True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

(From left: Raymond Semple, William McGrath and Joseph Mains. Picture credits: Belfast Telegraph / Collage created by Caledonian Kitty/Blog author)

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some disturbing details in this post. This horrific case involves child abuse and physical/psychological trauma. I have tried to be as sensitive as I can be with the delicate details involved, without taking away from the facts of the case. If you have any comments about this post or would like to discuss it with me in confidence, please feel free to contact me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com* 

It was supposed to be a sanctuary, a place where young boys could finally feel safe, secure and be around other boys who had been through similar difficult backgrounds. It was supposed to be a place where they could grow in confidence, learn valuable life lessons and have some peace to be kids. Instead it was a nightmare, a place of hell, a place of physical and psychological torture, where these young boys were made to feel isolated, used and full of shame for things that weren't their fault. Some of these boys were sent here by their parents who couldn't look after them, some were orphans, but all of them were vulnerable, aged 14-18 (and possibly younger by some reports). The fact is, they were just kids. 

The very people in charge, the so-called adults, authority figures who painted themselves as pillars of the community....and claimed to be all about guiding these young boys to be independent, so that one day they would be able to stand on their own two feet in the world...in truth, they were nothing but a bunch of low-life child predators who used their positions to prey on vulnerable young boys, leaving them with scars that would last a lifetime. Leaving some of them to take their own lives because they could never forget what they did to them when they were a helpless child locked in a room, at the complete control of these older, sadistic so-called men. 

The full extent of the horrors that went on in Kincora Boys' Home on 236 Upper Newtownwards Road in East Belfast, Ireland, may never be truly known. What we do know, thanks to the bravery of survivors like Richard Kerr (I'll talk more about him as the post goes on) is horrendous enough. 

The home was originally opened in 1958, the building itself just looked more like a regular house and was classed as a smaller care facility, housing up to 18 boys with a few members of staff. The idea was that a smaller setting was beneficial to the care of the young boys, giving them more of a 'home' environment rather than feeling like they were in the care of the authorities. It felt less formal and was supposed to give the staff and children more of a chance to bond and was supposed to make it easier for staff to be able to focus on supporting the boys & working through any issues that they may have. Nowadays we still have smaller care facilities in residential houses but they are even smaller with anything up to just four or five young residents with maybe two or three members of staff. It is reportedly regulated to ensure, not only the safety and care of the young people but also the staff. 

In Kincora this tight-knit 'more homely' environment was taken advantage of in a very sick and sinister way. Abuse can happen in any setting but in this particular case, we had vulnerable young boys who would be targeted by evil paedophiles who had the time and circumstances to focus on who they knew would be an ideal victim for them. There was time for them to not only groom and bully the child but be able to carry out their sickening acts whilst still being able to control the environment and people around them, almost like a way in which one would manage a cult. There was a constant atmosphere of fear and control at Kincora, there was always a fear of the consequences if you spoke the truth and the belief that nobody would believe you even if you did. The boys were led to believe that they were nothing, degenerats on the wrong side of society up against these older, well-respected authority figures who moved in upper class circles. Who's going to believe a troubled kid against a well-educated older man who rubbed shoulders with politicians and was well-spoken and well-traveled? These boys were stuck in a nightmare that they believed they would never get out of and there was nowhere to run and nobody to ask for help. 

Some of the boys had gotten so used to being abused before they even set foot in Kincora, that they truly believed that this was what their lives were to be about. They'd gotten so exhausted trying to fight back and then it became just a combination of exhaustion and fear. As years past and some of the boys were able to escape the hell of Kincora, they would find their voices that had been silenced for so long and they would tell people, they would tell authorities.....and nobody would listen. There was a stigma if you were a kid who'd been in care, almost like the stigma you have if people know you've been in prison. Some people would hear 'Kincora' and assume that the boy or man talking to them, telling them some of the dark truths of the place, must have been troubled, must be trying to get some revenge on someone and just making up stories. For others who ignored the many, many horrific stories that had been reported by former residents, they chose to turn a blind eye because they knew the people involved and they knew the power of the people involved. 

There were constant stories circulating around Belfast about boys being sexually abused at Kincora. Former residents who were victims themselves or had witnessed horrible acts, were continually ignored when they tried to speak up about it. Richard Kerr (who I mentioned earlier and spoke of how he is truly a hero for being a voice for not only himself, but for all of those boys who, like him, had endured hell) had arrived at Kincora at the age of 14 and he endured sexual and psychological abuse at the home. He was also taken out of the home on many occasions and taken to hotels (especially the well-known 'Europa' hotel) and other locations where he would be subjected to horrendous sexual abuse by well-known politicians and public figures. He suffered sickening abuse both inside and outside of Kincora and he wasn't the only one. Richard has been very vocal about boys being trafficked out of the home and used as pieces of meat for these upper class paedophiles. When Richard talks about some of the things he endured and saw all those years ago, you can see how haunted and badly it has affected him. He witnessed what other boys went through, including his friend Stephen Waring. 

Stephen Waring who was another young boy at Kincora, was subjected to the similar nightmarish treatment that Richard went through. As you can imagine, the trauma really took it's toll on Stephen, he tried to get help and nobody listened. He battled so much with the horrible memories that he tried to make a fresh start by moving out of Ireland but he ended up taking his own life. To this day, Richard has not spoken fully about what he endured because it's too disturbing and that's a pain that he carries. He is still fighting for justice to this very day.

Joseph Mains was given a six year sentence but he only served three years. Raymond Semple was sentenced to five years in 1981 and he was back on the streets in 1984. The biggest monster of all three of them (and the other two were sick and evil enough as it was), William McGrath was sentenced to four years of which he only served two. The sentences themselves were a joke in the first place but to learn that they only served half their time is just utterly appalling and I cannot imagine what the victims felt through all of this. It must have felt like another let down again by a so-called justice system.

When Kincora was shut down and the pubic, not only in Belfast but beyond, were now more aware of what went on behind the doors of that home and who was responsible. The building itself stood as a painful reminder, nobody wanted to buy it, it was eventually used as an office space for storage until it was eventually demolished in 2022. It took all of those years and finally there was a sense of relief that it was gone but the horrific memories and scars still remain. 

From 2012 until early 2017 The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (known as the HIA in short) conducted a full investigation into Kincora and according to them (which Richard and other survivors dispute) that the three accused, Joseph Mains, Raymond Semple and William McGrath were purely responsible for everything that happened at Kincora and nothing went beyond them. The HIA said that reports of child trafficking to hotels and other locations outside of the home are unfounded and there's no evidence to prove that this took place. They say that there is no evidence that there was a cover-up despite revelations that William McGrath was a loyalist and founder of a right-wing organisation known as Tara. He wasn't even qualified to work with children and it is believed that he was known to be a paedophile to the authorities but they chose to keep him in the position at Kincora in exchange for information and to keep him quiet. The whole set-up was a farce and innocent children were abused and constantly put at risk whilst the authorities turned a blind eye, HIA say this isn't true, Richard and his fellow survivors say it is.....and I know who I believe.

The system failed the children of Kincora and they're still failing them now because this goes far beyond Kincora and Richard has been fighting for a full investigation into as far as London, the infamous Elm Guest House and Dolphin Square.....leading politicians, Jimmy Savile, the list goes on. It's terrifying how big all of this actually is and it's all been covered up for years. In his book (which I highly recommend) Journalist Chris Moore blows the lid off of it all and he claims that Lord Mountbatten (Great-Uncle of King Charles) was involved with child trafficking (and that's not the first time I've heard that). All of this is a huge rabbit hole and it's decades of decades of cover-ups and abuse of innocent children who've been silenced. 

Kincora is just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many stories similar to this involving these so-called places of care for vulnerable children. This is dark history but it is very much our present, cover-ups are still going on and the people responsible need to be held accountable no matter how high-up it goes. It's sickening to think that McGarth, Semple and Mains all were given pathetic sentences and only served half of them. It's also sickening that they were able to be back on the streets, living their lives and they are all deceased now. They never fully faced justice for what they did, their victims were numerous and it must be so devastating for them to know that even after all these years, proper justice has not been done. 

RIP to Stephen Waring and to any of the former residents of Kincora who are sadly no longer with us. 

I know this was a difficult post to get through, (as a lot of my posts are) but I really appreciate you taking the time to join me on this dark journey. Hopefully you gained a lot of information from this post and I hope you will check out Chris's book. Please feel free to leave any comments below or email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Kincora Boys' Home | HIA Report Documents

- Historical Child Abuse Allegations | UK Parliament

- Richard Kerr: Article | KRW LAW LLP

- Kincora: Article | The Guardian

- Kincora: Article | BBC News

- Kincora Boys' Home | Police Ombudsman Ireland

- Kincora Britain's Shame | Book by Chris Moore

- Kincora: Article | BBC News

- Kincora Boys' Home | Wikipedia

- Kincora: Article | Channel 4 News

- Historical Child Abuse Inquiry | The Executive Office

- Kincora Boys' Home | The Irish Independent

I hope you will join me in my next post. In the meantime, I hope to see you on my Socials. Take care and stay safe, until next time x 

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some sensitive details in this post which involve suicide and mental health. I have aimed, as always, to be as gentle with the case details without taking away from the facts. If you would like to discuss this post or any of the cases I have previously covered on this blog, please email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com*

Crystal McCrory Jones was a 43 year old beautiful, successful and hardworking mother (and soon to be grandmother) as well as a devoted wife. She was adored by her family and friends and was the one person that everyone could rely on to be the life and soul of any occasion. She loved to laugh, and her laugh itself was unique. Crystal had a laugh that could set you off in a fit of hysterics to the point where you would have forgotten what was so funny in the first place.

She was so extremely close with her family, friends and very popular in her local community, that when the heartbreaking news that she had suddenly passed away on the 9th of February 2023 came to be known, everyone who knew her was devastated. The news was a complete shock but what was even more hard to take in, was the news that her death was allegedly due to her taking her own life. Her family couldn't understand it, including her sister Jana, none of it made any sense. 

The death of a loved one is always hard and to hear that they have taken their own life? I can't imagine the pain, confusion, sudden loss and constant questioning that Jana and Crystal's loved ones were going through. It's natural to go over and over in one's mind about why someone may have taken their own life or remembering past conversations, trying to think back to any signs that may have been missed but this situation did not make any sense. This wasn't just about a family who were in grief, real questions were not being answered and the whole circumstances leading up to the day of Crystal's death and afterwards, raised eyebrows and shocked those closest to her. 

The behaviour of Crystal's husband didn't seem to be that of a grief-stricken husband and the mystery surrounding him and what was really going on behind the scenes in the marriage, constantly played on her family's minds. After the Sheriff's department had done a terrible job 'investigating' the circumstances of Crystal's death (they decided that in just 1 hour and 45 minutes that her death was 100% a suicide with no foul play and were not interested in looking into anything else further), Jana and her family decided to take matters into their own hands and began this incredibly dedicated journey and investigation themselves into what really happened on that heartbreaking morning and what really was the truth? 

Crystal was born on the 17th of May, 1979 to doting parents Janey and Doyle in Crossett, Arkansas. She was Janey and Doyle's second child, they would go on to have two more children. The family were very close and the perfect foundation for Crystal to grow up in. The love and incredible bond that the family had for each other is still clear to see to this day, they've never given up on their quest to find out what really happened with Crystal whilst supporting each other and keeping each other strong. 

Crystal was academically gifted as well as being a people person. She graduated from high school in 1997 and although being very bright, she was also very family focused and loved children. She went on to have two sons who she completely adored, she would have done anything for them. Always the hard worker, Crystal wanted to provide the best life that she could for herself and her boys. They had spent some time away from Louisiana and Crystal worked hard on her career as well as being a devoted mother. On her return to Louisiana, she met and fell in love with Tony Jones, both of them had children from previous relationships. The relationship was going from strength to strength and they cared about each others children as if they were their own. Everything just seemed to fall perfectly into place. Tony had two children, one had flew the nest and the other, who was younger, still lived with him. This mirrored Crystal's situation because her youngest son was still at home. Soon enough, everyone was living as a family in Oak Grove, Louisiana. 

Tony had worked as a HVAC technician when Crystal met him, he also was an experienced martial arts teacher. Tony would give lessons when he wasn't at his day job. At some point it was decided that Crystal and Tony should start up a little business where Tony would teach people martial arts. 

The happy couple ended up married, they had created a beautiful family and a successful business. Everything seemed to be perfect but the marriage was not without it's problems. Crystal had suffered some bouts of depression in the past but nothing that was deemed to be too extreme. There was no doubt that Crystal and Tony loved each other and there was exciting news that they were about to become grandparents. Although there were some things that began to bother Crystal, she had noticed that some of the parents had decided to cancel their membership to their martial arts class. At first it seemed that maybe this was happening because money was getting a lot tighter for families in the community but rumours began to circulate around town and this was causing some great concern for Crystal. She had heard that Tony had been reportedly involved with an underage girl as well as other inappropriate behaviour with other girls, she also suspected him of having an affair too. 

As she tried to get to the bottom of town gossip and her own doubts and insecurities about Tony, she decided to do her own investigation into Tony and whatever it was she found obviously devastated her. She had managed to get into his email account as well as his socials. We now know that Tony had been registered on various dating sites, his behaviour was that of a person having an extra-marital affair. Could it be that Crystal saw something online that involved her husband and this threw her into a deep shock and depression? That morning of the 9th of February 2023, it was reported that Crystal was not feeling her best . She had been going through a lot lately with the worries about her husband and one could understand the anxiety and fear of the possibility that your marriage was going to end. It can also affect one's confidence, 43 is a young age but it's also an age where you would like to think that you've done your best to raise your family, you're settled in your marriage, there's a lot of physical and emotional changes that women often go through in their 40s, it can be a lot to deal with. Some people have amazingly supportive husbands and sadly, some people have neglectful husbands. 

As you know I tend to share my opinions in my posts and I do feel that a lot of neglect from her husband was going on here, not just his actions leading up to her death, but the way he behaved afterwards. As I mentioned before, Crystal woke up not feeling good and contacted her Doctor who arranged for her to have an appointment that afternoon. She had previously been on some medication for depression and stopped taking it but it is thought that she was hoping to begin taking it again. Tony was aware that she was going to call the Doctor, he left work around 8 am. It was going to be a busy day for him but the plan was to check in on Crystal like they usually would or she would call him. He had some repair work to do and a bit of travelling to and fro before coming back to Oak Grove to grab some lunch from a local bakery. He collected his daughter from school earlier than usual as he had been carrying out some work there. After this they had a few things that Tony needed to sort out before heading to set up the evening martial arts classes.

Tony and his daughter were expecting to see Crystal already helping set up the evening classes but she wasn't there. He tried to call and text her but got no response. Not being able to leave the class he called the Doctor's office to see if she was still there and they told her that she never turned up for her appointment. A lot of worry and concern started to creep in, not hearing from Crystal all day and nobody had seen or heard from her, it was odd and very not like her. For some reason, instead of cancelling the class due to family emergency, he decided to call his friend in the Sheriff Department (where he used to work) and asked if he could have a check on Crystal.

The friend, Deputy Chuck Harris went straight to the house and was able to walk straight in as Tony had already informed him that the door wasn't locked. Another important piece of information to add here is that Tony and Crystal had two guns in the house, a 9mm handgun and .45 Caliber handgun that was easily accessible as the key to the gun safe was missing. So you have a vulnerable lady in a house with the front door open and two guns within easy reach in the house, that's completely shocking and unbelievable. Sadly Deputy Chuck Harris was to make the heartbreaking discovery in the couple's bedroom. Crystal was found laid on the bed deceased. There was a pillow under her arm, blood all over her face and one of the guns was in her hand. Deputy Harris contacted his colleagues as well as Tony to inform him of the horrific news. The investigation team and coroner had arrived at the house, followed by Tony and his daughter. They'd come to the conclusion that Crystal had sadly taken her own life. No suicide note was found, there was no signs of a struggle or robbery. She was found dressed in her robe, under the covers and the bullet had gone through the headboard but they couldn't find the shell casing. They decided in just 1 hour and 45 minutes that there was no foul play and that this was just a devastating tragedy. 

Tony had contacted Crystal's sister Jana (who has been an amazing force through everything and contacted me requesting that I write about her beloved sister's case, which of course, I was honoured to do) and soon various family members from both Crystal's side and Tony's side were at the house. From the moment she learned of Crystal's death none of it sat right with Jana, she knew her sister and that there must be more to all of this than met the eye. She began to heavily focus on certain people's behaviour and noticed that Tony's sister was quick to tell everyone that Crystal had suffered depression and brought up the medication. I can understand that a lot of people would quickly jump to that conclusion for being the reason that she may have taken her life but sometimes things are not always as they appear. Tony's sister may have also been trying to protect her brother from suspicious eyes, who knows? I still find it hard to believe that Crystal would be left by herself if she was as vulnerable as they claim she was, nobody in their right mind would leave a deeply depressed person in an house with guns with a front door unlocked. in fact, if your wife was that ill, you'd cancel the jobs and classes for the day and go to the Doctor's appointment with her. You'd remove the guns and anything potentially harmful in the house, you'd take care of your wife. 

I don't want it to come off as me placing blame, I wasn't there and I don't know Tony personally but his actions and behaviours were very questionable. When Crystal's body was taken to the coroner's office, Tony was at the Sheriff's office and in a 20 minute recorded statement, he said that he had last spoken to his wife at 10 am and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He claimed that she just sounded tired. 

The next heartbreaking task was the arrangements for Crystal's funeral. There was to be an open-casket at Tony's request as well as a cremation. Crystal's family were not comfortable with this and wanted to delay the cremation and have a thorough investigation into Crystal's death. Their pleas fell on deaf ears and both Jana and Tony's sister helped prepare Crystal's body for her service. Whilst they were performing the difficult task of getting Crystal's body ready, they spotted a lot of strange marks, bruises and a missing finger nail. Crystal had acrylic nails and this was a fresh set and anyone who knows with these types of nails (such as me) the glue that is used is not easily removed, it needs acetone. For some reason, all the other nails were secure but they had dirt underneath them with that one missing nail. I saw the autopsy photos and it looked like a lot of defensive marks. These marks and bruises were not from the coroner's mishandling of the body, these were there the whole time.

Another red flag was that the autopsy report had so many mistakes, including the constant misspelling of Crystal's name. It looked like someone else's report. The inaccuracies were astounding, wrong characteristics were noted, wrong hair and eye colour and no mention of the number of surgeries she had in the past as well as having survived a previous car accident, all of these details were missing from the report. I can't even imagine what Crystal's family were feeling at this point because the red flags and inconsistencies just kept coming and coming. Tony didn't want any of the little mementos from Crystal's funeral/memorial no memorial book, tribute video or anything, he told Jana that she could have them. He'd also made enquiries about Crystal's life insurance so quickly after at a time you would think that a husband in grief would be just trying to get through the days. He even raised eyebrows when he brought some unknown woman to view his wife's body. Even worse was to to come when Jana had gotten hold of Crystal's laptop and it was there that she made the discovery that Crystal had been monitoring Tony's emails, social media accounts and locations. There was mysterious hotel stays, dating sites and deleted contacts from his phone. The room that Crystal had sadly died in, was quite small and as far as everyone was concerned, the room had been searched but Tony miraculously came up with the missing shell casing a week after Crystals death claiming it to have been on her dressing table. If that was the case then the police didn't do much of a search or investigation of that room.

The 'investigation' was a shambles, it was terrible, they only took a small number of photographs and didn't search the room properly. They even allowed Crystal's dog on to the bed whilst she was still there. There seemed to be this whole vibe of just taking Tony's word for it and case closed. 

Tony and Crystal had a ring camera and there was evidence which Jana had also found, that Crystal had logged into this but she had been told a different story by the Sheriff. According to him, the ring camera had been inactive for quite some time. So many things just don't add up, what I have mentioned here is just the tip of the iceberg, there is so many questions here that remain unanswered, so many mistakes made. Tony had friends in the Sheriff's department, the Deputy who went to check on Crystal was a close friend. He used to work in that department. Why did they move so quickly to close this case and take his word for it, why was no proper investigation done and why were all of these mistakes allowed to happen with nobody held accountable? It's so disrespectful to Crystal and her family. 

On the 7th of February 2026, Crystal's family held a memorial service for her, 3 years after her death. It was their way of being able to pay tribute to her the way that they wanted to. Jana and the rest of the family want the case re-opened and have created a petition, PLEASE SIGN: Reopen Investigation into Death of Crystal McCrory Jones

I know Jana and her family has worked tirelessly to get Crystal's story out all over the world, the more support they get, the more chance something will be done about this. I thank Jana for contacting me about her sister's heartbreaking story and I will keep sharing this post and the petition. I do hope that this lovely family get the answers they deserve. If any new information arises, I will update this post. 

RIP Crystal, you will never be forgotten and your amazing spirit and sparkle that you brought to others, shines on through your sister Jana, children and loved one. One day the answers will be revealed, I truly believe that. 

To help support Crystal's family and for more information about the case, please check out the Justice For Crystal McCrory Linktree

- Facebook Page: Justice For Crystal McCrory

Further Reading & Sources: 

- I was kindly provided with the casefile by Jana but I will not be publishing the details in this post out of respect and privacy. 

- Crystal McCrory Jones | Obituary

- Justice Denied: A Sister's Fight For Justice: The True Story of Crystal McCrory Jones | Book by Mrs Jana Marie Guyewski-Lautigar

- Crystal McCrory Memorial Service 2026 | myarklamiss

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post, I really do appreciate it, especially with how heartbreaking this story is. I hope that one day soon there will be answers. I hope you will join me in my next post, in the meantime, I hope to see you on my Socials

Stay safe,,,until next time x

 

The Ben Needham case has remained a heartbreaking mystery for almost 35 years. Ben's loving grandparents, Christine and Eddie, together with their two sons, Stephen and Danny, had decided to make a fresh start on the beautiful Greek island of Kos. The family called it their paradise and fell in love with the place the moment they first laid eyes on it. Their daughter Kerry and her little boy Ben soon moved out from England to live with Christine, Eddie and the boys. Life could not have been better. They were renovating a farmhouse and all the family would do their bit to help make it a proper home. Kerry began working at a hotel and would have Ben stay with her mother whilst she was away. 

The island was beautiful and so were the people but the Needham family all still worked in some capacity. As I just mentioned, Kerry was at work on the afternoon that Ben went missing. Ben was just 21 months old and already proving to be a bit of a character. With such an angelic face, you could imagine that his doting mother, father and grandparents had let him get away with all sorts of things. 

The island of Kos was beautiful and it was not unknown for Ben to run around and play outside especially when the adults were sometimes indoors talking or having dinner. The Needhams were a close family and they all adored Ben, he was such a happy confident boy at that time. The family were enjoying their new life living on the beautiful island which was a far cry away from the stresses of life back in England. Christine described their earlier time in Greece as paradise and a dream come true, which sadly quickly turned into a nightmare in which their lives would never be the same. 

That afternoon of the 24th of July 1991 that Ben just vanished without a trace was every parent and grandparent's worst nightmare. They searched high and low for Ben and could find no trace of him anywhere. Authorities were contacted and at first the police focused on the family as they had no leads and no clue as to where Ben had gone. News of the heartbreaking story soon reached the UK and everyone was shocked and praying for some good news but sadly it never came. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and soon it was years! Ben vanished without a trace, 35 years ago and it's so hard to believe. Every day his family have lived with the heartbreak of not knowing if he is still alive or sadly deceased. Was he abducted or did he fall down a shaft or a well somewhere? Nobody knows! The police have a theory that Ben had sadly died as a result of a tragic accident. His family believe that he was abducted by child traffickers or possibly a gypsy family. 

The Needham family have never given up their search for Ben and have spent countless years, hours and money trying to find out the truth of what actually happened to him. Despite the family being British the case has never gotten the level of publicity or attention as the Madeleine McCann case (3 year old Madeleine McCann vanished from an apartment in Portugal, whilst her parents were at a nearby bar on the 3rd of May 2007. Both of Madeleine's parents were Doctors. Countless investigations, media coverage and millions of pounds have gone into the ongoing search for Madeleine. Some members of the public believe the attention and financial support the case has gotten, to be unfair to other missing persons cases including in the case of Ben Needham). 

So, as I mentioned earlier, there was a mix-up with communication between the police and the Needham family in regards to the case being closed. Thank goodness the police are not closing the case because I'm sure there would be public uproar about it in support of Kerry and her family. 

It may have been 35 years and there has been various 'sightings' and tips from the public all over the world but a lot of these pieces of information have come to nothing. Kerry and her family refuse to give up hope. 

I have included some links below if you would like to know more about Ben's case or how you can contact his family if you have any information (no matter how small).

- The family requests that you send any information you may have to: helpfindbenneedham@gmail.com

- Help Find Ben Needham | Website 

- Help Find Ben Needham | Facebook

- Ben Needham | Missing People

Further Reading & Sources:

- Ben Needham: Article | Sky News

- Ben Needham | ITVX

- Ben Needham: Case Discussion | Reddit

- Disappearance of Ben Needham | Wikipedia

- Disappearance of Madeleine McCann | Wikipedia

- Ben Needham: Documentary | Youtube

- Kos, Greece | Wikipedia

- Child Trafficking: Greece | BBC News

- Appeal Search | Missing People

Let's keep Ben and his family in our prayers and hope that one day soon there are some answers. I think that it's inspirational and heartwarming how dedicated Ben's mother Kerry and her family are. The family have never given up hope and continue to keep Ben in everyone's thoughts. They truly are an amazing family and I always say that you should never give up hope, no matter how much time has passed. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest post and I hope you will join me in the next one. In the meantime, I hope to see you elsewhere on my Socials

As always please take care and stay safe until next time x 

*Please be aware that some of the details shared in this post are quite disturbing. I have tried, as always to be as sensitive as I can be with the details without taking away from the facts of the case. If you would like to discuss this post with me or any of the cases I have covered in this blog, please email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com*

Having recently read the very honest, raw, detailed and fascinating book about the insanely talented late singer, Stuart Adamson (Stay Alive: The Life and Death of Stuart Adamson by Scott Rowley). I gained more of an insight into addiction, not that I didn't have experience of being around victims of alcoholism and substance misuse before. This book provided me with another way of looking at things in regards to someone who is an addict and the horrific disease that addiction is. Addiction is like a demon that takes over someone's mind and in some people it just doesn't let go and it doesn't matter how good looking you are, or how successful you are or the amount of money you have, addiction and alcoholism can happen to anybody at any time. 

Amy had a lot of things going for her but her addiction to heroin ended up taking over her life. Her family were reportedly planning an intervention at the time she suddenly vanished from Ohio in November 2017. She was reported missing after she was supposed to have met up with a friend and never showed up. Despite the tireless efforts of her family and the police, Amy was nowhere to be found and it was an agonising mystery, especially for her daughter. Fast forward to the 26th of August 2022, a lady who was out in the woods looking for her dog's remains (that story in itself is also quite dark. This lady had an ongoing issue with a horrible neighbour who ended up killing her dog and she was under the impression that the evil man had dumped the dog's remains in that particular wooded area because, as she said, he was worried that she would sue him.) 

The lady stumbled across some bones which she assumed had belonged to her dog, she gathered the bones up and took them with her. The bones had been wrapped up with some sort of cloth material and had been in the woods for quite some time. The lady soon realised on closer inspection that the bones were indeed human and she contacted the police. Investigators examined the remains and the jawbone matched Amy Hambrick's dental records. The police were able to 100% confirm that these remains, sadly were what was left of Amy. 

With not much to go on or much evidence, the police had come to an abrupt halt in the case. Nobody knew what really happened to Amy, was it a bad drug deal gone wrong and she owed a debt to some dangerous people? Or did she have an overdose and whoever was with her, panicked and just put her body there? Nobody knows to this day what really happened, all we know is that this beautiful life is no more. Her daughter and her family are still doing all they can to keep Amy's memory alive and are never done asking questions, appealing for information and spreading the word about Amy. Somebody out there knows the truth. 

Amy was born on Christmas eve 1987 in Youngstown, Ohio, USA and her mother described her as the light of her life. Her family miss her so very much and one cannot imagine the pain they continue to go through with so many unanswered questions. It must have been difficult enough when Amy went missing but to find a tiny amount of her remains in that condition with no way to really know what happened, must be agonizing. 

Since the discovery of Amy's remains, her family were able to have a funeral for her but there has been no other update since (as of writing this post, May 2026).

A dear friend in the true crime community, John Lordan, focuses on missing persons cases. I know he has covered this case extensively so please subscribe to his channel and check out his coverage of this heartbreaking story. I know that Amy is no longer classed as a missing person but the circumstances surrounding her death are not explained. Someone out there placed Amy's body in a sheet and put her body in that location and the question is why? If this was an overdose then why not call a hospital? or contact relatives? We have no way of knowing if this was a murder? All anybody can do right now is keep spreading awareness, maybe someone may have seen Amy in the days leading up to when she went missing? maybe she was involved with someone at the time? Whatever information, no matter how small should be forwarded on to the family and authorities. 

There is a Facebook page which is run by her family: Help Find Me, I'm Amy Hambrick 

Check out John's channel and his coverage of Amy's case here

You can leave a little tribute to Amy on her memorial page if you would like to, here.

Let us hope and pray that the family of Amy will get some proper answers and the truth of what really happened to Amy will be revealed and the people responsible are held accountable. 

RIP Amy, you will never be forgotten.

Further Reading & Sources: 

- Amy Hambrick | NBC News

- Amy Hambrick Memorial

- Amy Hambrick | The Charley Project

- Amy Hambrick | Reddit Discussion Thread

- Amy Hambrick | People Magazine

- Amy Hambrick | New York Post

Thank you as always, for making it through another sad case with me. I really hope that some new information comes to light and at this point, it looks highly suspicious that nobody has come forward with anything. If the sad death of Amy was an overdose, a quick anonymous phone call with the correct information would have helped but someone (or a group of people) are out there right now staying silent. Why are they not coming forward? Hopefully there will be answers soon. 

I hope you will join me in my next post, in the meantime, I hope to see you on my Social Media Platforms!

As always, please take care and stay safe until next time.....x 

Yesterday (Tuesday 6th of May 2026) was quite an emotional day and it was the end of a journey in a lot of ways, for the family of little angel, Athena Strand. The legal journey had mostly come to an end but the heartbreak and loss of Athena, will never end. The picture above shows a beautiful little girl, cute as a button with an aura of vivaciousness, a little ball of light to all who knew her and you just knew that through the stories and memories of the people who loved her, this little cutiepie was going to have a bright future ahead of her. 

This picture was taken just days before she was horrifically snatched from her father and step-mother's porch. She is seen in this picture wearing the matching PJ's that she and her family would wear to be extra festive. It was a tradition for her family to wear matching PJ's to the run up to (and at) Christmas time. It was certainly an exciting time for Athena, she couldn't wait to celebrate Christmas with her loved ones.  

Nobody will forget the day that the news broke on the 2nd of December 2022, that a 7 year old girl had been kidnapped by a FedEx delivery driver in broad daylight in Texas, USA. This monster, Tanner Horner was 31 years old at the time and told the terrified youngster that he would harm her if she didn't do what he demanded. 

Athena soon found her self in the back of his delivery truck, terrified, confused with no way to escape. She was a tough little girl who fought with all of her might, against this huge, overweight demon. Before he abused and murdered her, he demanded she take off her shirt to which she replied no! He covered up a camera that was in the truck and then proceeded to carry out the most sickening attack and murder on a 7 year old child. He became frustrated when he couldn't carry out his abuse to the full extent, she fought back despite his efforts to get what he wanted. It took him an hour to kill Athena, she fought and she fought for her life against this pathetic, evil and disgusting monster. Eventually he was able to end her life completely. He drove to a location known very well by locals, the Trinity River near an area known as Bobo's crossing. She was nude. He had kept her trousers, underwear, socks and to this day, he has not revealed where he put her shirt. 

He just dumped this child's body and went about his business like nothing happened. He smoked a cigarette and sang along to 'Jingle Bell Rock' as it played on the radio. He made a phonecall to his boss to ask if he could keep the truck overnight because he had been sick in it and wanted to clean it up! He drove to a gas station where he obtained cleaning supplies and spent almost 30 minutes cleaning the truck. There was vomit, blood and faeces in the back where he had attacked and murdered Athena. Athena had been in so much terror that she lost control of her bowels. The details of what that beautiful little girl went through will haunt me forever. The monster thought that the audio in the truck was faulty as a he had been having issues with it before. He thought by covering up the camera that his sick crime could be hidden. He was soon proved wrong because the horrific nightmare was recorded piece by piece, loud and clear for anyone who was unfortunate enough to listen to it. That very night of Athena's murder he actually slept with his partner. It was a shock to learn that Tanner actually had a relationship and a son. He even used his son in an attempt to get sympathy by saying that he was scared he wouldn't be around to see his son or spend Christmas with him. 

This horrific tape was like a message from beyond the grave from Athena, it told her story, what he did. It showed how evil and sick this monster truly was and what she had gone through at his evil hands. This very tape was played to a packed courtroom a couple of weeks ago in a trial that lasted, almost five weeks. The trial was not to determine whether or not Tanner Horner was guilty, which was already a fact but there was a decision to be made about whether he was to spend the rest of his life in prison or be put to death. After nearly five agonising weeks, a traumatized and exhausted jury decided that Tanner Horner should get the Death Penalty. 

I know it's the same old story in regards to how long will he actually be on death row before the date of his death is finally carried out. We've seen it happen plenty of times where murderers have spent decades waiting for their final date. Others pass away before the final part of their sentence if carried out. We know the streets....and children, are safe with this monster behind bars but I also understand that people want to see proper justice done and don't approve of the fact that this monster is currently living off of tax-payers money. 

The courtroom was full of Athena's loved ones yesterday and even when the final decision was read out, (to which Tanner expressed no emotion, and didn't do throughout the trial) and Tanner was led away in handcuffs, the family stayed behind. There was a mix of shock, celebration and relief. It was some justice for Athena and her family and certainty that no other child could come to harm again at the evil hands of Tanner Horner. 

I don't know if you can ever say that Athena's loving parents, step-parents and family will ever have complete closure. I know it is difficult even when there is DP decision. The fact that he remains alive will bother the family and all who know the full details of this case. When he is finally put to death and the family know that he no longer exists in reality, then it might be the case that they can do some proper healing?

Tanner Horner hasn't shown a shred of remorse since the day that he was caught, he tried every lie and excuse in the book to try and lessen the punishment for his evil crimes. One minute he claimed that he was taking cocaine on the day that he abducted Athena, then he claimed to have ran her over with his truck by mistake and ofcourse, he claimed that he his actions were the result of him being Autistic and then another excuse that he had an alter ego named 'Zero'. I thought his Asperger's syndrome excuse was also appalling and a real disrespect to those who suffer from it. Asperger's syndrome does not cause someone to become a predator of children and a cold calculated murderer. He knew what he was going to do, he planned it, carried it out without breaking a sweat and then tried to cover it up whilst lying through his teeth time and time again. Not long after the murder he actually drove back to the area where he had abducted Athena just hours earlier and saw that there was a huge public and police presence. He had the cold and even more disturbing nerve to ask people what had happened and pretended that he was just an innocent delivery driver going about his every day business. 

His level of callousness was off the scale and luckily there was all this evidence there to show him up for who he really was. It won't surprise you to know that Tanner was a bad seed, from before he was even born there was severe problems in his family to do with sexual abuse and neglect. His own mother was abused as a young child by her step-father continuously and actually begged, not only him to stop but also begged and pleaded with her own mother to stop him. She even resorted to putting notices up on her bedroom door begging him not to come into her room at night. Despite the horrendous suffering of her own daughter, his grandmother accused the child of lying and married this paedophile instead. The sexual abuse had begun before their marriage and continued through their marriage, an utterly horrendous situation. So he was from that kind of family where there was no love, empathy or protection especially when it came to children. 

With such a messed up home life and the realization that his mother worked as a stripper and sex worker as well as everything else, it was never going to be easy street for Tanner. His mother had no real love for him and all of this caused him to be withdrawn. He claimed to have had Asperger's Syndrome but a lot of his behaviours that he was demonstrating at the time fitted in with more of a child who was being abused at home. His mother's choice of relationships didn't not fare too well for Tanner either and were said to have been violent. Tanner had been sexually abused by older men and he would also go on to sexually abuse young children he knew. There was a lot of disturbing behaviour and trauma before the horrific murder of Athena but that's no excuse. 

Athena's Uncle Elijah gave a powerful impact statement in court yesterday where the brave man, through tears, told Tanner Horner exactly what his evil actions had done to himself and his family. Tanner sat there, no emotion as usual, stared at Elijah and didn't even blink. Nobody else spoke. I think everyone was so exhausted and completely drained after so many years of hell that they just wanted to see that monster put back in handcuffs and sent to meet his maker which certainly isn't God (and that's my opinion). That was another tactic Tanner was trying to play with, he claimed to have found Jesus in prison. 

I do wish that these types of death penalty cases were carried out pretty quickly, as long as we know 100% that the person is guilty. My stance on this is, if it is without any doubt and the forensic evidence is there that a person is guilty of a horrific murder then it should go ahead without question and they should be denied appeals! If there is no solid evidence or any doubt then it should be looked at again. I also think that child killers who's DNA matches evidence found, that they should face an automatic death sentence no matter what state they are in, they should make an allowance for that. People can argue day and night about capital punishment but the do-gooders who are against monsters being executed have nothing to say when it comes to the horrendous abuse and murder of a child and they shouldn't. The murder of innocent people is bad enough but when it's a young child, that level of evil cannot be excused away and whoever has done such a thing does not deserve any type of sympathy or human rights. Child killers do not deserve even the basic of human rights. 

So, the most important person in all of this in this heartbreaking story, is Athena who will never get the chance to grow up, she'll never get the chance to play with those Barbie dolls that her step-mother bought her for Christmas. She'll never get to go to high school, attend her prom or pick a university and have her first dance at her wedding. Her life has been cut short in the most horrific way. As an adult, the idea of being held captive in the back of someone's truck and utterly terrorized is something that none of us dare think about, a 7 year old little girl actually went through all of that and the jury plus everyone in that courtroom had to sit there for an hour (can you imagine....A WHOLE HOUR OF HELL) listening to Athena beg and plead for her life as well as scream in horrendous pain whilst he shouted at the terrified child and called her disgusting names. Nobody can convince me that this monster did not deserve the death penalty and if it were up to me, I would ask for the most painful execution there is...why should he be comfortable on his way out of this world? Why does he deserve mercy? Why are there people out there who actually care about this monster's feelings? Those people don't live on the same planet as me obviously because all I can think abut is Athena and her family and what they've been going through. 

Tanner Horner will face the lethal injection and a date for this to be carried out is yet to be determined. I will update this post as soon as I have any new information on this case. 

For now, I hold the Strand family in my prayers as well as Athena. They are a strong family, the courageous way in which Athena fought for her life in her last moments was part of who she was, where she came from, her blood, her upbringing. Her parents did and amazing job raising her because everybody loved that little girl and to those of us who were not fortunate to have known her, the stories, the memories, the photographs that Athena's loved ones were so kind enough to share, really gave us an insight into who she truly was. A little 7 year old girl with bags of personality, a right little character and when her mother (who demonstrated such amazing strength on the stand whilst facing that monster....she didn't flinch, she stared him right in his face and told him what she thought of him. It was a very empowering moment and you could see clearly where Athena got her strength from) told the court about the heartbreaking day that Athena's grandmother passed away, she spoke of how Athena ran to get help. From a young age Athena was a very caring and bright child, she had everything she needed to go on and live a happy, successful life. Sadly we will never know what could have been but what we do know is that this little doll-like person was taken into all of our hearts and that is where she'll stay along with all the other angels: Amber Hagerman, Jessica Lunsford, Cherish Perrywinkle and so many others. They will never be forgotten. 

RIP Athena x

Please leave a nice message if you can, on Athenas's memorial page here! I think it would be a nice comfort for the family if they see all the love that is out here for them and Athena. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Athena Strand: Article | Sky News

- Athena Strand | Find A Grave: Memorial

- Amber Alert | Wikipedia

- Elijah Strand: Article | People Magazine

- Tanner Horner: Trial Playlist | WFAA YouTube

- Tanner Horner: Discussion Thread | Reddit

- Tanner Horner: Article | CBS News

- Tanner Horner: Article | BBC News

- Tanner Horner: Article | The Independent

This post wasn't planned, I'm currently working on another case as we speak but I had to say something about this heartbreaking story. I have been following the case for quite some time and I know that everyone else who knows the case well, is still trying to get back to normal after yesterday's conclusion. It's been a very long, traumatic journey for Athena's family and my heart goes out to them. I appreciate (as always) the fact that you've taken the time to read this post, if you are new here or a regular reader, I just hope you know that you are appreciated and I hope you'll return for my next post as well as come and say hi on any of my socials.

As always, please take care & stay safe...until next time.