ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Case Files #143: Tom Roche | Autopsyfiles.org — On Friday, September 13, 1991, Burbank machinist Tom Roche, 36, drove his girlfriend Barbara Rondeau to work, promised to be back for lunch, and vanished. Six days later an envelope arrived addressed to his family, holding his driver's license, the earring he had worn, and an anonymous letter from a man claiming to have murdered him. Police could not tell whether it was a confession, a hoax, or Tom's own cover for disappearing. On January 11, 1992, his bone fragments and packed effects were found on a remote hillside in Placer County, nearly 500 miles north — though the letter had claimed he was buried near Los Angeles. DNA testing confirmed the remains as Tom's in January 1994; he had died of a gunshot wound. His killer, and the letter's author, have never been identified, and no one has ever been charged. Tips: Burbank Police Department detectives (818) 238-3210; anonymous tips to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Full case details at Autopsyfiles.org.
