MT MT - Dexter Stefonek, 67, Dawson County, 19 November 1985

[neverletgo]

Here's an old article featuring the unsolved murder of Dexter Stefonek, a 67 year old gentleman murdered near Glendive, MT, in November 1985.

Your thoughts about this case, sleuthers?

Snipped:

Stefonek was en route from Corbett, Ore., where he had been visiting his son, to his home in Wisconsin when he stopped at the Glendive rest area around 7 a.m. to take a break after driving all night, she said.

He was abducted, killed and his body was hidden under a box spring at a private dump used by about five families. McGinn said the murderer drove Stefonek's car back to the rest area and set it on fire with gasoline.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...VlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xO8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6130,4113625

 

[neverletgo]

Snipped:

Witnesses recall seeing a light-complected and clean shaving man carrying two large jugs of gasoline to Dexter's vehicle. This person could have been driving a white Chevy 4X4 with a blue horizontal stripe and a white camper shell with an Arizona license plate in a Phoenix license plate holder.

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Dexter_Stefonek

 

[neverletgo]

Snipped:

One week later, the authorities found a final clue in the men's room at the Bad Route rest area: a small line of graffiti written in pencil. It began with the words "Hot Jock." Police have not released the entire message, but believe it may be linked to Dexter Stefonek's murder. Coroner Silha believed the killer wrote it there for the police to find:

"My own theory is that someone wanted us to see it. Hot Jock could be a CB handle. It referred to 'shot.' It had 'Wisconsin' in the graffiti and a date indicating November."

Police have only two clues that might identify Dexter Stefonek's killer: the description of the suspect's vehicle and the sketchy description of the suspect himself. The vehicle was a white Chevy 4 x 4 with a wide blue horizontal stripe. It had a white camper shell top and a cattle guard on the front bumper. It also had Arizona plates, with a Phoenix license plate holder.

The suspect is middle aged, at least six feet tall, light-complected and clean shaven. He may use the nickname or CB handle, Hot Jock.

http://projectparanormal.org/parapedia/dexter-stefonek/

 

[neverletgo]

Snipped:

Dexter W. Stefonek was born January 31, 1918, in Rhinelander, Oneida Co., WI, and died by being murdered November 19, 1985, near Glendive, Dawson Co., MT, at age 67. He is the son of John Aleck Stefonek of Minnesota, and Ethel Schultz of Rhinelander, Oneida Co., WI.

http://www.leighlarson.com/vivian_e_abbey.htm

 

[neverletgo]

Google map of case locations/Dexter's possible route:

http://goo.gl/maps/EybJM

 

[neverletgo]

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=51244320

 

[Midge Montana]

A family member, a former Glendive resident, shared a post about the case on his FB today.
I'd like to see on a map the location of the landfill where they found his body, in relation to where his burning car was found at the rest stop. It is said to be 17 miles away.
I wonder what gas station they went to?

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Dexter_Stefonek
Investigators later released the full message written at the Bad Route rest area: "HOT JOCK SHOT WAD FROM WISCONSIN 11/85 SATURDAY THE 3rd". However, no new leads came from the message.

This is on Unsolved Mysteries Season 1, Episode 24, the last segment of that episode. I caught it on Amazon Prime.

 

[Midge Montana]

Digging through more websites, I was able to find the location of the dump:

Then, on March 8, 1986, the mystery of what had become of Stefonek was revealed.
On that day, William and Cynthia Shaw took some garbage to dump at a private dump site on the land of rancher Bob Reynolds, located approximately two miles west of the Whoopup Creek exit.

Article with many details here: http://rangerreview.com/news/thirty...area-murder-case-remains-unsolved-slideshow-2

Article with photo of burned car, and theory of police step-by-step. http://rangerreview.com/news/thirty...area-murder-case-remains-unsolved-slideshow-2

 

[MelmothTheLost]

This case is the subject of the latest episode of The Trail Went Cold.

The Trail Went Cold – Episode 73 – Dexter Stefonek

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Investigators later released the full message written at the Bad Route rest area: "HOT JOCK SHOT WAD FROM WISCONSIN 11/85 SATURDAY THE 3rd".

In the TTWC episode Robin Warder suggests that this graffito refers to a gay sexual encounter, which is quite credible considering it was found in a male toilet or restroom. Casual gay hookups in public toilets like that are known as "cottaging" here in the UK.

 

[creepedout]

I was reading an article about this case in the Billings Gazette and other locations just now. Because of the location of the dump where the body was located, it's believed the killer knew the area. The killer's vehicle, however, had Arizona plates. This connects him to both areas.

I can only imagine they still have the Arizona records of the vehicles that matched that partial plate and description. I've been unable to, however, locate an estimate for the suspect's age. If an approximate age range could be generated, a modern search through a database like Ancestry.com could be interesting. Search for males, born in approximate year range, who lived in both Arizona and the Dawson county area of Montana. See if any of the names correspond to the Arizona vehicle records from back in the day.

Fat chance of a hit, but I've heard of stranger things.

 

[jaejae]

Here appears to be another pretty recent report about this case:

Montana Murder Mysteries: Bad Route Rest Stop Killing

 

[JohnnyChicago]

Revisiting the Unsolved Mysteries episode (for the 30th time in my life) Great episode.
"HOT JOCK..."

Only at the Bad Route Rest Stop. Wonder if they ever renamed that rest stop?

 

[JohnnyChicago]

Here appears to be another pretty recent report about this case:

Montana Murder Mysteries: Bad Route Rest Stop Killing

What do you think about that Douglas Turner character???

 

[JohnnyChicago]

This case is the subject of the latest episode of The Trail Went Cold.

The Trail Went Cold – Episode 73 – Dexter Stefonek

The show always makes me laugh. "And the trail.....went cold"
I feel like the whole podcast is mainly just revisiting cases from the Unsolved Mysteries tv series, but repeating nearly everything stated by the show already.....20 years ago. We are offered few updates or follow ups. BUT ......
I still listen to every episode. It keeps my attentions and I support the podcast. I just want a bit more out of it.

 

[jaejae]

What do you think about that Douglas Turner character???

Thanks for the interest. If I am being honest I have to admit I have not heard of him and although I posted it I cannot view the above article. I do remember from the Unsolved Mysteries segment that the suspect was described as tall with striking blond hair and the car has Arizona number plates.

Here is the description from the Unsolved Mysteries reconstruction:

Police have only two clues that might identify Dexter Stefonek’s killer: the description of the suspect’s vehicle and the sketchy description of the suspect himself. The vehicle was a white Chevy 4 x 4 with a wide blue horizontal stripe. It had a white camper shell top and a cattle guard on the front bumper. It also had Arizona plates, with a Phoenix license plate holder.

The suspect is middle aged, at least six feet tall, light-complected and clean shaven. He may use the nickname or CB handle, Hot Jock.

The Mysterious Murder of Dexter Stefonek - Unsolved Mysteries

 

[jaejae]

Revisiting the Unsolved Mysteries episode (for the 30th time in my life) Great episode.
"HOT JOCK..."

Only at the Bad Route Rest Stop. Wonder if they ever renamed that rest stop?

I thought I was bad but I think you have trumped me there. I did read once on a message board that a girl was spending her holiday having a marathon watch of Unsolved Mysteries episodes with her boyfriend. Very interesting reconstruction on the program though

Here is the episode for you to watch one more time:

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bumping

 

[Midge Montana]

Bump for Dexter

 

[skibum87]

I'm not sure if anyone here has info, but from what I've found, Arizona license plates began with letters, not numbers in the 70's and 80's. (I know the murder took place in 1985, but plates from the 70s were able to be re-registered until the 90s.) In any case, I'm puzzled how the sheriff could whittle down the results using the numbers as the initial digits. I did file a FOIA to the fbi for information about the denver hypnosis of the witness (the resulted in the partial license plate memory.) but they had no information. I think the chances the witness DID see Arizona on the plates is higher than the chance he misremembered a similarly-colored plate (missouri, for example) but correctly remembered the numbers. Honestly, I think using this information, the partial memory of the plate, is removing the killer from the "pool" and every matching chevy and its owner should be looked at. I know Sheriff Cannen is busy, but I/we have time. I'd love for this case to be solved before Dexter's son passes away. Thank you.