Ann Gotlib
Encyclopedia
Ann Gotlib was an immigrant girl who disappeared from the premises of a Louisville, Kentucky
mall on June 1, 1983. The case to find her abductor and killer was covered heavily by the Louisville news media and stretched for the next twenty-five years until the suspect, deceased, was finally identified.
, across the street from the apartment complex where she lived with her family. Her bike was later found outside the Bacon's
Department Store at the mall.
Others investigated included a sex offender who had been at the mall within an hour of Gotlib's disappearance and a serial sex offender who had an alibi.
An often repeated conspiracy theory held that Gotlib had been abducted by the Russian government to force her parents to return to their country of origin. Both FBI and the Gotlib family had dismissed this theory. Another theory was that she had left voluntarily after having trouble adapting to life in the United States. Investigators and her family dismissed this as well, saying she gave no indications of anxiety prior to the disappearance, and if she had run away voluntarily she likely would have taken some money or possessions, and made contact eventually.
In 1990, Texas Death Row inmate Michael Lee Lockhart claimed to have killed Gotlib and buried her body at Fort Knox
and eventually provided a map of the burial site, but after a thorough investigation police found no physical evidence to verify the claim.
Up through 2008 the Louisville Metro Police Department
still listed the disappearance as an open case. Nevertheless, it was considered a cold case due to the amount of time that had passed. The investigation documents fill four filing cabinets.
in La Grange
on a medical pardon, where he was serving time for burglary and rape. That case was similar to the Gotlib case by the fact the victim was a 13-year-old girl having red hair. Police believe that Oakley followed Gotlib to the Bashford Manor Mall
parking lot, where he abducted her leaving nothing but her bike.
According to a man who had once served time in a Kentucky prison in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Oakley, Oakley confessed to abducting Gotlib and killing her with an overdose of Talwin, a pain killer. Police had considered Oakley a suspect in the Gotlib case since January 1984, when Oakley was arrested and eventually convicted of raping a 13-year-old Louisville girl. Oakley failed a polygraph test concerning Gotlib, but police never had enough evidence to tie him to her disappearance.
to create the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
in 1984 to coordinate departments involved in missing persons cases. The center credits the Gotlib case with increasing national awareness of missing and abducted children and revolutionizing how missing-child cases are handled. One new technique that came out of the investigation was the use of billboards and other tactics to generate widespread awareness of a missing person, which was considered foolish by conventional wisdom at the time.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
mall on June 1, 1983. The case to find her abductor and killer was covered heavily by the Louisville news media and stretched for the next twenty-five years until the suspect, deceased, was finally identified.
Background
Gotlib, a Russian Jewish immigrant, came to the United States in 1980 and was fluent in English and Russian.Disappearance
Ann was last seen on June 1, 1983 between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. She was visiting Bashford Manor MallBashford Manor Mall
Bashford Manor Mall, named for the surrounding neighborhood of Bashford Manor, was a enclosed mall in Louisville, Kentucky which opened in 1973 and once had about 85 stores, including Ayr-Way, Bacon's, Ben Snyder's, Hess's, and Valu Market. Over time, these anchors changed. Ayr-Way was acquired by...
, across the street from the apartment complex where she lived with her family. Her bike was later found outside the Bacon's
Bacon's
Bacon's was a chain of department stores based in Louisville, Kentucky.Jeremiah Bacon opened a store called Bacon's Dry Goods in 1845 on Market Street near Hancock Street. In 1876 he moved into a structure four times larger than the original. In 1901, Bacon's opened a location on Fourth and Market...
Department Store at the mall.
Investigation
Gotlib vanished without any trace ever being found. The FBI headed the investigation. Police investigated thousands of leads and between thirty and forty suspects over the years. Three days after her disappearance, a police dog traced a scent to the apartment of Ester Okmyansky, the grandmother of the last person to see Gotlib alive. Okmyansky said Gotlib had never visited the apartment, and after a thorough investigation of her family, police concluded the dog had been in error.Others investigated included a sex offender who had been at the mall within an hour of Gotlib's disappearance and a serial sex offender who had an alibi.
An often repeated conspiracy theory held that Gotlib had been abducted by the Russian government to force her parents to return to their country of origin. Both FBI and the Gotlib family had dismissed this theory. Another theory was that she had left voluntarily after having trouble adapting to life in the United States. Investigators and her family dismissed this as well, saying she gave no indications of anxiety prior to the disappearance, and if she had run away voluntarily she likely would have taken some money or possessions, and made contact eventually.
In 1990, Texas Death Row inmate Michael Lee Lockhart claimed to have killed Gotlib and buried her body at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
and eventually provided a map of the burial site, but after a thorough investigation police found no physical evidence to verify the claim.
Up through 2008 the Louisville Metro Police Department
Louisville Metro Police Department
The Louisville Metro Police Department began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county government in Louisville, Kentucky. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police. The Louisville Metro...
still listed the disappearance as an open case. Nevertheless, it was considered a cold case due to the amount of time that had passed. The investigation documents fill four filing cabinets.
2008 developments
On December 4, 2008 Louisville Metro Police announced a major break in the disappearance case of Ann Gotlib. A spokesperson for the LMPD, commenting on new developments in the case, suggested that it was the police's belief that convicted felon and former veterinarian Gregory Oakley Jr. — who had been a suspect since the initial disappearance in 1983 — had possibly been responsible for the young girl's disappearance. Oakley died in Alabama in 2002 after being released from the Kentucky State ReformatoryKentucky State Reformatory
Kentucky State Reformatory is a medium-security prison for adult males. The prison is located in unincorporated Oldham County, Kentucky, near La Grange, and about northeast of Louisville. It was established in 1936 to replace the Kentucky State Reformatory located in Frankfort after a flood...
in La Grange
La Grange, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,676 people, 2,216 households, and 1,502 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,514.8 people per square mile . There were 2,330 housing units at an average density of 621.8 per square mile...
on a medical pardon, where he was serving time for burglary and rape. That case was similar to the Gotlib case by the fact the victim was a 13-year-old girl having red hair. Police believe that Oakley followed Gotlib to the Bashford Manor Mall
Bashford Manor Mall
Bashford Manor Mall, named for the surrounding neighborhood of Bashford Manor, was a enclosed mall in Louisville, Kentucky which opened in 1973 and once had about 85 stores, including Ayr-Way, Bacon's, Ben Snyder's, Hess's, and Valu Market. Over time, these anchors changed. Ayr-Way was acquired by...
parking lot, where he abducted her leaving nothing but her bike.
According to a man who had once served time in a Kentucky prison in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Oakley, Oakley confessed to abducting Gotlib and killing her with an overdose of Talwin, a pain killer. Police had considered Oakley a suspect in the Gotlib case since January 1984, when Oakley was arrested and eventually convicted of raping a 13-year-old Louisville girl. Oakley failed a polygraph test concerning Gotlib, but police never had enough evidence to tie him to her disappearance.
Impact
Due to the startling way Gotlib vanished in broad daylight without any trace, it was a key case that lead the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to create the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a private, non-profit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress.-Establishment and overview:...
in 1984 to coordinate departments involved in missing persons cases. The center credits the Gotlib case with increasing national awareness of missing and abducted children and revolutionizing how missing-child cases are handled. One new technique that came out of the investigation was the use of billboards and other tactics to generate widespread awareness of a missing person, which was considered foolish by conventional wisdom at the time.