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Running Head: Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland County Child Killer
Unsolved Murder: The Jane Louise Allen Case/ Oakland County Child Killer
Criminal Profiling Assignment
November 21st 2014
Niagara College
Sarah Bauer
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Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland Child Killer
Introduction
To start off my assignment, I will be providing background information as to why I
chose this case. It is relevant to the events that occurred and I will give a better
understanding to the murders and how the case of Jane Louise Allen and the Oakland
County Child Killer are connected.
Jane Louise Allen (Allan) is my grandma’s first cousin, and my third cousin. I put “Allan”
in brackets because that’s her real last name. The name “Allen” was used for protection
and privacy of my family. While all this is going on, my grandma, my mom, and great
aunt were all living together at the time of Jane’s murder. My great aunt’s, sister’s,
husband and brother both worked in the law enforcement, her husband was chief of the
police at the time. I questioned my grandma, “If we had police marry into the family, why
didn’t they help with the case of Jane, especially being related to her now?” That being
said, my grandma responded through text, “the family likes to keep everything low-key
and secretive”. This is also another reason they name changed Allan to Allen during the
murder investigation. The family never talked about the murder of Jane and they did
their best to just push away the crime and move on with their lives.
How I found out that Jane Louise Allen was the murdered relative, I went through
information my grandma and mother provided me. I researched and found information
to prove the connection to her and the family by stumbling on her dad’s obituary, James
Allan, online (Sullivan and Son Funeral Directors). This obituary site
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Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland Child Killer
provided the name of his wife, Evelyn, that my grandma shared to me that he was
married, as well as his daughter Jane Louise Allen that was listed as deceased on his
obituary. To make this connection more secure, my mom pulled out our family tree and
connected James Allan’s birth mother (my grandma’s sister, Christine Allan) and James
Allan on the family tree.
“Jane, 13 years old, was last seen Saturday August 7th 1976, when she left her
boyfriend’s house, Tony Galassi. She told him she was going to hitchhike back home.
Four days later her body was found floating in the Miami River, near Miamisburg, Ohio
with her hands tied behind her back by strips of a white t-shirt. The coroner believes
Jane was dead before being thrown into the river due to the carbon monoxide finding in
her lungs” (ncjrs.gov).
Jane Louise Allen’s murder is speculated to be linked to the Oakland County Child
Killer, who murdered 4 children ages 10 to 12 years old from 1976 to 1977 (Oakland
County Michigan). Proof that the murders are related is that the killings were close
together in the same time frame, the same area, and Jane was in the same age range
as the children. 3 of the 4 children connected to the serial crime died of asphyxia also
known as smothering. The other child had been shot. 2 of the four children were girls,
they were not sexually assaulted. The others were two boys, which were both sexually
assaulted. It was believed that a sex ring (ncjrs.gov) or a religious cult (davidshutter)
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Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland Child Killer
was responsible for the killing of these children. In the next couple paragraphs, I will
answer the assignment questions based on what I found through my research.
The Criminal Profile
This crime is very organized. These children had been extensively cleaned up before
being placed out in public to be found. The kids clothes had been washed and dried
their bodies were washed so no track of hand prints would be found on the bodies.
Timothy King even had his fingernails and toenails cleaned. It was believed to be that
the children were clothed by their killer. At the crime scene, there is little evidence. The
evidence that would be found, had been ruled out (ncjrs.gov).
This information leads me to believe that the perpetrator was intelligent. Back in the
1970’s, television shows such as CSI or Criminal minds were not out at that time, nor
was DNA popular until 1994 in the OJ Simpson trial. Which leads me to believe the
perpetrator is someone who works in law enforcement or closely to law enforcement
(paramedic, firefighters), because the person had known to clean the victims very well
and to wash away any evidence (ncjrs.gov). This person would also have to be in good
health, and have no disabilities in order to have played out in total of 7 murders and get
away with it.
Since Jane was hitchhiking, and most of the victims were lured in public places, I have
come to believe that these children did not know the offender and had been lured by
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Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland Child Killer
their persuasiveness, a possible type of law enforcement, fire, or paramedic batch, with
and an offered ride home. I picture the killer acting as if he was caring and selfless,
trying to portray the “nice cop” image. This would be a quick and simple, noise- free way
to get these children into the vehicle without a fight and away from the scene with the
ability to not draw attention to them.
With the knowledge and help of the suspect’s possible career, I believe that he may be
single and living alone. He would need free time and privacy on his hands in order to
pull of these crimes.
Considering the nature side of things, his childhood and early family life, I believe that
he may have grown up in a controlled structure and strict house. This probably led him
to choose this field of work in law enforcement or closely to law enforcement
(paramedic, firefighters), where in any situation, he is in control. Also being under the
roof in a strict- ridden house could be a very religious side of things. This means he may
have grown up confused and may not have experimented with the same sex, leading to
the sexual assault of the two murdered boys.
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Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland Child Killer
Summary of my criminal profile:
1) Is the criminal an organized, disorganized or mixed offender?
- Organized
2) Is the offender acquainted with her/his victim(s) personally or are they strangers to
each other?
- No, they are strangers
3) Do you think that the offender is married or in a relationship or is s/he single? If
you believe her/him to be in a relationship, is it a satisfying one?
- Single and living alone
4) Does s/he have children?
- No
5) How intelligent do you believe the offender to be and what is her/his level of
education?
- Intelligent, knowledge within law enforcement
6) Does s/he have any disabilities?
- No
7) What kind of work do you believe that s/he does? Is s/he a professional or a “blue
collar” worker?
- A professional career, within or closely to law enforcement (paramedic,
firefighters)
8) What kind of childhood and early family life do you believe that s/he had?
- Strict and controlling
9) What personality traits do you believe the offender has? For example, is s/he shy
and perhaps introverted? Or is s/he outgoing?
- Extroverted, persuasive, caring
10) Do you believe that the offender is a generally likable person to those who know
her/him?:
- Likeable
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Jane Louise Allen Case/ The Oakland Child Killer
References
Shurter, D. (2012, April 26). Sent to Me By a Friend in Michigan about the Oakland
Child Killings. Retrieved from www.davidshurter.com/?p=1166
NCJRS.gov. Retrieved from www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/53805NCJRS.pdf
Sullivan and Sons Funeral Directors. (2011, August 27). James Allan Obituary.
Retrieved from www.sullivanfuneraldirectors.com/obituary/James-Allan/Royal-OakMI/965759
Other References
My grandma and my mother helped me with providing details about the family
connection with Jane Louise Allen along with details of the murder confirming it was her.