Found Deceased AL - Ben Stanford, 17, Anniston, Nov 2007

[ambers678]

Ben Stanford's Mom Posts Reward for Teen's Killer Last Edited: Tuesday, 27 Nov 2007, 3:28 PM CST Created: Tuesday, 27 Nov 2007, 10:58 AM CST

BIRMINGHAM, Ala (WBRC-TV MyFoxAL.com) -- The mother of Ben Stanford tells FOX6 news reporter Dave Bondy she has posted a $100,000 reward for the information leading to the arrest and conviction for the responsible for the death of her son.

It was November 13th when searchers in Villa Rica, Georgia found Stanford's body.

Days after his body was found the Carroll County, Georgia coroner preliminary ruled Stanford's death a suicide.

In a phone interview this morning Lynne Stanford said "We are not convinced there is enough evidence to rule Ben's death a suicide"

Ben Stanford was last seen November fifth when his 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee was found abandoned near Interstate 20 near mile marker 23 in Villa Rica, GA.

A complete report on this developing story tonight on FOX6 news at 6.

 

[MissieMt]

Thank you ambers678 for the update. That link just goes to WS though.
I wonder if he really was murdered or if his family is just having a hard time accepting suicide. Either way, this is tragic.

 

[MCDRAW]

I'm finding it hard to believe that he commited suicide too. He just went to too much trouble for him to have killed himself. This case has bothered me. He drove 75 miles and just decided to stop on the side of the interstate. I might would think it was suicide if he had stayed in the car. But to get out, take the keys , close the door. Go to the passenger side and open the door...leave it open and go into a wooded area to kill himself. That's just too much work for someone to kill themselves. That's just my opinion.

 

[MCDRAW]

I just heard Lynn Stanford on channel 13 news. She said they still have not recovered his wallet, keys, or cell phone.

 

[jodierenee]

the missing keys are a big issue...the keys SHOULD be either in his pocket, or along the trail somewhere. Weird.

Maybe it was a carjacking gone awry? They said they know where the gun came from, so that theory is almost impossible.

Maybe he was giving a ride to someone and a fight started and the passenger shot him, either accidentally, or on purpose

 

[angelmom]

Yeah, I was ready to say that this was a case of the parents being unwilling to accept the obvious until I heard her mention the car keys and cell phone.

I might have been willing to swallow the phone being missing (especially near a river or lake) with enough forensics, but the keys??? How are they explaining that away?

And why is the mom the one having to do this? Where does LE think the keys are? Did he levitate the car to the side of I-20?

 

[MCDRAW]

They know his credit card was used the morning he disappearded, so he must have had his wallet. Or someone did. There is more to this case than they are saying. I wish his parents had paid for a private autopsy. I keep thinking that GA is trying to cover themselves for not finding the body, when it was only a little ways from where the car was found. This is just my opinion.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I just heard Lynn Stanford on channel 13 news. She said they still have not recovered his wallet, keys, or cell phone.

I don't see how they can skip over the keys being missing either. I agree that his wallet and cell phone could have been ditched, but not his keys. It makes no sense even for someone who is distraught enough to commit suicide. The passenger side door being left open could be when he reached back into the jeep to retrieve the gun, but even then it doesn't seem to gel.

I hope they do keep investigating this case. As we have learned from Kathleen Peterson's death, things are not always what they seem to be and MEs can botch the manner of death without all the facts.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It also bothers me that he may have shot himself behind the ear on the right side. Isn't it more common for a suicide to be in front of the ear near the temple? Maybe it is nothing, but it just seems a strange angle to hold a gun for a self-inflicted wound.

 

[concernedperson]

I don't see how they can skip over the keys being missing either. I agree that his wallet and cell phone could have been ditched, but not his keys. It makes no sense even for someone who is distraught enough to commit suicide. The passenger side door being left open could be when he reached back into the jeep to retrieve the gun, but even then it doesn't seem to gel.

I hope they do keep investigating this case. As we have learned from Kathleen Peterson's death, things are not always what they seem to be and MEs can botch the manner of death without all the facts.

I am not 100% comfortable with this being a suicide either. If he wanted to commit suicide none of the missing items would be important to him. They would be left where he last placed them. I thought from the beginning it was a carjacking...Atlanta and that interstate corridor is having more and more of them. There was another today where a transport van got robbed and 3 people were taken hostage....not discovered last time I checked.

 

[angelmom]

It also bothers me that he may have shot himself behind the ear on the right side. Isn't it more common for a suicide to be in front of the ear near the temple? Maybe it is nothing, but it just seems a strange angle to hold a gun for a self-inflicted wound.

What? I didn't see that. That definitely sends my hinkey meter off the charts!

 

[Reannan]

Something just hasn't felt right about this case from the beginning. I wonder if his family is feeling the same way?

 

[MCDRAW]

Something just hasn't felt right about this case from the beginning. I wonder if his family is feeling the same way?
__________________
Yes his family has posted a $100,000 reward that leads to and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for his death. BenStanford.com

 

[MCDRAW]

http://starpolice.blogspot.com/2008/02/test-results-reveal-high-levels-of.html

If this was a suicide I wonder why they couldn't find any fingerprints on the gun?

 

[VirginiaInAlabama]

http://starpolice.blogspot.com/2008/02/test-results-reveal-high-levels-of.html

If this was a suicide I wonder why they couldn't find any fingerprints on the gun?

Suicide? Nope. Someone was in the car with him. When he stopped to purchase gas, he gave someone a ride. Then, when they stopped beside the highway, the person shot him in the woods and then go away on foot. Where was the car found? Probably near an off ramp, or somewhere close to where the perp lived? Just a theory?

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

IN a world of numerous crime scene shows, i wonder if the killer (supposed) shot Ben, then put Bens finger around the trigger to have him shoot somewhere for the gun shot reside? Or has anyone heard if they had found other fired rounds in the area? Maybe a "friend" took him out on a pretense to just shoot the gun and skip school and have fun.

 

[MCDRAW]

They really haven't released alot of information on this case. What has been released does not add up to a suicide. In my opinion.

 

[audrey77]

Suicide? Nope. Someone was in the car with him. When he stopped to purchase gas, he gave someone a ride. Then, when they stopped beside the highway, the person shot him in the woods and then go away on foot. Where was the car found? Probably near an off ramp, or somewhere close to where the perp lived? Just a theory?

Wait- this is your therory right> Where was this in an article?

 

[Danie96]

I know I'm replying to a very old thread. However, this case weighs on me every November. Ben went to the same school as my son. Although he was several years older, the school is small so most of the students know each other in some way. I remember that day I picked my son up from school, and the news had just broken and confirmed it was Ben. I will never forget. I was just wondering if anyone has any new information in this case. It just all of a sudden seemed to stop.