In the world of criminal investigations, solving a case is like piecing together a complex puzzle. While weapons, fingerprints, and DNA are crucial, sometimes it’s the unexpected items that crack the case wide open.
Let’s explore ten true stories where unusual evidence played a key role in bringing killers to justice. From food items to everyday objects, prepare to be amazed by how these strange clues led to the truth.
10. Sweet Potato
In 2011, Todd Lampley was found murdered in his Massachusetts home. Among the evidence were shell casings, a cell phone with a familiar name from The Wire, and a sweet potato with a carved hole.
Devrus Hampton, linked to Lampley through a past trial, became a suspect. Hampton’s GPS placed him at the scene. Years later, DNA from Hampton’s spit, collected from a puddle, matched the sweet potato. In 2023, Hampton was charged with murder, twelve years after the crime.
9. KFC Receipt
Anna Repkina, seeking love online, met William Hargrove and moved from Russia to Oregon to be with him. Hargrove, however, was already involved with Michelle Chavez. When Chavez discovered Hargrove’s proposal to Repkina, she demanded he choose.
Repkina was found dead in 2017. Hargrove used Repkina’s money to buy himself treats, and even asked strangers about time travel to correct a “horrible mistake.”. A KFC receipt found with Repkina’s body linked Hargrove to the crime. The receipt connected Hargrove’s brother and his shotgun, sealing Hargrove’s fate. He was convicted of murder in 2019.
8. One Yellow Sock
In 1991, Denise Kulb’s body was found in Pennsylvania. Her boyfriend, Theodore Donahue, was a suspect. He claimed she disappeared after a robbery. Police found a matching yellow sock in Donahue’s apartment.
The case went cold until 2015 when it was reopened. Photo-enhancing linked the sock found at Donahue’s apartment to the sock found with Kulb’s body. Donahue was arrested in 2019, 28 years after the murder, but died in custody before trial.
7. Pizza Crust
The Gilgo Beach murders involved multiple victims found over a year, starting in 2010. Rex Heuermann, was linked to the case in 2022. A witness spotted his car in connection to one of the victim’s disappearances.
Investigators found burner phones and disturbing internet searches. However, it was a discarded pizza crust that proved crucial. DNA from the crust matched hair found on victim Megan Waterman. Heuermann was arrested in 2023 and charged with murder.
6. Half-Eaten Container of Ice Cream
In 2022, Bethany Kelley’s body was discovered in Portland, Maine, with a half-eaten pint of Hershey’s Cookies and Cream ice cream nearby.
Detectives found Frederick Johnson in the area, who admitted to buying ice cream for himself and Kelley. Johnson changed his story, but DNA under Kelley’s fingernails matched Johnson. He was charged with her murder in 2023.
5. Vanilla Coke Can
Sylvia Quayle was murdered in her Colorado home in 1981. Evidence collected at the scene didn’t match anyone for years. In 2020, genetic genealogy identified David Dwayne Anderson as a suspect.
Investigators gathered trash from Anderson’s residence. DNA from a Vanilla Coke can, matched evidence from the crime scene. Anderson was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison in 2022, 41 years after Quayle’s murder.
4. Juniper Tree Needles
In 2019, Joseph Elledge reported his wife, Mengqi Ji, missing in Missouri. Suspicion grew due to his delayed report and strange behavior, which included long drives instead of searching for his wife.
Cell tower data showed Elledge visited the Lamine River. Seventeen months later, Ji’s remains were found. Juniper tree needles from Elledge’s boots matched the tree above Ji’s burial site, linking him to the murder. Elledge was sentenced to 28 years for second-degree murder in 2022.
3. Fitbit
In 2015, Richard Dabate claimed his wife, Connie, was murdered by an intruder in their Connecticut home. He was zip-tied and stabbed by the intruder. Dabate’s story had inconsistencies and the police found no sign of forced entry.
Connie’s Fitbit data contradicted Dabate’s account. The device showed she moved around much later than he claimed. Dabate was having an affair, which led to a woman becoming pregnant, and he tried to claim his wife’s life insurance. Dabate was sentenced to 65 years for murder in 2022.
2. Nintendo Switch
In 2019, Matthew Wiser was found murdered in his Alabama home after a break-in. The case stalled. Investigators tracked a stolen Nintendo Switch from Wiser’s home that eventually led them to Derric Scott and Tiquez Timmons.
Once the Switch was connected to a network IP addresses were traced, solving the murder case. Both Scott and Timmons were arrested and charged with felony murder in 2019.
1. Napkin
Jeanna Childs was found murdered in her Minneapolis apartment in 1993. The case went cold due to the lack of technology that would trace today. In 2018, Jerry Westrom was identified as a match through a genealogy site.
Investigators collected napkins Westrom used after eating a hot dog. DNA from the napkins matched DNA from the crime scene. Westrom was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison in 2022.
These cases reveal that justice can come from the most unexpected sources. It shows how detectives will leave no stone unturned in the purist of providing justice.
What do you think about these cases? Let us know in the comments below!
