MISSING: TRICIA KELLETT-CALL: 312-744-5594
That format, and number might be familiar to you because it's the exact description used in the infamous Joanna Lopez broadcast, and it's just been discovered to have been used in another one for a completely different person
who's been confirmed to actually be real.
Tricia Kellett was abducted in Chicago on May 7th, 1982. She last seen playing with some puppies on her neighbor's porch before getting into a car with one, or two men inside. She was never seen again.
Marvin Pontarelli, an absolutely vile man who had an extensive history of breaking, and entering, kidnapping, rape, assault, prostitution, and pedophilia, and who had also been sexually abusing Tricia's friends was investigated, and in addition to finding a stash of weapons, and sexual paraphernalia similar to what the Toy Box Killer would've used as well as fuckton of CP, Pontarelli admitted to killing her, and burying her on one of his family's properties.
However, he later recanted his story, and then said that another man named Larry Fassler who'd been earlier imprisoned on drug charges, and whom Pontarelli wanted to have CP photos of for blackmailing purposes since the former owed him money, kidnapped her and took her to Mexico as his captive. He also claimed that Fassler had even done such things like that before.
Fassler, who may, or may not have because a sex offender due to information on him specifically being scant, and inconsistent (as is on this entire case in general), was interviewed, and investigated, and that was when something incredibly eerie was discovered. He had while he had the address of where Tricia's was taken written down and labeled with Tricia's name, Pontarelli's name, and as well as the date October 1982 below it.
When questioned about this, Fassler said it was because that was the day the police had called him about the case. He also mentioned how he thought Pontarelli was the one who did it because of his pedophilia, and violent history.
After that interview, he was no longer a suspect. Fassler would continue to be in-and-out of prison on drug charges throughout the remainder of his life, and aside from writing a book in 2006 about how to survive in prison, nothing significant happened involving him. He died in prison sometime in the late 2000s, or early 2010s.
Marvin Pontarelli, however, continued to evade charges despite his massive rap sheet that should've seen him put away because they were almost always dropped. Even worse, the families of the victims were often seen driving new expensive vehicles as well as sporting new, and expensive clothing.
Pontarelli came from a wealthy family, and it's theorized that due to corruption, bribery, and blackmail, he was able to pay off his victims, and continue on destroying lives. Just how many is unknown, but eventually, his crimes finally caught up to him, and he died in prison in 1994.
Despite witnesses stating that he was indeed the man they saw Tricia getting into the car with, and his own confession, it appears that he was never formally charged with her disappearance. Outside making the bullshit claim that maybe he had a split-personality that killed Tricia, he never revealed more about what happened to her either.
Needless to say, all these revelations blow the theory of Joanna's broadcast just being a hoax, ARG, testing screen, or mistake right out the water. Not only that, the broadcast contains an incredibly important detail Joanna's omitted; an actual last known sighting that happened to be six years prior to the broadcasts air date.
This all but confirms that the channel was airing missing persons cases from years ago, which means that Joanna could've gone missing for as long as Tricia was, if not longer. This changes everything and broadens the range of when she could've gone missing considerably. Not only that, it possibly also solves it.
You see, a while back, someone contacted the search claiming to be Joanna. However, she stated to be born in 1970 which would've made her nineteen at the time of first broadcast, and thus would not be eligible for it because she would no longer be a minor.
Due to its airing, and lack of actual information saying exactly she went missing, it was believed she went missing 1988. However, if WMAQ was reporting on cases from years ago, Joanna could've very well gone missing before then when she was a minor, and thus still eligible for a broadcast.
The case is still ongoing, but if this is true, we might just have our girl.
Now, I must address the incredibly fucked up theory that's sprung up after the horrific revelations by the Tricia case-that being that the corruption went as far as even the broadcasting stations, and that's why the slides are so bare bones, and why they had such terrible airing times. It also suggests that Joanna met the same fate as Tricia, and that's why their slides are presented in the same style.
On the surface, this appears disturbingly possible, but it should be mentioned that while Pontarelli was wealthy, and had connections, he wasn't nearly powerful enough to influence entire broadcasting stations. Not only that, while we still don't know her exact age, Joanna was not in the age range of Pontarelli's known victims. It is possible he, or one of his connections are responsible for her disappearance, but it isn't likely.
Neither is the idea that they would set up these broadcasts just to taunt the victims' loved ones. If the stations were corrupt, why would they even air these at all, and not just tell the families to fuck off? Not only that, but why even air them at such times when the people effected by them most likely wouldn't even see them? The first Joanna broadcast reportedly did last all night, but even so, there's a high chance nobody who knew her even saw it.
Pontarelli was a monster of a man, and while I have no doubt he would enjoy mocking the families of the victims who didn't take his bribe money, it's very unlikely he had either the wealth, power, or connections to go that far, and if he did, he most likely done it a different way, or have not done it at all.
I dunno. All I do know is that I never would've guessed a relatively small internet mystery like the Joanna Lopez broadcast would've led to a rabbit hole, and possibility as nightmarish as this, even if the latter is far-fetched.
It would be funny if it wasn't just so fucking real now.
