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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Unsolved Cases: Devin Janelle Brown-Bousetta

The Pittsburgh resident has been missing since September 2006.

More than six years ago, Devin Janelle Brown-Bousetta, 25, disappeared from her Mt. Washington residence in the City of Pittsburgh She has not been seen since Sept. 5, 2006, and that was at her home near Southern Avenue and Natchez Street. Her vehicle—a white, 1995 Chrysler Cirrus LX—was later located in Pittsburgh. Devin is described as a black/Hispanic woman, 5-foot-2 and 115-120 pounds. She has black hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion. She has a flower tattoo over her right breast, the name "China" on her left arm and "chinese woman" on her back. Authorities say she also has a scar on her earlobe from previous tear, a burn scar on upper right thigh, pierced ears and a gap between her upper front teeth. Devin speaks very slowly. …

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Unsolved Cases: Amanda Marie Koller Went Missing Almost Two Years Ago

She was last seen or heard from in June 2011, just after she moved back to Pittsburgh from Florida.

Amanda Marie Koller had moved back to the Pittsburgh area from Orlando, FL in May 2011. The 23-year-old did not establish or maintain a permanent address in the few short weeks after her return, according to her mother. On Sunday, June 12, 2011, she was stopped by Pittsburgh police and cited for operating a vehicle without a valid inspection and also without an emissions inspection. Her car, a purple 2005 Scion TC has a Pennsylvania license plate and also one from Florida, both of which expired in 2011. The license numbers are Pennsylvania GLH 0116 and Florida ANA 4580, according to the Pennsylvania Missing Persons website. She has not been seen nor heard from since. Amanda is described as 5-feet to 5-foot 5, about 100 to 150 pounds with …

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Unsolved Cases: Jacob Lipp Went Missing in December

The North Huntingdon man had a fight with his girlfriend in the Strip District, and then vanished.

Jacob "Jake" Lipp, 27, did what many young adults do on the weekend—head to Pittsburgh's Strip District for the night life. He left his home in North Huntingdon Township. Westmoreland County, about 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, and ended up with his girlfriend at the Static bar on Smallman Street. The couple left the bar and then had an argument in the early morning hours on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. The girlfriend drove off, leaving Jake in the parking lot. He walked in the opposite direction, back toward the bar. She circled the block and went back, but Jake was already gone. He was last seen at about 3 a.m. in the parking lot outside the McDonald's restaurant at 1630 Penn Ave. in the Strip District, about two blocks from where his …

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Unsolved Cases: Here Are Some of the Solved Ones

Patch has been featuring missing persons, the unidentified dead and homicide victims with open case files, but today we are honoring the labors of those who work these cases by sharing some solved cases.

When someone goes missing, there's usually a large effort by law enforcement, family and friends to find them. When someone is murdered without a known suspect, police and relatives try to find out who did it. And when a body is discovered and no kin claim it, advocates who work on such cases push to link circumstances or DNA to bring them home. In honor of Labor Day, Patch is recognizing the efforts of all who work to solve these cases, bring the missing and unidentified home, and provide closure to the families or justice for the victims of unsolved homicides. Included in that are the many people who give the missing and unidentified "temporary homes" on websites like the Doe Network or NamUS until they are found or claimed. Here are 10 …

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Unsolved Cases: Terry Slaugenhoupt

In 1991, the 28 year old returned from a date, went back out and was never seen again.

Terry Slaugenhoupt, 28, came home from a date to the East Liberty apartment vicinity of the 1400 block of North St. Clair Street that she shared with a roommate. There are two versions of what happened next. One is that she got a phone call and told her roommate she was going out again. The other is that she told the roommate she was going out to make a phone call. No one knows who the call was to or from and where she was headed—and two decades ago, tracking calls wasn't as easy as it is today. That was the last time Terry was seen and she was never heard from again. She would be 50 years old today. At the time of her disappearance, on Jan. 6, 1991, she was 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighed between 105-120 pounds. She had long, curly …

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Unsolved Cases: William Majewski

The 8-year-old boy disappeared from near his McKees Rocks home in 1991.

Willie Majewski was only 8 years old about 4 p.m. on Nov. 9, 1991 as he gathered his fishing gear and walked toward Chartiers Creek, which feeds into the nearby Ohio River. He wasn't reported missing for several hours after he disappeared. His mother was out playing bingo and didn't realize he hadn't come home. Willie's fishing gear was found later behind the Eat'n Park restaurant—along the banks of the creek, about 100 yards from a camp where homeless people stayed. His equipment had not been disturbed and there were no signs of a struggle at the scene. Witnesses reported seeing Majewski in the McKees Rocks Plaza. One person saw him talking to a scruffy man in a store. Another said an unkempt man pulled him into a burnt-orange Nova. The …

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Unsolved Cases: Alivia Christine Kail

The 19-year-old has been missing since saying she was headed to Florida with a boyfriend.

Alivia Christine Kail, a 19-year-old living in Mt. Washington, went to her brother's home in West Mifflin on March 5, 2011, to gather some clothes. Alivia told him she planned to move to Florida with her boyfriend, Alexander Lorenzi, of Pittsburgh's Esplen neighborhood. When her family was unable to contact her by phone for several days, they became concerned. Then Alivia's phone was shut off for non-payment.  When Lorenzi reappeared in Pittsburgh without Alivia and gave conflicting accounts as to her whereabouts, the family's worry deepened. Lorenzi was arrested on March 30, 2011, for unrelated drug and gun charges.  While searching Lorenzi's home and vehicle, police found three spent shell casings, a pink tote containing woman's clothing…

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