When a girl vanishes from California’s Bay Area while walking home from school, it quickly becomes apparent that she was likely abducted. Investigators explore a series of potential suspects, each stranger than the last, in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Ilene Misheloff was 13 years old when she disappeared from Dublin, California on January 30th, 1989. Source: family photo.This age-progressed image depicts how Ilene (born 1975) might appear at age 43. Image source: NCMEC.In the wake of Ilene’s disappearance, her photo was printed on milk cartons that were distributed around the country. This photo from The Mercury News shows some of those cartons raising awareness of Ilene’s case from store shelves.Ilene Misheloff was an 8th grade student, and disappeared while walking home from Wells Middle School in Dublin, California. Source: family photo.Ilene was passionate about ice skating, which she had been practicing since age 4. She aspired to one day coach ice skating, and to become a pediatrician. Source: family photo.A missing persons poster from the FBI featuring information about Ilene’s disappearance.This map depicts the route from Wells Middle School to Ilene’s home on Alegre Drive. Ilene was last seen by a classmate about halfway through her walk home on January 30th, 1989. She is believed to have been abducted from Maps Memorial Park, which she routinely took a shortcut through when walking home from school.
And if you know anything about the disappearance of Ilene Misheloff, please call the Dublin Police Department at 925-833-6670, or the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office at 415-553-7400. If you’d prefer to submit a tip online, you can do so at tips.fbi.gov.
When an exotic bird aviary is found mysteriously abandoned in South Florida, investigators launch a search for its devoted owners, who never would’ve willingly left their animals. Detectives navigate the secretive world of exotic birdkeeping and uncover a host of suspicious characters and circumstances in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Photo descriptions, from top left to bottom right: portrait of Lila Buerettan, portrait of Moses Lall, Lila and Moses together, a contemporary view of the entry to the Loxahatchee property that was formerly home to the Lall family’s aviary (from Google Maps), portrait of Daljeet Hari Gobin, a map illustrating the route from Loxahatchee to where Gobin was arrested in Georgia (from Google Maps), the alligator pond searched by scuba divers.
If you know anything about the disappearances of Lila Buerattan and Moses Lall-or the whereabouts of Daljeet Hari Gobin-please call the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at 561-688-3000.
When a Colorado teen struggles with the effects of a past family tragedy, local authorities demand that he attend a residential treatment facility for troubled youth, where things take a turn for the worse. After a desperate phone call from her son, his mother prepares to intervene—only for him to immediately disappear. A mother seeks answers that have been withheld for more than 30 years in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Robert “Bobby” Pillsen-Rahier was 15 years old when he disappeared from the Cheyanne Mesa Adolescent Treatment Facility under suspicious circumstances in 1990. He is still missing. Family photo.Bobby (right) is pictured with his (step)father, Gerald. Gerald was a loving and involved parent, and his traumatic death deeply affected Bobby. Family photo.Bobby (right) is pictured with his mother, Jean, and little brother. Jean, a loving parent, actively sought answers regarding Bobby’s disappearance for more than 30 years before passing away in 2022. Family photo.This modern map shows the location in Colorado Springs that Bobby disappeared from in 1990. The Cheyanne Mesa Adolescent Treatment facility is now defunct.
Please share Bobby’s missing person poster, which includes an age-progressed photo.
When the bodies of two teenage girls missing from different states are found in the same remote location, investigators endeavor to identify and apprehend a potential serial killer. Top investigative professionals search for the final puzzle piece in a complicated hunt for the truth in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Sarah Boehm was 14-years-old when she disappeared from her home town of Rochester, Pennsylvania in 1994. Her remains were later found in Portage County, Ohio. Investigators suspect she was murdered by the same person who killed Kathy Menendez. Image source: family photo.Rochester, PA (the town Sarah disappeared from) is approximately a 1 hr 15 min drive from Portage County, Ohio (where Sarah’s remains were found, not far from Kathy’s). Source: Google Maps.Kathy Menendez was 17-years-old when she went missing from her home town in Portage County, Ohio in 1994. Her remains were found days later in a remote location in the same county. It was clear she had been murdered. Sarah’s remains were later found not far from where Kathy’s had been. Image source: family photo.A photo copy of the outside of the envelope Sarah’s family found beneath her pillow in the days following her disappearance. It contained a 2-page letter.A photocopy of Page 1 of the letter found beneath Sarah’s pillow.A photocopy of Page 2 of the letter found beneath Sarah’s pillow.10 months prior to her disappearance, Sarah reported an attempted abduction. This 1993 newspaper clipping shows a police composite image depicting her would-be abductor.Sarah’s remains were located 4 months after her disappearance, but were not identified until years later. When the connection was finally made, it was headline news. Contrastingly, Kathy’s remains were identified shortly after they were located.An officer’s sketch depicts the scene where Sarah’s remains were found. By the time of discovery, they were largely skeletal. Source: Portage County Sheriff’s Office.Larry DeWayne Hall is a serial killer who murdered women and girls in a variety of states. He traveled frequently to various historic sites and reenactment events related to the American Civil War. These travels almost certainly took him through Kathy and Sarah’s home towns. It’s unknown if he killed Kathy and / or Sarah, but there are similarities between their deaths and Hall’s known crimes.This map shows the most popular route of travel from Wabash, Indiana (hometown of serial killer Larry DeWayne Hall) and the state of Pennsylvania / the popular historic site of Gettysburg. Hall likely traveled through both Portage County, Ohio (Kathy’s hometown) and Rochester Township, Pennsylvania (Sarah’s hometown) during drives from Indiana to Pennsylvania. Source: Google Maps.
When a young girl is abducted from her Salt Lake City home in the dead of night and found in a nearby canal the next day, a decades-long search for the worst kind of predator begins. The hunt for a killer spans more than two decades and into the present-day in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Rosie Tapia was 6-years-old when she was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City and murdered in 1995. She is badly missed by her loving family, and investigators are still working to determine the identity of her killer. Image source: family photo.In 2019, the pictured doll (manufactured in 1994) was left at Rosie’s gravesite by an unknown person. Some believe that the person who left the doll may have some connection to the crime. Privately-funded DNA extraction and analysis have been performed on the doll, but the results have not been made public. Image source: ABC4 News.Rosie was a sweet and fun-loving child known for her adorable smile. She enjoyed riding her bike, playing Nintendo and playing with other neighborhood children at her apartment complex’s playground. Her life was cut short by a child predator who has yet to be identified. Image source: family photo.This sketch depicts a man known as the “Good Samaritan”. On the evening before Rosie’s death in 1995, he picked her up from where she was playing at her apartment complex’s playground and carried her home to her apartment. He fabricated a story about Rosie being injured on the playground as an explanation for his behavior. It’s possible that he created a ruse in order to learn which unit Rosie lived in so he could return later that night. Investigators have yet to identify the “Good Samaritan”. Do you recognize him?This sketch depicts a man seen by a witness early in the morning shortly after Rosie was killed. in 1995. He was walking away from a nearby canal, and his pants were visibly soaked. Rosie’s body was found in the canal hours later. Investigators have yet to identify this man. Do you recognize him?
If you have any information regarding the abduction and murder of Rosie Tapia, please call the Salt Lake City Police at (801) 799-3000. OR, if you prefer to give a tip anonymously, you can text keyword TIPSLCPD to 274637 OR submit your tip anonymously online by visiting tipsubmit.com.
When Rhode Island firefighters respond to a report of a blaze at an apartment building, they find themselves in the midst of a horrific crime scene when the smoke clears. Detectives theorize that a kind and adventurous woman’s murder was as personal as it was brutal in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Kimberly Morse was 32 years old when she was murdered inside her North Providence, RI, apartment. She was known for her humor, kindness and sense of adventure. Source: family photo.Kimberly’s obituary.Kimberly (right) served as a mentor / maternal-figure for a little girl named Heather (left) in her family’s neighborhood. Source: family photo.A contemporary satellite view of Kimberly’s apartment complex. Kimberly lived on Garibaldi St (designated in red). Source: Google Maps.The layout of the entry section of Kimberly’s apartment. Kimberly was ambushed shortly after entering through the front door (designated in green). She was killed after placing her keys and gloves on the table, and her killer moved her body into the bathroom afterward.
If you know anything about the murder of Kimberly Morse, please contact the North Providence Police Department at 401-233-1430 OR call their anonymous tip line at 401-719-1449.
When three young South Dakotans survive a car crash, two of them walk away from the vehicle and aren’t seen again for three months, when their bodies are inexplicably discovered near the site of the crash. Question after question arises as investigators attempt to make sense of one of the most perplexing cases in South Dakota history in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Arnold Archambeau and Ruby Bruguier were 20 and 18-years-old, respectively, at the time of their December 12th, 1992, disappearances. Their deaths followed soon after their disappearances, and the circumstances remain a mystery to this day.Arnold and Ruby grew up on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in Lake Andes, South Dakota and were high school sweethearts. Both were well-liked among their community–whether their deaths were accidental or a result of foul play is unknown.
If you have any information about the deaths of Arnold Archambeau and Ruby Bruguier, please call the Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office at (605)487-7625.
Amore Wiggins was known as Opelika’s Baby Jane Doe from the time her remains were discovered (January of 2012) until January of 2023, when she was finally identified. Source: family photo.This image from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children represented what Opelika’s Baby Jane Doe was believed to have looked like in like during the investigation.These snapshots from a Vacation Bible School in Opelika, AL are believed to be of Amore Wiggins.Amore’s father, Lamar Vickerstaff, was charged with Felony Murder on January 17th, 2023. He was also charged with Failure to Report a Child Missing.Investigators are still seeking information regarding Amore and what her short time with her father and stepmother was like.Amore’s stepmother, Ruth Vickerstaff, was charged with Failure to Report a Child Missing on January 17th, 2023.This portrait of Amore Wiggins was taken while she was still in the custody of her mother, Sherry Wiggins. Source: family photo.
January 19th, 2023 by Leah Owens
On January 19th, 2023, the Opelika Police Department announced breaking updates in the unsolved homicide of Opelika’s Baby Jane Doe–a case we covered in our December 19th, 2022 episode (Unsolved Disappearance: Andrea Knabel + Unsolved Homicide: Opelika Jane Doe). We have prepared a breaking update episode on Amore’s case, which will air on podcast platforms on January 20th, 2023. Meanwhile, here are the essentials of what we learned from today’s press conference.
Opelika’s Baby Jane Doe has been identified as Amore Wiggins, thanks to the hard work of the Opelika Police Department–especially Sgt. Alfred White–, the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Othram Labs, Astrea Labs, the Firebird Forensics Group, Coroner Bill Harris, geneologist Barbara Rae-Ventner and a variety of other professionals, law enforcement agencies and other groups.
Amore was born on January 1st, 2006, to her teenaged mother, Sherry Wiggins, of Norfolk, VA. Her father was then 32-year-old Lamar Vickerstaff Jr, a sailor in the US Navy then stationed in Norfolk. A few months after Amore was born, Lamar Vickerstaff married his fiancée–a woman named Ruth. In 2009, when Amore was a toddler, Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff successfully pursued custody of her in a Virginia court. Her mother, Sherry, was not even granted visitation rights.
For 14 years, Sherry made steady child support payments to the Vickerstaffs, all while attempting to regain custody of the daughter she had not been allowed to see since she was deprived of custody. She had no way of knowing that her daughter had been murdered, or even that she was missing.
After being removed from her mother’s custody, Amore suffered horrific physical abuse, the evidence of which was later found written on her mostly-skeletal remains in the form of 15+ fractures (in various states of healing) to her skull, arms, legs, shoulders and ribs. In 2012, her remains were discovered near a mobile-home park in her father’s original hometown of Opelika, Alabama. She had been 4 or 5 years old at the time of her death. For more than a decade, investigators were frustrated by the fact that they didn’t know her name.
In 2022, advanced forensic DNA extraction and analysis techniques allowed investigators to finally identify Amore’s biological parents. Her mother, Sherry, has been fully cooperative with police and an asset to the investigation.
Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff denied knowing anything about Amore’s identity or death when originally questioned by investigators. Amore’s mother, Sherry, provided investigators with legal and financial documentation that proved the Vickerstaffs had had physical and legal custody of Amore since 2009, and had also received steady child support payments during that time.
Amore’s father, Lamar Vickerstaff Jr, has been charged with felony murder in relation to Amore’s death. He has also been charged with failure to report a child missing.
Amore’s step-mother, Ruth Vickerstaff, has also been charged with failure to report a child missing.
Both of the Vickerstaffs were arrested on January 17th, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida, where they have been living since being stationed at Naval Base Mayport. At the time of the January 19th, 2023 press conference, they were both awaiting extradition to Alabama, where they will face the charges that have been leveled against them.
Opelika Police say the investigation is still active, and they need the public’s help in learning more about what Amore’s life with her father and step-mother was like. Please share Amore’s story with anyone you may know who lived in the Norfolk, Virginia or Opelika, Alabama areas at any point during or between the years of 2009-2011.
If you have information regarding Amore Wiggins, Lamar Vickerstaff or Ruth Vickerstaff, You can reach the Opelika Police Department Detective Division at (334) 705-5220. Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can call the Secret Witness Hotline at (334) 745-8665.
When a young Indiana mother leaves work on New Year’s Eve, she never makes it to the celebration she planned to attend—instead, she disappears along with the final hours of the waning year. Investigators examine a variety of potential suspects—including an ex-boyfriend, an older man living a double-life, and a convicted killer next-door—in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Marina Boelter was 18 years old when she went missing from Bloomfield, Indiana on December 31, 2014.After Marina disappeared, her mother, Tressie, campaigned tirelessly for answers. She even dyed her hair a vivid purple (Marina’s favorite color). Tragically, she died in 2021, without ever receiving answers in regards to her daughter’s disappearance.Pictured: a billboard requesting information regarding Marina’s disappearance. Source: Laura Lane / The Herald-Times.Marina was a loving mother to her infant son, who was less than a year old when she disappeared.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Marina Boelter, please call the Indiana State Police at 317.232.8248 OR the Bloomfield Police Department at 812-384-4411.
When a seasoned crime reporter’s home goes up in flames, first responders find her inside the blaze, deceased—but not from the fire. Northern Virginia authorities investigate the murder of a woman who dedicated her career to keeping the public informed on matters of law and justice in this episode of Last Seen Alive..
Sarah Greenhalgh was 48 years old when someone fatally shot her inside her Northern Virginia home, and then set the house on fire in an apparent effort to destroy evidence.Before her death, Sarah wrote for a variety of Northern Virginia newspapers. In death, she became the subject of headlines, rather than the author.John Sheldon Kearns was dating Sarah at the time of her death. Although his defense attorney has stated that Kearns is considered a suspect in reference to Sarah’s murder, he has not faced any charges related to her case. He has a violent criminal history. Sarah was employed by The Winchester Star newspaper at the time of her death. This photo published by The Winchester Star shows her home in the aftermath of the fire her killer set.Page 1 of an affidavit for search warrant filed by a Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office investigator in relation to Sarah’s case.
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