Orlando FL- Yuri Melich, the lead investigator tasked with the investigation into the disappearance and subsequent death of 34 month old Caylee Marie Anthony, has been nominated as an Americas Most Wanted *ALL STAR*.
Corporal Melich had an impressive resume before taking his first and last missing persons case, in the homicide division of Orange County Sheriffs Office.
In 2007, Yuri was assigned three separate homicide cases within a 12 hour time span, and he was awarded Sheriff’s Certificate for successfully closing all three within two weeks.
One case centered on an execution shooting with no witnesses which Corporal Melich was able to tie to two earlier killings; solving both serial shooting cases through in-depth investigation and monitoring phone calls and jail correspondences.
As Yuri explains, he’s most proud of the work he did as a homicide detective, because he was able to apprehend someone who has taken a life and that making a difference like that is one of the “greatest feelings in the world.”
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www.blinkoncrime would like to congratulate all the very worthy nominees for their service.
Portland, OR– Appearing on The Today Show this morning, John Walsh, parent of murdered child Adam Walsh, discusses missing 7 year old Kyron Horman. While the people of Kyron’s community are being told Kyron’s disappearance is an isolated incident, Walsh states the media will solve this case, as they do 99% of the time.
We recently posted a story on the bizarre and twisted tale of Vernon C. Seitz, Part I. The question should be asked as to why Seitz is not being further looked into as potentially being involved in other missing person cases in the area? Police seized over 500 pieces of evidence including male child porn, bondage equipment, a book titled “Eat Thy Neighbor: A History of Cannibalism and children’s shoes. Are we really supposed to believe that there is no connection and that Vernon C. Seitz’s twisted actions were harmless?
“We have no information to substantiate any allegation that the deceased [suspect] was involved in any missing children cases or homicides of children,” police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said in a statement released Wednesday morning.
Let’s take that statement for dissection, if you will. Aren’t there at least three corroborating accounts this man drove 7+ hours to meet Wetterlings parents and participate in the search, twice? Evidence and corroboration by his therapist that he traveled and participated in searches for missing young boys across the Midwest drew and painted pictures of naked male children does not a call to the FBI warrant, apparently. Pun intended.
Notably, they have not searched the residence of Vernon Seitz, Sr. It is located 147mi North East of Jr’s homes and exactly 37 miles from the farm of Edward Lanphear. Mr. Lanphear is currently incarcerated facing 400 years in the Big house for forcible rape and kidnapping of 2 young men simultaneously. There was also bondage devices in Lanphear’s basement and garage, as well as other similar items to those found in the Seitz home. His plea deal is pending a psych evaluation, and most experts do not think Lanphear acted alone, or that this was his first offense.
The former head of Wisconsin’s FBI office, though, thinks Seitz’s confession could be believable.
“I think it would be something to take very seriously and coupled with what was found through the search warrant, I would give it great credibility,” said retired agent Mike Santimauro.
Just prior to press I spoke to Agent Leonard Piece, Media Coordinator, FBI- Milwaukee office; Agent Piece confirmed there has been no request from MPD for assistance in any capacity in this case.
Skeeve From The Hood
Tony Szuta, 28, remembered going to Vern’s Barber Shop for haircuts between the ages of 9 and 12 while he was growing up in Cudahy. “When he talked to you, it was like he was looking through you. There was something up with the guy. We could never figure out what it was,” Szuta said. Seitz showed Szuta and his friend’s paintings and drawings Seitz had done, but nothing seemed disturbing, Szuta said.
One friend told Szuta that Seitz had asked if he could portray him in a drawing.
Richard Francel was close friends with Seitz. “(He was) just a relaxed, easy going guy. Very knowledgeable. Very intelligent,” Francel said. Richard Francel was close friends with Seitz.
Francel said police interrogated him after Seitz’s death. But, Francel said he never knew about his friend’s collection of child pornography or his alleged confession. “No. he was never like that,” Francel explained.
Near Vern’s Barber Shop in St. Francis, Lynne Bartholomew, owner of Lynne’s Scizzory, a hair salon next door, said she knew Seitz for nine years. “He would come in and ask for a cup of coffee and tell me about his life, which was pretty scary, actually,” Bartholomew said. She said Seitz told her he was abducted from the Racine zoo as a boy by men who molested him and forced him to shoot and kill another boy.
Bartholomew said Seitz also claimed to have shot and killed a man who robbed him in his home three years ago and that he had killed two men in Chicago some years ago.
Bartholomew said Seitz had a particular interest in boys that made her and some of her customers “uncomfortable.”
“You get an eerie feeling from someone you just say stay away from them,” said neighbor Shannon Crawford. “I’m very glad I didn’t let [my kids] go over there more often.”
Elementary school teacher and Sister-in-law Susan Seitz, though, said Vernon was abducted and abused as a boy and believes his interest in child abductions stemmed from this experience.
“I guess it just goes to show you don’t really know the secrets of your neighbors,” said Jordan Burich, who lives near Seitz’s house. “We really didn’t know what was going on, but when [investigators] brought a jackhammer, we knew there was something more nefarious going on.”
One ponders upon seeing the words “jackhammer” and “nefarious” in the same sentence.
How close is this to Fargo?
This Just got Creepier : A Dahmer Connection?
Jeffrey Dahmer, responsible for 17 known murders and mutilations from 1978, lived in the know demolished Oxford Arms Apartments, less than 6 miles away from Seitz. When he was living with his grandmother in West Allis previously, 13 miles from Seitz.
