IL IL - Debbie Fijan, 10, DuPage County, 11 Feb 1966 - #1

[Cubby]

As I recall, Macek actually attacked maids in two seperate incidents. One did survive; The other didn't.

Thank you. Am I understanding correctly then two of his victims survived, both the maid from WI and the woman he attacked in the laundry mat?

 

[Cubby]

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell Macek was never seriously investigated for Sally's murder until '94. Other than the bite print evidence, I doubt there ever was much collected otherwise.

As I understand "progression" in the methods of a serial killer, the slitting of the eyes follows a pattern of learning, developing. The stab wounds to Debbie's eyes sound as though they were more brutal, more basic. By the time Macek got to Sally, his reason for attacking the eyes was more developed, thus the more--I hate to use the word--"refined" wounding.

Sally was never in Maceks car as far as we know, so they probably never took fibers from his car.

I agree with your thoughts regarding the eye wounds. It appears no matter what angle we look at Debbies case it will have to be DNA to solve her case. Provided whoever killed her left their dna. If she was held from behind as you theorized earlier based on the upward motion of the stab wounds hopefully her killers DNA is on her coat.

 

[Cubby]

This is Debbie's brother Jack. GOOD NEWS! The case has officially been reopened!!!!!!! I was informed that the Dupage cold unit was not functioning for a couple of years. It was reestablished a few months ago. They now have two detectives. Debbie's is one of four cases that have climbed to the top.

The detective needs about a week to review her case and the evidence. So, I really can't provide any additional info until next week.

respectfully snipped.
Hoping to hear an update this week.

 

[Abbey5]

A summary from an article I found on Ancestry.

Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI., Dec. 17, 1975

Richard O. Macek, 28, McHenry, IL was charged with first degree murder in the Aug. 15, 1974 stabbing death of a maid at Fontana Resort. Paula Cupit, 24, Fontana, whose body was found in one of the rooms at the Abbey Resort where she worked.

RM was being held in Milwaukee County on charges of rape, sexual perversion and conduct regardless of life on a maid at a suburban Wauwatusa hotel.

He was also accused of jumping bail on charges of attempted murder and assult on a woman at a McHenry, IL laundry. This has to be the woman from Woodstock, IL.

 

[Abbey5]

Another article from Ancestry.

Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI., Oct 2, 1976.

"Teeth marks on the body of a woman slain two years ago led to the indictment of a McHenry man on charges of murdering her and her three-year old daughter, authorites said Friday".

Authorities exhumed Nancy Lossman's body and bite marks were still clear on her breast.

The bite marks were compared with dental charts kept by a oral surgeon in Crystal Lake.

RM was a former cook, machinist and truck driver.

LE said RM had his teeth pulled shortly after this crime. RM has been in custody since pleading guilty to sex related crimes in WI & IL, and a prime suspect in this double slaying.

RM was arrested in a 1975 attack of a Woodstock woman but he jumped bail and disappeared.

RM's wife and stepchildren also disappeared. A request was received to forward the children's school records to San Bernadino, CA and LE found RM there.

Before RM's return he confessed to the Oct. 1974 rape of the Wauwatosa, WI maid, and the rape & murder of the maid at the Abbey Resort on Aug. 15, 1974.


I have read a lot of articles from 1976 that have to do with the bite marks comparisson between Lossman and Kandel cases that I will post tomorrow if I have time. It seems that there was quite a bit of ...how do I want to say it in a nice manner...well, we have more professionals than you do or our professional opinion holds more weight than yours does type of thing going on.

 

[Abbey5]

The Daily Herald, Chicago, IL., Nov. 4, 1977. Yet another Ancestry article.


RM pleads guily to the murder of Lossman and was sentenced to 200-400 years.

RM was named in a 2 court indictment on Nov. 19, 1976 for the murders of Lossman and her daughter. In a negotiated plea, the state withdrew the indictment for the daughters murder. RM was to serve the sentence concurrently with a 50-75 year sentence in McHenry county for the 1975 attempted murder of Mrs. Sharon Kultsek of Woodstock.

RM went back to WI to serve his life sentence for the rape-murder of Cupit and the indefinite sentencing in Central State Hospital in Waupon, WI for the rape-slashing of the Wauwatosa, WI woman.



In an article in the Daily Herald (Chicago, IL) Nov. 5, 1977.


RM confessed to to the murders of: Lossman, her daughter, Sally Kandel and Michelle Becker, 18, McHenry, found drowned in a nearby creek on 7/04/1975.

LE would not confirm or deny the confession in the Kandel and Becker case. But McHenry County Sheriff's Lt. George Hendle said, "We negotiated on the plea that Macek went down on and we're going to clear the case on Michelle Becker".

 

[Abbey5]

The Vidette Messenger, Valparaiso, IN, Dec. 31, 1973. An Ancestry article.

An IL truck driver received cuts to his head, ear and eye and was pinned inside his vehicle on Saturday. He lost control of the semi in the east lane of Interstate 94.

"Richard O. Macek, 26, McHenry, Il said his semi started to skid. He applied the brakes and lost control of the vehicle, which went into a pitch and overturned."

I think this might be RM considering one of his jobs was a truck driver. For anyone outside of this area, if RM was driving east on 94, he might have been an over the road driver. Unless, he was no longer living in the northern burbs of Chicago.

 

[Cubby]

Another article from Ancestry.

Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI., Oct 2, 1976.

"Teeth marks on the body of a woman slain two years ago led to the indictment of a McHenry man on charges of murdering her and her three-year old daughter, authorites said Friday".

Authorities exhumed Nancy Lossman's body and bite marks were still clear on her breast.

The bite marks were compared with dental charts kept by a oral surgeon in Crystal Lake.

RM was a former cook, machinist and truck driver.

LE said RM had his teeth pulled shortly after this crime. RM has been in custody since pleading guilty to sex related crimes in WI & IL, and a prime suspect in this double slaying.

RM was arrested in a 1975 attack of a Woodstock woman but he jumped bail and disappeared.

RM's wife and stepchildren also disappeared. A request was received to forward the children's school records to San Bernadino, CA and LE found RM there.

Before RM's return he confessed to the Oct. 1974 rape of the Wauwatosa, WI maid, and the rape & murder of the maid at the Abbey Resort on Aug. 15, 1974.


I have read a lot of articles from 1976 that have to do with the bite marks comparisson between Lossman and Kandel cases that I will post tomorrow if I have time. It seems that there was quite a bit of ...how do I want to say it in a nice manner...well, we have more professionals than you do or our professional opinion holds more weight than yours does type of thing going on.

BBM. I saw that too in relation to Macek being responisble for Sally's murder. Some in LE suspected his involvement since the early 70's yet Milone's conviction wasn't overturned or pardoned until 94. (see the find law, or case law links on the previous page )

DuPage was so sure Milone was the right man convicted they didn't really look at Macek much.
Macek wasn't seriously looked at until later.... which leads me to believe the chances Macek was ever looked at regarding Debbies murder are pretty slim to none. LE was pretty sure LS was the right man too....

IMO, LE is going to have to take a close look at both LS and ROM with an eye that perhaps there were mistakes made, or they jumped to the conclusion LS was responsible too quickly, in the initial investigation regarding Debbies murder. I feel strongly both LS and Macek are strong possible suspects in Debbies case, and obviously both of them can't be guilty.

 

[Cubby]

Ok one of my posts went poof.

Abbey5, thank you for summarizing some of the Daily Herald articles from Ancestry.
Like the Chicago Tribune articles, they are all PTV on google news archives.

Your post was the first I read about 18 year old Michelle Beckers murder. I wonder if she had the same tell tale marks the other victims had, (bite, eye wounds).

 

[Cubby]

Not much in google news archives regarding Michelle Becker.

This is all I could find:

Canoeists find body of girl, 18
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Chicago Tribune - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Jul 5, 1975[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]The girl was identified by the McHenry County coroner s office as Michelle Becker, 1807 N. Woodlawn Park, Mc- Henry. An autopsy was scheduled Satur- day to ... [/SIZE]

 

[Cubby]

I'd like to know if Debbie had a bite wound on her body when found.

While it is likely Maceks 'techniques' progressed with time, the information from Dr. Morrisons book, indicate Macek was chewing and or biting from his first arrests in childhood when he was caught stealing panties-which predates Debbies murder.

 

[shadowangel]

Ok one of my posts went poof.

Abbey5, thank you for summarizing some of the Daily Herald articles from Ancestry.
Like the Chicago Tribune articles, they are all PTV on google news archives.

Your post was the first I read about 18 year old Michelle Beckers murder. I wonder if she had the same tell tale marks the other victims had, (bite, eye wounds).

That's the first I've heard of Michelle as well. Seems the more we dig, the more we find...Well done, Abbey5.

I agree that the RO Macek mentioned in the truck accident article was most likely the ROM we've been discussing. If ROM were an OTR driver, that opens a whole new realm of possible victims.

 

[shadowangel]

I'd like to know if Debbie had a bite wound on her body when found.

While it is likely Maceks 'techniques' progressed with time, the information from Dr. Morrisons book, indicate Macek was chewing and or biting from his first arrests in childhood when he was caught stealing panties-which predates Debbies murder.

I think that very well may have been an item of evidence which law enforcement would have held back from the public.

 

[shadowangel]

Something that's bugged me for a while...Schofield's case was brought to a grand jury at the end of March '66, but the decision to not indict didn't come down until the end of April (the 25th, as I recall).
Why did it take so long? Do grand jury proceedings typically take a month?

 

[shadowangel]

<snipped> Here are a few snippets from this article that I found interesting. These are from about three-quarters down the article.

And the dead woman she's talking about, Paula Cupit, was stabbed just once in the heart, not repeatedly, and she had a broken neck.

I've found articles which state the same thing, about Paula having been stabbed in the heart. Other articles linked here have said the same thing about Debbie---that she also was stabbed in the heart.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AAAAIBAJ&pg=7227,3468881&dq=paula-cupit&hl=en (Paula Cupit case)

 

[Cubby]

I think that very well may have been an item of evidence which law enforcement would have held back from the public.

If it was a hold back, and Debbie did have a bite mark why wasn't her case compared to Sally's and Milone as opposed to Macek later? :waitasec: Or was it, and LE found that Milone had a solid alibi for the time Debbie was murdered.... then never took a second look comparing the two cases when it was found Macek, not Milone, was the actual perp.

 

[Cubby]

Something that's bugged me for a while...Schofield's case was brought to a grand jury at the end of March '66, but the decision to not indict didn't come down until the end of April (the 25th, as I recall).
Why did it take so long? Do grand jury proceedings typically take a month?

I'm going to guess GJ's meet once a month IIRC... so perhaps they were given the case in March but didn't make a decision until later, or the intial GJ meeting in March was continued until April. Purely a guess on my part.

 

[Cubby]

That's the first I've heard of Michelle as well. Seems the more we dig, the more we find...Well done, Abbey5.

I agree that the RO Macek mentioned in the truck accident article was most likely the ROM we've been discussing. If ROM were an OTR driver, that opens a whole new realm of possible victims.

There must have been something with Michelles autopsy indicating it wasn't a simple drowing accident. Though, I can't find a thing about Michelles murder.

 

[shadowangel]

If it was a hold back, and Debbie did have a bite mark why wasn't her case compared to Sally's and Milone as opposed to Macek later? :waitasec: Or was it, and LE found that Milone had a solid alibi for the time Debbie was murdered.... then never took a second look comparing the two cases when it was found Macek, not Milone, was the actual perp.

I was just saying that if she did have a bite, thats the kind of thing LE might hold back. Judging solely from the headlines we've seen, it doesnt appear that anyone was ever looked at in Debbie's case but LS.

I think there are enough similarities between the murders ROM committed and Debbie's to have at least warranted a look....But it doesnt appear that ever happened either.

So many things that don't make sense. Why did LE go back 40 years later and take DNA samples from Debbie's parents? Did they find something in the file to compare it to? If LE needed to develop a DNA profile for Debbie, wouldn't they take a profile of Debbie from her blood-stained clothes or order an exhumation?

 

[Cubby]

I was thinking outloud Shadow, that maybe Milone was briefly compared and ruled out so quickly that comparing Debbies case to Sally's never hit the media.

I agree the request for samples of DNA from Debbies parents without further follow up is puzzling. Unless that was the time the cold case unit was disbanded in DuPage and nothing was ever done after the request.