COLD CASE FILES

Cold Case Report #: 89-05638, Homicide: – Kenneth Collora

On February 21^st, 1989, Deputies were contacted Kenneth Collora’s ex-wife, who advised the Deputies that she believed that her ex-husband was missing, due to the fact, that he had not written his daughter in a long time.  Kenneth’s ex-wife advised the Deputies that the last contact with Kenneth was on January 1^st, 1989, via telephone.  Kenneth was properly identified by his ex-wife as, one:

Kenneth Collora, White, Male, DOB:  01-03-1955 (34 Y.O.A. at the time of his disappearance)

In their attempt to locate Kenneth, Deputies contacted his place of employment, where his employer advised the Deputies that Kenneth had not reported to work in several days.  Additionally, Deputies attempted to contact Kenneth at his address in the 5100 block of Highway 61-67, Imperial, Mo., however, this was also met with negative results. 

On July 30^th, 1991, human remains were located at the Flamm City Park, Meramec River Access in Arnold, Mo., an incident that was investigated initially by the Arnold City Police Department.  A subsequent examination of the skeletal remains by the Medical Examiner’s office, determined that it was Kenneth and the cause of death was determined to be a homicide, by gunshot. 

The Detectives followed all of the leads that developed for several years. However, there appeared to be no conclusions reached as to a prime suspect in Kenneth’s death.

Cold Case Incident #: 90-05206 Homicide – Gary Hajek

On February 8, 1990, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to 1339 West Lark Industrial Dr., located in Fenton, Missouri.

Contact was made with an employee of the victim, Gary Hajek, who advised Deputies that he arrived at work at 0800 hours and he noticed that Hajek’s truck was already at the business. The employee advised that the front door to the business was already unlocked. The employee said that he had found Hajek lying in a pool of blood on the shop floor with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head.

The employee provided the following facts to Detectives during the investigation: 

• The victim, Gary Hajek, was an avid race fan who was self-employed as a builder of both modified and stock racecars. According to the employee, Hajek neither drank nor used drugs.
• On the evening of February 7, 1990, Hajek was working on the final wiring of the car he was to deliver to a client in Virginia. According to the employee, another employee and he left for the evening, leaving Hajek alone at the shop. The employee said that Hajek routinely stayed at the business alone to work on cars after hours.

Detectives responded to Hajek’s shop and assumed the investigation. The Detective Bureau interviewed numerous people who were either friends or business associates of Hajek, while no obvious suspect(s) were located or identified.

The following facts relative to the case were discovered by Detectives in 1990: 

• A civil court case was pending against Hajek. The suit had been due in court within a week of Hajek’s murder. The court case had been filed by one of Hajak’s clients, concerning a chassis that Hajak had constructed for the client, that another car builder later advised Hajak’s client that the chassis was unsafe and not usable.
• A second incident involving Hajek and a subject, led to a verbal altercation between the two. This was over a motor vehicle accident between Hajek and the other Driver, where Hajek had threatened to go to police if the damages to Hajek’s truck were not paid for by the other Driver. The other Driver had wanted to keep the accident from his insurance company.
• A third dispute was between Hajek and a client. The client had become upset with delays and cost over runs on his racecar. Hajek had been working on the client’s car when he was murdered.

The Detectives followed all of the leads that developed for several months. There appeared to be no conclusions reached as to a prime suspect.

Cold Case Incident #: 94-27261 Homicide - Allen Grant Munn 

On Sunday, May 22, 1994, at approximately 2143 hours, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, High Ridge Fire, and The State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene of a suspicious fire at 4250 Dellwood Dr., located in rural House Springs, Missouri.

Investigation at the scene revealed that the business, an auto body shop had been intentionally burned and the business owner, one:

Munn, Allen Grant, White, Male, DOB: 01/02/1953

had been fatally shot, prior to the ignition of that fire. Munn lived in a make shift apartment in a loft area of the body shop.

Several items were determined to be missing from the scene. These included various automotive body tools, a 20 gauge shotgun, a .22 caliber rifle, and a Craftsman tool box. As of this time, none of the property has been recovered.

A stolen Lincoln Town Car was recovered from the scene and a suspect was later identified and convicted for the theft of the vehicle.

The victim had a drug habit and was involved in the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. Several subjects were owed money, drugs, or both and would have ample reason to either kill Munn or have him killed.

Cold Case Homicide, Report #: 22-02114 – Jeri Smith

On 01-17-2002, Deputies responded to the area of Twin River Road and Highway W, near the banks of Big River.  Deputies made contact with a Private Investigator, who reported that he had received information from a confidential informant, who provided him with the location of bones, that he believed to be fully decomposed human bones. Upon conducting an inspection of the area, several bones, which appeared to be of human origin, were discovered, with the exception of the skull.  Attached to the bones were what appeared to be two green cotton socks, and a white tennis style shoe was also discovered over one of the socks.  The Private Investigator advised investigators that he discovered the bones with the confidential informant on Wednesday, 01-16-2002 at approximately 2330 hours.  The Private Investigator stated that he and the confidential informant then left the area.

The identity of the skeletal remains was later determined to be that of, one;

Jeri M. Smith, White, Female, 39 YOA, DOB: 10-12-1962

who was reported as missing in October 1999, a case which was being investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department.  A subsequent examination by the Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be a homicide. 

The Detectives followed all of the leads that developed for several years. However, there appeared to be no conclusions reached as to a prime suspect in Smith’s death.

It should be noted to this date Smith’s skull has never been recovered.