N.L.O. Plant
You’ve all known me long enough now to understand that I’ve had some temper issues over my years on the job. Most of my little “tantrums” were either brought on by punks who pushed my buttons, or by officious little weasels whose asses had never left a seat behind their desk. Point is, I had good reasons for all of my angry outbursts, and at the end of the day I always got the job done. That anger is building again, but for entirely different reasons this time around; I miss my nip and milk stout. I can no longer smell the ocean breeze from the Greek Isles on my fur, and the stench of stale cigarettes in the Crime Kittehs office is about to make me go nuclear.
All this talk of going nuclear reminds me of a spooky case back in the 80’s, with undercover buildings, whistle blowers and a mysterious death. I’m talking about the “murder” of Dave Bocks, an employee of the Feed Materials Production Center in Fernald, Ohio.
What the locals didn’t know was that the plant was actually a cover for the Department of Energy, and was used to process high grade uranium for nuclear weapons. It seems that conditions at the plants were less than perfect, with over 200 tons of radioactive particles being released into the atmosphere on any given year.
Mr. Bocks was tired of all the crap going on at the plant, and it’s believed he was about to reveal the mushroom cloud of mystery surrounding his workplace.
The night of Dave’s disappearance began as normal; sharing a ride with co-worker Harry Easterling, and clocking in for the graveyard shift, where he inspected and maintained equipment in the factory, and setting about doing his usual efficient job.
Later that evening though, a co-worker saw Dave and a supervisor having a “heated discussion” in a pickup truck out in the parking lot. The witness was unable to hear what was being said as the windows of the truck were up, even though it was a typically muggy Ohio summer night.
Shortly after that “meeting” another worker saw Dave heading to an area other than the one he had been assigned to, and when he couldn’t be reached later, it was assumed he was working overtime, so his ride partner Harry left to go home.
The next night was Dave’s turn to drive, and when Harry arrived at their meeting spot, Dave’s car was already there. Harry reported Dave as missing, and when keys and a bone fragment were discovered near the furnace that Dave was heading too, the plant was closed for a full investigation.
It took 3 days for the molten liquid inside the furnace to cool, but when it did, several pieces were found that led investigators to believe that they belonged to Dave. He had a history of psychological issues, so it was believed that suicide was the cause of death; case closed.
So why do some folks believe it was murder? The keys are the key, as they had been seen by more than one person on Dave’s toolbox AFTER the furnace where the body was found had been used. The question then was who took the keys and dumped them, and why?
We may never find out, but the hope is that someone has information about the disappearance of Dave Bocks, and that they will come forward to do a little whistle blowing of their own.
Signed,
Det. Meowahan
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