3/27/2012:
North Dakota’s reputation as a low-crime state is more than an anecdotal source of pride. But no state, even North Dakota, is free from major crime. For a small number of those crimes, justice can prove elusive.
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem inaugurated a new team of investigators in 2003 to tackle the Roughrider State’s unsolved major crimes. Cold cases, as mystery fans know, are homicides and missing person cases that eluded closure following their initial investigation. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations Cold Case division works with local agencies across the state and region.
Time is no friend to a cold case. Even the NDBCI professes that cold case files get harder to solve with every day that passes. There are currently 15 cold cases on the state agency’s web site. The first case to be re-opened involved the unusual death of a New Rockford woman whose body was found in a burning car. Initially, sheriff’s investigators suspected an accident, but that conclusion was questioned by further investigation. The case became prominent nationally, included in a 1991 broadcast of the television show “Unsolved Mysteries.”
With new technologies including a robotic computer system, DNA, and fingerprint analysis techniques, the attorney general expressed cautious optimism when he announced the new agency. He said investigators plan to conduct new interviews with witnesses, who may be more willing to share information with the passage of time.
Currently there are seven re-opened missing persons cases, the oldest dating back to 1968. Unsolved homicides make up the remaining 8 cases – two women and six men. The state’s oldest cold case is also one of the saddest, because of the victim’s age. On March 27, 1963, the body of Larry Phebus, age 14, was found two and one half miles south of Alexander, North Dakota. Alexander is located about 24 miles south of Williston in McKenzie County.
The teenager disappeared and was presumed to have been murdered on or about October 20, 1962. Autopsy results indicated that Phebus died from asphyxiation. Anyone with information regarding the death of Larry Phebus is asked to contact the McKenzie County Sheriff's Department or the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Dakota Datebook written by Steve Stark
://projectjason.org