Welcome to episode one of Don't Talk to Strangers, a long look inside a series of child murders

that took place in the Metro Detroit area between January 1976 and March 1977. Because we are

discussing the murder and sexual assault of children, this content may not be appropriate for all audiences.

Listener discretion is advised.

During a 15-month period from January 1, 1976, through the end of March, 1977, nine children

in the Detroit area were murdered.

Some were assaulted in their homes.

Others plucked off the streets.

Three of these cases are resolved.

Two of those three cases saw the perpetrator sent to prison for their actions.

The other six cases. The other six child murders. We have no answers. There is no justice.

Families wait. Communities still ask and still wonder,

Who did this? Why did this happen?

And when will we know the truth?

Over the next several episodes, we will revisit this terrifying time.

Exploring what it was like to live through and grow up with a child murderer active in the community.

I was a young girl when the killings occurred, but I remember the blaring headlines.

I remember the whispers of adults and the fear in the community.

That fear lingers. It left a mark on how we raise our

own children, even now, 40-some years later. These cases and the people involved have been

looked at, examined, checked over, and in the public eye, but only recently, perhaps in the last 10 or 15 years.

At the time of the killings, the public was kept in the dark. We were given half-truths, and in some cases,

...