- [Host] What is up, EWU crew? Today we're covering five cold
cases finally solved in 2020. Let's get right into it. Number five, Esther Lucille Westenbarger. (ominous music) Little was know about
Esther Lucille Westenbarger and the circumstances surrounding
her disappearance in 2009. Last seen on November
12th at around 1:30 a.m., the 51 year old Ohio native
had headed out bar hopping with some new friends,
with her car parked nearby. Her final stop was at Miller's Tavern before she walked out the
doors, never to be seen again. The friends that were with
her assumed she'd gone back to where her car was
parked, near the Hoojer Bar, nothing suspicious about her actions. Having moved to Kokomo,
Indiana only a month earlier to be closer to her family, nobody could have anticipated
her disappearance. A beloved mother and
grandmother, her children vowed to search for her until she came home. When the alarm was raised,
her car was also found to be missing from the seen. With a custom license
plate reading "MSESTHER," the vehicle was uniquely identifiable. At first, there were
theories of foul play. (droplet drips) But with no answers, some began to wonder whether Esther
would ever be found. Almost 11 years later,
there was a breakthrough. The Howard County Dispatch
Center received a call on June 17th, reporting what seemed to be an algae-covered vehicle at the bottom of a retention pond. The caller had been fishing in
the area when they spotted it and authorities were quick to respond. After arriving at the scene,
they requested assistance from the county's dive
team to pull the vehicle from the water. Just as the caller had reported, an algae-covered vehicle
was pulled from the bottom of the pond with a single
occupant still sat inside of it. The license plate matched that of Esther's vehicle, and
it was later confirmed to be the same golden 2005 Cadillac CTS that had disappeared with her. On June 19th, an autopsy was performed by a forensic pathologist,
concluding that the body likely belonged to Esther
Lucille Westenbarger. No foul play was suspected and an investigation is still under way. The leading theory is that
she accidentally drove into the retention pond that night, though little else is known
about her disappearance beyond that. Whether it was the few
drinks she reportedly had or just a tragic accident,
we may never know, but after almost 11 years of searching, her family finally knew
what had happened to her. Number four, Michelle Martinko. It's December 19th, 1979,
and Michelled Martinko had attended a banquet
for her concert choir. A multi-talented student, she was active in various choirs and theater groups, notably a member of a twirling squad. (faint applause) (camera snap)
18 years old, she was excited to attend university with plans to study interior design. (mysterious music) When the banquet had wound down, she asked if one of her
friends would like to go to the local mall with her,
though her friend declined. It had only opened a few months earlier, though she had a job there,
so felt happy to go alone. With almost $200 with her,
(register dings) she spoke to friends she
knew from working there, as she looked for a new winter coat. Last seen around eight
or 9 p.m. that night, her father called to report her missing at 2 a.m. the next morning. Police were quick to search
for her, alongside her father. And by 4 a.m., the family
car had been discovered in the car park. Inside of it, Michelle was collapsed over the passenger seat, curled up onto the floorboards of the car. (droplet drips)
(ominous music) Covered in almost 30 stab wounds, she was found to have fought
back against her attacker, with her hands bearing defensive wounds. Analysis of the scene concluded that she had likely been killed
inside the car between eight and 10 p.m. that night,
though they were unable to find any fingerprints at the scene. This suggested that her
killer had worn gloves and had not attempted to rob her, due to the cash still
being inside of her purse. These findings led police to feel that the killing was personal, instead of a spontaneous
crime, committed by a stranger. This lead didn't help
with the investigation, due to a series of failures throughout. Tips weren't passed on
to police correctly, leaving one tip unreported by the daughter of the Public Safety Commissioner for five months after the murder. This tip could have solved
the case far earlier, with a man spotted beside the open door of Michelle's car at 2
a.m., his car nearby. In late June, 1980, a composite sketch of the suspect was created
with the help of two witnesses under the effects of hypnosis. Though this sketch never helped to identify the suspect, it
prompted hundreds of interviews by police, with an estimated
30 of those interviews being performed with the help of hypnosis. The case went cold in the
mid-1980s, no answers in sight. Her father passed away in
1995, her mother in 1998, though her sister, Janelle,
continued to fight for answers. In 2006, 27 years after
Michelle had been found dead, the case was re-opened after
the killer's blood was found in the case files. This allowed them to create
a partial DNA profile, allowing them to clear approximately 60 of the 80 suspects they had at the time. Despite their progress, they were unable to match the killer's DNA to anybody in the national DNA database, and the case went cold
dor a further 11 years. This changed in 2017, when
a company created an image of the potential killer, an image that looked vastly different from the original 1980 composite sketch. Instead of a white man
with curly brown hair and brown eyes, the man instead seemed to be blonde with blue/green eyes. Alongside that image, they
produced an age progression of the suspect, and when
released to the public, over 100 new tips came in. One of Michelle's classmates claimed that it looked just like another
of her classmates, though that classmate had been cleared
in 2006, after a DNA swab. Only a year later, the data
was placed into GED match, a genealogy tool frequently
used in cold cases, and were quickly pointed in the
direction of three brothers. All three had grown up in Manchester, Iowa and police soon placed
them under surveillance. This surveillance involved attempting to discretely collect a DNA sample, something they achieved
in October of that year. Jerry Lynn Burns'
downfall had been a straw. (camera snaps) When the straw was disposed
of, it became public property, allowing investigators to
collect and later test it, clearing his two brothers and confirming that the blood at the crime
scene belonged to him. On December 19, 2018,
authorities approached Jerry at his business to interview him. Though he refused to provide DNA, a search warrant was
quick to change his mind. When Michelle was mentioned, he vehemently denied knowing her, though he never said
that he didn't kill her, unable to come up with a reason for his DNA being at
the scene of the crime. Emotionless during his interview, when asked if he killed
anybody on December 19, 1979, he repeatedly told
investigators to test the DNA. This DNA sample also matched
the blood at the crime scene. Exactly 39 years to the day
of Michelle Martinko's murder, Jerry Lynn Burns was arrested
and charged with her murder. Finally, on February 24th, 2020, he was found guilty of
first degree murder, a crime that mandates a
life sentence without parol. Speaking after his conviction, Janelle spoke freely of her grief. Her mother missed her,
her father was angry, and she felt a profound sadness. Though she was happy that
there had finally been a conviction, it was
an ambivalent situation and she wished their parents had been able to get the answers they deserved. Number three, Karen Spencer. (unsuspecting music) Karen Spence was only
12 when she went missing from Fair Haven, Virginia
on November 29, 1972. With plans to borrow a
book from her classmate, she disappeared that evening,
never to be seen alive again. Only a few days later, on December 2nd, a group of boys were
playing in a local park. Under a pile of leaves,
they discovered her body, carefully concealed.
(ominous music) That's all that was known about the case for many, many years. With several persons of interest, but no real evidence, the
case quickly went cold, leaving Karen's family without answers. (camera snaps)
One of those persons of interest was James "Jimmy" Edwards. Believed to have been Karen's boyfriend, he was 16 when she was murdered. Despite countless interviews,
he maintained his innocence, right up until his death in 1997. It took over 20 years for friends to speak out against
him with their stories, ones that had been told in the
early 90s without hesitation. (camera snaps)
Two acquaintances of his were able to recount
a time he'd confided in them, telling them that he'd killed a girl and buried her in a field
when he was a teenager. This information,
combined with various tips and previous findings
spanning nearly five decades, helped to disqualify many of
the other suspects in the case. Despite dying in 1997, police concluded in December, 2019 that
if he were still alive, they would have a strong
enough against him to charge and prosecute him in relation
to Karen Spencer's murder. In 2020, authorities stated
the case was now solved. Though he isn't around
to face the consequences of his actions, nor to provide closure to the many people impacted by the case, he is nonetheless considered a killer. For almost five decades,
the case was investigated with unrelenting dedication. The investigation always
focused on finding answers for Karen and her family, providing them with the closure they deserved. With the help of devoted detectives and a compassionate
community, the residents of Fair Haven were finally
able to close the case and allow Karen to rest in peace. Number two, Billy Fiegner. October 27, 1985. In a field in Texas beside state route 51, skeletonized remains are
found by a father and son. Buried in a shallow grave,
haphazardly covered by foliage, the area had been partially
dug up by animals. With jeans and a jacket
found strewn across the area, these were some of the
only clues they had. (camera snaps) Little was able to be
gleaned from the remains, though a 1984 coin found with
the remains led investigators to conclude that he'd likely passed away between 1984 and 1985. With incomplete remains, it was hard to determine an exact age,
eventually placing him between 14 and 21 years old when he died. Having seemingly been shot to death, the death was a violent one. And without the extensive
DNA technology we now have, it was impossible to identify him. The case flew under the radar with ease and it wasn't until 2018 that
his DNA was analyzed in a bid to more accurately determine
certain characteristics. This analysis contradicted
previous beliefs that the victim was of mixed race, instead concluding that
the victim was white. Since 2000, there had
been further research into the case, but no matter the leads that were chased, nothing came of it. So the analysis of DNA was the
key to finding the answers. With fair skin, dark hair and eyes, and predominantly European ancestry, reconstructions were
created and distributed. Colored 3D reconstructions
generated no leads, but prompted further genetic
genealogy exploration. Over 18 months, there were attempts to find first and second cousins. (camera snaps)
The ones that were found, later turned out to be
adopted into their families, changing the direction of the case. Instead of trying to match the
victim to the adopted family, one of the adopted cousins came forward with a theory about his biological father. (dramatic music) After finding he was deceased,
authorities reach out to one of his biological
sons in a bid to find DNA. This DNA confirmed that the
victim was a first cousin to the family, and this
confirmation allowed authorities to explore the family tree. Searching for a young man between 14 to 21 years old, they
located a New Yorker, who'd gone missing in his twenties. Billy Feigner was born in Brooklyn, dying at just 22 years old. When investigators connected
with his family they were quick to gather DNA samples,
DNA samples that confirmed it was Billy who had been
found all those years ago. Hurricane Sandy had destroyed
many of the photos of him. The only one that remained
was from years earlier. (camera snaps)
Instead of the grown man in the facial reconstructions, he was a blonde haired schoolboy, sitting for a grade school photograph. His parents had sent him to work on a horse ranch in California, after his previous behavior
spiraled out of control, but never heard from him after he left. The desire to find answers sent
investigators to California, and they finally uncovered
the fate of Billy Feigner. Billy had arrived at the ranch and eventually struck up a friendship with a man by the name
of Forest Effington. (resonant, ominous music) Effington had been constructing crews to complete coin heists, not just in California, but around the country. The pair completed many of
these heists successfully before Billy eventually
decided to fly solo. Without the help of his friend, he was quickly caught and
this concerned Effington. He was paranoid that
Billy would snitch on him and came to the conclusion
that he needed to be silenced. Effington was open about
his desire to silence Billy. When he marched into the back of the Texas ranch they
were on and shot him once in the back of his head,
nobody was surprised. And investigators were finally prepared to charge him with the murder. Tragically, only a month earlier, Forest had died of a
heart attack in prison. The case was finally solved in 2020, after 35 years, giving
closure to investigators. But the man responsible had escaped by just the skin of his teeth. Number one, Jennifer Sahr. It's December 4, 2008.
(slow, somber music) In Horry County, South Carolina, a branded tote bag is found in
the woods by utility workers. Inside of that bag was a blanket
wrapped around an infant. Tragically, the infant was no longer alive and locals were left reeling,
after hearing the news. South Carolina had a
safe haven law in place, a law that allowed
children under 30 days old to be left at a hospital, fire station, or church without the risk of prosecution. (camera snaps)
When it was discovered that the infant, referred to
by locals as Baby Boy Horry, had been born alive
and could have survived with medical intervention,
so many were confused. (ominous music) Believed to have lived only
a day before passing away, the circumstances of death were unclear. Only miles away from one
of the many safe havens in the area, there was
heartbreak over the death. DNA tests were performed in a bid to find the child's mother,
but she was never identified. After two weeks, a funeral was held, attended by over 100 people, all of whom were deeply
invested in the case. Pleas were made by police and substantial rewards were offered, but nobody came forward. As the years passed,
memorial services were held. Baby Boy Horry was still
remembered by the community. Born in December, many expressed sadness that he never had the chance to experience his first Christmas. That was until almost 12 years later. On March 3, 2020, Jennifer
Sahr was charged with homicide. Though police haven't revealed
how they connected her to the case, she was studying
at Coastal Carolina University at the time of the discovery. Now, living in Pensacola,
Florida, she was married with two young children
at the time of her arrest. A nationwide warrant was put out for her and there was an attempt
to arrest her at her home, though she was nowhere to be found. Instead, she had driven herself back to Horry County, handing herself in for a controlled arrest with
the assistance of her attorney. With DNA evidence supposedly
tying her to the case and confirming that she
was the biological mother, there is very little known
about the circumstances of Baby Boy Horry's death. Only that she was likely responsible for leaving his body behind. Though Jennifer Sahr neglected
to give her son the dignity he deserved, the county rallied together to memorialize Baby Boy
Horry with yearly memorials, a proper funeral, and the love of the community he was adopted into in lieu of a family of his own. Nobody was willing to
stop fighting for him. Authorities that worked
on the case were unwilling to retire without answers, and would frequently walk past the scene, just in case they'd missed something. Locals spoke of him like family, gathering to remember
his all too short life. In discovering the person
responsible for his death, he can finally rest in peace
with the justice he deserved. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to hit the like button and subscribe. A playlist is going to pop up right now with more videos covering solved cases. Click on it right now to keep watching and see you guys next time.
