Deceased/Not Found WV - Mary Friend, 45, & Marcus Stalnaker, 69, 1 Dec 1999 - *multiple arrests*

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COLD CASE: Police won't give up on women who went missing in 1999

It's been more than seven years since Mary Friend and her mother, Marcus Maxine Stalnaker, vanished after setting out on a shopping trip.

Friend, 46, and her mother, 69, vanished Dec. 1, 1999. Friend's 1987 silver-gray Chevrolet Celebrity was found five days later along U.S. 19 in Gore, but there was no sign of foul play, and no helpful evidence was recovered.

he women lived in Jane Lew with Friend's husband, Kevin, who was out of town at the time they vanished. Police said there were no signs of violence or intruders at the couple's home.

The women's belongings also remained at the house, so there was nothing to indicate they packed and left voluntarily.
 
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200904130053

Hildebrand says family members had lost contact with the women after his mother died in 1989. He says Stalnaker is his mother's sister.

Hildebrand says family members learned of the women's disappearance while researching their genealogy.
 

The unsolved mystery of the two missing Lewis County, West Virginia women

J. Maropoulakis Denney
, Clarksburg Conservative Examiner
December 30, 2009 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.



It was just over ten years ago, on Wednesday, December 1, 1999 that 45 year old Mary Friend and her mother, 69 year old Maxine Stalnaker were last seen or heard from. Mary was scheduled to work the following morning at her job at an area dry cleaners, but she never showed up. Maxine, Mary and Mary's husband Kevin Friend lived together on Jesse's Run Road near the small rural town of Jane Lew in Lewis County, West Virginia at Maxine's residence.

The late afternoon of Wednesday, December 1st, 1999 started off with Mary Friend and her mother Maxine Stalnaker driving from their Jesse's Run residence into Jane Lew in Mary's 1987 Chevy station wagon. In part, the purpose of the trip was to pick up Pam Pugh, a sister of Mary's, and then drive to the Joseph Metz residence to have two used tires put on the vehicle. Pam and Mary dropped their mother Maxine off at the Sheetz store at the Jane Lew exit of I-79 (exit 105), where Maxine was picked up by her son Ted Harrison to go shopping, then Mary and Pam proceeded to the Metz residence near the Stonewall Jackson Lake/Stonecoal Lake area to get the tires


Continue reading on Examiner.com The unsolved mystery of the two missing Lewis County, West Virginia women - Clarksburg Conservative | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/conservativ...ewis-county-west-virginia-women#ixzz1a9PfulYr
 
Snipped from article above;


One source did report that a bloody cloth was removed from the scene inside the residence at Jesse's Run by a family member before the police arrived on Saturday December 4th. In addition, Maxine's young pet Doberman was found dead under the house, and the police have not provided any explanation as to how the animal died


....................................................................................................................


It is reported that Joseph Metz submitted to a polygraph test and did not fare well on it. Rumors have been circulating about one family member allegedly conducting some illegal activities for a local business owner, and that Mary Friend threatened to expose this. Authorities have not been able to confirm any of this

http://www.examiner.com/conservativ...-two-missing-lewis-county-west-virginia-women
 
Lots of info in that article, moreso than any others that I've seen.

But... what the heck does Ralph have to do with them? That's what I want to know.
 
Lots of info in that article, moreso than any others that I've seen.

But... what the heck does Ralph have to do with them? That's what I want to know.

RL is the grandson of Marcus Maxine and the nephew of Mary. I think his mother is Maxine's daughter. Can't find her name or any of her children's names except Mary.

Mary had a son named Eric Metz that failed a polygraph and was a POI. Very violent character - don't know if he's still in prison.

He and RL are very close in age.

Connect the dots.
 
RL is the grandson of Marcus Maxine and the nephew of Mary. I think his mother is Maxine's daughter. Can't find her name or any of her children's names except Mary.

Mary had a son named Eric Metz that failed a polygraph and was a POI. Very violent character - don't know if he's still in prison.

He and RL are very close in age.

Connect the dots.

Marcus Maxine had a son Ted, and two daughters Mary and Pam. (she might have had more but those are the only ones I'm aware of)
Pam's son is RL.
 
http://arre.st/WV-1005079302

JosephMetz3780969.jpg


Mary Friend's son, who is Maxine Stalnaker's grandson has been arrested for their murders.



Police believe Metz and another suspect killed both women because they possessed a tablet that contained incriminating evidence against The Wilderness Plantation. Metz was an employee at that club and restaurant at the time. Police think there was a plan to get the women to Jesse's Run Road where they swiped the tablet and then carried out the killings.

http://www.wdtv.com/wdtv.cfm?func=v...-Arrested-In-1999-Lewis-County-Cold-Case11865
 
Oh me too Paulette.

The big question is-- what evidence does LE have to arrest Metz? There is a press conference today at 1 p.m. Not sure if it is televised.
 
David Hughes, the former owner of the Wilderness Plantation in Jane Lew, conspired with Joseph Metz and Steve Freeman to kidnap, rob, and murder Stalnaker and Friend, according to a criminal complaint. Hughes ordered Metz and Freeman to remove the women from their Fox Run house off of Jesse's Run Road in Lewis County, the criminal complaint states. The women were taken to a residence on Jesse's Run Road, where the men took their possessions, including a purse, before killing them, according to a criminal complaint. Hughes said he ordered the murder because the purse contained a writing tablet with information about illegal criminal transactions about business affairs the men were involved in, said the complaint. Hughes feared that the women would turn the incriminating evidence over to law enforcement.

http://www.wboy.com/story/23472117/...stalnaker-mary-geneva-friend-cold-case-arrest
 
David Hughes arrested too.

"Hughes said he ordered the murder because the purse contained a writing tablet with information about illegal criminal transactions about business affairs the men were involved in, said the complaint. Hughes feared that the women would turn the incriminating evidence over to law enforcement."

Evidently he talked to LE.

Now to get the rotten son to tell where his mother & grandma are buried. (He must have been involved up to his eyeballs in the fraud or why else kill his own mother at the bequest of his boss?)

Where is Steve Freeman?

Does anyone have any info on him?

http://www.wboy.com/story/23472117/...stalnaker-mary-geneva-friend-cold-case-arrest
 
Steve Freeman was arrested Thursday afternoon by law enforcement in Ohio and is also being held at the Northwest Ohio Correction Center.

Freeman is facing murder, kidnapping, and robbery charges, said Lewis County Sheriff Adam Gissy at a press conference Thursday. Hughes and Freeman will be extradited to West Virginia at a later date.
http://www.wboy.com/story/23472117/...stalnaker-mary-geneva-friend-cold-case-arrest

Hughes seems to be the ring-leader of this operation. Still, he is the one who pointed the finger at Metz (and himself). Maybe his conscious got to him?

Where are these two ladies now?
 
http://www.wboy.com/story/23472117/...stalnaker-mary-geneva-friend-cold-case-arrest

Hughes seems to be the ring-leader of this operation. Still, he is the one who pointed the finger at Metz (and himself). Maybe his conscious got to him?

Where are these two ladies now?

Referring to "Maybe his conscience got to him?" made me laugh! Maybe he thinks that he'll get a light sentence in jail, compared to the actual killers. Why confess when all LE has is speculation? Maybe he told someone what they did & that person came forward & Hughes incriminated himself.

Here's a bit of the Examiner article that tells that Maxine was home at 5pm & Mary didn't get home (separate residence) till after 9pm. Looks like they took Mary to Maxine's house & then killed both of them. Maxine must have known what Mary had written in her tablet.

"The late afternoon of Wednesday, December 1st, 1999 started off with Mary Friend and her mother Maxine Stalnaker driving from their Jesse's Run residence into Jane Lew in Mary's 1987 Chevy station wagon. In part, the purpose of the trip was to pick up Pam Pugh, a sister of Mary's, and then drive to the Joseph Metz residence to have two used tires put on the vehicle. Pam and Mary dropped their mother Maxine off at the Sheetz store at the Jane Lew exit of I-79 (exit 105), where Maxine was picked up by her son Ted Harrison to go shopping, then Mary and Pam proceeded to the Metz residence near the Stonewall Jackson Lake/Stonecoal Lake area to get the tires. They arrived about four p.m. according to reports, and after the tires were installed by Metz, left at six p.m. Joseph Metz was employed at the time at the Wilderness Plantation in Jane Lew, a club/restaurant, and was scheduled to work that evening. Metz, who reportedly did not have his own vehicle, declined a ride to work offered by Mary and Pam. Reports indicate that Metz did not work that evening, but did later obtain a ride to Jane Lew from two neighbors, and then hitch-hiked home. Pam Pugh reports that her sister Mary dropped her off at her Jane Lew residence about 8 to 9 p.m., and then drove herself home. Ted Harrison reports that he dropped his mother Maxine off at the Jesse's Run residence at 5 p.m. Those were the last times either of the two women were seen. Mary was supposed to pick her sister Pam Pugh up the following morning, and Pam was supposed to take Mary to work, and then use Mary's car to go Christmas shopping with Joseph Metz."

http://www.examiner.com/article/the...-two-missing-lewis-county-west-virginia-women

If I was the police I'd offer one man a reduced sentence for info on the location of the bodies. Maybe Hughes will twig to it because he didn't actually kill them. (or maybe they were taken to his restaurant & killed there & by him!)
 
anyone have any more info on what illegal activities they were engaged in?
 

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