Drown Soda: ←Created page with 'Between 1982 and 1984, two Roman Catholic priests of the Franciscan order were murdered or disappeared under mysterious circu...'
Between 1982 and 1984, two [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] priests of the [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] order were murdered or disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the western United States. On August 5, 1982, Father Reynaldo Rivera, a priest at the [[Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe)|Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis]] in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], was murdered in an unknown location, and his body found three days later.
A year and a half later, Father John Kerrigan, of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in [[Ronan, Montana]], disappeared after leaving a bakery in downtown Ronan. Several days later, bloodied articles of clothing were found along [[Montana Highway 35]], as well as a blood-stained coat hanger. Kerrigan's vehicle was discovered in [[Polson, Montana|Polson]] seven days later. His wallet, which contained $1,200, was left in the trunk of the car, along with a bloody shovel and pillowcase. Kerrigan's remains have never been recovered.<ref name=ih></ref>
Though a definitive connection between them has not been discovered, the murders of both Rivera and Kerrigan have been linked due to the fact that Kerrigan also had ties to New Mexico prior to being appointed at the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena]]. Additional parallels were uncovered at the respective crime scenes. In 1988, their cases were profiled together on the documentary series ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]''. During this broadcast, it was revealed that Kerrigan had been subject of numerous [[sexual abuse]] allegations. In 2015, the Diocese of Helena published an extensive list of clergy and staff who had been implicated in sexual abuse of minors, in which Kerrigan was included.
==Subjects==
===Fr. Reynaldo Rivera===
The Reverend Father Reynaldo John Rivera (born 1924), a Catholic priest of the [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] order, served at the [[Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe)|Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis]] in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]].<ref name=ih/> On the evening of August 5, 1982, a phone call was placed to the rectory by a man who went by the name Michael Carmello; he claimed his grandfather was dying near a rest stop in [[Waldo, New Mexico|Waldo]], and that he had requested his [[last rites]].<ref name=bg></ref> Father Patrick Gerard,<ref name=list/> the priest who answered the call, told the man that his eyesight was too poor for him to safely drive, and asked that he call back momentarily.<ref name=bg/> Rivera took the second call, and agreed to meet the man and perform his grandfather's last rites.<ref name=bg/> The caller stated he would be waiting for Rivera in a blue pickup truck.<ref name=krqe/>
Days later, Rivera's body was found several miles away from the rest stop<ref name=unsolved> </ref> lying in a muddy field near the Waldo exit on [[Interstate 25 in New Mexico|Interstate 25]].<ref name=alamo> </ref> He had been shot once in the stomach<ref name=alamo/> and strangled with wire,<ref name=bg/><ref name=priest/> possibly a coat hanger.<ref name=list/> His brown 1974 [[Chevrolet Malibu]]<ref name=krqe></ref> sedan was discovered parked at a rest stop on [[Interstate 40 in New Mexico|Interstate 40]] near [[Grants, New Mexico|Grants]],<ref name=alamo/> its gas tank empty.<ref name=krqe/> Rivera's last rites kit was never found.<ref name=unsolved/> The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] intervened in the investigation, and produced a psychological portrait of the person(s) responsible for Rivera's death; the forensic psychologist determined the motive for Rivera's murder was revenge.<ref name=unsolved/> Law enforcement briefly considered a recent parolee a suspect, but he was ruled out due to his alibi, as well as his fingerprints not matching the unknown prints discovered on Rivera's vehicle.<ref name=unsolved/> Another unnamed suspect, a former Santa Fe resident who later moved to [[New York (state)|New York]], was considered a suspect.<ref name=unsolved/>
===Fr. John Kerrigan===
The Reverend Father John Patrick Kerrigan (born January 20, 1926<ref name=cp></ref>), had served as a priest in Plain, Montana, before being transferred to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in [[Ronan, Montana|Ronan]], on July 18, 1984.<ref name=crossland></ref> On the evening of July 20, two days after Kerrigan's arrival and appointment in the church, he left a bakery in downtown Ronan.<ref name=bg/> This was the last time he was seen.<ref name=priest> </ref> Kerrigan failed to report for his 6:30 a.m. [[Mass in the Catholic Church|mass]] on July 21,<ref name=alamo/> and a missing person report was filed on July 23.<ref name=priest/> On July 29,<ref name=alamo/> articles of bloody clothing were found lying alongside [[Montana Highway 35]] on the shores of [[Flathead Lake]] near [[Polson, Montana|Polson]], along with a bloodied coat hanger; these items were located roughly from Ronan.<ref name=priest/> On July 30, Kerrigan's vehiclealso a brown Chevrolet Malibuwas discovered abandoned several miles away.<ref name=unsolved/> In the trunk, Kerrigan's wallet, which contained [[United States dollar|US]]$1,200, was found, along with a blood-stained shovel and pillow case.<ref name=bg/> Though Kerrigan's remains have never been recovered, he is believed to have been murdered.<ref name=list/>
==Investigation==
Following Kerrigan's disappearance, New Mexico law enforcement were notified of the case due to the similarities to that of Rivera's.<ref name=list/> Similarities between the victims included their shared vehicles, as well as the manners in which they were murdered (or believed to have been murdered): In both incidents, the vehicles of the men were driven away from the scenes of their murders, and there was evidence that wire coat hangers had been used; Rivera's autopsy showed that he had been strangled with some form of metal cord, possibly a coat hanger, while in Kerrigan's disappearance, a tangled, bloody coat hanger was found along with his clothing.<ref name=list/> Both men were also priests who belonged to the Franciscan order,<ref name=list/> and both were 58 years old at the time of their respective deaths and disappearances.<ref name=alamo/>
Law enforcement attempted to uncover further connections between Kerrigan and Rivera, and determined that Kerrigan had spent time at the [[Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete]] in [[Jemez Springs, New Mexico]] in 1983,<ref name=cp/> prior to his appointment in the Helena Diocese in Montana.<ref name=priest/> This congregation was used as a retreat for clergy suffering from personal difficulties, such as substance abuse, depression, and sexual misconduct.<ref name=cp/> Though the Diocese of Helena admitted Kerrigan had spent nearly a year there, they did not disclose the reason.<ref name=cp/> No evidence was uncovered that Kerrigan and Rivera ever knew one another personally.<ref name=priest/> In November 1984, Lieutenant Gilbert Ulibarri, a police officer in Santa Fe, stated that he had "a gut feeling" that the two crimes were related, and were likely committed by "a drifter who has a psychological problem with priests."<ref name=alamo/> Despite the parallels in the crimes, Eric Lucero, a [[New Mexico State Police]] detective, insisted in 1992 that there was "no connection whatsoever" between the murder of Rivera and the disappearance of Kerrigan.<ref name=priest/>
Two days after Kerrigan disappeared, 31-year-old schoolteacher Curtis Holmen went missing from [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]],<ref> </ref> and his vehicle was found abandoned approximately from where Kerrigan's was discovered.<ref name=holmen></ref> Though there was no evidence connecting the two disappearances, Holmen's brother publicly insisted that they may be linked due to the proximity in location and time frame.<ref name=holmen/> , Holmen's whereabouts are also unknown.<ref name=holmen/>
In 2015,<ref></ref> after two groups of individuals brought a 2011 class action lawsuit against the Diocese of Helena for sexual abuse, the Diocese published a list of 80 clergy members who had been suspected or implicated in the sexual abuse of minors.<ref name=list></ref> Kerrigan was included among those on this list, which consisted largely of priests and [[nun]]s.<ref name=list/>
==References==
==External links==
*[https://ift.tt/2XuHbLX Case profile] at [[Unsolved Mysteries|Unsolved.com]]
*
[[Category:1982 in New Mexico]]
[[Category:1984 in Montana]]
[[Category:1982 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States]]
[[Category:Murdered Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in the United States]]
A year and a half later, Father John Kerrigan, of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in [[Ronan, Montana]], disappeared after leaving a bakery in downtown Ronan. Several days later, bloodied articles of clothing were found along [[Montana Highway 35]], as well as a blood-stained coat hanger. Kerrigan's vehicle was discovered in [[Polson, Montana|Polson]] seven days later. His wallet, which contained $1,200, was left in the trunk of the car, along with a bloody shovel and pillowcase. Kerrigan's remains have never been recovered.<ref name=ih></ref>
Though a definitive connection between them has not been discovered, the murders of both Rivera and Kerrigan have been linked due to the fact that Kerrigan also had ties to New Mexico prior to being appointed at the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena]]. Additional parallels were uncovered at the respective crime scenes. In 1988, their cases were profiled together on the documentary series ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]''. During this broadcast, it was revealed that Kerrigan had been subject of numerous [[sexual abuse]] allegations. In 2015, the Diocese of Helena published an extensive list of clergy and staff who had been implicated in sexual abuse of minors, in which Kerrigan was included.
==Subjects==
===Fr. Reynaldo Rivera===
The Reverend Father Reynaldo John Rivera (born 1924), a Catholic priest of the [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] order, served at the [[Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe)|Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis]] in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]].<ref name=ih/> On the evening of August 5, 1982, a phone call was placed to the rectory by a man who went by the name Michael Carmello; he claimed his grandfather was dying near a rest stop in [[Waldo, New Mexico|Waldo]], and that he had requested his [[last rites]].<ref name=bg></ref> Father Patrick Gerard,<ref name=list/> the priest who answered the call, told the man that his eyesight was too poor for him to safely drive, and asked that he call back momentarily.<ref name=bg/> Rivera took the second call, and agreed to meet the man and perform his grandfather's last rites.<ref name=bg/> The caller stated he would be waiting for Rivera in a blue pickup truck.<ref name=krqe/>
Days later, Rivera's body was found several miles away from the rest stop<ref name=unsolved> </ref> lying in a muddy field near the Waldo exit on [[Interstate 25 in New Mexico|Interstate 25]].<ref name=alamo> </ref> He had been shot once in the stomach<ref name=alamo/> and strangled with wire,<ref name=bg/><ref name=priest/> possibly a coat hanger.<ref name=list/> His brown 1974 [[Chevrolet Malibu]]<ref name=krqe></ref> sedan was discovered parked at a rest stop on [[Interstate 40 in New Mexico|Interstate 40]] near [[Grants, New Mexico|Grants]],<ref name=alamo/> its gas tank empty.<ref name=krqe/> Rivera's last rites kit was never found.<ref name=unsolved/> The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] intervened in the investigation, and produced a psychological portrait of the person(s) responsible for Rivera's death; the forensic psychologist determined the motive for Rivera's murder was revenge.<ref name=unsolved/> Law enforcement briefly considered a recent parolee a suspect, but he was ruled out due to his alibi, as well as his fingerprints not matching the unknown prints discovered on Rivera's vehicle.<ref name=unsolved/> Another unnamed suspect, a former Santa Fe resident who later moved to [[New York (state)|New York]], was considered a suspect.<ref name=unsolved/>
===Fr. John Kerrigan===
The Reverend Father John Patrick Kerrigan (born January 20, 1926<ref name=cp></ref>), had served as a priest in Plain, Montana, before being transferred to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in [[Ronan, Montana|Ronan]], on July 18, 1984.<ref name=crossland></ref> On the evening of July 20, two days after Kerrigan's arrival and appointment in the church, he left a bakery in downtown Ronan.<ref name=bg/> This was the last time he was seen.<ref name=priest> </ref> Kerrigan failed to report for his 6:30 a.m. [[Mass in the Catholic Church|mass]] on July 21,<ref name=alamo/> and a missing person report was filed on July 23.<ref name=priest/> On July 29,<ref name=alamo/> articles of bloody clothing were found lying alongside [[Montana Highway 35]] on the shores of [[Flathead Lake]] near [[Polson, Montana|Polson]], along with a bloodied coat hanger; these items were located roughly from Ronan.<ref name=priest/> On July 30, Kerrigan's vehiclealso a brown Chevrolet Malibuwas discovered abandoned several miles away.<ref name=unsolved/> In the trunk, Kerrigan's wallet, which contained [[United States dollar|US]]$1,200, was found, along with a blood-stained shovel and pillow case.<ref name=bg/> Though Kerrigan's remains have never been recovered, he is believed to have been murdered.<ref name=list/>
==Investigation==
Following Kerrigan's disappearance, New Mexico law enforcement were notified of the case due to the similarities to that of Rivera's.<ref name=list/> Similarities between the victims included their shared vehicles, as well as the manners in which they were murdered (or believed to have been murdered): In both incidents, the vehicles of the men were driven away from the scenes of their murders, and there was evidence that wire coat hangers had been used; Rivera's autopsy showed that he had been strangled with some form of metal cord, possibly a coat hanger, while in Kerrigan's disappearance, a tangled, bloody coat hanger was found along with his clothing.<ref name=list/> Both men were also priests who belonged to the Franciscan order,<ref name=list/> and both were 58 years old at the time of their respective deaths and disappearances.<ref name=alamo/>
Law enforcement attempted to uncover further connections between Kerrigan and Rivera, and determined that Kerrigan had spent time at the [[Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete]] in [[Jemez Springs, New Mexico]] in 1983,<ref name=cp/> prior to his appointment in the Helena Diocese in Montana.<ref name=priest/> This congregation was used as a retreat for clergy suffering from personal difficulties, such as substance abuse, depression, and sexual misconduct.<ref name=cp/> Though the Diocese of Helena admitted Kerrigan had spent nearly a year there, they did not disclose the reason.<ref name=cp/> No evidence was uncovered that Kerrigan and Rivera ever knew one another personally.<ref name=priest/> In November 1984, Lieutenant Gilbert Ulibarri, a police officer in Santa Fe, stated that he had "a gut feeling" that the two crimes were related, and were likely committed by "a drifter who has a psychological problem with priests."<ref name=alamo/> Despite the parallels in the crimes, Eric Lucero, a [[New Mexico State Police]] detective, insisted in 1992 that there was "no connection whatsoever" between the murder of Rivera and the disappearance of Kerrigan.<ref name=priest/>
Two days after Kerrigan disappeared, 31-year-old schoolteacher Curtis Holmen went missing from [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]],<ref> </ref> and his vehicle was found abandoned approximately from where Kerrigan's was discovered.<ref name=holmen></ref> Though there was no evidence connecting the two disappearances, Holmen's brother publicly insisted that they may be linked due to the proximity in location and time frame.<ref name=holmen/> , Holmen's whereabouts are also unknown.<ref name=holmen/>
In 2015,<ref></ref> after two groups of individuals brought a 2011 class action lawsuit against the Diocese of Helena for sexual abuse, the Diocese published a list of 80 clergy members who had been suspected or implicated in the sexual abuse of minors.<ref name=list></ref> Kerrigan was included among those on this list, which consisted largely of priests and [[nun]]s.<ref name=list/>
==References==
==External links==
*[https://ift.tt/2XuHbLX Case profile] at [[Unsolved Mysteries|Unsolved.com]]
*
[[Category:1982 in New Mexico]]
[[Category:1984 in Montana]]
[[Category:1982 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States]]
[[Category:Murdered Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in the United States]]
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