I also discovered Websleuths because of these girls. I lurked for a while before joining and participating, though. I grew up in the Evansdale area, rode my bike to Meyers Lake by myself when I was 9-10 years old. In 2012, I had a 13 year old sister. It hit too close to home.
I’m in town for a wedding, and often take my son to Meyers Lake to play. We saw the news crews there and I believe several family members. I had forgotten today was the anniversary. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years with so few answers.
I listened to the new FindJodi podcast the other day, which includes interviews with the lead investigator in the Michelle Martinko case. Until I listened to the podcast, I was pretty confused on why Burns would randomly bring up Jodi in the interview. After listening to the podcast, it makes...
I saw some folks discussing this on social media this morning, and I came here to see if it had come up. I know when Jerry Burns was originally arrested, there were some questions/speculation, but this article raises a few more questions, IMO.
Jerry Burns shows little reaction when accused of...
I believe Jan. 17th is the day I closed the office early at my work. We had several weeks of bad weather on Fridays in a row, and I believe, if I'm remembering correctly, that was the worst one. My car got stuck on the drive home, and I remember seeing social media posts upset that Merle Hay...
I meant, how they believed his phone got to that area. There was speculation he may have been seen on camera getting on a DART bus, but no confirmation of that from an official source. Given the timeline, he had to take a bus or be driven to the area. We don't know what exactly was seen on the...
yes, I've heard that - hopefully LE has reached out to DART (IF they believe he got on a bus) to determine where he got off. I've seen zero mention of how investigators believe his phone pinged in the Broadlawns/Prospect Park area.
Thanks for clarifying this information.
In cases like this, I know investigators are wary to give out information because, if foul play was involved, they don't want to tip off anyone person(s) involved. I just think if he was seen getting into a car, there'd be a "vehicle of interest"...
I'm going with buses being behind schedule on Jan. 17th, because of the heavy snow. I just don't see them being on time. If Abdi is familiar with the bus routes, then I'm sure he would have used this trip planner to determine the best route for getting to his destination. Trip Planner | DART -...
I'm familiar with at least one, but I google mapped "African stores" in Des Moines, and there's actually quite a few in the area! I saw one on Merle Hay Rd, and then several farther down on Douglas & one on E. Euclid. He could have taken route 16 to get there. DART Local Route 16 – Douglas...
The bus route makes sense, but again, if he was getting on route 14, why was he over by the AT&T store? I've been studying the metro routes the last couple days (which are confusing, I'd hate to be someone from outside of Des Moines trying to navigate them). I've lived here 10 years and I still...
Police were able to trace him via surveillance video walking across the parking lot toward the street, and then finally in the AT&T parking lot nearby. That's the last sight of him. 'Every time I think about him I feel panic': Search party planned for missing Des Moines teen
In order to get the...
At first I questioned the thought of a bus, because of timing and the snow, but now I think it's the most practical way he got to Prospect Park. I think it's unlikely he would have met someone across the street at the AT&T store (unless it was an employee or someone who worked at a surrounding...
Agreed, DMPD has a great track record of investigating and getting answers in cases like this. I just wish there had been more news about Abdi when the story first broke. I think initially they believed he took off on his own because of the video footage with him crossing the street to the AT&T...
This is such a hard question to answer. What no one has mentioned is Merle Hay Mall isn't far from I80. When I lived there, hitchhikers would hang out in the mediums and try to find a ride. So, he could have a) left voluntarily and hitched a ride or b) met trouble in a nearby parking lot and...
Reading up on Abdi's case and thought of this until I saw it was a middle-aged man.
I'm a local and only heard about Abdi a couple days ago. :(
I lived by Merle Hay Mall for four years, and shopped at Target weekly. I never felt unsafe there by myself. Any mall in Des Moines (or anywhere...
Hi, I actually posted later that it occurred to me it was his uncle, not his father directly. This guy's sister was in my class and I often saw her spending time with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. I don't remember seeing Patrick, but from what I can tell from his social media page is he went to...
From what it sounds like (not sure how to confirm it), he left the area sometime after his 2015 crime. Many of his family members, including his parents, went with. I remember reading earlier that someone profiled the killer having left the area after media attention died down to this case, but...
He and his father share the same first & last name. According to his social media, his dad was born in 1970.
I was reading the thread that talked about the grocery store and bike trail. Growing up in the area, my mom was adamant that I stay off bike trails unless I was with an adult, so I had...
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