OH OH - William 'Bill' Comeans, 14, Columbus, 7 Jan 1980 - #1

[pdxmama]

Here is a list of sources used to create the timeline.

FAMILY SOURCES

Facebook page: Crime Reports (public)

Facebook page: In Memory of William (Bill) Comeans (membership required)

Twitter feed: @BillComeans (public)

Bill’s Brother Bob’s Blog: I Should Have Called In Sick

A video slideshow made by Bill's sister Kathleen

BC's Find-A-Grave page​

MEDIA SOURCES

Media sources are listed chronologically by publication date, not in the order they were posted.

See post 108

Jan. 8, 1980
Father finds son; says he was killed, Columbus Dispatch

Jan. 8, 1980
William Comeans, 14, dies at hospital; found along railroad tracks with an object around his neck, Columbus Citizen-Journal

Jan. 9, 1980
Earlier threatening notes probed in death of strangled teenager William Comeans, Columbus Dispatch

Jan. 9, 1980
Father says son's death not suicide, Columbus Citizen-Journal
​

See post 64

Jan. 18, 1980
Death of William Comeans Being Treated as Homicide, Columbus Dispatch​

See post 69

April 23, 1980
Coroner Says New Rome Boy Murdered, Columbus Dispatch​

See post 71

April 23, 1980
Bizarre Strangling of Boy Ruled a Homicide, Columbus Citizen-Journal​

See post 74

Oct. 31, 1980
Threat Letters Believed Written By Same Person, Columbus Dispatch​

See post 82

Oct. 31, 1980
Death Threats Terrorizing Neighborhood, Columbus Dispatch​

See Post 91

Nov. 1, 1980
Fear Strikes Quiet Street, Reading Eagle in Reading, PA​

See Post 93

Nov. 1, 1980
Death Threats Raise Specter of Fear in Ohio Town, AP, The Freelance Star in Fredericksburg, VA

Nov. 1, 1980
Neighborhood in Fear: Will the Killer Strike Again? Spoke Daily Chronicle in Washington state

Nov. 1, 1980
Eight Ohio Families Live in Fear of Killer, The Lewiston Journal in Maine

Nov. 1, 1980
A Day of Terror on Maple Drive, The Hour in Norwalk CT
​

See Post 128

Nov. 1, 1980
Neighborhood Saturated By Police, Columbus Dispatch

Nov. 2, 1980
Terrorist Search Enlists Aid of Handwriting Analyst, Columbus Dispatch

Dec. 5, 1980
Neighbor of Slain Youth Arrested for Penning Series of Death Notes, Columbus Dispatch

Dec. 5, 1980
New Rome Woman Admits Threats to Neighbors, Columbus Citizen-Journal

Sept. 13, 1981
Mystery Still Lingers Over Death of Bill Comeans​

Obituary of Hoax Letter Writer

Aug. 21, 2012
Alean June (Greene) Tope (obituary), Columbus Dispatch​

See Post 24

Oct. 29, 2012
Crime Tracker 10 Looks at Cold Cases​

 

[rosemadderlake]

Thousands of hours staking out the neighborhood in July 1980? Where were they September & October of 1979? Where were they January 1980? They couldn't find answers to this mystery... were they even looking? Seems they were quick to dismiss it as anything other than murder.

When I contacted the Sheriff's office in October 2011, the detective I spoke with asked some of the older detectives and they responded, "Wasn't that a suicide?"

KatCo - Bbm: I am bringing your post forward because this is such a valid question.

The opportunity now (imo) is the advantage of modern technology; DNA testing, all kinds of databases, a review of the original investigation, interviews, polygraph, timeline, and a heaping serving of old-fashioned hindsight.

I agree with Dogperson's post 298: "I would be looking hard at teachers, school staff, authority figures, and grown males on Bill's paper route."

I will add that LE would / should cross-reference those incarcerated, real estate transactions, school district records, and revisit the terrorist letters that followed in 1980, to narrow the field.

It may take some time to unravel what LE thought they knew, what you and your family thought you knew, but I too feel strongly that the "penny will drop" and there is a chance this could be solved by something overlooked and / or previously unknown.

Your family has my utmost respect and admiration for giving a voice to Bill, treasuring his memory, and quite possibly paving the way as to how crimes and mysteries may be solved in the future, using social media.

The details and perspectives shared by everyone here on Websleuths gives me hope that there is a force in place now that will not / never will, back down!

-Stay strong!

 

[murkmanz]

I just want to throw some idea out there.....

The night of the murder. Could Bill's killer have been at this birthday party that Kathleen attended? He then came and told Bill that Kathleen wondered from the party and they need to find her?
What was Bill wearing the night he was found? Was he dressed up in a warm jacket, wooly hat, gloves and a scarf to go out on that cold, snowy night?
Why was he wearing a scarf if he was stationed in/at the house? Was it his scarf that he was strangled with?
Those questions bother me, because by all accounts Bill was just lingering around the house that night, doing odd jobs i.e Bringing coffee, fetch Kathleen. He wouldn't necessarily need to be wearing a scarf or other 'winter wear' if he was at home.

Lets just assume for now it was his Scarf. That would make this attack different to the other two attacks in that the assailant didnt bring a weapon to strangle Bill with? No rope or inner tube or plastic bag. This time they conveniently used Bills scarf. Im confused. Do the reports suggest he was strangled with the scarf or by hand?

And the other vague, loose theory i first had when reading this thread two weeks ago.

That Bill agreed to go with his attacker/s that night to get some 'Valium' for himself. Im really leaning towards Bill leaving voluntarily now. I miss calculated the distances on google map.

He either voluntarily left that night, or he was abducted and forced into a vehicle.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

BBM - Hi Ruby, as far as we know, DNA testing hasn't been done on any items yet. They were waiting for a new form of testing to become available that they felt would do a better job with the sample. As far as fingerprinting, we have no information that any was done and Bill's brother, Bob, stated he hadn't heard anything about fingerprinting either. I have no idea if they still have the notes. Let's hope they do and this new detective is able to find some evidence on them.

A detective in MSM is quoted as saying they have the notes.

ETA: Post 328 by me (link): "According to the 4/23/80 Columbus Dispatch, detectives also have the notes found at school."

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Original posts TBM:

Gardeners, paper boys, pool people, school bus drivers, the man who walks his dog every morning....and the list goes on and on. Coach, piano teacher...

What about Law Enforcement Officer?
They'd have authority, be able to patrol neighborhood, and be up on the info needed for the case without any suspicion. Of course I'm just throwing this idea out there to add to the list of possibilities.

Yes, sticking with the theme of some connection to kids, let's add school bus driver and juvenile LE officer to the list.

 

[bessie]

I just want to throw some idea out there.....

The night of the murder. Could Bill's killer have been at this birthday party that Kathleen attended? He then came and told Bill that Kathleen wondered from the party and they need to find her?
What was Bill wearing the night he was found? Was he dressed up in a warm jacket, wooly hat, gloves and a scarf to go out on that cold, snowy night?
Why was he wearing a scarf if he was stationed in/at the house? Was it his scarf that he was strangled with?
Those questions bother me, because by all accounts Bill was just lingering around the house that night, doing odd jobs i.e Bringing coffee, fetch Kathleen. He wouldn't necessarily need to be wearing a scarf or other 'winter wear' if he was at home.

Lets just assume for now it was his Scarf. That would make this attack different to the other two attacks in that the assailant didnt bring a weapon to strangle Bill with? No rope or inner tube or plastic bag. This time they conveniently used Bills scarf. Im confused. Do the reports suggest he was strangled with the scarf or by hand?

And the other vague, loose theory i first had when reading this thread two weeks ago.

That Bill agreed to go with his attacker/s that night to get some 'Valium' for himself. Im really leaning towards Bill leaving voluntarily now. I miss calculated the distances on google map.

He either voluntarily left that night, or he was abducted and forced into a vehicle.

His own scarf.

Father finds son; says he was killed


Father says son's death not suicide

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Now that it's been mentioned, I have to wonder if it could have been some one who worked at the school.

Many of the school personnel from the middle school and high school lived in the area. Some were probably at the school(s) when Bill's older brothers were in school and many were there when I attended school.

There seems to be endless paths this can take.

:banghead:

Original post TBM:

I don't know if any family member has the time, energy, or local connections to do something like this, but one way to be methodical about this would be to print street-view maps, talk to people you remember from when you lived there, figure out who lived where and did what, and mark up the map. If nothing else, it might point to what you don't know ...

Yes, I know that feeling very well. It is a big task. But don't think about it all at once. Chip away at it. I am quoting myself above because, for me, that kind of thing makes such a big task more manageable. When you add a name or two to the map, you make the task smaller. Then you do something else. You don't have to complete it, just complete it with what you know. Sometimes this kind of analytical tool can help you zero in on someone who is almost but not quite on your radar. You may remember a little creepy feeling ... You may remember Bill saying something about someone ... It may just point you to a home that, oddly, no one knows anything about. (ETA: Start close to home and work outward.) You don't have to investigate anyone, but you may be able to narrow down who LE should look at. JMO

BBM: This to me says a lot, but I would say, go broad. The school makes the most sense, IMO -- whether the person responsible wrote the notes or Bill did. But there could be a peripheral relationship to the school we're unaware of. Look for someone who has some connection to kids, someone Bill knew.

 

[bob6104]

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...-departments-morton-grove-reality-and-fantasy



• 1/2/1992 murdered/Illinois
• David Chereck
• 15 years old
• Found within two blocks of his home in wooded area
• Attacked alone in evening
• Strangled to death with his own scarf
• Murder unsolved
• No motive, no suspects



• 1/7/1980 murdered/Ohio
• Bill Comeans
• Four days before 15th birthday
• Found within two blocks of his home in a wooded area
• Attacked alone in evening
• Strangled to death with his own scarf
• Murder unsolved
• No motive, no suspects

• Similarities
• Both killed in January
• Both 15, or almost 15
• Found in wooded areas close to home
• Attacked alone in evening
• Strangled to death with own scarf
• Murder unsolved
• No motive, no suspects

It's a long shot, but there are similarities.

 

[ZaZara]

How can someone attack three times but be completely invisible to us all. No one is that good, are they? If this is solved are we going to say, it was right there looking us in the face and we missed it all these years?

Like opening a twitter account for Bill. Twitter's been around for awhile and all of a sudden Katco sees it as an opportunity, and it is.

Ice cream was partially eaten in the house, put in freezer to go get sister, and never returned for it. It was not eaten outside. (to answer previous question)

Just thinking out loud here.

When I started to read about this case, my first impression was: oh this is kids (not mature adults) and they have been reading Mark Twain.
That is Tom Sawyer all over again, overdoing it, making something simple complicated for the fun of it with blankets, spoons and anonymous letters. (for a summary see: http://www.gradesaver.com/the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn/study-guide/section8/

My idea was that of two guys acting out a fantasy in which they always meant to kill BC after those 3 months. The third attack was meant to do just that. If the beer bottle belongs to the scene, I think it was used to raise a toast. Mission accomplished. Probably there were two bottles, but the guys were somehow interrupted, maybe they heard people calling for Bill, and they took off, leaving one bottle and the knife behind. Later I read on twitter that it was a butcher's knife, so I assume it must have been big. Why the trouble? If they had a hold over Bill, they weren't too sure of that themselves, else why would you need such a big knife as well? An unobtrusive pocket knife would have done.
Leaving the knife and the bottle was really stupid IMHO and I think that they must have had a lot of luck on previous occasions. Unfortunately. They could have been stopped, but they were lucky.

So there were two guys who got lost in a cruel fantasy. You see this happening with fraternities at universities for instance where rituals turn nasty and even deadly, because there is no one among the young people who calls a halt to matters. I think one was a killer, and the other was worse. He masterminded the whole thing and got his kicks out of watching.
They left Bill in a place where he would have been found soon, as he was. The mastermind would have loved it, maybe he was among the forty people who trampled the location.

Thiese were my initial ideas, they are not complete and do not account for many things, but maybe as Bob writes it was right there looking us in the face, those big guys staring at Bill did just that.

 

[bessie]

As of 2011, Chereck's murder hadn't been solved.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/17830118/cook-countys-cold-cases-dart

Even the dates are similar. It's important to keep in mind that these perps travel, and they can be active over many years. The suspect in Chereck's murder is a good example. He spent time in Illinois and California. I wonder if his identity was ever revealed.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...-departments-morton-grove-reality-and-fantasy



• 1/2/1992 murdered/Illinois
• David Chereck
• 15 years old
• Found within two blocks of his home in wooded area
• Attacked alone in evening
• Strangled to death with his own scarf
• Murder unsolved
• No motive, no suspects



• 1/7/1980 murdered/Ohio
• Bill Comeans
• Four days before 15th birthday
• Found within two blocks of his home in a wooded area
• Attacked alone in evening
• Strangled to death with his own scarf
• Murder unsolved
• No motive, no suspects

• Similarities
• Both killed in January
• Both 15, or almost 15
• Found in wooded areas close to home
• Attacked alone in evening
• Strangled to death with own scarf
• Murder unsolved
• No motive, no suspects

It's a long shot, but there are similarities.

Here's a link to a Chicago Tribune article (March 13, 1992) on this.

Here's a link to another Chicago Tribune article (January 01, 1993) on this.

Other details:

• Niles West High School honor student
• "no evidence that Chereck was sexually assaulted"
• Skokie/Morton Grove, Cook County
• "disappeared while on the way home from an evening of playing video games with friends at a bowling alley in downtown Skokie"

Re this:
"... initially led police to suspect a North Shore man already charged in a series of sexual assaults on teenage boys, the sources said."
And this:
"... another suspect, a Skokie man who also spends time on the West Coast and allegedly had called police claiming he had information connected with the case, the sources said. The man refused to talk to Palacios when he visited the man out of state earlier this month."
And this:
"He describes the killer as a white male in his 40s who until recently was under house arrest in California on a sexual assault conviction. He said the suspect had been seen in Skokie around the time of Chereck's slaying-possibly at the bowling alley-and was driving a white four-door sedan."

They had suspects in mind. It would be interesting to know who they were, and if they had any connection to Columbus 12 years earlier, because -- as I speculated in an earlier post -- the person who killed Bill may have moved shortly after Bill's death. That might be a plausible reason to look.

Here's two more details about the suspect that go to the search close to home:

• "[LE] announced over the summer that the man may introduce himself to potential victims as a member of the clergy."
• "... suspect, who according to police sources lives in West Hollywood, Calif., and has a relative who lives in Skokie"

So as you think about neighbors, consider someone who said he was clergy, had a home in West Hollywood (this may have come later), a relative in Skokie, and a white four-door sedan, because if there is a link, the connecting puzzle piece is close to home.

ETA: The family and Skokie LE discredit this CA lead put forth by the Forest Preserve, but that doesn't mean there's no connection to Bill.

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Original post TBM:

I just want to throw some idea out there.....

The night of the murder. Could Bill's killer have been at this birthday party that Kathleen attended? He then came and told Bill that Kathleen wondered from the party and they need to find her?

That's an interesting thought, murkmanz. My impression from KatCo's post 229 (link) is that this was just birthday cake kind of thing involving the immediate family, with a bestie invited. I don't think there were other guests, but if there were, and one left, you putting it out there might make KatCo remember that.

But also, if Bill had started to walk back for his sister ... even if he was only in the street for a moment ... that could be the point of abduction -- in my way of thinking, by car.

What was Bill wearing the night he was found? Was he dressed up in a warm jacket, wooly hat, gloves and a scarf to go out on that cold, snowy night?
Why was he wearing a scarf if he was stationed in/at the house? Was it his scarf that he was strangled with?
Those questions bother me, because by all accounts Bill was just lingering around the house that night, doing odd jobs i.e Bringing coffee, fetch Kathleen. He wouldn't necessarily need to be wearing a scarf or other 'winter wear' if he was at home.

Remember, Bill expected (for a while anyway) to be going to the mall when his father got the car going, was going to go back for his sister, and was traveling between the house and garage (which was not attached to the house but a little behind the house on one side -- if I have the picture right).

Lets just assume for now it was his Scarf. That would make this attack different to the other two attacks in that the assailant didnt bring a weapon to strangle Bill with? No rope or inner tube or plastic bag. This time they conveniently used Bills scarf. Im confused. Do the reports suggest he was strangled with the scarf or by hand?

BBM: I agree with this. I think I said in an earlier post on this attack (and if I didn't I meant to) that, to me, this suggests the predator did not use the same indoor location for this attack that he may have on prior attacks (I was thinking garage). Makes sense, right? The scarf screams "using what's at hand."

 

[GoingByMyGut]

Original post TBM:

When I started to read about this case, my first impression was: oh this is kids (not mature adults) and they have been reading Mark Twain.
That is Tom Sawyer all over again, overdoing it, making something simple complicated for the fun of it with blankets, spoons and anonymous letters. (for a summary see: http://www.gradesaver.com/the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn/study-guide/section8/

LOL. IMO, this or something like it is definitely possible as the inspiration for the notes. It's just what I had in mind when I was wondering if the note that says "Bill has 3 months to live. Ps. Make the most of it'" could have been just something kids say as part of their silly games (esp. bc of the "P.S."). That was an inspired connection, ZaZara

I wonder if Bill was a fan of these books ... if they were part of his summer reading list ... or on the agenda for the first weeks of school.

 

[bob6104]

That has always bothered me. First attack, plastic bag and bicycle intertube. Who comes up with a combination like that? An intertube, I guess they owned a bicycle? Just an odd combination in my mind.

And as you put it, bag, tube, rope used in first two attacks. Why was the third different? Because he was wearing a scarf, so no additional weapon was needed to strangle him? And why bring a knife and not use it to inflict damage on his body?

I'm going to stangle you to death, but I don't want to cause you obvious greiveous wounds like would be made from a butcher knife?

 

[GoingByMyGut]

That has always bothered me. First attack, plastic bag and bicycle intertube. Who comes up with a combination like that? An intertube, I guess they owned a bicycle? Just an odd combination in my mind.

And as you put it, bag, tube, rope used in first two attacks. Why was the third different? Because he was wearing a scarf, so no additional weapon was needed to strangle him? And why bring a knife and not use it to inflict damage on his body?

I'm going to stangle you to death, but I don't want to cause you obvious greiveous wounds like would be made from a butcher knife?

Come to think of it ... why the plastic bag at all? Unless Bill added that piece to "explain" why he saw nothing. Do you know what kind of plastic bag is was? handled grocery bag, black trash liner/leaf bag, white kitchen garbage liner ...?

 

[rosemadderlake]

Now that it's been mentioned, I have to wonder if it could have been some one who worked at the school.

Many of the school personnel from the middle school and high school lived in the area. Some were probably at the school(s) when Bill's older brothers were in school and many were there when I attended school.

There seems to be endless paths this can take.

:banghead:

The notes left in the lockers, whoever stared Bill down in choir practice, and the teacher's statement to LE about Bill's question regarding strangulation and passing out leave me wondering about what was going on in school? Did LE probe anyone further after the teacher's statement?

In the days following the first two attacks, how was Bill emotionally coping with going back to school? Was he fearful? Was there anyone who emerged as a "friend, or confidant" in this time period? ...Someone who was helping him at school?

 

[bob6104]

Black trash liner I believe. Something you couldn't see through, so no descriptions given.
Why both when either one would have worked alone. And a note? Seems all very premeditated?

Bill willingly went back to school. We thought the first one was random. The second one obviously targeted. The third? After number two Bill wasn't out of our sight, we thought.

 

[murkmanz]

That has always bothered me. First attack, plastic bag and bicycle intertube. Who comes up with a combination like that? An intertube, I guess they owned a bicycle? Just an odd combination in my mind.

And as you put it, bag, tube, rope used in first two attacks. Why was the third different? Because he was wearing a scarf, so no additional weapon was needed to strangle him? And why bring a knife and not use it to inflict damage on his body?

I'm going to stangle you to death, but I don't want to cause you obvious greiveous wounds like would be made from a butcher knife?

I know exactly what you mean. Really doesnt make sense. The only explanation i have for bringing the knife would be to threaten him into doing what they want, i.e Get in the car right now, or come with me or ill stab you.
Having a knife pulled on you is extremely intimidating.

And also, with out trying to sound to Graphic, knife wounds are very messy. They probably wanted to avoid that. But then again, the killer/s left the knife there?! They have been so reckless in all three attacks and yet so lucky not to have been caught!

It does bother me that on the 3rd attack they didnt use their own weapons like the first two. What does this mean?? It means they were very close to Bill that night when they decided to kill him. I think they had seen him wearing the scarf and decided on using that to strangle him.

Why turn up to strangle him again (We can pressume strangulation was the aim the 3rd time) with out the inner tube, bag or rope? They hardly could have predicted he would be wearing a scarf to use. Does that mean they were lurking from a few houses down? Watching him return from the party? Waiting in a car/van?

 

[murkmanz]

Bob, im sure your family have exhausted absolutely every avenue possible, but, do you know who Bill's best friend would have been? Have you talked to him? Or any girlfriends of his? Someone, somewhere knows what happened.

If i were a detective, the following people i would desperately want to speak are:
Bill's best friend,
Bill's girlfriend (If he had one at the time)
Bill's entire tutor group (In England and Ireland each student is assigned to a 'tutor' group of about 30)
Bill's Tutor
The Teacher who claimed Bill asked questions on strangling.
I would also want to speak to the people in Choir who saw these 'upperclass men' who stared Bill down.
Steven Capehart and Gary Lee Trudell.
Every person whom Bill delivered newspapers to.
And also the Tope family.

 

[rosemadderlake]

Black trash liner I believe. Something you couldn't see through, so no descriptions given.
Why both when either one would have worked alone. And a note? Seems all very premeditated?

Bill willingly went back to school. We thought the first one was random. The second one obviously targeted. The third? After number two Bill wasn't out of our sight, we thought.

I know exactly what you mean. Really doesnt make sense. The only explanation i have for bringing the knife would be to threaten him into doing what they want, i.e Get in the car right now, or come with me or ill stab you.
Having a knife pulled on you is extremely intimidating.

And also, with out trying to sound to Graphic, knife wounds are very messy. They probably wanted to avoid that. But then again, the killer/s left the knife there?! They have been so reckless in all three attacks and yet so lucky not to have been caught!

It does bother me that on the 3rd attack they didnt use their own weapons like the first two. What does this mean?? It means they were very close to Bill that night when they decided to kill him. I think they had seen him wearing the scarf and decided on using that to strangle him.

Why turn up to strangle him again (We can pressume strangulation was the aim the 3rd time) with out the inner tube, bag or rope? They hardly could have predicted he would be wearing a scarf to use. Does that mean they were lurking from a few houses down? Watching him return from the party? Waiting in a car/van?

Bbms: I don't see that there was an article published about the first two attacks. If it was known that the police were involved, then Bill is a liability if he could identify them.

In the third attack, they could have had tools but saw the opportunity of the scarf readily at hand. My other thought was Bill was not cooperating and they silenced him.