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On July 23, 1980, Helen Mintiks, an award-winning violinist and Julliard graduate, went missing during a break for her performance as part of the Berlin ballet orchestra at the Metropolitan Opera House (Met). A frantic search for her led detectives to her body in a ventilation shaft the following morning. Mintiks had been thrown off the building's roof and fell to her death.
Helen Mintiks' case is set to feature on the premiere episode of ID's Murder in the Big Apple in an episode titled Murder at the Met. The upcoming episode airs on the channel this Thursday, May 11.
The synopsis reads:
"A talented violinist vanishes mid-performance at the famed Metropolitan Opera house, and panic ensues when her body turns up in an air shaft the next day; wild theories spread as detectives try to unravel reality from rumors to find a killer."
The murder was solved after a witness came forward claiming to have seen the victim with a man dressed like a stagehand in her last moments. The stagehand in question was later identified to be Craig Crimmins, who eventually confessed to killing her.
Crimmins said he became angry after she rejected his advances. He then threatened and tried to have s*x with her before throwing her off the roof.
Key witness, Craig Crimmins' confession, and 2 other facts about Helen Mintiks' murder
1) Mintiks went missing during a 45-minute-long interval
On the night of July 23, 1980, Helen Mintiks left the stage after the orchestra's performance at the Met for a break during a 45-minute-long ballet, but failed to return to her chair at 9:30 pm when summoned back. Her mysterious and sudden disappearance triggered an extensive search when she was still missing after the show ended at 11:30 pm.
According to the reports, Montiks' violin, which she had left on her chair earlier that night, gave her friends the idea that she was likely still inside the establishment because she wouldn't have left without her instrument.
When authorities were alerted, they immediately began a search of the premises. They discovered her regular clothes in the locker which suggested that she was still around.
2) The 30-year-old violinist's body was found the following morning
Authorities resumed searching for Helen Mintiks the following morning after a futile search the night before. Their efforts eventually led to a horrifying discovery as they found her n*ked, lifeless corpse. The 30-year-old was likely killed the previous night between 9 and 11:30 p.m. after being thrown from the sixth-story roof of the Met into a ventilation shaft and died after falling 30 to 45 feet.
Mintiks was discovered blindfolded, gagged, and bound, and the medical examiner found that she was s*xually assaulted before being thrown off the roof while still alive. The violinist died as a result of the tragic fall.
Moreover, authorities, after seeing the knots used to tie her, realized that a stagehand may have been involved in her killing.
3) A key witness was able to identify Helen Mintiks' killer
Within 24 hours, detectives questioned close to 800 Met staff members and only got a breakthrough after a witness claimed to have seen Helen Mintiks with a man dressed as a stagehand in the elevator and was able to provide them with his description. This lead, backed by authorities' stagehand theory, led them to Craig Crimmins, who was 21 years old at the time.
Additionally, according to the witness, Crimmins reportedly informed Mintiks that a dancer she was looking for was on the fourth level. He lied to her because, as per the witness' knowledge, all dancers were on the ground floor.
4) Craig Crimmins eventually confessed to killing Mintiks
During the interrogation, detectives learned that Crimmins was missing his cue around the same time Helen Mintiks failed to return to her seat on stage after the interval. Moreover, one of his co-workers told authorities that he even asked them to lie for him.
Crimmins finally admitted to the crime after a few failed interviews. He was hesitant and his whereabouts from the previous night were unclear.
The suspect reportedly confessed that while in the elevator, he made a pass at Mintiks, but she rejected him. Her rejection angered him and he threatened her using a hammer before pursuing her and unsuccessfully trying to have s*x with her. Crimmins claimed he then took her to the roof and threw her off.
Craig Crimmins was found guilty of felony murder in September 1981 and given 20 years to life in prison. He was released from prison on parole in August 2021.
Watch Helen Mintiks' full case on ID's Murder in the Big Apple this Thursday.
