Amy Mihaljevic

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2:16Today, I'm discussing the case of Amy Mihaljevic. Back in October 1989, 10-year-old Amy began receiving phone calls from a man who claimed to work with her mom. This man told Amy that her mom got a promotion at work, and he needed Amy's help picking out a gift. They arranged to meet up, and Amy was never seen alive again. Despite an extensive investigation, with tens of thousands of hours spent on leads and potential suspects, her case remains unsolved to this day. But as of recording this episode, just a few weeks ago, investigators say that they have brand new evidence that they hope will finally lead to answers.

3:00This is the case of Amy Mihaljevic.

3:05On Friday, October 27, 1989, at about 3 p.m., 13-year-old Jason Mihaljevic is returning home from school in Bay Village. It's a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He expected to find his 10-year-old sister, Amy, home from Bay Village Middle School, where she was a 5th grade student. But Amy wasn't there. So Jason just followed his routine. Every day after school, he and Amy would call their mom, Margaret, who worked at Trading Times Magazine, to tell them that they got home from school safe. So Jason calls his mom at work and says that he's home, but Amy isn't there. Now, she isn't really overly concerned at this point.

3:45Amy had mentioned going to choir tryouts after school. So she just told Jason to call again if Amy wasn't home by 3.30. So at 3.30, when Amy still wasn't home, Jason did exactly that. Now, at this point, Margaret started getting ready to go home and just figure out what's going on. But then, between 3.30 and 4 p.m., Amy called her. She sounded totally normal, like any other check-in on any other day. So Margaret assumed that Amy was calling from home. Margaret later discussed this call in an interview with Cleveland magazine. She said that she asked Amy how the tryouts went, and Amy responded, okay.

4:26When she asked how Amy was doing, it was another brief response, fine. The conversation was short. It ended with bye and see you soon. So Margaret just goes back to work, and she gets home sometime between 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., depending on the source. Of course, when she gets home, she realizes that Amy wasn't there and likely didn't make the call from the house. So Margaret starts calling around to friends and neighbors to see if anyone had seen Amy, but no one had. She also retraced Amy's usual route from home to school, and then she found it. Amy's bike was still locked up at the bike rack.

5:09Margaret later told Cleveland Magazine, quote, I knew right then it was something terrible. I never said it, but that bike. I was sick. I was shaking. I knew something terrible had happened to Amy. At about 6, Margaret drove to the Bay Village Police Department to report Amy missing. At first, they weren't really alarmed. Bay Village was known to be a very safe place, but they did take immediate action and went to Amy's home to investigate. And really, this is the scene that Amy's dad Mark walks into. He was actually on a work trip about four hours away in Cincinnati. And because everything happened so fast, he just had no idea what was going on.

5:54But once he got home and heard the news, he immediately took their dog Jake and began searching for Amy. And again, everything is still happening just really fast. By 7pm, there was a full-scale search with volunteers and authorities looking for Amy. Meanwhile, Margaret stayed home and kept making calls to anyone she could think of. And the mother of Amy's best friend rushed to a news station with Amy's school photo. She insisted they show it on TV. She waited there for hours, refusing to leave until they did. Of course, while all these searches were happening, investigators spoke with Amy's family and her classmates to figure out her movements that day.

6:34They learned that Amy left her school at around 7.20am and rode her bike. Her brother Jason had already left for school. Usually, Amy rode to school with her best friend Christy, but that day she rode alone. Amy got to school and parked her bike in the usual spot. She was present for classes, and sometime before lunch, a police officer came to talk to the students about the risks of talking to and going places with strangers. And during lunch, Amy told her friends a secret. She planned to meet a man who worked with her mom after school. Amy had multiple conversations with this man. He called her home and suggested that they buy a gift for her mom, who he said had gotten a promotion at work.

7:18This man asked Amy to meet him after school at a shopping center called Bay Village Square. He said he'd pick her up there and take her somewhere else to go shopping. He also asked her to keep this a secret so it could be a surprise for her mom. And he specifically said that he picked Amy because she was better at keeping secrets than her brother was. Of course, Amy is 10 and up against an adult predator, so she agrees, thinking she's just doing something nice for her mom. But after telling her friends about her plans with this mystery man, Amy attends classes like normal for the rest of the school day.

7:57When classes ended around 2 p.m., she made the about five-minute walk from her school to the shopping center with some friends. Now, this wasn't unusual. A lot of kids would go there after school to grab ice cream, and because it was right across the street from the police station, most parents weren't really concerned. During this walk, Amy mentioned that she was meeting a friend. And at about 2.15 p.m., two 10-year-old students saw Amy waiting by a pole near Baskin Robbins and the barber shop. It looked like she was waiting for someone. Then, they saw a white man approach Amy directly, indicating that he recognized her.

8:37The man and Amy started talking, then they walked through the parking lot. One of the students noted that the man had his hand on Amy's back. Unfortunately, they didn't see where they went or if they got into a vehicle. But we know that's not where Amy's trail ends Again, during that call, Amy seemed okay So her mom assumed she was at home But authorities were never able to trace the call to see where it came from But investigators do find information about this call very valuable What caught their attention was the fact that the abductor allowed Amy to call her mom after abducting her This told them that the abductor was probably pretty bold and that somehow he very likely knew that Amy and her brother always called their mom when they got home from school.

9:28He knew their family's routine and where Margaret worked. This was planned out in advance. Police later told Dateline that they thought that the person who took Amy had done this before. Now, they couldn't say for sure that he kidnapped anyone previously, but they felt like he was likely to have at least assaulted a child and gotten away with it. Their hunch was that this person, whoever they were, had done this before. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. Money is this invisible thread that ties us all together. It's something everyone has to deal with. That's why teaching kids about money isn't just smart, it's essential.

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11:51But he didn't know the details of who or what was happening. Amy's dad Mark and her best friend Christy later explained to WKYC that Amy knew what stranger danger was. I mean, they were literally talking about it in class on the day that Amy was abducted. But I do think it's important to note that Amy was going through a tough time in October 1989. Her parents were having marital problems and were heading toward a divorce. Amy was also a mama's girl who wanted nothing more than to make her mom happy. It really feels like this combination of factors led her to ignoring this stranger danger rule that she knew well.

12:31And of course, I also think it's worth keeping in mind that through this series of phone calls, this person saying that they worked with Amy's mom, for a 10-year-old, he likely didn't feel like a stranger by the time they met at the shopping center. Either way, at this point, obviously the police were pretty sure that Amy had been kidnapped, so they called in the FBI for assistance. Later, those two kids who saw Amy at the shopping center gave enough information to authority so that they could commission a sketch of the man Amy was last seen with. He was described as a white male, aged 30 to 35, standing between 5 '8 and 5 '10, with a medium build.

13:14He had dark hair, possibly curly, and a bald spot on the top or rear of his head. There was also a bit of beard growth. It's possible he wore round glasses and a tan jacket. Amy's family was shown this sketch, but they didn't recognize him. Really, this sketch was kind of just a shot in the dark. Police have mentioned multiple times that they're just uncertain about the accuracy of this sketch. Really, it seems like investigators were just doing everything in their power to find Amy. On the 11 o 'clock news that night, Amy's school photo was shared. In the picture, Amy's shoulder-length hair is mostly down, with a side half-up, half-down ponytail.

13:57She really looks like the definition of a 10-year-old from the 80s The news reported that police were searching for Amy around her home and the shopping center Amy was described as being 4 '10", weighing 90 pounds with a medium build Straight shoulder-length blonde hair, brown eyes, and a clear complexion Last seen wearing green sweatpants, a green sweatshirt, a denim backpack And unique black boots with silver studs on them She also had on a white nylon windbreaker and horsehead silhouette turquoise earrings. That night, Margaret slept on the kitchen floor, under the phone, hoping for any news about Amy.

14:39But that call never came. The next day, October 28th, various law enforcement agencies like the Bay Village Police and the FBI, along with volunteers, continued to search for Amy. According to Cleveland.com, it was the biggest search since Beverly Potts disappeared in 1951. Amy's parents went on TV pleading for their daughter to come home. The police conducted interviews with family, friends, neighbors, and potential suspects. Amy's parents were thoroughly questioned. They cooperated fully and were quickly cleared. Other family members were examined as well, but eventually ruled out as suspects.

15:22According to reporting by WKYC, Bay Village Police collaborated with the FBI for the next 103 days, investigating around 4 ,000 leads. One of the most useful tips came in from a woman who described seeing a girl resembling Amy at the Westgate Mall, just about an hour after her abduction. The woman said the girl was with a man, and they were headed to the food court. Police began to wonder if Amy had called her mom from the Westgate Mall. It was only about six miles from where she was taken. Their line of thinking is that maybe whoever abducted Amy took her to the shopping mall, let her make the phone call.

16:01That way she felt safe. But of course, like I told you earlier, the origin of that call has never been confirmed. The police and FBI continued daily searches, while volunteers distributed flyers across the country and overseas. and Amy did get a lot of media attention. She was featured on America's Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, and more. People around the world knew who Amy was. They learned that Amy was a friendly girl who enjoyed drawing and watching the Golden Girls and Dirty Dancing, that her love for animals, especially horses and her dog Jake, inspired her dream of becoming a vet, and that she often left sweet notes for her parents.

16:48But like I told you earlier, investigators believe that this man likely did this before, so they began looking for other girls who might have received similar calls from the abductor. They actually ended up sending out a questionnaire to other students in Cleveland's western suburbs, and they found that at least two 10-year-old girls had received similar calls. Decades later, these women shared their experiences with Dateline. One woman described the caller as very persuasive, and mentioned that he called repeatedly when her mother was not at home. The man also had very specific information about her family, but the call ended when she mentioned discussing this with her father.

17:32The other woman said that the caller introduced himself as his mother's boss. He even knew the correct name. He said her mom was getting a promotion, and he seemed excited about that. He also said he wanted to pick up the girl after school to choose a gift But during this phone call the girl then told her brother and the man got angry with her saying quote You're going to ruin it end quote After this the girl told him that she couldn't go and he hung up The police told dateline that they tried to find a connection between amy and these two girls, but ultimately couldn't However, WKYC reported that the Lake Erie Nature Science Center in Bay Village was a common thread Amy and both girls had been there before And that the center had a guestbook where visitors recorded their information And not only that, this guestbook disappeared when Amy's case gained attention So take that for what you will Despite the investigation and all these searches, Amy was still missing.

18:42And on December 11th, almost two months after Amy went missing, her mom held a birthday party for Amy's 11th birthday. Margaret's hope was that by celebrating and by inviting the media, the person who took Amy might let her come back. Amy's best friend, Christy, was also at the party. She told the media, quote,

19:13It's just heartbreaking. And of course, all of this greatly impacted Amy's brother as well. He later told WKYC, I figured my parents had enough on their plate, so I sort of went in the background. I'd go in the basement and build like model cars. or take the dog out for a walk to the lake, just trying not to be in the house and be in their way, end quote. The holidays came and went with no sign of Amy. And then the new year, the new decade, 1990 was here. But not long after, Amy's loved ones got the news that no one wants to hear in the case of a missing child. Amy's body had been found. On February 8, 1990, at around 7 in the morning, a woman who was jogging on County Road 1181 in rural Ashland County, Ohio, found Amy on the ground next to a large field.

20:14The woman rushed to the nearest house and asked them to call the police. When Amy's body was recovered, police noted that she was wearing the same shirt and pants she had on when she disappeared. However, police did suspect her clothing was removed and then put back on. And her windbreaker, boots, and earrings were not on her body. An autopsy concluded that Amy had a blunt impact injury on the left side of her head and multiple stab wounds on the left side of her neck. She had eaten at least one meal after she was taken, maybe more. and there were signs of a possible sexual assault. The medical examiner couldn't say exactly when Amy was killed, but they thought it happened within a week after she was abducted.

21:06She was then transported to where she was found, where she remained until February 8th. Police gathered all non-natural items within a mile of where Amy's body was discovered And they didn't reveal this for many years, but they did find a few things of note. About a thousand feet away from Amy's body, just outside a farm entrance, they found a pea green curtain in a ditch. They also found a blanket. This curtain has been described as homemade. Investigators say that they could tell because the tabs at the top were not the same size or same distance apart. It seemed like someone took a big quilt or a bed cover and just turned it into a curtain.

21:49At first, the police weren't sure if this curtain had any connection to Amy's case, so they kept it a secret, but we'll talk more about that in a little bit. Let's talk about what the police did not recover anywhere. Amy's windbreaker, boots, denim backpack, a binder with Buick Best in Class written on it, and her turquoise earrings. These items have never been found. The police would also later reveal that they thought that this field was a notable area to leave Amy's body. It was about 50 miles from where Amy was abducted, and it wasn't really a place people would just stumble upon. It was far from the highway, very rural, and not easy to find.

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23:36Amy's funeral took place just a few days after she was found, and it was reported that the entire town and more attended. Mark told Dateline that as the family drove to the funeral, they noticed that the flag was at half-mast at the police department. Following the funeral, Margaret spoke with ABC5 News about the impact of finding Amy. She said that while it did bring some closure, there would always be a void with her due to Amy's passing. She was scared and thought that whoever did this might do it again. She said that she wanted to help keep parents from dealing with this same situation that she was in.

24:14She said, quote, There are other missing children. There are more out there. And if I can help wake up the nation to the fate of these children, I want to do it. We know the brutal fate Amy suffered. We can only imagine what torture she must have gone through. But there are other children. End quote. In the following months, Margaret continued to speak out about Amy and other missing children, even appearing on Oprah. She also created the Community Fund for Assisting Missing Youth, Amy, a non-profit organization that pays certified teachers to educate children on how to protect themselves. But before this family knew it, the one-year anniversary of Amy's disappearance was upon them.

24:59And on October 27, 1990, Margaret organized a memorial service for Amy in Bay Village's Central Park. There, Margaret stood beside a marble monument dedicated to Amy and encouraged everyone to remember her with positivity, to cherish the time they had with her, and to keep smiling, even though she was no longer with them. In February 1991, the police gave an update on the investigation, marking one year since Amy's body was found. They said that they didn't have one specific person they were focusing on and that after dedicating 45 ,000 hours to the case, they hadn't made any significant progress, which was frustrating for everyone.

25:43But not long after, they had a new witness. This witness says that they saw a man near the area where Amy's body was found 13 hours before her discovery. They described this man as being in his mid-20s to 30s Standing beside a dark blue hatchback car with the hatch open Using this information, another sketch was released But again, it didn't really seem to lead to answers And later that year, Mark and Margaret decided to end their marriage Their relationship had been rocky before Amy's abduction And ultimately just fell apart after They divorced but remained friends And eventually, Margaret sold their house and moved to Las Vegas where her mother lived.

26:28And unfortunately, Amy's case just sits. In 1999, Cleveland Magazine published a long-form article about Amy's murder and the ongoing investigation. Mark and Margaret spoke with the magazine about Amy, the investigation, and how the community had changed since Amy's kidnapping and murder. Margaret said, quote, A lot more parents became aware of how fragile their children are. You think you live in some suburban bubble. But evil has a way of happening. There are cruel people out there. Harsh people. It still hurts. It's very painful, but I'm not the only one hurting. It affected so many. End quote.