Oakland County Child Killer: 50 Years Without Answers
Michigan's most haunting unsolved murders receive fresh investigative push with DNA technology and AI analysis
Published June 6, 2025
The case in the media
4 documentaries, series, podcasts and books covering this case
Quick Facts
Between February 1976 and March 1977, four children disappeared from the streets of Oakland County, Michigan. All were abducted near Woodward Avenue, held captive—fed and bathed—then murdered and discarded. Today, half a century later, their killer remains at large.
The victims were Mark Stebbins, 12, found suffocated in a Southfield parking lot on February 19, 1976; Jill Robinson, 12, shot and abandoned along Interstate 75 in Troy in early 1977; Kristine Mihelich, 10, who died by suffocation; and Timothy King, 11, also suffocated. Two were boys, two were girls. The boys were sexually assaulted. Three died by suffocation, one by gunshot.
The case gripped Michigan with terror. Parents kept their children indoors. Suspicion fell on numerous suspects over the decades, but no arrests were ever made for the murders themselves.
Timeline
Mark Douglas Stebbins disappears in Ferndale
12-year-old Mark Douglas Stebbins disappears on February 15, 1976, in Ferndale, Michigan. It is the first confirmed OCCK disappearance.
Stebbins' body found in Southfield
Four days after the disappearance, Mark Douglas Stebbins' body is found in Southfield, Michigan. The case is taken up by authorities in Oakland County.
Jill Robinson disappears in Royal Oak
12-year-old Jill Robinson disappears on December 22, 1976, in Royal Oak, Michigan. Her body is later found near highway I-75 in Troy.
Kristine Marie Mihelich disappears in Berkley
10-year-old Kristine Marie Mihelich disappears on January 2, 1977, in Berkley, Michigan, after visiting a 7-Eleven. The body is found in Franklin Village.
Timothy King disappears in Birmingham – fourth victim
11-year-old Timothy King disappears on March 16, 1977, in Birmingham, Michigan. His body is found in Livonia in Wayne County. It is the last confirmed OCCK victim.
The Suspects
Christopher Busch emerged as the primary suspect early in the investigation. A convicted pedophile charged with child sex crimes, Busch was never imprisoned for those offenses. Before facing trial for the murders, he died in 1978 under suspicious circumstances ruled a suicide. Authorities later cleared him.
James Vincent Gunnels, identified in 2011 as a person of interest, has drawn renewed attention from investigators. DNA from a hair found on Kristine Mihelich's shirt matched Gunnels, though the match fell short of the threshold needed for an arrest. Gunnels has a criminal history spanning property crimes, drug offences, a 1988 prison escape attempt, and a 2015 methamphetamine conviction. He was released in 2023.
Other suspects have been mentioned over the years—Ted Lamborgine and Arch Sloan among them—but none have led to charges.
New Hope from Technology
In 2025, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard directed a comprehensive review of the case files, a move that signals renewed determination to solve these murders. The review includes digitization of records and artificial intelligence analysis of the evidence, applying tools that did not exist when these crimes occurred.
DNA technology has advanced dramatically since the 1970s. Investigators are exploring whether these advancements might finally link a suspect definitively to the crimes. The sheriff's office has also announced plans to contact the families of the victims—many of whom were last reached around 2016 or 2017.
Unresolved Questions
Detectives continue to investigate a potential link between the Oakland County murders and a suspected pedophile ring operating on an island in northern Michigan, though this remains under exploration.
Two additional disappearances have raised questions about possible connections: Donna Serra, 17, abducted in Macomb County in September 1972 and found strangled after being imprisoned and drugged; and Kimberly "Kim" King, 12, who vanished from Warren in September 1979. Neither has been definitively linked to the Oakland County killer, but the geographic and temporal proximity has not been dismissed.
Theories suggesting a police cover-up have circulated for decades, though investigators maintain these have been thoroughly dismissed.
What Comes Next
The Michigan State Police, who lead the investigation alongside the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, continue to work the case as active. With half a century of hindsight, advances in forensic science, and renewed institutional focus, investigators are hoping that the 2025–2026 review might finally bring closure to four families and resolution to one of America's most troubling cold cases.
For now, Mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich, and Timothy King remain the faces of an unsolved tragedy—a reminder that some questions persist long after the world has moved on.
Sources
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/oakland-county-child-killer-50-years-later-murders-up-north-pedophile-ring-unanswered-questions
https://www.clickondetroit.com/features/2026/02/15/oakland-county-child-killer-murders-remain-unsolved-50-years-later-everything-we-know/
https://www.aetv.com/articles/oakland-county-child-killer-cold-case
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ0VcgRMniI
https://www.wxyz.com/news/local-news/investigations/oakland-county-child-killings-50-years-later-police-hoping-new-tech-could-help-crack-case
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