Unsolved Mysteries

In 2013, A college sophomore returns to school after spending the entire summer with his parents and within two weeks he disappears without a trace. According to his roommate and his girlfriend, his behavior had significantly changed and they were both worried about him. Bryce had been mixing alcohol with an ADHD medicine (that was not prescribed to him.) After giving some of his possessions to his roommate and breaking up with his girlfriend, he was driving home to CA to where his parents live. Pretty soon his parents get a phone call from their insurance company stating that the car that Bryce is driving has just requested road side assistance. His parents check their credit card records and find that the card was used in a small town 3 hours away from them called Buttonwillow. His mom gets a hold of the company that serviced the car and they stated that the car had run out of gas and they had filled it up enough so the driver could get to a station. Bryces mom had asked about the state of the driver and they said he seemed coherent and fine. They even volunteered to go back to where the car was located to see if it was still there. Karen, Bryces mom, asked if they could do that that would be great. Carlos, the service man, arrives and calls Karen and says that the car is still there and Bryce is still in it. She asks if she could speak with him since Bryce had been refusing her calls. Bryce gets on the phone and tells his mom he is fine he just ran out of gas is all. She tells him to go fill up and drive home. He agrees and everyone goes on their way. Bryce was only 3 hours away from home and his parents were expecting him around 3:00 PM. 3:00 PM comes and goes. 5:30 PM. Nothing. He is still not answering his phone.

Karen calls the police and they end up finding Bryce sitting in his car only 8 miles away from where the car was serviced. The police tell Bryce to call his mom and he is very reluctant to do so but eventually he does. His mom asks him what he’s doing and he doesn’t have any sort of real answer for her. That he is just blowing off steam. She tells him he needs to come home asap. After speaking with the cop, who did a field sobriety and searched his car, they inform Karen that Bryce seems totally fine. He is answering all of their questions, he’s alert, coherent. Nothing out of the ordinary. So the cop leaves. Carlos, the service man, after his shift returns a missed call from Karen. She tells him how the cops found Bryce only 8 miles away when he should’ve been on the highway heading home. Carlos offered to go check on the new location and see if he was still there. He was. Bryce has now been in the town of Buttonwillow for nearly 13 hours just sitting in his car. Eventually Bryce is convinced to start driving home and Carlos follows him for up to 30 mins until he sees Bryce get on the freeway. After that Carlos calls Karen to say Bryce is on the freeway heading home. While he’s driving on the freeway he is in contact with his parents a few times and eventually he tells them he is going to pull over because he is too tired to drive, mind you it is now 2:30 AM. They agree and he pulls over on the next exit.

Bryce pulls over near a cell tower where there looks to be a large body of water right in front of him. It’s deceiving though because once you go forward there is some brush and then a 25ft drop to a street below before you get to the water. Bryce drives forward towards the water and drives off the cliff. From the car tracks in the brush, he had accelerated his car. There was no sign of him braking so he intentionally is driving, fast, towards this body of water. Eventually his car crashed to the road below first landing on the front bumper and falling on its side. The back passenger window was broken out from the inside and all of the belongings were left in the car. His laptop, his phone, wallet, clothes. Everything. Two spots of blood were located in the car that were Bryces blood but that’s it.

Two bloodhounds tracked his scent on a route that was away from street view to a truck stop and there is where his scent ends. And that’s it. Bryce has vanished.

I should mention that when Bryce broke up with his girlfriend, Kim, Kim had called Karen to say that she took Bryces keys away from him because he didn’t seem like himself and knew he had drugs and alcohol in him and didn’t trust him to drive. Karen spoke to Bryce and offered to fly to him so she can be with him and help him get home. He told her to not book a flight, he was okay, and that he had a lot to talk to her about. Karen told Kim that Bryce seemed okay and to give him his keys.

People now wonder what Bryce had to tell his mom. He had only been back at school for 2 weeks (actually in class for 4 days) and what could have happened in those two weeks. Was he stalling in Buttonville so he didn’t have to confront whatever he had to tell her? Did he have so much alcohol and the ADHD drug in him that he had a psychotic episode and drove off the cliff with intentions on killing himself? Did the car accident give him a concussion to the point where he doesn’t remember who he is?

What happened to Bryce Laspisa?

charley project

On Christmas day, December 25th of 2006 Leonard, who sometimes spelled his name Lennid, rented a 2005 Chrysler Crossfire convertible at the Tampa International Airport.

In most of what I could compile via a few outlets Mr. Leonard Taku was a teacher at Marlow Academy in Ramsgate England. He had flown to the United States, Florida in particular to possible meet someone he'd met online. Leonard was openly gay and used dating websites to meet people.

He also planned to visit Statesville North Carolina during this vacation to meet friends that he'd taught with there from 2003-2006 but he never arrived. It is believed the last person to report physically seeing him was the rental car agent at the Tampa Airport. He was due to fly back to the UK on January 3rd 2007.

Leonard was originally from New Zealand where some of his siblings still reside. He was initially reported missing by his friends in the UK when he did not return from his vacation to Florida.

On December 26th, the day after he rented the car his credit card made a purchase at the Gap clothing store in Altamonte Springs Florida. His family does believe he himself made this 46 dollar purchase as he reportedly really liked Gap clothing. Then around December 28th someone checked his email.

Then in mid January of 2007 well after he was supposed to have flown back to the UK his credit card was used again to purchase a hotel room at what was described as a "luxury hotel" in Orlando. His family does not believe he made this room purchase as he was more likely to be more frugal at where he chose to stay. (Something cheaper quite frankly.)

On February 9th 2007 The Department Of Agricultural was preforming a controlled burn near Lake George Wilderness in the Ocala National Forrest. Here they discovered Leonard's rental car. It was not completely destroyed by the fire but reports state this burn possibly burned up a crime scene and further evidence as to what happened to the driver, Mr Taku.They found no evidence of him on scene.

Leonard has had no contact with his family and loved ones since December of 2006 when he flew to the US to an unknown fate.

His family strongly believes that foul play is involved in his disappearance and are still seeking information to the whereabouts of their loved one. If you have any information that can assist in this case please contact the Altamonte Springs Police Department at 407-571-8276

https://charleyproject.org/case/leonard-taku

https://www.pridenz.com/gaynz/4303.html

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/no-leads-yet-on-nz-man-missing-in-florida/VBAMFHDW55JA7TYUMZF5HZP7SI/

Black the Ripper is an rumoured blaxploitation horror film that may have been released around 1974 or 1976(no one is sure of the release date) movie was a re imagining of infamous Jack the Ripper and his blood soaked story.

It is thought that Frank Saletri (the writer of another blaxploitation horror film Blackenstein) might have been the director. It is also possible though not confirmed that Antonio Fargas (previously best known as informant Huggy Bear on Starsky & Hutch a cop show from back in the day) played a character named Sideback.

Due to the highly obscure nature of the film even genre specialist and film historians are uncertain, If Black the Ripper was finished then an extremely limited theatrical release or was finished and never released or is completely lost.

Here are a few know confirmed details Black the Ripper was first mentioned in a brief note in the May 8th, 1974 issue of Variety magazine that named Saletri and a cast of unknown actors, and indicated the film was two months into it's production.

Later that December, an advertisement touting a future release was included in an issue of Monsters of the Movies magazine. On February 25th 1976 another issue of Variety claimed that the film was planned to hit theaters that Memorial Day

A two still frames have been rumored to of cropped up.

This frame apparently may be a scene where a group of characters are hanging out together.

This frame supposedly shows a character labelled Mike in black jacket interrogating the character Sideback who is wearing an orange outfit Supposed still frame from Black the Ripper.

The film would be forgotten a victim of time that us until 2013, when an unknown user of a unnamed website for obscure films claimed to have Black the Ripped it once while browsing some torrent files. Another user of the same website released what are supposedly the only known screenshots. Viewers who claim to have seen it say that the film seems rushed seemingly throw together. With several apparently missing scenes. There is a reported opening credit sequence over a song credited to singer Mara Farmer, But no ending credits. In the opening credits, alongside Saletri as director, Michael Finn is listed as writer. While not confirmed, it is possible that this is the same Michael Finn who directed the 1974 genre film The Black Connection - especially given that movie was filmed in Las Vegas, where Saletri was known to have lived.

http://dailygrindhouse.com/

https://britannica.com/art/blaxploitation-movie

Terry Brisk was a 41-year old, Married father of 4. He was killed while deer hunting, alone, on his parent's property on November 7, 2016. The murder occurred between the hours of 2:30 and 4:30 pm on property located at Belle Prairie Township, northwest of the intersection of Hawthorne Road and Jewel Road, northeast of Little Falls Minnesota

Terry had taken the day off work, unknown to his wife, but not shockingly, as the Minnesota Firearms Deer season had just started 2 days prior to his death. Terry's family had done fairly well hunting over the weekend, but he still wanted to get a deer on his license - and the weather that day was perfect, unseasonably warm, clear skies and little to no wind.

Terry was found dead in the woods that afternoon by his oldest son, who had came out to join him in the hunt after school.

Terry was found dead, from a single gunshot wound inflicted by his own rifle. Police have ruled out suicide as the rifle was found hidden some distance from his body, and the particular model of rifle he hunted with has safety features which make it difficult if not impossible to commit suicide. Also the angle and impact suggest someone who was close to him, but not himself as the shooter.

Speculation has ranged from a trespasser on the property looking for Agates (rocks) or possibly another hunter - again on the property illegally. Terry's family have repeatedly said that he would never have threatened or shot at anyone first and strongly suspect that he encountered someone unexpectedly.

Law enforcement have recently (2022) indicated that they are looking for a Blue Van or Mini Van that was possibly in the area on that day.

There is a $30,000 reward being offered for any information that results in an arrest or conviction in the case.

https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/2022/03/24/new-details-2016-murder-little-falls-hunter-terry-brisk/7159962001/

https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2017/01/23/deer-hunters-death-remains-such-mystery/96941874/

On April 15, 2005, Ray would tell his girlfriend, Patty, that he was taking the day off of work and going for a drive- maybe even do some shopping. This was not too out of the ordinary for Ray, so Patty didn't think too much about it.

Patty would speak to Ray around 11:30am that morning as he told her he was heading to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to do some shopping.

Patty would not hear - nor see- Ray again.

Patty reported Ray missing at 11:30pm that evening when she failed to reach him.

Ray was 59 years old, and months away from retiring. He was the district attorney for Centre County, PA, and during his 20-years in that position had put his fair share of criminals behind bars.

As 'one of them', the police jumped on the case and began searching for Ray immediately. The next day they would locate his red Mini Cooper in the parking lot of an antique mall in Lewisburg. Ray loved antique shopping, so that seemed understandable he would've went there. However, there was no sign of Ray, his car was locked, and interestingly they found cigarette ashes on the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle. The car also smelled of cigarettes and they found discarded cigarette buts on the ground outside of the passenger door. Ray was not a smoker- in fact- he loathed everything about it, especially the smell.

DNA proved no useful results from the cigarette butts.

Some witness thought they recalled Ray in the antique mall with a tall, brunette, woman.

Ironically, in May 1996, Ray's brother Roy was reported missing. His body was found a week later in the Miami River in Ohio, near where they found his car. Roy's death was ruled a suicide.

Some people noted the similarities between Ray and Roy's case, as his car was found near the Susquehanna river.

Months would go by with no sign of Ray. Until, some fisherman discovered his laptop under a bridge in the Susquehanna river. The laptop was in poor condition and the hard drive was missing. This was Ray's county issued laptop. When the FBI searched Ray & Patty's home computer, the found searches for 'How to erase a hard drive'. They also found software in his office for erasing a hard drive. Patty said this was because he was going to be retiring soon, and planned to make sure all his personal information was off of his county issued laptop.

Shortly after, a woman walking her dog found the hard drive in a different part of the river. It was destroyed and no useable data could be recovered.

Was this a suicide? Ray had no signs of depressions, in fact everyone said he was happily looking forward to retirement.

Did Ray go off to start a new life? There have been a few 'sightings' of him through the years, but none were confirmed.

Recently, an inmate told a cell mate that he knew what happened to Ray. He said they were contracted to kill him, and dispose of a body. He had two accomplices, a man and a woman. Is this a possibility, considering he likely had some enemies as a D.A.?

What do you think happened to Ray Gricar?

Sources:

https://wherearetheypodcast.medium.com/the-unsolved-disappearance-of-ray-gricar-20a299e6a13a

https://charleyproject.org/case/ray-frank-gricar

https://anchor.fm/wherearetheypodcast

https://www.koat.com/amp/article/tara-calico-case-update/44185576

Note: This is full text of article. A “—“ is in place of the bullets from the source.

Investigators make 'significant breakthrough' in 1988 cold case of University of New Mexico student, Tara Calico

VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M. — The Valencia County Sheriff’s Office announced a breakthrough in the 1988 disappearance of Tara Calico on Tuesday, June 13.

"I personally was not sure I would ever see the day of a significant breakthrough, but I stand before you and confident of the findings in this case," Valencia County Sheriff Denise Vigil said.

In the coming months, the Valencia County Sherriff's Office looks forward to working with prosecutors to obtain justice for Tara and her family," Vigil added.

New Developments "Tara's family has suffered enough," Valencia County sheriff Denise Vigil said.

—Law enforcement believes there is enough evidence to submit the investigation to the district attorney's office for review of potential charges. —To protect the integrity of the investigation, information is limited. —According to Vigil, they will reveal in due time. —The names of persons of interests have been sealed by court.

"I want to thank the ongoing efforts of the FBI, the Rocky Mountain Information Network, and the 13th Judicial District Attorney's Office, who have assigned their very best to this case in the pursuit of justice," Vigil said. "Most importantly, I would like to thank the members of the Calico ad Doel family for their unwavering support and justice."

"At this time, law enforcement believes there is sufficient evidence to submit this investigation to the district attorney's office for review of potential charges," Vigil said. "Currently, the identities and specifics of the persons of interest are sealed by the court and will remain so until a court order otherwise."

The disappearance of Tara Calico "Neither Tara nor her bike were ever located," Vigil said.

—19-year-old University of New Mexico honor student —Tara Calico left home for her usual bike route along Highway 47 in Valencia County approximately 9 a.m. on September 20, 1988. —According to investigators, Calico told her family she would be home by lunch. —After failing to return home in the afternoon, her mother alerted officials.

Tara Calico's Family —According to investigators, Calico's parents passed away. —Calico is survived by two sisters, two brothers and one brother-in-law.

13th Judicial District —District attorney Barbara Romo is assigned to the case. —Romo serves Cibola, Sandoval and Valencia counties.

KOAT learned a search warrant "relevant to the case" was executed at a home in Valencia County a few years ago. The details of the warrant remain sealed.

Edit: Forgot this bit from a different article. So Sheriff’s son wasn’t involved?

“There have also been many theories surrounding what happened to Calico. One claimed the son of sheriff Lawrence Romero was involved in the disappearance. On Tuesday law enforcements put those rumors to rest, saying all public theories have been ruled out.”

https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/new-details-on-tara-calico-case-expected-to-be-revealed-tuesday/

Edit 2: It has been pointed out by several commenters that the actual language used during the presser was that they wouldn’t comment on public theories. This is obviously different than the article above recapped. Please keep this in mind.

Jordan resided in Salt Lake City and was 36 years old at the time he went missing in 2021. It appears that at the time of his disappearance there was very little coverage and the majority of known information has been taken from his family’s Facebook appeal page, which is run by his younger sister Shelby.

Jordan and his younger sister Shelby were incredibly close. In a letter she wrote to her missing brother, she talks about the joys of their childhood, and memories of driving around and listening to Rilo Kiley or Bright Eyes at full blast. She describes him as a talented writer, musician, artist and photographer. Jordan was a caring person; he was an advocate for the LGBTQ+ and homeless communities and would take the time to make sure that people knew how loved and special they were. Unfortunately Jordan had struggled with depression throughout his teenage years and into his adulthood. In 2017, at the age of 31, he moved to Australia with his young family and it was during this time that he suffered his first bout of mania. His second occurred in 2018 along with an episode of psychosis. Jordan returned to America and his mania began to shift into further depression and suicidal thoughts. It is unclear if Jordan was officially diagnosed, but it appears accepted by his family that Jordan was suffering with bi-polar disorder and psychosis.

At some point after his return to Utah, Jordan believed that if he got to California he would be able to find a path to the other side of the world, where his daughter still resided in Australia. Jordan believed he could send a signal to her, and shot 11 flares into the sky. When these signals went unanswered, Jordan lit a fire to a garbage can and port-a-potty, which extended to the brush around them. Jordan was arrested for arson and was jailed for six months, with a requirement to be a part of a mental health programme upon his release. Jordan was due to end his probation on 6th August.

August 2021

Jordan had recently purchased a van that he decked out for camping, and on August 1st 2021 left with the van to head to the San Rafael swell. He had taken his own dog Lily, a Pitbull mix, but also his brother’s dog Cooper, whom he took without permission. Jordan’s family contacted law enforcement in the area and asked them to keep an eye out for him, knowing he was experiencing mania. Shortly after arriving, Jordan’s van got stuck in a desolate area due to flooding that the area was experiencing. Police have never revealed publicly where they located his van, but confirmed that his wallet and computer were located inside.

On August 3rd a couple on an ATV located Jordan and his dog Lily, and gave them a ride to Huntington, Utah. He was described as being dehydrated and wearing a wetsuit, and was checked out by EMTs. One of the attending officers told Jordan his family was looking for him, and offered to get him a room at a local hotel until someone could pick him up. Jordan’s family were informed that he had been located, and although Jordan’s probation officer was due to attend the following day, the family told the officer they were concerned about leaving Jordan alone. Unfortunately the officer was unable to stay, and sometime after the officer left, Jordan left the hotel.

After leaving the hotel, Jordan walked to a nearby convenient store where he spoke to a woman at the counter. She provided some water to Jordan’s dog, Lily. After 15-20 minutes, Jordan left the convenient store and located a garbage truck to the rear of the store which still had its keys in the ignition. Jordan reportedly stole the truck and abandoned it in Price, Utah, where it is believed he then stole a Jeep Renegade. Jordan pulled onto the drive of a private property, which led to an altercation with the resident. It is reported that during this altercation, Jordan hit this male with the vehicle and fled. The male chased after Jordan but ultimately lost sight of him.

Jordan made his way to Moab and attended a Verizon store where he attempted to purchase a mobile phone. This was unsuccessful due to Jordan not having any money or ID on him. Officers reported that they located a structure nearby which they believed Jordan had broken into and taken some water from; dog prints and Redwing boots prints were located in the mud nearby. The Jeep that Jordan had stolen was later found out of gas on the side of the highway at mile marker 21 in Cisco. There are reports that Jordan was sighted walking in Fruita, Grand Junction, Montrose and Nucla, Colorado, but I have no further information on these sightings.

On August 11th, Jordan’s dog Lily was believed to have been seen walking alone on a trail in Montrose County. This was the last sighting of Lily and she has not been located.

Jordan’s brother’s dog, Cooper, was located alive 3 weeks later, approximately 30 miles away from where Jordan’s belongings would ultimately be found.

Sadly, as Jordan went missing in the area of Moab during this time, there was speculation that he could have been responsible for the murders of Kylen Schulte, Crystal Turner, and Gabby Petito. We now know this is not the case, and the family confirmed that law enforcement never treated him as a suspect.

In March 2023 Shelby confirmed that there were no updates. She reported that there had been no official missing persons report listed for Jordan for an entire year after he went missing, allegedly due to some sort of Police error. Despite some strained relationship with the Police, they were able to get Jordan listed on NamUs and the family hired a private investigator, however there were never any further leads as to where Jordan might be, or what happened to him.

Discovery of Jordan’s belongings

Tiktok user (Ryan) @ ry_of_the_desert is a self-described adventurer, posting videos of his adventures outdoors, largely in desert environments. On 22 May 2023, Ryan posted a video of his exploration in the desert of Sevier County, Utah. During this exploration, Ryan discovered some unusual belongings; some clothing, backpacks, and an electric guitar. He posted this video to tikok and it immediately went viral. I’m unable to post the link for Ryan’s Tiktok, but I would highly recommend having a look - he has created a playlist for videos relating to Jordan Boone’s case.

Someone who had seen this video forwarded this on to Jordan’s family, asking if they recognised any of the belongings. They immediately recognised the guitar,

which had been customised by Jordan’s daughter before he went missing. The family have since confirmed that all the belongings found belong to Jordan.

Ryan continued to search the area, and found further belongings that have also been confirmed as belonging to Jordan. These include another backpack, a phone, phone charger, lighter torch, and window chalk paint.

On 30th May Jordan’s family drove out to meet Ryan, and he took them to the spot where he found Jordan’s belongings. Ryan continues to assist the family, and has plans to launch a drone over the area in the hopes of discovering more.

He has provided videos with maps detailing where certain items were found, and I’d recommend having a look so that you can get an idea of the location and its distance from Moab and other sightings.

Conclusion

This is a newly emerging update, and there could well be further updates in the coming days/weeks/months. I intend to update this post with any further updates or discoveries.

His sister Shelby wishes to point out, quite rightly, that Jordan is more than his illness, and he should be seen as a whole person with a family that loves him immensely. He was an exceptionally kind and caring person, and is a loved father, brother and son.

The family have always been open around Jordan’s mental health, and don’t shy away from the fact that this played a huge part in his disappearance. The family have always advocated for education on mental health, and their hope is that others may start to recognise the signs of mental health in others and in themselves, and seek help before any further tragedies occur. They also encourage others to spread love and compassion, and have often asked for empathy for those with mental health issues or criminal histories, like Jordan, and to remember that these are real people with real families and emotions.

Sources

Apologies for the lack of sources, but there is very little official coverage around Jordan’s disappearance or discovery of his belongings. As more information is received, I will add further sources here.

I’m unable to post the Facebook Appeal page, but this can be found by searching “Missing: Jordan Boone and Lily the pit mix dog".

Ryan’s tiktok can be found at @ ry_of_the_desert

https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP95074

On July 14, 1976, 42-year-old John Grey, a courier for Indianapolis, Indiana’s Bankers Dispatch Corporation, made an unexpected and startling discovery during his route. At 9:30am, John turned down a secluded lane just off of Spring Mill Road in nearby Carmel, Indiana to relieve himself when something caught his eye. Lying in a wooded area approximately 40 feet off of the road, John saw what initially appeared to be a roll of opaque plastic. However, upon closer inspection he noticed a pair of feet slightly protruding from one end. Using his car’s radio, John notified his dispatcher who in turn, contacted police.

The unidentified person was found just northeast of the intersection of West 116th street and Spring Mill Road in a small densely wooded area. A sparsely populated area at the time, the only residence nearby was an abandoned farm. The unidentified body, found wrapped in several layers of thick construction grade plastic and tied with three electrical cords, was taken to a nearby Noblesville, Indiana hospital for autopsy.

Beneath the plastic “shroud,” was the severely decomposed body of a young man estimated to be in his early 20s. He was completely nude and wore no jewelry. The autopsy revealed that he suffered a blow to the head that had caused a bruise on his skull, however the injury was not severe enough to cause death. No other injuries were found. While the hospital’s pathologist awaited the results of a toxicology test, police set out to learn the identity of the unknown victim, who for “health reasons,” was quickly buried in a Carmel cemetery.

Three days later, the body was identified through dental records as 22-year-old Michael Dean Riley, a psychology student at Muncie, Indiana’s Ball State University. Michael had been reported missing by Ball State University staff on July 9th after he failed to attend the start of his summer classes. Police learned on July 2nd, Michael had finished his shift at the United Consumers Club then caught a ride home from a fellow employee. After changing clothes, the employee dropped Michael off along Interstate 69. Michael then hitchhiked to a friend’s home in Indianapolis.

According to the unnamed friend, Michael stayed at his house that evening and the following night. On the night of the 4th, the pair attended a Fourth of July party together. Michael supposedly left the party on foot, presumably to hitchhike back to his Muncie home. After that, Michael dropped out of sight until the discovery of his body 10 days later.

Several witnesses came forward claiming they had smelled a strong odor in the area for several days. They had, however, written the smell off as nothing more than a dead animal. Another person told investigators they had seen an older car parked near the lane about a week prior. According to the witness, two men were inside the vehicle. One got out, opened the trunk, and took something into the woods before emerging a short time later.

When the toxicology results became available, it was determined that Michael had overdosed. Alcohol, along with a large quantity of Doriden, a sleep aid normally given to people with insomnia, was found in Michael’s bloodstream. It was estimated he had consumed between 10 to 13 1mg tablets of the medication.

Michael excelled academically and was considered a model student at Ball State. He had no disciplinary problems, and had never been arrested. Though Michael was known to occasionally drink, acquaintances denied having ever witnessed Michael consume drugs of any kind.

Michael had gotten married two years prior to a woman named Rebecca, however I could find no additional information about their relationship. Michael’s father had passed away in 1960. His mother, Mary, and stepfather, Forrest, lived in Florida at the time of his death, however returned to Indiana for a short time during the investigation. After Michael’s body was exhumed and moved to a cemetery in West Lebanon, Indiana, the pair returned to their home in Florida.

The investigation into Michael’s death continued for a short time. However despite conflicting stories from party goers that evening, no arrests were made. Michael’s case was eventually taken before a grand jury. The final report read in part;

“After interrogating some 17 or 18 witnesses, it is the consensus of the grand jury that Riley died of an overdose of drugs, either self-induced, accidentally taken, or by a prank played on him. The jury concludes that because of the drug use going on among the deceased associates an election was made for disposal of the body……someone thus conceived the plan to mysteriously dispose of the body in a secluded place. There is little doubt assistance was required in ‘packaging’ the body.”

The report concluded by determining that because the drug use had occurred in Indianapolis, the case would be turned over to the Indianapolis Police Department for further investigation. Unfortunately, no suspects were ever named and no arrests ever came.

The murder of Michael Dean Riley remains unsolved.

Sources

Photos, Death Certificate, Clippings-

https://imgur.com/a/e6kVcrW

Find A Grave Michael- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27606213/michael-dean-riley

Find A Grave Mary (Michael’s mom)- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150471518/mary-elizabeth-scott

Find A Grave Forrest (Michael’s Step Dad)- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150471485/forrest-lavern-scott

Find A Grave- Virgil (Michael’s Dad)- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27606245/virgil-d-riley