Have you ever wondered the reasons and aspects of what makes a case cold? The crimes that go unsolved? We are Isabel LaRoche and Hannan Mohamud and in this blog, we will be taking you through a chilling unsolved murder case that still haunts the Minnetonka community. A case that still puzzles investigators to this day. This blog is for those out there who are just like us and enjoy the worlds of mystery and thrill. Those who enjoy bingeing seasons of Criminal Minds and NCIS 15 times. Come with us to tell the story, answer the questions, and bring this cold case back to life.

May 13th, 2025 – File One: The Case Begins

          Let’s set the scene; A crime happens whether that’s a suspicious disappearance or an unsolved murder and investigators gather evidence, interview witnesses, and chase leads. But eventually, everything dries up. No suspects. No progress. This crime is put away, but not forgotten. That’s what we call a cold case. 

          A cold case is a criminal investigation that remains open but has no active leads, like a puzzle with missing pieces. It’s just a clock ticking, waiting for someone to confess to the crime. Sometimes these stay unsolved for years or even decades. These aren’t just plot lines for true crime podcasts and Netflix shows (but let’s be honest, we all love to binge those for a reason). These are real, heartbreaking, and emotional stories that haven’t reached their rightful ending.

          You start out so full of optimism, thinking “Of course we’ll get justice. Good always wins!” But there’s this small other finicky factor we call time. It has this weird way of making things seem more… forgettable than they used to be. Evidence goes bad, memories fade, and suspects? Well, they disappear faster than your cell service in the Sahara. But still, these cases continue to invade our thoughts by refusing to be forgotten, and insisting to be remembered. 

          In a town like Minnetonka, you never expect a case so cold to be woven into your own community. And that’s exactly how we were introduced to Joan Fields. A woman who had an entire life ahead of her, a family. That same life was taken by one mysterious man, all in the name of love. Now, you’re probably wondering many things all along the lines of, “How, when, why?” Because we’re wondering the same! 

          What caused our mystery man to commit this act? Where exactly in Minnetonka did this happen? And what could possibly be the circumstances that turned this case of burning passion into one of frigid ice? Together in the next post, we’ll start putting the pieces together and divulge some sordid details—because, spoiler alert: This case is about to get even crazier.

May 15th, 2025 – File Two: The Case Continues

Welcome back, crime-fighting friends! Last time, we met Joan Fields—a woman who had an entire future, fiancée, and children. Until her life was taken as abruptly as this case became cold. So, let’s talk about what really happened.

          It was the cold night of January 5th when Joan’s life came to a violent end. Dark, frigid, gloomy—all the makings of a perfect night, if you ask me. Her body was found in quite an interesting place. You’re probably assuming her home, maybe even her car. You’re wrong! She was found in a motel… Knollway Motel to be exact. I suppose nothing says “mystery” quite like a murdered woman left in a motel room, but what do I know?

          Now, the cause of death? A shot to the heart. William was still in love with Joan and why he decided to kill her is a mystery to us all. Why would he murder the woman he supposedly loves? Was he jealous of her new fiancé? What a Romeo. Except replace the poison, with a bullet. Nevertheless, the police continued to work at the case. 

          The police arrived at the scene after they found her – Joan Fields, an innocent woman lying lifeless, cold and alone. A bullet in her chest and an eerie silence filled the room. But here is where it gets stranger, William was nowhere to be found. Yes, that same man who she once loved. The man who pulled the trigger. He had vanished without a trace, as if swallowed whole by the night. 

          You now might be wondering, does William ever get found? What will the police do next? Find out more next week to get these questions answered. In the meantime, look out for this mysterious Smith roaming down our streets of Minnetonka… you never know who could be next!

May 23rd, 2025 – File Three: The Case Concludes… Or Does it?

You’re back! And if you’re anything like us, your mind probably hasn’t stopped racing since we left off. Let me remind you: Joan Fields, murdered. And William Smith….. gone. Like seriously gone. But the rest of us? Left with nothing but more questions! So let’s dive into William, shall we?

Months ago, William Smith was nothing but a man who had his heart broken by Joan Fields. But in the span of a single night, he had spiraled into a heartless, angry killer. And what’s even more jarring, is that he didn’t even stick around to face the music! All he had was a gun full of bullets identical to the one in Joan’s heart, the clothes on his back, and a busted down car that took him to the new land of…. Iowa! Which is hundreds of miles away from Minnetonka. Yes, I know, quite random isn’t it? It’s almost as if he wanted us aware that he was running, just not where to.

Now what’s even more odd, and rather irritating, is the fact that soon after the ditched car was found, William had quite literally vanished into thin air. Like some horrible magic trick. But, time went on as it does. For years, the case had stayed open with many leads coming in every once in a while. But no matter how promising they sounded, they always fizzled out. 

Suspects would come and go as well. Enemies of Joan, people who claimed to know William, even those who just fit the description. Every time the police got close, there was always something to throw them off. Like an old man living in Texas under an alias! Except that alias was one of a 6 year old boy…. Or a man who looked the exact same as William down south in Louisiana! Except he managed to burn his fingerprints off entirely. I’m not even kidding. Nonetheless, William Smith was gone. Like he’d never even existed.

But that’s impossible. Because we know he did. This case had everything: the motive, the evidence, the mystery. The only thing that’s missing? Justice. For decades, this case has been classified as “unsolved.” But unsolved does not mean forgotten. Because for every piece of evidence discovered against William, there’s a person out there who still remembers Joan. 

So we may never know if he’s still out there somewhere. Is he already dead and buried under someone’s else’s name? Roaming the streets of Italy eating gelato? Or maybe even sitting in his home reading this exact blog post, right now. So this is where the story ends. Not with answers, but with the one name that refuses to fade from our minds. Joan Fields won’t ever be forgotten.