The cases of Tina Johnson, Maria Gruden and Nadine Frank are not necessarily connected. We don’t know enough about their personal lives to say that they lived in a similar way.
However, the homicides occurred on the east side of Columbus. All three ladies were stabbed. They were between the ages of 19 and 32.
Tina Johnson was 19 years old when an unknown assailant stabbed her and left to die behind a garbage truck. The incident occurred on September 11, 1979.
On April 7, 1987, Nadine Frank survived an initial attack in which she was stabbed several times. She was taken to the hospital but refused treatment. Frank died from her wounds a few days later. She never named the person who stabbed her.
As far as I know, no one has been arrested for the cases of Johnson, Gruden and Frank. If there were witnesses, either no one has come forward or didn’t identify a suspect.
If you have any information about any cold case in Columbus, contact the Columbus Police Cold Case Division or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
Unfortunately, the elderly are victims of crime more often than anyone would think. It’s almost unthinkable. Who would want to hurt Nana or Pop-pop?
The elderly are generally victims of elder abuse (emotional and physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, etc.), which I have seen first-hand. Violent crimes against the elderly are slightly less common but the instances of violence are increasing.
There are the cold cases of Columbus residents Alice Laskey, Helen Banner and Carrie Walker. All three ladies were over 70 years old. They had all been stabbed in or in front of their homes. Robbery was possibly the motive in at least two of the homicides.
If anyone has any information about these cases, please contact the cold case division of the Columbus Police Department or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers. The phone numbers are listed below.
The families of Laskey, Banner and Walker need your help to solve their loved ones homicide.
On November 12, 1980, Alice Laskey was found outside of her residence after being stabbed. She died from her wounds soon afterwards. Laskey was in her 70s. The motive was most likely robbery since her purse was found several blocks away.
Robbery could have also been the motive for Helen Banner’s death on February 12, 2004. Banner, 82, was also stabbed at her residence. Her purse had been stolen in January. Her son had confronted the people responsible. Is it possible that the person who stole her purse had killed her for revenge? At the time, the police said that they didn’t think it was connected. I hope that they take a second and third look at the thieves.
Eighty-five year old Carrie Walker was found by her granddaughter on October 15, 1987. Walker had been stabbed in her residence. It’s unclear if robbery was the motive. There was at least one witness but no suspects were ever found.
You could say that Felicia Dungey’s story is a cautionary tale for people who want to fix their significant others. Sometimes it’s better to just walk away from a bad situation.
On February 18, 2001, Felicia Dungey and her boyfriend, Calvin Daniely, were both fatally shot in their apartment. The police, family members and friends of Dungey and Daniely believe that the homicides were because Daniely was a small-time drug dealer.
Daniely did not have any drug-related arrests so the police could not say anything with 100% certainty. The police are fairly sure that it was not a murder-suicide.
However, the suspect wrote “You Hit” on the walls in red lipstick, which is kind of creepy. Who are they really sending a message to with the writing? Other drug dealers? Other people that could do the suspect wrong?
The area of the Dungey/Danielly homicides
The couple was struggling to make ends meet and were about to get evicted. There are rumors that Dungey was going to leave Daniely because she was tired of the cycle of poverty. She thought she could get back on track if she wasn’t with him.
If she had left a little bit sooner, she would still be alive. Sometimes a person doesn’t realize what they should do until it is too late. I’m sure that her family and friends wish that she had made a clean break from her boyfriend. She was a good person that just felt stuck. Unfortunately, Dungey got caught in the middle of the violence.
No one wants to name a suspect or come forward as a witness, especially since the homicides are possibly related to drugs. Hopefully, someone will come forward with information about who killed Felicia Dungey and Calvin Daniely.
Although Nanette Miller was found deceased on December 3, 1993, it is very likely that she died a few days earlier. Her sister had not heard from her for several days. So the sister went to Miller’s apartment where she found her body.
What was she doing in the days just before her death? I have not been able to find any more information about Miller. Was she out shopping or for a walk? Did she know her killer?
At first, the police thought the cause of death was related to being beaten. However, the coroner ruled that the cause of death was strangulation.
Miller’s apartment was within a five mile radius of the locations of where Frances Smith,Janet Amar and Darlene Gervins were found. I’m not 100% sure that the cases are connected but it’s totally possible. Amar and Gervins were killed about a year before Miller.
There were no suspects at the time. No witnesses have come forward with information.
It’s not too late to report any information to Crime Stoppers or the police. There are some links below for reporting information. If it was your sister, wouldn’t you want someone to say something?
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.
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.
The top purple tag is where Frances Smith was found. The middle purple tag is the home of Darlene Gervins. The bottom purple tag is where Janet Amar was found.
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.
On September 13, 1981 Beidleman and her son left a relatives house on Myrtle Drive. She was going to stop at the grocery store before returning to her home on Beechwold Drive. Unfortunately, the Beidlemans did not make it home.
On September 14, 1981, Janice Beidleman and her 18-month old son, Brandon, were found in the water near the Agler Road. Janice Beidleman had been beaten and strangled. The police believe that Brandon had been suffocated, possibly with a pillow.
The police also know that before being placed in the water, the Beidlemans were attacked near Putter Ave. The people in the Putter Avenue neighborhood heard the screams. It must have been terrible.
The car that Beidleman was driving was found near the bridge at Agler and Sunbury Roads.
So I have a theory about what happened to the mother and son. It is possible that Beidleman was confronted by the attacker while in the store parking lot. I think that the suspect was waiting for someone that he could kidnap. For whatever reason, Janice Beidleman fit the bill. Who knows if the suspect knew that there was a toddler or not?
The cause of death was also strangulation in the case of Sheronda Norris. It seems like they both were either out for a walk or shopping. They could have each been an easy target for their killer.
The Beidlemans were found extremely close to where Sheronda Norris was found. Norris went missing on September 15, 1991, almost exactly 10 years later.
The people of Columbus really wanted to see this case get solved. They wanted the mother and especially the young son receive some justice. Every few years, the police and the media revisit this case in order to solve the case. I hope that after almost 39 years that someone can put all the pieces to this cold case together.
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.
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.
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.
The area where Darcelle Stone was found.
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.
21 year-old Sheronda Norris of Columbus, Ohio was last seen alive by her family on September 15, 1991. She was on her way to her aunt’s house but never arrived.
A bus driver found her body on the afternoon of September 16, 1991. the coroner determined that she had been strangled and left in the area of Agler and Sunbury Roads.
The police are not sure what happened after she left her house. They did say that the case could be connected to several other cases. No one has said which cases but I think that Norris’s case could be connected to Frances Smith, Janet Amar and Rene Combs.
Norris left Richmond Ave. She was on her way to E. 23rd Ave. Her body was found at Sunbury and Agler Roads.
There have not been any suspects or arrests. No one knows or has said if she was seen with anyone before her death.
Norris was about to be served a warrant for aggravated burglary. The warrant was vacated shortly after her death. She was a former go-go dancer who was trying to get her life back on track. Norris wanted to provide a better life for herself and her young son, who was two at the time.
Do you think her death was related to the burglary? Was she going to testify against someone else? Was Norris chosen at random? Was the person who killed Norris the same killer as the other cases? If I had to bet money, I would say that they are connected and there are probably more homicides committed by the same person.
Who to contact:
If anyone knows anything about any of the cases of Sheronda Norris, Rene Combs, Frances Smith or Janet Amar, contact the Columbus Police or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
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.
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.
In the early morning hours of November 15, 2004, the body of 47 year-old Frances Smith was found behind a home in Columbus, Ohio. She had been beaten and strangled. Whoever killed her left her outside without any clothes.
The purple marker is where Frances Smith was found.
Smith was seen at 10:30 p.m. on November 14. She was getting into a white SUV near Livingston and Fairwood Avenues.
The place that she was last seen is about a mile from where she was found. There hasn’t been any other information about who was driving the SUV. Any leads that the police had haven’t led to any arrests.
I suspect that the Smith case could be connected to the Janet Amar case. Amar was found in a house less than a mile from the place where Smith was last seen. Both ladies were strangled. There is a twelve year difference but it’s possible that it could be the same killer. Serial killers have been known to operate for long periods of time without getting caught.
Who to contact:
If you happen to have a photograph of Frances Smith or Janet Amar, please contact me at Chasing Destino on Facebook. It would be nice to know what they looked like. Maybe a photo will jog someone’s memory.
If anyone knows anything about any of the cases of Frances Smith or Janet Amar, contact the Columbus Police or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
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.
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.
Clara King was a hardworking mother and grandmother. She had two jobs – plus babysitting for her grandson while her daughter went to work. On November 9, 1998, someone took the life of King while the grandson was in the next room. When her daughter arrived home at 3 p.m., she found her mother’s body in the kitchen.
Area of the King homicide
The police didn’t reveal very much information about the cause of death except to say it was probably blunt force trauma. It was also difficult to speculate about what the possible motive was for committing the crime. No one disliked King. Everyone said that she was a kind and caring person.
King was also protective of her home. There were double locks on the door and a security system. It would be almost safe to say that she knew the person that murdered her.
Her daughter left for work that morning at 7 a.m. Her husband said that he left shortly after 7 a.m. I don’t think that anyone in her immediate family did this crime. It could be possible that the killer got inside before King had a chance to lock the doors or set the alarm.
Who would kill King and leave the baby unharmed? Did the killer know that the baby was there? The only blessing in this case is that the baby was not hurt.
No witnesses have come forward. The crime probably occurred around 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on November 9, 1998. If anyone knows anything about any of the cases of Clara King, contact the Columbus Police or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
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.
If you have any information or questions about Clara King’s 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.
