Behind every case… there’s a family still waiting. This is one of the stories that stayed with Bob.
You work on these stories, you meet people, and your heart breaks. You long for the day that maybe, just maybe, you can bring them some good news.
I will never forget the day I met Dominic Consolino. We sat on a park bench in St. Louis, and he spilled his guts. It had been more than 40 years since his younger brother Gary was murdered, along with Gary’s date, Ellen Dooling. Despite one of the largest investigations in St. Louis history, the case went cold, and was never solved.
And 40 years later, now pushing 70, the memories of his brother were as strong as ever. “I would do anything to find out who killed Gary and Ellen,” Dominic told me. “It would be the greatest thing that could happen the rest of my life.”
I promised Dominic that I would tell Gary’s story. We prayed together, and with tears in his eyes we said goodbye. His final words to me were “Bob, thank you for writing about Gary. Someday, I believe you will call me with good news.”
Knowing that would take a miracle, all I could do was squeeze his hand and nod.
A couple of years went by. I began writing my Frozen book, keeping in contact with my police sources on the various cases. And then my phone rang.
“Bob, we may have a lead on the Consolino case,” a St. Louis police detective told me.
The suspect was in a prison out of the area, and was willing to talk. I hung up the phone and rushed to find Dominic’s phone number. We had not talked in over a year. I knew that any news would bring a smile to his face.
I called but could not reach him. I left phone and text messages, Days went by. I finally began calling other people I had met while working on the story, asking them to put me in touch with Dominic. Finally, a family friend called back.
“Bob, I’m sorry. Dominic passed away last week.”
Some stories get answers. Some don’t… at least not in time.
But every one of them matters.
This is the heart behind 25 Frozen, 1 Thawed.
