The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced that they believe Williams has travelled to Flint, Michigan and have contacted the city’s police department to share her face and information in the hopes that someone will recognize her.
An Indianapolis family has been rocked by the death of a home healthcare worker who was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Mo’Nesha McKinley tragically died in her home following a fatal shooting in the 1000 block of North Rural Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. The circumstances of the case triggered a death investigation which is now being treated as a homicide by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Just days before Mo’Nesha was discovered in her home, her family had reported her missing. After reporting her missing, Mo’Nesha’s sister went to her home for answers. The sister, who wished to remain anonymous when she spoke to Fox59 said, “Her door was open and my sister went upstairs and found her by her tub dead.” At the time of her disappearance, Mo’Nesha had fierce and loving bonds with her large family, including her three boys, her siblings, parents, and godparents—all of whom called her ‘Moe Moe’. “We’ve got to bury her,” said Mo’Nesha’s sister, “We’ve got to bury her in front of her three kids. They’re lost. The three kids are lost. All they want is their momma.” Mo’Nesha was pronounced dead at the scene by investigators.
In addition to the tragic and grisly discovery of her body, there were also valuables missing from Mo’Nesha’s home, including her SUV. What’s piqued investigators’ interests is the timeline of the case. Mo’Nesha was found deceased on Sunday, October 17, 2021. Her family had reported her missing the previous Wednesday, October 13. At the time of the missing person report, a search of her home had turned up no clues to her whereabouts. Four days later, her body is found in her bathroom.
Even more disturbing, the family has reported to Fox59 that they have received threats by individuals online who are allegedly connected to the case, and pray for answers or an arrest before anyone else is hurt. “We shouldn’t have to sleep with one eye open,” said Mo’Nesha’s sister. “Were just afraid for our life. We don’t’ know what she could have done to make people feel this way.”
If anyone has information regarding the homicide of Mo’Nesha McKinley, they are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS, or call Detective Charles Benner at IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475, or email at Charles.Benner@indy.gov.
In a time when pandemic restrictions and the continued turn of the globe already play a direct role in causing family members and friends to lose touch, many families are also struggling to remain in contact with some of their more vulnerable family members—folks who may suffer from a chronic illness, folks who have high-pressure jobs, or folks who suffer from substance abuse. In these difficult times, some families have been forced to file a missing person report when they could not get in touch with their loved ones. One such Indianapolis mother is continuing the search for her missing son, Jason Culliton, whom she has not seen in over a year.
April 6, 2020 was the last time Judy Culliton saw her son. It was a mild, cloudy day in Indiana—the day of his grandmother’s funeral. While the event was far from a happy occasion to reunite with relatives, Judy had no idea that it would be the last time she would speak to her son in person. Following the funeral of his grandmother, Jason continued to remain in contact with his mother via a sparse series of text messages in June 2020. Now more than a year later, his family has not heard a word from Jason.
Jason Culliton has struggled with substance abuse issues and transience in the past, but knowledge of his whereabouts was rather nebulous in the months before his disappearance. It was believed Jason had been living with a close friend on N Oxford Street in Indianapolis, Indiana before that friend lost his home. Now it is unknown if Jason is travelling, if he is alone, or how he is living day-to-day.
After 18 months without answers, Jason’s family has retained an independent missing person investigator to assist them in the search. Lauth Investigations International is a family-owned-and-operated private investigation firm located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their CEO, Thomas Lauth, is one of the nation’s foremost missing person experts, specializing in critically missing children and adults. Indianapolis missing person cases are diverse in needs, but often do not get the attention they need from law enforcement. Having a private investigator on the case ensures that no stone is left unturned in the search for a missing person. In addition to their professional expertise, Lauth’s missing person investigations also have a multi-pronged approach in awareness campaigns for their cases to assure that missing persons like Jason still get the media exposure necessary to help solve the case. In an interview about the case, Thomas Lauth said, “The media is one of the greatest tools in a missing person investigation, because keeping the missing person’s face in the media is one of the best ways to garner fresh leads in a case. Cases like Jason’s receive a disparate amount of media exposure because he is not young or female. We’re here to make sure no one forgets about Jason and to help his family get the closure they desperately need in these trying times.”
Jason is 5’11” tall, weighs approximately 205lbs, has brown hair, and hazel eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call Lauth Investigations International at 317-951-1100.
True crime fans are some of the most voracious in media—always looking for the newest documentary, series, or podcast to devour on their commutes, during work, or while relaxing at home. While the North East and the West Coast have had the majority of media exposure as the setting for many horrific true crime cases in the United States, there are fascinating, less well-known cases that originated right here in the heartland! Here is an essential list of Indiana true crime podcast listening as spooky season draws near.
Infamous Indy is a podcast that claims to explore “the darker side of Hoosier Hospitality,” discussing and detailing some of the more violent associations with Indianapolis, Indiana—including the setting for some of cult leader, Jim Jones’ earliest sermons and the tragic story of the “Delphi murders,” when 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Libby German were found deceased in the area of the Delphi Historic Trails. On the podcast’s website, the creator says, “Indiana is full of true crime stores to make you cringe and your blood boil. There are also plenty of little known murders, rapes and crimes that have disrupted small towns all across the Hoosier State. I know what you’re thinking, I thought the same thing, “whatever happens in Indiana, it’s just a Midwest flyover state with people who are just too nice.” The truth is, there are stories here that will keep you up at night and make you question everything you thought you knew.
Likely the most well-known Indiana true crime podcast is Crime Junkie. Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat host this Indianapolis-based true crime podcast that has shed light on obscure cases, as well as the true-crime cases all fans are familiar with. Prawat is a former private investigator and brings a unique professional perspective to the cases. The show recently took a deep dive into the infamous Gabby Petito case, and the very first episode is about a Niqui, McCown, who disappeared from Richmond, Indiana only weeks before her impending nuptials. In 2018, they also covered the tragic story of April Tinsley, who was murdered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
This true crime podcast covers crime with a special focus on how mental health and social service play a role in the machinations of the crime and everything that follows. The episode titled “Gertrude Baniszewski, Rent is Due,” the podcast tells the story of an Indianapolis woman who imprisoned, tortured, and murdered a teenaged girl named Sylvia Likens in her care—even going as far as forcing other children in her charge to participate in the torture. The podcast examines how mental health and systemic failings ultimately culminated in Sylvia’s murder.
The Cold Case Chronicles team consists of four Indiana women who discuss cases that have long been cold, including the infamous case of Linda Weldy in La Porte, Indiana back in 1987. With a touch of local Indiana color and delightful “Hoosier-isms,” Cold Case Chronicles is a one-stop shop for cases both notorious and obscure.
Perhaps one of the most famous true-crime podcasts that’s currently in circulation is My Favorite Murder—one of many in a new subgenre of true crime media that combines true crime with comedic elements. The hosts attempt to find scraps of humor in their cases, including those about Indiana true crime. During one of their live show tours, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark recorded an episode on the 2012 Richmond Hill explosion and the 1970 murder of heiress Marjorie Jackson.
After weeks of piecing together the last moments of the life of Gabby Petito, her family and her supporters finally have a crucial answer in her case. A Wyoming coroner disclosed on Tuesday that after examining Gabby’s remains—located on September 19 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest—that Gabby had died as a direct result of strangulation. The Teton County Coroner, Dr. Brent Blue, had previously ruled her death as a homicide with the manner of homicide undetermined. No further details have been released at this time. The Petito cause of death likely comes as little comfort to the country at large, which is currently in the grips of a wide-scale man-hunt for Gabby’s fiancé, Brian Laundrie, who has been named a person of interest in her murder.
The Petito cause of death is just one more piece in composing the 1000-piece puzzle of Gabby’s last days. Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie were on a cross-country trip in a repurposed Ford Transit van, documenting their travels and experiences through social media. Before Gabby fell completely out of contact with her family in late August, her family was unable to determine if the scant few text messages they received were even authored by Gabby. Even more disturbing, Brian Laundrie returned to his home in North Port, Florida alone on September 1, 2021. Gabby wasn’t reported missing until her family finally filed a missing person report on September 11, 2021. However, when authorities went to question Brian Laundrie on his knowledge of Gabby’s whereabouts, his parents shielded him from police. Not long after that, Brian Laundrie was nowhere to be found, leaving even more questions about what his exact role was in the Petito cause of death. He told his family on September 14 that he was going out for a hike and has not been seen since.
In addition to determining cause of death, Blue was also able to determine that Gabby’s remains had been in the wilderness for approximately 3-4 weeks before she was found by authorities, placing her time of death in mid to late August. While Laundrie has only been named a ‘person of interest’ by law enforcement, there is still a warrant out for his arrest after authorities determined Laundrie used Gabby’s debit card without her permission. While the internet has speculated highly about the relationship dynamic between Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, one of the only hard pieces of evidence available to the public is a police body-cam video that captured the aftermath of an argument between them following a report to 911 that a man in Utah had witnessed Laundrie slap Gabby. When the responding officer pulled the Ford Transit over with Gabby in the passenger seat, the couple was separated for the evening to avoid domestic violence charges.
While the search for Brian Laundrie continues throughout the United States—even with the help of Dog the Bounty Hunter—missing person experts like Thomas Lauth suspect that Brian had evaded police through a combination of survival knowledge and help from third parties, “I have never thought he would stay in Florida very long,” Lauth said. “I believe he had some outside resources available to him early on, but those outside resources have likely cut him off because he’s a fugitive…He’s been a savvy traveler for many years. When I say ‘savvy,’ he’s able to live off the land and he knows how to travel alone and lightly.”