OH OH - Michael Klitch, 12, Grandview Heights, 28 June 1971

[solofiddle]

Nerosleuth's map in post #3 is pretty accurate. Only mistake is the tennis court
is on the east side of Urlin. That route marked in green is also the most logical way he would have
walked. I grew up in the 1000 block of Wyandotte, a few blocks west of Urlin. Goodale, the main east/west street on the bottom side of Grandview Heights, is not that busy in that part, but it used to have a higher speed limit than the other residential roads and it was really not safe for kids walking (no sidewalks) or bike riding (even as kids, common sense told us to avoid this road if possible). That explains my surprise at him walking there - his proposed route would have been fine, but from where I lived, I would have back-tracked a bit north to avoid Goodale as much as possible.
Also, I doubt if it is related to this case, but I will just mention some local lore about the railroad track. Look to the lower west end of the Grandview Heights map and you will see Goodale curve up north into Lincoln Rd. The track at that spot keeps going straight into some fairly deep woods, where some large Marble Cliff estates back up to the track. Legend has it that from time to time hobos or gypsies would camp out in those woods - probably not true or a long time before, but it is possible and we were forbidden to ever go into those woods! I think some kid mentioned they actually saw remnants of a campfire and old tin cans in those woods. I remember some kids saying a hobo must have kidnapped Michael. A hobo would not have had a car, and I have no idea if those tracks go anywhere near where the body was found.

 

[solofiddle]

Just a note per the Grandview map mentioned
: The Summit Chase high-rise building would also be east of Urlin.
Fun Marble Cliff fact: Prescott Bush, President George W. Bush's grandfather, lived there. Some stunning old mansions in that small village!

 

[nerosleuth]

Welcome to Websleuths Solofiddle. We're glad to have you here.

:wagon:

I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask you about Mike.

Did Mike or his siblings ever have a newspaper route where they delivered the daily or weekly newspaper to doorsteps in the neighborhood?

Was Mike ever a member of the Boy Scouts or any youth organization groups? Was he involved in youth league sports?

You are correct that there are commercial and light industrial properties across the railroad tracks behind the tennis courts.

Do you remember where the motel used to be at the corner of Grandview Avenue & Dublin Road (U.S. Route 33) years ago?

I remember that during the 1990’s, the motel was abandoned for quite awhile before it was finally torn down.

It makes me wonder if a motel existed at that intersection back in the early 1970’s.

 

[nerosleuth]

Also, was it mentioned if his clothes had stab marks or blood?

And would rain have washed fingerprints off the tennis racket?

It seems the killer would have handled that and prints might have still been on it.

From the 1971 Columbus Citizen Journal and Columbus Dispatch newspaper articles that I read, the newspaper articles never mentioned anything about his clothes having any slits, stab marks, blood, or if it was torn in any manner.

 

[solofiddle]

I remember the hotel. I worked in the restaurant there when I was 16. I don't know anything about Michael other than his tennis prowess.

 

[solofiddle]

It was mentioned that he missed an important baseball game the night he was abducted, I think. Not sure, but the hotel was probably there at the time. I got the one you are referring to mixed up with another hotel further north a bit on Dublin road, which is where I worked. Don't know about a paper route. Seems like a vulnerable time for a kid to be out alone, but they manage to do it, like my brother did.

 

[Satch]

It was mentioned that he missed an important baseball game the night he was abducted, I think. Not sure, but the hotel was probably there at the time. I got the one you are referring to mixed up with another hotel further north a bit on Dublin road, which is where I worked. Don't know about a paper route. Seems like a vulnerable time for a kid to be out alone, but they manage to do it, like my brother did.

Thanks so much for being here, Solofiddle!

I also want to give advanced thanks to your brother. Knowing Mike, at least being in his class can help bring information and closure to the case. If he could come here to post with any other information, that would be so awesome! On the other hand, we don't want to stir up a painful memory if Mike and he were very close. It can be difficult to talk about cases like these, especially involving innocent children.

My hope is that "Mike's thread" remains a place of reflection and hope. That someone saw or remembers something, ANY bit of evidence that brings justice to Mike, his friends, and family. I understand that Mike's parents are still living in the same house that they had in 1971. His siblings are to my knowledge still alive. Let's work to bring closure to this case for Mike and his family and friends!

Regards,

Satch

 

[Satch]

Nerosleuth's map in post #3 is pretty accurate. Only mistake is the tennis court
is on the east side of Urlin. That route marked in green is also the most logical way he would have
walked. I grew up in the 1000 block of Wyandotte, a few blocks west of Urlin. Goodale, the main east/west street on the bottom side of Grandview Heights, is not that busy in that part, but it used to have a higher speed limit than the other residential roads and it was really not safe for kids walking (no sidewalks) or bike riding (even as kids, common sense told us to avoid this road if possible). That explains my surprise at him walking there - his proposed route would have been fine, but from where I lived, I would have back-tracked a bit north to avoid Goodale as much as possible.
Also, I doubt if it is related to this case, but I will just mention some local lore about the railroad track. Look to the lower west end of the Grandview Heights map and you will see Goodale curve up north into Lincoln Rd. The track at that spot keeps going straight into some fairly deep woods, where some large Marble Cliff estates back up to the track. Legend has it that from time to time hobos or gypsies would camp out in those woods - probably not true or a long time before, but it is possible and we were forbidden to ever go into those woods! I think some kid mentioned they actually saw remnants of a campfire and old tin cans in those woods. I remember some kids saying a hobo must have kidnapped Michael. A hobo would not have had a car, and I have no idea if those tracks go anywhere near where the body was found.

Hence the "Creepiness" of the area. I did not know of the woods beyond the railroad tracks. I wonder if Mike's abductor snuk up behind him from those woods or a hidden area? Or was Mike conned by the perpetrator who pulled up in a car or something? What do you all think? Given Mike's apprehension of new situations and new people, somebody either conned him in a big way. Or more likely snuck up behind him with force or a threatening weapon, likely the knife used to stab him, in which case Mike was overpowered by his abductor and killer, and could not run away.

I think if he realized what was happening to him, he may have used his tennis racket in self defense beating his killer with it. This may have outraged the killer into stabbing him. I understand that there were stab wounds, about twenty five of them on Mike's body. This would seemingly indicate a rage or revenge type of killing. I still believe Mike's killer was very familiar with the area. He may have known where the shack was. Get the evidence far enough away so that the killer would in his horrifyingly sick mind, would destroy any evidence linking him to Mike's murder.

However, were Mike's clothes, shoes, and tennis racket also burned? I don't think everything was. It would be interesting to see what evidence LE still has from the crime scene for DNA testing. Run Mike's DNA test through a database of known pedophiles. But I don't think this was a serial killer situation. I am unsure if Mike's abductor and killer was someone that Mike knew. At least directly It could have been someone who knew the Klitch family. Their strong involvement with athletics and competition. Either someone was jealous of Mike's or the family's success and sought to kill Mike to harm the family. Or this was a sick mentally ill person, likely a stranger, who saw a vulnerable kid alone, and took advantage of the situation. Maybe this person was gay and found Mike attractive. They could have kidnapped him, made sexual advances toward him, molested him, Mike fights back, and in a rage is stabbed to death.

However, we don't know where, or exactly when, or the circumstances leading up to Mike's death. His body was shockingly burned so badly when found in the shed, that it is not known if he had been molested or not.

Satch

 

[nerosleuth]

However, were Mike's clothes, shoes, and tennis racket also burned? I don't think everything was.

His clothing and personal belongings were not burned. It was found outside of the shed in a trash dump.

 

[ModMaiden]

I read all the posts regarding this case last night and I am so impressed with everyone who has posted. Satch is amazing with the depth of his/her posts that show a lot of passion. The LE who posted makes me want to sit and listen to him talk for hours. So interesting. I wish a lot of other threads showed the same respect and compassion as this one.

There were things that stood out to me as well when I read the case. This young boy needs to have his day in court and his killer(s) held accountable for their crime.

I only hope that he knows there are people who care about him to this day. This thread clearly shows that and I thank all of you for caring about him.

 

[solofiddle]

Last weekend I spoke with my older brother, who was in Michael's class in Grandview. He remembers no indication that the boy was abused at home, nor could he remember anything about the family's cars. Although he was not close to the boy, he did go over to their house a few times for a birthday party, etc.
Get this: my brother said Michael had claimed to have hopped a train on that track on at least one occasion before. Hard to imagine such a young small kid would do such a dangerous thing, but maybe he did that for kicks or for adventure. My brother never believed it then or now. However, some at the time thought he may have hopped a train near the woods and taken it down to the tennis courts and disappeared. Hard to believe he would do such a dangerous thing for such a short ride. The police interviewed tons of folks and kids and... Nothing.

 

[solofiddle]

My brother said they searched all over, especially the wooded area where he maybe did hop a train. I suppose if he hopped a train, it could have picked up speed and maybe he was afraid to jump off at the tennis court. He could have gotten hauled by train to the other side of Columbus or to some scary train yard or who knows where. I drove right by the Klitch house Saturday, when I attended a funeral at the church across the street.

 

[ModMaiden]

My brother said they searched all over, especially the wooded area where he maybe did hop a train. I suppose if he hopped a train, it could have picked up speed and maybe he was afraid to jump off at the tennis court. He could have gotten hauled by train to the other side of Columbus or to some scary train yard or who knows where. I drove right by the Klitch house Saturday, when I attended a funeral at the church across the street.

Does sound dangerous and grabbing onto a moving train certainly cannot be easy. There have been cases where people lost limbs because of train hopping.

Some things about this case is haunting and the first person I would go back to is the mother. I feel she needs to do some explaining.

Thank you for information about your brother. Probably hard to pass by their house without wondering what is the real truth behind Michael's murder. Michael deserves for this case to be solved because he didn't deserve what happened to him.

 

[Satch]

Does sound dangerous and grabbing onto a moving train certainly cannot be easy. There have been cases where people lost limbs because of train hopping.

Some things about this case is haunting and the first person I would go back to is the mother. I feel she needs to do some explaining.

Thank you for information about your brother. Probably hard to pass by their house without wondering what is the real truth behind Michael's murder. Michael deserves for this case to be solved because he didn't deserve what happened to him.

Interesting!

Do you mean because Mrs. Klitch took the other siblings swimming anyway, and also went to a school board meeting that night? Where was Mike's Dad, Mr. Klitch between 1:30PM and 8PM? What were Mike's sisters' doing? I am not accusing family of ANYTHING! But there are some family dynamics and puzzle pieces that seem out of place to me, a bit upsetting.

Satch

 

[Satch]

Last weekend I spoke with my older brother, who was in Michael's class in Grandview. He remembers no indication that the boy was abused at home, nor could he remember anything about the family's cars. Although he was not close to the boy, he did go over to their house a few times for a birthday party, etc.
Get this: my brother said Michael had claimed to have hopped a train on that track on at least one occasion before. Hard to imagine such a young small kid would do such a dangerous thing, but maybe he did that for kicks or for adventure. My brother never believed it then or now. However, some at the time thought he may have hopped a train near the woods and taken it down to the tennis courts and disappeared. Hard to believe he would do such a dangerous thing for such a short ride. The police interviewed tons of folks and kids and... Nothing.

Mr. Klitch said Mike was known to be adventurous, "maybe too much so." This case breaks my heart, because if Mike hopped a train, sorry, but that is where you draw the line between adventurous and stupidity. He could have wound up on the "Wrong side of the tracks." (Pun intended.) We really need to begin to look at trying to develop an understanding of Mike's value system. Responsibility to family was great, but common sense and safety may have been lacking. There's things you never do. One is getting into a car with a stranger, the other is train-hopping. I hope that Mike's train-hopping was just pre-teen talk.

If not, it just sticks out like a sore thumb against many of Micheal's great traits! I hope that parents and families can look at this case, and use common sense. This case is so painfully sad!

Satch

 

[solofiddle]

Kids do stupid things all the time. If the train was moving slowly enough, Michael may have overlooked the danger and considered it a thrill. Even so, the train probably didn't have too much time to accelerate quickly by the time the tennis court was reached. Regarding getting into a car with a stranger, even weilding a tennis racket, he could have quickly and easily been taken by surprise and overpowered by a grown adult, possibly even shoved into a trunk and quickly disappearing.

 

[Satch]

Kids do stupid things all the time. If the train was moving slowly enough, Michael may have overlooked the danger and considered it a thrill. Even so, the train probably didn't have too much time to accelerate quickly by the time the tennis court was reached. Regarding getting into a car with a stranger, even weilding a tennis racket, he could have quickly and easily been taken by surprise and overpowered by a grown adult, possibly even shoved into a trunk and quickly disappearing.

Good points!

Just a map review,

How far is the tennis court from the Klitch home? Same question with these railraod tracks? In fact, how far do those tracks extend? Does the railway company still operate today?

Assuming that the distance and time would be shorter, Mike sparring 20 minutes walking in boiling heat that day, the above points can be considered. Now, remember, we have no evidence that Mike hopped a train, or even did so before, just because he said he did. However, the "adventurous" part of him, verified by his Dad, considers this a possibility.

Satch

 

[Satch]

I often wonder about the horror and the pain of losing a child to something as awful as kidnapping and murder,

Missing kids are sad enough, but kidnapping and murder? Especially when they never found out who did this to Mike? I can't imagine even the pain of living in that same house all these years, where Mike's room is (was.) I mean how do you begin to rebuild your life? Some people tragically can't and the pain lasts for a lifetime. I mean even driving or walking by that tennis court! I just can't imagine the pain that the Klitch family felt, and likely continues to feel. It would be wonderful for us at WS to show our support for the family through the "Klitch Fund." However, more importantly, to bring Mike's killer to justice! And if Mike's killer has died, at least any way that we can find out who did this?

Than again I learned that for some families going through the horror of a missing or murdered child, others don't want to talk about it. Emotions are so strong during times like these. I think about the Klitch family and hope that peace and justice can come to them by finding out who did this, and why? This case really is horrifying and haunting! I hope closure comes through!

Satch

 

[Satch]

These are seven bi-lines of the Michael Klitch case:

http://www.columbuslibrary.org/cmlc...st=KLITCH, MICHAEL DEAN&searchindex=S&pub=ALL

Perhaps their full stories may be found via microfilm at the local (Columbus Ohio and vicinity) library or other data sources. Fees may apply to get the full articles. It would be interesting to read all of them. As sad as it would be to read Mike's obituary, it also might give us some insight as to the kinds of things he loved. The more emotionally involved people become with cases like this, the more they empathize with those involved. Any way to get justice and peace for Mike and his family. May you never be forgotten Mike!

*(The "please note" at the bottom of the page, for the above URL, gives instructions for how to access the full articles.)

Satch

 

[nerosleuth]

These are seven bi-lines of the Michael Klitch case:

http://www.columbuslibrary.org/cmlc...st=KLITCH, MICHAEL DEAN&searchindex=S&pub=ALL

Perhaps their full stories may be found via microfilm at the local (Columbus Ohio and vicinity) library or other data sources. Fees may apply to get the full articles. It would be interesting to read all of them.

I previously posted up thread the link regarding six of the seven bi-lines articles that you’re looking for. The only article that I didn’t post was his obituary.

Michael’s obituary mentioned that he would have entered Grandview Junior High School in September 1971 and that he was active in tennis, baseball, and basketball.

Here is the link to the newspaper articles that you’re looking for:


https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B86RLP3-qmb6ek5ma25ReV9QRWs&usp=sharing