Unresolved: Looking back at unsolved cold case murders from the Akron area and beyond

They are gone but not forgotten.

Many murders and missing person's cases in the Akron area remain a mystery years later.

Since 2021, Beacon Journal reporter Stephanie Warsmith and retired reporter Paula Schleis, co-producer of the Ohio Mysteries podcast, have teamed up to shed new light on these cold cases, with the hope of uncovering new leads. The oldest case they've featured dates back to 1928.

With each case, both detectives and family members hold out hope that they will one day be solved.

Each Unresolved episode features a story, podcast, photos, police reports and fact boxes.

Here's a look at the episodes they've done so far. Send tips for future episodes to Warsmith at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.

Episode 1: Janice Christensen

In 1987, Janice Christensen of Cuyahoga Falls went for a run on the Summit County Bike and Hike Trail, where she was raped and killed by a man who has never been caught. Now, Hudson police hope a partnership with Ohio's new Cold Case Unit will identify her killer through DNA found at the crime scene.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 1

Beacon Journal package: Questions remain in 1987 Hudson murder case

Episode 2: Melissa and Jasmine Collins

In 1991, 17-year-old mom Melissa Collins and her 8-month old baby girl, Jasmine, vanished from their West Akron apartment. In the decades since, police have searched a local park and followed leads to other states in search of the pair.  And now, 30 years later, women are calling Akron police to ask: Could I be the missing Jasmine?

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 2

Beacon Journal package: An Akron mother and baby disappeared 30 years ago. Will they every be found?

Episode 3: Roderick Clemons

In 1991, 26-year-old Roderick Clemons wanted to ask for a transfer from the Church's Chicken restaurant in Akron, where he was assistant manager. There were too many shady characters in the Copley Road neighborhood, he told his mom. But Clemons never got the chance to request the change.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 3

Beacon Journal package: Akron police still seek answers in 1991 cold case

Episode 4: Leslie Ann Barker

In 1978, Akron schoolteacher Leslie Ann Barker went to the Red's discotheque with a friend to participate in a new matchmaking event. That morning, she was found dead in her burning car. To this day, Barker's colleagues and loved ones wonder what happened to the outgoing young woman who was looking for love but found death instead.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 4.

Beacon Journal package: After 43 years, Akron teacher's slaying remains a mystery

Episode 5: Jeanette Bartee and Roy Addison

In April 2002, Roy Addison and Jeanette Bartee were both shot and killed, execution-style, in broad daylight. Both struggled with addictions, and detectives suspect they were targeted because of something they did or saw. Family members still hope for answers and think someone may have seen something that could assist the investigation.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 5

Beacon Journal package: Unresolved: Who killed Roy Addison and Jeanette Bartee? Akron case remains a mystery

Episode 6: Phyllis Mosley

In August 1971, Phyllis Mosley was found by her 11-year-old daughter shot to death in her bed. The murder of Mosley, 28, changed the lives of her four children, who struggled with addictions and other demons. Fifty years after Mosley's slaying, her children hope her death won't be forgotten even if it's never solved.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 6. https://ohiomysteries.com/ohio%20mysteries/unresolved-ep-6-phyllis-mosley

Beacon Journal package: ‘The pain of losing her’: Siblings hope for justice 50 years after mother’s unsolved murder

Episode 7: The Patel Family

In October 1991, a mother, father and their 6-year-old daughter were killed, execution- style at their house next to the infamous Steve's Motel. Sheriff's deputies initially thought the motive for killing the Patel family, who operated the motel, might have been murder. Deputies now have a different theory — hired hitmen who were famous mobsters were hired by someone with designs on the valuable property in Green.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 7

Beacon Journal package: A hired hit, a flying robber and 3 murders: New details emerge in Steve's Motel killings

Episode 8: Jeff Sauber

In September 1980, Jeff Sauber, 18, a Marine on his first leave, is fatally stabbed at a drive-in theater in Coventry Township after watching a movie about a vigilante killer. His mother sued the theater, saying her son's killer might have been incited by the violent flick. Sheriff detectives, though, think the attack may have been prompted by a racial exchange. Detectives have a suspect but, so far, not enough evidence to charge him.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 8

Beacon Journal package: A vigilante film, hypnosis and a racial slur: Could new clues solve 1980 drive-in slaying?

Episode 9: JoAnn Bartholomew

In October 1987, JoAnn Bartholomew, a Stow wife, mother and business owner, was found stabbed to death in the woods near Chapel Hill Mall in Akron. She was one of four women slain in Summit County that year, leading to concern that this could be the work of a serial killer. Detectives, though, quickly concluded the cases weren't linked. All but one of the cases, including Bartholomew's, remain unsolved.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 9

Beacon Journal package Stow woman's stabbing death near Chapel Hill Mall remains a mystery after 34 years

Episode 10: DeShawn Brown

In March 2004, DeShawn Brown, a North High and University of Akron star running back, was found dead in his Akron apartment, shot through a glass window on his door. His family members are still hoping to find out who killed him. Detectives, though, say this will be challenging because of a lack of evidence.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 10

Beacon Journal package: 'We want to know why': Family seeks answers in 2004 fatal shooting of Akron football star

Episode 11 (Part 1): Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix

In the summer of 1963, two Summit County youths disappeared within a week of each other. The vanishings of Tommy Sumerix, 15, and Ruth Guthrie, 12, so close together prompted some to worry about whether someone might be kidnapping local children. Months passed with no answers. Then, in May of 1964, a farm owner in Portage County and mushroom hunters in Stark County made sad discoveries.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 11, Part 1

Beacon Journal package: Families left with ‘What ifs?’ when two Summit County youths disappear nearly 60 years ago

Episode 11 (Part 2): Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix

The remains of two Summit County youths who went missing within a week of each other are found a year later in separate parts of the county. Nearly 60 years later, detectives and family members haven’t given up hope that they’ll discover who was responsible for the slayings of Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix. Modern-day investigators wonder if the two deaths could be connected, a link their predecessors dismissed, despite their many similarities.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 11, Part 2

Beacon Journal package: ‘I always have hope’: Sister of missing teen found murdered in 1964 still seeks justice

Episode 12: Charles Wright

Charles Wright was shot and killed in May 2004 while sitting in the driveway of his Akron home, talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone. The postal worker had just returned from a trip to Las Vegas. Detectives wonder if the killer may have intended to rob Wright -- for money or drugs they thought he had -- but panicked when they realized he was on the phone. Detectives and family members still hope that his killer may still be caught.

Podcast:

Beacon Journal Package: 'He was such a good dude': Mysterious slaying of Akron mailman in 2004 remains unsolved

Ep. 13: Sam Hughes

Sam Hughes, 31, was found beaten to death in his Akron home on Dec. 12, 2006. His mother and brother think his death may have been tied to him using and selling drugs. Despite his drug use, they say he didn't deserve the violent end to his life. Both them and Akron detectives haven't given up hope that his murder can be solved. In fact, detectives think they may have already talked to his killer.

Podcast:

Beacon Journal Package: 'I've never given up hope': Akron man's mysterious murder remains unsolved 16 years later

Ep. 14: Melvin Horst

Melvin Horst, 4, disappeared on Dec. 27, 1928, while playing with friends in Orrville. They went home for supper but he never did. Some people think he may have been targeted by boot leggers because his uncle was the town marshal. Others think Melvin may have lived a long life someplace else, never knowing his true identity. An Orrville detective has been giving this case, thought to be the oldest missing person's case in Ohio, a fresh look.

Podcast:

Beacon Journal Package: 'There's still hope,' Orrville detective says of boy's disappearance 94 years ago

Ep. 15: Mary Yocono

Mary Yocono was struck in a hit-and-run crash in November 1985 while walking home from a friend's across the street from her family's Italian restaurant in West Akron. The 79-year-old grandmother perished and the driver of the car that struck her was never identified. Akron detectives, who no longer have a file on the case, don't hold out much hope. But the family, who operated the popular Yocono's restaurant for nearly 30 years, would still love for this mystery to be solved.

Podcast:

Beacon Journal package: Family hopes for answers in hit-and-run death of Yocono's matriarch

Ep. 16: Javan and Markus Rogers

Akron brothers Javan and Markus Rogers were shot and killed within months of each other in 2002. Years later, both murders remain unsolved. Detectives say they aren't sure if the slayings are linked, though they think both cases are tied to drugs. To solve either or both, detectives say, they'll need someone to come forward with information.

Podcast:

Beacon Journal package: Who killed Javan and Markus Rogers? Akron brothers’ murders remain unsolved after 21 years

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Unresolved: Police cold cases from the Akron Ohio area and beyond