Sometimes, there are crimes that we hear of that continue to haunt us throughout our lives. For author James Renner, the tragic unsolved murder of Amy Mihaljevic was one of those cases, and as a result he has focused a good deal of time and effort into studying the case- with the hope that one day it will be solved.
The following is a guest post from James, providing some background information on Amy's murder, along with some recent updates.
Special thanks to James for sharing this case.
Be sure to bookmark out his site for even more information, and continued coverage: www.amymihaljevic.blogspot.com
The following is a guest post from James, providing some background information on Amy's murder, along with some recent updates.
The Search for Amy’s Killer Continues, James Renner
I suspected when I finished writing my book, Amy: My Search for Her Killer, that the search, itself, was only beginning. I had spent nearly two years researching this unsolved abduction/murder of 10 year-old Amy Mihaljevic. I dug up information on new suspects, uncovered new clues, and tracked down witnesses. But I had a feeling this case was bigger than I imagined.
I was right.
Some background, for those unfamiliar with the case: Amy lived in the affluent Cleveland suburb of Bay Village, the idyllic town that had been rocked by the Sam Sheppard case in 1954. On October 27, 1989, Amy was abducted in broad daylight across the street from the police station on the very day Sam Sheppard’s son returned to town to ask the local police to re-open the file on his mother’s murder. Amy’s body was found by a jogger four months later, in a wheat field 50 miles from Bay Village. Her killer has never been found.
I attempted to solve the case but unfortunately, came up short. However, I believe that my book holds enough clues that if the right person reads it, a solution will finally be uncovered. Since its publication in October of 2006, I have heard from hundreds of people who want to share their own piece of the puzzle.
Here’s some of the new info:
-Several other girls may have received phone calls from Amy’s killer in the weeks leading up to her murder. These other girls lived in North Olmsted, a nearby community. Police and FBI have been searching for a link between these girls and Amy. One of the girls, now a 27 year-old woman, contacted me and said that a name in the book was familiar to her. This man had access to the unlisted phone numbers of the North Olmsted girls and was also familiar with the horse stables where Amy took lessons.
-Bay Village detectives have launched a complete review of the case and have asked several suspects to submit DNA samples. One suspect I identified in my book only as “Mr. Harvey” gave a sample and immediately contacted a local defense attorney who is known for successfully defending murder suspects. Another suspect has so far avoided giving his own sample.
-A man claiming to have pictures of the crime scene gave me copies, which I posted on my blog at www.amymihaljevic.blogspot.com
-I have also been contacted by a number of psychics claiming to have received visions of the crime. I met with one and have posted our strange encounter on the blog as well.
I think we’re getting close to catching this guy, finally.
I’ll let you know when we do.
In the meantime, you can view original news reports about the crime here.
You can also order the book here.
Special thanks to James for sharing this case.
Be sure to bookmark out his site for even more information, and continued coverage: www.amymihaljevic.blogspot.com