Bodies found in basement in Indiana...

Culture & Society Forum

Third body found buried in home
Thursday, December 11, 2003 Posted: 11:53 AM EST (1653 GMT)


HAMMOND, Indiana (AP) -- A third body was discovered buried beneath a layer of freshly poured concrete in the basement of a rundown apartment house, and authorities began autopsies Thursday to determine how the victims died.

The remains, discovered during a search for three missing teenagers, were found covered in heavy layers of plastic and duct tape. Police used a jackhammer and hand tools to find and removed the bodies from the concrete.

"The person took a long time in doing this," Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said Thursday. "It took a while for our pathologist to remove all that was around the body."

Two of the bodies were identified as white males. Pastrick declined to immediately discuss details of the third.

A tenant described as "a person of interest" had been taken into custody and was being questioned, Police Chief John Cory said. Cory would not identify the person in custody. No criminal charges were immediately filed.

Police have not said what led to them house where the bodies were found, but city officials said they have battled gang activity for years in the neighborhood of tightly packed, rundown homes.

Three male teenagers, ages 19, 16 and 13, had been reported missing in the area in recent months, Officer Michael Jorden said. The youngest, Michael Dennis, was last seen September 10 at a home near the one that was searched.

Joanna Gilkison, Dennis' aunt, waited outside the house as police worked.

"We're just hoping it's not him, but we don't know," Gilkison said.

Officers have also searched in and around the two-story apartment house using ground-penetrating radar equipment and a dog trained to search for bodies, Cory said. Tarps were hung between the house and the home next door, and newspapers covered a first-floor window to block views of the search.

HAMMOND, Indiana (CNN) -- A man with a history of violence against boys was charged with murder Thursday in connection with the deaths of three teens found buried in the basement of the house he was living in, police said.

The victims have been identified by Lake County Coroner David Pastrick as Nick James, 19, James Raganyi, 16, and Michael Dennis, 13. All three had been missing for a number of months.

Suspect David Maust -- in police custody since Tuesday -- has confessed to killing Raganyi as the two drank together, according to police.

"As this young man consumed the beverages and became intoxicated, Mr. Maust did take a rope and did strangle this young man," said Hammond Police Chief John Cory.

"And after strangling him, did in fact wrap his body in plastic and at another point in time did take that body to the basement, and did bury that body beneath the concrete surface."

Pastrick said cause of death for James was blunt force trauma.

"On the 13 and 16-year-old, at this time, we are not ruling out suffocation and strangulation," he said.

Police began to focus on Maust as detectives looked for what the missing teens had in common.

"What brought us to him was the fact that through our investigation we had found out that these young people had been basically, if you will, hanging around with Mr. Maust," Cory said.

Police made arrangements with Maust's landlord to enter the house with cadaver-sniffing dogs. The bodies were discovered under concrete that had been poured in the basement.

Maust history of violence
Maust pleaded guilty to murdering a boy in Illinois in 1981, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison, but was paroled in 1999. He was also convicted of assaulting another boy in Texas.

Based on Maust's history of violence, police said they will check in other jurisdictions to see if they have an similar unresolved cases.

Hammond is about 25 miles south of Chicago's city center, just over the Indiana border near Gary.

Yet another violent offender who was let out of prison. When will society learn?

'chel... they won't. They "Reform" these people in prison, right? NOT!

Once again we delve into the human psyche and discover that this type of violence is basically untreatable. I study abnormal and criminal psychology in college and I'm telling ya'll, this is going to keep happening until we can mete out a truer form of punishment. I study it to find out information before the fact, but the only good it does after the fact is to prevent future freaks from slaughtering anyone else.

We should give these kinds of people a lobotomy. Remove the areas of the brain that make them menaces to society.

I'm in COMPLETE agreeance with that! I also think that they should be "snipped" so that it can't get up ever again!

Why waste the time and effort? I know it goes against everything I'm taught in my classes... but death penalty all the way! There would be no waiting period... the moment someone is found guilty they would be led out of the courtroom and punishment would be met. No waiting on death row sucking up the taxpayers money for years and years filing for appeals. No parole. Simplified, yes?

Did anyone else notice the name of the cop was Michael Jorden?

So that's what he's doing now.

-HECK!

LMAO

Funny, but it was Jorden... not Jordan. But why not? he's done everything else!

True, I figured he swapped the 'a' for an 'e' to throw us off.

-HECK!

Police were baffled by Michael Jorden's sudden retirement from Law Enforcement!

I can't agree with swift acting out of the death penalty under general terms, but in specific cases, I might go for it...

This case sickens me... Put 'im to death using all methods... Well, maybe not, but something is surely wrong with the justice system, even in the states that have capital punishment...

Canada's no better either.

With something as serious as going from conviction to death, I can't agree with this. There should be a limited amount of time for appeals, but there should indeed be appeals for those who claim their innocence, or for those who's conviction was on shaky grounds.

I think if a person is truly innocent, there needs to be time for this person to prove that. There should also be safeguards to make sure the case is being taken seriously and not stuck on a back burner some place to stall. If this is the case, then there should be no death penalty until the court has time to handle the case properly, otherwise, you will have courts saying they handled them, only to find out they marked up some documents and said it's done. (such as when cops deliberately "lose" paperwork for complaints they don't want to follow up on)

In the case of a signed confession (but not under pressure), or from evidence that clearly shows guilt, then I can agree with swift deliverance of the punishment.

Hey, that is completely understandable... but... we are not talking about "shaky grounds". He has admitted to the eating and killing of this person. Sure, in his eyes he didn't murder the guy... but that is because he has very serious mental issues!

Whether the other guy wanted to be killed and eaten is inconsequential. Sure, there are many sick people out there who want to be absorbed or absorb someone else's flesh and "lifeforce" into their own bodies, but that doesn't make the killing any more humane or justifiable!

I say... TearHimUp! Feed his carcass to the vultures!

Sweet! I do understand that if the evidence is iffy... then an appeal may be in order... but other than circumstances like that... off with their heads because a cure is not going to be found!

How awful that parents and neighbors had tried to point law enforcement at this puke Maust, and they were apparently ignored. As usual, way too concerned with the rights of criminals.

There are just too many personal "agendas" behind investigations, arrests, prosecution, defense etc. The system has always been flawed, and I see no clear answers.

Victims' families suffer greatly and often get to a point where ANY answer is acceptable, as long as they GET an answer, if you know what I mean ?

As for the death penalty and length of appeals, there is too much at stake to rush into it. But there are clear cases like John Wayne Gacy, who spent too many years painting and eating steak before he got the hot-shot.

Perhaps all these creepos and nutcases should be put together someplace on an island and let them fend for themselves and destroy each other.

Hell yeah! Like that movie No Escape! That is a good idea...hey, I think that would make a good reality show!

Interesting piece here regarding notorious serial killers and analyses of their psycho/sociopathic behaviors if you care to read:


http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_...h_6.html?sect=1

Of course I am being sarcastic...but...I would still watch a bunch of murderers trying to survive on an island rigged with booby traps and other murderers! I study this stuff in my college courses and I think it would serve as a damn lesson to the freaks out there that this is not going to go unpunished!

Yes, I suppose it would...but, it would also cause a lot less of the taxpayers money too...I for one am fed up with these guys having cable t.v., pretty decent food from what I've read, and a million other priveleges that you and I have... but WE should have them...we're free and haven't done the things these convicts have. Did you know that up until just a few years ago, the death row inmates here in Idaho had Nintendo? What the Hell is up with that? Why not give them weekend furloughs too? See MY point?

I am in total agreement! And, might I add...I do not like defense attorneys! I say...in instances where a murderer is basically caught in the act or the evidence is so forthright that there would have to be a blind deaf and mute jury to NOT convict a murderer...convict the meatheaded attorney who volunteered to take the case just because he wanted to make a chunk of change! That is just like supporting the crime!

And, on a further punishment note....don't allow them to further their education!
Don't allow them to take advantage of the things that they ignored while free! Sure, give the robbers, jaywalkers and other hardened criminals such rehabilitation, (after all...we know that sooner or later they will be freed!), but why should the killers sitting on OUR money be allowed to partake in anything? NO rights should be given! Let them sit in a 8X8 cell 24/7! Tasteless food, no t.v., no books, no visitors! Let them reap what they have sown!

I Knew Michael Dennis .. i went to school with him .. and i have met James also.. Michael was a Nice kid and so was james .. The man that did that to these young men should be killed becuase he Messed with the future of our Nation not only that he hurt so many people by doing this..