State Fair Murders
In Sunday’s paper, you’ll find a cold case story on the 1987 deaths of Cheryl Genzer, 25, and Lisa Pennington, 16. On Sept. 23, the sisters left the Oklahoma State Fair and were never seen alive again.
If you know anything that could help close this case, please contact the police or e-mail Cold Case OKC at coldcase@oklahoman.com.
And now, for something a little different
Veterans of the Cold Case OKC blog may have noticed something different about the site this time around: our new look.
The logo now looks a whole lot more like the one on the Cold Case OKC Web site, and the arrangement should be a little more user friendly.
So check it out — and sing out, too. We want to hear from you. What do you want to see on this blog? What stories would you like us to tell?
Thanks!
No safe place
Oklahoma City police Inspector Kim Davis is one dedicated investigator — especially when it comes to rapes that occur in women’s homes.
“It’s my passion,” she said recently.
What gets to her is the notion that someone can creep into a woman’s home and not only sexually assault her, but also steal her sense of security.
In some small way, I can relate to that.
Last year, my home was broken into while I was at work. My wife discovered the break-in and called me while still standing inside the house.
I was instantly terrified. I didn’t care about our belongings in that moment, but I was very scared that whoever did it was still there and that my wife was in danger.
“Get out!” I told her. “Get in your car. Drive away. Stay away until I get there.”
Thankfully, she was OK. Whoever did it was long gone by the time she discovered the crime. But we both felt violated for weeks after the event.
When we got the door replaced, we made sure to go with a metal door with a steel reinforced frame. Any time I heard a sound, I jumped up, reaching for a weapon. I had a hard time falling asleep. The whole thing was truly unsettling.
Until our home — our safe place, our refuge — was violated, I’d never really given much thought to how important it is to feel secure.
We were burglarized, and it traumatized me that much.
I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for rape victims.
A frightening figure
Readers who check out The Oklahoman on Friday will see a small image of a very scary man.
Steve Boaldin, an artist here, took the description of the Spider-Man rapist and turned it into a creepy drawing. Hopefully, it will jog someone’s memory.
Check out the small image in a promotional ad in Friday’s paper.
Visit the Cold Case OKC site to see a larger version Saturday afternoon.
And pick up Sunday’s paper to view this menacing figure in print.
One woman saw this man in the flesh. She felt his knife against her neck. Seeing this sketch, I can only imagine how terrified she must have been – and I understand a little better why police are so intent on capturing him.
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UPDATE: Here’s Boaldin’s frightening sketch.
Coming Sunday …
On a hot night in 2004, an Oklahoma City woman fell asleep on the couch in her living room while watching television.
She awoke to terror.
A strangely dressed rapist assaulted her that night, then crept into the darkness and was never seen again.
Police Inspector Kim Davis has never stopped searching for him.
Coming Sunday, check out the latest installment in the Cold Case OKC series. Read the stories, watch the video, listen to interviews and search your memories.
You may be able to crack this case.
Find the missing, ID the dead
This is a unique Web site that should prove useful for anyone trying to find a missing loved one or anyone interested in cold cases.
Here’s a description from the site’s main page:
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons Initiative, NamUs, was launched by the Office of Justice Program’s National Institute of Justice in July 2007. NamUs is the first national online repository for missing persons and unidentified dead cases.
The NamUs initiative brings together two innovative programs and their online, searchable databases: IdentifyUs.org (for information on unidentified human remains, where users can now search over 400 cases) and Find-the-Missing.org (for information on missing persons).
When fully operational, NamUs will link these databases to provide a powerful tool for families, law enforcement agencies, medical examiners and coroners, victim advocates, and the general public. It will allow searches for matches between missing persons and unidentified human remains records. NamUs also will provide central access to information from other Web sites, State clearinghouses, and other important resources.
To visit the site, go to: www.namus.gov
