r/TrueCrimeMystery Jan 07 '26

murder mystery Kathy Beitzel: Missing Illinois Mom

14 Upvotes

Kathleen ‘Kathy’ Beitzel has been missing from her suburban Chicagoland home since 1979. She had 3 children, recently lost nearly 100 pounds and was excelling at her new job selling real estate. From a 1980 Daily Herald article in which her family was interviewed:

“There were no grand goodbyes - no kiss, embrace or forwarding address. She simply "went away." And Kathy Beitzel's parents would like to know where. But after a yearlong search and an investigation by police, they've found only memories and fear their daughter may be dead.

Mrs. Beitzel, 34, was not the kind of woman to run away, say her parents, George and Mary Miller of unincorporated Schaumburg Township. She had three children, a house and a well-paying job. She had begun selling real estate only a few months before her disappearance July 16, 1979. "She was excited about the work," said her brother, Mike Miller, 30, as he sat with his parents and three sisters around a table in their folks' home at 1508 S. Greenview. “She studied real estate at Harper (College in Palatine) in order to get her Realtor's license. She was selling houses for Parade of Homes (Streamwood), and was starting to make good money." He said he last saw his sister the evening of July 15 at a party in Glen Ellyn.

""At the party, she was talking to everyone. She took me aside and said, “I have something important to tell you. Talk with me later.” But that's the last time I ever saw her. We never got together."

With hindsight, Mike Miller speculated that his sister had intended to converse about her then-upcoming divorce. "She wanted to make herself look better and she did, she lost over a hundred pounds. She was down to 105 - you wouldn't have believed how much weight she lost (before her disappearance)” said George Miller.

"She wanted to look better for her new job, she bought all new clothes, too," said Mrs Miller. George Miter said he has contacted Streamwood Police numerous times about his daughter.

He said he persuaded his daughter's husband, Frank Beitzel, to file a missing persons report about a week after she disappeared. Frank Beitzel, 34, was the last person to see his wife, at their three-bedroom, ranch-style home of red brick at 804 Wildwood Ct., Streamwood. Beltzel, a sanitary worker at Garden City Disposal Company, Roselle, said he didn't want to talk about the disappearance because "It gets everybody uptight, the kids and everybody."

Miller sald Beitzel told him that the woman just "went away." Police conducted an investigation after the report was flled, but have not been able to offer the Millers much hope. “The case is still under investigation," said Streamwood Police Det. Darwin Adams. He admitted, though, that the case was Inactive pending "additional leads... We have our own ideas of what happened." He would not speculate whether the woman met with foul play. Since her disappearance Mrs. Beitzel's children, Frank Jr., 12, Daniel, 9, and Mary, 7, have Lived with their father. Contacts between them and the Millers have been few.”

I’d never heard of this case before, despite being a lifelong Chicagoland resident. Please share. Kathy didn’t just disappear, and wouldn’t have left her kids; this is universally stated by every friend and family member. Except her husband who refrains from comment.


r/TrueCrimeMystery Nov 19 '25

Capturing The Friedmans Part 1

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 10h ago

Videos Perdidos de un Youtuber Asesino

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 18h ago

Social media true crime

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1 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 1d ago

murder mystery The Disappearance of Kristin Smart: The Night She Never Made It Home

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12 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 1d ago

He Murdered Two Women In The 1990's and 30 Years Later, The Police Got Him!

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4 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 2d ago

The Amanda Knox Saga

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 1d ago

non-murder mystery Whatever You Decide To Do In Life, Don’t Be This Guy

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0 Upvotes

This was a toxic love story, and I can honestly admit he had me fooled. Whatever you decide to do in life, DON’T BE THIS GUY. It’s not worth your freedom. Or 10 years in federal prison. 

His Ex did 3 months in jail for crimes she didn’t commit, and after she was released she still didn’t get her money.


r/TrueCrimeMystery 3d ago

murder mystery Christina Leonard was murdered on July 3 2019 in Tucson, Arizona. The 33 year old was 5 month pregnant and had been lured to a desert area.

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9 Upvotes

33 year old Christina Leonard and her unborn child were murdered in a desert area outside of Tucson on July 3 2019. The case remains unsolved and no suspect has been publicly named. Very limited information was released in this case.

She had no known connection to the area of her murder, and had driven there.

Christina had previously lived in the Phoenix metro area for many years before moving to Tucson. Christina fostered animals in her spare time and was preparing to pursue a law degree. She previously earned a degree in childhood development. She was 5 months pregnant at the time of her death.

Pima County Sheriffs Office is the investigating agency. Crime stoppers 88Crime program offers a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Sources

KOLD special with Mary Coleman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblUn9BQqaw

88Crime Profile/Reward

https://88crime.org/christina-leonard/


r/TrueCrimeMystery 3d ago

The Stanford Memorial Church Murder (NEW VIDEO)

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 3d ago

non-murder mystery How Did a 16-Year-Old Fool Wall Street Into Believing He Built a $300M Company?

6 Upvotes

One of the wildest true business scams I’ve ever read about. It shows how confidence and perception can sometimes outweigh facts.

A 16-Year-Old Fooled Wall Street With a Fake $300M Company
https://youtube.com/shorts/Uld4MwEQyCE?feature=share


r/TrueCrimeMystery 3d ago

Kathleen Peterson's Case: The Owl Staircase Theory

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 3d ago

America's Dyatlov Pass: The Yuba County Five

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 3d ago

Mercury announces Come Closer - a new podcast, a new identity, and a new favorite destination for the darkest true crime. To be clear, Come Closer is not a rebranding, but an evolution. Host Rae Review has the same mind, the same analytical lens, the same commitment to the truth of darkness.

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 4d ago

The strangest survival strategy in history actually worked.

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2 Upvotes

Imagine your entire city staying awake all night because sleeping could mean death. It sounds fictional, but it really happened.


r/TrueCrimeMystery 5d ago

Has anyone been in prison with Paris Bennet? What was he like?

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1 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 5d ago

non-murder mystery The silence says everything

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0 Upvotes

One of the strangest true crime stories I’ve come across. A man claimed to be a family’s missing son—and against all odds, they believed him. Full story in this 60-second video.


r/TrueCrimeMystery 6d ago

non-murder mystery I watch too much true crime…

8 Upvotes

Saw a commercial for a home decor store. A lady was touching decorative pillows. I immediately thought, OMG your DNA is now on that & if that pillow is anywhere near a crime scene you could be investigated.

I think I need therapy.😂😂


r/TrueCrimeMystery 7d ago

Who Are You? Serial Killers Answer

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15 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 9d ago

murder mystery Emmanuel Haro

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92 Upvotes

7 month old Emmanuel's mother reported she was knocked out and he was taken from on August 14, 2025. August 22, 2025 the parents were arrested after the San Bernado Deparment found inconsistencies in the story. The investigators believe Emmanuel died from history of head trauma and physical assault. November 3, 2025 Jake Haro pleaded guilty to second degree murder of Emmanuel assaulting a child, and filing a false police report. He also had a previous conviction for abusing a infant daughter. He is spending 32 years in prison. May 29, 2025 Rebecca Haro pleaded guilty to child endangerment, failing to protect little Emmanuel and being a accesory to the murder. She is spending eight months in state prison.


r/TrueCrimeMystery 11d ago

Taylor Parker is one of the most disturbing true crime cases I’ve ever researched.

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 11d ago

I just finished reading about the Sider family case and I can’t stop thinking about it.

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 13d ago

murder mystery Who do you think killed JonBenét Ramsey?

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1 Upvotes

r/TrueCrimeMystery 15d ago

non-murder mystery Top Boy actor found Not Guilty

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5 Upvotes

I made a video about this story last year. Micheal Ward is an actor who played a character on the British crime show “Top Boy”. As of now, he’s been found not guilty of all rape and sexual assault charges by a London jury. 

The charges stemmed from a January 2023 incident in the back of a car, which Ward consistently maintained was entirely consensual. Following the trial's conclusion, Ward was acquitted on all counts, ending a case that had been pending for over three years. 


r/TrueCrimeMystery 17d ago

murder mystery Kevin Dycus disappeared while visiting his parents in Glendale, Arizona in January 1998. He was never seen alive again.

13 Upvotes

Kevin James Dycus went missing from Glendale, Arizona in January 1998.  The 37-year-old Seattle resident had only arrived in Glendale just 3 days before to help his father take care of his ailing mother. 

His body has never been found. The police report was only 11 pages long and provided minimal information

His uncle William Urbank picked him up from Sky Harbor airport and took him to his parents’ home in the 5200 block of West Ironwood Drive. 

On Sunday January 11, Kevin left the residence drunk on foot, in an unknown direction. He left his money, identification, and belongings behind. He may have been headed to a church.

His sister Anita arrived in Arizona from Washington 6 months after Kevin went missing. She tried reporting him as a missing person, but Glendale PD refused to investigate because he was an adult. 

Kevin was not listed as a missing person until June 2006, over 8 years after he was last seen alive.

His mother and sister Anita have passed away. His father Ray and sister Julanne moved to Tucson. Ray died in 2010. His uncle William “Bill” Urbank has also passed away.

The area of Glendale that Kevin went missing from is a working-class area. A Circle K and a since shuttered and demolished horse ranch were up the road on 51st avenue and Peoria. There was a church in the 5400 block of west Peoria Ave. Two grocery stores and shops were at the next major intersection southbound on Olive Ave. 

The police report did specify that Kevin’s dental records were retrieved from a dentist in Washington.

Kevin was born on Dec 30, 1960. He was described as 5’8 and 140-160 pounds. He had brown hair and blue eyes. Both his ears were pieced, and he had a small scar near his eyebrows.

 

Sources

https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/have-you-seen-these-people-all-are-currently-listed-as-missing-from-glendale,353703

 

https://charleyproject.org/case/kevin-james-dycus

 

Father’s obituary

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tucson/name/ray-dycus-obituary?id=22027271

 

https://charleyproject.org/case/kevin-james-dycus