"Oh what a tangled
web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
Sir Walter Scott
Fall 2003
Volume I,
issue 2
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"Oh what a tangled
web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." |
Fall 2003 |
|
Unsolved-Crimes International is an offshoot of the Unsolved-Crimes discussion group on Yahoo started by Ronnie D. in January, after her life was touched by the brutal and senseless unsolved murder of Jennifer Whipkey. Media Director David Webb wrote the article. Direct correspondence to Ronnie D. or to editor@lifeloom.com. |
Unsolved Crimes International
To fans of the genre, mysteries are intriguing puzzles that challenge the
imagination and deductive thought processes, neat little adventures of
crime, deduction, and resolution all nicely wrapped up in a paperback book
or rented videotape. But to the family and friends of the victims of
real life mysteries, the unanswered questions are a source of terrible
pain and frustration.
In the early morning hours of May 26, 2002, Jennifer Whipkey, was killed
by multiple stab wounds and her body was left in a wooded area in
Deptford, New Jersey a day later. It was a brutal, senseless crime that
will torment her daughter, mother, and friends until the killer is
apprehended.
On July 28, 2000, 15 year old Vivien Morzuch was beaten to death by
unknown assailants and his body left in a ditch near Kamloops, British
Columbia. His grieving mother will never be able to rest until she gets
answers.
Two men jumped into the car of Joseph Dimare in North Miami, Florida on
March 24, 1961 and forced him to drive to a secluded area where he was
beaten and shot to death. More than forty years later, his son still
cannot rest without resolution to the case.
But the pain and frustration left by unanswered questions are not the
only common threads that bind these and hundreds of cases like them
around the world. Each unsolved violent act caused a flurry of publicity
and public indignation which all too quickly disappeared as the media
found other, fresher news to report. As public memory faded, so did the
hopes of the survivors.
To combat the erosion of public awareness in these unsolved, violent acts
a group of volunteers has formed Unsolved-Crimes International, a place
of memory and hope on the Internet. Its purpose is to publicize and keep
the public's attention focused on the unsolved crimes that affect people
throughout the world.
The Internet is ideally suited for this purpose. Paper flyers and
posters have limited distribution, then fade and disappear with age.
Television documentaries and news bulletins are run a few times, and then
the tapes are stored away from public view and forgotten. But the world
wide web is accessible around the world and the information can stay
available forever. All that is required are a few committed individuals.
Unsolved-Crimes International offers a place on the web to advertise any
unsolved crime. Volunteers will place victim photos and information,
crime details, suspect information, and law enforcement contacts on the
website free of charge. The pages will not be removed until the case is
resolved. The only requirement is that a law enforcement agency must
have an open case file where it is stated that a crime was committed.
The website was opened on July 10th of this year, an offshoot of the
Unsolved-Crimes discussion group on Yahoo which began in January.
Interested persons can view our case files by going to
http://www.unsolved-crimes.com. We have also begun to compile an
Internet library of crime and victim resources which we plan to update
often so anyone interested can find helpful material quickly and easily.
The Amber Alerts for missing and abducted children are also prominently
displayed.
It's a small start, but even the smallest flame throws light in the dark
and makes the future bright. In the first two weeks, two new cases were
added and another one is in the works. Volunteers are spending many
hours looking for new resources to help the survivors. Public interest
is being generated by many people which can lead to bigger things. But
most importantly, the staff is working to keep the memory of these victims
alive: they must not - they will not - be forgotten.
Copyright 2003 by Unsolved-Crimes International The Web Mystery Magazine is an on-line quarterly journal dedicated to investigating the mysterious genre in print, in film, and in real-life. The Web welcomes well-researched, well-written
articles and reviews. Writers are invited to send letters and inquiries to editor@lifeloom.com. "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
Sir Walter Scott