The Robert Baron murder trial has started today, Monday, May 6, 2024. The trial is expected to take about two weeks, beginning with jury selection today.
I think most locals will agree this case has haunted Northeastern Pennsylvania ever since Robert Baron went missing under suspicious circumstances in late January 2017. He was the owner of the iconic Old Forge restaurant Ghigiarelli’s — a 100-year-old establishment. Gruesome details about his disappearance made the news, such as the discovery of blood and a tooth at Baron’s family-owned establishment. Billboards pleading for help solving the case were constant reminders of this horrible mystery, which went unsolved for six long years.
Justin Schuback, 38, of Foundry Street in Old Forge, who was an associate of Robert Baron’s son, was arrested on March 31, 2023. He is charged with:
• Murder Of The First Degree • Murder Of The Second Degree •Murder Of The Third Degree Robbery-Inflict Serious Bodily Injury • Burglary – Overnight Accommodations; Person Present, Bodily Injury Crime Theft By Unlaw Taking-Movable Prop • Criminal Homicide • Abuse Of Corpse
Shuback pleaded not guilty to all charges at his June 2023 preliminary hearing, despite the fact it was his cell-tower data that led police straight to Robert Baron’s remains.
Former 142 Carlisle St homeowner Debra Fox, whose suspicious death is still under investigation, pictured next to murder suspect Desiree Linnette. Photo posted to FB in Oct. 2023
This photo shows Debra Jane Fox, 69, who went missing and was later found deceased behind a Wilkes-Barre hotel. She is seated next to murder suspect Desiree Linnette, 43.
This image was posted to Facebook on October 28, 2023. According to Fox’s daughters, Debra Fox left the Carlisle Street home in the summer of 2023. She was staying at a local hotel, possibly with the group of people she had previously lived with at Carlisle Street, including Linnette.
If that date stamp reflects the actual day the photo was taken, we are looking at the face of a woman, Linnette, who already viciously tortured and participated in the murder of a woman who was supposed to be her friend and possible love interest, Nicole Cuevas, 38. That is the face of a woman with a body in the basement.
Linnette was also involved in the false imprisonment and assault on Anthony Cook, age 38, just three months before this.
So far, there is no evidence that Debra Fox participated in the torture or murder of Cuevas. Fox’s PFA against her nephew Jason Race alleged that Fox was kept locked in her room.
The exact date of Debra Fox’s disappearance isn’t clear. In a recent press conference, the Luzerne County D.A. said Fox disappeared in January. In an interview with Fox’s daughters in March 2024, they said they last saw her in November 2023 at a hotel.
“I haven’t seen her since November,” Melissa Fox told WNEP. “I left the hotel, and she was there, and after that, nothing.”
Here is the WNEP news interview with the Fox sisters from March 13, 2024:
Reporter Andy Mehalshik interviews the sister of the man who escaped 142 Carlisle Street; shows footage of police welfare check on ‘house of horrors’.
Previous news reports revealed that a man was held captive and beaten at 142 Carlisle Street but managed to escape in July 2023. (Thank God he escaped!) According to a report by 28/22 News, that man was Anthony Cook.
Officials say Cook’s escape was crucial in advancing the investigation into Nicole Cuevas’ homicide.
Cook, like Cuevas, was reportedly held in the basement and assaulted at the same location, 142 Carlisle Street, after accusations of child molestation were made against him. Per the Citizens Voice, he was beaten by two of the murder suspects, Desiree Linnette and Jason Race, and two individuals described only as “drug dealers.”
Cook escaped through a window on the night of July 27, 2023, and made it to the Turkey Hill at 632 Carey Ave to call 911. When police arrived, they found him “beaten and bloodied,” with injuries to his face.
In an interview with 28/22 News, Patricia London, Cook’s sister, shared disturbing messages she received on her phone. She told Andy Mehalshik that murder suspect Desiree Linnette, who she’d been friends with for more than 15 years, sent her a message saying, “Your brother’s a child molester, he got what he got.” London said she also received a photo of her brother from his ex-girlfriend.
London pointed out the inconsistency in Linnette’s statements: Linnette claimed she wasn’t there [when Cook was held captive and beaten] but Linette also said she’d tried to help him.
“Well if you weren’t there, but then you also tried to help him, which story is correct?” asked London.
Police checked on the child Cook said he was accused of molesting, but Jason Race and Faith Beamer attempted to block the police from seeing the child. For that, they were charged with obstruction. Cook was never charged with any crime related to that allegation.
At a press conference at Wilkes-Barre police HQ on April 9, District Attorney Sam Sangueldolce announced that the remains found buried in the basement at 142 Carlisle Street have been identified as Nicole Cuevas-Ingram, a 38-year-old woman from Saginaw, Michigan.
She came to Pennsylvania in March 2023 with a friend who later became her murderer. Cuevas was staying at the Carisle Street residence with that friend, Desiree Linnette, age 43, and several others.
D.A. Sam Sanguedolce said he believes Cuevas was in NEPA “really just as a visit.” The Times Leader noted it was for a possible romantic relationship.
Nicole Cuevas-Ingram
The living situation turned sour, and Cuevas was unable to obtain money to return to Michigan. Linnette accused the victim of molesting a child, which seems to be a pattern with her. It is also horrifically ironic given that another suspect in this real-life horror story is a registered sexually violent predator and pedophile.
Somehow, Cuevas ended up handcuffed to a post in the basement, where she was held and beaten for several weeks, per the D.A. Updates indicate she was allowed to go into the kitchen periodically and was given bread and water.
She was beaten severely over the course of weeks. The description of what she endured is horrific:
Nearly all of her ribs were broken.
Her nasal cavity was destroyed.
An ankle was broken.
Her head was shaved.
She was also cut all over her body, with many cuts on her back.
Her hyoid bone in her neck was broken, indicating strangulation.
Her eyes were gouged with fingers.
A tooth was knocked out.
She was kicked and stomped.
The Times Leader reports Cuevas died when one of the murderers stomped on her head. The cause of death is given as asphyxiation.
Following her death, which occurred in April 2023, she was wrapped in a tarp that was tied with electrical cords and rope and buried in the dirt-floor basement.
Shortly after arriving in Wilkes-Barre in March 2023, Cuevas reached out to her family in Michigan for money to buy a bus ticket home.
Five people have been arrested for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault, and abuse of a corpse. Those five individuals are:
• Jason Paul Race, 43 (appears to be the nephew of Debra Fox) • Faith L. Hoover Beamer, 39 (girlfriend of Race) • Desiree Kehaun Linnette, 43 (brought Cuevas to Wilkes-Barre) • Sarai Kamalani Doyle, 24 (daughter of Linnette) • William Benjamin Wolfe, 54
The D.A. said they expect at least one more arrest related to this case.
Debra Fox confirmed deceased
Debra Fox. Authorities confirmed it was her body found behind the Host Inn.
D.A. Sanguedolce also announced that the body found behind the Host Inn hotel was missing woman Debra Fox, who was the longtime homeowner of 142 Carlisle St. He said the investigation into her death is believed to be related to the murder at 142 Carlisle Street, but more investigation is needed.
When asked by a reporter if any evidence pointed to Debra Fox being involved in the torture of Nicole Cuevas, the D.A. replied with a firm no. However, the investigation is ongoing.
HOMICIDE Juanita Marie Todd 13 Academy Street Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Luzerne County 22 years old September 28, 1972
This post is an overview of the Juanita Todd case, and the first in a series about 1970s NEPA true-crime mysteries. Future posts will go into more detail about this tragic unsolved murder.
Case Overview
One of the most disturbing unsolved homicides in Northeastern Pennsylvania is the 1972 murder of Juanita Marie Todd. Not only was the crime itself horrific, but there are indications the original police investigation may have been mishandled. Even worse, there’s a long-held suspicion this case was intentionally allowed to go cold.
“Some people in this city still believe police had enough evidence to charge a suspect with the murder, but — for whatever the reason — chose not to make an arrest.”
— Steve Corbett, “A Fading Cry for Justice,” The Times Leader, Sept 30, 1993
In September 1972, 22-year-old Juanita Todd was the mother of two daughters, aged 18 months and 5 months. Born in Tallahassee, Juanita moved to Wilkes-Barre with her family when she was 11. She attended G.A.R. High School and later worked for Bell Telephone.
In the time leading up to her death, the young mother had distanced herself from her children’s father and moved into her own apartment on Academy Street in Wilkes-Barre.
1934 Sanbourne Fire Map showing 13 Academy Street
A Mysterious Phone Call
Around 3 a.m. on Thursday, September 28, Sgt. Philip Gabriel answered a phone call at the Wilkes-Barre police station. According to the Times Leader, an anonymous man informed Sgt. Gabriel that a homicide had been committed in the 2nd-floor apartment at 13 Academy Street. After sharing that alarming information, the unknown man disconnected the call.
In response, two patrol cars arrived at the predawn Academy Street scene, one after the other. With assistance from the young couple who lived on the first floor, police gained entry to Juanita’s apartment from the rear of the building.
At approximately 3:15 a.m., officers discovered a horrific scene.
The Discovery
In the front bedroom of her apartment, Juanita Todd lay motionless on the floor. She was resting on her side in a thick pool of blood, with multiple stab wounds to her head and body. A white piece of what appeared to be bedsheet was knotted around her neck, and contusions marred the left side of her face and scalp and other parts of her body.
She was unclothed, but there were no obvious signs of sexual assault. The horrifying scene was made even worse by the sight of a knife embedded in her abdomen. A large floor-model fan blew a steady breeze over the young mother, whose life was cruelly cut short.
“Babies Are Only Witnesses“
Juanita’s 18-month-old daughter, Odetta, was found sitting by her mother’s head in the pool of blood. Her 5-month-old daughter, Tamu, was awake in a crib nearby.
Newspaper reports said there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment, but blood was splattered all around the bedroom “reflecting the intensity of the assailant wielding the [sharp] instrument.”
Juanita’s daughters were taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for examination, and in a miracle amidst tragedy, they were found to be healthy and physically unharmed.
“Home Where Murder Victim Lived,” The Times Leader (Sept. 28, 1972) Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Time of Death
Luzerne County Deputy Coroner Walter W. Lisman pronounced Juanita Marie Todd dead at the scene at 4:30 a.m. He reported that at 8:30 a.m., more than five hours after Juanita was found, the temperature outdoors was 50 F.
Juanita was last seen on Tuesday night, September 26. The pathologist estimated that she died at least 15 hours before her 3:15 a.m. discovery on the 28th. Based on that timeline, her death would have occurred on or before noon, Wednesday, September 27. This suggests that both infants remained with their mother’s lifeless body for over 15 hours.
A news article from January 1973 expanded the potential timeframe, indicating Juanita could have passed between 15 to 24 hours before her discovery at 3:15 a.m. It’s unknown what that estimation was based on.
Questions about the time of death
Death investigation experts say it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact time of death without an attending physician on the scene when the death occurs.
However, an unofficial source close to the case suggests that Juanita was likely murdered six to eight hours before she was discovered at 3 a.m.
They base this estimate on techniques that consider factors such as body temperature and the onset of rigor mortis. This could mean Juanita was killed between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, rather than before 12 p.m. that day, marking a considerable shift in the timeline.
Also, some suspect the fan blowing on her body was placed there to try to throw off the time-of-death estimate.
Autopsy Report
The autopsy was performed at the Wyoming Valley Hospital morgue by Dr. William Kashatus, who determined the primary cause of death was a fatal stab wound to the heart. Penetrating punctures around the right side of the chest also contributed to her demise.
In addition to “22 puncture wounds of the head and all over the body,” there were two superficial lacerations: one on her hand, and another marking her face. The hyoid bone, located in the middle front of the neck, was broken — an indication of manual strangulation.
“My mom was tortured and tormented to death.”
— Odetta Todd, as told to Steve Corbett, “Who Killed Juanita Todd, Part 1,” www.theoutloawcorbett.com
Motives and Suspects
“Robbery, jealousy, and vengeance are the three motives responsible for nearly all murders.”
Dr. George Burgeas Magrath, professor of Legal Medicine, medical examiner of Suffolk County,NY.
Juanita’s daughter Odetta shared with journalist Steve Corbett that only three days before her murder, Juanita had arranged a meeting with Magistrate Michael Collins to secure a restraining order against three particular ex-friends. Why she was asking for that restraining order is not known to this writer.
A 1978 news article stated that the murder was possibly drug-related. Or perhaps it was something personal, maybe involving Juanita’s common-law husband. Robbery does not appear to have been a motive. Some of the possible suspects:
The babies’ father: The man listed on the girls’ birth certificates, who was not involved in raising them, took a lie detector test and passed. Based on that and his interviews with police, he was ruled out as a suspect.
The Bodyguard: A male friend of Juanita’s, who described himself as her bodyguard, left town the night before he was due to take a police lie detector test. He has long been considered the primary suspect, but information that came to light later casts doubt on his guilt.
A member or members of a local drug ring: It is rumored that Juanita, who didn’t want drugs in her home, found a valuable quantity of drugs and flushed them. Perhaps her murder was retribution for that.
A stranger: Police have surmised that Juanita’s killer could have been one of many people from out of town who were in Wilkes-Barre to help with the Agnes flood cleanup.
The police may have other suspects and persons of interest that we just don’t know about.
“We…have not been able to forget the case of the Todd girl who hated drugs and was about to blow the whistle on some limelight person when she was murdered mysteriously, with the murderers being paid off to leave town and never being brought to justice. [T]he Todd girl held life too dear to have hers snuffed out.” — A Black Resident
From an anonymous Letter to the Editor (Citizen’s Voice, Nov 11, 1978). While the suggestions that Juanita was about to “blow the whistle” and “murderers[were] paid off” are considered rumors, this Letter to the Editor shows what people thought about this case, particularly members of Wilkes-Barre’s Black community.
Initial Investigation
The newspaper stated that police were investigating this murder around the clock. This is a summary of the information shared with the media following the murder:
No one reported seeing an individual entering or leaving Juanita’s apartment at the time of the murder. The downstairs neighbors said they hadn’t heard anything amiss from upstairs.
The officer first on the scene, Thomas Bird, told journalist Steve Corbett it appeared someone had washed Juanita’s face after her death. He also said it appeared the babies had been fed and diapers changed.
Det. Bird also told Corbett he found an open loaf of bread on the counter. He said he reached in to touch the bread, and it was still soft and fresh, even though the woman had been dead for at least 15 hours. (Times Leader, Oct. 10, 1993) It seems the murderer either stayed on the scene for a long time after or possibly left and returned to check on the children later.
Police told the family that a hair was found at the scene that didn’t belong to Juanita. (Times Leader, April 30, 2000)
The anonymous call to police was said to have been traced to a phone booth at the nearby Penn Plaza Shopping Center. That was announced three days after the crime.
Then-Captain of Detectives John Lowe, photo taken during a probe into possible police mishandling of the Juanita Todd case and others, 1979
1973: A Times Leader article published one year after the murder reported that the case was being investigated mainly by Detective Captain John W. Lowe, Detective Bernard Banas, and Detective John Bilecki.
Det. Capt. Lowe told the TL that Wilkes-Barre police were working closely with the State Police Crime Laboratory at the Wyoming Barracks, adding that Trooper William Koscinski was assigned to the case.
Lowe stated that over the year following the murder, four people, including one woman, voluntarily took lie detector tests administered by a Montoursville State Police specialist, and they passed (TL, Jan. 7, 1973). One person refused the test. Nearly 80 people were interviewed.
When asked if he had a suspect or suspects, Lowe answered, “Yes,” but refused to say more.
1974: After a brief mention in the Times Leader in 1974, local news outlets pretty much fell silent about the Juanita Todd case.
That is, until 1978, when a probe was launched into the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department (more about that to come in future posts).
In 2002, Odetta Todd, Juanita’s daughter, was conducting her own investigation into her mother’s murder. She spoke with former Capt. of Detectives John Lowe, who told her a tire iron was found in the sink at Juanita’s apartment. He also said three sets of fingerprints were identified, contrary to news reports that the place had been wiped clean.
What About DNA?
The great news is we’ve heard Wilkes-Barre police are currently reinvestigating this case. As far as is known, this case was last formally looked at in 1994. The hope is that W-B police will revisit all the evidence and send it out for modern DNA testing. They have not disclosed what evidence they have in their possession, citing the confidentiality required in an ongoing murder investigation, but they could have the following:
The knife
The piece of bedsheet that was tied around the victim’s neck
The tire iron found in the sink
The foreign hair
Fibers removed from beneath the victim’s fingernails
They should also have fingerprint evidence, interview notes, and polygraph results.
Information Needed
• If you have any information you think might help solve this case, please contact the Wilkes-Barre Police Department at (570) 208-4200. • You can also send anonymous tips through PA Crime Stoppers (online) or by calling the PA Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-4PA-TIPS. You’ll receive a $5,000 reward if your tip leads to an arrest.
The Juanita Todd Case in the News
Print/Web:
Who Killed Juanita Todd? Journalist and novelist Steve Corbett’s 14-part online series on the Juanita Todd unsolved murder
•”Break Seen in Death of Juanita Todd,” The Times Leader, October 1, 1972 • “City Woman, 22, Found Murdered,” The Times Leader, Sept. 28, 1972 • Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Wilkes Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 2, 1934 • “Wilkes-Barre Police Still Investigate Year-Old Murder,” The Times Leader, September 23, 1973 • Steve Corbett, “A Fading Cry for Justice,” The Times Leader, 30 Sept. 1993. • Steve Corbett, “A Search That Must Not End,” The Times Leader, 10 Oct. 1993. • Steve Corbett, “Somebody, Do Something, ” The Times Leader, 06 Feb 1994. • Steve Corbett, “New Evidence in Case Worth a Look,” The Times Leader, 30 Apr 2000. • TheOutlawCorbett.com/news • Juanita Todd: Dateline Cold Case Spotlight by Nicolás Viñuela.
