January in Ohio is usually just cold and quiet. But in 2011, a quiet neighborhood in Holland became the site of something so brutal it still makes local investigators shiver when they talk about it. We’re talking about Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub. Two young people, ages 21 and 20, had their lives ended in a way that feels like it belongs in a cartel thriller, not a suburban kitchen.
The details are grim. Honestly, they’re hard to even read. On January 31, Johnny’s parents, John Clarke Jr. and Maytee Vazquez-Clarke, grew frantic when they couldn't reach their son. He’d picked Lisa up from her shift at T.G.I. Friday’s and headed to her parents' house on Longacre Lane. When John Jr. finally kicked in the door of the Straub home, he found a nightmare.
The couple was on the kitchen floor. Their hands were bound with duct tape behind their backs. Plastic shopping bags were taped over their heads. They had been suffocated. It was a calculated, professional-looking hit. And yet, over a decade later, the legal "resolution" of this case feels anything but finished.
What Really Happened at Longacre Lane?
The crime scene was weirdly clean. That’s what John Thebes, a defense attorney involved in the case, later noted. No massive blood spatter. No obvious struggle that tore the house apart. It was clinical. However, the house had been searched. Drawers were pulled out. A mattress was shoved off its frame. The intruders were looking for something specific.
Some people pointed to the "drug debt" theory. Johnny had supposedly been in some trouble, and rumors of money owed started flying immediately. Then there were the six envelopes of Iraqi Dinar found in a closet. Why was that there? Nobody seemed to have a straight answer.
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The 911 calls from Johnny’s mother are haunting. She called three times before the bodies were found. She even told dispatchers she felt like one of Johnny's friends had "set him up." That’s a heavy thing for a mother to say in the middle of the night. It suggests that even before the door was kicked in, there was a sense that Johnny was in over his head with the wrong people.
The DNA Problem: Samuel Williams and Cameo Pettaway
For months, the case went nowhere. Then, a "hit" came back on a cigarette butt found near the service door inside the house. It had DNA from two men: Samuel Williams and Cameo Pettaway.
This is where the legal system got messy. Both men were charged, but they were tried separately.
- Samuel Williams: His trial moved forward, and despite his claims that he’d never been in that house, the cigarette was the smoking gun. A jailhouse informant also testified that Williams bragged about the murders. The jury found him guilty. He got two life sentences without parole.
- Cameo Pettaway: His trial ended abruptly. Before it even reached the jury, Judge James Bates acquitted him. Why? The judge ruled there simply wasn't enough evidence to convict. Since the cigarette could have been moved or left there at another time, and there was no other physical link, Pettaway walked free.
Wait. If the prosecution's theory was that they did it together, how is one serving life while the other is a free man? It’s a contradiction that still leaves the families—and the public—feeling like justice was only half-served, if at all.
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The Unidentified DNA Nobody Can Explain
Here is the part that keeps true crime junkies up at night. While Samuel Williams is in prison, there is a mountain of DNA from the crime scene that belongs to nobody currently in the system.
We aren't talking about one stray hair. Investigators found DNA from at least four different unknown females and at least one unknown male. This DNA was found on the duct tape used to bind the victims, inside Johnny’s pockets, and even on his sweatpants.
Capt. Matt Luettke of the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department has been on record saying he believes more people were involved. You don't just have five "ghosts" at a crime scene. Who were these women? Were they there during the murders, or was the duct tape contaminated during manufacturing? Most experts think the former is more likely given where the DNA was found.
The "clean" nature of the scene suggests a crew. One person doesn't easily subdue two people, tape them up, and ransack a house without leaving a trace—unless they have help.
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Why the Case Stays Open
Even though Williams is behind bars, the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office hasn't stamped "Closed" on the file. They can't. Not with those unidentified profiles sitting in a database.
There’s also the fear factor. In the years following the murders, many potential witnesses were terrified to speak. Rumors of gang involvement or even cartel connections (due to the specific MO of the suffocations) kept people quiet. In a small community, that kind of silence is deafening.
Key Facts You Should Know
To keep the details straight, here is a breakdown of the evidence that actually made it into the courtroom:
- Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to strangulation and suffocation.
- The Bindings: Black duct tape on the wrists and ankles. Plastic bags over the heads.
- The Cigarette: Found near the garage entry. It contained DNA from Williams and Pettaway.
- Toxicology: Lisa had therapeutic levels of Vicodin and Percocet. Johnny had trace amounts of Percocet and marijuana.
- The Ransack: The master bedroom was the main focus. Envelopes of foreign currency were found but left behind.
Moving Forward: What You Can Do
If you’re following the Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub case, the most important thing to realize is that "convicted" doesn't always mean "solved." One man is in prison, but multiple DNA profiles remain a mystery.
If you have any information, even something that seemed small back in 2011, it’s never too late.
- Contact Authorities: Reach out to the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office or use the Crime Stopper program (419-255-1111). You can remain anonymous.
- Stay Informed: Watch the "11 Investigates" specials or listen to the "Generation Why" deep dives on the case. They cover the nuances of the DNA evidence that didn't make it into the headlines.
- Pressure for Testing: Advances in genetic genealogy (like what caught the Golden State Killer) are the best hope here. Public interest often drives departments to fund new rounds of testing on old samples.
The families of Johnny and Lisa have spent over fifteen years wondering who else walked out of that house that night. Every share of their story keeps the pressure on to identify the "unknowns" still out there.