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Tag Archives: #BlackLivesMatter
Cold Case: Darlene Gervins
https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Gervins
On February 15,1992, Columbus resident Darlene Gervins, 29, was found deceased in her home by a friend. The friend was bringing her children home.
Apparently, the cause of death was strangulation just like Janet Amar and Frances Smith.
Gervins left Scatters Bar at midnight on February 15 with a black male, between 30-40 years old. Currently, the man would be at least in his 60s.
Some of the bar patrons saw Gervins leave the bar with the man who could have killed her. They gave a description but it is unclear if there was a composite sketch of the man.
Scatters Bar, at Lilley Avenue and E. Main Street, was a few blocks from Gervins’s home on Lilley Ave. Her home was also in the same neighborhood as the locations of where Amar and Smith were found. Amar’s homicide occurred on January 23, 1992 – a little less than a month before Gervins’s homicide.
It is entirely possible that it was the same man from Scatters Bar that killed Gervins, Amar and Smith. Did they know him from the neighborhood? I totally believe that the killer was familiar with the east side of Columbus. He probably lived or worked in the area.
I’m not the first person to notice that in the 1980s and 1990s there were several cases in which the victims were strangled. Many of the victims were African-American women. Some of the women had links to prostitution. However, I think that the women in these cases were easy targets – not necessarily because of prostitution.
Of course, not every strangulation case is connected but I believe that many of the cases could involve the same killer. There could even be two serial killers, who happen to have similar MO’s (modus operandi).
The possibility of a serial killer in Columbus was reported but no one seemed to pay attention to the news. Unfortunately, the list of victims increased instead of anyone finding the killer. In 1992, there were eight similar deaths. In 2002, there were 24.
It is not to late to come forward with information to give these ladies and their families justice.
Contact information: Rewards may be available for information on a case that leads to a conviction by contacting Central Ohio’s Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477 or visiting their website.
Links:
Cold case Quest: Darchelle Stone
Ohio Attorney General website
Darchelle Stone was only 19 years old when someone took her life on September 2, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. She died due to injuries from stab wounds.
Although Stone’s photograph is not listed on the Ohio Attorney General’s website, it was published with her obituary. She was a young mother who was involved in community service. Stone and her mother helped to clothe and feed the homeless and other people in need.
From the little bit of information that I found, it doesn’t seem like she had enemies. Who would do such a horrible thing to such a good person?
I’m sure that the police ran into the same problem of not finding any viable suspects.
If there were any witnesses, no one has said anything. Hopefully, someone will come forward with information. It would be a travesty if they kept silent. Please honor Darchelle Stone’s memory by helping to solve her case.
Who to contact:
If you would like to submit information, contact the Columbus Police or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers. Rewards may be available for information on a case that leads to a conviction by contacting Central Ohio’s Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477 or visiting their website.
If you have any information or questions about any Columbus area cold case, please contact the Columbus Police Department. The Homicide Cold Case Unit number is available (614) 645-4036 during the hours of 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. You can also call the Investigative Subdivision Duty Desk at (614) 645-4624, after hours.
Cold Case Quest: Cynthia K. Smith
20- year -old Cynthia K. Smith was shot while making a phone call at a record store in Columbus, Ohio. The incident occurred on January 24, 1993.
The record store, Negus, Negast, was close to Reggae nightclub. If I understand the story correctly, the nightclub was next door to the record story. The shots came from across the street.
The police suspected that the shooter was upset that they could not enter the nightclub. So in retaliation they opened fire. Smith happened to be shot by a stray bullet.
There were about 20 people at the nightclub. No one will tell police who was shooting. It seems unlikely that no one saw what happened.
The witnesses were probably afraid to name the shooter. This person opened fire because they were angry about something that was more than likely trivial. So can you imagine how much destruction they would cause for something like being accused of the murder of Cynthia K. Smith?
If any of the witnesses had come forward, the suspect could have been arrested and hopefully sent to prison.
The hope in writing this post is that someone that witnessed the crime would finally tell the police what they know about the night of January 24, 1993.
If you have any information or questions about Cynthia K. Smith’s case, please contact the Columbus Police Department. If you happen to have a photograph of Smith, please contact me at Chasing Destino on Facebook.
Cold Case Quest: Janet Amar
On January 23, 1992, 35 year- old Janet Amar was found in a vacant building by the owner of the building. An aunt had filed a missing persons report on January 6. The last time that her family saw her was January 4. The coroner determined that Amar had been strangled. It has not been reported whether she actually died on January 4 or January 23.
She left the house at 2:30 a.m on January 4. Where did she go? Most bars are closing at that time. She could have been going to an after hours party or to meet someone specific. Honestly, Amar could have been walking to the drive-thru to get cigarettes. It doesn’t seem like she meant to be gone for longer than an hour or two. I think that whoever she met that night took her to the vacant building. It’s about a ten minute walk from her home to the place where she was found.
The house was empty for about 3 weeks. Amar was missing for the same amount of time. It’s just a theory, could the suspect be the previous tenant or the home owner? Someone knew that the house was empty and possibly had access. The suspect could have also been squatting in the house until just before the owner came to the house on January 23. What do the police know about the tenant or owner?
It’s possible that someone saw Amar on January 4. She might have been walking with someone or getting in a car with someone.
IIf you happen to have a photograph of Amar, please contact me at Chasing Destino on Facebook.
Cold Case Quest: JoJo Striker
Although JoJo Striker’s story had quite a bit of press in 2017, the case has not been solved yet. Striker was the third transgender woman of color murdered in the United States during 2017.
She was 23 years old and living in Toledo, Ohio. Striker was found in a parking garage after being shot. No one has said whether she was shot somewhere else. The police didn’t have many leads at the time and even fewer now.
Her mother believes that Striker’s murder is a hate crime. She’s not wrong. Any number of hate-filled circumstances could have led to someone shooting her. Maybe the situation didn’t start out with evil intentions but it ended that way.
Some of the articles about Striker mention that her gender was misidentified by the media. Someone may have witnessed something that could give the police a clue but didn’t know that Striker was transgender. The possible witness could have heard about the case of a man being killed and doesn’t make the connection to what they saw. Even her obituary is under her old name. It could be very confusing to any witness.
Striker is not listed on the Ohio Attorney General’s website which lists unsolved homicides. Is it possible that they aren’t listing every transgender homicide? Maybe. So far I’ve only seen one unsolved transgender victim listed on the website. Whoever is in charge of the website has some work to do on inclusion.
There’s nothing else written about this homicide after 2018. No one has been arrested. The trail has gone extremely cold.
Anyone with information should call the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111. Striker’s mother is still waiting for anyone to come forward with information that could solve the case.
Cold Case Quest: Adrian Scott
On Thanksgiving Day 2017, Adrian Scott was the victim of a drive by shooting. It is doubtful that Scott was the intended target of the shooting. She was just visiting the home on Hiddenspring Drive in Columbus.
She was helping to prepare Thanksgiving dinner when she was killed. Her parents said in interviews that they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving since losing their daughter. They desperately need to have answers, as well as justice for Adrian.
In November 2018, the police released a video of a possible suspect in a silver Lexus coupe. The Lexus was followed by a white Ford Explorer. It seems pretty common that witnesses are afraid to come forward. Her family is hoping that any witnesses will call in with information to help solve the mystery. Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward for information in the case. As always, tips are anonymous.
If you have any information about the Adrian Scott case, please call Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477 or visit their website at Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
ABC 6 article
Cold Case Quest: Ava Lomas
If Ava Lomas were my daughter, I would want someone . . . anyone to help solve her murder. She was found in an alley behind a residence in Toledo, Ohio in July 1979. It will be 40 years this month.
It’s been difficult to find anything on Ava Lomas. Sometimes I can find information through newspaper archives; however, the Toledo Blade archives only go back to 1997.
Although the Ohio Attorney General’s website says that she was born in 1969. I do know that Lomas was 20 years old instead of 10 years old. Did the police follow through with this case? Was there just not enough evidence?
If Lomas still has family out there, they must still be curious about what happened to her. They must still want some answers. I’m not related but I hope that someone still cares about Lomas and her case.
If anyone knows anything that can help solve this homicide case, please submit your information to the Ohio Attorney General.
Cold Case Quest: Nickeisha Holloman
The case of Nickeisha Holloman is not very old but has gone cold quickly. Holloman was reported missing on July 1, 2018.
She was seen getting into a vehicle and never seen alive again. At the time, no one knew who the vehicle belonged to or where they were going. There were rumors that Holloman was going to travel to Florida. However, she did not bring any of her medication for Diabetes. She had Type II Diabetes and absolutely need the medication.
Her body was found on August 22, 2018 in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Cincinnati. Holloman was found about 15-20 minutes north of the Crossroads Center, where she was staying.
In January 2019, a video was released of Holloman getting into a white or silver Hyundai Sonata. The police think that it is possible that it belongs the person who took Holloman’s life.
Anyone with information should call the Criminal Investigation Section at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
Please do the right thing and call if you have any information at all. Even the smallest detail could help to solve this case.
Cold Case Quest: Reggie Elkins
When I was looking through cold cases, I saw a familiar face. It was a picture of Reggie Elkins. I knew him as an acquaintance. We went to the same small college. So everyone knew everyone.
My impression of Reggie was that he was smart and athletic. He also always looked sharp. Some guys are slobs but Reggie was not one of those guys.
There is probably a better photo of him somewhere. This is the only one that I could find on the internet. He was killed in 1994 so he wasn’t on MySpace or Facebook. It’s been difficult to find anything that relates to his college days or his murder investigation.
It’s hard to believe that it has been 24 years since Reggie died. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Columbus, Ohio. He had been out of college for only a few months.
No one will say whether he was the intended target or not. Someone knows but no one has said a word even after so many years.
There’s an article from 1999 that states that the authorities had a theory that several homicides were connected. They thought 13 murders were related by either drugs or robbery.
His father, Larry Elkins, was interviewed for the article. Unfortunately, his father passed away in 2009. It is absolutely heartbreaking that Reggie’s dad died without knowing who killed him. We may never know why it happened but he might have been somewhat satisfied with knowing who did it.
