The Clue a Rookie Detective Uncovered That Solved a Cold Case

Tina Fealz's brother, Drew Faelz, recalls every detail of that day as if it were just yesterday. When he returned from school, his sister wasn't in the house. She would typically arrive home before Drew, watch over him, and assist him with his homework. She still hadn't arrived home

Tina Faelz and Drew Faelz

after another hour. Drew had memories of pedaling his bike around the court. He recalls seeing an unmarked police car drive along the street. He realized something wasn't right away. He simply had the impression that it would halt at their home. He learned about what had happened from his parents the following day.

The murder of his sister.

According to Police Lieutenant Jim Knox, a truck driver was on the freeway through Pleasanton when he noticed what he believed to be a person in danger or maybe injured. He begins to descend the drainage culvert. He notices blood and observes that a body is lying in the Creek.

Police chief Bill Eastman, who is now retired, stated that he’s always dreaded receiving such a notification call. Someone murdered a young girl. An extremely chilly crime scene was present. There is no evidence of a weapon, prints, or footprints. Under a tree above the body, officers spotted a purse hanging there. They discovered a report card with Tina Faelz's name on it. She received 44 stab wounds.

The coroner also noted that there were no scratches or indentations on the body, suggesting that the knife did not have a hilt or guard. The authorities believed that at some point during the stabbing of Tina, the suspect's hand would slip off the handle due to the lack of a guard over the blade and actually slash themselves. They had to rely on talking to people because there wasn't much information available.

Investigators visit Foothill High School and begin questioning kids in order to find leads to pursue. They learn that Tina experienced bullying at school. She previously took the bus home. But she was being bullied by several other girls on the bus. They threatened to assault her.

Tina Faelz's friend Katie Kelly claimed that Tina was unable to take the bus any longer. She was forced to cross the culvert. It resembled a marsh. It was eerie. The tunnel itself gave the impression of being a portal to another world. Once you reached halfway, everything was completely dark.

The girls who teased Tina threw rocks at her on the day she was killed. hey, let's tie Tina to a tree and stab her," one of them had said that day.

According to Lt. Knox, these girls were questioned. They did admit that, for whatever reason, they didn't like her, but on that particular day, the girls were in detention. Hence, it was impossible for them to have been responsible for Tina's death.

Steven Carlson

Two kids were riding in a car just before 3:00 PM, according to Chief Eastman. both Todd Smith and Steven Carlson. "Look, there's Tina Faelz", Steven said as he pointed toward the culvert.

According to Lt. Knox, Steven witnesses the murder taking place at 3:00 or 3:05 p.m. when Jeff Michaelson, a male student, is seen going under the drainage culvert that runs beneath I-680. One of the case's initial major suspects is Jeff Michaelson. Detectives learn that Tina's mother undoubtedly had a lover in the past who had moved out. Keith Fitzwater is the man's name. Keith left the Faelz household because he was causing strife within the family.

Drew claimed that he didn't care much for Keith. Keith, who was in his early 20s at the time, was 15 years younger than his mother. He had a very short fuse. He got into drinking a lot. He had physically abused Shirley. Tina began shrieking at him to leave their mother alone a few days before his sister was killed. Drew had the impression that Keith may be there.

When investigators investigate Jeff Michaelson, they learn that he was infamous for bullying and picking on younger children. Eyewitnesses claim that a little boy called Steven Carlson was taken by Jeff and dumped into a dumpster on the day Tina was murdered. And after being imprisoned inside for about 10 minutes, a teacher arrived and let the boy out. Later, when Tina is being murdered, Steven Carlson spots Jeff in the general area of the crime scene. Jeff occasionally wore a sheath with a hunting-style knife on his belt. When the investigators arrived to question him, they saw that he had a cut on his index finger.

Police proceeded to his home with a search warrant. Two hunting knives were found. The crime lab received the hunting knives. They were checked for blood residue. They were also discovered to be clean. Keith Fitzwater is still being investigated.

The family claims that He was verbally and physically violent. He was only ever pleasant the night Tina passed away. He was so incredibly kind, it nearly makes you wonder. After Tina had been fatally stabbed, Keith asked his supervisor if he might hitch a ride to Shirley's residence.

The detectives talked to Keith's superior. The only thing they learn is that Keith was wearing a knife at the time. which he took out and asked his supervisor to keep. Why do you want me to retain it, he asks. It was definitely odd behavior for Keith to say, "I don't want to go in the house with a knife," and then to do so. You had to believe that something was wrong. The knife was taken by the police and sent for examination. It returned with no sign of any blood.

Drew claimed he didn't really have somebody to take the place of his sister's death. His mother tried her best. But she began to break down mentally; she couldn't stop being shocked and desperately wanted to know what had happened. As the case grew older, she gradually began losing her mental capacity. When she experienced these breakdowns, she would not clean the dishes for weeks even though she would always maintain an immaculate home.

24 YEARS AFTER TINA'S MURDER, FEBRUARY 2008

Detective Dana Savage claims that three serial killers were apprehended in the 1980s for killing young girls in the Pleasanton region. There must be a chance that one of them killed Tina. Where do we have the strongest possibility of discovering something that was previously perhaps missed? When viewing the evidence images, a purse can be seen dangling from a tree. It didn't make any sense at all to see the purse hanging from the tree. She believes Tina would try to cling to her purse and perhaps even try to use it as a weapon to fight back. It suddenly dawned on me that the suspect was likely the last person to handle the pocketbook. Through the chain of custody, Detective Dana turned it on to the FBI in Quantico, Virginia.

Detective Dana received a work call one day from the FBI. "Do you Want to Know Who Killed Tina Faelz?" the FBI agent asked her. Four drops of the suspect's blood were discovered by the FBI on the bag. This supported the long-held belief that the murderer may have cut himself when his hand slipped down the blade. She was unprepared for what she found. Steven Carlson, the FBI agent claims. The pupil was imprisoned within the trash can. Steven was the first witness that police spoke with after Tina's body was discovered.

Steven informed them that on that specific day, he spotted a male student by the name of Jeff Michaelson in the general area of the crime scene. He was attempting to direct the investigation toward a different suspect. Tina was 14 and Steven was 16. They simply couldn't comprehend how a youngster could kill another kid. You really don't want to believe it since it is so horrible.

Steven was left home alone by his parents. Steven went to the school and extended an invitation to his home for drinking and drug use to other pupils. Nobody wished to travel. Later on, several youngsters lock him in the trash; when Steven escapes, he is coated in food and trash and is enraged. Steven then returned to his home, got in his mother's car, and began driving about the area.

Steven reports that Tina casts him a distasteful glance. "Why are you driving so quickly through the neighborhood? They think Steven became upset. He then made the decision to go down into the Stream after Tina. A clear view of the culvert where Tina was killed was available from Steven's home. Steven Carlson is reportedly seen on his home's roof after the body is found, watching as police launch their investigation.

Steven Carlson

Steven Carlson was convicted in 2014. His current sentence for the second-degree murder of Tina Faelz is 15 years to life. Justice did not arrive quickly enough for Tina's mother, though. Tina's mother suffered a severe heart attack on the day before the trial. They believe that she simply couldn't endure the Trial and passed away from a broken heart.