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Oakland County Child Killer

Also known as: OCCK, Oakland County child killings

Active

1976–1977

Region

Oakland County, Michigan, USA

State

MI

Kind

Serial

Status

Unsolved

Victims

4

Between February 1976 and March 1977, four children from the suburbs north of Detroit were abducted and killed: Mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich and Timothy King. Each was missing for several days before being found, left in places where they would be seen. A Michigan State Police task force drawing on thirteen communities ran what was then one of the largest murder investigations in US history and checked thousands of tips before it disbanded in December 1978. The killer has never been identified, and Michigan State Police say the case remains open fifty years on.

Have information? This case is unsolved. Michigan State Police tip lines (1-855-MICHTIP)

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Victims

We remember the people whose lives were taken.

• Mark Stebbins, 12 · February 15, 1976

  A seventh grader at Lincoln Junior High School in Ferndale.

• Jill Robinson, 12 · December 22, 1976

  A 12-year-old from Royal Oak.

• Kristine Mihelich, 10 · January 2, 1977

  A fifth grader at Pattengill Elementary School who lived with her mother in Berkley.

• Timothy King, 11 · March 16, 1977

  An 11-year-old from Birmingham.

Timeline of locations

1. February 15, 1976
   American Legion hall, Ferndale (Abduction, approximate area)

   Mark Stebbins was last seen leaving an American Legion hall in Ferndale on a Sunday afternoon.

2. February 19, 1976
   Office parking lot, Southfield (Recovery site, approximate area)

   Mark was found four days later in an office-building parking lot in Southfield, near the New Orleans Mall.

3. December 22, 1976
   Royal Oak (Abduction, approximate area)

   Jill Robinson left her Royal Oak home after an argument with her mother. She was later seen at a hobby shop on Woodward Avenue.

4. December 26, 1976
   I-75 north of Big Beaver Road, Troy (Recovery site, approximate area)

   Jill was found beside Interstate 75 in Troy, north of Big Beaver Road.

5. January 2, 1977
   Twelve Mile Road at Oakshire, Berkley (Abduction, approximate area)

   Kristine Mihelich was last seen leaving a 7-Eleven on Twelve Mile Road at Oakshire in Berkley, after setting out from the bowling alley where her mother worked.

6. January 21, 1977
   Franklin Village (Recovery site, approximate area)

   Kristine was found 19 days later at the end of a dead-end road in Franklin Village.

7. March 16, 1977
   Birmingham (Abduction, approximate area)

   Timothy King left his Birmingham home to go to the nearby Hunter-Maple Pharmacy and did not return. His disappearance led police to form a dedicated task force.

8. March 22, 1977
   Gill Road, Livonia (Recovery site, approximate area)

   Timothy was found in a ditch along Gill Road in Livonia, about 300 feet south of 8 Mile Road.

Sources

• Oakland County Child Killer (Wikipedia)
• Oakland County Child Killer murders remain unsolved 50 years later: Everything we know (WDIV Local 4)

Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.