HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS
Kenneth Mains, who believes he has solved the Brenda Condon chilly case, in his YouTube podcast studio April 11. Condon went lacking in early morning hours of Feb. 27, 1991 when she was 28 years previous.
BELLEFONTE — Well-known native detective, Kenneth Mains, believes he has cracked a chilly case that has stumped investigators in Bellefonte for over 30 years.
Mains, a famend investigator recognized for fixing chilly instances in Central Pennsylvania and internet hosting the profitable “Unsolved No Extra” podcast, believes his investigation into the 1991 disappearance of bartender Brenda Louise Condon proves that one of many bar’s patrons that night time was accountable.
Within the early morning hours of Feb. 27, 1991, Condon, 28, was working a shift at Carl’s Unhealthy Tavern, previously positioned alongside State Route 550, roughly two miles north of Bellefonte close to Interstate 80 in Spring Township. Condon, who had solely just lately began as a bartender on the tavern, was working alone that night.
By numerous accounts, she was final seen that night time between 12:45 p.m. and 1:15 a.m. serving an unidentified man ingesting on the bar. Condon was scheduled to shut the bar that night and reopen later that morning to work the day shift.
Round 6 p.m. when one other worker got here to alleviate Condon, they discovered the constructing unlocked and deserted. Her automobile, a 1986 grey Mercury Capri, was nonetheless within the car parking zone and her cowboy boots have been discovered within the males’s restroom. Her purse and automobile keys have been by no means recovered. Police discovered no apparent indicators of a battle and famous that the night time’s receipts have been put away and among the lights have been turned off. No proof of some other crime was discovered through the investigation.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Kenneth Mains, who believes he has solved the Brenda Condon chilly case. Condon went lacking in early morning hours of Feb. 27, 1991 when she was 28 years previous.
The seek for Brenda started in earnest March 2 after she failed to choose up her two youngsters in Clearfield for visitation. An intensive search of the realm was performed to no avail, and native and state police who performed quite a few interviews within the weeks and years since her vanishing procured little data.
After months of chasing slim leads, the case went chilly.
“Brenda Condon is a case I’ve been fascinated about since 1991 when it occurred. I used to be in eleventh grade on the time, It caught with me as a result of it occurred near me. I grew up in Penns Valley — this was Bellefonte,” stated Mains.
Ken, a retired District Lawyer’s Workplace detective, is the founding father of The American Investigative Society of Chilly Circumstances, a company helping members of regulation enforcement attempting to resolve chilly instances across the county. He has additionally appeared on quite a few exhibits as an on-air professional together with the Historical past Channel’s “Hunt for the Zodiac Killer” and Discovery’s “Conspiracies Decoded.”
Impressed by the present “Unsolved Mysteries,” which he used to observe together with his dad, Mains got down to change into a detective. After ending highschool, he joined america Marine Corps, which helped him afford the schooling to review criminology at Lock Haven College. After graduating, Mains labored his means up by the Williamsport Bureau of Police till he grew to become a detective.
“I at all times needed to be a detective, I’ve by no means needed to be a cop per say,” stated Mains who says fixing chilly instances is his one true ardour.
Mains, then a narcotics officer, started his detective profession after stumbling upon the 1992 disappearance of Daybreak Miller throughout a seek for lacking folks. Regardless of preliminary resistance as a consequence of his position, he persevered and was granted permission to research the chilly case. With restricted data, he started his search.
Miller was final seen together with her boyfriend and his nephew shortly after an argument together with her mom. Regardless of issue alerting authorities, an investigation finally started however essential proof had vanished, main the case to go chilly.
In 2008, Miller’s boyfriend dedicated suicide after being interviewed by Mains. Shortly thereafter his nephew confessed to witnessing the homicide and helping in her burial. Regardless of no human stays being discovered, Mains believes the case is solved since he was capable of give Miller’s mom the solutions she had been searching for for over 15 years.
“She has at all times thanked me, as a result of nobody ever instructed her what occurred to her daughter. For me, we each know, and that’s sufficient,” stated Mains.
Resulting from an absence of ample proof, no fees have been filed.
The story of how Ken solved Daybreak Miller’s disappearance is included in Mains’ e-book, “Unsolved No Extra: A Chilly Case Detective’s Combat For Justice.”
“When a household reaches out to me a few member of the family it is rather laborious for me to say no,” stated Mains.
On Feb 16 of this yr, Brenda’s sister, Iris, reached out asking him to incorporate the story on his podcast for the thirty third anniversary of her disappearance as a approach to hold her story within the public consciousness.
“I slept on it, and I used to be like, you already know what, I’ve the platform, I’ve the subscribers and all that stuff — I can examine this,” he stated. A choice that may ignite what would change into a 26 half sequence on his podcast
The Brenda Condon case was one thing fully completely different from the earlier instances he had labored on as a member of regulation enforcement. As a result of he was not an officer on the case, Mains didn’t have unique entry to police stories or any administrative management over the investigation.
As a result of he had little to go off of aside from just a few police sketches and what data was made accessible by regulation enforcement, he appealed to the general public for assist.
“I used to be very stunned by how a lot the neighborhood got here ahead with data,” stated Mains.
In reality, it was a sworn statement from an area bartender that was pivotal in cracking the case. The girl, who labored on the Milesburg Econo Lodge the identical week Condon had disappeared, instructed Mains that one of many males staying there matched the outline put out by police. The person, she claimed, was a employee from out of city who made a number of romantic advances in the direction of her. She instructed Mains that he repeatedly hit on her all through her shift and waited for her on the finish of the bar till she closed.
“When all of the smoke had cleared and I used to be capable of put all of it collectively — the important thing clue — the day that she went lacking, that morning, she was imagined to open up at 11 a.m. A vendor got here in there to maintain the pool tables and cigarette machine. It’s what he noticed that cracked this case for me,” stated Mains. He had seen a single bottle — all by itself — with cash beside it on an in any other case clear bar.
“At first, that doesn’t seem to be a such an enormous clue as a result of we don’t know when she was taken. However I used to be capable of finding out she was kidnapped after she had taken the bar’s cash, tallied it and put it within the protected, so then it bought me considering, if that was from a patron, that cash would have been with the tally. The bar was clear, apart from one bottle which tells me she already cleaned, she already did every part, however there was one man ready there and he was ingesting that single beer and that cash was a tip for her,” stated Mains. This clue dominated out a number of suspects who have been unlikely to tip Brenda, together with her boyfriend and the proprietor of the institution.
“That left one particular person, and it was Mains’ suspect, the identical man who was harassing the opposite bartender, in order that introduced all of it collectively for me,” stated Mains. He says the actual fact this man, who he believes lied to him throughout his questioning, was untruthful solely additional cements his guilt.
“He lied to me about quite a few issues. Stuff you didn’t must lie about except there was a motive,” stated Mains.
As of now, the Centre County District Lawyer, who’s conscious of Mains investigation, has not given any indication if fees might be filed primarily based on his findings.
However as Mains will let you know, it’s not what you already know, it’s what you’ll be able to show.
“My job is to research. The district legal professional’s job is on their finish. They don’t need me second guessing their opinion about regulation, identical to I don’t need them meddling in my investigation, so I give them that respect,” stated Mains. “Whether or not I agree with it or not, that’s completely separate.”
“In my thoughts it’s solved, within the household’s thoughts I believe it’s solved as nicely, however will it ever completely be solved when you don’t have the physique, or if the Pennsylvania State Police who’ve the case don’t come out and say that?” he stated, including, “For me, I’m happy.”
Anybody with data on Condon’s disappearance has been requested to contact Pennsylvania State Police on the Rockview Station at 814-355-7545 or anonymously contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll-Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or on-line at www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=107
