LOCAL

Lansing's 67 cold cases each 'a hundred piece puzzle'

Lansing State Journal

There are 67 cold case homicides in Lansing dating back to 1963.

LANSING - Sometimes in a homicide investigation, time is on the detective's side.

It can happen when years have passed since a body was found and police first started to interview witnesses and collect evidence.

Science and technology improve, opening the door to clues previously out of reach. Suspects or witnesses get arrested or convicted of other crimes, creating an incentive for them or others to tell police what they know.

But sometimes it can be something more simple, said Det. Lt. Jeremy Brewer of the Michigan State Police.

"Sometimes you just have the time to sit and really process what happened," he said.

Sixty-seven homicides in Lansing since 1963 are considered cold cases, meaning it's been more than a year and the death remains unsolved. They include shootings, stabbings, beatings and bodies found in the Grand River.

In 2014, Lee McCallister became Lansing's first detective assigned specifically to cold cases. After some heavy lifting organizing and prioritizing files, he tackled his first case.

In 2015, his efforts led to the conviction of Terreon Smith for the 2012 shooting death of Lansing teen Levon Wilson.

McCallister worked the case for two years focusing on little else. His investigation took him to federal prisons in an effort to get inmates to testify about what they knew. Cold cases can become "all-encompassing and overwhelming" investigations, he said.

"But the reward is worth all the effort — to be able to give the family a hug, and shake hands and say 'We did it,'" McCallister said.

"We were pretty close. Levon's mom would call me usually weekly at a minimum. She'd ask, ‘Where are we at today?’ I'm sure there were times she was disappointed that we took as long as we did, and frustrated."

McCallister, recently promoted to sergeant, has moved to a new assignment in the department.

Smith is currently serving a prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

His conviction didn't hinge on a single piece of evidence — DNA, videos, photographs or a confession to police — but instead dozens of pieces of information put together over time.

Brewer, who's assigned to MSP's special investigation section for the Lansing, Brighton, Jackson and Monroe posts, said that's how many cold cases take a turn for the detective.

"A lot of times, you’re not going to find that smoking gun," he said. "It’s a lot of little things."

It's a part of homicide and cold case investigations McCallister knows well.

"When it comes to homicides, our puzzle is laid out on the table and maybe it's a hundred-piece puzzle, but we're only gonna have about 65 of the pieces," he said. "So we have to be able to color in where the pieces are missing so a jury in the courtroom can see the whole picture."

With advances in science and technology, often pieces of that puzzle once out of a detective's grasp can now be attainable.

Technological advancements have allowed police to access data contained on cellphones and computers. Scientific advancements have made DNA evidence more accessible.

Even if detectives believe they know who committed the crime, they might be lacking those few pieces of evidence needed to bring charges. But with time, suspects often get convicted or arrested on other charges.

Brewer said when that happens witnesses often feel safer talking with police and detectives have more access to their suspect. It's another way that time can work in the detective's favor.

"Bad people continue to do bad things," Brewer said.

Of course, time can also thwart investigators, especially when cases are decades old.

McCallister said he once investigated some "strange DNA" that linked one man to victims in two seemingly unrelated homicides that took place years apart.

It's possible the connection was a wild coincidence. But when McCallister tried to track down the man, he made an unfortunate discovery about his new suspect.

"He himself is now dead," McCallister quipped. "So I can’t interview him."

Contact Matt Mencarini at (517) 267-1347 or mmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattMencarini. Contact Christopher Haxel at 517-377-1261 or chaxel@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHaxel.

To help

Anyone with information about area cold cases is asked to call 483-6800 for the Lansing Police Department or 636-0689 for the State Police.

Lansing cold cases, 1963-2016

2016

Joshua Misiak, 34, was shot to death in a car in the 600 block of Kendon Drive.

2015

Mathew Straub, 39, was found dead in a home in the 600 block of Fenton Street in south Lansing.
Michael McKissic, 23, was found shot near South Grand Avenue and East Elm Street in Lansing's REO Town neighborhood and died at a local hospital.

2014

Richard Pruitt, 17, shot in his family's townhouse by a bullet police said came from outside the home.

2013

Christopher Goins, 21, was shot in the parking lot of a Lansing club and later died at a local hospital.
Giovanni Yeje, 19, found on the second floor of a home in the 500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue with a gunshot wound to his head.
Marcus Basey II, 23, shot and killed after a disagreement erupted into gunfire on the city's south side.

2012

Domonique Ardister, 29, shot and killed inside his car in the driveway of his Newark Avenue home.
Denzel Moss, 17, shot and killed outside an apartment complex in the 5700 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Michelle Packard, 34, shot in the head by an apparent stray bullet in Adado Riverfront Park.
Lavoris Watkins, 26, found shot to death inside her home on Kelsey Avenue.

2011

Bradley Carpenter, 40. Shot, found in the threshold of his apartment door in the 6000 block of Kaynorth Road.
Domingo Guartolo, 30. Body found in a wooded area off East Saginaw Street. Died from blunt-force trauma.
Christopher Fandel, 21, shot during a struggle with a man inside a car at Hillsdale and Chestnut streets.
Marcus Schrauben, 21, shot during robbery at former East Michigan Avenue KFC where he worked

2010

Julius Glover, 43, shot on Sycamore Street.

2009

Edric Hinton, 19, shot in a West Cavanaugh Avenue apartment.

2008

Corey Williams, 27. Body found in the Grand River.
Jason Cook, 32, found shot inside a house on West Barnes Street.
Averill Lemon, 29, shot inside a townhouse at in the 3600 block of West Miller Road.

2007

Brandon Williams, 17, shot after leaving a relative's Burneway Drive apartment.
David Alexander, 54. Body found in his Vermont Avenue home. He had been bludgeoned.

2005

Teresa Mathis, 39. Body found in a home on Stoneleigh Drive after a fire. Officials said the fire was deliberately set.

2004

Kevin Beard, 30, shot as he sat in his car in a Pleasant Grove Plaza parking lot.

2003

Brandon Bridges, 21, shot in front of his home on South Francis Street.

2002

Derrick Adams, 24, and Melinda Hobbs, 28, stabbed in Adams' home on Riverview Avenue. Charges filed against one man, but later dropped.
Damya Artis, 23, shot outside the southside Elks Lodge. Man charged, but charges later dropped.
Anthony Robinson, 29, found shot near a home on Alpine Drive.

2001

Bernita White, 41, shot near the Potter Park Zoo entrance.
John Willheart, 21, shot after three men wearing Halloween masks walked up to him and two others outside his home in the 1600 block of Coleman Avenue.
Derrick Brown, 22. Presumed dead. Body never found. Last seen on Mother's Day.

2000

Steve Reid, 15, shot to death outside the Silver Stone Townhomes complex.

1998

Trenton Riddle, 25, shot in the head at his home in the 1900 block of Willard Avenue. His wife and two young children were there when he was slain. Teen charged, but charges later dropped.

1995

Nicole Haynes, 17, killed by several blows to her head. Found in her house on South Francis Avenue.
Keeba Johnson, 23, shot during a fight on Pleasant Grove Road.
Gerald Lambertson, 72, shot in the head in the 600 block of Hunter Boulevard

1994

William Taylor, 35, found shot to death in the 700 block of West Lenawee Street.

1992

Michael Maitner, 21, one of two people shot inside a car in a parking lot in the 800 block of Chestnut Street.
Eddie Lee Luckett, 23, found shot in the basement of a home in the 1200 block of East Main Street.

1991

Angela Kelso, 17. Body found in rural Delhi Township. Last seen alive a week earlier leaving Lansing City Hall.
Donald Lester Tate, 34, found on the sidewalk near Knollwood Avenue and Willow Street. Shot in the head.
Gary Sullivan Wilson, 38. Beaten to death. Body found near railroad tracks in the 600 block of North Larch Street.

1990

Houston "June" Marshall, 19, found stabbed multiple times in a house on Beech Street.

1988

Peter Laboda, 57, found stabbed multiple times in a house in 600 the block of East Holmes Road.

1987

Josephine Stebbins, 62, found stabbed multiple times on her bedroom floor in the 300 block of South Sycamore Street.
Sun Mi Lee, 25, shot multiple times at a convenience store at 1701 W. Willow St. where she was a clerk.

1986

Robert Evans, 44, found stabbed to death in the 1200 block of Center Street
Jesus Torres, 25, and Roselia Torres, 27, shot to death at their house in the 1200 block of East Hazel Street.
Keith McCallum, 19. Bullet-riddled body found on a gravel road in Washtenaw County. Police believe homicide happened at apartment complex parking lot near Jolly and Dunckel roads.
Armando Gonzalez, 70, stabbed multiple times at his townhouse in the 3200 block of Turner Street.

1984

Althea Cooper, 26, found stabbed in the hallway near the front door of her home on Forrest Road.
Bonnie Guillen, 29, found in the Grand River. Suffered multiple stab wounds.

1983

Tracy Forquer, 22, found stabbed outside a house in the 1100 block of East Oakland Avenue.
Richard Root, 65, body found Oct. 29 in the Red Cedar River in Potter Park, his hands and feet bound. Disappeared 10 days earlier.

1982

Daisy Lou Sneed, 74, found in the bedroom of her home in the 1100 block of West Washtenaw Street. Stabbed to death.

1981

Edith Crossette, 81, found strangled outside her house in the 1500 block of West St. Joseph Street.
Rita Assiff, 59, beaten and shot shortly after opening the employment agency office at 225 S. Grand. Man charged, but charges later dropped after he pleaded guilty to another assault.

1980

Edna Ryckaert, 77. Body found in a creek near Tecumseh Park. She had been strangled.

1979

Karen Oatley, 14. Body found in a wooded area near what was then Gardner Junior High School. She had been strangled and her throat was slashed.

1975

Charles Uhl, 37, shot at Sunoco gas station at 918 S. Pennsylvania Ave., where he worked.
John Fabiano 56, shot at his business.

1973

Ivory Joe Allen, 25, found shot to death in the backyard of a house in the 1100 block of West Kalamazoo Street.
Bennie Pringle, 51, shot, police said, while showing rental property.

1972

Eugene Speaks, 53, found shot to death in a home.
Irene Waters, 58, found stabbed to death behind an apartment building.

1970

Laurie Murninghan, 16, abducted from a gift shop on Saginaw Street where she worked, strangled.

1963

Everett Marlett, 59, shot multiple times at a home in the 3500 block of South Cedar Street during an apparent robbery.