RAPID CITY, SD — In 1994, Tina Marcotte disappeared, and police suspected foul play. About 5 days later the primary suspect was discovered lifeless, his head crushed underneath a forklift at work.
What grew to become often known as the “forklift thriller” started round midnight on June 23, 1994, when 30-year-old Marcotte, a mom of three kids, completed her shift at Black Hills Molding on Freeway 79. Her
with a knife, so she known as a buddy named Vicky Riddle for a experience. Midway by the dialog she reportedly stated assist arrived. “Tom who used to work right here” would take her residence, in line with information experiences on the time.
It was the final time anybody would hear from Marcotte. A media frenzy ensued; the story was featured
on the NBC documentary television show “Unsolved Mysteries
” in 1996.
Reporters raised doubts about what they known as circumstantial proof pointing to the first suspect, Tom Kueter.
Investigators feared Marcotte was murdered, and 29-year-old Kueter’s dying was labeled a suicide. In police tip experiences supplied to Discussion board Information Service by Marcotte’s sister, Kathy Hartz, the incident was known as the “forklift thriller.”
Contributed / Newspapers.com
The case remained unsolved till January 2012. Hartz, in addition to Kueter’s widow, Nancy Kueter Steinlicht, believed Kueter was harmless, and by no means formally heard how the case was solved till after Discussion board Information Service contacted them.
An open information request underneath
by Discussion board Information Service was rejected by the Fast Metropolis Police Division, however the division answered questions associated to the case, which seems to be the primary time the division has publicly reported the case closed and the killer discovered, in line with Discussion board Information Service’s investigation.
“Blood from the footwear Tom Kueter was carrying on the night time of Tina’s disappearance was analyzed and in comparison with DNA samples supplied by Tina’s quick organic household. Outcomes from this evaluation decided the blood was a match to Tina’s with a 98.7% diploma of certainty,” stated Brendyn Medina, spokesperson for the Fast Metropolis Police Division. “If this case had been to play out right this moment, we consider Tom could be arrested and prosecuted for Tina’s homicide.”
Contributed / Kathy Hartz
A
social media post on Facebook by Unsolved Mysteries
in 2016, 4 years after the case closed, reported related findings.
Questions stay for Hartz and Steinlicht, nonetheless. Why weren’t they contacted in 2012? The place was the media when police closed the case? How can a small quantity of blood on Kueter’s footwear decide his guilt?
“They selected to not inform me, these had been the precise phrases,” Steinlicht advised Discussion board Information Service. She known as police after listening to on-line rumors in regards to the case in 2016. Her story is effectively documented, however she declined to retell it for publication. She has struggled for 31 years to show her husband’s innocence.
“I simply began bawling. I felt like they didn’t know the stuff I’m going by,” Steinlicht stated.
Hartz, who was Marcotte’s principal household contact earlier than the case was closed, additionally heard in regards to the rumors and contacted police after Discussion board Information Service started its investigation into the “forklift thriller.”
Contributed / Newspapers.com
“They by no means known as me. I discovered from my niece,” Hartz advised Discussion board Information Service. “She advised me that they had contacted household and closed the case. I discovered that basically odd. The entire time my sister was lacking they contacted me, up till 2012. That appears bizarre to me”
After listening to information of the DNA proof, Hartz nonetheless believes Kueter is harmless.
“I’m positive Kueter was there, however I don’t assume he did it. The way in which they hit her there would have been much more blood splatter than a tiny spot on his shoelace,” stated Hartz.
The Fast Metropolis Police Division stated that the “forklift thriller” case occurred at a time when transparency was minimal. At present, the division is open to assembly with household to supply a greater understanding of the case, stated Medina.
“We’re keenly conscious that this murder case is exclusive and possesses a substantial amount of uncommon elements,” Medina stated. “I can inform you, had been this case to happen in a contemporary setting, public details about the preliminary findings and ongoing investigation could be made extra available, as would victims’ advocacy sources for affected relations.”
Contributed / Kathy Hartz
The ‘forklift thriller’
On the night time Marcotte went lacking, her live-in boyfriend, Patrick Gleason, advised police he awoke round 4 a.m. and he or she wasn’t residence. The following investigation shortly targeted on Kueter, who had a tough-guy repute, police advised information retailers on the time.
Kueter, a former coworker of Marcotte’s, denied giving her a experience. He spent the night time at a softball recreation, and one other three hours fixing his automobile underneath a headlight, an alibi that police couldn’t corroborate. He returned residence round 3:30 a.m., and washed his shirt, and later his shoelaces, in line with information experiences.
Contributed / Newspapers.com
It was the three lacking hours that originally drew investigators’ consideration. Though Kueter acted usually, went to work, took the household to swimming swimming pools and met with kin, the police started circling. They took his automobile as a result of they believed there was blood inside. They interviewed him at work; they requested for his garments.
“Somebody is attempting to border me, they usually’re doing a very good job of it,” Kueter advised his spouse, in line with the Fast Metropolis Journal.
Contributed / Newspapers.com
Early on June 28, 1994, Kueter left for work. He advised his spouse he beloved her, and police gave him a experience to his job as a forklift driver at Forest Merchandise Distributors, a wooden processing plant.
Two hours later, coworkers discovered Kueter lifeless, his head crushed underneath a forklift.
The
Pennington County Coroner’s office later ruled
that Kueter dedicated suicide by mendacity in entrance of the forklift and permitting it to crush him, the Fast Metropolis Journal reported.
Suicide meant Kueter’s household couldn’t obtain the insurance coverage payout. Suicide implied that he was responsible. Suicide price his widow and their two younger kids hundreds of {dollars} in employee’s compensation advantages. For 31 years, Nancy refuses to consider her husband — her highschool sweetheart — would kill himself, in line with information experiences.
His obituary labeled his dying as an industrial accident, and Steinlicht was ultimately in a position to overturn the coroner’s verdict in courtroom practically 5 years later, in line with information experiences.
Contributed / Kathy Hartz
Marcotte was sometimes a shy girl, stated Hartz, including they had been shut: rising up they might continuously take journeys to the lakes or mountains, and “hang around on a regular basis.”
A mom of three kids, Marcotte labored as a lumber grader at Black Hills Molding, a well known cupboard firm earlier than it closed in 2012.
Marcotte’s physique was not discovered till October 11, 1995, about 16 months after she disappeared. At about midday, a employee at Forest Merchandise Distributors was transferring a pile of outdated scrap wooden. Just a few items fell off the loader, and when he tossed them again in, he noticed the physique within the load of wooden, in line with the Fast Metropolis Journal.
Her physique was badly decomposed, however a 11-page post-mortem report by Donald Habbe, a forensic pathologist, supplied to Discussion board Information Service by Hartz, decided she died from “large cranial trauma,” presumably from lumber, and that her physique was almost definitely by no means moved after being dumped underneath the wooden pile.
Months earlier than Marcotte’s physique was discovered, Hartz started her personal investigation after receiving a phone name from a psychic she knew as Bobbette. She wished to assist Hartz discover her lacking sister.
“Your sister is close to water, however there isn’t any water,” Hartz stated the psychic advised her.
She met with the psychic, who took her to a truck cease, two trailer parks, and pointed to a van that belonged to somebody she knew. Then she pointed to a trailer home on Hidden Springs Highway close to Fast Metropolis, South Dakota. It belonged to somebody she knew, and one thing, the psychic stated, occurred there.
Different psychics advised her that Marcotte, 30-year-old mom of three kids, was killed throughout a drug deal. One other psychic projected her disappearance started with an incident at a bowling alley.
Contributed / Newspapers.com
Steinlicht’s investigation
In 1995, the Fast Metropolis Journal reported that investigators argued the
included:
- Riddle’s name
- Three lacking hours
- Suspicious laundry cleansing
- A suicide re-enactment
- Kueter’s tough-guy repute
Doubt was solid on Riddle’s name, nonetheless, after Steinlicht handed a lie detector take a look at in 1995 associated to a dialog she had with Riddle, who stated she couldn’t clearly bear in mind what identify Marcotte advised her.
“I used to be ingesting lots and actually really feel silly and stated that the names had been Ron, Don, Tom or one thing like that,” Riddles reportedly advised Nancy.
The declare was an try and discredit Riddle, the Fast Metropolis Police Division stated.
“These claims had been investigated, denied by Ms. Riddle, discovered to be unsubstantiated, and decided to be makes an attempt by Tom Keuter to insert himself into the preliminary levels of the investigation,” Medina stated.
Steinlicht refused to consider her husband would kill anybody, and was adamant that he didn’t commit suicide. There was no suicide notice. There was no bodily proof linking Kueter to Marcotte.
Nothing appeared so as to add up so Steinlicht began her personal investigation in 1995. She employed an lawyer and personal investigator, who interviewed dozens of individuals. She additionally labored with psychologist, who concluded Kueter didn’t commit suicide, the Fast Metropolis Journal reported.
Nancy’s crew of investigators discovered Kueter’s coworkers, and one man who claimed one other coworker supplied him $500 to interrupt Kueter’s legs over a dispute a couple of new forklift. The accused coworker then bragged about hitting Kueter over the pinnacle and placing him underneath a forklift, which had a parking brake malfunction.
Each coworkers handed lie detector checks, and investigators discredited the coworkers’ involvement.
“Through the course of the investigation, and a number of follow-up interviews … police didn’t flip up any proof of felony involvement by both of those two people,” Medina advised Discussion board Information Service.
Contributed / Nancy Kueter Steinlicht
Hartz and Steinlicht grew to become buddies shortly after Marcotte went lacking, Hartz stated.
“I didn’t know Tom. I didn’t know Nancy,” Hartz stated. “Deep in my intestine it didn’t sound correct that it was Tom. Even when he did have one thing to do with it, Nancy didn’t. I consider he knew one thing, and that’s why he was killed,”
Years in the past, they repeatedly went to the Fast Metropolis Police station collectively, asking for info to seek out closure, however discovered none.
Now that the Fast Metropolis Police Division reported to Discussion board Information Service that they’re prepared and able to meet with household, they plan on taking the journey once more.
