“Mentally Ill Woman Escapes Police Custody” The Daily Flyleaf, 6/11/1996

“Mentally Ill Woman Escapes Police Custody”

 

Originally published in

“The Daily Flyleaf”

 

June 11^th, 1996

 

“Ann Arbor, Michigan –

 

Ann Arbor Police Chief Darren McAvoy reported a highly unusual situation in their holding cells on June 7^th, when a woman who was apparently mentally unbalanced managed to escape temporary confinement under mysterious circumstances.

 

The woman, believed to be homeless, was found in a disheveled state on June 6^th on Windmill Way, near the scene of the fatal crash that killed beloved Daily Flyleaf reporter Victoria Kellerman. Initially questioned as a witness in the investigation of the tragic incident, the woman, identifying herself as Stefanie Gunderson, was helpful before “babbling a lot of nonsense” according to Chief McAvoy. Before she was taken into police custody, “Gunderson” reportedly began repeating the chorus of the song “Once in a Lifetime” by hit 1980s band Talking Heads.

 

She was held overnight, as she was considered a danger to herself or others, while potential caregivers were sought. No family could be identified. The woman calling herself Stefanie Gunderson had an Ann Arbor, Michigan driver’s license bearing the name given; however, the license was determined to be fraudulent as it bore an issue date nearly thirty years in the future. In addition to the fraudulent license, the so-called Stefanie Gunderson was also in possession of a strange, apparently inactive electronic device bearing a logo similar to that of Apple Computers. The woman displayed extreme agitation when the device was confiscated, McAvoy said, repeatedly stating that the device needed to be charged.

 

While locked in a secure cell overnight, the woman calling herself Stefanie Gunderson apparently vanished between guard checks at midnight and 1 AM. Her cell was still locked, and the sole exit from the holding cells had remained under close watch all night. No sign of forced entry or exit from the building was found. Chief MvAvoy is asking anyone with information on this most unusual incident, or information on the whereabouts or background of the escaped woman, to please come forward. The woman is described as being in her early 30s, slightly overweight, with brown hair worn in a ponytail and dark circles under her eyes. She was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, white running shoes with velcro fastenings, black leggings, and a t-shirt featuring an image of a green dog character yelling the word “tacos.”

 

In a strange twist to this already strange story, the unusual black rectangular device confiscated from the woman also went missing, even though it was stored securely in an evidence locker. It was replaced by an early 1970s replica of a black rotary telephone of a type commonly used decades earlier, with a tag indicating it was the property of Jeremy Kellerman, widower of the late Victoria Kellerman. The telephone was returned to Mr. Kellerman, who was at a loss to explain the mystery.