This Sunday
In the summer of ‘67, Judith Elwell and Brenda White vanished.
One was buried in a shallow grave. The other has never been found.
Can this cold case ever be solved?
And can you help?
Coming this Sunday.
Playing it straight
Florida officials have come up with an interesting way of trying to close some unsolved cases: They’re giving cold case playing cards to inmates around the state.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, more than 100,000 decks — produced at a cost of about $80,000 – will be distributed. (There are apparently two different decks, as the total number of cards is 104, twice the number of cards in a standard deck.)
Each card bears a photograph and information about an unsolved homicide or missing persons case.
Keep the ideas coming
Since Cold Case OKC debuted with the story of the Orbach slayings, we’ve received several good suggestions from readers about future cases to profile.
We’ve also heard from family members of victims in other unsolved cases.
Please keep the suggestions, ideas and comments coming. You can post them as a reply to this blog entry or send them via e-mail to coldcase@oklahoman.com. If sending an e-mail, please include your contact information.
Thanks.
Coming soon
The next case to be featured on Cold Case OKC is the disappearance of two young girls in 1967. One, Brenda White, was later found buried in a shallow grave. The other, Judith Elwell, has never turned up.
If you have information about this case, knew the girls or helped in the search for them, please contact us at coldcase@oklahoman.com.
Cold Case OKC
A young girl missing for 40 years. Another, her body found, her life ended far too soon.
A couple in the midst of retirement plans, beaten and slaughtered 25 years ago.
A Halloween celebrant dressed as a witch, raped and murdered in a field where the homeless gather to drink.
A woman sexually assaulted in her home by a man in dancer’s tights who moved with the unwelcome grace of a Spider-Man.
These are among Oklahoma City’s cold cases — unsolved, unavenged but never forgotten.
And here is where you’ll hear their stories.
Welcome to Cold Case OKC, a unique interactive series combining the resources of The Oklahoman, NewsOK, Oklahoma City police … and you.
Today you will read about the Orbach case, watch video from police, view actual crime scene photos, listen to a podcast and learn what you can do to help bring a killer or killers to justice.
In coming weeks, you’ll view files on additional cases. Study the evidence. Search your memories. See if you hold the key to unlocking the mysteries.
The smallest scrap of information could prove vital. Share tips with us at coldcase@oklahoman.com or contact police directly by calling Crime Stoppers at 235-7300 or the cold case unit at 297-1127.
And come back often.
With your help, perhaps justice will finally prevail.
– By Ken Raymond, Staff Writer
The police situation
The Orbachs’ deaths came at a particularly hectic time for Oklahoma City police. In July of 1982, there were 18 detectives assigned to the police homicide unit. Seven of them were assigned to the high-profile Orbach case, while the others worked two separate deaths and another high-profile case: the disappearance of the 10-year-old son of KOCO-TV meteorologist Ross Dixon. The boy had recently vanished from a summer recreation program at Memorial Park. Fortunately, he turned up alive after he’d been missing for about a month.
Background of Syrl “Sy” and Christine “Chris” Orbach
– At the time of the slayings, the Orbachs had been married 19 years. Both were widowed from previous marriages.
– The Orbach name was well-known in the community. In 1919, when he was 23, Sy Orbach joined two associates in forming the Boys Apparel Co. They leased the boys’ department at Barth & Mayer Clothing about a year after Sy Orbach had begun working at the store as a window dresser. In 1933, when Rothschild’s clothing store bought out Barth & Meyer, Sy Orbach purchased the boys’ department. Over the next 50 years, the business expanded to include independently owned stores in Oklahoma and Colorado, and he expanded the line to include clothing for men and women. In 1975, Sy Orbach and his son had made the decision to break from Rothschild’s and open stores in their own name. He retired sometime around December 1981.
– Chris Orbach was an active Christian Scientist. According to a family friend, Sy Orbach converted to the Christian Science faith from Judaism. Christian Scientists do not believe in the existence of evil and often view illness as a spiritual ailment better treated with prayer than with traditional medicine.
