This Chapter discusses some of my concerns not related to the dictatorial responses of the Oakland County Prosecutor. These concerns entered into my conclusion that Christopher Busch was involved in Tim’s death.
Criminal suspects are normally identified by name when the police receive the initial lead. In this case no name was given when my daughter, Cathy, called the Livonia Police Department in July 2007 (Chapter 19, Exhibit E). From her information, the police identified Busch. When Jessica Cooper advised me on March 1, 2010 that Busch was not a suspect the King family had not been provided any documents. I received my first information on December 15, 2010 when the Michigan State Police delivered 3411 pages pursuant to my FOIA law suit. All the information I have received arrived after that date. Oakland County has not provided any information to my family.
For more than 30 years I had concluded that it was a diabolically clever individual who killed Tim. I always thought if two or more individuals were involved one of them would ultimately identify the killers, either directly or indirectly. In 2006 Lawrence Wasser indirectly identified Busch to Patrick Coffey, a former neighbor and classmate of my son Chris, at a national convention of polygraphers in Las Vegas (Chapters 19 to 21). At his own expense Coffey flew from California and gave sworn testimony to the Wayne County Circuit Court. To my knowledge no one has taken any sworn testimony from Wasser. Apparently some authorities believe is more important to keep the polygraph results secret than it is to solve the OCCK case or any other serious crime.
The relationship between Busch and Greene with the OCCK case was first discussed in a January 1977 pedophile case in Genesee County. They were codefendants for abusing a boy in the Flint area (Chapter 29). Greene advised the investigators that Busch had killed Mark Stebbins, the first victim of the OCCK. NO ONE FOLLOWED UP ON THIS LEAD! They abused the same child. Greene received a life sentence. Busch was placed on probation even though he pleaded guilty in this and three other cases. Which one of them was the son of a prominent GM or automobile executive (Chapter 45)?
In February 1977 the Oakland County Prosecutor announced that Busch was not involved in the Stebbins murder because he passed a polygraph test. Tim was abducted and murdered in March. If Busch was ultimately charged in the OCCK case this timing would be very embarrassing. The possibility that Busch killed Tim while on probation also led me to continue my search for the truth.
Busch died on or about November 20, 1978 and the original Task Force was disbanded on December 15, 1978. Coincidence? The death was treated as a suicide but there is some concern he may have been murdered (Chapter 24, Exhibit F). Even though Busch had been removed as a suspect in February 1977, the Bloomfield Township police called the OCCK Task Force shortly after arriving at the residence to investigate his death. To my knowledge no one has interviewed the Task Force members, John Davis and Ron Pierce, who came to the residence. Why were they called and who did they report to?
Another interesting fact arose from the FBI interview with Charles Busch, the brother of Christopher. Before making any statement Charles asked if his nephews could be placed in a witness protection program (Chapter 28). This would only be necessary if there is someone alive who could harm them. I have requested the Task Force to follow up on this item.
Not all of the investigators have eliminated Busch as a suspect. In June 2015 one of them called to make certain I had received all of the Busch files (Chapter 25). When the MSP requested a search warrant of the former Busch residence October 28, 2008 the Wayne County Prosecutor, the Oakland County Prosecutor and the Michigan State Police all thought this was the best lead in the OCCK case. After Jessica Cooper called me on March 1, 2010 to tell me Busch was no longer a suspect her Chief Assistant Paul Walton told us they had no information exonerating him (Chapter 65).
As I mentioned early in this Story the emphasis on the blue Gremlin was entirely incorrect (Chapters 3 to 7). The documents the Oakland County Prosecutor delivered to me on November 20, 2012 mention several other cars. A Pontiac is associated with all four children, and a Pontiac Lemans with three of them. The failure to publicize the possible involvement of the other cars is disturbing to the King family. Was this a deliberate attempt to mislead the public? Did the death of Busch eliminate the need for further evidence to close the case?
The King family concerns over the silence of Oakland County is summarized in Chapter 58. We greatly fear the silence is a deliberate attempt by Oakland County to avoid criticism of the improper actions in 1977 which would have involved the Busch family and perhaps other prominent citizens.