Through the use of DNA forensic genealogy, Rapid City police have identified the suspect responsible for the death of 60-year-old Gwen Miller. Ms. Miller, a Rapid City pharmacist, was located strangled and sexually assaulted in her bed at her home on Hall Street in 1968.
The early life of Joseph Eugene Smith is a complete mystery. Joseph's son Morton and Morton's daughter Karen have researched Joseph for over 20 years, yet they still don't know who he was. Hopefully by reading his story, someone may come forward with new insight into Joseph's so far impenetrable history. Joseph Smith's Death Certificate, 25 December 1973 Over the years, Karen has gathered an impressive collection of information about Joseph starting with his enlistment in the US Army in November 1913, yet she has not been able to discover anything about him before that. Although Joseph Smith claimed he was born on 15 July 1896 in Philadelphia, his birth certificate has never been located. His life prior to WWI is unknown; nothing [...]
The Mascot is the international best-selling Holocaust biography of Alex Kurzem...After an exhaustive international three-year search for evidence, my colleague Dr. Barry Resnick and I have discovered no proof that Mr. Kurzem’s story is true, nor has it been established that he is Jewish.
The Mascot Keith Moor, Insight Editor at the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne, Victoria recently published an article on The Mascot, the international bestselling biography of Holocaust survivor Alex Kurzem. To read the article in pdf format, click here. As Keith mentions, the foundation of the story is undeniably true. Alex was adopted by the 18th Kurzeme Latvian Police Battalion in July 1942 as a child in the forest around Minsk. Yet my colleague, college professor Dr. Barry Resnick and I have uncovered much that lends doubts to his claims that he was a Jewish boy who survived the Nazi massacre of his family six months earlier; a massacre that in some version [...]
To continue with the Indianapolis birth announcements, here at the births that appeared in the Indianapolis Commercial on September 9 & 10, 1948. Newspaper: Indianapolis Commercial Date published: 9-Sep-48 Name of parents Child Date birth Hosp Address of parents Gibbons, James & Nanette Meth Duler, George & Dorothy [...]
Here is a continuation of the list of the birth announcements published in the Indianapolis papers around the date of Benjaman Kyle’s birth, believed to be 29 August 1948. Today’s entry covers 7 Sep through 8 Sep 1948. There were no announcements on Sep 4 & 5. The names reported on Sep 6 are the same as those reported on Sep 7, so I have skipped Sep 6. I have not researched many of these names. Ideally, I'd like to find as many of the individuals mentioned in these announcements as possible. As I get more information on them, I will update this post. If you recognize anyone on this list, please [...]
In an ideal world, we would be able to identify all these children but one. That one would reveal Benjaman Kyle's identity. If you recognize anyone on this list, please contact me at immediately at colleen@identifinders.com Key (1949 addresses, with current zip codes): Cole = William H. Coleman Hospital for women, 1000 Michigan St., Indianapolis, 46202 Meth = Methodist Hospital, 1604 N. Capital Ave., Indianapolis, 46202 IGen = Indianapolis General Hospital, 960 Locke St., Indianapolis, 46202 Vinc = St. Vincent's Hospital, 120 West Fall Creek Pkwy N. Dr., Indianapolis, 46208 Where I have parentheses around a child's name, the name is probably correct, but should be confirmed. Date published: 31-Aug-48 Name of [...]
In 1948, the Indy Star and the Indy Commercial newspapers published birth announcements obtained from either the county or from local hospitals. The two papers published identical lists, although sometimes not on the same day, as the Commercial was not published on the weekends. Carl Litel, a friend of mine who was adopted the day he was born in Indianapolis is 1946, told me that he was able to find his birth mother's name by looking through the birth announcements in the newspaper that appeared around his birth date. (See Close Calls, Conclusion?). This gave me hope that maybe Benjaman Kyle's birth may have been announced in the paper, too. Benjaman is a well-known [...]
All anyone knew about him was that he was born Robert Lee King in March 1949. To find Jennie King's remaining son was going to be tough with so little information to go on. Benjaman Kyle claims his birthdate is August 29, 1948 because he remembers that he was born exactly ten years before Michael Jackson. But memory is a funny thing. Carl Litel, Jennie's second known son, was adopted the day he was born, February 5, 1946. Jennie held him only once before he was taken away. Carl's adoptive parents Joseph and Cecelia Litel provided a wonderful home for Carl and his adopted brother James. The couple also had two natural [...]
Since I have been involved in trying to identify the amnesiac Benjaman Kyle, I've seen many leads come in, ranging from the casual to the very serious. Many people have contacted me that they are related to Powells or Davidsons (or both). Many people have written to direct me to websites describing missing persons who they believe might be Benjaman. Many others have sent in pictures of their relatives, friends and acquaintances who they believe resemble Benjaman, in a sincere desire to assist in his identification. One example of a Benjaman look-alike is this picture sent to me by Mary Beth Pierson who believed her former neighbor resembled him. I agreed, although the neighbor had been a pilot [...]