AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #1

[deca]

I thought this was of interest.

CODIS generates investigative leads in cases where biological evidence is recovered from the crime scene. Matches made among profiles in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes together, possibly identifying serial offenders. Based upon a match, police from multiple jurisdictions can coordinate their respective investigations and share the leads they developed independently

link with full text: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis_crime

And:

Q: How do laboratories count CODIS hits?
A: The procedure used for counting hits gives credit to those laboratories involved in analyzing and entering the relevant DNA records into CODIS. CODIS hits are tracked as either an offender hit (where the identity of a potential suspect is generated) or as a forensic hit (where the DNA profiles obtained from two or more crimes scenes are linked but the source of these profiles remains unknown). These hits are counted at the state and national levels. CODIS was established by Congress to assist in providing investigative leads for law enforcement in cases where no suspect has yet been identified, therefore a CODIS hit provides new investigative information on these cases. The hits are reported as “Investigations Aided” thus enabling the FBI to measure the effectiveness of both the CODIS software and National DNA Index System. See http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/codis/ndis-statistics for NDIS Statistics by State.

from:http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet

To me it sounds like if both the DBK and JB and Tracie's killer would have been linked to each other's crime scenes if it was the same perp. What do you all think?

 

[killarney rose]

Looking at the map of Ozark this is what I come up with for traffic lights. Its possible one or two of the intersections might have stop signs but I think they are all lights.

Leaving the B/L and traveling to 231 via 123/Union Ave.

Broad St(27) & East Ave.

Broad St. & 123/Union Ave. They would have made a left turn here.

Union & Reynolds St.

Union & Eufaula St

Not sure about W. College have a stop sign or light.

They would now be out of downtown and into a mix of commercial and residential. This is close to the turnoff to get to Herring St.

A bit further is the other B/L on the off chance they might have stopped there for some reason. This area is to me one that would be dark and not anyone around at this time of night.

At this point there are no ther stops until they get to the intersection with 231.



Route via 27/Andrews. After leaving downtown, there is no more Broad St it is Andrews Ave. This route is a straight shot. They had no need to turn off, just follow this road.

Broad and East Ave.

Broad & 123/Union Ave.

Andrews & Merrick Ave.

Not sure here- Andrews and Painter or Reynolds.

At this point they are leaving downtown and traveling a few blocks in a rather unsavory area.

Andrews & 27 (27 turns off Andrews here and goes on to 231 in an area not relevenant to us at this point )

Can't remember, but I think there might also be a light here at College St. This is on the corner of a park I mentioned way back and college goes straight through a very bad part of town and comes out on Union/123 near the turnoff to James and Herring.

There are no more stops after this point until the intersection with 231.

 

[killarney rose]

Have a look though some of the pictures on the above posted facebook page. Few different models of trucks. The mirrors on some of them stick out to me.
The thing with these garages is that they seem to change ownership quite regularly so who knows who owned what and when. Maybe american towing was at this location? Maybe Barrentine was more of a "freelance" type of employee an just took work whereveer he could get it. Maybe he has some sort of connections to this garage. To me the location of this garage is at a key point on the map. If the girls were going home from the B/L store they would have turned left off of 27 onto south union(123) and straight down to 231 to Dothan. This garage is on this route and just a minute or so BEFORE the turnoff to James st.

Nice find! I have to admit, that until I found the actual location of American Towing/Daniels I always pictured this garage instead, because it just seems to fit our area.

I plan to check the city directory at the Ozark library on my next trip to see what location American/Daniels was in in 1999.

 

[DimeDetective]

And mind blowing-out of the blue about the white truck! Is there any documentation anywhere stating the source of that article?

I didn't know the white truck had been identified. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else that the wt was cleared. Did Pat get that info himself from Spivey or is there an article somewhere we're missing? We need to know if they have cleared the white truck.

I still want to know if there is documentation of that article that states the white truck has been ruled out.

I scoured the Internet and was not able to find MSM confirmation that the driver of the white truck has been identified and cleared. So next I tried to contact Ebony Horton, the reporter at The Dothan Eagle who covers Ozark news and who has written about the Beasley-Hawlett case before (including the terrific 10th anniversary article found here).

I asked Ms. Horton if the Eagle has ever reported that the occupants of the white truck have been cleared of any involvement in the murders; I also encouraged her to write a new large piece about the case in the near future — even if only to reiterate the known facts, as the important thing is to get the case before the eyes and into the heads of as many readers as possible, to get them thinking and talking about it again — as it appears in-depth reports on the case have been few and far between since 1999-2000. I have yet to receive a response from Ms. Horton.

I'm going to continue to contact local reporters, namely those who have written on the case before, to ask about the white truck and to urge new articles that'll hopefully contribute to a fresh outflowing of information and a renewed interest in the case in the Wiregrass area.

Also, after contacting The Maury Povich Show one week ago about obtaining a video copy of the January 17, 2001 episode that featured J.B.'s mother Cheryl Burgoon and receiving no response, I tried again today and discovered that video copies of the show are no longer distributed. However, I was given information re: acquiring transcripts of past shows. If anyone is interested, I'll purchase and post the transcript of the episode featuring this case.

 

[DimeDetective]

I thought this was of interest.

link with full text: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis_crime

And:

from:http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet

To me it sounds like if both the DBK and JB and Tracie's killer would have been linked to each other's crime scenes if it was the same perp. What do you all think?

Wow, excellent job deca! Thanks for this! Based on this I think we can confidently rule out a connection between the DBK and the killer of J.B. and Tracie.

Looking at the map of Ozark this is what I come up with for traffic lights.

Respectfully snipped for space.

Amazing work as always, KR! Thank you. I'm going to look at these intersections on Google Street View to try to get an idea of the environments at each stop.

 

[LR1]

I scoured the Internet and was not able to find MSM confirmation that the driver of the white truck has been identified and cleared. So next I tried to contact Ebony Horton, the reporter at The Dothan Eagle who covers Ozark news and who has written about the Beasley-Hawlett case before (including the terrific 10th anniversary article found here).

I asked Ms. Horton if the Eagle has ever reported that the occupants of the white truck have been cleared of any involvement in the murders; I also encouraged her to write a new large piece about the case in the near future — even if only to reiterate the known facts, as the important thing is to get the case before the eyes and into the heads of as many readers as possible, to get them thinking and talking about it again — as it appears in-depth reports on the case have been few and far between since 1999-2000. I have yet to receive a response from Ms. Horton.

I'm going to continue to contact local reporters, namely those who have written on the case before, to ask about the white truck and to urge new articles that'll hopefully contribute to a fresh outflowing of information and a renewed interest in the case in the Wiregrass area.

Also, after contacting The Maury Povich Show one week ago about obtaining a video copy of the January 17, 2001 episode that featured J.B.'s mother Cheryl Burgoon and receiving no response, I tried again today and discovered that video copies of the show are no longer distributed. However, I was given information re: acquiring transcripts of past shows. If anyone is interested, I'll purchase and post the transcript of the episode featuring this case.

That's a good idea about contacting the reporter, I think it will be helpful and thanks for the work you've done.

The white truck has me baffled at the moment. I'm not finding it even mentioned in the news archives from around the area I've looked at, cleared or otherwise. I've checked the Dothan Eagle archives in the past day, the stories that I found about the case only go back to 2006 with no mention of the truck. The wiregrass page is the only place I've seen it mentioned.

 

[LR1]

I thought this was of interest.



link with full text: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis_crime

And:


from:http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet

To me it sounds like if both the DBK and JB and Tracie's killer would have been linked to each other's crime scenes if it was the same perp. What do you all think?

It seems it would but I'm still not up to speed on the process that would lead to a link to other cases. I'm not sure that when a forensic DNA profile is entered into the forensic database its automatically compared to those already in the system or not. Not sure if it would be immediately compared and if nothing shows up close enough to warrant a closer look its then left in for the possibility of future matches by either the lab that submitted or other labs in different areas of the country when their profile is submitted. its unclear to me if agencies have to periodically run it through to see if it matches new arrivals or if the process is automated.
I seem to remember reading where most of the work done by the labs has been in comparing profiles against the offender database rather than trying to connect unknown profiles within the forensic database. There was a huge back log because of the lack of funding when the new laws went into effect requiring the DNA of felons to be put into the database. I think that back log has shrunk considerably in the last few years and they're starting to get several hits (matches) on a weekly basis now. There's around 9 million profiles in the offender and around a half million in the forensic database.
If there was a match to another unknown offender somewhere I'm not sure they'd even make that known. at least not until they spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out who the person is. Yeah so further clarification is needed as far as the process of linking two or more unsolved cases through forensic DNA.

 

[CoolJ]

It seems it would but I'm still not up to speed on the process that would lead to a link to other cases. I'm not sure that when a forensic DNA profile is entered into the forensic database its automatically compared to those already in the system or not. Not sure if it would be immediately compared and if nothing shows up close enough to warrant a closer look its then left in for the possibility of future matches by either the lab that submitted or other labs in different areas of the country when their profile is submitted. its unclear to me if agencies have to periodically run it through to see if it matches new arrivals or if the process is automated.
I seem to remember reading where most of the work done by the labs has been in comparing profiles against the offender database rather than trying to connect unknown profiles within the forensic database. There was a huge back log because of the lack of funding when the new laws went into effect requiring the DNA of felons to be put into the database. I think that back log has shrunk considerably in the last few years and they're starting to get several hits (matches) on a weekly basis now. There's around 9 million profiles in the offender and around a half million in the forensic database.
If there was a match to another unknown offender somewhere I'm not sure they'd even make that known. at least not until they spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out who the person is. Yeah so further clarification is needed as far as the process of linking two or more unsolved cases through forensic DNA.

I believe this is how they came up with a suspect in the Morgan Harrington Case. Matched DNA to a rape a few years prior. Hasn't seemed to help them much though.

 

[Bonnie Blue]

It seems it would but I'm still not up to speed on the process that would lead to a link to other cases. I'm not sure that when a forensic DNA profile is entered into the forensic database its automatically compared to those already in the system or not. Not sure if it would be immediately compared and if nothing shows up close enough to warrant a closer look its then left in for the possibility of future matches by either the lab that submitted or other labs in different areas of the country when their profile is submitted. its unclear to me if agencies have to periodically run it through to see if it matches new arrivals or if the process is automated.
I seem to remember reading where most of the work done by the labs has been in comparing profiles against the offender database rather than trying to connect unknown profiles within the forensic database. There was a huge back log because of the lack of funding when the new laws went into effect requiring the DNA of felons to be put into the database. I think that back log has shrunk considerably in the last few years and they're starting to get several hits (matches) on a weekly basis now. There's around 9 million profiles in the offender and around a half million in the forensic database.
If there was a match to another unknown offender somewhere I'm not sure they'd even make that known. at least not until they spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out who the person is. Yeah so further clarification is needed as far as the process of linking two or more unsolved cases through forensic DNA.

I'll bet someone here on WS knows the answer to that question. I am also curious about that. I haven't been around long enough to know who it would be, anyone else know?

 

[Wondergirl]

I thought this was of interest.



link with full text: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis_crime

And:


from:http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet

To me it sounds like if both the DBK and JB and Tracie's killer would have been linked to each other's crime scenes if it was the same perp. What do you all think?

Thank-you very much, Deca, for the links.

After reading the entire CODIS and NDIS Fact Sheet several times, I can honestly say that there are alot of variables between DNA specimen technologies, State vs. National rules, convicted vs. arrested samples etc.

I am still left with questions.

 

[Wondergirl]

Alabama Bureau of Investigation

AFIS - Automated Fingerprint Identification System

http://dps.alabama.gov/Home/wfContent.aspx?ID=20&PLH1=plhABI-AFIS

 

[Wondergirl]

Were the local sex offenders ever looked at?

 

[jenstar]

Were the local sex offenders ever looked at?

I'm not sure if they looked at local offenders or not. But I thought I read in an article that over 70 people were ruled out by DNA. So, just IMO I'd say that was the first thing they did (hoping to catch a break) was compare it to locals first.

Per the profile that I was looking at, I took a look around the county sex offender registry as of "today" and didn't see anyone that fit the profile (aged 10+ years), of course. (Assuming it was a repeat offender.)

The only way we would know if a sex offender was let out of jail and then moved and no longer had to report back; was if we physically go to the jail and do that. I'm sure they have a long list of ones that haven't registered or reported back.
Then again, that's classified information only a badge can get you.

 

[deca]

eventually it would be nice if we could talk to someone in LE about this case. Specifically, if the DNA from the perp remains in the CODIS system to be constantly compared to new entries. Don't most cold blooded killers go on to kill again?

Logically, all perp DNA and crime scene DNA would remain forever in the system and be automatically checked anytime something new enters the database. I do not know if it is set up that way or not.

Many moons ago I worked with plant DNA. We would enter in the sequence and the computer could automatically match sections for us. It was a different application of course, but I would hope that they designed the system to match automatically. But, I never know what to think- I just read an article from 2010 that stated that only 10% of missing/UID cases were getting put into NamUS which totally blew my mind. If LE is that behind the times with that system, do we know that CODIS is being used appropriately (if not done automatically)?

 

[DimeDetective]

This Dothan Eagle article from 2008 features a list of 40 unsolved murders across five Wiregrass counties, including the Beasley-Hawlett murders.

I'm in the process of researching each case looking for any possible connections to this case, and to see if any of these have been solved in the past five years, if anyone wants to join me.

http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/article_507c829a-6cc2-58d9-a7ab-0e003eaa6e58.html

 

[SCHMAE]

I understand why current ' hot ' unsolved cases LE wants to keep things close and quiet and not give off too much more information than the public needs to be safe or be looking out for a perp of this description. But I do not see why in a case like this , LE wouldn't be happy to share info if it might help solve it. Has anyone attempted to contact the department in charge and just see what they may say to sharing info or answering the questions you have? I don't know how it could hurt.
I do fear if they had the guy in their grasp but never had enough evidence to prosecute him that they may not share , just in case they can get him later. But if it's truly no suspect, no clue, no new leads, then why not share the info. It's worth a try .................dime detective

 

[killarney rose]

I have a list going from the unsolved murders. Some I remember well, some I don't, and some of the older ones I have never heard of. Later today I'll post my thoughts. If I don't get back today, I'll be back when I can. My laptop crashed Saturday. It's going to the shop this morning. I'm on my desktop and it isn't in much better shape.

 

[LR1]

The problem with this case for me is that because there's such little information regarding the social lives of our victims leading up to the murders its hard to make a judgement as to what exactly we're dealing with. Is it a local known to them with a grudge where maybe jealousy or revenge played a factor, a local sexual offender type unknown to them that took advantage of an opportunity or a transient mobile type offender they happened to cross paths with.

For instance it would be good to know if they had been going out regularly over that summer, what was their normal routine on the weekends, who were their associates, were there any new acquaintances that either girl might have had. Any drama occurring over the summer and even back as far as the previous school year that might have played into the events of that night. There's no question LE would have looked into all of this early on and it would have allowed them have a better understanding of the case. Ultimately they could either further pursue the possibility of it being someone in the girls social circle, on the periphery or rule that theory out to some degree.

From what I've seen reported and some of the comments that came from LE I think their best guess early on was that it was a local or at least someone local enough to be familiar with the area where the car was left and that there was more than one person involved. I've also seen speculation that because of the matter of factness of the murders that this points to it not being his/their first murder. To me those three lines of thought do not mesh well because if they did the potential offender pool would be somewhat limited. Surely after 14 years they would have found something, whether it be from thorough investigation or sheer luck and someone would have been in prison by now preferably the Holman facility awaiting his day. I'd like to know what their best guess is as of today, if they think the perp is a local or friend/family of a local that was in the area at the time or was it a killer that just happened to be passing through. Its hard for me to form an opinion and pursue a certain angle when so many cards are still in play.

 

[Wondergirl]

I can relate, LR1.

The only thing I can say, is that it really appears to be a crime of opportunity.

Drawing a 1 mile radius out from the store, the recovery location, the murder scene, should narrow things down considerably.

I wonder exactly how far back, and forward, from the murder date, that LE analyzed the video tape for a similar light colored truck.

The truck is the key. A BIG key.

 

[Veidt]

Hi everyone. I haven't been able to get online much due to health issues so I'm now reading the last few pages of the thread.

I definitely agree with the idea of getting in touch with LE and asking them if they can give us more information about certain things. There may be stuff they wouldn't mind sharing especially by now but which they haven't before because they didn't think it mattered.

Since knowing more about the girls would be helpful, I can also get in touch with Tracie's relative unless anyone here has done so already. Since it's an e-mail and this relative specifically requested people to e-mail her, do we need a mod's permission? Can someone ask a mod, please? I'd rather if people who already messaged mods asked this for me or told me which mods they messaged so it won't be all over the place. From the forum post it sounds like the relative didn't live with Tracie or anything but given the impact the murders had on her, she may know about the girls or Tracie at least enough to tell us what their social lives were like and if she knew about any new people in town, etc.

By the way, I'll try to keep track of the posts here, but if I'm seemingly AWOL, everyone feel free to PM me. It's easier for me to see stuff that way.