Podcaster, law enforcement taking new look at decades old central Ohio cold case

MARYSVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – A true crime podcaster from Florida is investigating a central Ohio homicide alongside local law enforcement and the victim’s family, with the goal of closing the decades-old case. 

John "Bernie" Burnside, 32, was found dead in his Marysville home on Dec. 11, 1993, just 10 hours after reporting a break-in to police. Burnside had cerebral palsy, a condition affecting one’s movement and muscle coordination. His death was originally ruled a suicide but was later determined to be a homicide. 

“The manner of death that he was found, it didn't make sense to me to rule it a suicide,” said Podcast Host and Investigator Melissa Sandberg. “So I just had a lot of questions about the whole thing.”

Sandberg said she became interested in the case after seeing a post on social media – now, she’s decided to take an in-depth look at the man’s death, bringing listeners along with her in her new podcast “Dog with a Bone.”

“I'm [was looking] for a case that has not received a lot of attention or coverage,” Sandberg said. “I found a Facebook page called, ‘Who killed John Burnside’ and there were only 22 people in that group, 22. And I was shocked. And I was like, who is fighting for justice for Bernie?”

Episodes detailing an investigation into the Burnside case will mark the first season of her podcast, but this will not be her first time investigating a homicide. Sandberg has been investigating cold cases for more than three years, recently as part of a group called “Safe Haven,” sponsored by American Military University. With that group, Sandberg helped investigate the 2008 murder of Judith "Judy" Petty out of Parkersburg, West Virginia, bringing new leads to the investigation. 

“I've always had a passion for trying to help and bring justice to cold cases and still having the victims be heard and finding justice for the family,” she said.

After Sandberg began to look into the case and reach out to different law enforcement agencies, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation decided to review the case. The podcaster will be providing the information she finds to the BCI’s Cold Case Unit, which said it's now in the "early stages" of looking into the homicide along with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Union County Sheriff’s Office and Marysville Police Department.

“I'm so excited and honored that the BCI is taking another look at this case,” Sandberg said. “They actually had it back in [early 1990s]. … They did take a look at it, but nothing since then has happened.”

Sandberg works in the healthcare industry and investigates cold cases on the side. She spends money out of her own pocket to fly to the places where victims lived, to talk with their family, friends and law enforcement. On Thursday, she flew to Ohio to work on Burnside’s case. 

“This is free,” Sandberg said. “I don't charge the family. I don't look to raise any donations or funds. This is me doing this because I have a passion to do this.”

Sandberg is part of a larger trend of civilians taking on the role of detective to help solve crimes. She said those like herself, who are not law enforcement but investigate crimes, can have unique advantages to breaking a case open. 

“In the Judy Petty case, we were able to bring new leads, new information that law enforcement had never heard before,” Sandberg said. “By utilizing different platforms, it is drawing in more information. And not everybody wants to talk to a police officer at first, right? When you're dealing with a crime, you might be dealing with people who have done crimes themselves, and have had experiences with law enforcement, and so there's more of a comfort level talking to somebody like me who isn't law enforcement.”

The main goal of her investigative podcast is to lend a hand to law enforcement by bringing in new leads and information. She plans to release more seasons on different cold cases in the future. 

Weekly episodes on the Burnside case will be released on platforms that stream podcasts, such as Apple and Spotify. Sandberg said the first episodes will be released in the near future – updates can be found on the podcast’s Facebook page. 

Anyone who has information on the homicide of John Burnside may message Sandberg through the podcast’s Facebook, as well as contact the Ohio BCI’s tip line at 800-282-3784.