Post by Scumhunter on Feb 13, 2016 9:29:40 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: johnmikecrites.com)
The turquoise blue house belonging to John “Mike” Crites stands nestled in the hills northwest of Helena, accessible only by the winding gravel drive that is Turk Road.
On Thursday — three years, one month and six days after he was last seen alive — the once-cleared front yard is now a forest of Canada thistle and other weeds.
Crites’ former garden is a tangled maze of weeds and brush, and the array of native grasses he planted in the yard have grown taller than the wheel wells of the pickup truck still parked out front.
A rusted grill sits abandoned under a tree, and his camper, painted with a camouflage of pine trees, is parked in a corner of the yard.
Inside the house he built himself, the eyes of five deer mounts and numerous fish peer at onlookers from every corner of the upstairs living area.
The plastic blinds on the windows are melted and warped from neglect, and the remnants of Crites’ vast collection of cassette tapes — including ACDC, Creedence Clearwater Revival and “Diana Ross’ Greatest Hits” — sits stacked on a shelf next to a desk built from logs Crites cut himself.
On the deck, the wind picks up and thunder rumbles ominously as a storm moves across the Helena Valley below.
The effects of time are evident both inside and outside the small home, but the property remains a frozen snapshot of Crites’ life.
The life he led before he was brutally murdered and dismembered.
The life he led before his bones were found in bags at the top of MacDonald Pass and his skull near a trail outside Elliston.
Today — three years, one month and nine days after he was last seen alive — one harrowing question remains unanswered: Who killed John Michael Crites?
Rest of article available here: helenair.com/news/local/crites-murder-case-three-years-later-still-no-answers/article_5a3f3dd2-1ad3-11e4-ad8e-001a4bcf887a.html
Thoughts? The reason I'm placing this case in the unsolved on tv section is it was featured on the syndicated crime show "Crime Watch Daily" as a three-part segment. I will post the link to the website article that features all three segments on the page below the admin notes. If you read the rest of the article and watch the airing, it's apparent that the big controversy here is whether Crites was killed as the result of a turf war and whether John Mehan was involved. Some Reddit posters say some of the news articles features critical comments about Crites, but at the end of the day no one deserves to be murdered in the way in which he was murdered.
Admin Note #1: Since this case was aired on the show, it is our advice for anyone who has any information on Mike Crites' murder to contact Crime Watch Daily's toll free tip line at 1-844-800-CRIME or submit a tip to them at crimewatchdaily.com
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
Link to 'Crime Watch Daily' article featuring all three segments: crimewatchdaily.com/2015/11/09/mountain-man-killed-following-dangerous-land-dispute/
Other Relevant Links:
www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/3n9sai/who_murdered_john_mike_crites_and_left_his/
www.johnmikecrites.com/