The OCCK and North Fox Island Reading List
Clutch Justice · Michigan Accountability Series
The Reading List
Primary documents, books, investigative journalism, and media resources for the North Fox Island, OCCK, and Epstein-Interlochen investigations. Organized in recommended reading order — start at the top.
How to use this list: The numbered steps reflect recommended reading order. Start with the Broad blog and the primary case file documents before moving to books and press coverage. Read the primary sources first so you can evaluate secondary sources against what the record actually says. Highlights in amber boxes flag specific pages, sections, or documents of particular investigative significance.
01
Start Here — Primary Case File Documents
Read these before anything else. These are the actual case file documents — not summaries or secondary accounts. Everything else builds from this foundation.
1
Blog · Primary Source
The foundational North Fox Island primary source post. Reproduces MSP case file documents including the August 2, 1976 Deegan warrant declination entry, the September 27, 1976 Cleland/Grossman workload notation, the “obviously involved” MSP closure notation, and the full prosecutorial timeline. This is the single most important post on the blog for the North Fox Island investigation.
Read especially
The August 2, 1976 case file entry naming Washtenaw County Prosecutor Peter Deegan. The September 27 entry on St. Clair County Prosecutor Robert Cleland. The 1997 MSP closure notation: “Exceptional clearance, suspect is dead and cannot be prosecuted, but was obviously involved.”
2
Blog · Primary Source
Documents the November 2022 FBI release of 367 heavily redacted pages from the Shelden file, produced in response to a FOIA request filed two years earlier by Marney Keenan. Broad annotates the pages as they were received, flagging key documents including a report showing a chief of police on a hunting trip at North Fox Island. Includes the FBI’s response letter with full exemption explanations and the Gorzen reports.
Of particular note
The hunting trip entry — a police chief documented on the island. The Gorzen report excerpt showing books of photographs of young boys. The redacted second principal (believed to be Dyer Grossman) whose name remains blacked out because he “must still be alive.”
3
Primary Document
The FBI’s publicly released file on Francis Duffield Shelden, available in the Bureau’s online Vault. A multi-part PDF of reports and case documents from the 1970s investigation, heavily redacted but the most direct federal primary source available. Read Broad’s annotation post (Step 2) alongside this file. More than 1,047 additional records remain unreleased as of 2026.
What’s missing
The subscriber and client list. The unredacted principal names. Travel and shipping records. The full scope of the national network. Those are in the unreleased portion — the subject of Colin Browen’s active FOIA lawsuit.
4
Primary Document
Richards’ full testimony before Congress, delivered from Jackson State Prison on May 27, 1977. Begins at page 34. Includes his description of the national network structure, the diagram of connected operations across six states and Europe, his account of how the network communicated (primarily through the U.S. mail and coded classified ads), his description of approximately 600 correspondents and customers, and his characterization of the wealthy men whose patronage the operation was built to attract.
Read especially
Pages 34–57 for Richards’ direct testimony. The diagram description of the national network — California (F&S Distributions / Guy Strait), Tennessee (Boys Farm), New Jersey (Church of the New Revelation), Chicago (Educational Foundation for Youth), North Carolina (Mail-O-Matic), and Michigan (North Fox Island). Richards’ statement: “Although I had contact with about 600 correspondents and customers, I gave away a lot of materials in an effort to latch on to a very few wealthy men as supporters. In many respects, my life was ruined by the mail.”
02
DOJ Epstein File Releases
As of early 2026, more than 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related documents have been released. The documents below are the most directly relevant to the Michigan connections.
5
Primary · Legal
The DOJ’s central index page for all Epstein-related document releases, organized by case number and release date. Includes the Giuffre v. Maxwell civil case documents (4,553 pages unsealed January 2024), grand jury transcripts from the 2019 Epstein indictment, Maxwell trial grand jury materials, and the January 2026 mass release of 3.5 million pages. Updated as new releases occur. Start here to navigate the full document collection.
Michigan-specific — search for
“Interlochen” across all released documents. “Michigan” in flight logs and contact books. The 2020 Jane Doe filing alleging Epstein first encountered her at Interlochen at age 13 in 1994. Ghislaine Maxwell references to northern Michigan locations. Any reference to the Grand Traverse region.
6
Primary · Legal
Hours of recorded interviews between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Ghislaine Maxwell, conducted at FCI Tallahassee. Released August 22, 2025, with audio recordings. Maxwell states she does not believe Epstein killed himself. Denies the existence of a “client list.” States she never witnessed inappropriate behavior by named individuals. Read the transcripts against the DOJ civil case documents for evidentiary context.
Of particular note
Maxwell’s denial of a client list — set against the documented existence of Epstein’s contact book and flight logs showing named individuals. Her account of Epstein’s claimed heart condition. Any references to Michigan, Interlochen, or summer programs in her testimony.
7
Primary · Legal
The January 2024 unsealing of 4,553 pages from the Giuffre v. Maxwell civil case by Judge Loretta Preska. This release reignited congressional interest in the full government-held Epstein document trove and ultimately led to the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Contains depositions, correspondence, and civil discovery materials including accounts of Epstein’s network operations and named participants.
Michigan connection
The 2020 Jane Doe filing, which is part of this document set, contains the allegation that she was 13 years old when she first encountered Epstein at Interlochen’s summer arts camp in 1994. This is the founding document for the Interlochen thread of this series.
03
Catherine Broad’s Blog — Essential Posts
Written by the sister of OCCK Victim #4, Timothy King. The most extensive public archive of primary source documents on the OCCK and North Fox Island cases. Use the blog’s search function with specific names: “Deegan,” “Cleland,” “Berlage,” “Greene,” “Gunnels,” “Busch.” Navigate by month for the document-heavy archives.
8
Blog · Primary Source Archive
The primary public archive for OCCK and North Fox Island primary source documents. Broad has posted MSP case files, FBI document pages, polygraph reports, lab reports for all four victims, the Hastings polygraph document, the Busch death scene report, and decades of investigative analysis. Barry King’s FOIA lawsuit produced 3,400+ pages of documents; Broad has posted extensively from that production. Start with the search function.
Key archives by month
March 2013 (North Fox Island case file documents) · June 2013 (victim lab reports for all four cases) · November 2022 (FBI Shelden file partial release) · February 2014 (Busch death scene documents) · April 2024 (Gerald Richards follow-up with Chicago Tribune documentation)
9
Primary Document · PDF
The full polygraph report from Hastings’ 2009 examination by Georgia Highway Patrol Investigator Steve Duncan. Duncan concluded Hastings “had no question in his mind” was involved in the OCCK crimes and that Hastings “absolutely” knew Christopher Busch and Greg Greene — despite Hastings’ denials. Download and read alongside Broad’s posts on the Hastings investigation.
Significance
Hastings was officially ruled out as a suspect by MSP — but this report from the polygraph examiner who tested him reaches the opposite conclusion. The gap between the official finding and the examiner’s assessment is a documented accountability failure.
10
Blog · Primary Source
The post naming St. Clair County Prosecutor Robert Cleland as having given Frank Shelden a “pass” in 1977. Also covers the Boy Scout institutional files and their intersection with the documented abuse networks of that era.
Read at catherinebroad.blog ?
11
Broad’s 2025 update on the Shelden DNA gap and the FBI file status. Notes that Shelden’s brother Alger Shelden Jr. is deceased but buried at a findable location, which could theoretically provide a related DNA sample. Documents Shelden’s post-Michigan activity including his 1978 publication in P.A.N. (a Netherlands pedophile publication), placing him in Amsterdam 11 months after Tim King’s murder. Links to the FBI Vault file and the November 2022 partial release.
New information
Shelden mailed two letters postmarked Miami in late October 1976 — placing him potentially in West Palm Beach during the final weeks of the OCCK murder period. This timing has not been widely reported.
04
Books — In Recommended Reading Order
Read Keenan first. Her book is the most authoritative account and will give you the investigative framework against which the other books are best read.
12
Keenan, Marney — The Snow Killings: Inside the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation
Book · Authoritative
The most authoritative and comprehensive account of the OCCK investigation, written by a former Detroit News reporter who covered the case for decades. Covers the full investigative history from the 1977 task force through the 2000s reopening, the Busch-Greene connection, the polygraph failures, the DNA evidence, and the institutional friction that produced fifty years without a prosecution. The essential starting point for serious researchers.
Read especially
Pages 41–42 (the Task Force’s “wealthy family committed him” theory, documented across multiple press appearances); Pages 115 (Jane Burgess and the private jet bond tour); Pages 161 (Wasser’s denial to Keenan vs. his Las Vegas statement to Coffey); Pages 172–173 (GM executive pedophilia ring survivor accounts); Pages 174–177 (vehicle evidence at Mihelich dump site); Pages 202 (Williams’ 2010 Sloan interrogation on the phone call the night Stebbins disappeared).
13
Appelman, J. Reuben — The Kill Jar: Obsession, Descent, and a Hunt for Detroit’s Most Dangerous Serial Killer
Book
Appelman’s personal investigation into the OCCK case, focused on Christopher Busch and Greg Greene. Written in first-person investigative narrative. Covers the Busch polygraph failure, the private jet bond episode, the Greene prison cellmate account, and Appelman’s assessment that Greene wasn’t charged because Busch was involved. Read after Keenan for a complementary investigative perspective.
Read especially
Pages 89 (Oakland County Deputy Prosecutor Dick Thompson’s helicopter ride to observe Busch’s polygraph — the only prosecutor present for any of hundreds of OCCK polygraphs); Pages 222–225 (Adam Starchild’s full documented history of frauds and aliases); Pages 245–246 (criminal profiler Dr. Nicholas Groth’s 1978 profile, which specifically excluded wealthy men of social standing — the opposite of what the documented record shows).
14
Cribari, M.F. — Portraits in the Snow
Book
Builds a documented case for John McKinney — a Birmingham art dealer murdered in September 1977, weeks after Tim King’s body was found — as a person of interest in the OCCK case. Useful for understanding the full range of documented investigative theories. Det. Cory Williams found no evidence connecting McKinney to children, but two authors were convinced enough to write full books about it. Read to understand what the documented record does and does not support on the McKinney thread.
05
Colin Browen — Documentary & Podcast Work
Browen is the filmmaker who filed the FOIA lawsuit for 1,047+ unreleased FBI records on Shelden. His investigation has taken him to the Netherlands, Germany, and India. His docuseries with J. Reuben Appelman is in development as of 2026.
15
Browen’s most detailed public discussion of the North Fox Island investigation. Covers his FOIA lawsuit, his visits to North Fox Island, his international research in the Netherlands, Germany, and India, and his working theory of the network’s scope. Available on Spotify. Video version also posted to YouTube.
Listen on Spotify ?
16
The Conspiracy Files — “North Fox Island” Episode (Episode 2)
Podcast
Browen’s dedicated North Fox Island episode on The Conspiracy Files, his true crime spinoff. Episode 1 covers Epstein; Episode 2 is North Fox Island and the OCCK. The 7th largest true crime podcast on Spotify at time of publication. Available on all major podcast platforms.
Note
Browen’s docuseries with J. Reuben Appelman is described as in development as of March 2026. Check his channels for updates on the release date. He appeared on KATU’s AM Northwest in March 2026 discussing the documentary.
06
Key Investigative Press
These are the most significant investigative journalism pieces on the cases covered by this series. Read in the order listed.
17
Press · Investigative
The foundational investigative piece on the Epstein-Interlochen connection. Documents Epstein’s donor relationship, his named lodge, the two women who say they were first encountered by Epstein and Maxwell at the school as teenagers, and the DOJ records that produced the disclosure. This is the article that broke the story and triggered the Michigan legislative response.
Key findings
The lodge carried Epstein’s name from donation through his 2008 conviction — through the entire period the alleged grooming occurred. Two women’s accounts placing Epstein and Maxwell at the campus in the 1990s. Former administrators describing the campus as open enough that distinguishing who belonged near students was genuinely difficult.
18
Press · Investigative
The definitive 2026 press piece on the North Fox Island-Epstein structural parallel. Documents Shelden’s background, the Busch connection, the Tennessee network, Richards’ Senate testimony diagram, and the structural comparison to Epstein’s operation. The first major outlet to draw the parallel explicitly as documented journalism rather than online speculation.
Read at michiganadvance.com ?
19
Press · Investigative
FOX 2’s 50th anniversary retrospective on the OCCK case and its connection to the North Fox Island network. Documents Busch as Shelden’s friend and customer per investigators, notes only Richards was ever convicted, and uses the Epstein comparison framework explicitly.
Read at fox2detroit.com ?
20
Documents Browen’s FOIA lawsuit against the FBI for 1,047+ unreleased records on Shelden. Explains the FBI Vault public file and what researchers believe the unreleased records would clarify. The clearest summary of the current state of the records battle.
Read at hoodline.com ?
21
Press · Research
Reproduces contemporaneous quotes including the Genesee County Prosecutor’s statement that defendants “may have passed boys from one to another” and that the scheme “may have had nationwide ties.” Documents the Cass Corridor network connection to North Fox Island, the Cass Avenue connection, and the Busch polygraph discrepancy. Useful for the documented contemporaneous press record from 1976–1977.
Of particular note
The thehotstar.net site linked in James Carner’s research contains the most detailed documentation of Richards’ network diagram nodes — the California, Tennessee, New Jersey, Chicago, and North Carolina connections. Read that alongside this piece.
07
Video & Documentary
22
The King family’s video documentation of their decades-long battle with law enforcement over Tim King’s murder investigation. Covers Barry King’s FOIA lawsuits, the release of the Busch documents, and the family’s fight for accountability. Essential for understanding the survivor and family perspective on the institutional response.
Watch on YouTube ?
23
Children of the Snow — Documentary Series
Documentary
Investigation Discovery’s documentary series on the OCCK case, which prompted significant renewed attention to the case. Includes interviews with Det. Cory Williams, family members, and investigators. Watch after reading Keenan’s book for full context — the documentary covers similar ground but Keenan’s sourcing is more granular.
08
Clutch Justice — Michigan Accountability Series
The Clutch Justice series on these cases, listed in publication order.
24
The Clutch Justice RRE investigation of the North Fox Island case. Names Washtenaw County Prosecutor Peter Deegan (August 2, 1976 warrant declination) and St. Clair County Prosecutor Robert Cleland (September 27, 1976 Grossman workload notation) explicitly from the case file documents. Includes the full prosecutorial timeline, the MSP closure notation, and the structural argument for the documented failure.
Read at clutchjustice.com ?
25
Clutch Justice
The opening piece of the Michigan Accountability Series. Covers the Epstein-Interlochen connection, Interlochen’s own statement and what it discloses about the broader external investigation, the Tsernoglou committee removal, the Nassar parallel, the North Fox Island geographic and temporal overlap, and six forthcoming installments.
Read at clutchjustice.com ?
26
Clutch Justice
The Grosse Pointe Park attorney case, the ADB’s documented non-response, and the structural argument for the Woodward Corridor’s documented fifty-year pattern of elite child exploitation with institutional deference. Includes the first-person editorial close on the trauma ripple effect in St. Clair and Washtenaw counties.
Read at clutchjustice.com ?
A Note on the Records Still Withheld
Every document in this reading list is publicly available. The records that would complete the picture are not. Colin Browen’s FOIA lawsuit targets 1,047+ unreleased FBI records on Shelden that the Bureau says will take more than six years to process. The North Fox Island subscriber list — approximately 600 correspondents and customers documented by Richards — has never been publicly released. The identities of the wealthy men who flew to the island to abuse children directly remain sealed in a case file that has been “substantially closed” since 1997.
The DOJ Epstein releases now total more than 3.5 million pages, but researchers are still working through them for Michigan-specific references. If you find a reference to Interlochen, Grand Traverse County, northern Michigan, or any of the named individuals in this series in the Epstein document releases, contact Clutch Justice at hello@clutchjustice.com or through the tip line at clutchjustice.com/contact.
To cite this reading list: Williams, Rita. “The Reading List: Michigan Accountability Series.” Clutch Justice, May 2026. clutchjustice.com. Last updated May 2026. This is a living document and will be updated as the series develops and new sources are published.