Amy Mihaljevic
Real Name: Amy Renee Mihaljevic
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Bay Village, Ohio
Date: October 27, 1989
Amy Mihaljevic
Case[]
Details: In 1989, ten-year-old Amy Mihaljevic received a call from a man named Frank who claimed to be her mother's coworker and that she was getting a promotion and wanted to meet with her in order to pick out something for her mother for a surprise party for the promotion. On October 27, 1989, she went to the local mall to meet him and vanished. She was last seen there by some of her schoolmates talking to him, who is believed to be her abductor. When her mother, Margaret, learned that she had not come home, she called the police. Authorities investigated the case and were almost certain that she had been abducted, but had no suspects. The town of Bay Village was shocked by her abduction and hundreds of people began helping to find her. Then, on February 8, 1990, a jogger found the body of a young girl about 50 miles from Bay Village that was soon identified as hers. She had been stabbed to death and had been dead for a long amount of time. Her killer has never been caught.
A composite of Amy's killer
Suspects: A composite sketch was made by eyewitnesses of the man seen with Amy the day she vanished. Some of them claimed that he had glasses, but others couldn't remember. They described him as caucasian, 5'8-5'10" tall, medium build, with black hair, and would be in his 50s today. Authorities believe that he had a sudden behavioral change after her abduction, may have had a drinking or gambling problem or a sudden interest in religion.
Extra Notes: The original airdate of this case is unrevealed. It was also profiled on America’s Most Wanted, Missing: Reward, and Dateline.
Results: Unresolved. Several people, including Richard Holbert, have confessed to killing Amy, but no one has ever been charged in her death. Another man named Dean Runkle is considered a suspect in the case as he matches the description of the man seen with her, but he maintains his innocence. Sadly, in October 2001, Margaret passed away because of chronic alcoholism from drinking since Amy's murder. Her family claims that the person who killed her indirectly killed Margaret as well. In 2006, detectives announced that several other girls in the local area received calls from a person who claimed to work with their mother and wanted to meet with them to get a present for her, that they believe are connected to Amy's case. Although it remains unsolved, there are several suspects and new leads are still coming in.
In February 2021, a major update occurred in the case as a new person of interest was identified. While this person is not publicly identified as of yet, his girlfriend at the time stated that he was in Amy’s area at the time of the murder. He also reportedly failed a polygraph test and was reportedly identified by witnesses in a line-up. The vehicle he owned at the time matched the description of a vehicle found at a dump site near the crime in 1990. Evidence is still coming in, and it remains to be seen if this unidentified man will be charged.
Links:
- Amy's case at Wikipedia
- Amy's case on the FBI website
- Person Of Interest: The Fbi Finally Has A Top Suspect In The Amy Mihaljevic Murder. We Got To Him First - November 12, 2008
- Homemade curtain might hold key in Amy Mihaljevic's murder - June 23, 2016
- New evidence in Bay Village's 1989 Amy Mihaljevic case - June 23, 2016
- New focus on the 28-year-old Amy Mihaljevic murder case that haunts Bay Village - March 6, 2018
- Remembering Amy Mihaljevic: A Timeline of the Three-Decade Hunt for the 10-Year-Old's Murderer - June 23, 2018
- 33 years since her kidnapping, new developments in the Amy Mihaljevic murder mystery - October 27, 2022
- Amy Mihaljevic on Find A Grave