Need help researching this case

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

It's from the same episode as Tina Watkin's appearance. So far, I've searched through all American and Canadian news sources and searched the available obits but have found squat.

...

Announcer: Plus, can Sylvia help solve the six-year-old murder of Olivia's mother.
Ms. BROWNE: I keep seeing two shots.
OLIVIA (Mother Was Shot And Killed During A Robbery): She wasn't dead so they went back and shot her again.
Announcer: Psychic Sylvia Browne. Don't go away. That's coming up right now on MONTEL.

...

WILLIAMS: Let me take a break. When we come back, a young woman fighting to put her mother's killer behind bars. We'll take a break. We'll be back right after this.
OLIVIA: (From upcoming segment) On May 2nd, 1997, my mother, Natalie, was shot three times during a robbery. My mom is gone, but her killer is still free. I worry that I could be walking past him on the streets and I wouldn't even know. I need to find out who did this to my mom.
(Announcements)
WILLIAMS: Yes, ma'am? You had a question for Sylvia.

...

WILLIAMS: You know, our next guest...
Unidentified Woman #2: Thank you so much.
WILLIAMS: ...says that the police are still hunting for her mother's murderer. I want you to take a look at this.
OLIVIA: On May 2nd, 1997, my mother, Natalie, was shot three times during a robbery. I remember being pulled out of class and told that she died. I miss my mom every day, and I think about her all the time. Growing up without her has been hard for me and for my 14-year-old brother. I do my best to stay strong for him, but it's not always easy. My mama's gone, but her killer is still free. I worry that I could be walking past him on the streets and I wouldn't even know. I need to find out who did this to my mom.
WILLIAMS: Please welcome 18-year-old Olivia to the show. Welcome her.
Olivia, what happened?
OLIVIA: Well, May the 2nd, 1997, it was my brother's birthday--my younger brother--and my mother's, which would be my grandma's birthday. It was just an ordinary day and, you know, she dropped us off at school. And she went to work that morning, and I was pulled out of class and my brother was pulled out of class also.
WILLIAMS: Did not your brother ask your mom if he could go to work with her that morning or something?
OLIVIA: Yes, she was very--she said she...
Ms. BROWNE: Evasive.
OLIVIA: It wasn't--she didn't feel right that day.
Ms. BROWNE: Mm-hmm.
OLIVIA: And he asked her if she could--if he could go to work with her, but she told him no.
Ms. BROWNE: I wish people would listen to themselves more, but go ahead.
OLIVIA: Well, she didn't bring him to work, of course. So they pulled me out of class, I think, around 9:30. And they brought us together and told us what happened.
Ms. BROWNE: Happened.
OLIVIA: So--they said somebody--they followed her. She worked at a little cash place where she cashed checks and made loans, I guess. They said there was three people in the car. I'm really not sure. The cops haven't--they haven't really told me anything or anybody anything.
WILLIAMS: Well, that was a witness' statement 'cause they saw...
OLIVIA: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: ...the person leave the cash store...
OLIVIA: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: ...headed to a car where there may have been three people in it.
OLIVIA: Three people waiting in the car.
WILLIAMS: Two of which were male, one of which may have been a female?
OLIVIA: Yes.
Ms. BROWNE: Yes.
OLIVIA: It was two doors down from the police station.
WILLIAMS: That's bold.
OLIVIA: Yeah.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: Yeah, OK.
OLIVIA: They--I--I don't see how they couldn't...
Ms. BROWNE: See--see, what makes me--but I don't see your mother doing this a lot, getting in a car with three people.
WILLIAMS: Mom didn't. It was the--the--the person who was the perpetrator. A witness saw that person...
OLIVIA: Yeah, the person next door saw.
Ms. BROWNE: Oh, I see. I see. Now, who's (censored)?
OLIVIA: One of her cop friends maybe?
Ms. BROWNE: Because I'd go to him because he knows more than he's telling you.
WILLIAMS: Was this, like, a crime of happenstance? I mean, somebody was, literally, just robbing a check-cashing store and her mom just happened to be there? Or was this someone who targeted her mom?
Ms. BROWNE: No, they were just looking for money and targeted her.
OLIVIA: Did they follow her in there behind her?
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
OLIVIA: Because usually she wouldn't let them in unless she knew--if she'd seen them before.
OLIVIA: Yeah, but, see, I think she did know who this was.
WILLIAMS: Just--maybe a customer?
OLIVIA: Yeah, 'cause they said they called everybody...
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
OLIVIA: ...to see if they...
Ms. BROWNE: She was friendly to everybody.
OLIVIA: Yeah, yeah.
WILLIAMS: You said the police called everybody? Who?
OLIVIA: They called the file--like, the names she had at her workplace. They called everybody--so they say they called everybody.
WILLIAMS: From that day?
OLIVIA: From that day. It's--it was an hour of investigation...
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah, but I--I've got a book, too, where I have my--my readings on it, but that doesn't mean that everything's written down about everybody I see.
OLIVIA: Yeah.
Ms. BROWNE: Do you see what I'm saying?
OLIVIA: Mm-hmm.
Ms. BROWNE: I mean...
WILLIAMS: An assault...
Ms. BROWNE: ...Sylvia saw Montel today. You know, I mean, they don't write that down.
OLIVIA: I...
WILLIAMS: So this is also could have been a person who--who, you know, cased the joint?
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah, absolutely.
WILLIAMS: Been in and out of there a few times.
Ms. BROWNE: Absolutely. And, unfortunately, her mother happened to be the one that, you know, was the target.
OLIVIA: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: Will they catch this person?
Ms. BROWNE: Oh, yeah.
OLIVIA: Can you tell me, like, exactly how it happened, like, from that morning--from when she went--'cause she had a Diet Coke in her s--you know, her...
Ms. BROWNE: She just got out...
OLIVIA: She hadn't even had time to open it.
Ms. BROWNE: ...honey, and went in to do it and then that--it happened.
OLIVIA: OK.
Ms. BROWNE: I mean, it was quick.
OLIVIA: 'Cause she was--they said she got up and started running. I'm really not sure. They shot her once in the back and she fell and...
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah, but, see, I keep seeing two shots.
OLIVIA: Yeah, they shot her once in the head.
Ms. BROWNE: Right.
OLIVIA: She wasn't dead, so they went back and shot her again.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
OLIVIA: So--my brother--he was eight and I was 12 when it happened.
WILLIAMS: And they--w--now they're considering this a cold case?
OLIVIA: Yeah. I called the other day and they said it's still open.
Ms. BROWNE: Homicides are always open but they go cold.
WILLIAMS: This is cold.
OLIVIA: Yeah, they really haven't said anything.

 

[Susan Gerbic]

OLIVIA: Well, May the 2nd, 1997, it was my brother's birthday--my younger brother--and my mother's, which would be my grandma's birthday. It was just an ordinary day and, you know, she dropped us off at school. And she went to work that morning, and I was pulled out of class and my brother was pulled out of class also.

Is she saying that May 2 is her younger brother's birthday also her mother's and her grandmother's. All of them share the same b-day?

How about searching that Natalie was murdered on her son's birthday, or on her own birthday or her mother's b-day.

Trying to find something that will set this apart on the Internet.

Susan

 

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

I'm pretty much convinced that this case is simply not on Lex-Nex. Perhaps it was only reported on in the local news. Perhaps the archives of the papers it was covered in don't reach back to 1997. Perhaps Olivia and Natalie are black or Hispanic and live in a poor urban neighborhood and Natalie was killed in yet another crime in the ghetto.

Yeah, that part confused me. Three of the same birthdays in three generations of one family? My grandmother's, my fathers' and my sister's birthdays are also all in the same week in May but that's pretty amazing.

Edit: I am searching it from that angle and am still coming up empty.

 

[Susan Gerbic]

I figured it had to make some kind of news story. In my town with a population of 150K if someone had gone on the Montel show to find out about their mother's murder there would have been some mention of it in the newspaper.

I figured that if Olivia was under 18 when the murder happened they would not have used her name. Therefore any news story up until the Montel show would not have her name. After the show then both names would be used.

I was just trying to use key word searches on the internet to try and pull up a news story. Kinda a shotgun approach but though it might just work. So far no good.

I need to keep playing around with the words to get a smaller amount of hits. I think some words are obvious, like...morning, natalie, during a robbery, shot in the head, check, cash, birthday, work, unknown and a few more.

I'll keep trying.

Susan

 

[Darko]

Actually, after reading the transcript..I was thinking that Olivia only meant that it was her brother and grandmother's birthday.

She said, " my grandmother's..which would be my mother's.. birthday."

I think she could have been trying to indicate that it was her maternal grandmother, as opposed to paternal. Rather than implying it was all three of her family members' birthdays.

 

[Susan Gerbic]

Oh you think she meant to say, "my mother's mothers birthday" or "my mother's moms birthday"

May the 2nd, 1997, it was my brother's birthday--my younger brother--and my mother's, which would be my grandma's birthday.

Confusing.

Susan