Cold and Missing: Michael John Olson

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages. 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560 Listener discretion is advised. 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Solkowski. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680 And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,320 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases. 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,280 Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing. 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,480 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 10 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:43,240 And I just wanted to start the show again with some thank yous. 11 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:49,400 We had a lot of reviews come in this week on Apple Podcasts, just people rating us five 12 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:50,400 stars. 13 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:51,560 No new written ones, but that's okay. 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:58,020 We'll still take all of your ratings anywhere on any platform wherever you're listening. 15 00:00:58,020 --> 00:00:59,960 So thank you so much. 16 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:02,240 Once again, I'm coming to you solo this week. 17 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,300 It'll just be me as my husband takes some time off. 18 00:01:05,300 --> 00:01:07,280 His mother passed away about two months ago. 19 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,280 So we're just in the middle of grief. 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:16,300 And if you've experienced a similar type of loss, I'm sure you understand. 21 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:21,600 And I thank you all for your understanding and your compassion for us during this time, 22 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,840 and especially to him, like all of your prayers, thoughts, meditations, we can feel them. 23 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:31,160 You know, I definitely feel supported by this little community that we're creating here 24 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:32,160 at Cold and Missing. 25 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,260 So thank you so much to everybody listening. 26 00:01:35,260 --> 00:01:39,240 And if this is your first time here, thanks for joining us. 27 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:40,240 Appreciate you. 28 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:41,240 Thanks for being here. 29 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,760 So I wanted to jump into the case that we are covering today. 30 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,400 This case actually came to us from a listener. 31 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,080 His name is Paige Nienaber. 32 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,120 And he brought this case to my attention. 33 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,440 I hadn't heard of it beforehand. 34 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,400 As soon as I started digging into this case. 35 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,440 I knew it was one that we would want to cover here on Cold and Missing. 36 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,920 It's an unresolved missing person case. 37 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:07,160 And there was never a lot of news coverage on it to begin with. 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,160 There was some that I was able to find. 39 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,400 But we need to bring light to these cases. 40 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:12,880 And this is definitely one of them. 41 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,360 And Paige is a friend of Mike's. 42 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,360 They went to high school together. 43 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:22,980 Paige has really been a champion for his friend Mike in getting his case out there and getting 44 00:02:22,980 --> 00:02:29,160 it into the media, into podcasts, just out into the public consciousness again. 45 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:34,840 So I am happy to be a part of Paige's mission in getting this case out there. 46 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:41,240 And to help support a resolution for the family who still want answers to what happened to 47 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:42,280 their loved one. 48 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:50,000 So today we are going to be covering the unresolved missing person case of Michael John Olson. 49 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:56,760 And this takes place in December of 1979 in West Palm Beach, Florida. 50 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,520 But first, a little bit about Michael. 51 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,840 So Michael, or Mike, he is 20 years old in 1979. 52 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,280 Mike was born November 9, 1959. 53 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,320 So his birthday is coming up at the time of recording. 54 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,560 And he was originally from Edina, Minnesota. 55 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,080 And Edina is just outside of the Twin Cities. 56 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:17,820 It's right there. 57 00:03:17,820 --> 00:03:23,480 And he had gone to the University of Minnesota, but he was taking a break from his studies. 58 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,360 He was studying business, but he really wanted to get into the golf industry. 59 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:28,760 That was his passion. 60 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:34,860 And he had worked his way up at a golf club in the Twin Cities and decided to head down 61 00:03:34,860 --> 00:03:39,840 to Florida to pursue his golf passion down there, which makes complete sense. 62 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,640 Florida is just filled with golf courses. 63 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:49,680 So in the fall of 1979, Mike moves to Florida, and he gets a job as a bag boy at the President 64 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,600 Country Club there in West Palm Beach. 65 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,960 When he went down to Florida, he didn't move to an apartment right away. 66 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:59,920 I think he wanted to make sure that he liked it down there and wanted to stay down there. 67 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:04,760 So he was staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel on Okeechobee Boulevard. 68 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,020 But he still called his parents once a week. 69 00:04:07,020 --> 00:04:10,360 He called them, it seemed, about every Sunday to chat and catch up with them. 70 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:19,080 He also had a brand new Maroon 1979 Grand Prix, which imagine being 20, moving to Florida, 71 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:20,640 and having this brand new car. 72 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,720 Like, he was living a good life. 73 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:24,120 You know, he was doing his passion. 74 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,220 He was doing what he loved, which was working with golf. 75 00:04:27,220 --> 00:04:32,200 It appears that Mike was only in Florida for a couple of weeks working at this job at the 76 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,000 President's Country Club when he decided that he wanted to stay permanently. 77 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:42,360 He was going to move down here and look for apartments and make his home base. 78 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:48,760 Everyone that knew Mike and loved Mike described him as a very caring and kind person. 79 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:51,140 He was a great friend. 80 00:04:51,140 --> 00:04:53,520 Not just a good friend, a great friend. 81 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:58,680 He really kind of went out of his way for those that he loved and wanted to be there 82 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:00,520 for those he loved. 83 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:02,620 Paige Neenaber puts it perfectly. 84 00:05:02,620 --> 00:05:09,000 He says, great guy, great friend, which I think sums Mike up really beautifully at this 85 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:10,560 time in his life. 86 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,400 And that brings us into the timeline of events. 87 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:19,800 So our timeline begins Friday, November 30th, 1979. 88 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,860 Mike had the day off of work, so he started his day heading over to the President's Country 89 00:05:23,860 --> 00:05:26,060 Club and he played a round of golf. 90 00:05:26,060 --> 00:05:29,860 And I also believed he picked up his paycheck at this time. 91 00:05:29,860 --> 00:05:35,500 After playing a round of golf, I do believe that Mike does stop at a bank. 92 00:05:35,500 --> 00:05:41,260 We know that his parents did send him a $700 check that was cashed that day. 93 00:05:41,260 --> 00:05:46,120 So I think he goes to the bank and cashes his parents' check and then his paycheck. 94 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,680 So he has a couple thousand dollars on him at this point. 95 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:54,520 So with that cash in hand, Mike heads to a rental agency there in West Palm Beach. 96 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:59,400 He was trying to find a permanent place to live because he was staying at this hotel. 97 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,160 He was ready to make the move, make the decision. 98 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:04,860 So he went to a rental agency to talk to them. 99 00:06:04,860 --> 00:06:10,040 What happens kind of between those morning, afternoon activities to the evening? 100 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:15,000 Not quite sure, but the next time we really know Mike's movements for that day is around 101 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:16,160 6 p.m. 102 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:21,200 At 6 p.m., he meets up with some coworkers and they head to a dog track to watch some 103 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:22,240 races. 104 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,480 This is called the Palm Beach Kennel Club and it's still there to this day. 105 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,880 It was about a mile from the hotel he was staying at, so it's all in that same area. 106 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:34,720 According to Mike's friends, they stayed there until the track closed. 107 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:40,200 They watched several races and Mike was betting on some of the races, but it's unclear if 108 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,520 he won, if he lost, if he kind of just broke even. 109 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,360 There's no real details around that. 110 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:51,320 But we do know that he had the money from his earlier excursion to the bank. 111 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:56,160 So after the last race of the night at the Kennel Club, Mike is driving his Grand Prix 112 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,440 and him and his friends, his coworkers, they leave and head to a bar. 113 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,880 This bar at that time was called Wild Side Lounge and they head there because there was 114 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:09,560 going to be a broadcast of a boxing match around 2 a.m. from the reports that I could 115 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:10,560 find. 116 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:14,840 So Mike and his friends head to that bar, watch the boxing match, and then they kind 117 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,520 of start bar hopping. 118 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:21,240 There are reports that they went to another bar, but I couldn't find the name of the bar 119 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:22,800 or any details around it. 120 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:27,080 So it seems like they're at the Wild Side Lounge. 121 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,960 They go to another bar, maybe for a little bit. 122 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,580 But then the next bar they head to is Mr. G's. 123 00:07:33,580 --> 00:07:36,760 And that's the last bar that they're at for this evening. 124 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:42,760 Again, it's unclear exactly what time they show up to Mr. G's, but this is a 4 a.m. bar 125 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:44,460 and they stay until close. 126 00:07:44,460 --> 00:07:47,740 So this brings us into December 1st for sure. 127 00:07:47,740 --> 00:07:50,460 So Mike and his friends, they're at the bar, they're having a good time. 128 00:07:50,460 --> 00:07:52,200 They stay until 4 a.m. 129 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:57,840 And despite being out kind of all evening and bar hopping, according to his friends, 130 00:07:57,840 --> 00:07:59,780 Mike wasn't drinking a lot. 131 00:07:59,780 --> 00:08:01,100 Mike was driving that night. 132 00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:02,660 He was driving his friends around. 133 00:08:02,660 --> 00:08:07,840 So I believe he was being responsible and not getting intoxicated so that way he would 134 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,240 be in a good state to drive his friends. 135 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,720 None of his friends say that he drank a lot or that he was drunk by the end of the evening. 136 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:21,280 So after Mr. G's closes down at 4 a.m., Mike gives his friend a ride to his car, which 137 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:23,920 was back towards the racetrack. 138 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,200 There's a church near the racetrack called Belvedere Baptist Church. 139 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:28,720 Again, this is still there. 140 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,240 You can see the racetrack from their parking lot. 141 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:37,080 And at that time in 1979, and apparently still happening to this day, people will park at 142 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:42,920 the church and then walk over to the racetracks because you have to pay to park at the racetrack. 143 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:45,540 So if you park at the church and just walk over, it's free. 144 00:08:45,540 --> 00:08:48,200 So that's where Mike's friend's car was. 145 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,480 Mike drives his friend to his car. 146 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:52,880 It's between 4.30, 5 a.m. 147 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,640 And Mike says, quote, I'll see you at work in the morning, end quote. 148 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,140 Now in my book, this is 4.30, 5 o'clock. 149 00:09:00,140 --> 00:09:01,320 This is morning to me. 150 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,240 But to them, this is the end of the night. 151 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,180 And apparently, Mike had to work at around 7 a.m. 152 00:09:07,180 --> 00:09:10,960 So it seemed like he was really just going to go home and change, maybe wash up and then 153 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,640 head into work that day. 154 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:17,120 But from the church where Mike dropped his friend off to the hotel that he was staying 155 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:22,160 at, the Howard Johnson Hotel, it was only an eight minute drive. 156 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:26,840 Mike's friend sees him drive away and he assumes he's headed to his hotel. 157 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:31,280 But a few hours later at work, Mike never shows up for work. 158 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:35,600 His other friends do that were out with him the night before, but Mike doesn't make it. 159 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:41,280 Now if I was in this position as a friend, I wouldn't necessarily be immediately worried. 160 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,440 I would think we were out till 4.30, 5 a.m. 161 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,960 I bet he fell asleep and didn't set an alarm. 162 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,680 That would be my thought as to why my friend didn't show up that I just saw a few hours 163 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:51,680 ago. 164 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:56,240 But after their shift ends, Mike's friends head over to the Howard Johnson Hotel that 165 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,920 was just off of Okeechobee Boulevard there. 166 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:03,440 When they drive over to the hotel, they look around the parking lot and they don't see 167 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,560 his maroon Grand Prix anywhere. 168 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:10,680 And according to newspaper reports, it was in the evening when they went over there, 169 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:12,320 so they couldn't find his car. 170 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:16,280 So that was the end of Saturday, December the 1st. 171 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:22,200 On Sunday, December 2nd, Mike's friends drive back over to the Howard Johnson Hotel to see 172 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:24,840 if his car is there or if he's there now. 173 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,880 There's still no signs of the Grand Prix in the parking lot, so Mike's friends head 174 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,480 into the hotel to speak to the clerk. 175 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,480 Whenever they speak to the clerk, the clerk goes up to Michael's room. 176 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,040 I believe he was staying in room 114. 177 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,580 And when they unlock the door, all of his possessions are still there. 178 00:10:41,580 --> 00:10:42,920 His clothes are still there. 179 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,900 They know his golf clubs are at the country club. 180 00:10:45,900 --> 00:10:51,000 So it seems like everything is there except for Mike and his car. 181 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,920 The clerk at the hotel thinks that Mike skipped out on his bill. 182 00:10:54,920 --> 00:11:00,480 And so the clerk calls police to report this, like, bill skipping, essentially, that somebody 183 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:02,740 left without paying. 184 00:11:02,740 --> 00:11:09,360 So this is the first time the police are kind of alerted that Mike is not there, but because 185 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,400 they think he skipped out on a bill. 186 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,320 Not necessarily because he's missing. 187 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:19,120 On Monday, December 3, Mike still doesn't show up for work. 188 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:24,360 So his bosses at the presidential country club call the old golf course that he used to work 189 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:28,160 at in Minnesota to see, hey, did he show up there? 190 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:29,160 Is Mike with you? 191 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:30,840 Did he go back home? 192 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,480 But they haven't heard from him since he left for Florida. 193 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:40,920 So according to newspapers, Mike's boss at the country club in West Palm Beach then 194 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:45,920 calls his parents in Minnesota to say, hey, Mike is missing. 195 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,480 And this is the first time that his parents are made aware of it. 196 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,140 They were expecting a call from him on Sunday. 197 00:11:52,140 --> 00:11:54,720 That seems to be the typical day he called. 198 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,160 But they didn't get the call that day. 199 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:01,880 But the next day when they hear he's missing, they are floored by this news. 200 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,840 They have no idea why he would be missing. 201 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:06,080 He's not into drugs. 202 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:07,780 He doesn't have a lot of debt. 203 00:12:07,780 --> 00:12:10,800 They just sent him that $700. 204 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:16,120 And Mike's parents believe that if he had perhaps gambled all his money away and lost 205 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:20,280 all his money at the racetracks, that he would still come to them for help. 206 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,400 He wouldn't just disappear. 207 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,320 He was the type of guy who would ask for help when he needed it. 208 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:32,600 Once Mike's parents know that he's missing, they call the West Palm Beach Police Department 209 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,180 to report him missing. 210 00:12:35,180 --> 00:12:41,560 Because then a BOLO, a Be on the Lookout, is issued for Mike and his maroon 1979 Grand 211 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:42,560 Prix. 212 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:48,400 But it's really unclear beyond that what the police are doing at this time to track 213 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:49,400 him down. 214 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,160 I found a quote from December 7. 215 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,560 So this would be about a week after Mike went missing. 216 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:59,360 And this is from Detective Sergeant Richard Engelhardt. 217 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:01,840 He says, quote, he's a young man. 218 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:03,360 He has a nice car. 219 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:04,600 He has money. 220 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,000 If that's all we knew about him, I'd say he's with a girl. 221 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,000 But in this case, the time is too long. 222 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,480 There's something else involved, and I'm afraid it's not good. 223 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:15,800 End quote. 224 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:21,260 So what I gather from that quote to kind of fill in the pieces of what police did and 225 00:13:21,260 --> 00:13:25,880 didn't do during that first week that he's missing, it really seems like they just chalk 226 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:28,480 it all up to he's a young guy. 227 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:29,640 He's probably out. 228 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:30,640 He has money. 229 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:31,840 He has a nice car. 230 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:33,480 And he's over 18. 231 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:34,480 He's an adult. 232 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:36,240 He can go wherever he wants to go. 233 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:42,200 I was able to find that while police were interviewing Mike's friends and asking them 234 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:48,840 about their last night out and what went on, Mike did seem to mention that he had a 1200 235 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:53,040 mile drive ahead of him, but he never brought it up again. 236 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,840 And none of his friends knew what he was talking about. 237 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:02,000 Now I just typed in Google Maps from West Palm Beach to Edina, which is his hometown 238 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:03,800 where his parents are from. 239 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:09,160 It's around 1700 miles, not exactly 1200, but I don't know if that's what he was 240 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,480 referencing that he was going to head home or head somewhere else. 241 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:18,560 But it was a 1200 mile trip that was mentioned just briefly once by Mike. 242 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:23,960 And from the report, it does sound like he mentioned this trip just a couple of days 243 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:26,280 before he went missing. 244 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:30,920 In January of 1980, so it's been about a month now that Mike has been missing, police 245 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:35,680 do offer a $500 reward for information leading to him. 246 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:42,680 But Mike's parents, however, they wanted answers and I'm sure felt just very helpless 247 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:44,680 being so far away. 248 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:49,760 So just a few weeks after Mike disappeared, his family hires a well known PI in the West 249 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:51,400 Palm Beach area. 250 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,640 His name is Jack Harwood. 251 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:55,960 And Jack starts digging into this case. 252 00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:03,320 And after a few months of investigating it, Jack does believe that Mike met foul play. 253 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:06,320 He says, quote, I think the kid is dead. 254 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,720 A kid like that doesn't just disappear. 255 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:10,240 I've checked everything. 256 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:15,760 He wasn't in drugs, nor did he owe money or have a girl who might have caused problems. 257 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:20,540 The only thing I can think of is that maybe somebody saw he had a little money and a new 258 00:15:20,540 --> 00:15:22,720 Grand Prix and killed him for it. 259 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,760 But even then, he wouldn't just vanish from the face of the earth. 260 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:32,560 Somebody would know something or have seen something or his car would show up, end quote. 261 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,960 So at this point, Mike has disappeared without a trace, him and his car. 262 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:43,120 Jack Harwood, the PI, he does write to every single guest that was at the hotel that night. 263 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,800 He uses the hotel records. 264 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:51,160 But during that time, a lot of people would give a fake name or a fake address if they 265 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:52,760 were trying to lay low. 266 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,940 So he writes to everybody that he can find. 267 00:15:55,940 --> 00:15:59,760 And eventually, he does hear back from a couple from Arizona. 268 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,720 And they say that they stayed in the room that was right above Michael on the second 269 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:04,820 floor. 270 00:16:04,820 --> 00:16:09,160 This couple says that they heard what sounded like a scuffle in the parking lot, but they 271 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:10,600 didn't get up to look. 272 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,860 They were minding their own business, is what they said. 273 00:16:13,860 --> 00:16:21,700 So from this information, Jack Harwood theorizes that Mike was jumped in the parking lot that 274 00:16:21,700 --> 00:16:24,280 night before he entered his room. 275 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:29,920 But no guests reported a disturbance on December 1. 276 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:34,720 It was only months afterwards that this couple wrote back to say that they did hear a scuffle 277 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:36,400 in the parking lot. 278 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,160 And then there's no real big updates on the case. 279 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:46,160 Jack Harwood does continue to work on the case for the family kind of behind the scenes. 280 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:52,480 But in April of 1982, this is about two and a half years after Mike disappeared, the reward 281 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:59,280 is increased to $10,000 for information leading to him or his car. 282 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:03,800 In July of 1984, Jack Harwood is still working on this case. 283 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,800 But he says he's working on this case kind of pro bono. 284 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:12,160 He's just very committed to this family and to helping them into solving what happened 285 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:13,160 to Mike. 286 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:17,480 Now, I mentioned before that Jack Harwood, he wrote to all the guests that were in the 287 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:19,040 hotel. 288 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:24,280 While reviewing the records, Jack noticed that there was a guest with a home address 289 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:26,360 from Loxahatchee. 290 00:17:26,360 --> 00:17:30,760 And he says, quote, what struck me was that Loxahatchee was spelled right. 291 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,480 Not too many people know how to spell Loxahatchee. 292 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,640 And I figured that it had to be somebody from out around there, end quote. 293 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:44,660 The Loxahatchee address is significant for Jack Harwood because he theorizes that perhaps 294 00:17:44,660 --> 00:17:50,560 Mike met serial killer Christopher Wilder, who's also known as the beauty queen killer 295 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:53,320 for those of us who are familiar. 296 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:59,400 So Wilder had spent time in Loxahatchee, which is how Jack made that connection between the 297 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,960 address in the guest book and Christopher Wilder. 298 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:07,040 Jack Harwood says this about Christopher Wilder, quote, there's a chance he might be the 299 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:08,040 guy. 300 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,160 He liked to hang around those bars where there was a lot of action. 301 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:15,880 Maybe he saw this kid pick up a girl and he liked the girl and killed the kid to get to 302 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,000 the girl, end quote. 303 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:23,280 Now, Christopher Wilder is a serial killer, but he was really only active for around a 304 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,360 six week period. 305 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:30,800 So from February 26th, 1984 to April 13th, 1984. 306 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:35,880 So this would have been four years after Mike disappeared that Wilder really started in 307 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:37,040 on his killing spree. 308 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:43,880 But of course, we don't know if that is where he started or if he had done anything beforehand. 309 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:50,160 But he was very active during February of 1984 till April of 1984, when he was eventually 310 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:51,720 killed by police. 311 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:57,720 However, Christopher Wilder is believed to have been very good at hiding bodies and getting 312 00:18:57,720 --> 00:18:59,000 rid of bodies. 313 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,840 Jack Harwood says, quote, if he dumped the body out in some canal, you'll never find 314 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:04,840 it. 315 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:09,560 The danger with Wilder is that everybody will be trying to clear their file with him. 316 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:11,880 But this is one case that really gets to me. 317 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:17,140 The family's money ran out a long time ago, but I'll never stop working it, end quote. 318 00:19:17,140 --> 00:19:22,680 So Jack Harwood kind of theorizes here that, like I mentioned, that Mike might have picked 319 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:27,840 up a girl who Wilder would have liked and then killed Mike to get to the girl. 320 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:33,400 But this doesn't seem to be supported by what we know happens, because Mike dropped 321 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:37,720 his friend off at his car that was in the church parking lot. 322 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:42,160 And at least to my knowledge, there was no mention that there was a girl with them at 323 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:43,560 that time. 324 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:48,440 And it being around 4.35 a.m. in the morning when he did this drop off with his friend, 325 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:53,980 I find it unlikely that he would then go back to the bar to pick up a girl who was waiting 326 00:19:53,980 --> 00:19:58,760 on him to then go home when he had to work in a few hours. 327 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,320 The evidence that I have found or the facts that I have found in this case doesn't really 328 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,160 seem to support this theory at all. 329 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:11,480 And from what we know about Christopher Wilder, he seemed to have just killed women and young 330 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:12,480 girls. 331 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:18,980 There's never any evidence that Wilder ever killed a man that we know of. 332 00:20:18,980 --> 00:20:22,360 So that's really when the case goes cold. 333 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:28,720 However, as I mentioned at the beginning, Paige Nienaber, Mike's friend from high school, 334 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:34,160 really took up this case and has been the driving force of finding answers, I would 335 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:35,160 say. 336 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:40,320 In August of 2023, so this is just a few months ago, Paige reached out to Dark Water Dive 337 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:48,200 Center and they are a non-for-profit organization that help search waterways for missing people. 338 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:54,520 And they searched the local waterways around West Palm Beach to see if they could find 339 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:55,820 Mike's car. 340 00:20:55,820 --> 00:21:00,800 That was the big piece that they were looking for, his 1979 Maroon Grand Prix. 341 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:05,240 And to my knowledge, this is the first time that the waterways have been searched in regards 342 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:06,240 to Mike. 343 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:09,360 But there was nothing found in that initial search. 344 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:12,280 But that is almost to be expected. 345 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,220 It's a process of elimination. 346 00:21:14,220 --> 00:21:17,760 So they know they searched this one so they can cross that out and they just have to keep 347 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:18,760 going. 348 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:25,000 But truly, that is the last we know of what happened to Mike Olson. 349 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:30,040 As I've mentioned, Paige has been a driving force in getting this case out there, getting 350 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:34,320 the facts out there about Mike and just getting people to think about Mike. 351 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:39,800 And in the show notes, I'm going to link Paige's YouTube video that he did on Mike's 352 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:40,800 case. 353 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:45,520 It's a really well done video where Paige goes to the different spots that we talked 354 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:46,520 about. 355 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:50,080 She did the Wild Side Lounge, the Kennel Club, Mr. G's. 356 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:56,720 So you really get a visual, not only for how close all of these things were, but just how 357 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:58,960 busy this area is. 358 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,920 Okeechobee Avenue in West Palm Beach is a very active avenue. 359 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:11,520 So for it being such a popular part of town, just a popular city, even at 4.35 a.m., people 360 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:12,520 are going to be out. 361 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:16,020 They're going to be ending their night, maybe like Mike was, or they're going to be starting 362 00:22:16,020 --> 00:22:19,440 their day, going to the gym, going out, going for walks and runs. 363 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:26,360 So somebody saw something that morning of December 1st, 1979. 364 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:33,120 And if you know anything about the disappearance of Mike Olson or the whereabouts of his 1979 365 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:42,160 Grand Prix, you are encouraged to call the Palm Beach Police Department at 561-822-1900. 366 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:47,360 The sources for the timeline today, as mentioned, one of them comes from Paige's YouTube channel, 367 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:49,200 which will be linked in the show notes below. 368 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:53,560 If you want to check that out, I highly recommend it to get more details and visuals about this 369 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:54,560 case. 370 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:58,400 The Minneapolis Star, the Palm Beach Post, and Fort Lauderdale News. 371 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:02,180 So that is the case of Mike Olson. 372 00:23:02,180 --> 00:23:07,160 And again, I just want to say thank you to Paige for bringing this case to my attention. 373 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:13,160 And just as a general rule or blanket statement for this podcast, if there is a case that 374 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:17,800 is personal to you or maybe just one that like you feel passionate about that you don't 375 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:22,000 think it's enough news coverage, please send it my way. 376 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:28,320 You can email us coldandmissingatgmail.com or reach out to us on our website coldandmissing.com. 377 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:34,060 But with this case, what really struck me was the details of the night. 378 00:23:34,060 --> 00:23:37,680 We have so many details about the night that Mike went out, you know, we know that he's 379 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:41,540 at the racetracks and he stays there stays there until it closes. 380 00:23:41,540 --> 00:23:44,000 And then, you know, he's making some bets there. 381 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:49,000 And then they go and watch this get this boxing match at another bar and then possibly head 382 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:54,000 to another one and then finally end at Mr. G's, which they closed down at 4am. 383 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,520 Like we really know Mike's whereabouts the night he went missing. 384 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:04,720 The only blank time that we really have for that evening is the roughly two hours after 385 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,440 Mike drops his friend off at his car. 386 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,840 He was an eight minute drive from the hotel he was staying at, and he was due to work 387 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,640 at around 7am. 388 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,560 So that's really where it happened. 389 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:24,400 And by all accounts, it sounds like Mike didn't make it back into his room at the Howard Johnson 390 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:25,880 Hotel. 391 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:32,000 So it kind of feels like it's really just that eight to maybe 10 minutes it would have 392 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:37,960 taken him to drive from the church parking lot to his hotel parking lot. 393 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:40,800 So that's really where this mystery comes down to. 394 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:47,920 And police seem to think that maybe somebody just noticed that he had a lot of money. 395 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:53,960 And that seems to kind of be the prevailing thought, you know, when this case is discussed 396 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:58,600 online on online forums like Websleuth or Reddit or, you know, anything like that. 397 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,320 But I think it does make sense here. 398 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:05,000 You know, we know he cashed his $700 check from his parents and that he had just been 399 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,040 paid and that was cashed as well. 400 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,560 So he had cash on him that day. 401 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:12,560 I don't know if he brought it all with him. 402 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:17,600 It's never been publicly discussed if they found money in his room. 403 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:23,960 But he had this brand new 1979 Grand Prix maroon car. 404 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:25,280 Like he's 20. 405 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:26,280 He's got money. 406 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:27,280 He's got a car. 407 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,880 He's, you know, kind of a hot shot right now. 408 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:36,000 And did someone take notice of that and want some of the money, want the car? 409 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,740 And it was a robbery that went wrong. 410 00:25:38,740 --> 00:25:42,520 You know, from this point, it's just like wild speculation about what could have happened 411 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:43,520 to him. 412 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,720 But that couple from Arizona, that's kind of something I keep coming back to of them 413 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,880 hearing a scuffle, but, you know, just kind of minding their own business. 414 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,320 They didn't want to report it. 415 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:55,720 They didn't look outside to investigate it. 416 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,920 But they did hear kind of a disturbance in the parking lot. 417 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:02,720 So it could have happened in the hotel parking lot. 418 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:08,640 Maybe somebody followed him and made their move there in the parking lot. 419 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:15,280 This is 1979, so, you know, there's no real CCTV footage from the parking lot that night. 420 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,480 But it is just like sad to me. 421 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,640 Like, you know, it sounds like he was trying to be responsible. 422 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,840 He made sure his friends got home. 423 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:30,820 And then what should have just been a really quick turnaround, something happened to somebody 424 00:26:30,820 --> 00:26:34,860 who was, you know, doing everything right. 425 00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:36,900 And that's just like, that kills me. 426 00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:41,680 And the fact that he, that we've never been able to find his car, like, cars don't, like, 427 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,560 people don't disappear and cars don't disappear from this planet. 428 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:46,640 So where is that car? 429 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:53,440 I do think Paige is on the right track of, like, contacting these organizations that 430 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,760 search waterways that have the means and the people and the know how to do it. 431 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,480 Because to me, that makes a lot of sense that if you needed to get rid of a car in a hurry, 432 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,880 the fastest way would probably be to sink it. 433 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,600 I am very hopeful in this case. 434 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:14,960 A lot because of Paige's involvement, like, he's really hitting the pavement, emailing 435 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:19,160 podcasts, making sure that Mike is not forgotten at all. 436 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:23,760 And when that kind of pressure is put out there and when somebody is, you know, really 437 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:28,200 kind of actively investigating from the outside the way that Paige is, it puts pressure on 438 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,120 police to also be doing that. 439 00:27:31,120 --> 00:27:33,600 Because people will want to know, like, why? 440 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:38,700 Why don't we have this answer to why this young man disappeared, right? 441 00:27:38,700 --> 00:27:43,720 When he was, like, starting his life and just building exactly what he wanted. 442 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:44,720 Why was it cut short? 443 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:46,180 Like, we need that answer. 444 00:27:46,180 --> 00:27:48,160 His family deserves that answer. 445 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:54,120 He has siblings, he has nieces and nephews now that want to know what happened to him. 446 00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:59,280 But with advocates like Paige and podcasts like ours and listeners like you, like, we 447 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:06,000 are all helping get his name out there again and to be thinking of him kind of collectively. 448 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:12,100 You know, I really believe in, like, the power of prayers and meditations and thoughtfulness 449 00:28:12,100 --> 00:28:14,440 and just being really mindful of your thoughts. 450 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:19,680 And I believe that, like, we can get answers for what happened to Mike and bring those 451 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,600 answers to his family that are looking for them. 452 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:27,840 So again, if you know anything about what happened to Mike Olsen in December of 1979 453 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:37,120 in West Palm Beach, Florida, please call the Palm Beach Police Department at 561-822-1900. 454 00:28:37,120 --> 00:28:43,440 As I kind of mentioned earlier, if you have a case that you are very passionate about, 455 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,760 maybe that is very personal to you, somebody you went to high school with, somebody that 456 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:52,940 you knew, or maybe even somebody in your own family, if that is a case that you would like 457 00:28:52,940 --> 00:28:58,240 us to cover and research, please email us at coldandmissingatgmail.com. 458 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:03,600 Or you can head over to our website, coldandmissing.com, where we also will have transcripts of the 459 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:05,080 episode. 460 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:10,640 So if you or someone you know is hard of hearing, you can read along with the podcast and the 461 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,000 transcript will be right on there. 462 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,000 And again, I know I mentioned it at the top, but thank you so much to everyone who rated 463 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:18,700 and reviewed us recently. 464 00:29:18,700 --> 00:29:21,800 It has been so meaningful to me. 465 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,220 And thank you if you are joining us on YouTube. 466 00:29:24,220 --> 00:29:27,360 We have a lot of subscribers joining us daily over there. 467 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,160 So thank you so much for that. 468 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,920 I know it's, I don't do anything fancy on the YouTube. 469 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,080 It's really just the podcast with a picture on a video. 470 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:40,960 But I really appreciate everyone on YouTube who stays, who listens, and we have great 471 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:42,440 conversations in the comments. 472 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,320 So if maybe that's how you like to enjoy your podcast, we're also over there. 473 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:48,160 You can find us there and subscribe. 474 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,640 We will also be posting pictures of Mike on our Instagram this week. 475 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:56,680 So if you're not already, please follow us at cold and missing on Instagram, you should 476 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:58,820 search us and we'll pop right up. 477 00:29:58,820 --> 00:30:03,080 And also there, you know, we post active missing person reports that are coming out by the 478 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:04,080 day. 479 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:05,700 So those are always in our stories. 480 00:30:05,700 --> 00:30:09,560 And also, you know, if there's ever a reason that we're not going to get an episode out 481 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,760 as intended or as promised, then we will put it on our Instagram. 482 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:16,680 And so you can always stay informed. 483 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:22,440 I always want to keep you guys informed because it means a lot to me that I'm a part of your 484 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,320 week and that you're here with me and listening to me. 485 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:30,860 So I really want to respect your time and this relationship for lack of a better word 486 00:30:30,860 --> 00:30:32,640 that we've created. 487 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:37,360 You expect me to put out an episode and I hope that you listen. 488 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:41,260 But I think that is all I have. 489 00:30:41,260 --> 00:30:43,440 So thank you again for listening. 490 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:44,720 This is cold and missing. 491 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:46,940 I'm Allie McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 492 00:30:46,940 --> 00:31:15,520 Have a great week and stay safe, y'all.