As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Katlyn "Katie" Collman with me today.

In January 2005, 10-year-old Katlyn “Katie” Collman was sent on a simple errand in her small Indiana town of Crothersville but she never made it home. Her disappearance sparked an intense search across the community. Five days later, her body was found in a lake about 20 miles away, her hands bound and her life cut tragically short.

Police initially followed multiple leads, including a false confession, before DNA evidence from the crime scene led them to Anthony Ray Stockelman, a 38-year-old man with no obvious connection to Katie. The rare cigarette brand found near her body matched cigarettes he was known to have purchased, and further forensic evidence tied him to the abduction, molestation, and murder.

Stockelman ultimately pleaded guilty to murder and child molestation as part of a plea deal that spared the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.