David Bowen, Kenneth Conrick
GARY, IN – Twenty-seven years ago the body of 8-year-old Kenneth Conrick was found in a wooded area of Gary, Indiana. The killer remained free until Tuesday, when DNA evidence helped solve the case and led to the arrest of David Bowen. He had been the prime suspect, but authorities never had enough evidence to charge him with the murder.
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to read full timeline. Note to the squeamish, disturbing info in relation to the boy’s death.
Cold Case Timeline
Oct. 15, 1979:
A mother who had lost a son two years before to a drowning, reports her son, 8-year-old Kenneth Conrick, missing afer he fails to return home after school.
Oct. 28, 1979:
A search party finds the boy’s nearly nude, mutilated body in woods near 48th and Harrison behind a YMCA. He had one foot tied to a tree and was nude aside from socks. Shoe strings were tied to his wrist, and a navy blue cord was still wrapped around his neck. He had been strangled, beaten, and mutilated. He was missing several teeth and his genitals were severed. A bloody tree limb was found nearby that had been used to puncture the boy’s lung. He died of strangulation and loss of blood from the mutilation. The search also turned up his clothing, the keys to his home and his school lunchbox, which contained a cookie. Seminal fluid and skin cells were found on the boys clothing and collected.
Jan. 28, 1980:
Police identify 16-year-old David Bowen as prime suspect, but lack of evidence forces police to shelve the case. He became their prime suspect after police learned he had been accused more than a year before Kenneth’s homicide of sexually assaulting and beating a 9-year-old boy living nearby. The 9-year-old boy’s mother agreed not to press charges against Bowen because Bowen underwent psychiatric treatment. Bowen lived within blocks of Kenneth and admitted knowing the boy. But Bowen claimed he didn’t see Kenneth on the day he was killed. The case is shelved. They are sure they have their killer, but cannot prove it.
Late 1992:
Thomas Decanter Jr, the son of one of the original detectives on the case, received an anonymous phone call from a female around 3a.m. The woman said she believed her brother killed Kenneth and that she could no longer live with the guilt. She spoke for almost an hour. This was never followed up on. “I was brand new, didn’t even have a badge at that point,” Decanter said. “Why didn’t it go further then? I can’t answer that.”
December 2005:
County police reactivate murder case at urging of original investigator, former Gary police Sgt. John Lashenik. After the case was reopened, Decanter told investigators of the phone call he had recieved in 1992. Officers researched Bowen’s family records, identified his sister as Donna Oprish, formerly of Gary, and contacted her. They persuade her to give a DNA sample.
MarchMarch reviews
2006:
Her sample is compared with DNA from Kenneth’s clothing and other articles recovered from the crime scene in 1979. The Indiana State Police Crime Lab determined someone related to Oprish likely left seminal fluid on the hood of Kenneth’s jacket.
March 8, 2007:
The lab matched Bowen’s DNA to the fluid from the jacket as well as on a piece of string used to tie Kenneth’s hand to a tree. Bowen’s DNA had been gathered via a warrant after he had been located in Portland, Maine where he worked as a contractor.
Dec. 16, 2007:
Lake County police arrested Bowen on Tuesday morning, just minutes before the Lake County Sheriff’s Department announced the murder charge. He was apprehended at a motel near a job site in Kingsfield, Maine.
2:41 pm on December 19th, 2007
What a sick motherfucker! I wonder how many other crimes he has commited since this one.
2:50 pm on December 19th, 2007
This poor little boy’s mother – lost two sons in such a short time period.
2:56 pm on December 19th, 2007
Hes only 43 now – plenty of time to spend the rest of his life in jail.
3:20 pm on December 19th, 2007
Wow, so great they got this guy. I wonder if they’ll follow the trail of where he’s lived to look for unsolved like crimes. How fucked up this guy must be to have done this at 16! Gives me the shivers.
4:03 pm on December 19th, 2007
OMG to think what the child went through, wtf is wrong with people? I am curious as to other crimes this guy has committed. Does he have a police record…surely he would. He’s been living with this for years. People who work with him now, are probably going to go on about how shocked they are….it truly is amazing to me that someone could do this to another individual and actually live with themselves all these years with the knowledge of what they’d done. Damn.
This is so sad. I can’t imagine being a mother and losing one of my children, much less two. At least this man will finally face what he did.
4:30 pm on December 19th, 2007
Sociopaths feel no guilt. They know right from wrong only because they observe other human interaction, not because it’s an intrinsic feeling. Odds are, he didn’t have to live with what he did any more than you have to live with cutting a tree down (unless you’re a hyper-environmentalist, of course).
But, hey…Two cheers for DNA technology, huh? Better late than never. If this guy is a true sociopath, we definitely don’t want him walking the streets.
4:45 pm on December 19th, 2007
that’s great he’s off the streets now…. but how many other rapes/murders did he committ? if he did two by age 16, and was never “caught” – i refuse to believe he just stopped or was suddenly “cured”….
should be interesting to see what is dug up on his last 16 years, huh?
5:05 pm on December 19th, 2007
You know what’s kind of weird about this? He was located in March of 2007 and served with a warrant for DNA testing, which he underwent. Then he just stayed where he was in Maine and kept going about his daily business until they came and arrested him in December. Doesn’t that seem odd? Wouldn’t you think he’d have taken off during those 9 months??
5:14 pm on December 19th, 2007
He was probably being watched with cooperation from Maine.
6:03 pm on December 19th, 2007
Scary to think how many more people fell at this guys hands, but you never know the DTK killer stopped killing years before the caught him. We can only hope that he had his fill.
Man that poor mother not just losing two children, but finding out the nasty way this fuck killed him. I’m happy that they got him, better late than never.
6:31 pm on December 19th, 2007
The guy looks pissed off in the photo, as if he’s mad he got caught. He did this terrible thing at 16. So I guess the lesson is that if your child is molested by the neighborhood sadist, press charges even if he agrees to undergo psychiatric treatment.
I think it’s interesting, too, that the police officer admits not having acted on a tip.
“[Officer] Thomas Decanter, Jr. … received an anonymous phone call from a female [who] said she believed her brother killed Kenneth …. She spoke for almost an hour. This was never followed up on. “I was brand new, didn’t even have a badge at that point,†Decanter said. “Why didn’t it go further then? I can’t answer that.â€
I can sort of understand that because he was a brand new officer and not used to dealing with horrible events yet. People do tend to freeze mentally as well as physically when confronted with a new and frightening/disturbing situation. I bet the officer wouldn’t even hesitate now to take action.
6:35 pm on December 19th, 2007
WryBread (cute name, BTW) – Even had they pressed charges, the kid would have likely been out at 21…with plenty more time to commit crimes. Might have spared the 8 year old, but institutionalising someone with violent tendencies can very well turn them into more savvy predators. It’s a toss up.
As for the police officer, perhaps he didn’t act on the tip because she couldn’t offer any physical evidence. Maybe she didn’t say anything they didn’t already know. Just a though. You could be right, too, though.
7:15 pm on December 19th, 2007
I again do not understand how parents let children this young walk home from school alone. Over my dead body would my son ever be out in public alone. I wouldnt even dream of it
7:20 pm on December 19th, 2007
“I think it’s interesting, too, that the police officer admits not having acted on a tip.”
I will probably get a lot of crap on this comment, but I cant beleive this. I mean, fine, maybe he didnt know whether anything could be done. But WHY NOT TELL A SUPERIOR??? What the hell, this is a COP we’re talking about. Think about how many children this guy could have killed during the time that this cop decided to keep his mouth shut. Maybe I am missing something, but I find this completely inexcusable.
7:30 pm on December 19th, 2007
Anyone know if there is a Statute of limitations?
That would really suck if they now have all this evidence and were unable to do anything to him.
Dirty bastard should be tied to a tree and have his genitals severed….
7:32 pm on December 19th, 2007
“Late 1992:
Thomas Decanter Jr, the son of one of the original detectives on the case, received an anonymous phone call from a female around 3a.m. The woman said she believed her brother killed Kenneth and that she could no longer live with the guilt. She spoke for almost an hour. This was never followed up on. “I was brand new, didn’t even have a badge at that point,†Decanter said. “Why didn’t it go further then? I can’t answer that.â€
By 1992 they already were using DNA evidence to convict people. What was done now could have been done years ago had this guy spoken up. And as far as “I cant answer that”, I think he should do a little better than that.
7:52 pm on December 19th, 2007
Solange wrote:
“I again do not understand how parents let children this young walk home from school alone. Over my dead body would my son ever be out in public alone. I wouldnt even dream of it.”
Solange, I don’t know how old you are, but we’re talking about 1979. I was a teenager. In my town (suburban, middle-to-upper-middle-class) everyone walked and biked everywhere without a second thought. There was little awareness of predators — the very rare stories stand out in my childhood as these mythological things that were the stuff of legend: told like ghost stories around the campfire. I do remember once or twice when we were told to make sure not to talk to strangers and not to get in anyone’s car, but that was the extent of the preparation we all received.
It was, for most people in America, a more innocent time. Honestly, I don’t know for sure if this stuff wasn’t happening, or, as Morbid’s statistics seem to show, that we just didn’t KNOW about it due to different modes of news delivery, so we didn’t worry about it. If it wasn’t in the news, it didn’t happen, so we all had a carefree childhood. The innocence was there: even if it wasn’t truly safer then, we felt safer.
I don’t know what I’m on about. I guess I’m saying that where I grew up, in 1979 no one would have thought twice about a boy this age walking home from school alone. It wouldn’t have even crossed anyone’s mind to be concerned for him.
And finally, I have 2 young daughters. While I fully intend to prepare them to live in the real world, I will not keep them prisoners to fear. We read this site or watch the evening news and get a very warped perception of how scary the world is. It’s really not. Look at the actual statistics for these sorts of violent crimes. They’re almost as rare as hen’s teeth.
And it’s usually someone known to the child. So if you’re careful and smart about who’s in your inner circle, and you happen to not live in an extremely poor neighborhood, I’d say it’s significantly RARER than hen’s teeth…
8:33 pm on December 19th, 2007
Nicely put, Ruby.
8:39 pm on December 19th, 2007
Hey Ruby,
While I agree with the thought that keeping our kids “prisoners of fear” is not the best thing we can do for their development but…
I have a question for you.
Recently we had a couple of attempted abductions right in our neighborhood. In that case, would you think it would then be prudent to keep your children from walking home from school alone or even playing out front of the house?? Of course, without scaring the hell out of them.
While I agree that crimes of this nature are very, very rare….when does it become better safe than sorry??
I sincerely would like your opinion.
TY, in advance.
8:43 pm on December 19th, 2007
I see your point about the year this occured, I stand corrected in this particular case. But I dont see how not letting a young child walking around in public alone is keeping them “prisoners to fear”. As far as the statistics, that is not a chance I’m willing to take. Tell this kid’s mother about the statistics, a lot of good they did her. And I know I’m not the only one who feels that way, as there is a huge uproar in the case of the 5 year old boy that I was telling you guys about yesterday. He walked home from school alone and got hit by a car. BTW, he died today, he did not make it. There is an investigation now as to why the child was allowed to leave the school alone.
8:50 pm on December 19th, 2007
Here is the story I’m talking about, in case you’re interested.
http://www3.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI70926/
I guess being raised in Miami I have just always lived with the knowledge that you are not safe anywhere. I can see how some of you from more suburbian areas can feel otherwise. I’m not trying to judge anyone, I guess I’m just saying that I can’t imagine feeling ok with my child being out alone.
8:51 pm on December 19th, 2007
Sorry, didnt mean to say “knowledge”, more like “perception”. I have always had the perception that you are not safe anywhere
8:54 pm on December 19th, 2007
Here is the link in regards to him leaving the school alone:
http://www.local10.com/news/14893022/detail.html
Supposedly after-school care was “cancelled”, and no one thought to notify the mother. Sort of defeats the whole f-ing purpose of after-school care. This is just sick
8:56 pm on December 19th, 2007
“Miami-Dade Public School officials said its policies do not allow kindergarten-age children to leave school unaccompanied.
The Laguerre’s apartment is located two blocks south and two blocks east of the elementary school. Any route from the school to the apartment crosses Biscayne Boulevard, typically congested during weekday afternoons.”
Just like I was telling you guys, at my son’s school, and according to this article the entire county, a child that age is not allowed to leave school unaccompanied. Even if a parent wanted to let their kid walk home alone, it’s not allowed at this age.
9:43 pm on December 19th, 2007
Ok, a few things.
First of all, I just read that story you posted about the 5-year-old, Solange, and I can see why you were freaked about kids walking alone! That should NEVER have happened. What an horrific mistake someone made – one that cost that little boy his life. The article makes clear, that it is, in fact, district-wide policy that children that young may not leave school unaccompanied. So whoever allowed that child off the grounds is responsible. This was not “ok” with either the school district OR the parents, so lord knows how it happened. Poor kid.
And no, I don’t think a 5 year old should be walking home alone in any environment, really. The hell with predators — I’m talking traffic and scary dogs and stuff like that. A 5-year-old isn’t equipped to cope with the unexpected, and shouldn’t be walking around alone. In my town, they will not let a Kindergarten student off the bus if the parent is not physically AT the bus stop waiting. Even if the bus stop is in front of the f-ing house! Seriously. They will keep the child on the bus and return him or her to school until a parent comes to claim ‘em.
Not only is 5-years-old different from 8-years-old, but 2007 is different from 1979.
And Colomom, hell’s bells, YES!!! I’d keep the kids inside if there were attempted abductions happening in my neighborhood! That’s a concrete threat. I don’t know how old your kids are. If old enough to talk to about it, I’d make them aware, I’d set up a neighborhood thing where kids stick with a group at all times, and parents call each other to alert who’s leaving whose house headed home, etc. Seriously, if someone is stalking your children, your community has to step up the precautions.
The point I was making is that for the vast majority of us (obviously not you at this time, Colomom), this is just not a very real day-to-day danger. Of course we need to help our kids to be safe, but I’m not going to keep mine on a leash until they’re old enough to vote.
That’s like trying to avoid terrorist attacks by not getting on an airplane. It’s really no guarantee I’ll be safe, and think of the living I’m missing out on.
11:01 pm on December 19th, 2007
Ruby, Just wanted to say, I read you last few recent posts and really dig what you’re saying. Wise words, sister.
Peace.
11:07 pm on December 19th, 2007
Thanks, Hippie. I’m rather a fan of yours, as well.
12:02 am on December 20th, 2007
solange…that poor family. it appears the school is at fault for this poor little boy’s death. I saw the video with his little body on the stretcher and my heart just broke. his teacher or his after school teacher should have taken a moment to call mom and let her know the after school tutoring was canceled. I read that mom is seen in the neighborhood alot with her kids. Doesnt sound like she did anything wrong. He probably in his five year old mind thought he would suprise mommy by walking home by himself.
5:47 am on December 20th, 2007
I agree Ruby, there is definitely no point in overprotecting your children to the point of sucking the joy out of life. I still think that 8 years old is too young nowadays to walk home alone though, I have a 7 year old who will be 8 in august and he is just not mature enough for that type of responsibility. All kids are different though, but it seems like such a big unnessesary risk to me. I don’t think my son is going to have any less of a joyful life because his grandma is waiting for him outside the classroom when he gets out of school.
5:49 am on December 20th, 2007
“He probably in his five year old mind thought he would suprise mommy by walking home by himself.”
I know, I was in my car listening to the radio, and when I heard that he died, I just started crying. He was originally in critical condition, but I was hoping with all my heart that he would make it. This is going to be a big deal though, that school is going to facing major major trouble over this.
9:26 am on December 20th, 2007
My gr8 niece will be 7 next month and she is so petite. She would have not much of a chance of survival – whichever the situation was its not safe. I have not read any of the links yet.
We could walk or take the bus and some times we rode our bikes. in 65 I was in brownies and was taught the buddy system. We used it 99% of the time. I have enforced it in my children they were both scouts too but I know I have said it at least once a week the last 40 yr probably one of my more popular sayings.
as far as 1969 I was taught not to sit on men’s laps, which I didn’t understand the reason until I was about 17 or 18 and we were told over and over not to leave your drinks unattended. If we were to get them at the skating rink we needed to throw them away if we ever walked away from them. They didn’t call it date rape drug but thats what was happening. Not to mention “Mono”
by the time 1979 came along they didnt have strinct laws about DUI and people would drink and smoke pot up and down the roads. I had witness LSD Acid and Qualudes – they were ready available and not much concern for the addicts.
there were scary movies and cheek and chong there was the beatles – really it wasn’t safe then. Most were Naive and there was no internet, cable tv. You didn’t think it could happen to you. Gunsnoke was time of the past, I love lucy and the brady brunch. Ozzie and Harriet and of course Mayberry. Honestly I was raised to believe by year 2000 we would have jet mobiles and Only eat Tablets for our meals (space food – for long healthy life)
Indiana is a neighboring state – maine if far away – May of been a reason he wasn’t permitted to get into canada
I will be checking this out later today.
9:55 am on December 20th, 2007
makes one wonder if he had abused his sister – could be why she made the call.
I think why nothing was done with the info that day – Case is Closed that is the sorry answer for alot of unsolved cases over worked under paid – other crimes that take priority over a dead end. Amazed me they kept samples of body fluid there were no dna testing then. So when they did start testing. You would think they would back track and try to solve some cases which yes they have but so many of not being re-investigated
9:57 am on December 20th, 2007
any chance he could be the childs father because they have simular features
10:05 am on December 20th, 2007
Wonder, I was struck by how alike they look, too. I swear, the little one looks like he could have grown up to be the monster man. But if Bowan was 16 when he committed the crime, and the boy was 8, he’s not his dad unless he fathered him when he was 8!! Not bloody likely.
8:31 pm on December 20th, 2007
“I still think that 8 years old is too young nowadays to walk home alone though, I have a 7 year old who will be 8 in august and he is just not mature enough for that type of responsibility.”
Of course he’s not. Kids gain skill through experience. If he’s had no experience in that particular area, he could be 16 and not mature enough to handle it.
That being said, I’m certainly not advocating a sudden reversal in policy. However, not allowing children to walk alone in public ever will NEVER suddenly translate into responsibility. It’s not like that kid will hit 10 or 12 and all of a sudden know what to do. (By the way, I’m talking to the peanut gallery, even though my comments appear directed at you. You obviously know all this.)
Certainly, it’s your job as a parent to judge your child’s level of capability. But letting the rope out a bit at a time is the easiest and most effective way to do that. Otherwise, your kids simply won’t develop to their fullest ability.
I’ve got a friend whose daughter has to walk home from school. She’s 7. My friend works and has no friends or family in the area to pick her daughter up from school every day. It’s a short walk through a residential area, but still. Just to be on the safe side, my friend “tested” her daughter to see if she would follow the lessons about strangers set forth. She had a friend of hers that her daughter had never met try to pick her daughter up. When the girl wouldn’t approach the car and kept walking, the female friend got out and approached the child, who ran before the friend even got close. Passed with flying colors. A 7 year old.
I thought it was a pretty slick idea. I think every parent should do that. Why just HOPE your kid listened when you can find out for sure? Worst case, your kid gets “nabbed” by your friend. That’s a GREAT opportunity to go back over the game plan.
8:27 pm on December 28th, 2007
OMG this guy used to be my freaking boss. He worked for a company called Jarden Home Brands in 2005 when this case was re opened and was fired due to viewing porn on the company computer. Now I really know why. This is the most scarist things to work so close to someone.. I would have never ever ever in a million years suspected Bowen of something like this. It’s even more scary knowing people from my company used to come to my house. I have a 9 year old boy. As parants we must protect our kids. Lesson to learn here is no matter who the person is or how you know them, you can never trust anyone. I am still in shock WOW WOW WOW… I mean I e-mailed, at lunch with this man. I am speechless and he deserves everything he gets..
Lena
9:25 pm on December 28th, 2007
How did he act? I mean, I know he probably wasn’t walking around shifty-eyed wearing a trenchcoat or anything, but did he seem like a nice guy?
9:33 pm on December 28th, 2007
He was a very nice guy, I walked out after there hiring of a new GM that was just mean and hateful to me. I left at 10 am and my phone rang at 2:30pm the same day and it was Bowen asking me to come back and he had fired the new GM.. When you wanted something done you went to Bowen.. He was kind you know, just a normal guy married with a family.. Talked about normal things, joked, laughed.. WOW WOW WOW I am really speechless
9:36 pm on December 28th, 2007
Man. Strange. I wonder what happened to the guy back then. Or if he ever really changed.
10:11 pm on December 28th, 2007
He has kids? Ugh. Somehow I missed that. How many, what ages, what sexes, please? Anyone know?
11:04 pm on December 28th, 2007
Yes he has a daughter, somewhere in her teens…
11:08 pm on December 28th, 2007
Oh and I say yes to overaly protecting our children, I mean look how I knew him what if the company got together for a Christmas party or something and your child ended up in the bathroom with him?? I would have never thought in a million years that I had something to worry about my son in the restroom with my boss. Now I find out today that he was a fucking child molester /killer freak… Think about it….
2:10 pm on March 26th, 2009
http://www.denverda.org/DNA_Documents/Familial_DNA/News%20Report%20re%20David%20Bruce%20Bowen.pdf
September 3, 2008
BY RUTH ANN KRAUSE Post-Tribune correspondent
David Bruce Bowen showed no sign of hesitation as he admitted Tuesday he strangled and stabbed 8-yearold
“He’s about the most remorseful person I’ve ever seen,” Ormes said. “It’s been eating at him.”
yeah remorseful he got caught!
poor kenneth-David should fry
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