January 1st, 1992: Montgomery police were called to the scene when they got a call from the Straton's and Burke's before the 78th Rose Bowl. For the Stratons' and Burkes' their children had been kidnapped from their homes.

Detective Harley Malone arrived on scene and swept both houses. Interviews with both mother's proved they had alibis. Mrs. Straton had let her five year old son stay up and watch the game with her. She had left the living room for the kitchen to make snacks and by the time she had returned her son was missing. Thinking he went to his room for bed she went to check and seen he was nowhere in the house. She promptly called police.

That was the same circumstance with Mrs. Burke. Neither family had ever met before, nor had any known enemies. At the Burke's house they had assumed was a ransom note.

Dear Family,

To whomever finds this letter. I am gone. Do not try and follow me because he will stop you. I have chosen to go with him. He has promised me a better life than what you have given me. I will have a brother and a father of my own. Sorry I could not tell you face to face, yet it was better not to see how you will react. I have become a blind spot, so if you ever find me. I will not remember you or I may kill you. Now do as I say. DO NOT look for ME!

The handwriting is not in our list of suspects or our database. The letter also dead ended us as to where they will be kept or by who. The Straton’s house had no letter but a broken window in Michael's​ bedroom. Unfortunately for police the window also failed to come up with any evidence on the suspect. For the window we concluded he was male, early to mid thirties, persuasive and seems trusting, is armed, dangerous, highly mobile, and possibly knew the children. A city wide barricade was issued for the following months to try and apprehend the suspect. Though our efforts were strong we also came away with nothing.

In the following months we interviewed Mrs. Burke and Mrs. Straton more closely. Same as before the both gave the same alibi. We gathered from them the day to day life of Mellain and Michael. They attended a nearby preschool, got picked up after. Yet Michael attended a t-ball team on Sundays, and attended practice every Thursday. After school Mellain would stay home. Her parents wanted to enroll her in a dance academy when she was five. Police then interviewed Mr. Straton.

Mr. Straton had been incarcerated eight years ago before Michael was born due to illegal use of crystal methamphetamines, painkillers, and marijuana. He had only seen his son once, and after that visit he was reserved and refused to make trouble until his twenty year sentence was fulfilled. Despite this he may very well have others who he could persuade to do his work for him. We went in and he immediately complied with every question. For us it was a sign he did care. Yet we only had one new piece of evidence. A former inmate named David Carswell.

David Carswell was known for many burglaries and thefts in the United States alone that he was only allowed in three states. His capture was the biggest news since someone predicted Donald Trump would become president. Not many people cherish his company so anyone assigned to his case never went to actually interview him. Until when Mr. Straton also mentioned that Carswell had made a little prison gang to take care of his dirty work once they got released.

Every moment I spent with Carswell would have to be recorded so we can compare his statements to his previous crimes. He didn’t have much to say about the kidnappings. In reality he had never meddled with children because he didn’t care to have any. He never had a lasting fiancè or girlfriend and his crimes kept him in jail for another twenty years, and add on top of all that is he is mentally ill so guards pay him extra attention. All he could give us that was of any substance was a couple of guys from his gang that had been let out a while back, both of them professional kidnappers. So we had our lead, we had two men on our radar. We just don’t know who.