Dana Rosendale: The mother of Brittany Stork, 5 things to know about her
When Brittany Stork’s mother Dana Rosendale passed away, she was just eight months old. She returned home inconsolable after her dance teacher at school asked about the passing of Stork’s mother. Stork was oblivious to what her teacher was discussing. When she got back home, she learned the terrible news. Unaware that her birth mother had passed away in 1982 from severe head injuries she had acquired while returning home from a girls’ night out, the latter had always assumed her grandmother was her mother.
Brittany Stork spent more than three decades looking into what truly happened to her mother. Dennis Murphy, from NBC’s true crime series Dateline: Unforgettable, delved into her case. Years later, the case was investigated, and it was discovered that the death was a homicide. The murderer was South Side Roxy bouncer Russell Adkins, who had offered Roxy Pellow, Rosendale’s best friend, and herself a ride.
The episode’s synopsis, which will debut on July 26, 2022, is as follows:
“Brittany Stork was just a newborn when her mother, Dana, who was 19 years old, perished in an unsolved accident. As she ages, she begins to question whether her family is keeping something from her.” Here are 5 facts about the murder of Dana Rosendale. 1) At first, Adkins told the police that he discovered Rosendale unconscious.
1) On September 5, 1982, Dana Rosendale, then 19 years old, went out with Roxy Pelow, her best friend, at South Side Roxy, which was situated close to Byrne and Hill. Club bouncer Russell Adkins offered to take the two pals home because it was late at night. Pelow was dropped off without incident, but Rosendale never returned.
A neighbor claimed that the same bouncer knocked on their door in the middle of the night to let them know that Rosendale was unconscious. Adkins informed the police that he had discovered her unconscious in the middle of the street when they arrived.
2) Rosendale’s craniocerebral damage caused his death
On September 11, six days after the incident, Dana Rosendale passed away. Her death was attributed to craniocerebral injuries, according to the results of an autopsy performed on her body. It was unclear how she got those wounds, though.
Rosendale was a passenger in Russell Adkins’ automobile that night, and although he initially claimed to have found her unconscious on the street, he later acknowledged that she may have fallen out of the vehicle, which could have contributed to her injuries. The car’s latch, he claimed, was loose.
But the injuries Rosendale had suffered did not match what Adkins had claimed.
3) More than 30 years after his death, Rosendale’s body was exhumed
Brittany Stork, the daughter of Dana Rosendale, insisted that the case be reopened due to the evidence’s discrepancies. After the body was exhumed in 2013, it was discovered through a second autopsy that Rosendale had been killed. Three hits to the head caused her to pass away.
Club bouncer Russell Adkins stood out as the detectives’ prime suspect.
4) The maximum punishment was imposed on Russell
On February 19, 2015, Russell was taken into custody and questioned. He didn’t explain how Dana Rosendale got those wounds during the trial.
Russell, who was in his 50s at the time of the punishment on July 18th, 2016, received the maximum prison term with a 15-year parole eligibility period.
5) Russell’s conviction was reversed by the Sixth District Court of Appeals
Russell’s conviction was overturned by the 6th District Court of Appeals in 2018, citing the lack of a fair trial.