Cincinnati's Crime Vault | Beyond the Broadcast

*Note: we encourage you to listen to part one of this two-part series, episode 23, before listening to this episode. 

At the Hamilton County, Ohio Coroner's Office, the investigators, analysts, and technicians are trained in a number of areas. They handle autopsies, even from other counties, help police with murder investigations, and identify Jane and John Does. 

It can be challenging work, but they're hopeful that advancing technology will help them solve even more cases. 

In this episode of Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault: Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt goes behind the scenes to see the latest technology at their disposal and talks with Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco about how they have already used some of the tools to return names to the unidentified. 

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. 

In 2018, an unidentified woman was discovered dead and partially buried near an apartment complex in Avondale, which is a Cincinnati neighborhood.

She became known as the "Avondale Jane Doe" or the "Rose Lady."

Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco and her team at the Hamilton County, Ohio Coroner's Office have never given up on the case. Since the day the woman was found, they've pursued every avenue they can to try to find out her identity.

And now, they're revealing that with help from the FBI and Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, they're closer than ever before.

In this episode of Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault: Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt talks with Dr. Sammarco about the work they've done on this case and breaks down why it could be solved very soon.

In part two, episode 24, Jessica learns more about the latest technology and the newest tools being used in Jane and John Doe cases.

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. 

Even decades later, a case known as the Easter Sunday Massacre continues to haunt the Hamilton, Ohio community.

In 1975, James "Jim" Ruppert murdered 11 members of his own family. 

Journalist Karen Holcomb first became familar with the case in the 1990s, when she was a reporter for the Journal News. She didn't know at the time that her coverage would lead to her marrying the prosecutor's son, and, decades later, taking her late father-in-law's words and crafting them into a book that details the trauma left behind after this tragedy. 

Warning: some of the details in this episode may be disturbing to hear. 

In this episode of Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt talks with Holcomb and her husband about the horrific killings, the aftermath, and about how the case is still impacting people today. 

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. 

NOTE: We suggest listening to episode 19 before listening to this one.

In this episode of Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault: Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt interviews Randy Hubbard, a high school teacher who has investigated Laney Gwinner's case and is writing a book about it. 

This year marks nine years since a Cincinnati man disappeared without a trace. 

Timothy Stanton's family believes, to this day, that the 40-year-old father of two was met with foul play. 

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt speaks with Timothy's relatives about where he was last seen, what they know about his disappearance, and why they're desperate to find him. 

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case. 

Police are pursuing every lead they can in the murder of a Springdale, Ohio man, who was found brutally beaten to death inside his home in 1999.

There's been DNA testing, surveillance, and even an arrest, but the case remains unsolved. 

Detectives believe what could be holding them back is what little they know about the victim, Frederick Walker.

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt talks about the crime scene, the people of interest, and detectives' efforts to learn more about the victim. 

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case. 

In 2012, two Fairfield, Ohio teens were found dead by the same creek. Joey Oakley, 19-years-old, was discovered dead months after 15-year-old Chelsea Johnson was stabbed to death.

Oakley's case, like Johnson's, remains unsolved and open. Although police have not connected the two cases, their families believe there may be something tying them together.

Now, for the first time, Oakley's sister is ready to talk about her brother's case. 

Warning: some of the details in this episode may be graphic. 

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt breaks down what happened to Oakley and why loved ones believe Oakley and Johnson's cases may be linked.

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case. 

For more than a decade, relatives of Chelsea Johnson have tirelessly fought to keep her memory alive after someone stabbed the 15-year-old to death in Fairfield, Ohio in 2012.  

Now her loved ones, frustrated with a lack of justice, are giving us insight into what happened before Chelsea vanished and was later found dead.  They're also telling us more about a man who's long been considered a person of interest in this case and are sharing new details about the crime scene.

Warning: some of the details in this episode may be graphic. 

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt breaks down what happened the day Johnson was last seen alive, explains what we know about her murder, and breaks down why relatives are fed up with the investigation.

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case. 

More than 35 years after a young mother was gunned down at work, Pierce Township Police in Ohio hope shining a spotlight on the cold case could help them solve it.

Detectives have investigated the murder of 19-year-old Amy Diesman from the very beginning, sometimes getting the help of other agencies along the way.

Now, one detective is opening up the case files to show us the investigation in a whole new light.

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt breaks down what happened the day Diesman was killed, explains what detectives have done with the case, and details where it stands now. 

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case. 

In August 2013, a pregnant mother was gunned down while driving in Brown County, Ohio. The gunshots also struck her young daughter, who miraculously survived. 

The Brittany Stykes murder case continues to gain traction on social media and is getting national publicity. There's no question those who were closest to Brittany are dedicated to her case.

However, the person who killed Brittany has yet to be identified.

Investigators do say they are using some incredibly new technology that could bring them their next big break.

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt breaks down the heartbreaking case, speaks with relatives of Brittany, and finds out where the investigation stands today. 

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case. 

One of Northern Kentucky's most horrific killings remains unsolved nearly 12 years later, but the detectives working the case are leaving no stone unturned.

Bill and Peggy Stephenson, a beloved couple, were discovered dead inside of their own home in May 2011. It is considered to be a complex and haunting case that's deeply impacted the community.

In recent months, the investigation has led detectives in several different directions, including to Indiana to look into a possible connection to the highly publicized Delphi murders. They're also pursuing potential breaks in the case using a DNA profile.

This is the second of two episodes covering this case.

In Season Two of Cincinnati's Crime Vault Beyond the Broadcast, Investigative Reporter and TV News Anchor Jessica Schmidt breaks down the disturbing case, learns about the lives of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, and digs into the latest leads in the investigation.

Cincinnati's Crime Vault is an award-winning news series on FOX19 Now. This audio podcast will take the stories featured in the news beyond the broadcast. A team of journalists led by Jessica Schmidt will break down the assignment, the interviews, and the facts discovered as they work on each case.