A cold case revived by a student film | Forensic Files

she was seen by several witnesses walking toward the car park and then sarah mcdermott was gone i could see
blood on the bitumen maybe he thinks i can get away of this they don't know where she is they don't know who did it
and i could hear footsteps behind me and they were getting closer i just think those men at vidato saved my life pulled
out a couple of the cards and it said sarah mcdermott searching for sarah mcdermott out now for free only on
spotify [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website on the evening of friday january 30 2004
hundreds of enthusiastic moviegoers crowded into the knickerbocker theatre in downtown holland
michigan with a rich history dating back to the early 1900s the 536 seat theatre
had housed a wide variety of shows over the years but none quite like this one a group of film students from a nearby
christian art school named hope college were both excited and apprehensive to reveal the project they'd been working
on so hard for the last few months they scanned the room and took note of the audience
it was a mixed bag guests ranged from classmates to members of law enforcement and other esteemed
locals the movie's production had stirred up some big emotions around town and the
community was eager to see it finally the moment the students had been waiting for arrived
the lights went down and the screen lit up as the film's opening titles began classical piano music filled the room
followed by the mesmerizing sound of a woman singing as the movie played one observer a
member of law enforcement was particularly transfixed his mind raced as he absorbed every
detail after 80 minutes the film came to an end the credits rolled but the audience
remained silent and still completely captivated by what they had just seen then the house light switched on and the
room suddenly erupted into tears and applause meanwhile 80 miles away one man did what he did every night
he picked up a glass and drank to forget [Music] [Music] [Music] 25 years earlier on wednesday january 31
1979 the phone rang at the holland police department in michigan it was just after 2 am and a guest
staying at the blue mill inn across town had reason to believe that a robbery was
underway in the motel's front office he'd been on the phone with the motel's night clerk when he overheard an
intruder barge in and demand money the guest immediately hung up and ran into his colleague's room next door
when they tried calling the front desk again the line was engaged police quickly arrived at the blue mill
inn a two-story motor lodge located on interstate 196 touted as the finest in budget lodging
upon entering the lobby officers soon discovered that 200 was missing from a cash draw behind the front desk as was
another three hundred dollars from a bank deposit bag in the back office the front desk itself was unattended
the inn's night clerk a 22 year old woman named janet chandler was nowhere to be seen
janet's purse was missing her coat was still draped over her chair and her half-smoked cigarette smoldered away in
the ashtray police couldn't immediately rule out the possibility that janet had voluntarily
left the premises but january was holland's coldest month and the snow blanketed the town
it seemed unlikely that she would have willingly gone out into such grueling conditions without her code
there were no eyewitnesses to the robbery though the motel guessed on the phone to janet when the incident took
place was able to provide some information they described a deeper voiced man speaking to janet who told him
please don't take it all sir one person saw a vehicle outside but they hadn't got a good look at it
they believed it could have been a dark colored four-wheel drive possibly a jeep
two sets of footprints were imprinted in the snow leading from the yin's entrance
to where a vehicle had been parked sure enough tire tracks indicated it was a four-wheel drive
curiously the inn's front door was unlocked this was odd given that the motel had strict security procedures in
place requiring employees to lock all doors after dark access to the front lobby could only be
gained by buzzing an electric intercom co-workers confirmed that janet was meticulous about making sure the front
door was locked at all times but several guests recalled that the door had been unlocked approximately
half an hour before janet disappeared it was fast becoming clear that janet chandler had been abducted by the robber
who might have ordered her to take her purse with them assuming it contained money or other valuables
the scenario left police dumbfounded major crime was rare in holland robberies weren't unheard of but robbery
involving abduction certainly wasn't a common occurrence if the perpetrator just wanted a quick
cash grab why take the night clerk with them janet chandler had surprised her parents
when she announced that she'd accepted a job at the blue mill inn her roommate and best friend laurie
swank also worked at the motel and had put in a good word for janet it was a strange choice for the hope
college student who was studying vocal education with the dreams of becoming a music teacher
with a little luck she hoped to one day work in the opera janet's parents jim and glenna thought
their only daughter would be better suited to a part-time job elsewhere working as a night clerk sounded like a
dangerous role and they felt her skills could be put to better use in a different field
janet had previously worked in child care and studied in nursing jobs that suited her strong nurturing side
but janet was adamant she was eager to start making her own money to gain some independence
she was also feeling burnt out from so much studying and was keen to take a semester off from college to focus on
work for a while ultimately jim and glenna trusted their daughter to make the right decision
janet was sensible and conservative with strong christian values and they supported her no matter what
regardless the break from studying seemed to do her good and by the night of the blue mill inn robbery janet had
re-enrolled at hope college part-time with just one more year of hard work before she finished her degree her dream
of becoming a music teacher would soon be a reality jim and glenna were awoken by the phone
ringing in the early morning hours of january 31 1979 it was the police and they quickly
filled the couple in on their daughter's disappearance much to the chandler's dismay they were
asked whether there was anyone janet might have run away with her parents strongly rejected this
possibility if janet had up and vanished in the middle of a shift with no explanation
they knew something terrible must have happened jim chandler was disappointed with
himself he had visited his daughter at the blue mill previously and noticed some
questionable looking characters loitering in the lobby it had made him feel uncomfortable and
he now wished he had queried it more the chandlers were advised to stay put the roads were icy and dangerous and the
police already had a snowplow out looking for any sign of janet a blockade had also been established to
try and prevent any vehicles leaving town without their occupants being questioned
jim ignored the advice and immediately jumped into his car driving the dark back roads around holland searching for
his daughter when janet's younger brother dennis found out what was happening he joined
his father in the search holland's police department was small and all six of its officers soon
gathered at the blue mill inn despite being the middle of winter and far from peak tourist season the motel
was at full capacity this was due to an ongoing strike that was taking place at the nearby chemtron
paint plant in october close to 200 chemtron employees had stormed out seeking better
work conditions union officials sought help from experienced strikers who traveled from
interstate to help on the picket line the situation was very tense those who willingly crossed the picket
line to continue working were faced with all kinds of harassment consequently chemtron was forced to
outsource security to protect their property and keep the non-striking staff safe
they hired the wackenhut security company which contracted a team of approximately 80 security guards to work
at the paint plant until the strike was over most of the guards lived outside of
holland and the blue mill inn became their temporary home the no frills accommodation had all the
basic compass the security guards required between their intense 12-hour shifts while the dive bar next door provided
the perfect place to blow off steam the bar became a meeting place for the wacken hut guards the strike breakers
and local single women [Music] despite the large number of guests staying at the blue mill inn on the
night janet chandler was taken there were almost no witnesses to the robbery or abduction
all police had to go on was the description of the deep voiced man overheard confronting janet and the
sighting of a dark-coloured four-wheel drive by the following morning whoever had
taken janet had made no attempt to contact her family or claim a ransom police knew time was of the essence if
they wanted to find janet safe and well but they had no way of knowing where to look
the only potential clue lay in another incident that took place just 40 minutes before the robbery at the blue mill inn
at a liquor store just three miles away a 20 year old female employee had clocked off for the night
as she left the building a young man attempted to grab her and to drag her into his car
the woman managed to fight him off and escape and reported the incident to police
she described the assailant as a white male around 18 or 19 years old who was 5 foot 8 inches tall with long stringy
brown hair and glasses police wondered whether the same man could be responsible for janet's
abduction a composite sketch of the suspect was distributed as investigators attempted
to determine whether the two incidents were related another potential link surfaced 54 miles
north in the town of saint joseph on the night before the abduction at the blue mill inn a four-wheel drive was
stolen during a break and enter at a residential address the green and white gmc jimmy bore
similarities to the vehicle seen at the blue mill officers around the district were
alerted to be on the lookout for the jimmy [Music] as at near 1 30 a.m on the morning of
february 1 1979 a snowplow driver made his way along the dark highway near the city of southhaven
30 miles south of holland there had been an inch of fresh snowfall overnight and it was the plower's job to
keep interstate 196 clear for motorists as his headlights illuminated the snow-covered road he noticed something
strange in the highway's median strip near the turn-off to the nearby town of covert
there were fresh tire tracks in the snow leading into a heavily wooded area the snowplower got out into the freezing
night air and followed the tracks they brought him to a snow bank that was out in the open
there underneath a fir tree he saw a horrifying sight poking just slightly out of the clean
white snow was the arm and torso of a naked woman it was janet chandler she had been raped and strangled
possibly with a rope wire or belt her hands and feet had been bound prior to her death and her mouth had been
taped shard however none of the bindings or tape were found on or near her body her clothes as well as personal
belongings including jewelry a wrist watch a billfold and her driver's license were missing
it was determined that janet had only been killed approximately six hours before her body was discovered
there had been five inches of snowfall in the 24-hour period that she'd been missing but her body was only lightly
dusted with snow she had only been dumped shortly before the snowplow driver had discovered her
the case was bigger than the small holland police department could handle complicating matters further was the
fact that the abduction occurred in ottawa county whereas janna's body was found in van buren county
this meant that different departments were responsible for different facets of the investigation
dozens of detectives and uniformed officers were brought in from out of town and helped coordinate a major
search of the area where janet's body was found sniffer dogs and helicopters scoured the
surroundings however not a single piece of evidence was found motorists were asked to report any
vehicles seen parked near the covert turn-off between 9pm wednesday and 1 30 am thursday
nobody came forward a potential breakthrough occurred when the green and white gmc jimmy stole on
from saint joseph's the night before janet's abduction was recovered the thief was revealed to be the owner's
18 year old grandson the tyres of the jimmy were compared to the tyre tracks leading to the snow bank
where janet's body was found they weren't a match the stolen jimmy was ruled out of the
investigation although police remained adamant that a four-wheel drive of some sort had been used in janet's abduction
news of janet's murder utterly shook the small town terrified hope college students lived in
fear that a killer targeting young women was on the loose and they were advised to exercise caution
encouraged by a 1 000 reward for information leading to an arrest an influx of tip-offs came through from all
over the country one concerned citizen was in a bar when they overheard a group of men boasting
about their involvement in janet's murder yet when police looked into this report
they concluded the drunken men were just joking in very poor taste not one of the many tip-offs led to a
promising suspect the question still remained who killed janet chandler the respectable college student had no
known enemies or nefarious links she had been brought up in a wholesome family and the majority of her friends
were from church although she had dated men in the past janet's family said she didn't have any
serious boyfriends they couldn't think of anyone who would wish her harm perhaps janet was randomly
it seemed as though she didn't know her abductor as she was overheard calling him sir instead of his name
was he an outsider passing through town who fled immediately after committing the opportunistic crime
he could have been one of the many visitors to the blue mill inn though none of the guests could
highlight anyone particularly suspicious some townsfolk looked inward certain the
person responsible was among the local community he might have worn a mask to avoid
janet's recognition was the robbery just a ruse to throw police off the killer's tail
another theory emerged that janet may have accidentally been killed while being held captive
one detective believed that the way she was tied up indicated she might have accidentally strangled herself while
trying to break free if this was the case the killer might have dumped her body out of sheer panic
it seemed like everyone had a theory but nobody had the answers a memorial for janet chandler was held
at hope college during which the school's president commented an event such as this touches our
deepest thoughts and emotions questions of why flood our minds with no ready or satisfying answers and there is
relatively little anyone can say we trust that god will give janet's family and to all her friends a special
measure of grace and strength at this time two weeks after janet's murder the strike at the chemtron paint plant
finally came to an end and the wackenheart security guards scattered back to their hometowns
things quietened down around holland but the investigation into janet's murder continued round the clock
by july five months had passed and investigators still weren't any closer to solving the case
the task force which at one point had 20 people was now overseen by a team of just four
the reward for information was bolstered to three thousand dollars in an attempt
to boost the dwindling tips that were coming through police questioned and re-interviewed
janet's friends family members and co-workers as well as people who were staying at the blue mill inn at the time
of the murder there was nothing to suggest who could have targeted janet or why her best friend and roommate laurie
swank who was a manager at the motel hadn't been working on the night of the attack
laurie couldn't think of any guests who would want to harm janet around half a dozen persons of interest
emerged during the course of the investigation some of whom were subject to polygraph testing but none were
concrete suspects and there wasn't enough evidence to make any arrests police continued to follow every lead
that came to nothing but dead ends despite amassing more than one thousand pages of notes the identity of janet's
killer remained a mystery the case was reluctantly shelved but members of the holland police department
refused to let it go entirely a photo of janet was pinned to a communal bulletin board so they would
never forget twelve years later in august of 1991 a 34-year old vagrant named donald leroy
evans was detained in colorado on suspicion of raping and murdering a ten-year-old mississippi girl named
beatrice ruth upon his arrest evans not only confessed to this crime but he also made a
shocking revelation he admitted to having killed up to 70 people across 22 american states over
the course of a decade most of his victims were taken from road stops or public parks
police were dubious about evan's claims it wasn't unusual for killers to confess
to crimes they didn't commit and evans had no evidence to back his stories in addition he claimed most of his
professed victims were either homeless or involved in sex work which made it difficult for police to
investigate that was until evans claimed responsibility for two unsolved murders
that took place in florida in 1985 regarding the deaths of 38 year olds ira gene smith and janet movik he provided
details that only the killer could possibly know evan's claims that he was a prolific
serial killer didn't seem quite as questionable a special fbi task force was established
to sift through hundreds of unsolved murders across the united states to determine if donald evans could be a
potential suspect janet chandler's case was amongst the files evans was a drifter who moved constantly
from state to state and it was soon revealed that in 1981 he lived at three different addresses in
holland michigan for holland police this was the best lead they'd uncovered since janet's
murder 12 years earlier yet a further dive into evans history failed to uncover any information that
placed him in holland in january 1979 what had initially seemed like a promising lead was yet another in a
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hope college associate professor david shock liked to keep things interesting for his communication students
with a background in journalism he thought it would be useful for his pupils to learn how to establish good
relationships with law enforcement in 2003 professor shock organized for his class of eight students to meet with
a detective from the holland police department a 30-year veteran of the force who was
about to retire during the meeting the professor asked the detective if there was one case that
he wished could be solved the detective didn't hesitate he pointed to the photo of janet
chandler that had remained pinned to the police bulletin board for over 20 years
and said the chandler case professor shock's interest was immediately peaked an idea started churning in his head
what if his students made a film about janet chandler's life not necessarily with the aim of solving the case but as
a means to keep her memory alive they could speak to janet's loved ones and people who worked on the case
at the very best it might uncover some new leads and if not it would still be a fascinating educational tool for his
students that would also pay tribute to a young life tragically lost the project was given the green light
and with only four months to get the documentary done professor shock's students quickly got to work scheduling
interviews 21 year old sarah hartman was apprehensive although she was excited about being
involved with the film the prospect of interviewing a murder victim's parents unnerved her
but as she sat down across from jim and glenna chandler at their home her anxiety quickly dissipated
the elderly couple were warm and approachable despite their obvious nerves they spoke lovingly about their daughter
reliving fond memories like the time their neighbours gathered outside their window to hear janet sing
they reminisced about her beautiful voice her dedication to christ and her habit of underlining significant
passages in the bible despite 24 years passing since janet's murder the chancellor's grief was still
immense now in their golden years it pained the couple to think they could die without
their daughter's killer ever being brought to justice glenna said a parent never expects their children to
go before them you learn to live with it that's about all you can do one day at a time
it didn't take long for professor shock's students to become personally invested in janet's case
collectively they spent hundreds of hours researching everything they could about the crime and interviewing
everyone from janet's former music teachers to detectives who had attended the blue mill inn on the night of
janet's abduction the more they found out the more committed they became to discovering the
truth one thing was abundantly clear everyone who worked on the case had a different theory about what happened on
that night back in 1979 one investigator believed janet had fallen victim to a serial killer
another thought they knew who was responsible but didn't have the evidence to prove it and that person had since
passed away they believed that the killer didn't act alone but up to three individuals could
have been involved the takeaway message seemed to be that janet's case would likely never be
solved regardless of how many people wanted closure the only thing that could propel the
investigation forward would be the emergence of new evidence when the documentary which was titled
who killed janet chandler screened at the knickerbocker theater on january 30 2004
holland police chief john krytoff was completely enthralled he had been a young member of the
holland police force at the time of janet's murder and like so many other officers the case continued to haunt him
krytov had been thinking about it more and more ever since the hope college students started poking around and now
seeing janet's loved ones talk on the big screen about their need for justice he felt even more compelled to do
something kratoff made contact with michigan state police who held jurisdiction over
janet's case they agreed that the murder was worth reinvestigating and who better to take
the lead than detective david van lopeck a veteran of the force who had been raised in holland and remembered janet's
murder well in april 2004 a task force led by van lopec was officially formed with three
officers from michigan state police sent to the holland police department committed to solving janet's case once
and for all this time the investigators were determined not to leave any stone unturned
despite the huge advances in technology since janet's murder they had no dna or fingerprints to go on leaving them to
rely on good old-fashioned police work they gathered all of the original case notes and decided to start in holland
then work their way outwards starting with the janet chandler herself the documentary had painted a rosy
picture of janet's life but it had barely scratched the surface if the detectives could learn more about
who janet was away from her family and teachers perhaps they'd uncover a detail that could lead to a clue
as cold case member lieutenant john slank remarked the more we get to know about the victim
the more we understand the victim the victim will often times even in death point us to their killer or
killers using the documentary to spark people's memories the investigators hoped that
the passing of time distance and circumstance would encourage someone to talk they began talking to people who had
moved in the same social circles as janet and discovered that shortly after she'd first enrolled in college
something happened that shook her entire belief system janet had been seduced by an older man
while she'd always viewed pre-marital sex as a mortal sin the middle-aged man soon convinced janet to sleep with him
before long they were meeting at her parents house on a regular basis to have sex
their relationship went on for over a year but janet's parents never found out about it
according to one of janet's childhood friends the relationship had a huge impact on her religious beliefs
janet realised she could sin without being punished for it suddenly her world started to open up
she began experimenting with alcohol cannabis and dating stepping outside the boundaries that she'd strived so hard to
follow with investigators now having a clearer picture they were keen to speak to the
person who likely knew her best around that period her best friend and roommate laurie swank
laurie had left holland shortly after janet's murder and hadn't maintained contact with many people there since
she was now working as a nursing assistant 630 miles east in the small borough of nescopec pennsylvania when
detectives surprised her with a visit laurie fondly remembered janet as a fun-loving musician but when pressed she
admitted there was more to her than met the eye when the two friends were working at the
blue mill inn they'd gotten into their share of mischief laurie divulged that both she and janet
had been having sexual relations with several of the wackenheart security guards whom she described as a wild
group who liked to party things had sometimes gotten a bit out of hand on one occasion janet had summoned one
of the guards to the front desk when he came down she was waiting for him in an adjacent display suite wearing
nothing but a pair of cowboy boots laurie who was technically janet's boss had no choice but to give janet a stern
talking to as far as she knew laurie hadn't seen or heard anything that could help with the
investigation she said janet didn't deserve what happened to her and that the whole
situation made her feel physically sick quote how can you live with yourself having
knowledge of that how can you live with it i couldn't [Music] the more people detectives questioned
the clearer it became that the blue mill inn had been a hotspot for partying one investigator described it as a quote
den of iniquity a place where the guests and staff could drink take drugs and have sex without any supervision
therefore it made sense to assume that the crime could have been committed by someone with a connection to the motel
[Music] investigators compiled a list of all the guests who were staying at the blue mill
at the time of janet's murder the majority had been wackenhut security guards because the strike ended shortly after
janet was killed many of the guards left town without ever being questioned by police
tracking them down 25 years later wasn't an easy task most had lived transient lifestyles
moving from one job to the next across towns and states the investigative team began travelling
the country to question those of interest time and time again the response was the
same most of the guards said they barely remembered janet chandler their time in holland had been consumed
by work after gruelling 12-hour shifts they retired to the blue mill inn to eat and
sleep before doing it all again the following day on their rare breaks they blew off steam
in the dive bar next door or through parties in one another's rooms the former guards were shown the who
killed janet chandler documentary in the hopes that might jog old memories but nobody knew anything about janet's
murder or had any information that could help with the investigation that was until harry keith watched the
film harry had worked as a security guard for whacking heart but he'd also been a keen
photographer during his stay at the blue mill inn he'd taken his camera out on several
occasions watching the documentary an emotional harry recognised one of the photos of
janet as one that he'd taken and it wasn't the only one harry retrieved an old photo album
inside were pages of photographs taken back during the chemtron strike in 1979 they featured the wild alcohol-fueled
parties that the investigators had been hearing about in one photo janet sat on a guard's lap
with a drink in hand wearing a guard's uniform there was one guard who featured in
several of the photographs and particularly caught investigators eyes during their questioning a former
wackenhut employee had revealed they'd heard an unsubstantiated rumor that this individual might have been involved in
janet's murder that man was robert lynch the guest who had called taking 911 at the blue mill inn the
night janet was abducted robert lynch had been nearing 40 during his time in holland making him one of
the oldest wackenhut security guards due to his age he felt like a bit of an outsider and wasn't part of the hard
partying crew [Music] he'd since married and had two children leaving the security game behind to open
a beauty school with his wife detectives tracked lynch down to the small michigan town of three oaks 80
miles south of holland by this point the investigation had been reopened for an entire year and they
were no closer to solving the case they had no reason to believe the now 65 year old lynch was involved in janet's
murder but harry keith's photos revealed the two definitely knew one another furthermore upon re-listening to the
audio of lynch's 9-1-1 call detectives had some new questions despite reporting what he suspected to
be a robbery in progress lynch's voice sounded curiously emotionless was it possible the call was staged
if robert lynch knew anything about janet's murder he wasn't talking he gave evasive answers telling
detectives he had very little memory of his time in holland this was credible given that he had a
serious drinking problem with no evidence tying him to the crime it was back to the drawing board
but the cold case team wasn't prepared to rule robert lynch out completely even though they continued questioning
other persons of interest and chasing up the smallest of leads as the months passed by they kept returning to lynch
maybe it was just a hunch but they couldn't shake the feeling that he knew more than he was letting on
lynch was questioned several more times always maintaining that he had no knowledge of janet's murder
detectives weren't quite sure how to take him on the surface he appeared to be a
committed family man with no serious criminal record but his drinking habits suggested a man
who was trying to drown some kind of sorrow the detectives hoped that if they continued pressing him some cracks would
begin to show in june 2005 robert lynch finally admitted that he and janet had been
intimately involved despite him being 17 years her senior the two had sexual relations at the blue
mill inn and also met for a rendezvous at a vacant house that wasn't all around the time that janet was killed
lynch heard that she'd attended a party with some of the other security guards that quote went haywire
he claimed not to know anything else about it but for the cold case team this was a
huge revelation after all these years and all the people they'd questioned this was the very
first they had heard about such a party still convinced that lynch knew more than he was letting on lead detective
david van lopec returned to question him just over a week later lynch was in a somber reflective mood
he began speaking about the death of his father before suddenly blurting out i regret my whole life
some of the things i've done i don't even want to talk about detective van lopec recognised this was
an important moment he asked lynch if the reason he drank was to forget lynch replied
i'm running from everything after that he went quiet it felt like the breakthrough the
investigators were waiting for was close but just out of reach maybe lynch needed more time
three months later detective van lopec returned to three oaks to interview lynch yet again
he was accompanied by his partner detective jeffrey floor who specialised in interrogation and was known for his
ability to break suspects this time then lopic brought his secret weapon a copy of the documentary who killed
janet chandler the detectives put the dvd in and pressed play when it came to a part where janet's
father was shown fighting back tears detective floor hit pause turned to robert lynch and asked
you have children right you remember the first time you went somewhere with them and you just lost
them you remember that feeling you got inside your body now imagine just imagine what that would feel like
when you're talking about a 22 year old girl you have a daughter janet's age if she were killed wouldn't you want to
know what happened to her lynch's eyes welled with tears his lip quivered it took four months and a total of 18
interrogation sessions before lynch finally admitted exactly what he meant when he said janet had attended a party
that went haywire just before 2am on wednesday january 31 1979 lynch and another security guard named
james nelson who went by the nickname bubba made their way down into the front lobby of the blue mill inn
janet was working behind the desk nelson had some exciting news a surprise party was being held in
janet's honor it was taking place at the residence of arthur pyver the head security guard who
was living in a guest house on the grounds of the chemtron paint plant janet stepped out from behind the desk
and the two security guards pinned her arms behind her back and placed her in handcarves
according to lynch janet had no problem with this she believed their story about the
surprise party and allowed the men to blindfold her by duct taping gawes over her eyes
it was lynch himself who came up with the idea to stage a robbery with the janet unable to see
they quickly pocketed cash from behind the front desk and the adjoining office so that it would look like the motel had
been robbed nelson then walked to janet to a waiting car outside several other wackenheart security
guards and a group of female motel employees were standing on a balcony overlooking the front lobby
as janet was whisked away they watched with full awareness of the plan that was about to unfold
with the janet safely off the premises lynch called 9-1-1 and made the false report about overhearing a robbery
taking place when the police arrived he told them that the front desk clerk was nowhere to
be seen needing a few hours of sleep before his shift at chemtron started in the morning
lynch then went back to his room and went to bed exactly what happened to janet at arthur
piper's guesthouse in the hours that followed remains unclear the following day lynch worked his shift as though nothing
had happened it was his job to pay employees their daily allowances while also taking care
of other clerical duties after clocking off at around 6 pm he quickly freshened up then made his way
to arthur piva's place approximately 15 to 20 other guests were already there six of whom were women
janet chandler was among them she had been stripped naked and was sitting on a couch her eyes glazed over
as though she'd been drugged her hands were bound in front of her and her mouth was sealed with duct tape
while the party continued around her music played as several partygoers drank and smoked cannabis and one of the
security guards danced around in his underwear a docile janet chandler was paraded
around the room as the other attendees heckled and shamed her [Music] robert lynch watched on with drink in
hand as a mutual understanding filtered through the crowd it was time to continue the humiliation
one of the other attendees a wackenheart guard named freddie parker fastened his
belt around to janet's neck and led her to an upstairs bedroom several of the guards followed and lined
up at the bedroom door lynch was one of them the group threw janet onto the bed and
blindfolded her with duct tape [Music] one by one they took turns raping her freddie parker kept watch at the door
deciding who was permitted to enter arthur piva had the last say on who was allowed to participate
as pivor assaulted janet he yanked on the belt and shouted you're going to die [ __ ] you're going
to die james nelson robert lynch and freddie parker followed his lead each raping and
choking janet with the belt until she was barely conscious while all of this was taking place
no other guests at the party did anything to intervene in fact they encouraged it
one of janet's female friends was amongst them but lynch couldn't remember her name
[Music] as she watched the guards assault and beat janet her friend looked directly at
her and said you [ __ ] [Music] eventually after all the men were done robert lynch got on top of janet and
used his knees to pin her down on the bed he punched her bit her on the neck and
then tightened his hold on the belt until janet stopped moving when it was clear she was no longer
breathing he ripped the duct tape off her eyes the room erupted into panic arthur pyver threw a chair against the
wall and yelled the [ __ ] party is over aware of what had just happened in the upstairs bedroom most of the partygoers
pitched in to help clean up the crime scene they knew police were on the hunt for
janet and they had to get rid of her body fast janet's binds were removed then several
of the guards washed her down before lynch and williams wrapped her up in a sheet and bundled her into a car
under the cover of darkness lynch hit the snowy roads and drove nearly 40 miles south
eventually he pulled over on the 196 highway and dragged janet's body off towards a snow bank
two weeks later the camtron strike ended and the wackenhut security guards were no longer needed
the men left town vowing never to speak about what had happened during their time in holland
they allegedly operated under a code of silence maintaining the unofficial wackenheart company motto
i know nothing i see nothing i speak only in kind words many of their paths never crossed again
but lynch's involvement with the janet's murder followed him wherever he went he turned to the bottle desperately
trying to erase the night from his memory with the truth about what happened to janet finally revealed one huge question
remained why what motivated this group of individuals to intentionally take janet's life in
the most brutal way possible lynch initially claimed he couldn't remember the name of janet's friend who
had witnessed and encouraged the attack but as he was pressed further he recalled her first name
laurie armed with lynch's confession the detectives confronted laurie swank again
they were at a loss as to why janet's supposed best friend would not only watch as janet was viciously raped but
apparently encourage it swank continued to deny any knowledge of janet's murder detective jeffrey floor gradually turned
up the heat stating you saw lynch kill her didn't you just tell the truth give up the battle just give up the
battle and tell me you saw it you were there when she died weren't you that's why you ran
no longer able to hide the truth swank finally broke admitting that she'd been part of the plan all along
it all started when janet began sleeping with the security guard who was already
romantically involved with one of the blue million maids the maid was furious and she and janet
had a loud confrontation about the matter at the time lori swank had feelings for
arthur piva the head security guard who was living offside at the chemtron guest
house it was soon brought to swank's attention that janet had also been sleeping with
piva swank was delivered wanting revenge against the janet she confronted piva and told him he wasn't
the only guard janet had been fooling around with this information enraged piva who in
turn labelled janet a quote [ __ ] and said that he would take care of it he began speaking to some of the other
guards and maids who felt wronged by janet and they hatched a revenge plan they hoped would humiliate her and quote
teach her a lesson the group believed that janet quote thought a lot of herself and needed to
quote be brought down a few notches arthur pyver robert lynch laurie swank james nelson and three other guards
gathered in the motel lobby and discussed exactly how to proceed they decided that the men would convince
janet they were taking her to a surprise party in her honour and once she agreed
to go they'd call swank to come in and take over janet's shift from there they would take her to pivo's
guest house where they would take turns raping her before eventually taking her life
as they devised the details it was clear that the men were excited about putting
the plan into action [Music] when the attack was underway laurie swank entered the bedroom to find janet
naked and bound on the bed she watched as the guards took turns raping her swank looked right at janet verbally
abused her and cheered the men on after witnessing robert lynch pull on the belt that ultimately killed janet
swank said she feared for her own life although she vowed never to tell another soul what had happened she was riddled
with guilt maintain her innocent facade she attended janet's funeral as did arthur
piva and james nelson swank left holland shortly after in the hopes of leaving the secret behind
but fear followed her wherever she went as the years passed by swank considered coming clean but feared what it would
mean for her relationship with her own family after lynch's confession she decided to
tell the police the whole truth because it was the right thing to do and to janet's family deserved closure
with lynch and swank confessing other witnesses at the party also lifted the veil of silence and admitted their
knowledge of the crime one of arthur piva's former girlfriends at chemtron striker named paddy ward
admitted she had lied when providing an alibi for paiva for the night of the murder
she claimed piva had forced her to say he was with her warning she would end up dead on the
side of the road if she didn't comply ultimately it took the cold case team nearly two and a half years to uncover
the full truth one thing that continued to astound them was just how many people had either
participated in or witnessed the attack on janet yet had remained silent for close to 30 years
it seemed almost inconceivable that someone hadn't come forward earlier a witness who worked as a maid at the
blue mill inn provided some insight she claimed that some of the guards who were involved threatened to kill anyone
who spoke out over the years they paid her visits at random to demand she keep her mouth shut
unless she wanted to end up just like janet the same thing happened to all six women
who attended the party another explanation for the ongoing silence was the possibility that
incriminating photographs existed of the attack a photographer named ronald wyrrick who
had been assigned to capture images of the chemtron strike had also attended the party
according to wyric while he didn't participate in the attack on janet he witnessed the whole thing and had even
taken photos of it he recalled that janet appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness and
occasionally attempted to break free warwick said quote paiva wanted to make sure i had a
picture of him and her together after janet's murder wairik handed the role of film to another guard who
promised to pass it on to paiva warrick claimed that everyone at the party knew about the photos and lived in
fear that paiva could use the photos against them if they ever went to the police
however a search of pivo's home didn't uncover the photos if such images existed they were never
found robert lynch laurie swank arthur pivar james nelson freddie parker and anthony
williams were each charged with three felonies first-degree murder committing a murder
during the commission of a kidnapping and committing a murder during the commission of criminal sexual conduct
if found guilty they'd each face a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole
[Music] at the time of arthur piva's arrest the 54 year old was still living in muskegon
the same city the chandlers lived in at the time of janet's murder he had been there ever since the camtron
strike ended now divorced with two children private denied having anything to do with the
crime and claimed he wasn't even at the party he told one reporter i can't believe that everyone that was
supposedly there would say i was there the other accused men also staunchly denied their involvement
59 year old james bubba nelson was living in west virginia with his two autistic sons
he was claiming social security benefits when police approached him and placed him under arrest
nelson admitted to having sexual relations with janet that denied having anything to do with her murder
49 year old freddie parker who now walked with a cane as a result of diabetes claimed he moved to west
virginia nine days before janet's murder took place not only was this disproved by multiple
witness statements but an ex-girlfriend of parker's who worked as a maid at the blue mill inn said she heard him loudly
bragging about his involvement in the crime the fifth and final guard anthony williams was extradited from wisconsin
and claimed he wasn't at the party on the night that janet was killed as the trial dates approached robert
lynch agreed to provide a full detailed confession in exchange for a second-degree murder charge
subsequently he was sentenced to 40 years in prison with a minimum of 25 years at lynch's sentencing janet's parents
finally had the chance to address one of the men responsible for their daughter's
death janet's mother glenna addressed lynch directly as she said you broke our family circle but it will
be complete again in heaven with the janet tell us what lesson did you teach your family
janet's father jim also attempted to address lynch but his hands began shaking uncontrollably and he was so
overcome with emotion that he had to be let out of the courtroom when robert lynch was given
the opportunity to speak he mumbled i hope the family rests in peace and i ask forgiveness from janet
i worked hard for 18 months to see this come to an end and i hope it does in exchange for the lesser charge of
second-degree murder laurie swank agreed to testify against the guards at trial with her testimony and lynch's
confession the defendants barely stood a chance regardless each pleaded not guilty and
maintained they weren't at the party and didn't have knowledge of the crime however as the trial approached it was
revealed that lynch wouldn't be taking the stand he was diagnosed with alcohol-related
dementia and the prosecution concluded that he wasn't credible enough to be put before a jury
with no dna or physical evidence tying the accused men to the crime the case would have to rely heavily on lori
swank's testimony on october 17 2007 a bleary-eyed disheveled looking swank took the stand
and took the court step by step through the events of janet's murder from the planning to the attack itself
she spared no details fully admitting to her role in the plot as well as to being
part of what she called the cheer squad swank admitted that she was motivated by
jealousy as janet was more popular with the guards than she was the prosecutor said
i have to ask you because i know the jury's thinking right now what was going through your head
why for god's sake were you participating in this swank replied that she was angry and
jealous when the prosecutor asked how she justified this to herself swank responded
i can't swank's testimony was bolstered by two former blue million maids cheryl ruaz
and diane marsman who knew of the plan and also attended the party priva's ex-girlfriend paddy ward also
testified each of the women named robert lynch arthur piva james nelson freddie parker
and anthony williams as being involved diane marsman said janet was a mess she looked very scared
they were raping her they pretty much all took turns in robert lynch's confession he noted
that janet's eyes had been glazed over during the attack as though she'd been drugged
however a toxicology test done after janet's body was found revealed no traces of drugs in her system
nor did anyone give testimony to her being drugged it was determined the glazed look in
janet's eyes was most likely a physical reaction to shark throughout the trial it emerged that as
many as 12 guards had participated in the attack on janet either by being part of the planning session or in the gang
rape itself state prosecutors were faced with a decision about whether or not to pursue
charges against other individuals ultimately they decided only to charge pytha nelson lynch parker and williams
as they had the strongest evidence against them however prosecutors remained open to the
possibility that further people could be charged in the future on november 1 the jury returned to the
courtroom to deliver their verdicts glenna chandler burst into tears and buried her face in her husband's
shoulder as the jury found all four of the defendants guilty of two counts each of felony murder
arthur piva was also convicted of first-degree murder while freddie parker james nelson and anthony williams were
each convicted of second-degree murder the four men sat stone-faced while members of their families broke down
freddie parker's sister was so overcome with emotion that paramedics had to come
to her aid meanwhile jim chandler whispered amen a former detective who had worked the
original case was brought to tears commenting outside of court it's about time i'm sorry it took so
long holland police chief john krytoff hoped the verdict would bring some relief for
janet's family remarking i just hope and pray they can have peace and closure finally with this conviction
this is going to help them but probably it won't close it in their hearts the sentencing hearing commenced in
december 2007 jim and glenna chandler bravely fronted the court with the gym saying
glenna and i have been waiting 28 years for this day they thought they got away with it and
for the most part they did they thanked the cold case team for their tireless efforts in solving
janet's case and for the care and respect they'd shown throughout the investigation
glenna said she and her husband had accepted they had to let janet go remarking we've left her in the lord's hands
the four defendants avoided looking in the chandler's direction none of the men opted to address the
court before they were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole
outside court atiri jim chandler said what can they say they all say they weren't there and
they're innocent as a christian i just say we should probably forgive however you have to ask for forgiveness
and none of these arrogant people showed remorse much less asked for forgiveness
glennar added i do feel sorry for the parents and families of the men i can't feel sorry for the men
i can't hate them because that would make me just like them each of the four men subsequently
attempted to appeal their convictions arguing that the witness testimonies had been unreliable and that there was no
physical evidence tying them to the crime all of their appeals were denied in march 2013 arthur piva passed away in
prison on his 61st birthday after serving just five years of his life sentence three years later in 2016
laurie swank was released on parole in june 2020 james nelson also passed away from natural causes
that leaves just three of the six individuals convicted of janet chandler's murder still behind bars as
of early 2022 [Music] for the hope college students who were involved in making the who killed janet
chandler documentary nothing could have prepared them for the events that unfolded as a result of their project
one student remarked i learned to appreciate life a lot more that's for sure i mean the more you research death the
more you appreciate living day after day for sarah hartman the student who had nervously interviewed janet's parents
for the film the experience taught her that something that seems small to begin with can have a huge impact
you never know what's going to happen sarah said the outcome had a profound impact on
david shock the associate professor who came up with the idea to make the documentary
shock left teaching and founded an organization called delayed justice in which he uses his film and research
skills to shine a light on other unsolved crimes his work has helped bring about charges
in another unsolved murder driven by the need to see fairness and justice restored for grieving families
shock operates under the premise somebody knows something somebody always knows something
[Music] a year after the trial the chantler family attempted to sue the wackenheart
corporation for damages relating to mental pain and anguish funeral expenses and punitive damages
they argued that several of the security guards were unfit for employment and the
company was negligent in failing to run adequate background checks or providing suitable supervision
the lawsuit was thrown out due to it being lodged outside of michigan's statute of limitations
in a 2008 interview with nbc's dateline journalist victoria corderi asked the jim and glenna chandler if they thought
justice had been served for their daughter glennar answered yes for janet these other ones have to live with what
they did but we know where she's at and we know that she's with our lord jim disagreed
replying no there's closure but i don't think there will ever be justice [Music]
i've been writing about real police cases for nearly three decades now and there are few more tragic than the case
of sarah mcdermott with sarah's disappearance there's an element of patience of being
collected she was always a very good daughter if she was out someone going to be late
she would ring and let us know she was seen by several witnesses walking toward the car park and then sarah mcdermott
was gone when she's come down the bottom of the stairs and walked towards the car
park she's virtually walked into the darkness when sarah's family reported her missing police mounted an extensive
search i could see blood on the bitumen underneath the car that was parked at the driver's side of her
car the the blood on the ground it sort of indicated to everybody that there'd been foul play a couple of suspects
emerged ahead of the rest and he said well when i do get out you'll be one of the first people i look for and i said
why is it and he said because i just like to kill you she said you know that murder that was up at the cannon nook
station i was there with two other blokes and i'm worried because i don't know how staunch they are who knows what
he did if he killed sarah and disposed of her body maybe he thinks i can get away with this they don't know where she
is they don't know who did it just how many other women were followed from the canonical railway station will never
know so i was walking along there and i could hear footsteps behind me and they were
getting closer and they yelled out to me don't take the shortcut take the bridge
i just think those men at the dotto saved my life the evidence is out there so pulled out a couple of the cards and
looked at the name and it said sarah mcdermott searching for sarah mcdermott out now for free only on spotify
[Music]

Case 201: Janet Chandler

When 22-year-old Janet Chandler is abducted while working the night shift at the Blue Mill Inn on January 31 1979, her disappearance appears to be part of a robbery. However, when Janet’s body is found in a snowbank the following morning, it raises more questions than answers.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-201-janet-chandler

Brief Summary

The episode details Janet Chandler's abduction and murder, the investigation, and the impact of a documentary on the case.

Key points

The Abduction of Janet Chandler. Janet Chandler was taken from the Blue Mill Inn, leading to a frantic search.
Janet's Body Discovered. A snowplow driver finds Janet's body in a snowbank, leading to a major investigation.
The Investigation Intensifies. The case becomes a priority as detectives from various departments join the search.
Theories and Speculations. Multiple theories emerge about Janet's abduction and murder, but no answers are found.
The Documentary's Impact. The documentary about Janet Chandler reignites interest in her cold case.
A Shocking Revelation. Robert Lynch admits to his intimate relationship with Janet, revealing new leads.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I just think those men at Vidato saved my life.

A survivor reflects on a life-saving moment.

0:16WatchMar 4, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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