Hi all. I dont post much, mostly just lurk, but this and a couple of other cases have captured my attention lately.
Pmerle00, Im so sorry that you and your family are going through this horrible situation. PaPaw sounds like a wonderful man, and I hope you find him soon.
Based on what we know from articles available online, and the information that Pmerle00 shared with us here on Websleuths, this is my theory (my opinion only!):
PaPaw went to Walmart and purchased makeup for his wife. He arrived home, got out of his truck, and locked it. He went into the house and placed the makeup on the bathroom counter and tossed the receipt in the bathroom waste basket. He left the house, locking it behind him, and went to his shop. Someone with the intent of robbing him was hiding nearby and saw him heading to the shop. PaPaw entered the shop, put his wallet and keys down, and started working on whatever task he had planned to work on (he might not have actually had time to start the task). The robber entered the shop (PaPaw does not lock the door to the shop when he is inside working) and confronted PaPaw, demanding cash. PaPaw handed over the cash that was in his wallet. The amount was not enough for the robber, who demanded more. PaPaw said that he didnt have more, which angered the robber, who picked up a nearby wooden rod and struck PaPaw, thus the blood. The robber said that he was going to drive PaPaw to an ATM and that he must withdraw cash. PaPaw figured that there was no way he was going to withdraw a large sum of cash for the robber. (After all, he was a firefighter, who faced dangerous and deadly situations many times before, and he had the smarts and the skill to avoid it.) He said hed grab his ATM card, but he instead grabbed his driver license because he had no intent of handing over a bunch of cash. (I believe he left his wallet and keys behind in the shop, thinking theyd be locked up and secure there for when he returned. His cell phone was still in his pocket, where he normally keeps it.) The robber forced him out of the shop and into a car (possibly threatening him with a gun?). Im thinking that because PaPaw was a man of habit, and because he figured that some way he could get out of this situation, he locked the door behind him. (Firefighters are trained to remain calm and cool-headed under pressure, so I think PaPaw probably behaved in a manner consistent with that training.) The robber drove him to an ATM, and demanded that PaPaw withdraw cash. PaPaw, thinking that he could get out of this by this point, reached in his pocket and said that he only had his driver license. The situation was such that PaPaw could not summon help (possibly there was no one around to see or hear him?). The angered robber then forced PaPaw back into the car and decided that he had to kill him so that he could not identify/testify against him. The robber drove him to another location, killed him, and disposed of his body. (Gah. Im sorry. I hate to write that.)
I believe this is a money-motivated crime, and that the suspect either knew PaPaw, or knew of him (possibly through the car club/car restoration hobby). The suspect knew that PaPaw was doing well financially, and would either have cash on him or access to cash.
I know that nothing of value was stolen, but sometimes criminals just want cash. When they steal things, they run the risk of being caught with those things, tying them to the crime. They also run the risk of being caught while trying to sell the items for cash, which it what they really want. Even though everyone knows that ATMs have cameras, Im still amazed by the number of robberies that take place at ATMs.
Pmerle00, can I ask you a few questions?
1) Does this theory sound plausible based on your knowledge of PaPaw and the situation?
2) Do you know if the investigators have reviewed surveillance footage of nearby ATMs (both walk-up ATMs and drive-thru ATMs)? If they havent, could you ask them to do so?
3) Is PaPaws property such that someone could park a car out of view, such that PaPaw may not see it when he drives up to his house? (Even if its not possible to conceal a car from view, the suspect may have had an accomplice waiting nearby.)
All of the above is my opinion only! Please feel free to poke holes in my theory, as I'm sure I've missed some things.
I think this theory fits most of the evidence we have so far. Your points about him being a fireman and therefor cool under pressure and calm are good ones. The question is - WHO could have done that to him? And WHERE is he now? Why can't we find him?
I've added the ATM videos to the list of questions to ask investigators next. I'm not sure if they have done this, since there was no abnormal bank activity that we know of. It's a good suggestion, so thank you.
It is possible that a car could be parked on OR off the property out of sight, yes. However, there were no unusual or unidentifiable tire (or other) tracks. Still possible.