The Skeleton Key Chronicles

15 hours ago

Adam Walsh was just six years old when what should have been an ordinary shopping trip with his mom turned into one of the most heartbreaking missing child cases in American history.

On July 27th, 1981, Adam and his mother were shopping at a Sears store in Hollywood, Florida. While she browsed a nearby department, Adam stayed near the front of the store playing video games with a group of other boys. At some point, the boys got a lottle too rambunxious so a security guard asked them to leave the area. The boys obliged. When Adam's mother returned just a short time later, Adam was nowhere to be found.

An enormous search followed as volunteers, law enforcement, and the community looked for the little boy. Sixteen days later, Adam was found deceased more than 100 miles from his home. In 2008, Hollywood police officially closed the case, naming Ottis Toole as the person they believed was responsible. Although investigators considered the case solved, questions surrounding Toole's confession have continued to be discussed over the years.

Adam's father, John Walsh, turned his family's grief into a lifelong mission to help other families. He went on to host America's Most Wanted and became one of the country's most recognizable advocates for victims and missing children. Adam's case also became a catalyst for major changes in child safety, helping inspire the creation of Code Adam, NCMEC, and later the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

More than four decades later, Adam's name is still recognized across the country, not only because of the case that captured national attention, but because his legacy continues to shape how missing children are protected and how families are supported when the unthinkable happens. … See MoreSee Less

The Skeleton Key Chronicles

19 hours ago

The case against singer d4vd, whose real name is David Burke, continued to take shape today as prosecutors called the medical examiner, forensic experts and detectives to testify during the preliminary hearing. One of the day's key witnesses was the deputy medical examiner, who testified about the autopsy and the challenges involved because of the condition of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's remains. The court also heard from additional LAPD forensic specialists, including a DNA analyst, as prosecutors introduced more forensic evidence they say connects Burke to the case.

Earlier in the hearing, detectives testified that Burke allegedly bought several items investigators consider significant to the case, among them a chainsaw and a shovel which were recovered during the execution of a search warrant. According to testimony, some of the orders were placed under the alias "Trayvion Davis," but investigators said they were paid for with Burke's own cards and delivered to his home.

Prosecutors have also presented forensic evidence collected from Burke's vehicle, home and garage as they continue outlining their case before the judge. Burke has pleaded not guilty. The preliminary hearing is expected to continue before the judge decides whether there is enough evidence for the case to move forward to trial.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

1 day ago

Some disappearances leave behind a trail of clues. Others leave almost nothing at all. Bonnie Lee Schultz's case is one of them. In July 1997, the 45-year-old Indianapolis mother of two disappeared along with the blue 1990 Mercury Sable station wagon she was driving. Nearly 30 years later, neither she nor her car has ever been found.

The night before she went missing, Bonnie had been out celebrating a coworker's birthday, making several stops before ending the evening at the Time Out Lounge. Around 4:45 a.m., she was last seen leaving in her car.

Later that afternoon, when Bonnie still hadn't returned, her husband, Richard "Rick" Schultz, reported her missing. As investigators worked to piece together what happened, they learned Bonnie had told Rick earlier that she wanted a divorce after 26 years of marriage. He became an early focus of the investigation and was questioned extensively over the years. Although investigators said a polygraph indicated deception, he was never charged and maintained his innocence until his passing in 2022.

Some believe Bonnie crossed paths with someone after leaving the bar that morning. Others think the answer may have been hidden underwater all along and that she accidentally drove into a retention pond or the White River before reaching home. Over the years, law enforcement and independent dive teams have searched area waterways, locating several submerged vehicles, but none turned out to be Bonnie's Mercury Sable.

Nearly three decades later, Bonnie Lee Schultz's disappearance remains unsolved, and without finding either Bonnie or the car she was driving, no one knows what really happened that July morning.

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