Cold case heating up
Cold Case OKC is already producing results.
It’s been less than two weeks since the debut of the Web site, one of the latest ventures of The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com. Check it out at www.newsok.com/news/coldcase.
Already, police have received “a couple” of tips in the unsolved slayings of Syrl and Christine Orbach, who were beaten and stabbed to death in their northwest Oklahoma City home about 25 years ago. Their case was featured on the site.
“We checked the tips out and thought we might be on to something,” said police Capt. Steve McCool, “but they didn’t work out.”
Even so, that’s a couple tips in a case that’s a quarter of a century old. That’s a couple tips police didn’t have before. And it’s a couple more chances police had to help the Orbachs find justice.
Maybe the next tip will be the one to crack the case.
This Sunday, you’ll have a chance to review another cold case. Hopefully, you hold the key to solving it.
About 40 years ago, Judith Elwell, 5, and Brenda White, 6, disappeared within a month of each other. The little girls didn’t know each other and lived on opposite ends of the metro, but they are eternally bound by tragedy — and they may have fallen victim to the same predator.
On Sunday, read the stories, check out documents from the actual police case file, view photographs, explore our archived coverage and follow a timeline of events. Watch a video that includes home movie footage of Brenda and commentary by veteran reporter John Greiner, who helped cover the case as it unfolded.
And if you think you can help, contact the police or e-mail us at coldcase@oklahoman.com.
– By Ken Raymond, Staff Writer
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Comments
wWELL THEY MUST NOT BE HEATING UP TO MUCH BECAUSE ,I LEFT A MESSAGE FOR OFFICER MC,COOL AT OCPD LAST WEEK TO CONTACT ME ABOUT THE BRENDA WHITE CASE AND I AM STILL WAITING FOR FOR HIS RETURN PHONE CALL,,,,,REBECCA
I AM PLEASED TO SAY AS OF YEATERDAY THIS CASE HAS HEATED UP ……….I HAVE SPOKEN TO NURMOUS POLICE OFFICER FROM OKLA.CITY AND MID WEST CITY AND A COLD CASE DECT FROM MIDWEST CITY NOW HAS BRENDAS CASE ON HIS DESK. THANK SO MUCH, MAYBE NOW WE WILL SLOVE THIS CASE ,,, REBECCA “BRENDAS COUSIN”
I noted an immediate connection with Brenda and Judith. They both went missing on a Thursday afternoon (both on the first Thursday of each month). Brenda in Midwest City around 3:30 and Judith on the NW side of OKC at 6:30. I don’t know what businesses were around then but a shift change at a job could play a part. Midwest City puts him close to Tinker…possibly a civil servant. That would have been a large enough employer at the time to warrant such a commute if the unsub worked in MWC and lived on the NW side of OKC. Longer commutes weren’t as likely then…and references to similar cases in the timeline should be re-visited. There is so much more known today than back then. It might be there are connections that just weren’t seen back then. And that could open new doors to long awaited answers.