Katelind "Katie" Caudill

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Police: Man Wanted In Interstate Killing Spree



POSTED: 9:43 am EDT September 19, 2005
UPDATED: 11:26 am EDT September 20, 2005

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A man wanted in connection with the shooting death of a 13-year-old Tri-State girl may have killed two people southeast of Chicago just hours later, News 5 reported.

Katelind "Katie" Caudill, a seventh-grader at Kings Junior High School, was living with her grandmother in Deerfield Township. She was found dead Monday morning, News 5 reported.

Police said the suspect, Melvin Keeling, was a neighbor of Caudill's and was being investigated for two counts of rape and 24 counts of gross sexual imposition involving a child.

Caudill was involved in the investigation and was a close friend of Keeling's stepdaughter, although police said Caudill was not a victim.

Caudill was killed about 6:45 a.m. in the 2100 block of Cosmos Drive. Kaitlin's grandmother reported the shooting in a 911 call.

On the call, the grandmother said she heard two shots, then went into her granddaughter's room and found her lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Police are not saying if there was any sign of forced entry, but the grandmother said she had left a door open because she expected her daughter to be coming home. The girl and the grandmother were believed to be the only family members home at the time of the shooting.

"She was a good girl and there's a monster out there on the loose," Paul Ogden, one of Caudill's neighbors, said.

Keeling lived in the home behind Caudill.

Authorities in Indiana are also searching for a vehicle similar to Keeling's van in connection with a convenience store shooting in the northwestern part of the state just before 11 a.m.

Two clerks at the Jasper County store died of gunshot wounds, and a surveillance tape from the store shows a man matching Keeling's description in the store around the time they were shot. Police said Keeling demanded cash from the two women and then opened fire on them.

Keeling was headed north on Interstate 65 toward Chicago, police said.

Keeling is described as a 43-year-old black man, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, 145 pounds, with a tight-curled afro and a moustache. He was last seen wearing a dark green T-shirt with a stripe down the sleeve, blue jeans and dark shoes.

He was driving a 2000 Ford Windstar with Ohio license plates DW18AW.

Keeling is considered armed and dangerous.

Keeling's former mother-in-law, who preferred not to be identified, said he used to be a minister at a Tri-State Baptist church.

She described him as a generous and giving man, and although Keeling and her daughter divorced about five years ago, she said he was a good father to their three children.

"I hope it's not him for my daughter's sake," she said. "The children -- they love their daddy, and at one time, they were very much in love. They had a beautiful wedding, and we loved him like a son."

Stay tuned to News 5 and refresh ChannelCincinnati.com for updates.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4990447/detail.html

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Girl's Accused Killer May Be Back In Tri-State

POSTED: 5:14 am EDT September 20, 2005
UPDATED: 5:14 am EDT September 21, 2005

CINCINNATI -- Is Melvin Keeling back in the Tri-state?

There was a credible sighting of the accused killer downtown Tuesday morning, officials said.

Keeling is accused of killing his neighbor, 13-year-old Katie Caudill, in her Warren County home Monday and then driving to northern Indiana and killing two women in a convenience store.

Police around the Midwest are on the lookout for Keeling, 43, and his silver 2000 Ford Windstar van with Ohio license plate DW18AW. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Police said Keeling entered the Deerfield Township home where Katie lived with her grandmother and shot the Kings Junior High seventh-grader as she was getting ready for school.

Katie's grandmother said Katie was going to testify against Keeling, who has been charged with two counts of rape and 24 counts of gross sexual imposition against a child.

Katie's grandmother said Keeling abused his stepdaughter, Katie's best friend.

Police said Katie was not the victim but she was involved in the investigation.

Police said Keeling killed two workers at the Family Express convenience store in Remington, Ind., about 75 miles southeast of Chicago. Police said they identified him from the store's security camera.

Family Express is offering a $10,000 reward information that leads to Keeling's capture and conviction.

Stay tuned to News 5 and refresh ChannelCincinnati.com for updates.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4994892/detail.html

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Slaying Suspect's Van Found In Indiana
Keeling Reportedly Seen In Cincinnati Tuesday Morning

POSTED: 2:47 pm EDT September 20, 2005
UPDATED: 8:29 pm EDT September 20, 2005

CINCINNATI -- Authorities in three states spent Tuesday tracking down leads on a man accused of killing three people in two of those states, News 5 reported.

The Indiana State Police said they found Melvin Keeling's van in Gary, Ind., but several phone calls from Keeling's cell phone were made in St. Paul, Ind., a town along Interstate 74 between Cincinnati and Indianapolis, News 5 reported.

Residents of St. Paul were warned to keep windows and doors locked, and not to answer the door for any strangers.

Police said the search for Keeling in St. Paul was later canceled because there was no trace of him in the town.

It's possible he dumped the cell phone while on the run, police said.

Warren County officials believe Keeling could be in the Tri-State. Someone who claims he knows Keeling reported seeing him at 12th and Vine streets in Over-the-Rhine Tuesday morning.

Cincinnati police are passing out Keeling's picture to officers at roll call, telling them he may be in town. Police have received four calls so far of people claiming they saw Keeling downtown, in Over-the-Rhine and in the West End.

In Gary, dozens of law enforcement officers converged on Keeling's silver Ford Aerostar van in the 800 block of Durban Avenue. In Chicago, police said they have been running down leads all day.

Police believe Keeling shot his next-door neighbor, Katie Caudill, 13, in her Deerfield Township home Monday morning, then drove toward Chicago. He allegedly stopped at a convenience store in northern Indiana and shot two women working there.

Warren County investigators said they think Keeling killed Caudill in retaliation for her help in a child rape investigation against him, London reported. Investigators said her help was "minimal," but that Keeling wouldn't have known that.

Investigators didn't talk to Caudill until Saturday, and Keeling had not been interviewed. But investigators said it's fair to assume he had seen police in the neighborhood.

Caudill's grandmother said the teen was going to testify against Keeling, who has been charged with two counts of rape and 24 counts of gross sexual imposition against a child. She also said Keeling abused his stepdaughter, Caudill's best friend.

The gross sexual imposition allegedly began three years ago, and the rapes occurred in the past month.

Police said Keeling entered the home where Caudill lived with her grandmother and shot the Kings Junior High School seventh-grader as she was getting ready for school.

About four hours later, Keeling killed two workers at a Family Express convenience store in Remington, Ind., about 75 miles southeast of Chicago, police said. Police said they believed Keeling went into the store to rob it. They said they identified him from the store's security camera.

Family Express has offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to Keeling's capture and conviction.

Stay tuned to News 5 and refresh ChannelCincinnati.com for updates.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4997635/detail.html

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Slain Girl's Aunt Says Family Fears Killer's Next Move

POSTED: 6:54 pm EDT September 20, 2005
UPDATED: 12:25 pm EDT September 21, 2005

NORWOOD, Ohio -- An aunt of the 13-year-old girl killed in her grandmother's home Monday said the shooting has the family frightened for their lives, News 5's Juliette Vara reported.

Katelind Caudill was involved in an investigation into allegations of rape and sexual imposition against her neighbor, Melvin Keeling, now wanted in the shooting deaths of two other people.

"Everyone's scared because we don't know what he's going to do," Brandice Sparkman said.

Sparkman said the teen was in her bedroom, brushing her hair for school, when she was shot in the head.

Now, Sparkman can't even look at pictures of her niece without breaking down into tears.

"Katelind was my favorite," she said. "I don't understand why. Why would you shoot a 13-year-old?"

A fund to pay for Caudill's funeral was set up Tuesday, and donations are being taken at any U.S. Bank branch.



www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4999026/detail.html

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Slain Girl's Dad: Police Should Have Protected Her
Accused Killer Threatened Her, Dad Says

POSTED: 4:55 am EDT September 21, 2005
UPDATED: 1:25 pm EDT September 21, 2005

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Katie Caudill's dad said Melvin Keeling threatened her and police should have protected the 13-year-old, who was helping them in a child rape investigation against her accused killer, News 5's Amy Wagner reported.

"He goes, 'You guys took my family, so I'm going to take yours,'" Charles Caudill told News 5.

"I'm mad. Warren County did absolutely nothing about it," Katie's father said. "They had him and let him go. They should have held him knowing he had threatened my daughter and her sister. They should have had a cop or something patrolling there, but they didn't."

Katie's grandmother said Katie had confronted Keeling, her next-door neighbor, about allegedly molesting his stepdaughter, who was Katie's best friend.

"His stepdaughter had told Kaitlind and her grandma what her stepdad was doing, and when he came to her, Kaitlind told him, she said, 'I hate you,' and said, 'You will pay for what you've done,'" Revetta Caudill said.

Warren County investigators said they believe Keeling shot Katie Monday in retaliation. However, Sheriff Tom Ariss said they never had Keeling in custody over the weekend and didn't know about the threat her father described, News 5's John London reported.

Ariss said the investigation was still in its initial stages when they talked to Katie Saturday. Ariss said deputies were looking for Keeling over the weekend and probably would have arrested him if they had been able to find him.

Investigators said Katie's help was "minimal," but that Keeling wouldn't have known that.

It wasn't until after Katie was killed that investigators filed two counts of child rape and 24 counts of gross sexual imposition against Keeling.

Keeling walked into Katie's house in Deerfield Township Monday morning and shot her in the head as she was getting ready for school, police said. She was a seventh-grader at Kings Junior High.

For three days, police have been on the lookout for Keeling from Cincinnati to Chicago. After Katie was killed, Keeling drove toward Chicago on Interstate 65 and shot two female store clerks to death in Remington, Ind., police said.

Police found Keeling's van in Gary, Ind., Tuesday afternoon, but he is still on the loose. They believe he could be in the Tri-state area.

Katie's father said he wasn't surprised she would put her life on the line for a friend.

"She was nice and she would go out of her way to help anybody. She helped a friend out and ended up dead," he said.

"I've just got one thing to say: If anybody's out there who knows him, find him, turn him in," he said.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/5000161/detail.html

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Sheriff To Accused Killer: We'll Find You

POSTED: 6:07 pm EDT September 21, 2005
UPDATED: 12:16 pm EDT September 22, 2005

CINCINNATI -- The Warren County sheriff had one message Wednesday afternoon for suspected killer Melvin Keeling: give up.

"We want you, and we are going to find you," Sheriff Tom Arris said. "This is the best way for you and for everybody else."

Keeling is accused of killing 13-year-old Katie Caudill at her grandmother's home Monday morning. Police said Keeling then shot and killed two convenience store clerks in northwestern Indiana, and sightings of him have been reported all week from Cincinnati to Chicago.

The FBI held a new conference Wednesday afternoon and released a new "Wanted" poster to make sure Tri-State residents would be on the lookout for Keeling, but they warn not to approach him -- he's considered armed and dangerous.

The poster mentions a Glock .40-caliber pistol that Keeling could have in his possession, though it's not clear if that's the weapon used to kill Caudill or the store clerks.

"We have the capability of offering a substantial sum for an individual who is this dangerous," Stanely Borgia, of the FBI, said. "We are trying to keep this individual off the streets, and we don't want our law enforcement coming upon him in a traffic stop and having to be confronted with a deadly situation."

Keeling walked into Caudill's house in Deerfield Township Monday morning and shot her in the head as she was getting ready for school, police said. She was a seventh-grader at Kings Junior High.

After Caudill was killed, Keeling drove toward Chicago on Interstate 65 and shot two female store clerks to death in Remington, Ind., police said.

Keeling's silver Ford Windstar van was found in Gary, Ind., Tuesday, but he was not in it.

The latest information points toward Keeling being in the Gary or Chicago areas, police said, but he could be back in the Tri-State.

News 5 talked to a man who claims he is an old friend of Keeling and talked to him at 12th and Vine streets in Over-the-Rhine Tuesday morning.

The man didn't want to go on camera for fear Keeling might hurt him or his family. He said Keeling even asked him for a cigarette. The man said he didn't know Keeling was wanted for three killings.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/5004079/detail.html

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FBI Steps Up Efforts To Find Accused Killer

POSTED: 4:54 am EDT September 22, 2005
UPDATED: 6:59 am EDT September 23, 2005

LEBANON, Ohio -- As mourners gathered to say goodbye to 13-year-old Katie Caudill, the FBI set up a $25,000 reward and released a new photo of the neighbor accused of killing her, News 5's John London reported.

A nationwide task force has been set up on the fourth day of the search for Melvin Keeling, London reported. The FBI and Warren County police said they had received 200 leads on his whereabouts since Monday. That's when Keeling went on a two-state killing spree that took three lives, police said.

The FBI repeated a warning that people should not approach Keeling.

"We're not asking people to be bounty hunters. We are putting up a reward of $25,000 for information leading to his arrest," said Stanley Borgia of the FBI. "The intention for the reward is to keep up the pressure... We suspect that soon he'll be contacting people because ... he may be running out of resources to continue to sustain himself."

Officials released a photo of Keeling from 11 years ago in case he tried to change his look.

Authorities said Keeling left a handwritten note in his van telling relatives they would not see him alive again. They also have a checklist Keeling apparently wrote to himself: pick up gun, clothing.

A report that Keeling was spotted in a smoke shop in Merrillville, Ind., near Chicago, was false, the FBI said. A close look at surveillance video showed the man in question wore an earring, and Keeling doesn't have pierced ears, London reported.

Still, the latest information puts Keeling in the Chicago or Gary areas, police said. Police found Keeling's van in Gary on Tuesday afternoon.

Several people have reported seeing Keeling in the Tri-state in the past three days -- from Over-the-Rhine, the West End and downtown to Warren County.

Funeral services for Katie are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Victory Baptist Church, 3837 Elsmere Ave., in Norwood. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mason. Family and friends gathered for visitation Thursday.

Investigators said they believe Keeling shot Katie Monday because she was helping them in a child rape investigation against them. Katie's grandmother told News 5 that she had confronted Keeling about allegedly molesting his stepdaughter, who was Katie's best friend.

Keeling then threatened Katie, her father told News 5.

Keeling allegedly walked into Katie's house in Deerfield Township Monday morning and shot her in the head as she was getting ready for school, police said. She was a seventh-grader at Kings Junior High.

Afterward, Keeling drove toward Chicago on Interstate 65 and shot two female store clerks to death in Remington, Ind., police said.

Stay tuned to News 5 and refresh ChannelCincinnati.com for updates.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/5005286/detail.html

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Girl's Funeral A Time Of Mourning, Fear

POSTED: 12:43 pm EDT September 23, 2005
UPDATED: 1:51 pm EDT September 23, 2005

NORWOOD, Ohio -- The family of a slain 13-year-old girl has been moving from place to place all week, because they said they fear retaliation from the man accused of killing her, News 5's John London reported.

But Katie Caudill's family and friends did all gather in one place Friday morning for her funeral at Victory Baptist Church in Norwood, then later for her burial service at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mason.

The gathering was a time of not only mourning, but also fear, London reported.

"For all we know, he could be trying to get back at us to do more harm," said Chris, a family friend who preferred not to give his last name

Katie's family is doing everything they can to keep a photograph of Melvin Keeling in the public eye, London said, so that someone will spot him and tip police to his whereabouts.

"The focus is actually dying away on TV," Chris said. "We know that there's other tragedies going on in the world, such as the hurricane and all, and that's been frontline on the news. We understand that. But at the same time, this man is still on the loose out there, and nobody knows what he's capable of still doing,"

Chris said he hopes that people who know Keeling will encourage him to turn himself in. The family told London that anyone who's helping Keeling hide is just as guilty as he is.

Investigators said they believe Keeling shot Katie Monday because she was helping them in a child rape investigation against them. Katie's grandmother told News 5 that she had confronted Keeling about allegedly molesting his stepdaughter, who was Katie's best friend.

Keeling then threatened Katie, her father told News 5.

Keeling allegedly walked into Katie's house in Deerfield Township Monday morning and shot her in the head as she was getting ready for school, police said. She was a seventh-grader at Kings Junior High.

Afterward, Keeling drove toward Chicago on Interstate 65 and shot two female store clerks to death in Remington, Ind., police said.

Katie's family has set up a fund to help pay for the funeral. Donations are being taken at any U.S. Bank location.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/5012053/detail.html

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Dead Girl's Grandmother Saw Accused Killer's Dark Side



POSTED: 7:41 pm EDT September 29, 2005
UPDATED: 8:14 pm EDT September 29, 2005

DEERFIELD TWP., Ohio -- A woman who found her 13-year-old granddaughter dead said she saw the accused killer's dark -- and even violent -- side before the slaying, News 5's John London reported.

Linda Wilson said she and the girl, Katie Caudill, tried to help Melvin Keeling's girlfriend, Veronica, and her three kids after concerns in the neighborhood grew about Keeling's alleged sexual abuse.

"There was a confrontation and she was going to leave," Wilson said. "The kids' bag were packed and they were out of here."

She said she knew Keeling had a hair-trigger temper, but relaxed when police came looking for him.

They never found Keeling. He's accused of later shooting Caudill in her bedroom as she got ready for school, and then slaying two convenience store clerks in northwestern Indiana.

Keeling owned a .40-caliber Glock pistol, and although it hasn't been positively identified as the weapon used in the three killings, Wilson said she can recall Keeling's fascination with it.

"He shot the gun off here at one time in anger, and the police were called out. He said, 'Linda, I pawned that gun. I'll never have it back in that house,'" Wilson said. "But whenever I'd speak to him he'd say, 'I've got to get that gun back because I feel safe."

Michael Carpenter, pastor of the Loveland Park Baptist Church, said that the day before the allegations were made to police, Keeling put out signs that he might be in trouble.

"He told the guys he worked with that he was going to be gone, and that they would be hearing bad stuff about him, and that they wouldn't see him anymore," Carpenter said.

Carpenter even said Keeling knew he had a problem with his anger but didn't want to get help.

"I don't know how to help someone who doesn't want to get help," Carpenter said.

www.channelcincinnati.com/news/5038888/detail.html

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Please cisit the website created for Katie:

missing.puellula.com/Memoriam/Caudill.html