Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files

On January 3, 1997 a woman named Margaret Anselmo was found brutally murdered. She had been raped and her skull was crushed in. The crime happened as the entire town and law enforcement was consumed by the Spokane serial killer case. It was clear Margaret was not one of this serial killer's many victims.

Now, after nearly 29 years, the family of homicide victim Margaret Anselmo finally have some answers about what happened that awful January day. Anselmo was fatally beaten and sexually assaulted in what investigators believe was most likely a ‘random act of violence.’

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It was November of 1981 when 24-year-old Kathryn 'Kathy' Rahe Gregory vanished in Spokane, WA. She was a beloved nurse who specialized in working with critically ill babies. She was married, and the couple lived on the lower south hill. Loved ones knew something was terribly wrong when Kathy missed a shift at the hospital. Kathy's body has never been found, but it's long been suspected she was the victim of a homicide. Her family launched a scholarship for nursing students in her memory. More of that can be found here: https://www.kathyrahescholarship.org/.

In July of 1973, 25-year-old Archie Gonia was found beaten and strangled to death in the downtown Spokane hotel where he was working. The brutality of the crime has been described as 'overkill' by investigators. Archie's family says he was a very kind and gentle soul, and at times overly trusting of people. They are hopeful after all these years, tips will come in and they will get the answers they deserve.

On October 4,1978 the body of 16-year-old Krisann Baxter was found in North Spokane. She had been beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted. For decades, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office tried to catch a killer. There was no shortage of suspects, even confessions that were later ruled to be bogus. Nearly 45 years after the brutal crime, it was genetic genealogy and the company Othram who identified Keith D. Lindblom as their suspect. Lindblom died in a fire in 1981. His own family helped SCSO finally solve the case.

No one has seen or heard from Melinda Lopez since November of 2020. Loved ones fear she was the victim of a homicide. The Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information to come forward. To reach those potential witnesses, Melinda's family created a video flyer of Melinda herself. With a beloved photo and previous videos of her, it's a chilling plea for justice. If you know anything about Melinda's case, call 509-447-3151.

In June of 1984, two fishermen discovered the torso of a nude woman in the Spokane River. In 1998, the skull of that female victim was found in a vacant lot near 7th and Sherman. Her feet and hands have never been found. For 39 years, the victim remained nameless. Thanks to a tenacious detective and forensic genetic genealogy, in 2023 the victim was identified as Ruth Belle Waymire. But whoever killed the 24-year-old remains a mystery. If you can help police in any way, call 509-456-2233.

In July of 2004, the decomposing remains of Catherine Avis were found in a rural field outside of Valleyford. She had to be identified using a fingerprint and tattoo she had in honor of two of her children. The medical examiner could only determine she had died from homicidal violence. Catherine's purse was found and turned over to deputies weeks before her remains were discovered. Now, the bag still sits in evidence. It's one of few clues in this cold case that her now grown children are hoping could get the break it needs. And soon.

In August of 1976, a 24-year-old Lewiston mother vanished. For years, Patty Otto's daughters were told she left voluntarily, despite her youngest recalling vivid memories of a violent fight that night between her parents. Patty's husband was arrested shortly after she disappeared, accused of trying to coordinate the murder of an LPD investigator looking into the case. He was never charged with harming his wife. Patty's daughter is on a mission to find out the truth. Could a 1978 discovery in Oregon be the key to solving this case? KHQ talks in depth about the case's twists and turns with Patty's daughter who refuses to ever give up her fight for answers.

It was Fall of 2003. A suspect broke into a woman's home near the Washington State University campus armed with a knife and firearm. He went on to assault and rape her. Several weeks later, Pullman Police responded again to an eerily similar attack in another residence less than a half-mile away. Investigators had a terrified community, and nothing more than a sketch to try to find the rapist. It would take nearly 19 years, and the use of forensic genetic genealogy, but in March of 2022 they finally made an arrest. This episode has in-depth interviews with both the detective on the case and the founder of the organization who helped finally crack it.

In 1987, 16-year-old Deanna Criswell boarded a bus in Spokane headed for Arizona and was never seen by loved ones again. Her accused killer was identified through DNA long before she was. She was marked 'Jane Doe 19', and that label would remain until 2015 when her family saw a post on the Jane Doe Network. What happened to Deanna is all too common in the United States with a minimum of 40,000 unidentified remains cases yet to be closed.