MI MI - Jessica Heeringa, 25, Norton Shores, 26 April 2013 #3

[Woe.be.gone]

Wouldn't human remains imply a body that's been there a while and has decomposed? If it was JH wouldn't they say body? Probably not her, lets hope not

I tried to find some more information but nothing comes up that I can find. Not really sure.

 

[thesaint]

The chamber of commerce will have me deported!

Ha, the Republic Of Michigan. Back to Indiana for you. Don't forget to slow down at the border on your way out of Michigan into Indiana, or you'll get a ticket.

 

[absentia]

Wouldn't human remains imply a body that's been there a while and has decomposed? If it was JH wouldn't they say body? Probably not her, lets hope not

could be Lauren Spierer?

 

[Maggiewho]

I think what I need to do tomorrow is to go over there and park by the guitar store and take a picture of the back of the store from there. I cannot imagine you could make out someone's hairstyle from that distance even in the daylight, much less at night. Yet, the police based this whole sketch on the word of Jessica's coworker and her husband. But in reality, what else did they really have to go on?

I am in no way accusing anyone of lying or being involved in this crime. I am just trying to understand how we ended up with the sketch that we did. Either we are not being given all of the information (highly possible, I think) or something just does not sit right with me about this and hasn't from the beginning.

ETAA: When I say take a picture of the back of the store, I mean the Exxon station.

When I saw the time stamp on the second video it really didn't sit well. I have seen nothing to support that there was a husband/wife witness. I would love a link to that. I have seen only one witness so far. I feel like the van is a red herring/ruse but I may be wrong. What supports that there was more than one witness I have seen no news link, only on FB which has since been deleted. That was the only place I saw it besides WS and I never saw a link.

I may be wrong. Please link me. Thanks.

 

[saannec]

Good description, I'm from Wisconsin originally, and even though there are some similarities, people here talk quite a bit differently than they do back home.

I lived in Ohio for a while, and I've since had people ask me if I'm originally from North Dakota because I pronounce the odd word with that "Fargo" accent. I've never noticed it. All in all, I think I'm one of those "accentless" people.

 

[thesaint]

Perhaps a positive about the possibility of Jessica's abductor being from out of state or at a distance and the investigation (heretofore) being hyperlocal, is that it might lull the perp into a sense of temporary security and he would less feel the need to bring things to a closure. I feel that if the perp is local...that's not good news for Jessica and her family.

Hopefully the investigating agencies widen their net and enlist the help of other jurisdictions to surveil and monitor any potential suspects outside local LE's domain.

 

[thesaint]

could be Lauren Spierer?

that would be interesting, and absent the relevant group of POI's (JR/MB/CR) being off their game, would suggest something other than the dominant and most probable theory of that case (that LS died of an OD and the POI's panicked and disposed of her body rather than face the music).


What about Venus Stewart, I think her name is? The Michigan wife whose husband traveled from Virginia to Michigan to insanely murder her. Still don't get why he did that, she was a sweetheart.

 

[WideOpen]

Might be coincidence that human remains were found and LE was collecting DNA
(gosh I have visions of something terrible, if the body was burned or unrecognizable they might call it remains and need DNA.)

Friday, Norton Shores Police collected samples from Jessica's toothbrush and hairbrush; Jessica's parents also gave their DNA to investigators. Police say the DNA will help, in the worst case scenario, if a body was found.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/regional/255277/5/Police-collect-DNA-test-fluid-at-Exxon-station

jmo

ETA; I went back to read the original link and it does say that a woman from that area has been missing for 5-6 months so hopefully her family will have answers.
https://www.facebook.com/WSBTNews?hc_location=streamHuman
Praying for the family of this person.

 

[misterGwriter]

Might be coincidence that human remains were found and LE was collecting DNA
(gosh I have visions of something terrible, if the body was burned or unrecognizable they might call it remains and need DNA.)

Friday, Norton Shores Police collected samples from Jessica's toothbrush and hairbrush; Jessica's parents also gave their DNA to investigators. Police say the DNA will help, in the worst case scenario, if a body was found.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/regional/255277/5/Police-collect-DNA-test-fluid-at-Exxon-station

jmo

ETA; I went back to read the original link and it does say that a woman from that area has been missing for 5-6 months so hopefully her family will have answers.
https://www.facebook.com/WSBTNews?hc_location=streamHuman
Praying for the family of this person.

I am going to jump in quickly at the end and then try to gradually get caught up. Police did state that they were testing samples for DNA that were collected at the Exxon station. In addition for possible future uses, they could also be comparing the samples they collected at the scene to see if JH was the donor.

 

[misterGwriter]

I think what I need to do tomorrow is to go over there and park by the guitar store and take a picture of the back of the store from there. I cannot imagine you could make out someone's hairstyle from that distance even in the daylight, much less at night. Yet, the police based this whole sketch on the word of Jessica's coworker and her husband. But in reality, what else did they really have to go on?

I am in no way accusing anyone of lying or being involved in this crime. I am just trying to understand how we ended up with the sketch that we did. Either we are not being given all of the information (highly possible, I think) or something just does not sit right with me about this and hasn't from the beginning.

ETAA: When I say take a picture of the back of the store, I mean the Exxon station.

I agree. Also, I believe that the individual who overheard JH flirting with a customer near the gas pumps but didn't see his face worked at the guitar store. I'm not sure how he could have overheard anything from that distance.

 

[MsFacetious]

I think there are two scenarios that make the most sense with the cash drawer.
Either the customer knocking on the door and her opening it.
(Though, I think she'd probably put it away before opening the door.)

I think that the gun or other weapon being put in her face makes the most sense.
"Here's the money!!!!"
I don't want the money...

 

[CatFancier]

It's United Press International though, not just some Joe Schmoe blog.
And I'm pretty sure I read this in MSM anyway since I have never heard of this blog before, and this is what made me think the whole thing was hinky to begin with. Someone saw a struggle, yet they just drove on home without reporting it or checking the station out? Not likely.

I think it sounds familiar because it was a comment the mom made about a possible abduction. She said in earlier threads that she thought this is what happened. Now it seems to be being reported as though it did happen.

 

[misterGwriter]

There is something that has been bothering me about this case. It hasn't been addressed by the media or by the police, at least in anything I've seen or read. There was a mysterious third vehicle parked at the Exxon station the night JH was abducted. If you listen to the 911 tape, the caller clearly states that there is a car next to the building, a Honda SUV and his own black Jeep. If one vehicle belongs to JH and one belongs to the caller, it doesn't take a mathematician to realize that one of the vehicles is unaccounted for.

Was the vehicle still parked there when police arrived? The 911 caller waited until police arrived so presumably he would have noticed if the vehicle had left. If the vehicle was there when police arrived, did they run the plate? Has the owner been questioned? Why was it parked there at 11:15 pm? Where was owner and how did he get to and from his vehicle? If the vehicle left before police arrived, they would be a potential witness at the very least.

We are all assuming that the silver van is involved. However, we don't know that for sure. What if Jessica was actually inside of the third vehicle at the time of the 911 call? All signs point towards the suspicious silver van, but this mysterious third vehicle can't be ignored.

 

[Strangeworld]

I am still catching up on today's posts - so impressed with everyone's sleuthing! Here are a few thoughts of mine:

If the offender visited the Exxon twice (or more) the night she disappeared, this says to me one of two things – either he is very brazen and confident of his ability to fly under the radar due to experience committing these sorts of crimes (knowing the unlikely capacity of other customers to successfully i.d. him when not caught in the act), OR he is an incompetent abductor – able to abduct, but leaving breadcrumbs that may lead to his arrest.

I am still not sure if he knew her before the abduction. Had she, another employee or a customer told him there were no cameras in passing conversation? It does concern me that given what locals have said, the Exxon could potentially be a bit busy (not frantic, but at least a few customers) in the last 30-60 minutes before closing. Very small window of opportunity IMO. How did he pick his moment to take her – if he was parked out back, how would he know when to make his move, know when there were no other customers in the store? This really bugs me, and suggests to me it isn’t a crime of opportunity – there would be much easier targets IMO.

Did he know her car? How was he sure that it was her car parked there, and not a customer’s? This point does suggest to me he knew her. Familiarity with HER car parked there when she was working. I don’t know if she was stalked by him, but at the very least, he could have been admiring or despising (??) her from a distance as a frequent customer.

Why did he not wait for her shift to end – was he concerned that she would have her phone at the ready to dial home/911 if she was startled walking out to her car? I know a lot of women do this when in risky situations walking alone. Why didn’t he slash her tyres or create another obstacle for her to drive out of the lot after her shift ended? Was he ‘turned on’ by creating drama around her abduction or was he on a strict timeframe due to other commitments – family, work, etc? Taking her at the time he did meant her disappearance would be reported pretty quickly – was he willing to take this risk because he didn’t have a choice – act now or not at all.
If he didn’t know her, I would think there may be some connection to the other disappearances. As I’m from Australia, I am not great on geography of the US, and navigating from one town to another. But there are certainly some red flags in regards to the similarities of missing women in the broader area. If there is a connection, this would be heartbreaking, as there are still so many unanswered questions and women who have not been found.

 

[Strangeworld]

I just had another idea - could the offender have thought the exxon was closing at 11pm? Maybe he usually frequented there on Sat/Sun and thought it closed at 11pm every night?

 

[Phoenixrising]

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/at_the_center_of_the_jessica_h.html

Shaw talks in the first of a 3 part series of interviews into the investigation.
"Dan Shaw is feeling the heat, pushing on"

 

[The Cheese]

Daniel Shaw ‏@NSPDChiefShaw 1h
No new developments over night in the #JessicaHeeringa abduction case. The task force will be actively investigating all weekend.

 

[Phoenixrising]

I have a hard time thinking this was not someone from Michigan. If you look at where Norton Shores is,it's not like there's other states that border this area closely. It's by the water. They may not be from Norton Shores, but unless they had business in that area, like a trucker, or someone visiting family, why would anyone randomly select such a small town with little access to other states??
There had to be a reason to be there as opposed to somewhere else with more interstate traffic.
JMO

 

[Strangeworld]

There is something that has been bothering me about this case. It hasn't been addressed by the media or by the police, at least in anything I've seen or read. There was a mysterious third vehicle parked at the Exxon station the night JH was abducted. If you listen to the 911 tape, the caller clearly states that there is a car next to the building, a Honda SUV and his own black Jeep. If one vehicle belongs to JH and one belongs to the caller, it doesn't take a mathematician to realize that one of the vehicles is unaccounted for.

Was the vehicle still parked there when police arrived? The 911 caller waited until police arrived so presumably he would have noticed if the vehicle had left. If the vehicle was there when police arrived, did they run the plate? Has the owner been questioned? Why was it parked there at 11:15 pm? Where was owner and how did he get to and from his vehicle? If the vehicle left before police arrived, they would be a potential witness at the very least.

We are all assuming that the silver van is involved. However, we don't know that for sure. What if Jessica was actually inside of the third vehicle at the time of the 911 call? All signs point towards the suspicious silver van, but this mysterious third vehicle can't be ignored.

Sorry - don't mean to hog the thread!

This third car is most likely the co-worker? Wasn't there something in a previous post about the co-worker turning up around the time the 911 caller arrived?

 

[cebee]

<Mod Snip>
I keep coming back tho, to the witness ID... if they pulled in at the guitar store and observed the abduction.. how did the perp not SEE them pull in, headlights on.. I have not heard anything about the guy racing off if he had been observed. He would have had to see THEM as well... And I still think it was too dark to see the detail they claim to have seen about his appearance. May drive by there and see how close you would have to be to see his face... and hair... i dont know, it just sounds wrong to me...afterall, she did say the back lights were OFF... right? What light did she 'see' his face by? I could easily see this identification getting torn to shreds in court...