Amy Renee Mihaljevic was just 10 years old when her life was cut short in 1989. But he sees the death of Runkle's twin sister at such a young age as a traumatic event that may have had an impact on the rest of his life. A curtain, held for decades as potential evidence, just became an even bigger piece of the puzzle in solving the decades-old mystery. Last year, they stated that they are extensively investigating all the suspects in connection with this particular case and feel that when they identify Amys killer, Joseph would most likely be on their list. In 2018, officials announced that they were following a potential link between Joseph Newton Chandler III and the murder of Amy Mihaljevic. She didnt recognize the mans voice. As an FBI agent on the case said, we have the beginning and the end of what happened to Amy M, but what we dont have is the middle piece. In an attempt to connect the girls with Amy, it was discovered that all, three girls had visited the nearby Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. In February 1990, when Amys body was found in an Ashland County field, a curtain and a blanket were discovered 300 yards away. Multiple witnesses say that he matches the man they saw . 08/18/2006. Investigators would later figure out that Amy was not the only girl who had received such phone calls around the same time. The report of a missing child from their own neighborhood frightened every soul in Bay Village. His denials of involvement in her abduction and murder notwithstanding, no other suspect has ever matched the facts of the case as closely as Dean Runkle. "Yeah, I wrote a lot of letters. Margaret and Mark filed for divorce, and Mark moved out of the house. Dean Runkle is still the prime suspect in the case, according to one FBI agent, but the case against him is still circumstantial. Someone missed this curtain when it was gone - or at least noticed it was missing. But what motivation could this man possibly have to lie to police during their investigation in 1989? On that Top 25 list, he would be the man at the top. Runkle resigned abruptly, explaining he had to leave for "health reasons." Im not sure how he explained to Amy that he knew that her mother had gotten a promotion on October 27th on that fateful phone call. 1. But only a handful crossed paths with each of the girls the abductor attempted to seduce over the phone before successfully luring Amy to the shopping center that day - the clue upon which the entire case hinges, the one way in which the killer was careless. But when she arrived, the school was already closed for the day and no one could help her. Although Renner describes Runkle as an eccentric teacher, no hard evidence supports this view. Whatever the reason, Runkle moved back in with his parents in New London and got a job working at a pet store. . Just got a phone call from an investigator working on it. No forensic evidence has tied Runkle to the crime. Were pursuing more so the angle of science now than we ever have in the past because DNA changes every couple of months, Elish said. They become confident with their methods, so they start getting sloppy and leaving evidence behind. BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (WOIO) - Nearly 32 years after her murder, theres a new clue in the Amy Mihaljevic case. But no one knows Runkle. Spaetzel also discussed the dangers of strangers. When she learned he was also living in New London, not far from where they found Amy, she called the Amherst police and then confronted Runkle directly. Almost 30 years later, Amys killer is still at large. Amy Mihaljevic Popularity . By 1982, he had collected a 9-foot-long boa constrictor, a prairie dog named Susie, a tank of piranhas, a ferret, and countless hamsters, gerbils and mice. On October 27, the 19th anniversary of Amy's abduction, I made the decision to go see him myself. Ninguna evidencia forense ha vinculado a Runkle con el crimen. On October 27th, 1989, 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic disappeared from a shopping center near her home in Bay Village, OH. I ask my questions anyway. Amy Renee Mihaljevic (December 11, 1978 - October 27, 1989) was an elementary schoolgirl who was kidnapped and murdered in the U.S. state of Ohio in 1989. Multiple witnesses say that he matches the man they saw with Amy the day she vanished. She just got a promotion. On Friday 27 October 1989, ten-year-old Amy Renee Mihaljevic woke up at 6am and dressed herself for school, before meeting two friends and riding on their bikes to class at 7.50am, the same as they did every other school morning. The curtain is homemade, and was originally Avocado green. Published: Oct. 25, 2021 at 7:26 PM PDT. Mother, Laura Smith, and Boyfriend Arrested in Toddler, Julian Madera's Death/ deputies say 21-year-old Landon Broussard showed up to his grandmother's house, carrying the badly bruised, naked body of the 3-year-old boy. In 2008, I learned of a man named Dean Runkle, who was once a teacher in the small Cleveland suburb of Amherst. Elish believes anyone who can identify those items, the curtain especially, will help solve this case. Margaret immediately became alarmed and decided to leave work early. On Friday October 27th, Jason arrived home at about 3:15pm, but Amy was nowhere to be found. Jason reported that Amy had not come home in the time he had been there. All four girls, who received . . This further confirms the theory that this curtain was used to conceal Amys body as she was driven from the crime scene to corn field, because the dog hairs wouldve been transferred onto Amys clothing. Thousands of tips have come in throughout the years, but no one has ever been arrested. It wouldnt have been unusual for Amy to go there alone or with friends. Jay Elish. Most child molesters don't abduct and kill their victims, he notes. Multiple witnesses say that he matches the man they saw with Amy the day she vanished. Amy Renee Mihaljevic (December 11, 1978 - October 27, 1989) was an ten-year-old American elementary school student who was kidnapped and murdered in the U.S. state of Ohio in 1989. When I ask him if he could have used the logbook at the nature center to gather phone numbers for girls in North Olmsted, he says he's done talking and begins to walk away. Residents of Bay Village lived on edge for years after Amys disappearance and murder. Ten-year-old Amy was lured from her Bay Village home on Oct. 27, 1989, to a shopping center at Dover Center . A large volunteer search party with dogs and flashlights found nothing. The Ashland County field where Amy Mihaljevic's body was discovered on February 8, 1990. We want it to be a surprise. Finally, police discovered a link between all the girls. Amy Renee Mihaljevic (i) mhlvk (December 11, 1978 - October 27, 1989) was a ten-year-old American elementary school student who was kidnapped and murdered in the U.S. state of Ohio in 1989. The FBI believes the murder was actually committed in the remote rural area surrounding Bay Village to avoid being seen. Her body was found four months later, in a field in rural Ashland County. After having a snack at the shopping center, Amys friends went home, but Amy stayed behind to wait for someone. Friends said she never recovered from Amys death and the lack of solid leads in solving the case. He knew her number, her address, the area where she lived, where her mother worked, and even the fact that the latter had recently earned a promotion. "And it better be someone who cannot be linked to you, because when a child is abducted and murdered in this country, trouble will rain down upon you. That night, Amys photo appeared on the evening news. Friends of hers claim she slid into alcoholism. Your email address will not be published. The handyman was brought in for questioning, but was quickly eliminated as a suspect once his alibi was corroborated by multiple people. On October 27, 1989, Amy Mihaljevic was kidnapped from the Bay Square Shopping Center in Bay Village, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Sagittarius Named Amy . Throughout his adult life, Renner has become obsessed with solving Amys murder. All rights reserved. None took the bait. 3. So, take a look. This three-decade-old mystery and the nationwide hunt for the perpetrator, involving hundreds of suspects, is still ongoing. He didn't say anything, just walked past me. Last weekend, I paid him a visit. I hand him the photo. Amy Mihaljevic is a famous Child murder victim. A homeless man says he thinks he has seen Runkle at a soup kitchen on Flagler Avenue before, but that was years ago. "It was more than creepy; it felt like an animal noticing you walk into a room. Cleveland newspaper reporter James Renner investigated Mihaljevic's murder case and concluded that a teacher named Dean Runkle should be viewed as a prime suspect. Unfortunately, neither witness got a good look at the mans face, nor did they see him or Amy get into a vehicle, or go into a store. Person Of Interest. . But Lanning can extrapolate some ideas about the man who killed Amy. Tag: Dean Runkle. Amy was 10 and had not yet reached puberty. New info and they are asking for help from the public. Amy Renee Mihaljevic (11 Dcembre 1978 - Le . Many were just look-alikes, men who resembled the sketch circulated by police but who otherwise could not be linked to the crime. The only thing that these girls had in common was the fact that they visited the Lake Erie Nature . There are no samples, according to Elish, currently being tested in a lab. http://www.. As it happens, the soup kitchen is scheduled to serve free lunch in a half-hour. Renner, your stuff is interesting, but ad hominem attacks . What is your response to some of your former students in regards to. Police say that a man identified by his ex-girlfriend as a possible suspect in the death of Amy Mihaljevic told investigators he may have called the 10-year-old girl prior to her abduction . Amy told her friends about the call, and that she had agreed to wait for the man at the shopping center to pick her up. AMY MIHALJEVIC - 2021 UPDATE! in 1989where Runkle frequently volunteered (Renner, 2008). Anything is possible." According to reporter James Renner, Dean Runkle is a possible prime suspect in the FBI investigation.Multiple witnesses say that he matches the man they saw with Amy the day she vanished. Eventually, their method of killing starts to bore them, and the killer needs more drama, risk and excitement with each new victim. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years; Youth Pastor and Foster Dad in Florida Accused of Human Trafficking; Downtown Denver Dying? The girl told police that the man called her house claiming to be a friend of her mothers. Renner never made contact until he was about to leave town. "I don't have anything to say." Required fields are marked *. He arranged to meet Amy after school that day to help her buy a gift for her mom for a work promotion. He names the same restaurant that had been my first stop. Bay Village, . In the weeks preceding Amys disappearance on October 27, she had received several phone calls from an unknown man who knew almost everything about her life. After high school, he went to Bowling Green, where he majored in education with a focus in biology. . The abductor had contacted Mihaljevic by telephone and arranged to meet her on the pretext of buying a gift . Scne de . I don't think unjust collateral damage matters to him if it is likely to enhance his readership and thus his profit. Sunday, October 11, 2015. Immediately, police focused in on the caretaker of the ranch, who was a dead ringer for the composite sketch. "I didn't leave Ohio because of Amy," he says. Amy passes her blue antique bicycle, which she peddled to school that morning, and heads east on Wolf Road. It was a crowded plaza filled with adults as well as middle and high school students who would frequent the Baskin Robbins after school. As if by divine intervention, Renner was on his way back to the Miami airport, and Runkle crossed in front of Renners vehicle on foot at a stop sign. According to Jason, for months and years after Amys disappearance, Margaret would do nothing but go to work, and then come home and barricade herself inside Amys room. When Rax became a different fast-food restaurant, he continued frequenting the place as if nothing had changed. 2. Margaret ran home, called her husband Mark, and began calling all of Amys friends and neighbors asking if theyd seen her. The fact that Amys body was left in an open area with the blanket her body was carried in leads me to believe that this killer was getting confident, and that they were familiar with this territory. Through Renners research and his own private investigation, Renner has produced what is by far the most valuable lead in Amys case so far. In 1987, Runkle set a few thousand dollars aside in a trust for Dan, according to Dan's mother. A couple hours later after no response, the Mihaljevics filed a missing persons report with the Bay Village Police Department. Science teacher from the area, lived in Ashland County and grew up. Sometime that week, a man had called Amy at home, after school, when she was there alone. Also not in his personnel file were the occasions when Runkle was caught alone with students in his gold-colored Grand Prix, by both the principal and a policeman, who let him go with a warning. This case to me, to solve it, not just to me, but for the police department and Amys family and really for Amy, would be everything for us, he said. She did not tell the girls who she was waiting for, but she did tell them she received a mysterious phone call right after she got home from school from a man claiming to be a friend of her mothers. Amy Mihaljevic disappeared in 1989 when she was ten years old. First, it's very important to note that they are not saying the curtain and blanket came from the Mihaljevic residence. A female student from his 1989 class says she noticed the similarities between Runkle and the composite sketch of Amy's abductor. At that intersection is her killer. How much time would that give DR to rush out after work, find a pay phone or some other way of calling, then make the call? Margaret still left work immediately and returned to her house, but Amy wasnt there. By allowing her to make contact with her family, the killer bought themselves the precious hours they needed to commit the assault and murder before she was reported as a missing person to police.