Ottawa County Cold Cases

01/03/2023

We would like to thank the DNA Doe Project for all their hard work and countless hours of forensic genealogy. Their efforts resulted in the identification of Shelly Christian, (Formerly known as "Matilda" prior to her identification). Shelly had been a Jane Doe at the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office since 1994. The DNA Doe Project also continues to work feverishly on the identification of "Jenny", found murdered in Ottawa County, Michigan in 1967. Join me in thanking them for all the hard work and countless hours put in by their volunteers. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏.

Look at their amazing year in review!!!

This is "Welcome Home 2022" by DNA Doe Project on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

06/14/2022

Do YOU know who "Jenny" is?? Please SHARE this article. We are hopeful that someone remembers and can help us fill in the blanks.

Thank you to the Holland Sentinel for the lovely article and for helping us spread the information regarding our investigations.

With the help of genetic genealogy, detectives are researching the family tree of a murder victim who has been nameless for 55 years.

05/31/2022

Forward progress. Cold case homicide investigations take tedious effort, attention to fine details and patience. We continue to work with the DNA Doe Project to reveal the true identity of "Jenny" who was found murdered in 1967. The forensic genealogists have recently provided us with several possible relatives to contact. We will not stop seeking for answers and are thankful that these recent contacts helped provide us with additional clues.

05/19/2022

The Ottawa County Cold Case detectives had a little fun today at the Robinson Elementary Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Thank you for the donuts!

04/11/2022

We were pleased to be contacted by the Crime Casters Network to share the story of Shelly Kephart (Christian). The investigation continues as we search for answers surrounding her death.

You've probably seen the 3D clay rendering of the Jane Doe known as "Matilda" in Ottawa County, Michigan. It made national news when her murder was linked to...

02/03/2022

Today, February 3, we recognize National Missing Persons Day. As a tribute, we ask that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NaMUS). The website contains a national database of missing people PLUS a database of unidentified and unclaimed remains. The numbers are staggering and tragic. If we share this enough, we may be able to help families become reunited.

NamUs is a national information clearinghouse and resource center for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases across the United States.

01/20/2022

The Ottawa County Cold Case Team announces the identity of a young woman who has been unidentified since a 1994 homicide.
Since February of 2021, The Ottawa County Cold Case Team has been diligently working on this investigation. Sheriff's Office Detectives partnered with the DNA Doe Project, who specializes in forensic genealogy.
In September of 2021, Detectives Sara Fillman and Allison Anderson traveled to Minnesota to contact the family of a missing person, Shelly Rae Kephart, AKA Shelly Rae Christian. Shelly was 29 years old when she went missing from Minnesota in 1993. DNA samples taken from the family of Shelly Kephart (Christian) were compared to the DNA profile obtained from the 1994 homicide victim, "Matilda".
"Matilda" has been positively identified as Shelly Rae Kephart, AKA Shelly Rae Christian. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office believes the identification of Shelly will provide closure for family, and investigative direction for Cold Case Detectives as we move forward.
Anyone with information about Shelly Kephart (also known as Shelly Christian) are asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office or Silent Observer 1-877-88 SILENT or www.mosotips.com.

PLEASE SHARE this post so that we may reach any and all that may be able to help with additional information.

09/08/2021

The forensic genealogists continue to work feverishly to identify both "Jenny" and "Matilda". They have made great stides and we are so close. We look foward to the day that we can introduce these victims with their true identities and restore the dignity that was lost so long ago. They were given the names "Jenny" and "Matilda" by investigators for reference. Here are their stories.

"Jenny, 1967" In October, 1967, an unidentified female was found in a wooded area in Blendon Township just a few days after her death. She had been beaten and strangled. Detectives worked 100's of hours to identify this young woman but the investigation turned up fruitless. "Jenny" was never identified and her killer was never found. "Jenny" was described as a black female, approximately 5'8" tall, approximately 100 lbs. Her age was difficult to establish but she was a young adult at the time of her death.

"Matilda, 1994" In November, 1994, hunters found the skeletonized remains of an adult female in Wright Township (Marne). She was n**e and covered with brush and sticks. He cause of death could not be determined but the manner of death was homicide. Detectives searched for Matilda's true identity, and her killer, but came up empty handed. "Matilda was approximately, 5'7", robust build, with reddish-brown hair. She was believed to be 30-40 years old.

Anyone with information about either woman can contact the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office or Silent Observer.

07/06/2021

We knew when we became cold case detectives that it would involve travel; time away from our homes and families. But it's worth it. It's always worth it.

This week, one of our cases is taking us to the upper peninsula of Michigan to seek out answers.

06/22/2021

A big THANK YOU to the Michigan State Police Office of Behavioral Science for coming to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office yesterday to assist us. We presented one of our cold cases to the team and they assisted us in developing investigative strategies. It takes a huge cooperative effort to investigate cold cases and we are so thankful for our partners in Law Enforcement.

06/08/2021

Great news! Today, the Ottawa County Cold Case Team received an update from the DNA Doe Project. Several months ago, samples were sent to the DNA Doe Project with hopes of developing a DNA profile from each of our two "Jane Doe's." This can be tricky when the samples have been exposed to weather, time and environmental conditions that could degrade the DNA profile. We were informed today that they were able to develop sufficient DNA profiles for comparison with genealogical databases. Already, the genealogy sleuths have been assigned and the research has begun. The stories of these women are below.

Jenny, 1967: In 1967, the body of a young African-American woman was located in a wooded area within Blendon Township. She had been beaten and strangled and was located just days after she had died. Cold Case detectives endearingly call her "Jenny", although after 54 years , she has yet to be identified.

Matilda, 1994: In 1994, the skeletonized remains of a woman were located, covered with brush and sticks, in Wright Township. Her cause of death remains unknown. Detectives named her "Matilda" but her true identity remains a mystery.

05/19/2021

In November, 1987, Gail and Rick Brink failed to show up for their respective jobs. Family soon found that Gail and Rick had been murdered in their Holland home. For 2 decades, investigators searched for answers. The final answer surprised everyone. "Casefiles" podcast recently published a story on the Brinks' homicide. Listen to the story of how Ottawa County's Cold Case Detectives uncovered the chilling truth. Link below.

When newlyweds Gail and Rick Brink failed to show up to their respective jobs on the morning of November 23 1987, the alarm was...