Kristen Tomlin and Suzanne Russell

Kristen Tomlin

Real Name: Kristin Tomlin and Suzanne Russell
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: California
Date: November 12, 1981

Bio

Occupation: Unrevealed (Suzanne) / Barmaid (Kristin)
Date of Birth: Unrevealed
Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Marital Status: Dating (Kristin) / Married (Suzanne)
Characteristics: Caucasian females

Case

Details: In November of 1981, Bob Dozier and John Russell set sail on Russell's boat, "The Freedom Two," for Tahiti with John's wife, Suzanne and Kristin Tomlin, an employee of their Nevada bar whom had been dating Dozier. Several hours later, the two men washed up alone on the shore near California claiming that they had lost their boat in tough waters and the two women were lost at sea, but inconsistencies of their stories and analysis of the little wreckage afloat started to cast doubt upon their credibility. One man, a gun shop owner who was friends with the two men had been interrogated who sold the group a firearm in order to protect themselves from pirates. He was invited to tag along with the four on the boating trip but declined due to high work demands. He agreed to be interrogated on the basis he has now mistrusted Dozier and Russell's statements and intent to travel.

Suzanne Russell

Other inconsistent facts were the lack of wreckage from the supposedly lost craft. The small bits of wreckage that did wash ashore were determined not to have been destroyed due to acts of nature, but manmade damage. Also, the debris found was insufficient to conclude that it was of proper size and/or importance to sink the vessel; strongly suggesting non-vital parts of the Freedom Two were destroyed and intentionally cast overboard to throw the authorities off the track. Medical examinations of both Dozier and Russell were suspicious. Neither man suffered from hypothermia, which is a common sympton of prolonged exposure to cold seawater. The U.S. Coast Guard has also cast doubt on the verity of the two men's reports on the basis of their behavior. As soon as Dozier and Russell were released from the hospital, both men immediately left town. Normally survivors of shipwrecks who are missing friends, family or colleagues stay in one place and work closely with authorities until sound evidence has been given that the missing people have died or have been recovered. Another mismatch in the case is that Dozier, complaining of disorientation and memory loss at the time of rescue, later reported a third woman lost at sea by the name of Sherry Ann Dozier. Sherry Ann Dozier is in fact an alias of Suzanne Russell, whom had illegally married Dozier to go into ownership of their Nevada saloon. John Russell had wanted to open up the saloon, however his criminal record would not allow him to do this. Russell convinced Suzanne, his lawfully wedded wife, to commit bigamy with Dozier in order to gain the needed liquor license, and the bar went along successfully. This is another factor that has led authorities to believe foul play was involved. Speculation is that that the men were involved a scheme involving insurance fraud and/or transportation of drugs and perhaps even murder.
Suspects: Bob Dozier and John Russell
Extra Notes: The case was featured as a part of the November 9, 1988 episode.
Results: Unresolved. Although Suzanne Russell was sighted in 1982, she has never been located, nor has Kristin Tomlin. John Russell was seen in New Westminster, British Columbia after the abduction and murder. His father reportedly worked there at a branch of Bank of Montreal. Bob Dozier was captured April 1991, and John Russell was captured June 1993. A UM update revealed that Dozier, Suzanne Russell and John Russell have been tried in absentia in a Canadian court for theft and fraud. The Freedom Two was literally stolen from a married couple who were the rightful owners of the vessel.
Links: None

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