August 16, 2002 10:10 P.M.
Candlestick Park Remembers One Of Its Own 1 Year Later
One year ago 11-year old Shannon Paulk disappeared from her Prattville home. Hunters found Shannon's body 2 months after she vanished in rural Autauga County. Investigators are still trying to find out who murdered her. Tonight, Shannon's neighborhood held a candlelight vigil to remember her.
"We're going to find the person who did this to our community and who did this to Shannon Paulk," says Prattville Mayor Jim Byard who stood before a crowd of about 150.
Joe Davis, a local minister, gave the family hope, hope that justice will eventually prevail. "We know eventually they will find him, and even if they never do, we also know that God gets the last word," says Davis.
Edna George doesn't even live in Candlestick Park and never knew Shannon, but she felt the needed to be here. She understands a mother's love. "I have a little girl and if I were to lose her it would kill me. I just had to come out to help support the Paulk family," says George.
For Paulk family members, they'll wake up tomorrow morning to begin their second year without Shannon, knowing the person who killed her is still free. "It's been a year and that makes me think they're not going to catch him, but I know eventually he'll slip up or she.. I don't know who it is, but they'll eventually get caught," says Tiffany Ferrell, Shannon's sister.
One person who stood out in tonight's vigil was Prattville Police Chief Alfred Wadsworth. The chief declined an interview about the status of the investigation but says he was there to support the family.
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?s= 1158691
October 9, 6:50 p.m.
Shannon Paulk Update: Identification of Body Difficult, FBI Suspect Profilers Arrive
Investigators in the Shannon Paulk case say they're trying to avoid going to DNA testing to prove the identity of the body found this weekend, but it's clearly a struggle.
Detectives say the records a local dentist gave them yesterday weren't enough to make a positive ID, so they're asking him for more detailed information.
At the same time, investigators gave medical examiners nine new pictures of Shannon Paulk to see if they might help. If doctors can't make a positive identification, they may have to go to the DNA testing, but that would take 4 to 6 weeks to complete.
More help to find the killer arrives.
Investigators brought two specially trained search dogs to the crime scene at Posey's Crossroads. Handlers say the dogs were trying to find any trace of the victim, and equally important, anything that might tie into the killer. Any evidence they find will go to medical examiners in Montgomery.
More expert help came in at almost the same time. Two FBI behavioral scientists arrived in Montgomery this afternoon to look at the evidence. They say they'll try to find behavior patterns to get inside the mind of the person who committed the crime. They'll be in the lab and at the crime scene for the next two days.
Local Suspects Targeted
Local agents targeted several possible suspects in the area again today. They say they're eliminating people based on some facts they're not sharing with us.
However, they say the profilers who just came into town will help them zero in on a suspect that much more.
No Funeral, Memorial Planned
As for Shannon Paulk's family, a Eufaula newspaper reported today that Paulk's family was preparing for a funeral.
We spoke with Danny Paulk, Shannon's uncle. He says no such arrangements have been made.
Paulk says he recognizes it's a 99 percent chance the body is Shannon's, but the family is holding onto the one percent chance that it's not.
