MYSTERIOUS DEATHS OF: Steven Altman & Mary Ann Hayes

Key Points

• Robin Altman becomes suspicious about the suicides of her brother Steven (1984) and mother Mary Ann (1996) after connecting with an old friend of Steven's, who reveals new, unsettling details.
• Obtaining police files shows Mary Ann's death scene was inconsistent with suicide, and Robin's original statement to police was misrepresented to fit a suicide narrative, heavily influenced by her stepfather Don's account.
• A reopened investigation in 2018 finds male DNA evidence but stalls when a person of interest refuses to provide a DNA sample, leading Robin to seek expert help to investigate the deaths as possible staged murders.

Summary

The case centers on Robin Altman's decades-long quest to uncover the truth behind the deaths of her brother, Steven Altman, in 1984 and her mother, Mary Ann Hayes, in 1996, both officially ruled as suicides. Her suspicions began in 2013 after she contacted Rachel Cunen, an old friend of Steven's, through an ancestry website. Rachel revealed that Steven, hours before his death, had told friends he was running an errand for his stepfather, Don, and planned to return—a detail Robin never knew and that contradicted a suicidal mindset. Furthermore, Rachel's family had found his death suspicious and had unsuccessfully urged police to investigate.

Robin's investigation intensified when she filed public records requests. For Steven's case, Chicago Police claimed to have no records, which seemed unusual. However, the file on her mother's death revealed a starkly different story from the official suicide ruling. The police reports described Mary Ann found with an extension cord wrapped around her neck multiple times but not attached to anything, alongside evidence she was trimming her nails. Vaginal swabs collected at autopsy contained an unknown male DNA profile. Crucially, Robin discovered her original interview with police had been distorted; the report falsely claimed she said her mother was suicidal, had prior attempts, and refused treatment, while Robin had actually stated the opposite. The suicide narrative appeared heavily shaped by statements from her stepfather, Don, who described marital strife and suicide threats.

In 2018, Robin persuaded Northfield Police to reopen her mother's case. Evidence was retested, confirming the unknown male DNA profile and finding DNA under Mary Ann's broken fingernail, though it was insufficient for profiling. Police questioned a person of interest (whose name is redacted) who initially agreed to but then refused a DNA sample after consulting a lawyer. The investigation was subsequently closed again. Convinced both deaths were homicides staged as suicides, Robin enlisted Alliance for Hope International, an organization specializing in "hidden homicides." Their review, including by forensic pathologists, highlighted numerous inconsistencies, supporting Robin's belief that her mother was murdered and deepening suspicions about her brother's death, which may be connected. The case remains unresolved, characterized by potential investigative oversights and a family's persistent search for justice.