Calumet Area Cold Case Website Asks: What Happened to Karl Heikell?

This is a copy of the press release released on Sunday, October 2nd, announcing the launch of Halloween, 1981.

On October 31, 1981, 11-year old Karl Heikell went missing in the Centennial Heights area of Calumet, Michigan. While the boy's partial remains would eventually be discovered, his death is still an open and unsolved cold case. Now, a local librarian is launching a website to bring attention to the mystery.

“This year, October 2nd marked the 40th anniversary of the discovery of Karl’s remains,” Said Dillon Geshel, a librarian that’s been researching the case since January. “There’s almost no publicly available information on the case, and it’s been inactive for nearly 35 years. I hope the website helps spur interest in the case again.”

Karl Heikell told his parents he was going for a walk on the afternoon of Halloween, 1981. Nearly a year later, the boy’s clothing and other remains were discovered in a wooded area .5 miles from his home. Despite several possible sightings of the boy and the identification of a suspect, investigators never closed the case.

Bob Ball, a former Michigan State Police Detective in Calumet, acted as lead on the Heikell case from 1984 through his retirement in 2003. While recently discussing what may have happened to the boy, Ball said, “We don’t know, but I don’t believe he wandered into those woods on his own”.

The website, halloween1981.com, includes an archive of police reports, newspaper clippings, court reports, and other documents that shed light on the Michigan State Police’s original investigation in the early 1980s. An interactive map pinpoints key locations, and the site’s blog includes case updates, local theories and more.

Any persons with information about the disappearance and death of Karl Heikell should contact Detective Sergeant Cleary at the Michigan State Police Calumet Post, reachable by phone at 906-337-5145.