PA PA - Dale Kerstetter, 50, Bradford, 13 Sept 1987
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Pennysmom2
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Corning Platinum Theft and the Disappearance of Dale Kerstetter
Kerstetter was last seen on Saturday, September 12, 1987 at 11 p.m. when reporting for his weekend shift. He worked as a maintenance man and a security guard at Corning Glass Works, an 112,000 square...
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Kerstetter disappearance, missing platinum more than 30 years ago still an open case
BRADFORD, Pa. — It’s perhaps Bradford’s most well known unsolved mystery: What happened to Dale Kerstetter and a quarter-million-dollars worth of platinum missing from Corning Glassworks?
CASE: COLD CASE - MISSING PERSON Dale Irwin Kerstetter – Bradford, McKean County - $5000
The Pennsylvania State Police, Troop C, Kane, continue their search for Dale Kerstetter. On September 12, 1987, at approximately 11:15 p.m., an unknown masked suspect entered the Corning Plant and confronted the night watchman, Dale Kerstetter.
Sweetluv
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On one hand I think he staged his truck and lunch...to make it look like a typical day at work..and was in on the theft.
Then again, he could have been a victim.
It's interesting that it appears the one suspect was carrying something out..some think the body of Dale. Why wouldn't the suspect just leave the deceased body of Dale there? Why take the chance of transporting it?
Unless, it was Dale..alive..and apart of the heist.
Then again, he could have been a victim.
It's interesting that it appears the one suspect was carrying something out..some think the body of Dale. Why wouldn't the suspect just leave the deceased body of Dale there? Why take the chance of transporting it?
Unless, it was Dale..alive..and apart of the heist.
killarney rose
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You know I’ve always believed Dale was a victim. This theory never occurred to me nor have I read it mentioned anywhere.
ekardh
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Just in case they'd left any DNA or evidence behind?
ekardh
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Why take the risk of leaving any incriminating evidence behind?
Also, the cops are now chasing you for murder, as well as robbery. No body, no murder.
summergirl1
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It would be interesting to know more about "Ollie" and whether he could possibly have been the intruder, or one of them. I think Corning apart from thinking Dale may have been or was in on it, may have felt he didn't do his job as an armed security guard that night, since the platinum went missing as well as him. But what did they expect him to do, shoot the intruder? If Dale recognized the intruder or intruders as a former or even current coworker (I'm guessing former), he may have been more inclined to try to reason with whoever it was or be not afraid of whoever it was, then if it was a total stranger. If that was case, obviously that was a false assumption. Is there family DNA on file for Dale?
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JSolt1210
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I agree with the theory that this was an inside job, probably by the company itself, for the purposes of insurance fraud, and that Dale was not involved but rather set up as the fall guy.
I note how, in the original Unsolved Mysteries broadcast, C. Dale Parry, the Personnel Manager, starts out by coolly calling Dale a "marginal employee" and a "slow worker" with whom they'd had "some problems occasionally." Patrick Foley, the former Personnel Manager, states his belief that Dale looked at the camera to flaunt his crime, and adds that Dale was "not a happy person at the time of his death" because of a recent $5,000–$7,000 pay cut.
Now these things may be true, but they strike me as really insensitive things to say on a broadcast that they know Dale's family is most likely going to hear and even participate in. Maybe Parry and Foley provided specific incidents to show that Dale was "marginal," "slow," and "not happy," and that these were edited out of the broadcast. But you'd think that after 30+ years, some of those incidents would've emerged but, as far as I know, none have. So this leads me to believe that management already didn't like Dale and were intentionally trying to paint him as a disgruntled employee.
The night of Dale's disappearance, a new employee conveniently failed to check in on Dale every hour on the hour. Arrin Stoner uploaded the security video to his YouTube channel (07:38–12:00), and you can clearly see the time stamp is around 10:45:52 to 10:46:00—pretty much at the beginning of Dale's shift. I can understand if the new employee missed one or two hours, but Dale was supposed to leave at 7 am, so you're saying the employee missed eight check-ins? I'm not buying it.
And for that reason, I think Dale looking at the camera was a silent cry for help. Unfortunately the footage has degraded so much by now that we can't see his facial expression. But I believe Dale knew there were 15 minutes left in the hour, and was betting on that first check-in which never came. Maybe that's why he complied with the intruder and appeared calm because he figured this was only temporary, and that help would be coming soon.
Management themselves say whoever stole the platinum knew the layout of the place, and in the recreation of the video, the intruder alone is sawing off platinum, so it's not like Dale was giving him a tour. The intruder knew exactly where to go of his own accord. The fact that the company was losing money (hence Dale's pay cut) makes me suspect them of orchestrating this theft and pinning it on Dale.
I note how, in the original Unsolved Mysteries broadcast, C. Dale Parry, the Personnel Manager, starts out by coolly calling Dale a "marginal employee" and a "slow worker" with whom they'd had "some problems occasionally." Patrick Foley, the former Personnel Manager, states his belief that Dale looked at the camera to flaunt his crime, and adds that Dale was "not a happy person at the time of his death" because of a recent $5,000–$7,000 pay cut.
Now these things may be true, but they strike me as really insensitive things to say on a broadcast that they know Dale's family is most likely going to hear and even participate in. Maybe Parry and Foley provided specific incidents to show that Dale was "marginal," "slow," and "not happy," and that these were edited out of the broadcast. But you'd think that after 30+ years, some of those incidents would've emerged but, as far as I know, none have. So this leads me to believe that management already didn't like Dale and were intentionally trying to paint him as a disgruntled employee.
The night of Dale's disappearance, a new employee conveniently failed to check in on Dale every hour on the hour. Arrin Stoner uploaded the security video to his YouTube channel (07:38–12:00), and you can clearly see the time stamp is around 10:45:52 to 10:46:00—pretty much at the beginning of Dale's shift. I can understand if the new employee missed one or two hours, but Dale was supposed to leave at 7 am, so you're saying the employee missed eight check-ins? I'm not buying it.
And for that reason, I think Dale looking at the camera was a silent cry for help. Unfortunately the footage has degraded so much by now that we can't see his facial expression. But I believe Dale knew there were 15 minutes left in the hour, and was betting on that first check-in which never came. Maybe that's why he complied with the intruder and appeared calm because he figured this was only temporary, and that help would be coming soon.
Management themselves say whoever stole the platinum knew the layout of the place, and in the recreation of the video, the intruder alone is sawing off platinum, so it's not like Dale was giving him a tour. The intruder knew exactly where to go of his own accord. The fact that the company was losing money (hence Dale's pay cut) makes me suspect them of orchestrating this theft and pinning it on Dale.
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JSolt1210
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Also, Dale is never seen exiting the building. If he looked at the camera to flaunt his crime, why wouldn't he proudly strut out with the platinum? I mean, we see the intruder leave with a bag.
And if Dale was killed on the premises, as many believe, why does his murder take place out of camera range? Is it because the person who killed him already knew where the cameras were? Is that why he approached Dale within camera range at the beginning, to make viewers think Dale was in on it?
And why was the camera footage reviewed four days later, as opposed to that same day?
This whole thing screams 'set up' at me.
And if Dale was killed on the premises, as many believe, why does his murder take place out of camera range? Is it because the person who killed him already knew where the cameras were? Is that why he approached Dale within camera range at the beginning, to make viewers think Dale was in on it?
And why was the camera footage reviewed four days later, as opposed to that same day?
This whole thing screams 'set up' at me.
I'm sorry but the idea of this being an inside insurance job by the company is laughable. I was in insurance from 1979, including 20 years at director level, and whilst such frauds were common I never came across a single one organised by a company on the scale of Corning or quoted on a major exchange. When a company of that size wants to conduct a scam it is far more sophisticated, usually something like debt raises based on dodgy facts and promises - all impossible to prove. And that sort of scam is much more lucrative. Insurance jobs are carried out by small to medium size companies with obvious financial issues, not major quoted companies. However, that does not mean I disagree about it being an inside job, just that it would have been organised by individuals or a group acting independently of the company. The behaviour of the personnel people was a disgrace but the obvious explanations for that are that either they were involved in some way (unlikely) or that they were part of a PR exercise conducted by the company to manage the fallout (very likely).
Sweetluv
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I read that as a Security Guard, Dale was suppose to check in every hour. Obviously he didnt....so who was Dale suppose to check in with and why, if Dale wasn't following protocol, did they not check to see that he was ok?
Find Brenda
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I believe he was supposed to check in hourly by phone with another company plant and yet they failed to do anything when he didn’t call.
Security guards at the plant were supposed to check in with the headquarters desk in Corning, NY every hour during their shift. It was discovered that Kerstetter never checked in that night. Corning claims that a new employee was working the check-in desk that shift and was unfamiliar with the protocols.
bbm
Corning Platinum Theft and the Disappearance of Dale Kerstetter
Kerstetter was last seen on Saturday, September 12, 1987 at 11 p.m. when reporting for his weekend shift. He worked as a maintenance man and a security guard at Corning Glass Works, an 112,000 square...
mckeancountycoldcases.weebly.com
BethAnn777
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Giving Dale’s case a bump. Watching the Unsolved Mysteries episode now.
Seems the thief had knowledge of exactly where the platinum was located and how to remove it. Hope LE took a good hard look at all past and present (at that time) employees who would have had that knowledge.
Head honchos at the factory are outright accusing Dale whereas his family being interviewed on UM says there is no way Dale would steal and then disappear but go on to say if he did it he would eventually come back. I believe his family. The business execs come across as real jerks.
Hoping this case is solved soon.
Seems the thief had knowledge of exactly where the platinum was located and how to remove it. Hope LE took a good hard look at all past and present (at that time) employees who would have had that knowledge.
Head honchos at the factory are outright accusing Dale whereas his family being interviewed on UM says there is no way Dale would steal and then disappear but go on to say if he did it he would eventually come back. I believe his family. The business execs come across as real jerks.
Hoping this case is solved soon.
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