In the 1980’s, cell phones weren’t a thing. People used land lines, and wrote letters. Truckers had CB Radios, but those were basically fancy walkie-talkies. So when 60 year old trucker Herbert Donoho disappeared on August 30, 1983, there really wasn’t a good way to track down his whereabouts. After all, he was supposed to be heading to Wheat Ridge Colorado for lunch with friends, not in Stratton at the McCormick farm.
The McCormick farm in Kit Carson county, on the eastern plains of Colorado, was once one of the largest farms in the state. It was over 3,000 acres, producing wheat, corn, beans, and livestock. They even ran a feedlot. Passed down from generation to generation, the farm was fairly successful. It wasn’t until the 1980’s when things took a turn for the worse.
Despite the cheap labor Thomas McCormick was known to take on, financial trouble led him to sell off several acres of land. He shuttered their feedlot as they filed bankruptcy. But he wasn’t about to give up. In fact, he decided to expand his interests beyond farming, and opened up a “chop shop,” leaving it in his son, Michael’s hands.
For Michael, there was no easier way to make money than to deal in stolen cars and trucks.
Rumors swirled. Tom would hire men to work on his farm, and they would never be seen again. Their cars would just disappear. Were they killed and buried on the property? Was the chop shop opened as a means to dispose of evidence? No one could prove anything, after all, everyone he hired were vagrants, people no one would miss.
Homeless men from the Christian Men’s Center on Larimer Street in Denver Colorado were easy targets for Tom. He would talk them up, learn about whether they had a family – wife, kids to go back to. He would recruit some to help steal cars, which Michael would take and scrap. Others he would take back to the farm. There, they were able to stay in a bunk house, each with his own bedroom, they only had to share the bathroom, kitchen, and living room. They even had a hired cook, preparing their meals. Things worked out well, until a dispute would arise.
Disputes over money were probably most common, with Tom insisting he would pay them next week, that they have everything they need in the meantime – but those pay days never came, and if they did, they were few and far between. A lot of the men were alcoholics, and as such, disputes over alcohol also came up. Disputes and arguments were resolved in the same manner. Tom would kill the man, make him disappear.
Michael McCormick and his wife lived in a trailer on the farm. On more than one occasion, Michael would be woken up to help his father dispose of a body. At least once, Michael’s wife had to move her garden and wasn’t given a reason. Truth was, Tom buried at least 3 men right around their trailer.
One such man was the ranch foreman or possibly the cook. Michael claims he caught “Jim” Irvin Plance breaking into his trailer to try and rob him. He radioed his father, who quickly came to his aid and strangled the man. Together, they used a backhoe to bury his body.
Another man found was James “Jim” Perry Sinclair. He was a ranch hand that got into a dispute with Tom over alcohol. According to Michael, his father shot him in the head with a .357 Magnum.
Perhaps one of the most graphic and disturbing deaths is that of Robert Lee Sowarsh.
Robert was a long-time ranch hand and driver for the McCormick’s. He had allegedly been sleeping with Tom’s wife, Sylvia. He learned that Tom kept at least $25,000 on the ranch and one day decided it was time he got paid.
According to Michael, at around 1am, he came out of his trailer to find his father chasing Robert. Tom yelled at his son to catch him, and the 2 chased him into the trees where he was caught and tied up by Tom.
That day, Michael went about his normal daily routine before retiring to his parents house for dinner. Dinner for the McCormick family was a silent one, no talking about their day, no laughter, nothing but silence. On this particular night however, the silence was broken by an almost constant thumping sound coming from the cellar.
Frustrated, Tom snapped and started screaming at Sylvia, that this was all her fault!
Tom told Mike to meet him in the cellar after dinner, where he saw that Robert had been tied up, his mouth covered with duct tape. He had been throwing his body against the wall.
The men dragged him from the cellar and out to the barn. Michael says he could hear the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd blaring from the bunkhouse, and he knew that anything he and his father did would not be heard.
Tom took a piece of fencing wire and tied it around one of his feet. Fencing wire is a lot like razor wire, and it immediately cut into Robert’s ankle, digging deep to the bone. Michael said it nearly amputated his foot. But Tom didn’t care, he was finally having a good time.
Tom began to beat Robert, treating him like his own personal punching bag. At this point, Michael left, stepping outside to smoke a joint. Then he heard a gunshot.
When Tom came out and collected Michael, the scene inside the barn was grisly. There was blood everywhere, so much blood. Robert was still hanging upside down, but now there was a tarp lain beneath him. The worst part, however, was the wheelbarrow sitting nearby. Inside, was all of Robert’s skin, his testicles sitting on top. Michael described it like it was the cherry on top of a sundae. It is still unknown whether Robert had been skinned before or after his death.
Michael was given the task of dismembering Robert’s body and wrapping it in the tarp. The body was then loaded into the bucket of the backhoe. Meanwhile, Tom went to search for the perfect burial spot and moved the body. Michael went to the bunk house and gathered all of Robert’s things. Robert Sowarsh was buried behind Michael’s trailer, though Tom retrieved the tarp, not wanting to waste a perfectly good tarp.
When the remains of Robert were finally uncovered, it was discovered that he had been shot in the head with a shotgun, but had also sustained 5 other gunshot wounds. The fencing wire still wrapped around his ankle.
You would think the other ranch hands would realize something wasn’t right when men continually disappeared. Some say they were completely oblivious. Others say they were in denial.
It is believed that Thomas McCormick killed as many as 17 homeless men, possibly more. Some say that the practice of killing ranch hands in lieu of payment was a practice passed down from one generation to the next. We will likely never know the truth however, as Thomas McCormick died in Aurora, Colorado on November 15, 1997 without having ever faced the consequences of his actions.
As for Michael, he may have gotten away with it all, had it not been for that trucker.
60-year old Herbert Donoho was set to meet up with some friends at a truck stop in Wheat Ridge, Colorado on August 30, 1983. He never made it. He never called his wife; he never made it back home to Caldwell, Idaho. Authorities were contacted and the search for Herbert and his truck commenced.
Through their search efforts, authorities began to hear about Michael McCormick, and his connection to a car theft ring. But, barring any credible, and relatable, evidence, these tips didn’t make it very far. However, Doyle Johns, the Fort Morgan District Attorney was intrigued. He went to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and specifically asked them to help look into the McCormicks involvement in a “stolen-car ring and the alleged involvement of peace officers in criminal activities in the Burlington area.”
Unfortunately, there were no witnesses questioned, and agents with the bureau would later go on to say that the allegations were unfounded and “blown out of proportion.”
In July 1984, they finally got a lead. Part of Herbert Donoho’s truck turned up. During a routine inspection of a semi-truck in Roseburg, Oregon, the truck was found to have altered serial numbers. When questioned about it, the driver told police that he had purchased the truck in Phoenix, Arizona in December 1983. Once they had this information, they were able to follow the trail – and it led back to Michael McCormick.
In January 1985, a grand jury was convened to determine if Michael McCormick should be changed with theft and other felonies. His alleged crimes were committed throughout multiple counties in Colorado. In March, Francis Oldham, the Assistant District Attorney, presented evidence that proved Michael had been involved in the theft and sale of numerous vehicles.
In June, the grand jury indicted Michael on 14 counts – 5 of them being related to the theft of Herbert Donoho’s truck and trailer. He was arrested on June 24, and his trial was set for April the following year. His bond was set at $1 million, which he posted and immediately went on the run.
He was caught again rather quickly. Michael wasn’t the smartest criminal; he tried to avoid paying his bill at a California hotel, which led to his arrest and extradition back to Colorado.
Back in Colorado, the judge wasn’t having the brightest day either, and once again set his bond at $1 million, which Michael was able to pay, and again, he ran.
This time, he wasn’t caught until December 20. Michael stole a credit card and was using the identity of “Bill Kelly.” He was able to check in at a Best Western Hotel, but when the credit card was run later that day, it came up stolen. When he was confronted, he barricaded himself in his room and threatened to kill anyone who tried to enter.
The manager quickly turned to the police, who were able to surround the hotel, and pushed inside Michael’s room where they discovered him, in his boxers, trying to escape through the window. He wasn’t going to give up that easily though, and it was quickly discovered that he had a gun in his hand, which he had been concealing with a towel, which he put in his mouth. For the next 6 hours, police and a church pastor worked to calm him down. It wasn’t until he was calm that they were able to ascertain his true identity.
Due to the holidays, instead of being immediately extradited back to Colorado, Michael was placed in a psychiatric ward in an Omaha hospital. After the holiday, he was taken on a Cessna plane back to Colorado. It was during this trip that he started talking. And talk he did.
Michael shared his family history and, once back in the state, told investigators he would tell them where Herbert Donoho’s body was as well as the location of others. All he wanted in exchange was leniency in his sentencing.
A deal was struck, and on January 23, 1986 with the understanding that Michael would serve only 2 years for any convictions. Michael confessed that his father, Tom, had murdered Herbert Donoho and several others who were buried on the family farm.
Michael told investigators, “Nobody scares me more than my father. ‘Cause I’ve seen him kill.” He told them that he and his dad wanted Herbert’s truck, so his dad bashed him over the head with a sledgehammer and buried him about 100 miles away from their farm.
Tom McCormick was arrested and charged for murder, but would be released July 1986 when Michael was proven to be an unreliable witness.
On January 30, 1986, Michael led the police in a search for Herbert Donoho’s remains. He gave them inaccurate directions and claimed he was having memory issues for over a week. Michael named a few places, but none of them were correct. Finally, one officer had had enough. He got right in Michael’s face and demanded he stop jerking them around. Michael said fine, and asked for a shovel. Police trained their guns on him while he took a shovel and began digging, just feet from where they had been standing. It didn’t take long to unearth the body. Herbert Donoho was in Byers, Colorado.
Next they went to the farm, and Michael was given about a dozen wooden stakes to mark the locations where he believed bodies were buried. In all, only three more bodies were uncovered. Over the years, more searches were conducted, all to no avail.
Michael was charged and convicted of one murder in 1987. Afer he was found in breach of his plea agreement, he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Herbert Donoho as well as 4 years for kidnapping and 22 years for charges related to skipping bail, theft, check fraud, 1st degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, and 1 count of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute.
In a strange twist, Michael was granted a new trial on appeal after his appellate attorneys claimed that his trial lawyer had been ineffective. “No one believes he was treated fairly in this process,” said his attorney, Michael Rexford.
This time, he plead guilty to second degree murder and was given the sentence of time served (18 years). Michael McCormick was released from prison in 2006. But that wasn’t the last anyone would hear from him.
After his release, he left his wife Kathy, who had stood by his side through everything. He began going by the name Rex, started dating, and even took on a new business of house flipping. One of his business partners was 38-year old Michelle Lee Thompson-Larimer.
While Michael and Michelle were known to be business partners, some claimed they had a romantic relationship as well. On April 4, 2010, Michael admitted to his brother that he had become obsessed with Michelle, and also admitted to feeling suicidal.
In 2008, retired detective Linda Holloway, started looking into Michael’s case again, saying, “Since there is no statute of limitations on homicide, we thought maybe the case could be rejuvenated and charges could be used against the responsible parties.” She enlisted the help of NecroSearch, a private Denver-based nonprofit organization that helps in the recovery of hidden bodies.
Using aerial photography, they were able to compare photos of the ranch from the 80’s to now and narrow down possible grave sites. The new owner of the McCormick property, Leslie and Charles Clapper, supported the effort. “Every once in a while the plow will dig up something like a shoe or piece of clothing,” she told ABC News. She has said that if there are any more bodies, they would just like them to be found and returned to their families.
Holloway was certain she could close more cases and send Michael McCormick back to prison. Add to that the strains of business and his feelings for Michelle, it wasn’t surprising that he felt suicidal.
When Michael left his brother’s house on April 7, 2010, he picked up Michelle and headed to Granby. He allowed her to make a phone call – to her roommate, whom she told she had been kidnapped. She told her to tell her mother that she loved her, and to pick up her son, who was only 4. The only other information she was able to relay was that she was with Michael McCormick, but couldn’t say where they were.
Her roommate contacted police, who found her car at a gas station in Parker. They looked up vehicle registration for Michael and found an address in Saddle Horn Court in Granby Ranch. When police arrived, they found that no one was home at that address, so they began to canvass the neighborhood.
They found one of Michael’s cars at 109 Timber Court.
Granby police and a SWAT team swarmed the house and made numerous attempts to contact Michael or Michelle, but neither were answering the phones, and they had no luck getting any answers through the doors or windows. They finally decided to make a hole in one of the walls and insert a phone with which they would be able to talk to Michael and negotiate.
Then came the gunshot. At 5:21am, Thursday April 8, 2010 police found 38-year old Michelle Lee Thompson-Larimer and 53-year old Michael Rexford McCormick both dead from single gunshot wounds to their heads. Michelle had been killed several hours earlier, the shot they heard had been the one that killed Michael.
Back at the farm, purchased in 1985 by Charles and Leslie Clapper, you will find a slew of paranormal activity. They have seen apparitions and been touched. They hear voices, and footsteps. They have seen glowing eyes and have felt cold spots.
Paranormal investigators believe there to be about 72 bodies buried on that land, and the voices and apparitions are of the victims. One in particular appears to be Tom McCormick. Jack Osborne and Katrina Weidman investigated the farm for their show Portals to Hell on The Travel Channel.
In 1998, the original McCormick home burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. The Clappers built a new home on a separate part of the property, but before that, they reported that their dog would stand at the top of the cellar stairs and bark. He refused to go down there. Leslie Clapper has reported feeling the weight of someone pressing down on her bed as though sitting down, but no one was there.
Their son has reported hearing someone following behind him, as well as a time when he and his cousin actually saw someone. It was an angry old man who just stood and stared at them. When presented with a picture of Tom McCormick, they knew that he was the angry old man.
Last, in the old shop, you will find holes in the corrugated metal walls. Bullet holes and a hook that hangs from one of the steel beams across the ceiling. How many men were killed here?
To date, there have been no more bodies found on the farm, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t out there.
If you’re looking for a story about another criminal farmer, then check this one out – Willie Pickton, the Pig Farmer.