He is a certified police instructor who has taught nationally and who has authored training manuals. Millers parts are more exciting because youre following along as good police officers unravel the mystery. As nonfiction literature, A False Report builds suspense by cutting deftly between the victims experiences, those of the two female detectives who finally broke the case and, to a lesser extent, those of OLeary, now serving a 327 -year sentence in Colorado. A serial rapist first attacks a teenage girl at home in Lynnwood, and then an older woman in Kirkland, before leaving Washington to continue his horrific exploits in Colorado. anthonyaubermann@thebureaugroup.com. If you or someone you know needs help or has been affected by sexual assault, call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Even after everything she had been through, Marie still found her happiest years when she was 16 and 17. He's declined to speak with any outlets and told Miller and Armstrong he'd only discuss the case if they paid him towhile maintaining his non-factual beliefs about "victims who lie" and a "biased story." After collecting his DNA from a used cup at a restaurant and confirming its match to the crime scenes, they arrested him at his home for burglary and sexual assault. Known in the real world as Sgt Jeffrey Mason and Detective Jerry Rittgarn, the two detectives who questioned Marie were subjected to both internal and external reviews in the aftermath of this whole ordeal. * Use of the seal for the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI and the National Academy in no way are an endorsement of the Bureau Group. EEAAO star gives tearful speech after historic win, The best Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom deals, What Bundy Tapes criticism says about true crime, What Murdaugh Murders: Southern Scandal misses out, What Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker leaves out, What Stonehouse skips about the runaway politician, What Dahmer leaves out about Christopher Scarver. Crying, said she was "pretty positive" the rape occurred, and that wasn't affirmative enough for the cops. Review: Bruce Springsteen reminds Seattle no one works a room like the Boss, ZooTunes reveals a stellar concert lineup for summer 2023, Are you too fat for Universals new Mario Kart ride? Hiring a private investigator can help in all kinds of situations ranging from finding a birth parent to improving personal security. And to make matters worse, she received a letter stating that she was wanted in court and being charged with false reporting, punishable by up to a year in jail. When word got out, even Maries friends turned against her. Theyremained truthful to the details and the investigation, but out of respect for all of the women, they changed their names. A native of West Michigan, he graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in business administration and accounting. It was Marie. These contested stories divide our sympathies and spur angry debates. I'm torn all over again . If this hadnt been documented in their reports, I would have been skeptical that this actually happened. Its an important and instructive book that has the potential to improve policing across the country, and contrasts good and bad policing. Mr. Colby has an extensive background in undercover operations at both the federal and state levels. The most straightforward and specific you can be regarding your needs, the better you can nail down the actual cost. Again, no experience with sexual . Once you've watched all eight episodes of Unbelievable on Netflix, it's easy to see how the show got its name, for a variety of reasons. The 65-year-old victim he interviewed was matter-of-fact rather than emotional, much like Marie, but he didnt discount her credibility, and that withholding of judgment helped catch the serial attacker. The police there wrote off as unfounded 21 percent of the rape reports they received during the five years in which the book unfolds. Notably, these projects provide exposure to some of the fastest growing municipalities of Madrid, with strong employment creation . What made the story so memorable was not the methodical brutality of Marc OLearys attacks but the way his first victim, an 18-year-old named Marie, was treated by local police when she reported the assault. In real life, the detectives' names are Stacy Galbraith and Edna Hendershot, but again, thats pretty much the only thing that was changed in this story. Kalamazoo, MI If you value what were doing, please consider contributing to our Patreon, and allow us to continue to grow and provide coverage of our community. Bill Blynn has been involved in law enforcement since 1972. Marie is a real person, and she was coerced into falsifying her rape report at 18 years old. Additionally, DNA samples obtained from three of the linked crimes pinpointed a paternal family line to question. The next paragraph in Armstrong and Williams book notes Det. Hed been an investigator for more than two decades by then. RELATED: 10 Things In Netflix's Unbelievable That Were Shockingly Real. Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? They found her manner suspiciously unemotional, and detected slight inconsistencies in her story. They informed her that multiple other women were assaulted in the same exact fashion, and evidence was found to prove her innocence. Marty Vander Vliet retired in November 2016 after 26 years as an FBI Special Agent assigned to the Detroit and Grand Rapids FBI Offices. In real life, Rittgarn left the department before Maries attack was caught. Jeffrey Mason and Jerry Rittgarn. But which brother is the rapist? Both former foster moms apologized for mistrusting her. Grand Haven, MI One person they didn't talk to was one of the two officers who were tasked with investigating the case, Detective Jerry Rittgarn, who looks to have scrubbed almost everything off of his LinkedIn . The parallel tales allow Miller and Armstrong to juxtapose the damage of a botched rape investigation and the triumph of careful and skilled police work. He has testified in hundreds of criminal and civil cases at all levels of both state and federal courts. Another woman close to Marie, a second foster mother, was also uncertain. Clearly, neither one of these detectives was qualified to deal with sexual-assault crimes in the way that Galbraith and Hendershot were. Hes now in prison for life. (Marie, meanwhile, received a $150,000 settlement from the city of Lynnwood and $500 to reimburse her court costs.). Hendershot told her about a 2010 Westminster rape case that was eerily similar to Galbratihs in Golden. In the case of A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America, the answer, for crime aficionados, is yes. A black-masked man jolted awake a 59-year-old woman, tied her up, and took pictures of her. Unbelievable is available to stream on Netflix now. The dots were connecting themselves, and amidst their search for more, they uncovered another victim who had escaped a similar attack around the same time. What happens next is of monumental importance, and I hope the right people take the right lessons from this book. Im thankful for the hard work and skill Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller put into their reporting. Detective Parker is the first detective to question Marie at the station, in real life and this mans name is Sgt. While still dealing with the trauma of what had just happened to her, Marie eventually buckled under the pressure and retracted her statement in a desperate attempt to escape and return home. His LinkedIn page indicates he works for a private investigation firm in San Diego. The Police Departments in the three places in Colorado (Aurora, Golden and Westminster) pooled their clues and figured out they were probably looking for the same attacker. Hastings, MI The doubt that Marie confronted, on the other hand, leaves no trail of did he or didnt he. Jerry L Rittgarn Jr, age 50s, lives in San Diego, CA. View Linet Jose Perez's business profile as Investigator at Community of Madrid. Mr. Alexander has been involved in numerous FBI investigations to include white collar crimes, violent crimes, crimes against children and the elderly, crimes against corporations, and crimes against federal/local governments. Her retraction came after detectives Sgt. She called its authorities the next morning, and was immediately paired with Westminster Detective Edna Hendershot (portrayed as character Grace Rasmussen in Unbelievable, played by Toni Collette). Johnson has over 30 years of experience in Federal and State law enforcement as a senior investigator and also as a manager. The Bureau Group has the ability to provide a wide range of investigative, security, and training services for corporations and/or individuals on a local or an international level. (805) 445-1997 info@verdict.net Over the course of his career, Mr. Blynn has conducted a wide variety of investigations to include surveillance operations, fugitive investigations, bank robbery investigations, kidnapping investigations, white collar crime cases, and wire fraud investigations. RELATED: 10 Weird True Crime Stories Netflix Should Cover In A Documentary Next. Wesshe Montegumry. Jerry Rittgarn asked Marie, according to the report. Bureau Group personnel are proud members of these associations. Our pictures and experiences are listed on our website because we believe our experience levels and our expertise are what set us far apart from other investigative agencies. Detective Sgt. Men in uniform swarm Maries apartment, going through her things, collecting evidence, and asking Marie to tell her story, again, and again, and again. An unexpected strength of the book is the chance it affords Jeffrey Mason, one of the original detectives who doubted Marie, to look back on his mistakes. "I think this show has done that incredibly well, and was never about gender or saying 'Because they were male detectives, that's why they didn't have compassion for it. The message could not be clearer: old theories on why to distrust women reporting rape still influence many of us today, which makes this an especially timely work. Most of it didnt take them by surprise, except for one photo of an unidentified, bound teenage girl. Since I read it over two years ago, the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning story An Unbelievable Story of Rape has never been far from my mind. Jeffrey Mason (who was the lead investigator) and Jerry Rittgarn. Those are twin narratives that run through the piece and how theyre told individually is captivating. "We're just telling the story, and we are giving the facts," Kaitlyn says. Ph: 616-240-1937 After weeks of running into dead ends, detectives Galbraith and Hendershot decide to broaden their scope. Though stranger rape isnt the norm for sexual assault, or the focus of the sexual misconduct fueling the #MeToo moment in which this book appears, it offers broadly relevant lessons. It should come as no surprise, then, that Mason left that field behind soon after, returning to narcotics to lead his own task force. Holland, MI He also has specialized training in installing and detecting various covert devices to include cameras, microphones, and global positioning systems (GPS). Miller and Armstrong teamed up for the project that became this book when they discovered they were working on it separately. Where you live in the country . Ph: 616-901-7796 1000 Paseo Camarillo Ste 206, Camarillo, CA 93010. His name is Marc OLeary. For me, its the case even the most craven apologists for unrestrained police power cant explain away. A dive into either version serves as a testament to how sexual assault survivors are often dismissed by the people theyre supposed to trust the most. She lost her subsidized apartment and many of her friends. He earned his Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice and Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and he is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan. Its not until three years and many more rape victims later, that Maries original claims are investigated and her attacker is brought to justice by a couple of amazing female detectives. Jeffrey Mason, a detective on the case, the day after the assault occurred to report that Marie had a past history of trying to get attention and she was unsure whether or not the attack actually took place. In an effort to close and lock the lid on the event forever, she accepted. The book-length version fills in his portrait, and it is chilling. A forty-six-year-old woman wasattacked in her home by a man wearing a black mask and wielding a knife. It was a complete failure for the Lynnwood PD and something that is absolutely impossible to defend or excuse. On the rapists computer, they found the photos he took of Marie. "I'm watching #Unbelievable and the differences of approach in questioning rape victims by male and female cops is incredibly alarming. It was a story out of a horror movie or a Law & Order script. The sight titillated 5-year-old Marc, who later said hed imprinted on fear and humiliation like a young animal bonding to the first creature it sees.. Mr. Blynn is an FBI-certified Police Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and SWAT Agent. No other investigative firm in West Michigan has this capability. That is, unfortunately by design, with Thomas Jefferson writing to James Madison in 1786, that he thought rape shouldnt be punished as severe as other crimes on account of the temptation women would be under to make it the instrument of vengeance against an inconstant lover, and of disappointment to a rival. Yikes. Others were less willing to engage publicly in such self-reflection. Prior to her new position, she was the Senior News and Entertainment Editor for the brand, covering and editing all things in the entertainment, pop culture and celebrity world forGood Housekeeping. Personal Details & Biography. Why didnt you write that you made the story up? Detective Sgt. The in-depth piece considers every disturbing detail, most of which were studied and implemented (many times word for word) into the storys TV rendition. Steve Crumb retired from the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office in 2005. He then took photographs that he threatened to post online if she went to the police. Because I feel that if I would have shut my mouth, she said. This eight-part limited series is based on true and horrific events that happened to real people and the creators of this show kept that at the forefront of their minds throughout the entire process. She was a teenager coming out of foster care and her sense of self and her support system was tentative and fragile. Mr. Aubermann was also certified as an FBI Undercover Agent. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Marc OLeary was the man who, after many years of getting away with it, was eventually caught and taken into custody in February of 2011. The failures of the Lynnwood Police Department, massive and unforgivable as they are, is not the sole focus of this article, though. He also directed and controlled the administration of credit card fraud investigations and related responsibilities, to include overseeing the case management of investigations involving Workers Compensation claims. It is also about how the dogged police work in Colorado led to the capturing of a serial rapist, Marc OLeary. Jeffrey Mason questioned whether he was qualified to do his job after more than 20 years as a cop when he learned hed helped prosecute a vulnerable rape victim. While her managers waited outside, Marie insisted with Rittgarn that her attack did happen, and that she wanted to take a lie detector test to prove her innocence. Crying, said she was pretty positive the rape occurred, and that wasnt affirmative enough for the cops. Back when the report was published in 2015, Rider described Marie's case as a "major failing" for his department: "Knowing that she went through that brutal attack and then we told her she lied? 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