MI MI - Jessica Heeringa, 25, Norton Shores, 26 April 2013 #4

[trenchmouth]

did anyone hear the video interview of him with media? I saw it but had the sound off. they didn't show his face. what did he say?

I forgot about the interview. One could assume it was LLL as they showed a screenshot that matched his previous offense. Might have been LE plan to exonerate him on tv so everyone would stop focusing on him as the LE knows he didn't do it.

 

[trenchmouth]

Question, has a Websleuth forum discussion ever directly led to solving a missing persons or murder case? Are we spinning our wheels or is this all entertainment or a curiosity we are filling?

 

[cluciano63]

Question, has a Websleuth forum discussion ever directly led to solving a missing persons or murder case? Are we spinning our wheels or is this all entertainment or a curiosity we are filling?

Someone else can probably tell you more, but I recall at least one case where a member actually found a car in water, I think it was, that contained the body of a missing person. The member was searching on purpose due to info talked about here. Also I know a lot of members take part in searches and I believe some have been on searches where the missing have been found. Another very successful area here is the "Unidentified" section, where members match photos of John/Jane Does found deceased over the years to missing persons cases and I know that several have been solved directly via Ws members. Articles have been written about Ws for these purposes. There are also a number of verified professionals here who are experts in various fields that are associated with crime, psychology, medicine, etc.

Also WS works with Mark Klaas and Klaas Kids, a org. that helps families with missing children by providing meals and volunteers, as well as with Texas Eqisearch and other such groups, so it is real, not a game.

 

[plude19]

I forgot about the interview. One could assume it was LLL as they showed a screenshot that matched his previous offense. Might have been LE plan to exonerate him on tv so everyone would stop focusing on him as the LE knows he didn't do it.

Thee was an interview with a pi who was cleared who looked, in my opinion, just like LLL. They said he took a polygraph and passed. All through the interview he maintained his innocence and acted concerned, <Mod Snip>
Cleared person of interest: 'They asked me if I took her' - YouTube

 

[The Cheese]

Police chief: Jessica Heeringa investigation has been helped and hurt by the fast and wide spread of social media

snipped

Hindering

But Shaw said &#8220;tips&#8221; posted on Facebook have proven problematic. He said people with no involvement in the investigation have posted on Facebook names of people they think could have taken Heeringa.

He said a television news crew showed up at the home of such a falsely-accused &#8220;suspect&#8221; before police got there, which could have been dangerous for the news crew and Heeringa if she indeed was being held there.

&#8220;Things move so fast,&#8221; Shaw said, citing posts on Twitter in particular.

The chief set up his own Twitter account in response to misleading tweets from television news crews that he said tend to follow each other, literally and through Twitter.

He said things got out of hand last week after a television news crew &#8220;overheard&#8221; a tip being delivered to his staff to look at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and then tweeted the information. When a park neighbor was shooting a handgun in his backyard, TV news crews tweeted incorrectly, that the police appeared to be in a &#8220;gun battle&#8221; at the park, Shaw said.

&#8220;It just created a lot of confusion at that point,&#8221; Shaw said. &#8220;That&#8217;s when I got on Twitter.&#8221;

He said Heeringa&#8217;s family has pleaded that tips not be posted on Facebook, but rather call police directly. Shaw said tips get through to investigators much more quickly that way and he's had to assign an officer to monitor tips on Facebook.

&#8220;I think (social media) has made a lot of things more difficult for us in law enforcement,&#8221; Shaw said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/...as.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Eileen730]

I find it hard to believe that she left willingly but anything is possible.

I've always suspected some people go missing or get lost in wilderness on purpose with the intent of being found later to make money writing a book or getting money for interviews on talk shows and news outlets. No way am I am suggesting this for JH. But imagine if you fell on hard times and had no money?

I think what they mean she went willingly was that maybe someone enticed her outside.
"Hey Jessica you moms been in an accident Your BF fell and broke his leg"
Jessica could you help me get this box out of the van I cant lift it myself"

She goes out but when she gets close to the van she realizes something isn't right and she is is shoved inside!
Willing became unwilling fast!

 

[Eileen730]

Our witness that observed the van has a relative with that exact make and model, so they are certain it is a Chrysler Town and Country minivan, seen in the videos traveling northbound on Grand Haven Road,&#8221; Shaw said


Does this scream at anyone!
Is this the witness in the parking lot across the road?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Our witness that observed the van has a relative with that exact make and model, so they are certain it is a Chrysler Town and Country minivan, seen in the videos traveling northbound on Grand Haven Road,” Shaw said


Does this scream at anyone!
Is this the witness in the parking lot across the road?

I have thought from the get-go that the witness who just happened to be in the vicinity of the Exxon station and a fellow employee of Jessica is very suspicious. I doubt that the guitar store at the adjacent shopping center was open at 11:00PM, so what was the fellow employee doing there? It seemed to me like this woman might have had some issues with Jessica. Perhaps Jessica got more hours than she did, Jessica got to work better shifts, Jessica flirted with her husband - some sort of jealousy thing. It just sounds hinky to me for some reason. :moo:

 

[cebee]

I keep coming back to the sketch being a red herring. I think if it were truly a dead ringer for the perp, including owning or driving a silver minivan... someone would know him. Is it possible that the eyewitness ( who did not provide the sketch for several days.. ) thought the perp looked like someone she knew..LLL maybe ( from the store maybe?) and described that person? But that person had an alibi. I cant imagine being able, several days later, being able to remember that clearly what someone I got a brief glimpse of, looked like. ( remember, it was dark!)
And I know people say " if you looked like that, and drove a silver minivan, why dont you come forward so we know it was not you?" I doubt many people would. Especially if they had other issues the police may be interested in. ( or dont think they look anything LIKE the pic!)
I just hope the police dont have blinders on. Remember when they were looking for the guys who were randomly shooting people in the DC/Virginia area a number of years back, and people swore it was someone in a white box van??? Meanwhile the perps were driving around in a sedan... and no one was looking for one...
(although I admit I DO look at silver mini vans myself!!)

 

[TxLady2]

Someone else can probably tell you more, but I recall at least one case where a member actually found a car in water, I think it was, that contained the body of a missing person. The member was searching on purpose due to info talked about here. Also I know a lot of members take part in searches and I believe some have been on searches where the missing have been found. Another very successful area here is the "Unidentified" section, where members match photos of John/Jane Does found deceased over the years to missing persons cases and I know that several have been solved directly via Ws members. Articles have been written about Ws for these purposes. There are also a number of verified professionals here who are experts in various fields that are associated with crime, psychology, medicine, etc.

Also WS works with Mark Klaas and Klaas Kids, a org. that helps families with missing children by providing meals and volunteers, as well as with Texas Eqisearch and other such groups, so it is real, not a game.

Finding and identifying MP's is not really solving a case, though, and that's what the poster was asking. Solving these cases is figuring out and finding whoever is responsible for the person's disappearance and/or death, and bringing them to justice, and that we cannot do. Mark Klass has stated several times that he does not try to 'solve' these cases, that is LE's job. As you said, he helps the families and helps raise awareness for those who are missing. Without the training, experience and resources that LE has, it would be delusional to think any of us ordinary citizens could actually do the job that they do.
No offense intended, and you had some great points, but not all cases are solved as soon as a body is found and identified. It takes a lot more work in bringing it to a close.

 

[4csns]

http://www.freep.com/article/20130502/NEWS06/130502002

Here's one of the interviews the guitar store guy, CVA, gave.
He says JH was outside changing the receipt tapes on the pumps earlier when a man (in a van) spoke to her.

My husband tells me that when the pump is working properly, and you're paying with credit, an attendant shouldn't have to do anything. The machine approves the transaction and then you put the gas in your tank. After you replace the nozzle the pump resets itself automatically. If you don't take the receipt (if you told it 'yes') it will wait a few minutes before letting the next customer pump, then it resets all by itself.

Since we know Jessica replaced the receipt papers earlier in the day, according to guitar guy, the receipt system should not have interferred with a transaction.

When you're paying cash, the attendant gets involved with the transaction but enters the cash amount when you're in the store (usually). Husband says if they know you, you can say the amount into a loud speaker and they'll set the pump and let you pay when you're done. So, maybe the guy was trying to get her attention from the pump to pay in cash? But he said he couldn't get it to function. It should have functioned.

So, I'm still wondering why the 911 caller had trouble with the pump.
He also said that he waved about six cars on who drove into get gas. I wonder if any of those people have collaborated his story.

The final transaction was at 10:50*(although some reports say 10:51 or 10:55 - wth?). The 911 caller arrived at 11:07. That's 17 minutes time inbetween. Then another 8 mins until he dials 911. Total: 25 minutes or just 8 minutes.
*Afaik, we don't know who this customer is but he's the regular customer who has been cleared. Agree?

(What would change everything is if the 10:50 guy drives a silver van. He'd have to be an idiot though to leave a paper trail pointing to him being Jessica's last customer.)
But unlucky her that inbetween these two guys, someone sweeps in and abducts her and no one notices.

The people I've read mentioned who have been cleared (casually, I didn't get quotes from CS) are: fiance, ex-boyfriend, a regular customer, and a 4th person who remains unidentified. The last two are ambiguous because no names are given. I don't really care who the ex is because he wasn't on the scene or anything.

LE has interviewed many people now. The four mentioned were from an early report.

Has Chief Shaw named other people specifically who he considers cleared?

It doesn't really matter because he hasn't named a poi either. The peeps we've heard from so far though knew Jessica to some extent. As I've re-read some articles, Chief seems to think the perp is someone she knows (I was mistaken when I said today was the first hint of that).

I am still reading through everything from last night but I wanted to follow up on this in particular...

Not all gas stations here are prepay. I am not sure exactly how Exxon is however 90% of gas stations are not prepay. Meaning if you intend to pay inside you push a button that says "pay inside" and start fueling OR you lift the handle up and start pumping the gas and someone comes over the speaker and says "hello pump 5." So in my opinion it is legit that a pump maybe didn't work. I am not trying to shoot down your ideas in any way- just throwing the local standpoint out there that it doesn't seem out of the odd for a pump to not work, I believe that the gas station attendant has to authorize the pump to start fueling, but that is it.... No $ amt needed if not pre pay.

 

[cebee]

Has there been a case where posters here on WS have identified a perp before the police did? And turned out to be right? Just curious...

 

[4csns]

I keep thinking of water and bridges (and there is so much water there) but because you bring up boats I was wondering where are locations that a boat can be put in. I guess it would have to be private enough where the perp would feel confident he wasn't seen by neighbors or turkey hunters. Are there any sand bars that can be accessed by boat?

just thoughts
Where are you Jessica?
jmo

From the location of abductions there are 2 boat launches close to Exxon both on mona lake, unless he has a very shallow get away boat he would not have gotten far because the channel leading out to Lake Michigan is being dredged currently and boats on mona lake are "land locked" to this lake......

Branching further out.... We are surrounded by water, marinas and launch points. If the plan was to get in a boat and go Muskegon lake has many marinas and boat launches as well as grand haven. I think if a boat is involved there would need to be 2 people involved with her abduction- one would have a very hard time launching a boat alone, especially with a kidnapped girl.plus at this point leaving a silver min van could be very dangerous for them. As far as storing a boat at a marina..... I feel like Marinas are too busy with people getting their boats ready that if a non marina guest showed up and attempted to launch their boat and store it in someone else's potential slip there could be issues, so then one should be a marina member?

I think the boat escape is a long shot- but maybe at this point long shots are all we have.....

 

[Eileen730]

I have thought from the get-go that the witness who just happened to be in the vicinity of the Exxon station and a fellow employee of Jessica is very suspicious. I doubt that the guitar store at the adjacent shopping center was open at 11:00PM, so what was the fellow employee doing there? It seemed to me like this woman might have had some issues with Jessica. Perhaps Jessica got more hours than she did, Jessica got to work better shifts, Jessica flirted with her husband - some sort of jealousy thing. It just sounds hinky to me for some reason. :moo:

Same here.
I could not understand why they were there.
they saw all this stuff and never went over to see what was going on.
Just tooo convienient!

I think its possible the money was planted in her purse.
Something isn't right here as I see it.

What if this co worked WAS involved in this lottery scam thingy and Jessica knew...

I just feel this witness over in the guitar store parking lot needs some looking into!


JMO

I think the person in the guitar store parking lot was the lookout for whomever was with Jessica.

They got interrupted !she called and said get out of there someones coming into the station!


All JMO

 

[Eileen730]

Has there been a case where posters here on WS have identified a perp before the police did? And turned out to be right? Just curious...

LOL Casey Anthony ring any bells LOL

Im sure many posting on the Hailey Dunn case know exactly who it was!

Haileigh Cummings!
Kyron Horman
ETC ETC

Unfortunately these are all family members.
In stranger crimes we are not fed all the players so its harder but im very sure the smart sleuthers have solved many many crimes.


Mickey Shunick!!!!!1 Good example!

 

[Eileen730]

I am still reading through everything from last night but I wanted to follow up on this in particular...

Not all gas stations here are prepay. I am not sure exactly how Exxon is however 90% of gas stations are not prepay. Meaning if you intend to pay inside you push a button that says "pay inside" and start fueling OR you lift the handle up and start pumping the gas and someone comes over the speaker and says "hello pump 5." So in my opinion it is legit that a pump maybe didn't work. I am not trying to shoot down your ideas in any way- just throwing the local standpoint out there that it doesn't seem out of the odd for a pump to not work, I believe that the gas station attendant has to authorize the pump to start fueling, but that is it.... No $ amt needed if not pre pay.

If you are not using a card don't you have to go inside and pay first?

I don't think they use the honor system these days! LOL

 

[Eileen730]

I keep coming back to the sketch being a red herring. I think if it were truly a dead ringer for the perp, including owning or driving a silver minivan... someone would know him. Is it possible that the eyewitness ( who did not provide the sketch for several days.. ) thought the perp looked like someone she knew..LLL maybe ( from the store maybe?) and described that person? But that person had an alibi. I cant imagine being able, several days later, being able to remember that clearly what someone I got a brief glimpse of, looked like. ( remember, it was dark!)
And I know people say " if you looked like that, and drove a silver minivan, why dont you come forward so we know it was not you?" I doubt many people would. Especially if they had other issues the police may be interested in. ( or dont think they look anything LIKE the pic!)
I just hope the police dont have blinders on. Remember when they were looking for the guys who were randomly shooting people in the DC/Virginia area a number of years back, and people swore it was someone in a white box van??? Meanwhile the perps were driving around in a sedan... and no one was looking for one...
(although I admit I DO look at silver mini vans myself!!)

I think that sketch is bogus also! Hey I could very well be wrong but that's what I think!

 

[mr_slash]

Most gas stations these days require that you prepay when paying cash. This is especially true of gas stations right off of a freeway. Even when using a credit card or debit card the attendant usually has to authorize the pump. I have stood in many a cold Michigan winters waiting for this. That 30 seconds feels like forever sometimes...lol.

About her having just over $400.00 in purse I do not find that strange. I believe it was reported that she went to Meijer earlier that day. Most all Meijer have a Chase bank inside so it would not surprise me that she might have cashed her paycheck being that it was the end of the week and all.

 

[reedus23]

Police chief: Jessica Heeringa investigation has been helped and hurt by the fast and wide spread of social media

snipped

Hindering

But Shaw said “tips” posted on Facebook have proven problematic. He said people with no involvement in the investigation have posted on Facebook names of people they think could have taken Heeringa.

He said a television news crew showed up at the home of such a falsely-accused “suspect” before police got there, which could have been dangerous for the news crew and Heeringa if she indeed was being held there.

“Things move so fast,” Shaw said, citing posts on Twitter in particular.

The chief set up his own Twitter account in response to misleading tweets from television news crews that he said tend to follow each other, literally and through Twitter.

He said things got out of hand last week after a television news crew “overheard” a tip being delivered to his staff to look at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and then tweeted the information. When a park neighbor was shooting a handgun in his backyard, TV news crews tweeted incorrectly, that the police appeared to be in a “gun battle” at the park, Shaw said.

“It just created a lot of confusion at that point,” Shaw said. “That’s when I got on Twitter.”

He said Heeringa’s family has pleaded that tips not be posted on Facebook, but rather call police directly. Shaw said tips get through to investigators much more quickly that way and he's had to assign an officer to monitor tips on Facebook.

“I think (social media) has made a lot of things more difficult for us in law enforcement,” Shaw said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/...as.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

BBM - For selfish reasons, I like a lot of information. However, I questioned from early on if LE was giving too much access to the media. I remember one reporter bragging about how she was in one of the LE's offices reviewing the first video. I can understand releasing the video, or a still from it, but the statement made it sound like the reporter was too cozy with LE.

 

[mr_slash]

It was not exactly $400. The article talking about it said she had over $400. Though even that isn't strange. Often times people will deposit money in their account and take cash back. You would want $400 back for example not $411.29.

http://fox17online.com/2013/05/04/4...-wallet-and-register-untouched/#axzz2Si1GsZRO