Since September of 2010, he continues to be a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan. Three weeks prior to the Lakewood victims attempted rape, a 1993 white Mazda containing a mysterious man was parked near an empty field diagonal from her backyard. She is now married and has two children. The failures of the Lynnwood Police Department, massive and unforgivable as they are, is not the sole focus of this article, though. Ken Armstrong said that he and Miller interviewed everyone still working with the Lynnwood PD, and that they were all very concerned with how they failed Marie and wanted to ensure it doesnt happen to anyone else again. During his career, Mr. Aubermann specialized in fraud and embezzlement cases, organized crime investigations, cyber-crime investigations, and crimes against children cases. Ph: 269-208-5217 Rittgarn was more experienced in that he had worked as a detective for 11 years already, but this experience was mostly limited to cases involving helicopters and the aerospace industry. One of the two officers who blew Maries case comes across as a secondary villain. He is a graduate of Indiana State University with a Masters of Science in Personnel Administration and Educational Psychology. It follows the true story of an 18-year-old woman named Marie, who in 2008, filed a report claiming she was gagged, bound, and raped. That plus some idea about the duality of man, which he got from reading Carl Jung, are about as deep as it gets. In this assignment, he oversaw highly confidential, sensitive, and complex investigations on a global level. The real cop is named Jerry Rittgarn, who at the time of Marie's attack had been a detective for eleven years, but with a background in helicopters and the aerospace industry. Her lawyer assumed Marie was faced with the charge merely because she wasted the detectives time. Mr. Crumb investigated or oversaw numerous investigations concerning complex financial crimes and fraudulent activities. He was charged with multiple counts of rape, and shortly thereafter, plead guilty and was sentenced to the maximum. No other investigative firm in West Michigan has this capability. While in Afghanistan, Mr. Heffron worked directly with US and NATO special forces military units and intelligence agencies. RELATED: 10 Weird True Crime Stories Netflix Should Cover In A Documentary Next. They found him the break in the case came from a single detail about the spotting of a white truck. Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673. '", Like in the ProPublica piece, the Netflix series compares Marie's police experience with another woman, Amber. Additionally, Mr. Crumb was responsible for pre-employment screening and the investigations of threats directed toward Amway, as well as workplace violence training. A woman had been attacked at knifepoint, tied up, and raped in her home in Golden, Colorado. The sight titillated 5-year-old Marc, who later said hed imprinted on fear and humiliation like a young animal bonding to the first creature it sees.. That included Maries, whose story is the central focus of the series due to the incredible lack of concern shown by police when she first reports her rape. The show Unbelievablepremieredon Netflix in 2019 to rave reviews from both critics and viewers alike, even earning lead actress, Kaitlin Dever, her first Golden Globe nomination. In addition, Mr. Crumb worked with Amways Special Events in coordinating and managing security for global events involving the companys 3 million-plus distributors. Its a pretty impressive feat for Rittgarn to have his cruelty noticeable in a book about searching for a serial rapist. The Bureau Group is the premier private investigative firm in West Michigan. If you value what were doing, please consider contributing to our Patreon, and allow us to continue to grow and provide coverage of our community. Dont miss a thing by downloading Apple News here and liking Prevention. "I think this show has done that incredibly well, and was never about gender or saying 'Because they were male detectives, that's why they didn't have compassion for it. Lynnwood added training on the effect of trauma, which can cause rape victims memories to fragment, and adopted well-respected guidelines, which train police officers not to doubt a victim because he or she doesnt behave as expected and crucially not to accuse one of lying without definite proof. Join to connect According to the report, Cunningham called Sgt. A native of West Michigan, he graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in business administration and accounting. Mason moved to his post working on narcotics cases. He also directed and controlled the administration of credit card fraud investigations and related responsibilities, to include overseeing the case management of investigations involving Workers Compensation claims. They remained truthful to the details and the investigation, but out of respect for all of the women, they changed their names. In real life, the detectives' names are Stacy Galbraith and Edna Hendershot, but again, thats pretty much the only thing that was changed in this story. She lost her subsidized apartment and many of her friends. Jerry Rittgarn threatened to book Marie into jail and recommend that she lose her housing. This was all because Marie didnt follow the correct pattern of how law enforcement (and civilians) believed people should respond to trauma, or have the stable childhood people who prosecute sex crimes would prefer she have. Oh, and were on Instagram too. Mr. Aubermann graduated Cum Laude from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a major in Accounting. This man tried to tie her wrists together, but when he looked away, the womanjumped out of her window to escape, breaking three ribs and puncturing a lung during the seven-foot drop. Mr. Blynn began his career with the FBI in Washington, DC, and he has also been assigned as a Special Agent to the FBIs St. Louis Office and the New York City Office. Kalamazoo, MI Mr. Crumb also participated in a number of multi-jurisdictional investigations involving state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies. Until wider changes are made to the national justice system, cases like the one that Unbelievable is based on could still happen. Mr. Colby has an extensive background in undercover operations at both the federal and state levels. When Cunningham received a call from a crying Marie, she recounted that it sounded like a lot of drama.. Thats awful. Jeffrey Mason and Jerry Rittgarn. She then called a neighbor, who called 911. Mr. Alexander has been involved in numerous FBI investigations to include white collar crimes, violent crimes, crimes against children and the elderly, crimes against corporations, and crimes against federal/local governments. The other, Detective Jerry Rittgarn, left the department of his own accord. Eventually, it was revealed that Jeffrey and Jerry's interactions with Marie included "bullying" and "hounding," and were nothing short of the victim being coerced into admitting that she lied about the rape.. He also worked as an Undercover Agent. Rape was a compulsion, OLeary explains, tracing its genesis to a childhood viewing of the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi, in which Carrie Fisher, nearly naked, is chained by the neck to intergalactic gangster Jabba the Hutt. And although the attacker always masked his identity, one of the victims could specifically recall a distinct birthmark on his calfthe final piece to the puzzle that would ultimately expose him. Both Rittgarn and Mason then asked her to write out the actual truth. Then she said she made it up. The first one wasnt good enough because it claimed that she dreamt her rape. Danielle Macdonald (who plays Amber) talks with Merritt Wever (Stacy Galbraith, in real life). After hours of questioning Marie, Detective Parker calls in some backup. Ken Armstrong, a former reporter with the Seattle Times, came by Elliott Bay Book Company on Wednesday evening to read from, and talk about, his new book. Miller and Armstrong point out a pattern in Lynnwood. He is also a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. What happens next is of monumental importance, and I hope the right people take the right lessons from this book. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Western Michigan University. One of the victims reports that her attacker had a very large, distinctive, egg-shaped birthmark on his left calf. Since I read it over two years ago, the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning story An Unbelievable Story of Rape has never been far from my mind. When the woman reported the attack to Lynnwood police, she says detectives Jerry Rittgarn and Sgt. Her record was cleared and her fees returned. Mr. Heffron served as an FBI Special Agent in the Minneapolis and Detroit Divisions, and at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. "It's not about men versus women, that's not what the show is doing," she says. Both former foster moms apologized for mistrusting her. For investigative matters outside of your state or the United States of America, The Bureau Groups vast network of retired FBI Agents and our connections with foreign law enforcement graduates of the FBI National Academy make The Bureau Group the logical choice for your needs. Unbelievable is available to stream on Netflix now. It was just like, freedom.. Seattleite, (mostly) retired arts/culture blogger. According to RAINN, 995 sexual-assault perpetrators out of every 1000 in the US don't serve time and one of the reasons for this is that victims still worry the police can't or won't help them. We all got into this job to help people, not to hurt them.". Notably, these projects provide exposure to some of the fastest growing municipalities of Madrid, with strong employment creation . Matching evidence collected from two separate crime scenes confirmed to Galbraith and Hendershot that they were connected. The Bureau Group is an alliance of retired FBI Special Agents and retired command officers from the Michigan State Police and West Michigan County Sheriffs Offices. That was pulled from real life too. In Netflix's Unbelievable, the two male detectives that Marie primarily deals with after reporting the rape are Detective Parker (Eric Lange), and Detective Pruitt (Bill Fagerbakk). If this hadnt been documented in their reports, I would have been skeptical that this actually happened. Though stranger rape isnt the norm for sexual assault, or the focus of the sexual misconduct fueling the #MeToo moment in which this book appears, it offers broadly relevant lessons. Thankfully, the ramifications of this have helped change the way Lynnwoods Criminal Investigations Division approach crimes of this nature. If youve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Peggy relayed her misgivings to the police, setting in motion a chain of disastrous decisions by the Lynnwood investigators that unraveled the life Marie was just beginning to make for herself, and gave T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong the title for their new book, A False Report.. The doubt that Marie confronted, on the other hand, leaves no trail of did he or didnt he. But when the police told her OLeary had been identified as her assailant, and that her criminal record would be expunged, she got her drivers license and then a job as a truck driver. He's declined to speak with any outlets and told Miller and Armstrong he'd only discuss the case if they paid him towhile maintaining his non-factual beliefs about "victims who lie" and a "biased story." In real life, however, the names of the two male officers are Sgt. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Her retraction came after detectives Sgt. View their profile including current address, phone number 858-748-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. Jeffrey Mason and Jerry Rittgarn (known as Detective Parker and Detective Pruitt in the series) pointed out inconsistencies in her story and said if she failed a lie detector test, she'd be booked into jail. In its moral clarity, its possible to find Miller and Armstrongs project comforting. The most straightforward and specific you can be regarding your needs, the better you can nail down the actual cost. An unexpected strength of the book is the chance it affords Jeffrey Mason, one of the original detectives who doubted Marie, to look back on his mistakes. Theyremained truthful to the details and the investigation, but out of respect for all of the women, they changed their names. Submit a white paper on any investigative topic. Let's Look at Gaga's Style Evolution, Shall We? Years later, here was incontrovertible proof that she had told the truth. Marie is a real person, and she was coerced into falsifying her rape report at 18 years old. While her managers waited outside, Marie insisted with Rittgarn that her attack did happen, and that she wanted to take a lie detector test to prove her innocence. Armstrong said that it was a coincidence that he (for the Marshall Project) and T. Christian Miller (for ProPublica) were reporting on the same case in 2015 and that they agreed to report the piece together when ProPublica could have rushed their story to print. Ada, MI He said they shared writing duties, so the piece reflected their different writing and report stories. Thomas Jefferson writing to James Madison in 1786. Grand Rapids, MI He then took photographs that he threatened to post online if she went to the police. Most of what we see in Netflix's adaptation is true to what happened in real life, and you can read more about that right here. According to the Pro Publica article titled 'An Unbelievable Story of Rape', Lynnwood Police Chief Steven Jensen requested an outside review of his department. All the while, OLeary was secretly operating a group of specialized porn sites. We believe in compensating all of our contributors (even though it is probably modest, compared to larger websites and magazines). Unbelievable is the story of a girl known as Marie who, in 2008, was victim-blamed and coerced into falsifying her own rape story. Why would you want to have the same sheets and bedspread to look at every day when youd been raped on this bed set? she asked, per ProPublica. Marie herself also found some peace of sorts as she ventured off to start a new life with $150,000 awarded to her by the state after settling a lawsuit out of court. While assigned to Detroit, Mr. Vander Vliet worked bank robberies, violent crimes, and narcotics cases. Thats not me saying that they bullied this woman into confessing to a crime she didnt commit when one was actually committed on her. Here are eight important details you should know about the true story that inspired Unbelievable. Miller was reporting on the Colorado angle for ProPublica, an investigative news organization, and Armstrong was chasing Maries story for the Marshall Project, a group that focuses on criminal justice journalism. We do know that Marie is her middle name. The parallel tales allow Miller and Armstrong to juxtapose the damage of a botched rape investigation and the triumph of careful and skilled police work. 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