Was Timothy King a victim of the Oakland County Child Killer? In the quiet suburb of Birmingham, Michigan, 11-year-old Timothy King embarked on a short trip that tragically became his last. On the evening of March 16, 1977, the Caucasian boy left his home to go to a local pharmacy, a familiar journey of only a few blocks. After making his purchase, he disappeared into the dark parking lot, never to return home.
His family's anxious wait turned into a desperate search that gripped the entire Detroit metropolitan area.
Six days later, on March 22, 1977, Timothy's body was discovered in a shallow ditch alongside a road in Livonia. He had been sexually assaulted and ultimately suffocated. An autopsy revealed the poignant detail that he had been fed one of his favorite meals, Kentucky Fried Chicken, shortly before his death. Investigators also noted that his clothes had been cleaned and he appeared to have been groomed before his body was left. His skateboard was found near his body.
Timothy's murder was the final case officially linked to a string of child abductions and killings that terrorized Oakland County between 1976 and 1977, attributed to a perpetrator dubbed the 'Oakland County Child Killer.' The investigation into these crimes, including Timothy's, became one of the largest in U.S. history at the time, involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Despite thousands of tips and an extensive investigation that has spanned decades, the case remains officially unsolved, and no one has ever been arrested or convicted for Timothy King's murder.
Over the years, several individuals have been considered suspects or persons of interest. One notable figure was Christopher Busch, the son of a prominent General Motors executive, who had a history of sexual offenses against children. Blood-stained ropes were found in his home, but he committed suicide in 1978. Decades later, in 2012, DNA testing exonerated Busch of involvement in the murders. Other names have surfaced in connection with the case, including Archibald Edward Sloan, a child molester in whose car hairs matching those found on Timothy's body were discovered. However, the hairs did not belong to Sloan himself. Even notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy was investigated due to a witness description, but his DNA did not match evidence found on the victims. The investigation into the murder of Timothy King and the other victims of the Oakland County Child Killer remains open.
