MI MI - Kathy Wilcox, 15, Otsego, 17 July 1972

[Roselvr]

http://www.njsp.org/miss/ui_glouces_u406133715.html

I'll have to look when I have time. She was ruled out as Aundria Bowman also from MI; not sure where her DNA is located. I live pretty close to where she was found. Will be that way tomorrow; actually having grandsons 1st bday party around the corner from there.

 

[OkieGranny]

Featured on Livingston County's cold case Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/6469368020...41827.646936802058660/671616299590710/?type=1

 

[skydelta3574]

does anyone think this is a good possibility? http://doenetwork.org/cases/67uffl.html

I do. Did you ever report it to the appropriate agencies?

 

[Roselvr]

I'll have to look when I have time. She was ruled out as Aundria Bowman also from MI; not sure where her DNA is located. I live pretty close to where she was found. Will be that way tomorrow; actually having grandsons 1st bday party around the corner from there.

I think Kathy would be way too old to be Deptford JD.
According to the info I have, her DNA is in CODIS.
Here is her WS thread

 

[mommyto3]

I sent an email to LE, asking if this case had ever been ruled out. The composite looks very similar to Kathy's photo.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1195ufmi.html

 

[mommyto3]

There is some height discrepancy, though. While it's possible for a 15 year old girl to grow 4 more inches, it's really not all that probable.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

"EFFORT TO FIND MISSING OTSEGO WOMAN SEEKS HELP WITH FLIER"

http://www.allegannews.com/allegan-news-news-union-enterprise/effort-find-missing-otsego-woman-seeks-help-flier

The latest chapter in the attempt to find Kathy Sue Wilcox could begin with someone seeing a flier and making a call.

Her sister, Karen Ortegel, and a group of supporters are continuing to spread the word online—mainly through a Find Kathy Sue Wilcox Facebook group—and in person.

“At this point, all I can do is continue to promote her being gone and efforts to support tips that would lead to finding her,” Ortegel said.

 

[Roselvr]

"EFFORT TO FIND MISSING OTSEGO WOMAN SEEKS HELP WITH FLIER"

http://www.allegannews.com/allegan-news-news-union-enterprise/effort-find-missing-otsego-woman-seeks-help-flier

Hoping something comes of it!

"She’s seeking to let people know that a fund has been established through Silent Observer that would collect donations to be used as a reward for information that lead to finding her sister."
Checks and correspondence can be sent to Silent Observer of Allegan County C/O Allegan County Treasurer, P.O. Box 259, Allegan, MI 49010. Checks should be made out to Silent Observer of Allegan County.

Checks need to be followed by an email to [email protected] so Capt. Mike Larsen can tally the amount earmarked to help find Kathy Sue Wilcox.

 

[Ozoner]

The Kalamazoo River runs through Otsego, so maybe an accidental drowning is a possibility. That river winds through some very rural areas, so it's conceivable that a drowning victim would not be found. It would be helpful to know her street address at that time & whether she was headed in the direction of the river.

I find it interesting that so few locals knew seemed to know about the case before the recent publicity. Maybe the family was new to the area. Was Kathy's mother still living? If Kathy got into a bad argument with her stepmother & decided to run away, maybe she decided to hitchhike to her mother's residence & accepted a ride from the wrong person.

 

[Roselvr]

The Kalamazoo River runs through Otsego, so maybe an accidental drowning is a possibility. That river winds through some very rural areas, so it's conceivable that a drowning victim would not be found. It would be helpful to know her street address at that time & whether she was headed in the direction of the river.

I find it interesting that so few locals knew seemed to know about the case before the recent publicity. Maybe the family was new to the area. Was Kathy's mother still living? If Kathy got into a bad argument with her stepmother & decided to run away, maybe she decided to hitchhike to her mother's residence & accepted a ride from the wrong person.

She resembles Aundria Bowman

 

[Ozoner]

She resembles Aundria Bowman

I agree. And route 89 runs between Holland and Otsego. (The trip is a little over 30 miles.) However, the span of years between the two incidents makes a connection unlikely.

 

[Roselvr]

I agree. And route 89 runs between Holland and Otsego. (The trip is a little over 30 miles.) However, the span of years between the two incidents makes a connection unlikely.

Carl made a flier of missing gals that connected them better

 

[Ozoner]

I find it intriguing that serial killer William Richard Bradford may have been living in the area. According to another post, he moved to western Michigan in 1972 after a divorce and eventually ended up in Dorr, which is only about 25 minutes from Otsego—straight up 131. I'm not sure whether he's been ruled out in the Wilcox case. The one thing that doesn't fit is that Bradford's known victims were not well-concealed, and Kathy Wilcox's body hasn't been found.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...imeline-amp-Compiled-List-of-Possible-Matches

 

[ctaylor]

A new article on Kathy's case....

http://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/john-carlisle/2015/06/15/woman-seeks-runaway-years/71231444/

Woman holds out hope for sister who vanished in 1972

OTSEGO — Some people think she's crazy. Others just feel sad for her. But Karen Wilcox remains convinced that her little sister is still alive.

Even though she disappeared 43 years ago.

She's held firmly to this belief ever since Kathy Sue stormed out of their house after a family argument one afternoon, walked off and vanished without a word or a witness.

Long after nearly everyone else grew resigned to the likelihood that something very bad probably happened to the 15-year-old, Karen has refused to accept it. Whether it's protective denial or bottomless faith, the 58-year-old believes her then-teenage sister managed to escape a troubled family and start a new life — somewhere.

"Do I think Kathy Sue could've gone out and made it? Yes I do," Karen said confidently.

Nobody has heard from her sister since the day she vanished back in July 1972. Her body was never found. And no real clues have ever emerged.

...

 

[Roselvr]

Has to be the best article I've seen yet

 

[Ozoner]

I find it intriguing that serial killer William Richard Bradford may have been living in the area. According to another post, he moved to western Michigan in 1972 after a divorce and eventually ended up in Dorr, which is only about 25 minutes from Otsego—straight up 131.

I haven't had any luck so far establishing a timeline for Bradford. The link may be a tenuous, but I think a serial killer of young women who may have been living one or two towns at some point during the year another young woman disappeared away needs to be looked at.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Woman recalls details about sister missing for 43 years

“I think there’s some connection between the Christmas tree farming family, and what happened to her. Maybe not the family themselves, but what was taking place out there, because Kathy started to change about that time, and it seemed like it happened so fast.”

Karen still remembers the pain when Kathy’s case was closed before school started that same summer.

“My thoughts were we weren’t rich enough, we aren’t important enough, and my sister’s life doesn’t matter. It was a helpless feeling. I was thinking there wasn’t anything we could do.”

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Cold Case Spotlight

A Sister's Search: The Kathy Sue Wilcox Case

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/sisters-search-kathy-sue-wilcox-case-n459521

"I am not going to leave any leaves unturned when it comes to finding her. And I know that I might not find her alive. I know that today. I know that's a possibility."

 

[JerseyGirl]

This is what authorities believe Kathy Wilcox might look like today.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/11/missign_otsego_teens_cold_case.html

 

[Shannon82]

Here is the information from the link mentioned above by Lins1983:

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Unidentified White Female
Located on August 21, 1973 in Altamonte Springs, Seminole County, Florida.
Cause of death was homicide


Vital Statistics

• Estimated age: 15- 21 years old
• Approximate Height and Weight: 5'5"- 5'7"; slender build (circa 110 lbs).
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Approximately shoulder-length, light brown hair. Possibly crooked teeth. She appears to be a young runaway.
• Dentals: Loose teeth found during screenings of surrounding soil.
• Clothing: None located
• DNA: Available at University of North Texas.
• AKA: Authorities refer to her as "Ginger"

Case History
This unidentified female is believed to have been a victim of Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano, a member of the Outlaws motorcycle gang in 1973. The victim was located in a dump in Altamonte Springs, Florida on August 21, 1973. She was underneath the body of Laura Harbers, a homicide which Spaziano was charged with in the mid-1970's.
Spaziano avoided the death penalty in Harberts' case, as a key witness for the prosecution recanted his testimony which would have implicated Spaziano in the crime. His first-degree murder conviction was overturned in 1998 and Spaziano pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. He is currently serving a life sentence in a Florida prison for the rape and mutilation of a teenage girl from Orlando, Florida.
A witness said that in the spring of 1973, she saw Spaziano at Daytona Beach with a young girl riding on the back of his motorcycle. The girl asked her to hold her purse for safekeeping. The girl didn't pick up her purse after the motorcycle ride. Five days later Spaziano showed up at her door and demanded the purse. She turned it over, but not before peeking inside for the identification. She told Police that she remembered only that the girl was from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this victim's identity, please contact:
Seminole County Sheriff's Office
Detective Jaynes
407-665-6610


All information may be submitted on an anonymous basis. Agency Case Number:
1973-1322

Source Information:
Seminole County Sheriff's Office
American Bar Association
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Kathy has been ruled out to be this jane doe