AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #2

[Hoosier952]

(1) It is possible and yes that would explain the clean car/dirty car difference. The briers were probably from being in the woods/forest and Tracie also had a scratch on her arm that may have come from the woods.

(2) I assume you are speaking of the truck in the surveillance camera? If so, LE reported that the truck had been located and the driver cleared. As far as I know, the driver has not been publicly identified. I also am not aware why he was there as the store was closed and had been closed for almost 1/2 hour.

(3) The only item LE has reported as missing was the keys. Beasley's sister reported that there also was a Boston Red Sox hat that she (Beasley) kept in the car that was missing. It certainly possible there were other items taken that no one may be aware of.

Thank you for following this case. We need more people here and the case needs more national exposure.

In regards to (2)-In the post by Dime Detective, it was stated by LE that the girls were seen talking to someone in a tan truck in Headland that night. I don't know if this is the same truck that was seen on surveillance video or not. I thought the surveillance video was from Ozark rather than Headland and didn't show the girls talking to the person in said truck. So to me, that tan truck in Headland might be important. Is there any more information about that tan truck? It's the first time I recall reading about the girls talking to anyone other than the mother and daughter and whoever they made phone calls to on the payphone.

I do think the girls were in the woods at some point, but a scratch or briers could have easily come from an emergency bathroom stop. Heck, that might be how someone gained control over them. Maybe they were stopping at the store to use the bathroom and ask for directions. Realizing the store was closed, they may have turned off the beaten path to find a more private spot to use the facilities (squat in the bushes/behind a tree) before heading off to the highway. That's a theory I haven't seen posted and it would certainly give someone time to see the car pulled over, possibly notice a young female getting out of the car, and quite likely, caused the interior light to come on when the door was opened showing a lone female in the car, they could have both exited the vehicle, one to play lookout. It could have been a passing vehicle or someone from a nearby house that spotted the car. It could have been someone walking down the road. Just pulling thoughts from left field here.

I think it's worth noting that if they got wet at a car wash, just walking through dust/dirt would cause mud to happen. They wouldn't have had to have been walking through a creek or pond or swamp in that case. It also gives another possible scenario. Of course, that's just based on some random woman claiming the car was spotless and LE claiming it was dirty.

 

[TedMac]

In regards to (2)-In the post by Dime Detective, it was stated by LE that the girls were seen talking to someone in a tan truck in Headland that night. I don't know if this is the same truck that was seen on surveillance video or not. I thought the surveillance video was from Ozark rather than Headland and didn't show the girls talking to the person in said truck. So to me, that tan truck in Headland might be important. Is there any more information about that tan truck? It's the first time I recall reading about the girls talking to anyone other than the mother and daughter and whoever they made phone calls to on the payphone.

I do think the girls were in the woods at some point, but a scratch or briers could have easily come from an emergency bathroom stop. Heck, that might be how someone gained control over them. Maybe they were stopping at the store to use the bathroom and ask for directions. Realizing the store was closed, they may have turned off the beaten path to find a more private spot to use the facilities (squat in the bushes/behind a tree) before heading off to the highway. That's a theory I haven't seen posted and it would certainly give someone time to see the car pulled over, possibly notice a young female getting out of the car, and quite likely, caused the interior light to come on when the door was opened showing a lone female in the car, they could have both exited the vehicle, one to play lookout. It could have been a passing vehicle or someone from a nearby house that spotted the car. It could have been someone walking down the road. Just pulling thoughts from left field here.

I think it's worth noting that if they got wet at a car wash, just walking through dust/dirt would cause mud to happen. They wouldn't have had to have been walking through a creek or pond or swamp in that case. It also gives another possible scenario. Of course, that's just based on some random woman claiming the car was spotless and LE claiming it was dirty.

Oh, I misunderstood which truck you were referring to-sorry. I haven't read anything else about the tan truck in Headland. The white truck I was referring to was at the Big/Little Store in Ozark when they made the phone calls.

Your theory is certainly a possibility and one that has not considered here.

 

[TedMac]

1)Is it possible they stopped at a car wash at some point between Headland and Ozark? Most small car washes are open 24 hours around here (small town Midwest). Sometimes they lock up the back garage doors when the attendants leave so you're forced to back out, but are still able to wash the car. That situation would leave them possibly trapped with no good escape route. Even if the doors weren't locked, someone could have easily spotted them. It's also quite possible that washing the car would have left them wet and muddy from the knee down. My pants are always soaked at the bottoms after I manually wash my car and there's usually no shortage of mud on the weekends due to the "mudding" that most rural kids do. It doesn't explain the briars, but you can pick up briars anywhere. It would explain why LE in Headland spotted a dirty car and Mrs. Merritt spotted a clean car.

2)Who was in the tan truck? Do we know? I'm not sure if I've got the time today to read through every post. The only truck I specifically remember is the truck from the surveillance footage.

3)Do we have only one confirmed item (keys) missing? Do we have multiple items missing and LE aren't willing to discuss that evidence? Is it possible that something could have possibly been missing but there is no way to know if the girls' had that item/those items with them?

Also, a couple of other things I failed to mention earlier...There is a cold-case investigator from the Attorney General's Office presently working on the case and there is a Facebook page dedicated to the victims and it is administered by Beasley's sister. It is "Justice for J. B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett". It has some good information.

 

[TedMac]

1)Is it possible they stopped at a car wash at some point between Headland and Ozark? Most small car washes are open 24 hours around here (small town Midwest). Sometimes they lock up the back garage doors when the attendants leave so you're forced to back out, but are still able to wash the car. That situation would leave them possibly trapped with no good escape route. Even if the doors weren't locked, someone could have easily spotted them. It's also quite possible that washing the car would have left them wet and muddy from the knee down. My pants are always soaked at the bottoms after I manually wash my car and there's usually no shortage of mud on the weekends due to the "mudding" that most rural kids do. It doesn't explain the briars, but you can pick up briars anywhere. It would explain why LE in Headland spotted a dirty car and Mrs. Merritt spotted a clean car.

2)Who was in the tan truck? Do we know? I'm not sure if I've got the time today to read through every post. The only truck I specifically remember is the truck from the surveillance footage.

3)Do we have only one confirmed item (keys) missing? Do we have multiple items missing and LE aren't willing to discuss that evidence? Is it possible that something could have possibly been missing but there is no way to know if the girls' had that item/those items with them?

BBM I checked with a family member today about the tan truck. It was some friends of the girls. They had stopped at the same gas station.

 

[easongt]

Is there a way to view the cctv video online?

 

[easongt]

I interview (soft word for interrogate) people every week. I would LOVE to read transcripts of the interview on original suspect. He is my guy on this. DNA be danged... I like his location, his "alibi" and his conscience with coming forward. I don't feel he had such a low IQ as to confess to partial involvement for a reward.

 

[Hoosier952]

I interview (soft word for interrogate) people every week. I would LOVE to read transcripts of the interview on original suspect. He is my guy on this. DNA be danged... I like his location, his "alibi" and his conscience with coming forward. I don't feel he had such a low IQ as to confess to partial involvement for a reward.

I'd be interested in reading also. My mind goes from only seeing the girls at the store before the murder, to being an eyewitness to the murder to accomplice to the crime to lone killer. Semen either came from a second person involved in the murder or a consensual encounter earlier in the evening. If it was a consensual encounter, maybe that's what JB was so eager to tell the friend about at the party. Maybe not the actual act, but the partner in the act, possibly a new love interest. I do think it's possible that he originally confessed too much and realized he was in hot water, so he continued to make up lies to cover up the confession.

 

[TedMac]

Perhaps this is why the case is going nowhere?

http://henrycountyreport.com/blog/2...n-into-jb-beasley-and-tracie-hawletts-murder/

"LUTHER STRANGE, HAS BLOCKED THE VICTIM’S FAMILY OF J.B. BEASLEY IN GETTING THE TEXAS RANGERS AND TEXAS A& M FORENSIC TEAM, ALONG WITH WORLD RENOWNED PATHOLOGIST MICHAEL BADEN, THE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO ASSIST IN GIVING A SECOND OPINION AND USE CUTTING EDGE TECHNIQUES NOT AVAILABLE TO THE STATE TO TEST FOR NEW EVIDENCE."

 

[TedMac]

Perhaps this is why the case is going nowhere?

http://henrycountyreport.com/blog/2...n-into-jb-beasley-and-tracie-hawletts-murder/

"LUTHER STRANGE, HAS BLOCKED THE VICTIM’S FAMILY OF J.B. BEASLEY IN GETTING THE TEXAS RANGERS AND TEXAS A& M FORENSIC TEAM, ALONG WITH WORLD RENOWNED PATHOLOGIST MICHAEL BADEN, THE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO ASSIST IN GIVING A SECOND OPINION AND USE CUTTING EDGE TECHNIQUES NOT AVAILABLE TO THE STATE TO TEST FOR NEW EVIDENCE."

This article mostly says the same as the above and a few other things:

http://henrycountyreport.com/blog/2...ican-party-is-doomed-in-south-alabama-i-quit/

 

[iron_angel]

This article mostly says the same as the above and a few other things:

http://henrycountyreport.com/blog/2...ican-party-is-doomed-in-south-alabama-i-quit/

That Smith guy says he doesnt have the manpower nor funding but then he doesnt want to share his informations with other agencies??? Hopefully I'm wrong on this but it almost feels like they are trying to protect someone!

 

[TedMac]

That Smith guy says he doesnt have the manpower nor funding but then he doesnt want to share his informations with other agencies??? Hopefully I'm wrong on this but it almost feels like they are trying to protect someone!

I don't believe he is trying to protect anyone. But, I really question two things: Why has the Governor & the AG limited the funding that is having an adverse effect on Smith's ability to work the case and (2) why is Smith not accepting the assistance offered by the writer (Jon Carroll) of the article who claims he could get the assistance that is Smith is requesting. Perhaps it is some sort of legal technicality that prohibits him from doing so. But an explanation from Smith would be nice. Hopefully, he (Smith) will contact Carroll and explain his refusal of the offered help. As far as him not sharing info with other LE agencies, I cannot think of a plausible explanation for that. Maybe he doesn't trust the local LE, but in that case he should seek assistance from the FBI, since they are already involved in the investigation. If anyone else has an explanation for this I would like to hear it.

http://henrycountyreport.com/blog/20...wletts-murder/

 

[CoolJ]

That Smith guy says he doesnt have the manpower nor funding but then he doesnt want to share his informations with other agencies??? Hopefully I'm wrong on this but it almost feels like they are trying to protect someone!

BBM
I have had this feeling from the very beginning when I first read about this case here. Cover-up. JMO

 

[LR1]

Is it possible they stopped at a car wash at some point between Headland and Ozark? Most small car washes are open 24 hours around here (small town Midwest). Sometimes they lock up the back garage doors when the attendants leave so you're forced to back out, but are still able to wash the car. That situation would leave them possibly trapped with no good escape route. Even if the doors weren't locked, someone could have easily spotted them. It's also quite possible that washing the car would have left them wet and muddy from the knee down. My pants are always soaked at the bottoms after I manually wash my car and there's usually no shortage of mud on the weekends due to the "mudding" that most rural kids do. It doesn't explain the briars, but you can pick up briars anywhere. It would explain why LE in Headland spotted a dirty car and Mrs. Merritt spotted a clean car.

A car wash is what I thought about when I first saw that post last year. Yes they are open around the clock and we know from history they are places where abductions have happened. I could not however make it fit in this case at least as being both the explanation of the contradictory witness statements and the place of abduction because everything seemed fine at 11:30 according to Ms Meritt. Returning to a cw after the sighting is unlikely but a cw with its lighting could have been a place they got noticed and maybe followed.

Last year when I was looking at all this the closest cw looked to be on on roy parker rd. just north of the intersection they were told to turn left (south) to get to 231. Nothing concerning that cw really stood out to me though, its a good distance from herring and coming from Headland they should not have passed it I don't think.

I have not seen photos of the car being dirty, from the small amount of video of LE looking at it in the news reports its not obvious that it is dirty. I'm wondering how good a look of the car the witnesses got at the store. Maybe they didn't notice its reportedly dirty condition and this somehow evolves to spotless or whatever the description was.

 

[LR1]

The only item LE has reported as missing was the keys. Beasley's sister reported that there also was a Boston Red Sox hat that she (Beasley) kept in the car that was missing. It certainly possible there were other items taken that no one may be aware of.

If there is a missing hat I wonder at what point they realized it was missing, and why this wasn't reported a loooong time ago. I guess its possible they're not sure its missing as a result of this crime, idk. You can't tell me this case hinges on keeping the missing hat from being public knowledge. I don't think I need to explain the potential benefits of releasing this info, less potential now than it would have been long ago, if there is a missing hat.

 

[killarney rose]

I get an error message when I click on the link for the Henry County Reporter. I will tell you all this. From what I have read on other forums, the HCR is not mainstream news. It's a blog. It's biased and slanted to the writers opinions. You can glean some truth from it, but be careful what you believe because the author uses it to get his opinions out and it might not always be factual.

 

[easongt]

Bottom line... This case will not have resolution without help from the the public and/or outside agencies. It's like a prizefighter refusing to admit he's beat. This case needs an infusion and local and state authorities appear to have an ego problem and are in denial. What was the last thing investigators did on this case?? What else can be done right now? Plenty can be done. Will it? Hmmm

 

[TedMac]

This goes to show that this case still can be solved. Granted this was 3 rape/burglary cases and not murder, but never the less the offenses occurred almost 30 years ago. I would add that this happened in AL and was investigated and solved by the Cold-Case Unit of the Attorney General's Office-the same unit that is investigating the Beasley/Hawlett case.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/10/30-year-old_alabama_cold_case.html

A cold case dating back 30 years that was solved led to a man getting sentenced to almost 400 years in prison.

David Leon Garth was found guilty in August of three counts of first-degree rape and three counts of first-degree burglary for crimes that occurred in 1985 and 1986 in Decatur. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange and Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson announced the sentences on Tuesday."

"New DNA technology tied Garth to the rape cases and he was indicted in 2012."

I would love to see the same new DNA technology used in the above-captioned case be used here.

 

[LR1]

lol, where is my last post from a few days ago? It has vanished with no explanation. I'm positive there was nothing offensive about it. Very strange.

 

[TedMac]

lol, where is my last post from a few days ago? It has vanished with no explanation. I'm positive there was nothing offensive about it. Very strange.

Which one are you referring to? Post #533 is still there.

 

[LR1]

Which one are you referring to? Post #533 is still there.

no it was one right after that one, about 10 minutes apart where I quoted one of your post. It was there at one time.