True Crime On This Day May 16th

May 16th

On May 16th in true crime, kidnapping in Minnesota, macabre discovery in Missouri, killed in the line of duty, and unsolved cold cases.

1980

In Anoka County, Minnesota, Ming Sen Shiue tracked down his former teacher, Mary Stauffer, and kidnapped her and her daughter, Elizabeth.

He had been infatuated with Stauffer since he had been at school under her in the mid-1960s. He kept them in his car and drove to a wildlife park.

On the way, he stopped the car due to engine trouble. Six-year-old Jason Wilkman approached the car to see what was happening. Shieu grabbed Wilkman and threw him in the trunk of the car.

When he arrived at the wildlife park, he removed the boy from the trunk and beat him to death with a metal rod. He then took Stauffer and her daughter to his house, where he kept them as slaves.

On July 8^th, Stauffer managed to escape and inform authorities. Shiue was arrested and charged with kidnapping and murder. He was sentenced to 30 years to life for the kidnapping and 40 years for the murder.

1981

In Kansas City, Missouri, the skeletal remains of an unidentified white female between the ages of 30 to 50-years-old were discovered in a remote wooded location.

The man who found them was looking for firewood in the area when he unearthed the skeleton. He proceeded to remove the remains, place them in a box, and then drove home with them, before calling the police.

He later claimed he removed the remains because he was afraid dogs or local wildlife would carry them off, despite them having been there for at least two months. The case remains unsolved.

1982

In Roseville, Minnesota, 28-year-old Police Officer Bruce M. Russell was shot dead while involved in a high speed chase with a suspect.

The suspect’s vehicle crashed in a ditch on the Roseville-Falcon Heights border. As Russell exited his patrol vehicle, the suspect opened fire and hit him between the panels of his bullet proof vest.

Despite being fatally wounded, Russell returned fire, and the suspect was wounded and arrested shortly after.

The suspect was sentenced to life in prison where he died of complications relating to the gunshot wounds Russell had inflicted upon him. Russell had only been with the department for one year when he was killed.

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