hours to abduct Stefanie, committ murder, and dump her body. Police are convinced that's exactly what happened.

And, since the car's wheel wells were covered in dirt and snow, they're also sure her body was driven miles out of town. They began a search.

"The amount of irrigation wells that are still open that are abandoned. The amount of water wells from old settler days that are still available. The fact we have a river changing course every day in southwest Kansas within three miles of town. There are a plethora of places a body could be placed," said Dennis Jones.

Police tried cadaver dogs, helicopter searches, even heat-seeking equipment, but there was no trace of Stefanie Welch. To this day, her body has never been found.

"I just miss her voice. She'd say, 'Hi, Daddy,' and she was always so upbeat," said Jeff Petersen, Stefanie's father.

The hope of hearing his daughter's voice fades with each passing day. But, it's the fading hopes of two young children, that makes Stefanie's loss even worse.

"You know they go to bed with questions. And that, to me, is the sad aspect to this case," said Jones.

"Her boys, some day, are going to ask, 'What happened to my mommy?' and I wish that we had an answer to give them," said Stefanie's father.

The case was declared a homicide a year after Stefanie Welch was reported missing. So far, her divorce has not been linked to her death. However, police also interviewed a man that Stefanie's friend was divorcing. He allegedly made some threats in the past. But police could not link him to the crime, either.

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

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

[Sher]

THE DEATH OF TODD STOVER

KSN News

Mechanic's remains leave little in the way of clues
by Jason Kravarik

SEVERY, Kansas, June 11, 2002 -- Two years ago, Todd Stover's body was found 50 miles from his home in a town, agents say, no one had ever seen him before.

It's hard to image a place so peaceful causing so much pain for one family. But on May 27th, 2000, peace had loosened its grip on this land.

"It was supposed to be he and I, when all is said and done. He was supposed to still be my big brother," said Brenda Clarke, Stover's brother.

Her brother, Todd Stover, was found dead along a country road near Severy, Kansas. His decomposed body shared little about the final moments of a life it held for 36 years.

"There's nothing in this case to make you think that it was accidental. There's nothing in this case to make you think that it was suicide. If it was a natural death, you normally then don't end up on a county road if you die a natural death," said KBI agent, David Klamm.

And that leaves murder, which is exactly what authorities believe happened to Todd Stover.

They began their investigation by re-tracing the aspiring mechanic's every move, starting from when he left his parents' Topeka home on Mother's Day.

"His last words to me were 'drive safe' and I said, 'OK. We'll see you later,'" said Todd's father, Stanley Stover.

As far as the Stover's knew, their son was headed back to Wichita where he was staying in motels until he could find a new home.

So why, then, was he found in Severy, 50 miles away? For Stover's family, that was the mystery.

"He's got no business over around Severy. He had never even mentioned Severy," said Stanley.

Investigators got a break in Severy at a local Mexican restaurant. A waitress remembers seeing Todd Stover pick up some food to go. What's more significant for police, though, is she remembered seeing Stover with another man. One who, to this day, no one can find.

But whether he was the killer is still unknown. That's because Stover was seen alive at a Wichita bar two days after he was spotted at the restaurant with the mysterious man.

"We'd certainly like to know who that man is. You know, there's many things about this case we don't know. That's one of the things we do not know," said Klamm.

If the timeline is correct, that Stover was seen first at the restaurant in Severy and days later in Wichita, that means something happened in 48 hours of Todd Stover's life that explains why he returned to Severy, either alive at first, or already dead.

"Can't figure out why someone would just throw him in a ditch. That's what I'd like to know, is what kind of a person would do something like that," said Stanley Stover.

"You keep thinking when the phone rings it'll be him, but it hasn't been him," said Todd's mother, Charlene Stover.

Sadly, that's where this mystery ends -- with so few clues for a family to hold, so much time to wonder why.

"Every ditch. That's what I have right now to remember him. Every ditch until we get answers. And there's a lot of ditches," said Brenda Clarke.

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

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

[Sher]

The Murder of Kelly Lynn Albright:

KSN News

Innocence lost -- 30 years in the past
by Jason Kravarik

Kelly Lynn AlbrightHUTCHINSON, Kansas, July 15, 2002 -- There's a murder case in Hutchinson that seems ripped from today's headlines: A 12-year-old girl was snatched from her home in the middle of the night. Only this crime didn't happen today, it has remained unsolved for 30 years.

Kelly Lynn Albright's final resting place in the Amish town of Yoder is as unassuming as those who pass it everyday.

"She had a sweet disposition. She was very shy, very quiet. Very soft-spoken girl," said childhood friend, Rona Smith.

It has taken Rona Smith 30 years to speak of that shy, little girl. At age twelve, they were best friends.

"We used to do each other's hair and nails and I always liked messing with her hair and she did mine," said Smith.

Rona's mother, Frances Knowles said, "They were inseparable, almost. Those girls were together so much."

But in 1970, that special bond would be broken in a most brutal way.

On September 17th, 1970, 10:30 pm, a kidnapper stalked the Albright house as Kelley and her brother slept. Within two hours, Kelly was gone and a massive search was underway.

Four days later, a farmer was hard at work in his field, though his true labor that day would be finding the naked and battered body of Kelly Lynn Albright.

"They turned her over and there were brown spots on her, so I asked them what they would be, and they said that was with a knife, probably -- stabbed," said Calvin Troyer.

"She was stabbed 18 times. She was raped. She was left for dead out there," said Smith. "It was just brutal."

A team of investigators from the city and county united to find her killer. While, at age twelve, a best friend was stopped cold in the tracks of growing up.

"They brought all of her clothes and I knew if I wore her clothes I'd have to think about her. And I knew it'd be too hard," said Smith.

Police scrutinized family and friends, but in the end, the case was never solved.

There was a prime suspect, however -- one police won't reveal except to say he recently died in a Kansas prison.

"It's something you can't ever take away -- the sadness," says Smith.

Her tears are either 30 years late or 30 years in the making. Either way, Rona Smith says her tears pick up from where a best friend's left off -- alone in a field 30 years ago.

"How could you let go of it. When you knew something this horrendous and brutal happened to someone so sweet. There's no way," notes Smith.

There is lingering speculation among friends and family that a stepfather may have been responsible for the crime. He and Kelly's mother were not home during the abduction, but even today police say he was examined early on and cleared as a suspect.

If anyone has information on this case, they are urged to call the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-KS-CRIME.

[Sher]

The Murders of Mandi Alexander and Mary Drake:

KSN News

Police still puzzled over bakery killings
by Jason Kravarik

Mandi AlexanderGREAT BEND, Kansas, November 7, 2002 -- If it was a random crime, then it seemed like a perfect murder: A killing in broad daylight, in an open store, near a busy intersection. But why it happened is still a mystery -- and still hanging over the city of Great Bend.

Mandi Alexander was just 24 years old, getting her life together, raising her two young daughters.

"She never forgot her role as a mother. She took real good care of the kids. She didn't have a whole lot, but what she did have she took care of," said Guy Sunderland, Mandi's father.

But on September 4th, what Mandi did have she lost inside a bakery where she had worked for only three days.

"Who'd ever think, you know, a bread store," said Sunderland. "Convenience store, yeah. Smoke shop next door, yeah. McDonald's across the street, yeah."

Mandi was found dead along with 79-year-old customer, Mary Drake. A Dolly Madison driver made an unplanned visit, finding both victims cut, laying dead in a pool of blood.

"At the time he discovered the bodies, the bakery would have been closed, so it probably wouldn't have been until the next morning had he not stopped," said Cory Latham, Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Great Bend Police Chief Dean Akings said, "There was money missing out of the cash register, and that, as far as motive is concerned, is all we know."

The murders took place on one of the city's busiest corners at the height of evening rush. So if robbery was the motive, it was a big risk.

"For what was taken out of there, if robbery was a motive, there's a whole lot of other places they could go for a whole lot more money," said Chief Akings.

So if it wasn't robbery, then what?

Mandi Alexander was going through a custody battle, but her ex-husband had an alibi.

Eyewitness descriptionAnd, witnesses said a man came out of the store at about the time of the murder, but the description was so vague it never panned out.

For Mandi's father, weeks passed with unanswered questions.

"You feel like there's something wrong with you because you can't grieve. But there's just so much going on and all you're thinking of is, what happened and getting this guy caught."

To catch the killer, authorities have conducted 400 interviews. But they have not interviewed two people police think hold key details and don't even know it.

Agent Latham said they are, "A couple of individuals that were inside the bakery and made purchases between 5:15 and 6 p.m. that we have not identified. Those people probably saw something that would be very beneficial to us."

And beneficial to Mandi's father if it solves the crime.

After eight agonizing weeks, he wants nothing more than to just grieve.

"It's devastating, heartbreaking. It's like we sit here and expect Mandi to come bouncing in the door anytime."

BakeryInvestigators are now turning to an FBI profiler in hopes of learning the type of person who could commit this crime. So far, they've ruled out no motive, including robbery.

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

Police say, even if it's a small detail, it could break the case.