In the winter of 1985, Diane Robertson & Mike Riemer set out into the Washington backwoods with their toddler to cut down a Christmas tree— they never returned. Later that evening, their 2-year-old, Crystal was found wandering alone in a Kmart parking lot. She couldn’t say who she was or how she got there, only repeating: “Mommy is in the trees.”

Her mother, Diana Robertson, would be discovered months later — murdered and left in the woods with her hands bound and a tube sock tied around her neck. Her father, Mike Riemer, vanished without a trace.

But this wasn’t the first crime of its kind. Just months earlier, another couple — Steven Harkins and Ruth Cooper — had also been killed in the wilderness, Ruth was also found with a tube sock knotted around her neck.

For decades, theories swirled. Was Mike a violent killer who struck twice? Or the fourth victim of a predator still at large?

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SOURCES:

Amazon.com: '85 Remembrances and Threads of Truth: Seeking Justice for the Victims of the Tube Sock Killer *Book by Sheryl Cooper, the daughter of a victim of the notorious Minerals Tube Sock Killer

Seattle Times Skull discovery revives Washington murder mystery WAYBACK 4/14/2011

Mystery lingers: Discovery of trapper's skull adds clue to couple's 1985 disappearance | The Olympian

Google Newspapers

Timgruver-the-tube-sock-killings

Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20

In this Brief BFF, we spotlight a case that may not have made huge headlines, but absolutely should have.

I hope you will joining me in honoring Laura and sending a big fuck you to the loser that killed her.When 25-year-old Laura Sardinha tried to break free from an abusive partner, she did everything right—documented the abuse, filed for a restraining order, even changed her locks. But it still wasn’t enough. While she was being murdered, Laura left behind a recording that convicted her killer. Her story deserves to be told.

*** If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, there is help. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or visit thehotline.org.

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SOURCES:

LA Times

People

KTLA

FOX 11

We are condensing two timely and ongoing important cases down to brief summaries that are ongoing and deserve your attention!

Melina Frattolin, a 9-year-old abducted and found murdered in Lake George, NY — a case that seemed like a stranger abduction, but quickly turned into something far more devastating. **Police are actively seeking witnesses in the area of the I-87 Northway between Exits 28 (North Schroon Lake: US 9, NY 74 to Ticonderoga) through exit 20 (Fort Ann, Queensbury, Lake George, NY 149 & US 9) during the evening hours of July 19, 2025.

Shannon Keeler, a college freshman whose 2013 rape case went cold — until a chilling Facebook message from her rapist years later finally pushed the system to act.

This episode contains discussions of child murder and sexual assault. Please take care.

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SOURCES

NY State Police Press Release

CBS News

AP News 9-year-old Montreal girl found in an upstate New York pond drowned in a homicide

People

AP

Politico

Pittsburgh Post Gazette