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

[effect]

Maybe they asked for directions while on the phone to better the illusion that they were really lost.I think it likely they had no intention of going home after the phone call.Perhaps the white truck was waiting on them to check in to buy a little more time.A short amount of time ,even 30 minutes would be a big deal to a teenager.I think it's much more likely they had just reached their destination when it was time for them to back home.
Maybe instead of leaving behind the white truck,there following it.

I read somewhere that the truck owner was cleared in 2004 .But that doesn't clear someone with him.


Typed on a phone .

 

[killarney rose]

Purely for the sake of discussion, do you think the fact that Vaca was under the influence of drugs while committing the Ohio crimes could've contributed to their disorganized nature?

Strangely, he had a gun but never fired it. Maybe it was unloaded and he used it for intimidation purposes only.

On the other hand, if the gun was loaded and he had it from the beginning, why the struggle to kill Hicks at the end? Did he lose the gun or leave it behind at some point? While the murder of Reiser was quick and brutal, the time Vaca spent with Hicks after that murder was decidedly meandering, leading to a sort of rambling mess of a rape (some reports say he attempted and failed to rape Hicks, sending him into a fit of rage near the end) and attempted murder. Did Vaca take the drugs at or near the outset, only to become increasingly incapacitated by their effects?

The killer of J.B. and Tracie could have spent as many as eight hours with the girls between the time they were last seen alive and when J.B.'s car was discovered. If the killer was on drugs, perhaps he experienced difficulties in realizing his vision of the crime as well. We know he didn't actually rape either of the girls. Evidence also tells us he led them around through a wet, muddy area (probably at gunpoint). Isn't it possible the killer, like Vaca, tried or meant to kill the girls in other ways outside of the car, only to finally return them to the trunk where he shot them? Hypothetically speaking, isn't it possible that Vaca, under the influence of drugs and unable to kill his victims in the hayfield, could have eventually returned the girls to Hicks' car (where he possibly left the gun) and shot them in the trunk as a last resort? The end result would have been identical to the Ozark crime scene.

Another thought: Let's say it was discovered that Vaca was found to have committed both the Ohio and Alabama murders. Wouldn't it make sense if it was revealed that he was on drugs during the Ohio crimes but not during the Alabama crimes?

I guess the big question I'm driving at is: How much would the influence of drugs alter a killer's M.O.?

KR, I do tend to agree with you, and I only pose these questions for the sake of discussion in an attempt to potentially help us look at the Beasley-Hawlett murders in ways we haven't before. I've always suspected the girls were killed shortly after they were last seen alive. But that eight hour window leaves a lot of possibilities.

Darn, I missed this post earlier too! I must've been on the road when you posted and missed it.

Putting the situation as you did in this post, yes, its possible, the similarities are definitely there, and it could be possible drugs altered his behavior. Is it known where he was when our girls were killed?

 

[LR1]

I noticed that some people were asking about the connection between dance studios, but there would be no connection between the girls and Elevations School of Dance. Elevations was not around in 1999. Back then I believe the area shown as the studio on maps was a church. There was at least one other studio here at the time, but I am not sure where it/they were located.

Thanks for that bit of info EmKD and welcome to the forums.

Feel free to express any opinions you might have about this case when they come to you, or any rumors you might have heard for that matter. As you can see were at a bit of a stand still at the moment.

 

[LR1]

Maybe they asked for directions while on the phone to better the illusion that they were really lost.I think it likely they had no intention of going home after the phone call.Perhaps the white truck was waiting on them to check in to buy a little more time.A short amount of time ,even 30 minutes would be a big deal to a teenager.I think it's much more likely they had just reached their destination when it was time for them to back home.
Maybe instead of leaving behind the white truck,there following it.

I read somewhere that the truck owner was cleared in 2004 .But that doesn't clear someone with him.


Typed on a phone .

All good points and plausible scenarios, Ive thought the same in regards to Traci' s call to the mother but still cant say they didn't unknowingly make their way to Ozark. Their original destination certainly doesn't seem to be Ozark because of the trip to headland where they either made an attempt to find the party and went west instead of east or went to plan B and choose another destination all together.

The truck is like a riddle wrapped in an enigma, I think there's a good chance it was involved.

Welcome to the forums effect.

 

[Darcyline]

I have never posted in here, but remember hearing about this story elsewhere (maybe the Haunted Evidence show) and finally discovered our thread for it.
Such a bizarre case. After reviewing all of the facts, I honestly believe they were just lost. Their route, the phone calls, witness statements including their friends who saw them leave just all seem to support that. I guess it also seems plausible because their night up until not coming home could have been a description of many nights with my friends. We would drive around, try to find random parties or concerts, sometimes get lost and end up God knows where, etc.
However, I wish they were being deceptive and planned to go to Ozark to meet people for some reason because I think the case would be more easily solved that way. There would be a narrative that could be built and more people involved even in tangential ways. However, how do you solve a case where lightning has struck, literally? Where you just have two girls lost and out of nowhere someone murders them for seemingly no reason? Seems like a death bed confession or some major break (like, finding the keys in someone's house if they are that stupid) would be the only thing to break it.

I go back and forth on whether the semen was the murderer or not. Like, surely LE has considered the idea that it could have been a consensual sex act from earlier in the day? Or would they be able to tell if it was a sex act that had been committed way earlier? Like, fresh semen versus a consensual sex act from three weeks ago or something? I guess that doesn't make sense because I am assuming she would wash the bra and herself.
GRAPHIC AND GROSS-Part of me thinks it is the murderer just because she had time before the party to change and it just seems strange to me to have someone ejaculate all over you and then not take a shower/change your bra and panties. It would be wet and even sort of gross in other ways after drying that I won't mention (Sorry I am not used to talking about these issues like this, but this seems like the key-if it isn't the murderer's semen then the case is basically screwed because everyone is assuming it is) even if wiped off and it seems like it would have been easy for her to just change her bra if that happened before the party and leaving with Tracie. However, who knows-maybe she did just wipe down and it wasn't wet enough to bother her. I guess it could have happened after she left with Tracie, but that seems like it brings forward its own logistical issues trying to fit that into the timeline we do know. Like, they leave after 10, have time to go somewhere where no one sees them, sex act occurs while Tracie does...? then they go back to finding the party somehow get to Ozark (or were there) and then are last seen less than an hour and a half after leaving. It just doesn't quite seem to fit to me.

Anyway, the work done in here has been amazing. Some old cases are so hard to get into just because there is so much misinformation or vague facts or no timeline so it is hard to even come up with interpretations of the facts. All of you have done a great job discussing and organizing information and I am happy for JB and Tracie. Sometimes I feel like forgetting older cases is like a secondary murder and I can safely say that Tracie and JB are not being forgotten.

 

[Wondergirl]

It is way more rare for 2 girls to become murder victims at once.

Since sexual assault has only been disclosed on one female, this surely must be a differentiator.

 

[killarney rose]

It is way more rare for 2 girls to become murder victims at once.

Since sexual assault has only been disclosed on one female, this surely must be a differentiator.

What if something happened to frighten the killer enough that he never assaulted Tracie? Just shot and disposed of the girls. I think we might have discussed this some time back.


What if he experienced premature ejaculation. At that point the sexual rush was over, he was afraid of getting caught, or angry he couldn't rape like he wanted to, or just ashamed.

So the girls were killed.


What if the girls were witness to something they weren't supposed to see, this guy was sent to dispose of them. He decides to have a little fun but one of the above scenarios happens and he kills them and goes on his way.

 

[LR1]

Respectfully snipped

I wish they were being deceptive and planned to go to Ozark to meet people for some reason because I think the case would be more easily solved that way. There would be a narrative that could be built and more people involved even in tangential ways. However, how do you solve a case where lightning has struck, literally? Where you just have two girls lost and out of nowhere someone murders them for seemingly no reason? Seems like a death bed confession or some major break (like, finding the keys in someone's house if they are that stupid) would be the only thing to break it.

Exactly, this is one of several important pieces of the puzzle which if answered (and I don't know that it hasn't been) might have to some extent narrowed the possibilities of what happened that night. A lightning bolt out of the blue indeed. I'm still having a hard time placing a maniac psycho out looking for victims in this small quiet little southern town, I mean the chances of that for some reason seem astronomical to me.

I go back and forth on whether the semen was the murderer or not. Like, surely LE has considered the idea that it could have been a consensual sex act from earlier in the day? Or would they be able to tell if it was a sex act that had been committed way earlier? Like, fresh semen versus a consensual sex act from three weeks ago or something? I guess that doesn't make sense because I am assuming she would wash the bra and herself.

Yet another important piece of the puzzle, the dna.

I can't recall ever reading about a BF or even an ex during this whole thing which seems odd but surely she/they had male friends. LE would have looked closely at their male acquaintances, ex's and what not and they would have been some of the hundred or so that have had their dna compared to what was found on JB. This of course would come with a caveat which is the possibility of there being someone that nobody was aware of.

I'm leaning toward the dna being related because of the same reasons you state in your post. I seem to recall one media report saying it was found on her clothes and skin with subsequent reports only saying it was found on her undergarments. Having said that and FWIW I've read somewhere that a semen deposit can to some degree withstand a wash cycle.

 

[LR1]

It is way more rare for 2 girls to become murder victims at once.

Since sexual assault has only been disclosed on one female, this surely must be a differentiator.

This is a very important aspect of the case and one that I have pondered a great deal but have yet to grasp the significance. Like everything else in this case it tells us something I'm just not sure what. I'm sure someone like Richard Walter would have no problem understanding how it all fits into the puzzle.

 

[effect]

Gonna throw some stuff out there and see if anything sticks.

The big little was beside a train track,back then people catching a ride on a train was more common that most would think.I worked at a place when this happened in a adjoining county that was along side a railroad track and saw people all the time still using the rails as a free ride.And there is a sidetrack very close,which means a stopping point for the train.A rider could have decided it a good place to hop off,knowing most likely he could catch a ride the next day in the same spot when they served the business that had the side track.I don't really believe this myself,but like i said im throwing stuff out there.


The grease stain on the seat maybe being some type hair oil?Not being racist,but this could give the race of someone possibly it the back seat.

Back then in Alabama your tag had the county on it.Which pretty much let someone know these girls were not near home.I think Ozark is 19 and Dothan
would be 38.This is, i would think would be a huge sign to a predator observing them while making there phone call from the big little(possibly the white truck that took too long too long to come forward).Good looking young girls,late at night,using payphone and from out of town.You do the math.

Back during this time the Ozark police were a bunch of mean sob's.If they saw you had a out of county tag and were young,they pulled you over.They did not like people coming to Ozark that they felt like didn't belong.This is my personal experience,i was told on several associations that i needed to find my way back to pike county.Take this anyway you want,but if you were in Ozark during "bedtime hours" in that time period you were profiled by your tag.


And when this happened i remember hearing on the radio that the girls not only never arrived at the field party but no one there even knew them.I don't know if this was true,but i do remember it being reported.

 

[killarney rose]

Gonna throw some stuff out there and see if anything sticks.

The big little was beside a train track,back then people catching a ride on a train was more common that most would think.I worked at a place when this happened in a adjoining county that was along side a railroad track and saw people all the time still using the rails as a free ride.And there is a sidetrack very close,which means a stopping point for the train.A rider could have decided it a good place to hop off,knowing most likely he could catch a ride the next day in the same spot when they served the business that had the side track.I

Back during this time the Ozark police were a bunch of mean sob's.If they saw you had a out of county tag and were young,they pulled you over.They did not like people coming to Ozark that they felt like didn't belong.This is my personal experience,i was told on several associations that i needed to find my way back to pike county.Take this anyway you want,but if you were in Ozark during "bedtime hours" in that time period you were profiled by your tag.


.

I believe that back then the train came through town daily. It would have stopped for sure at the various peanut mills and plants.


The possibility the girls were stopped because they had a Houston County tag to me gives more of a possibility of LE being involved.

 

[jenstar]

IMO, I still believe that the semen was part of the crime. That he held one girl at gunpoint and made the other strip and kneel in front of him With her back to him. Just like shooting someone in the back of the head, the killer felt guilty about seeing her face while he was doing his crime. When he couldn't work up the nerve to do what he wanted, he stopped the whole thing.

 

[Sulamith]

I wonder if there were any railroad workers around Dotham or Ozark when JB and Traci were murdered. I am much older than they were but I was raised in a tiny West Texas town and my girlfriend and I would hang around the "railroaders". These guys would go from small town to small town fixing the rails. I can't remember which railroad they were employed by. I remember hanging out at their tiny camper trailer(in the middle of nowhere West Texas) and partying with them. (no drugs, if we had beers I don't remember) We would give them "tours" around our small town. (Grease in the back seat?). I remember they had a white company pick up truck. Looking back on that, we were really stupid LOL! Anyway, when I saw the old abandoned RR station it took me back.

 

[DimeDetective]

I noticed that some people were asking about the connection between dance studios, but there would be no connection between the girls and Elevations School of Dance. Elevations was not around in 1999. Back then I believe the area shown as the studio on maps was a church. There was at least one other studio here at the time, but I am not sure where it/they were located.

Thanks for that bit of info EmKD and welcome to the forums.

Feel free to express any opinions you might have about this case when they come to you, or any rumors you might have heard for that matter. As you can see were at a bit of a stand still at the moment.

I second LR1's post: Welcome EmKD, and thank you for this post. Ruling out a possible Elevations connection is extremely valuable in terms of forward progress. This is exactly the kind of information we need. And yes, as LR1 said, please feel free to contribute any thoughts you have. Thanks again!

But if they came to Ozark on purpose, then why did they ask Marilyn for directions at the Big/Little store? There was absolutely no reason for them to do this unless they were really lost.

That alone is reason for me to doubt they came to Ozark on purpose.

Respectfully snipped.

KR, from the beginning I have thought along these exact same lines. If the girls were not truly lost, they had no reason to ask Marilyn Merritt for directions. If the girls were being deceptive, they needed only mislead one party — the only party expecting them that night: Tracie's parents. We know this because we know the girls' plan was for J.B. to spend that night at Tracie's house and attend church with Tracie's family the next morning, thus leading us to the conclusion that even J.B.'s mother was not also expecting a call concerning the girls' whereabouts that night.

So why, then, would the girls bother with trying to convince Marilyn Merritt, a total stranger, they were lost when they were not?

After spending a little time away from this case recently and now looking at it again, a new scenario popped into my mind, and I believe it's pretty feasible:

What if Marilyn Merritt overheard Tracie on the phone telling her mother (untruthfully) they were lost and would be home later than expected, and just took it upon herself to give J.B. directions without being asked?

We know of at least one source that states Ms. Merritt gave J.B. directions while Tracie was on the phone. If Ms. Merritt simply happened to notice the two girls standing there, overheard one of them telling someone on the phone they were lost, and decided to be helpful, she likely would've approached J.B. (since Tracie was on the phone, and possibly because she had noticed J.B. was driving) and given her directions to Dothan, no questions asked.

Why would it ever occur to Ms. Merritt that Tracie was lying to the person on the other end of the line? And why would J.B. interrupt Ms. Merritt's helpful but unnecessary giving of directions to say, "We don't really need directions home, we're lying"?

I believe we may very well have read in media reports that the girls asked for directions from Ms. Merritt, but in my mind it would be incredibly easy for this issue to become confused. Ms. Merritt may have simply stated, "I gave the girls directions." This could easily lead one to assume that Ms. Merritt gave the directions because the girls first asked. But this assumption could so easily be wrong.

It's incredibly common for reporters to misquote people, even eyewitnesses. So a reporter could've gotten this detail wrong.

Additionally, I believe it's entirely possible Ms. Merritt may have forgotten such a small detail — after all, when she encountered the girls at the Big/Little Store, she had no idea what was about to happen to them. She would only have searched her memory of the encounter later on, after her mind has been subjected to the shocking news of the murders. So Ms. Merritt could have remembered — or, perhaps by being unintentionally vague, even unknowingly stated — this detail inaccurately.

And, maybe most important of all, it never would have occurred to Marilyn Merritt that the girls were lying; if indeed they were, this is a secret that would've been known only by J.B. and Tracie — and possibly a third party who may also be the killer(s).

Either the girls asked for, and were given, directions OR the girls were overheard and given directions. In terms of the everyday, the difference is very slight, almost imperceptible. After all, why would it matter whether the girls asked first or not?

But when the girls are subsequently murdered, and major questions arise as to what really brought them to Ozark, this difference suddenly becomes extremely important.

Is it known where he was when our girls were killed?

A search for any information that reveals Vaca would have had a reason to be in Alabama during the summer of 1999 has turned up nothing so far.

At one point I found a message board conversation where one poster claims to have encountered Vaca in the '90s. Vaca, described by the poster as "a friend of a friend," "weird" and "odd," bought acid during the encounter. I checked the poster's profile on the off-chance that he was located in Alabama, but found instead that he's in "T-County, OH" — Tuscarawas County, where New Philadelphia is located — which points to the most likely scenario: that Vaca never lived anywhere else and is not J.B. and Tracie's killer.

 

[killarney rose]

Dime Detective, you brought up a very good point about Marilyn offering directions, rather than being asked. I wonder if her daughter would remember after all this time?

It certainly opens up the case for the theory that the girls were in Ozark for a reason, thereby the killer could have been known to them.

If only we had access to some of the information known to the investigators it would certainly narrow our field of investigation and perhaps point us in the right direction!

 

[DimeDetective]

FWIW, here is the composite sketch of the killer as seen by the psychic(s) on the Haunting Evidence episode:

 

[DimeDetective]

The following is the description of the killer given by the psychic(s) on the Haunting Evidence episode:

• Male
  
• Caucasian
  
• 25-35 years old (39-49 today)
  
• Hair: Brownish, trimmed
  
• Nose: Sharp, medium to small in size
  
• Mouth: Thin lips
  
• Eyes: Discoloration of the skin, possibly due to sun damage

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION:

• Truck
  
• Dark in color - charcoal, almost black
  
• Smoky windows
  
• "Tricked out" - big wheels, rims

 

[killarney rose]

I was looking for a picture of BS the man rumored to have killed the girls, in order to compare with the sketch, I mean it couldn't hurt....

I did come across this. Don't know if it means anything, but definitely worth looking at, especially due to the Michigan connection.

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Henry-Steagall/53680321

 

[DimeDetective]

The list of questions to ask LE when calling in our viable tips has grown to epic proportions, so I'm going to share one section at a time. Here are the first fifty questions. The full list of questions I have is a work in progress, and what I post is just a starting point; I'm hoping we can all work together as a group to add, take away, combine, refine, and streamline in order to ultimately come up with a final list of only our most pertinent questions. I don't know how much time we'll be given, how many questions we'll be allowed to ask, or how many answers we'll get, so we should make each question count.

As you read through this first group of questions, my question to you at this point is: If you could ask LE any question about this case, what would it be? Feel free to post as many as you like, of course. This is the brainstorming stage. But you should also feel free to point out any questions you believe aren't quite strong enough to make the final list, are redundant, or that could be somehow posed better.

Let's give this our very best shot. As another anniversary of these crimes fast approaches, the fact that 14 long years have passed without justice for J.B. and Tracie and their families calls us to do everything we can to help. —DD

Questions for LE, Part I​

• Have you read the thread devoted to this case at Websleuths.com?
  
  
• What is your position on concerned citizens such as the members at Websleuths.com taking an interest in this case? How can we best help?
  
  
• Was the white truck seen on the Big/Little Store surveillance footage around the time the victims were there identified and cleared of any involvement in the murders?
  
  
• Were J.B. and Tracie’s classmates, co-workers, friends, boyfriends/ex-boyfriends, and known acquaintances all cleared of any involvement in the murders?
  
  
• Were Tracie’s co-workers at JCPenney interviewed about any possible male customers who had behaved suspiciously around Tracie while she was at work? Did they report anyone coming into the store and asking about Tracie or her work schedule when she wasn’t working?
  
  
• Did Marilyn Merritt and/or her daughter report anything suspicious in their lives around the time of the murders? Is it possible the killer had originally targeted Merritt and her daughter that night, only to change his plans upon discovering J.B. and Tracie at the Big/Little Store?
  
  
• We understand the Big/Little Store closed at 11:00 p.m. that night. We know why J.B. and Tracie stopped at the store after hours. But why were Marilyn Merritt and her daughter, as well as the occupant(s) of the white truck, also at the store a full thirty minutes after it had closed?
  
  
• Do you believe Tracie was telling the truth when she called her mother from the Big/Little Store and said she and J.B. had gotten lost?
  
  
• At this point, what do you believe was the motive for murdering J.B. and Tracie?
  
  
• Do you believe Herring Avenue was a strategic or a random dropoff point?
  
  
• Why do you believe the car keys were taken?
  
  
• Do you believe the primary scene (car) was staged in any way?
  
  
• How were you able to determine that the shootings had taken place while the girls were in the trunk?
  
  
• How were you able to determine that the shootings had not taken place on Herring Avenue? Have you determined definitively where the shootings took place?
  
  
• Regarding the witness who came forward in March 2000 with an account of hearing screams and gunshots that night, has this information helped in determining where the shootings took place?
  
  
• Was the 9mm shell casing discovered at the site south of town linked definitively to the murders?
  
  
• Did soil samples taken from the site south of town match those found on the tires of J.B.’s car? Did the dirt from this location match the dirt found on the clothing of the victims?
  
  
• What led you to consider Depot Lane as a possible murder site?
  
  
• Was there any evidence that the girls possibly struggled or fought with their killer(s)?
  
  
• Media reports stated that when the girls were found in the trunk, it was discovered that Tracie’s arm was scratched. Were you able to determine whether this scratch was caused by a struggle with another person, or did it appear to have been made by vegetation (thorns, branches, etc.)?
  
  
• It was reported that a palm print was discovered on the trunk lid of J.B.’s car. If this is true, is the palm print believed to belong to the killer(s)?
  
  
• Regarding the semen found on J.B. Beasley’s clothes and skin, has the possibility of a consensual sexual encounter unrelated to the murders been ruled out?
  
  
• Media reports show the accounts of that night told by Johnny Barrentine differ quite a bit from those told by Barrentine’s wife. Were you ever able to establish any sort of timeline/account of events you believe to be true, based on statements made by these two individuals?
  
  
• Are you confident that you have not as yet interviewed the person(s) responsible for the deaths of J.B. and Tracie?
  
  
• Regarding victimology, were there any areas of concern you discovered in the lives/backgrounds/lifestyles of J.B. and/or Tracie?
  
  
• Do you believe the person(s) who murdered J.B. and Tracie had killed before July 31, 1999?
  
  
• Do you believe the person(s) who murdered J.B. and Tracie has gone on to kill again?
  
  
• Do you believe the killer was local?
  
  
• Do you believe the victims knew or recognized their killer(s)?
  
  
• Do you believe the murders were committed by one person or more than one person?
  
  
• If the murders were committed by one person, and that person was not local to the area, how would he have managed two vehicles during the time this crime took place?
  
  
• Did J.B. Beasley’s car have any known mechanical issues?
  
  
• Did the air conditioning in J.B.’s car work?
  
  
• Was the passenger side window down, or just the driver’s side window?
  
  
• Do you believe the killer posed as a law enforcement officer in order to get the girls to pull over?
  
  
• Do you believe the killer(s) planned these murders and his escape carefully, or has he only gotten lucky in not being captured to this point?
  
  
• Do you believe the killer was military, stationed at Fort Rucker, and about to soon be deployed or PCS, enabling him to disappear completely in the wake of the murders?
  
  
• Were observations made of the driver's seat position to determine the possible height of the person who drove J.B.’s car to its final parking place on Herring Avenue?
  
  
• Was evidence discovered and collected from the switch/lever used to adjust the driver’s seat in J.B.’s car?
  
  
• Were similar murders occurring near military posts/bases ever discovered?
  
  
• Media reports stated that no foreign DNA was discovered inside J.B.’s car. Is this unusual, especially since it appears the killer(s) operated the vehicle in order to leave it on Herring Avenue?
  
  
• Have there been any major changes to Ozark since 1999 (businesses changing hands, houses or buildings added or torn down, landscape changes, etc.) that could possibly directly affect the way a researcher/investigator might view the crime and its possible locations today?
  
  
• We understand a 9mm firearm was used in the killings. Have you been able to successfully identify the exact type of firearm used? If not, have you been able to narrow down the possibilities?
  
  
• Were you able to determine which of the girls was killed first?
  
  
• Were you able to determine if there was any major gap between the times of death?
  
  
• Did you encounter any issues with testing DNA belonging to military personnel (DNA unavailable, restricted access, etc.)?
  
  
• We understand 9mm firearms were standard issue for the military at the time of the murders. Did the fact that a 9mm was used in the killings lead you to suspect a member of the military, or are 9mm firearms too common for this suspicion to have arisen in the minds of investigators?
  
  
• We understand the three vehicles left the Big/Little Store parking lot that night in the following order: Marilyn Merritt and daughter, followed by the white truck, followed by J.B. and Tracie. Is this information correct?
  
  
• At what point did Merritt and daughter turn off/leave the route taken by J.B. and Tracie?
  
  
• If identified, interviewed, and cleared, was the driver of the white truck, or any other occupant of the white truck, able to shed light on the events of that night?

 

[killarney rose]

Awesome job, Dime Detective! I can only think of one more question.

How often is the DNA found on JB checked against national databases?