Where Is Melissa Lee Brannen?

 

Melissa Lee Brannen was last seen on December 3, 1989 in Lorton, Virginia, when she was five years old.  She had been at a holiday party held for residents of Woodside Apartments. A man named Caleb Hughes was found guilty of kidnapping Melissa, and while some very compelling evidence was found connecting him to her disappearance, she has never been found.

We begin with the two of cups, reversed, crossed by the Chariot, which is also read reversed here, as a foundation.  This refers to a very violent passion, followed up with nowhere to go; a description of some very decadent and forceful desires. The King of Cups is at the base; this is an adult male, who is sensitive and professional. Since he falls upside right, I will assume that he is kindly disposed toward Melissa, and is trying to find her. Next, also in the past, is the King of Pentacles, reversed. This is another adult male, and as he falls reversed, I must label him part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. When the King of Pentacles comes up reversed in a reading, it refers to man who abuses resources and other people, and abuses any authority granted him, as well. Look for this man to have had dark hair and eyes in 1989. 

In the realm of possibilities, we have the eight of pentacles. Generally, this card depicts a workplace or an apprenticeship position, but this hardly seems to fit the bill as an answer to where a little girl ended up after she went missing. It leads me to ponder whether or not the workplace of the King of Pentacles was properly searched. As it is in "possibilities" rather than actualities, I would be inclined to advise searching it again. The nine of cups, reversed, comes up next. This card describes a home with a lot of resources, and; sure enough, the suspect's home did turn up a lot of clues; but as the card falls reversed, all that was found was evidence, not Melissa. 

The first card on the staff is the Hierophant, reversed. The Hierophant is all about orthodoxy and order, endorsing all that is socially approved. As he falls reversed here, the suggestion is to follow a mode that is not as traditional within the usual comfort zones, but to think and look "outside" of the box. In the place of environment, we have the Sun, reversed. This gives us an outside location, possibly a garden or an embankment with a wall. This is a place that is readily visible to the four "kingdoms" of nature: mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. It was once well manicured, but has not been maintained. As we get the number XIX from the sun, nineteen miles to the north or northwest is symbolized. We deal also with the number ten in the Wheel of Fortune, which comes up next, reversed. The symbolism on this card also deals with four "corners", or realities, if you will. In this case, we have Taurus the Bull, showing us earth, Leo the Lion, representing fire, Scorpio's eagle for water, and the Aquarian angel for air. Somehow, this symbolism plays a role in the location of Melissa. Four elements; four corners. The number of the Wheel of Fortune is X, so ten is key, but here, I think it is a placeholder or a descriptive number, such as part of an address or name. The final card is the ten of pentacles, which is also reversed. This card not only speaks of monetary loss when it falls reversed, but of a loss of family honor, as well. Someone who could help with Melissa's location has kept silent for the sake of "family honor", and has kept the secret for all these years! 

Because of the "earth" references, I expect that Melissa was buried, somewhere between ten and twenty miles to the north of where she was last seen. Anyone with information about this should call the Fairfax County Police in Virginia; 703-246-7800.

 

Who Killed Michelle Martinko?

Michelle Martinko was murdered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1979, at a shopping mall. To this day, her killer has not been caught. So we will see what the Tarot can tell us about the culprit, and a motive.

I used a horoscope spread for this reading. In the first house, we get the perpetrator, who is described here as the King of Cups, reversed. This is a man who is not only dishonest, but violent......as we already know. Look for him to have been a bit older than eighteen year old Michelle. Not much older chronologically, but more experienced. In the second house, which tells us about the means and resources by which this crime was committed, we see the six of wands. This means that the killer's most convenient tool was the ability to get Michelle's attention and trust. Had she simply ignored him, history might have panned out differently. Next, in the third house, of short journeys and communication, we have the ten of pentacles. This house also deals with memory and memories; and with inheritance. In the mundane aspect, this card's appearance here has me wondering if there is or was surveillance from a bank that could help; or perhaps, and employee from from a bank who saw something. In more personal terms, it is possible that there was some discussion between Michelle and her killer about money, gifts, or shopping. She wasn't robbed, so this will not lead us to the motive.

In the fourth house, we get some solid information about the killer. This house deals with the home environment and property, and the card that comes up is the eight of pentacles, reversed. The message is clear: whoever committed this crime was unethical in his use of his employment skills, and may have had trouble keeping a job. In the fifth house, of creativity and pleasure, we find the eight of wands. This is a bit sick and disturbing; it points to an individual who finds violence amusing. Also, it points to someone who really thought this murder would resolve something. Following this, in the sixth house, we get the seven of cups. The sixth house is all about mundane, everyday relationships and it also covers work relationships.....yet the seven of cups is about illusions and delusions. Could this killer have mistaken Michelle for someone who had wronged him? Or could Michelle have resembled someone he didn't like, or reminded him of someone against whom he had a grudge? This is pointing very strongly to the killer and Michelle possibly knowing each other as acquaintances, but Michelle not having done anything, at all, to arouse his paranoia.

The seventh house of partnerships gives us the ace of wands, reversed. Once again, we are directed to the killer's problems with employment and work relationships. Somehow, this played a role. In the eighth house, of death, legacies, karma, and debt, we have the Wheel of Fortune, which is lucky chance. So our killer had intentions of killing someone, and his opportunity with Michelle constituted "luck", inasmuch as he was concerned! Next, in the ninth house, of law, higher education, "the establishment", and long journeys, we have the Empress, which is the "mother" card in the deck. At the surface, this truly appears to add to the confusion, especially about the motive, but there are some possible interpretations. This is an influence or a person who is not only motherly, but productive. This is not Michelle, but the real reason for the killer's rage.

The tenth house deals with ambition and career goals, and in this house, we get the Star. This is inspiration, and some sort of assistance that the killer got; he had a very good enabler. In fact, it may have been his own mother, harking back to the Empress. That is why he hasn't been identified. In the eleventh house, of hopes, wishes, friends, and social life; we have the Sun. This tells me that the killer has been in plain sight for much of this time, undetected, socializing and living his life. In the twelfth house, of secrets and secret enemies, we have the four of cups, reversed. The four of cups reversed speaks of new relationships and moving on to new circumstances. Seeing it here, in the twelfth house of secrets and self undoing, it appears that the killer moved on, after killing Michell Martinko, and successfully covered his tracks.


Update: A man named Jerry Lynn Burns has been arrested and will go on trial in the murder of Michelle Martinko. He was found through DNA that was left at the crime scene.

Gail Matthews And Tamera Berkheiser

In September of 1994, Gail Matthews and her five year old daughter, Tamara Berkheiser, were found murdered in her home in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. To this day, it remains a cold case, so I will see what the cards have to say about it.

I decided to cast a horoscope spread for this reading. The first house card, depicting the general situation, is the King of Cups. He falls upside right, so I have to assume that he is friend, not foe. This man is friendly, creative, and kind. His presence here is followed by the seven of cups, reversed, in the second house. The second house deals with  finances and possessions, and the seven of cups reversed tells of determination and clear thinking, so it looks as if Gail and the King of Cups had made some plans, of some sort, that involved creativity, money, and possessions. In the third house, of short journeys, relatives, and communication, we have the Chariot, reversed. It shows that the King of Cups and his influence caused someone else's plans to fail! This is someone who was close to Gail, too. In the fourth house of the home, and, coincidentally, the scene of the crime, we find the Fool. The Fools is a card of opportunities and choices, and I think that besides the obvious message of choices, we are getting a glimpse of the murderer here......a young, immature male. As he is represented by a card from the major arcana, we can assume that for some reason, he was important to Gail.

In the fifth house of creativity, children, and sexual encounters, we see the six of pentacles. This could mean several different things; it could mean that someone was paying child support to Gail for her daughter, it could mean that Gail had given or lent money to someone and the gesture was taken as a romantic overture, or it could be a description of the give and take in a romantic relationship or interest in Gail's life. From the current tone of the reading, I will tentatively say it is the second possibility: Gail tried to help someone and the gesture was taken the wrong way. In the sixth house, of everyday matters and work relationships, the four of swords appears. The four of swords is a card of dormancy and rest; it is beginning to look as if someone from a "dormant" or platonic association was attempting to re-awaken the past.

In the seventh house of marriage and partnerships, we find the King of Pentacles, reversed. This is someone who takes wild chances and makes bad choices. Look for him to have brown hair and darkish eyes; he would have been in his twenties in 1994. Abuse, and perverse use of talents are almost trademarks of his; this also isn't this person's only violent crime.

Moving right along to the eighth house, of legacies, transformation, and death, the Death card appropriately comes up. I believe this is telling us that the reversed King of Pentacles actually planned these two murders. In the ninth house of long journeys, the "establishment", and the law, we have the four of pentacles. This lends an air of "pinching pennies" to the investigation.....someone did not want to spend a lot of money or resources. In the tenth house, of career and social standing; and also of "fathers", we have the eight of cups. This is interesting because it shows that Gail was considering a change of scenery, even to the point of giving up some things for which she had worked. Another message, as the tenth house deals with fathers, shows there was a bit of conflict with one here.....possibly her daughter's father? It looks as if Gail was re-thinking a lot of things. Next, immediately after we see that Gail was re-thinking things that had to do with fathers, we actually get the "father" card, the Emperor, in the eleventh house! This is the house of social life and friends, hopes and dreams, and hobbies and pastimes. The Emperor, when he falls reversed, represents an immature, irresponsible man who refuses to grow up and stand on his own two feet. I think this is who and what Gail was dealing with, here. The last card, coming up in the twelfth house of secret enemies and defeat, is the nine of swords, reversed. This is not only worry on Gail's part, but suspicion. Gail had entertained the thought that her killer was a dangerous man before this happened. Sadly, it appears that Gail knew her killer.

Who Killed Dusty Shuck?

Dusty Schuck, a twenty-four year old New Mexico woman, was found murdered alongside the road near Mt. Airy, Maryland on May 4, 2006. The last reported time she was seen by her family had been in New Mexico, a couple of weeks earlier. The crime remains unsolved, and police have very little in the way of evidence. Someone suggested to me that I see if the Tarot can shed any light on her case.

So who killed Dusty Shuck and why? We begin with the Wheel of Fortune, which is an unexpected stroke of luck, crossed by Judgement, which is a re-awakening of sorts, or a realization about something important. Beneath this is the Hanged Man, which is an opportunity that Dusty had suspended in the past, but was looking forward to "un-suspending". Next, we see the Queen of Wands, who is an energetic and creative woman. She is in Dusty's past, and is someone Dusty knew, and had some concerns about her.

The five of cups, reversed, tells us a little about that for which Dusty was searching. She either thought she had made a new friend somewhere, or thought that there was an old friend or relationship that held a reason for her to connect. Next, we find the ten of wands, relating back to the Queen of Wands, to show management of Dusty's affairs. This card often appears to show an unhappy, or premature ending.

The first card on the staff is Strength, reversed. This show domination and abuse of power. Whoever killed Dusty had a certain amount of power, and comfortable about misusing it. Next is the Fool, which tells us that while the choice to commit murder, or to put oneself in such a vulnerable spot as to be murdered, is obviously faulty, there was an air of "business as usual", and "this is nothing new" about this murder. In the place of hopes, we have the Devil, reversed. Dusty was killed by someone who actually thought it was "okey-dokey" to kill! All the cards that describe the killer are from the major arcana, which hint that the killer had some sort of importance in his community; and they also seem to be describing a male killer. Last, we have the Page of Wands, reversed, which is either a bearer of bad news, or bad news, itself. Its inclusion in the reading, along with Strength, reversed, causes me to wonder if Dusty was killed by a police officer, or someone else who had some sort of civic authority.

Anyone with any information about how Dusty Shuck was murdered or how she ended up in Maryland should call the Maryland State Police at 301-739-2101.