Newsflash #2

AISOCC member Joseph Giacalone commented on the 1998 cold case of Teresa Burleson, and her children Chelsi and Schyler.

From NewsOK: “Burleson and her two children died in a house fire in Oklahoma City shortly before 6 a.m. on Mother’s Day in 1998. When firefighters arrived, the structure was engulfed in heavy flames and thick smoke. Firefighters found the three bodies in the living room of the home at 4709 S Santa Fe Ave. Burleson was 28, Chelsi was 9, and Shyler was 7.

Fire investigators initially said they were “98 percent sure” the fire wasn’t deliberately set. Five years later, fire investigators reached the conclusion that arson was to blame, saying there was no other plausible explanation. Oklahoma City police didn’t take over the investigation until last year.

Giacalone said that more than a decade passed before police took over the investigation means investigators don’t have access to the same evidence they would have for a more recent homicide. The family has offered a $20,000 reward in 2002 for information about the fire. When no one came forward, the family increased the reward to $30,000 in 2003 and to $35,000 in 2004. But those rewards haven’t gotten the family any closer to an answer.”

Joe is always willing to answer questions related to cold cases. You can contact him here.

Another AISOCC member, Laura Pettler, spoke about the case of Susan and Sarah Wolfe. She believes that whoever was responsible for their slaying was after “control, greed and power.”

From Triblive: “Police suspect Susan Wolfe, a teacher’s aide, died first. They found her body naked and doused with bleach. Her sister, a psychiatrist, was fully clothed nearby with her coat half-removed. Pettler said the use of bleach could indicate the suspect knows his DNA is part of a national database, and wanted to remove any trace of it from the scene. Police have collected items for possible DNA testing, but have not shared details.”

Definitely a case to watch closely.

Last, the Society’s newsletter is out and can be found here. Turn to page 35 to see which cases have been reviewed so far.

AISOCC Newsletters

The Board of Directors is working on newsletters to inform our membership of the Society’s activities.

The plan is to publish three newsletters in 2014:

• For the January 2014 newsletter the submission deadline is December 1st, 2013

• For the May 2014 newsletter the submission deadline is April 1st, 2014

• For the September 2014 newsletter the submission deadline is August 1st, 2014

Newsletters for 2015 will be scheduled in 2014. Of course, all the submission deadlines will be posted here as soon as they have been determined.

The newsletters will cover a broad range of topics:

• AISOCC Members’ book promotions and updates on their work in the media

• Training possibilities with information about classes, workshops, lectures, conferences, etc.

• AISOCC Updates to discuss cases we worked on with regular updates

• News about Forensic and Investigative Advancements, new technologies, etc

• The first AISOCC Seminar is tentatively planned for 2014. Further information about location, subjects, etc will be posted here as well.

• Policy and Procedure: the AISOCC Cold Case Process, intake policy & procedures, etc

If you have ideas or requests for the newsletter, please do leave a comment in the box below this post.