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

[watcher9]

I'm thinking not necessarily a swamp or water.
Wouldn't a heavy dew which can come about on a calm clear night in tall grass on the roadside also cause their pants to be wet up to their knees?

 

[TedMac]

I'm thinking not necessarily a swamp or water.
Wouldn't a heavy dew which can come about on a calm clear night in tall grass on the roadside also cause their pants to be wet up to their knees?

I don't know if dew would have formed around midnight to 1 am. But even if it did, their shoes had mud on them and I don't think dew would have caused that. Tracie's shoes were new just purchased the previous week.

 

[easongt]

One theory I have (which has zero support from any evidence I must add) is that they heard or knew of a place to maybe buy or pick something up in Ozark. I have no idea about their "night life" but I do know how teenagers are. I'm not trying to slander or sling mud, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that they went to buy pot or something. I realize no drugs were found in their system.
If it were a random coincidence and opportunity that they were murdered, one must assume it would have been by someone who carried a gun. Ozark is not downtown Montgomery or Birmingham. Local resident with gun under his seat at all times? I'll buy that. Drug dealer? Yep... that too.
I hope that pertinent info was not withheld by friends or classmates in an effort to keep themselves from getting in hot water over something like petty drug stuff.

My strongest belief is this was a crime of opportunity. Not a serial killer.
I think they made one more stop... lost maybe and looking for directions. Someone (most likely a male) wanted to "help" them. He may have even said, "follow me" and led them to a nearby isolated place without their knowledge... all the while they were believing he was leading them to a route (231) back toward Dothan. Meanwhile... he was hoping to impress them with alcohol or something. Words were exchanged, advances were shunned and one thing led to another and his temper was set off. I don't think there was some man wondering the streets of Ozark at that hour searching out victims. If the killer DID know the victims then LE totally dropped the ball.

A random perfect storm is the ONLY way I can justify this case remaining unsolved for so long. I've said it before, if there is more information and the police have not released it by now, then by all means they should. Whatever they were hoping to obtain by withholding certain information is not working.

 

[somequestions]

One theory I have (which has zero support from any evidence I must add) is that they heard or knew of a place to maybe buy or pick something up in Ozark. I have no idea about their "night life" but I do know how teenagers are. I'm not trying to slander or sling mud, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that they went to buy pot or something. I realize no drugs were found in their system.
If it were a random coincidence and opportunity that they were murdered, one must assume it would have been by someone who carried a gun. Ozark is not downtown Montgomery or Birmingham. Local resident with gun under his seat at all times? I'll buy that. Drug dealer? Yep... that too.
I hope that pertinent info was not withheld by friends or classmates in an effort to keep themselves from getting in hot water over something like petty drug stuff.

My strongest belief is this was a crime of opportunity. Not a serial killer.
I think they made one more stop... lost maybe and looking for directions. Someone (most likely a male) wanted to "help" them. He may have even said, "follow me" and led them to a nearby isolated place without their knowledge... all the while they were believing he was leading them to a route (231) back toward Dothan. Meanwhile... he was hoping to impress them with alcohol or something. Words were exchanged, advances were shunned and one thing led to another and his temper was set off. I don't think there was some man wondering the streets of Ozark at that hour searching out victims. If the killer DID know the victims then LE totally dropped the ball.

A random perfect storm is the ONLY way I can justify this case remaining unsolved for so long. I've said it before, if there is more information and the police have not released it by now, then by all means they should. Whatever they were hoping to obtain by withholding certain information is not working.

You bring up an interesting point that has baffled me about the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.

Did the girls actually stop somewhere else to ask directions? This is very puzzling. I truly think that if I were in Alabama and given the directions they were given I would have made it back to Dothan. This is based on the person giving good directions that can be understood. All they had to do was drive down Broad St. (AL 27) and make a left hand turn. So it is a unique aspect of the case that they never made it out of town based on the evidence where the car was found.

In airplane crash investigations sometimes they use forensic psychologists to try to determine the decisions a pilot makes. I know they were driving a car, but it would be interesting to try and determine how J.B. was thinking when she was driving and following directions. My determination would be that J.B. follows directions literally based on road signs. So if the witness at the gas station actually said "When you see the sign for 123/to 231 S. make a left", that would be important. This is opposed to say the witness saying "Make a left at Main St."(which I think is the name for rt. 123/ to 231 S). That would blow my theory about them making a left before they got to 123/ 231 S. out of the water. J.B. would be looking for the sign for Main St. and not for Southeastern. We can only guess because none of us knows what the witness at the gas station told them when it came to directions.

The way people give directions is important. Some people give directions based on the number of streets you pass. Others use the street name instead of the number. Still others use "blocks". And others use number of stoplights. And others use landmarks. I read somewhere that women tend to identify more with landmarks when they drive, places used as points of significance.


So about the only conclusion and theory that I can come to in this case is that the killer probably lives somewhere in town in any direction although I tend to believe south or east of where the car was found since that looks like it is the lost directions the girls were headed in. The area leading to his residence or this vacant building might be muddy and it is almost certainly well lit or has a light source that was clean and being used at the time. The light source is either part of the killer's property or the killer is familiar with isolated areas that are supplied electricity. There is probably a pond, river, or creek near this lighted area. I do not think the wetness came from dew on the grass because then only the front side of their pants would have been wet.

I think every theory with this case is correct or incorrect until such a time as new information comes forward the provides evidence as to where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett went after they drove out of that Ozark gas station at the end of July 1999.

 

[somequestions]

I wanted to add something to my previous post. I wrote that if I had been given directions(assuming I understood them) I would have made it back to Dothan. There is no proof that J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett did not make it to 123/ to 231 S. For all anyone knows they were on their way back home when they were pulled over by a police officer or someone pretending to be one. And the car being left where it was could be because the killer chose to walk a mile or two back home.

I am guessing, but I do think that trying to understand the decisions a person makes when they drive is key to understanding where they went or why they chose to follow one direction over another. In my opinion, the key to solving this case is trying to figure out where they went after they left that Ozark, AL gas station.

 

[SCHMAE]

This case is too sad. It's disheartening to know how many unsolved and missing cases there are at any given time and wondering how these families go on without knowing what happened . When I fall off of a case, I sometimes think maybe it'll be solved and it's discouraging to see it months or years later and nothing new. Someone knows something and I hope that perp is unable to sleep at night and eventually confesses or someone who is keeping the secret does.

 

[kemo]

A few points:
The fact that their vehicle was abandoned so close to the Mini Market where they made the call and received directions strongly suggests that the abduction site was quite close to the. Mini Market. Most likely the abductor had been in a vehicle and would have to return to that vehicle on foot. If the abduction did not involve the perpetrator walking back to the scene of the abduction, ie, for whatever reason the vehicle was left on Henning St., it was just a coincidence that it was near the Mini Market, the statistical chances of this happening would be small since there would have been so many others places to leave the car and the number of "alternate places" to leave the car would increase the further away the abduction site was.

The mother and daughter the girls asked directions of were complete strangers. They had no reason to deceive them. If they were looking for an other address in Ozark they would have asked directions to that address. The only reason to ask for directions back to Dothan is that they were lost and were intending to drive directly back to Dothan. If in the unlikely event that they were on their way to some location in Ozark they knew how to get to, but wanted directions for after their business at this Ozark address was completed, they would have asked someone at the Ozark destination for directions back to Dothan directly from there.

There are technics that predictors use to get women drivers to stop at night and allow them to gain control. The "fake cop" is certainly one of them. Very often they are not successful the first attempt. Law Enforcement should have solicited information of any suspicious nocturnal encounters. Descriptions of the vehicle and driver would be potentially very useful. Apparently there was at least one report of such a "fake cop" ( does anyone have more information). Law Enforcement might be reluctant to publicist these kinds of incidents because they might lead to distrust of the Police in general and possibly cause people to refuse to stop of legitimate police.

 

[Goldfinch]

A few points:
The fact that their vehicle was abandoned so close to the Mini Market where they made the call and received directions strongly suggests that the abduction site was quite close to the. Mini Market. Most likely the abductor had been in a vehicle and would have to return to that vehicle on foot. If the abduction did not involve the perpetrator walking back to the scene of the abduction, ie, for whatever reason the vehicle was left on Henning St., it was just a coincidence that it was near the Mini Market, the statistical chances of this happening would be small since there would have been so many others places to leave the car and the number of "alternate places" to leave the car would increase the further away the abduction site was.

The mother and daughter the girls asked directions of were complete strangers. They had no reason to deceive them. If they were looking for an other address in Ozark they would have asked directions to that address. The only reason to ask for directions back to Dothan is that they were lost and were intending to drive directly back to Dothan. If in the unlikely event that they were on their way to some location in Ozark they knew how to get to, but wanted directions for after their business at this Ozark address was completed, they would have asked someone at the Ozark destination for directions back to Dothan directly from there.

There are technics that predictors use to get women drivers to stop at night and allow them to gain control. The "fake cop" is certainly one of them. Very often they are not successful the first attempt. Law Enforcement should have solicited information of any suspicious nocturnal encounters. Descriptions of the vehicle and driver would be potentially very useful. Apparently there was at least one report of such a "fake cop" ( does anyone have more information). Law Enforcement might be reluctant to publicist these kinds of incidents because they might lead to distrust of the Police in general and possibly cause people to refuse to stop of legitimate police.

Herring Ave. near JAMES St.. Does anyone know how far from James St. the car was found? I also think they were observed & followed from the store. If he overheard the directions he may have left just before them. He may have pulled over, lights out until they passed then used an emergency flasher to pull them over. I don't know the area or how dark the roads were or if the road traffic was sparse. As to how he overpowered the young ladies & changed locations I have no idea. I don't have much experience with handguns but if a stranger pointed one at me I would be very afraid.

 

[TedMac]

Herring Ave. near JAMES St.. Does anyone know how far from James St. the car was found? I also think they were observed & followed from the store. If he overheard the directions he may have left just before them. He may have pulled over, lights out until they passed then used an emergency flasher to pull them over. I don't know the area or how dark the roads were or if the road traffic was sparse. As to how he overpowered the young ladies & changed locations I have no idea. I don't have much experience with handguns but if a stranger pointed one at me I would be very afraid.

I am not certain that of the exact distance, but I believe it was less than 2 miles from the Big/Little Store to the final location of the car. The witness that gave them directions also stated that no one else was with J.B. and Tracie and no other vehicle left in front of or behind them. There was a white truck on the lot that the security video captured a picture of. It took some time for LE to locate the vehicle, but when they did, the driver was cleared.

Your theory is a good one, but if he had used his vehicle with flashers to pull over their car, where did he leave his vehicle? If he immediately pointed a gun at them, when did he turn his flashers off? A vehicle with flashers would have attracted a lot of attention if they had been left on for the approximately 1-2 hours the killer had with the girls. If he returned to his vehicle to do turn them off, it would have given them a chance to escape.

 

[TedMac]

A few points:
The fact that their vehicle was abandoned so close to the Mini Market where they made the call and received directions strongly suggests that the abduction site was quite close to the. Mini Market. Most likely the abductor had been in a vehicle and would have to return to that vehicle on foot. If the abduction did not involve the perpetrator walking back to the scene of the abduction, ie, for whatever reason the vehicle was left on Henning St., it was just a coincidence that it was near the Mini Market, the statistical chances of this happening would be small since there would have been so many others places to leave the car and the number of "alternate places" to leave the car would increase the further away the abduction site was.

The mother and daughter the girls asked directions of were complete strangers. They had no reason to deceive them. If they were looking for an other address in Ozark they would have asked directions to that address. The only reason to ask for directions back to Dothan is that they were lost and were intending to drive directly back to Dothan. If in the unlikely event that they were on their way to some location in Ozark they knew how to get to, but wanted directions for after their business at this Ozark address was completed, they would have asked someone at the Ozark destination for directions back to Dothan directly from there.

There are technics that predictors use to get women drivers to stop at night and allow them to gain control. The "fake cop" is certainly one of them. Very often they are not successful the first attempt. Law Enforcement should have solicited information of any suspicious nocturnal encounters. Descriptions of the vehicle and driver would be potentially very useful. Apparently there was at least one report of such a "fake cop" ( does anyone have more information). Law Enforcement might be reluctant to publicist these kinds of incidents because they might lead to distrust of the Police in general and possibly cause people to refuse to stop of legitimate police.

BBM I wasn't aware of that. Are you talking about a story of a "fake cop" that evening or even some time close to that night?

 

[kemo]

BBM I wasn't aware of that. Are you talking about a story of a "fake cop" that evening or even some time close to that night?

Actually, I was referring to your post #467 which I now realize happened just this year. It is probably unrelated but it is an example of how it may have gone Down.

 

[somequestions]

I had another theory about the murder case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett based on the wet and muddy clothing. Maybe during the course of getting lost J.B. Beasley decided to turn the car around on the road and when she backed up to give the car room to turn she accidentally had the back wheels go off the road and get stuck either on uneven ground or in a small ditch. Then Tracie got out and tried to push the car until a "helper" came along. I know it has been stated that both girls pants were wet and muddy, but it is a thought.

The reason I thought of this theory was that I did not understand why the killer did not take them to his home. The obvious answer is that maybe he has a wife and kids at home.

Why when he has control of them does he wait to assault them in the middle of a forested area with water nearby. Maybe the reason he did not take them to his house is because they were already muddy and wet? It is just another theory.

 

[Goldfinch]

I am not certain that of the exact distance, but I believe it was less than 2 miles from the Big/Little Store to the final location of the car. The witness that gave them directions also stated that no one else was with J.B. and Tracie and no other vehicle left in front of or behind them. There was a white truck on the lot that the security video captured a picture of. It took some time for LE to locate the vehicle, but when they did, the driver was cleared.

Your theory is a good one, but if he had used his vehicle with flashers to pull over their car, where did he leave his vehicle? If he immediately pointed a gun at them, when did he turn his flashers off? A vehicle with flashers would have attracted a lot of attention if they had been left on for the approximately 1-2 hours the killer had with the girls. If he returned to his vehicle to do turn them off, it would have given them a chance to escape.

As to the lights, a small flasher can be placed on the dashboard and quickly turned off, also I've seen bright lights that plug into cig lighter that are sometimes handheld out the window. I've seen those used when driving on rural dirt roads in the pine forests. Anyway there are many good theories here, if only there was more info to go on.

 

[TedMac]

I had another theory about the murder case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett based on the wet and muddy clothing. Maybe during the course of getting lost J.B. Beasley decided to turn the car around on the road and when she backed up to give the car room to turn she accidentally had the back wheels go off the road and get stuck either on uneven ground or in a small ditch. Then Tracie got out and tried to push the car until a "helper" came along. I know it has been stated that both girls pants were wet and muddy, but it is a thought.

The reason I thought of this theory was that I did not understand why the killer did not take them to his home. The obvious answer is that maybe he has a wife and kids at home.

Why when he has control of them does he wait to assault them in the middle of a forested area with water nearby. Maybe the reason he did not take them to his house is because they were already muddy and wet? It is just another theory.

Thank you for another good theory. You may be correct about him having a wife and children at his home and for that reason he did not take J.B. & Tracie there. I can't help but think that he had planned to kill them all along and even if he would have been home alone with them, there was a chance that a neighbor or someone else would have seen them if he brought them there. Also, someone close by may have heard them scream and/or the gunshots. Plus, if they had been killed in his his home, physical evidence such as blood and fingerprints would have been there. I believe he took them to a secluded area where he was certain he would not be seen, heard or interrupted . Also, it would deny LE any chance to gather evidence from the crime scene such as his footprints or anything he may have inadvertently left behind. I think he shot them in the trunk of the car because gun shot sounds would be somewhat muffled by the enclose area and he had planned to move the bodies from the kill scene. Plus, it would give a way to make a quick getaway should someone come up on him and they would already be loaded. In addition, the chance of him getting their blood on him was lessened. I don't think he left them at the kill scene because possibly the location could be linked to him. By that I mean he may have owned the land or a relative of his may have owned it. Or he may have had a reputation of hanging out, partying or even hunting there. If the bodies were found at that location, some of the local population may have immediately thought of him. MOO.

 

[somequestions]

I think the killer in this case had to walk at some point. If the motive was not robbery, what was it? I just think it would look weird for a guy walking at night to have a woman's handbag on his shoulder.

 

[TedMac]

I think the killer in this case had to walk at some point. If the motive was not robbery, what was it? I just think it would look weird for a guy walking at night to have a woman's handbag on his shoulder.

I agree he walked at some point and it probably was after he parked the car in its final resting place. That is probably how he got back to his vehicle or his home. LE ruled out robbery as their purses, money and credit cards were found in the vehicle. Now retired Ozark Police Chief Spivey carefully worded his response that the killings were not driven by sexual assault, even though semen was found on J.B. That statement leads me to believe that he either knew the motive or he felt the semen did not come from the killer.

MOO...the motive was revenge for rejection and the semen found on Beasley was the killer's way of humiliating her before killing her.

 

[somequestions]

I agree he walked at some point and it probably was after he parked the car in its final resting place. That is probably how he got back to his vehicle or his home. LE ruled out robbery as their purses, money and credit cards were found in the vehicle. Now retired Ozark Police Chief Spivey carefully worded his response that the killings were not driven by sexual assault, even though semen was found on J.B. That statement leads me to believe that he either knew the motive or he felt the semen did not come from the killer.

MOO...the motive was revenge for rejection and the semen found on Beasley was the killer's way of humiliating her before killing her.

There is the part at the beginning of the Haunting Evidence episode where Tracie Hawlett's mom said that her daughter told her, "Mom we are on our way home". That is why it is difficult for me to believe they were heading some place other than home. Courtesy is usually that when you visit someone you stay more than a few minutes. In my opinion, the girls did not have time.

Many of the angles of the case are kind of strange. If it was a police officer, why did he only ask for the license? Maybe it is different in Alabama, but police usually ask for license and registration.

Even the muddy shoes are strange, but if the pictures on the show Haunting Evidence are re-creations I can understand why. The mud is not caked on or spread on the shoes and the shoelaces themselves look rather clean. It looked like splotched mud, like they were walking in very soggy grass. But those pictures could be re-creations too.


As for the killer, I do not know. It seems like there is some sort of sexual motivation for the crime and the person really does not see to care about evidence leaving DNA, bullets, and shell casings lying around. That makes me think that at the time this happened the killer was either very old or very young and probably more of a loner.

I tend to think this is an example of a crime where two people happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[TedMac]

There is the part at the beginning of the Haunting Evidence episode where Tracie Hawlett's mom said that her daughter told her, "Mom we are on our way home". That is why it is difficult for me to believe they were heading some place other than home. Courtesy is usually that when you visit someone you stay more than a few minutes. In my opinion, the girls did not have time.

Many of the angles of the case are kind of strange. If it was a police officer, why did he only ask for the license? Maybe it is different in Alabama, but police usually ask for license and registration.

Even the muddy shoes are strange, but if the pictures on the show Haunting Evidence are re-creations I can understand why. The mud is not caked on or spread on the shoes and the shoelaces themselves look rather clean. It looked like splotched mud, like they were walking in very soggy grass. But those pictures could be re-creations too.


As for the killer, I do not know. It seems like there is some sort of sexual motivation for the crime and the person really does not see to care about evidence leaving DNA, bullets, and shell casings lying around. That makes me think that at the time this happened the killer was either very old or very young and probably more of a loner.

I tend to think this is an example of a crime where two people happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Good points.

I don't believe they had planned to stay out much later and if (and I know it is a big if) they planned to go by another party in Ozark, they would have to "put in a quick appearance" and leave for home. I believe they were already late and that is why Tracie called her mom to tell her they were on the way. If the witnesses were accurate about the time (approximately 11:30 pm when they made the call), they could not have made it home to Dothan before their curfew. That is why the call was made in the first place-to explain their tardiness and to buy them a few extra minutes which gave them time to stop elsewhere. Again, it is my opinion only, but I think J.B. made a call to someone who baited them to coming by their home before their return to Dothan and that is where they were captured by the killer. They may have only planned to stop for a few minutes (possible bathroom break?).

The Haunted Evidence was a re-creation. Police reports indicate the girls were wearing pants which were wet from the knee down. The Haunted Evidence photo of the bodies had one of them in a dress.

Something that has not been discussed very much is why the bodies were not removed from the trunk and why they weren't left in the woods? The killer was taking a tremendous chance driving the car around with two dead bodies inside. Why take that chance? He could have easily pulled them out of the car's trunk and left them in the woods. Also, why put them in the trunk to begin with? He had them in the woods in a secluded area. Why not just kill them there? A lot of unanswered questions.

There are several theories that have been put forth. The one I mentioned (acquaintance killer with revenge for rejection, the stranger killer with the girls being in the wrong place at the wrong time as you mentioned and the policeman/police impersonator as several people have suspected. All good theories. Who knows? We all could be wrong!

 

[kemo]

I think this was a an example of "3 crime scene" predation where the perpetrator abducts the victim(s) at an opportunistic point, transports the victim to somewhere he feels secure to do whatever it is he wants to do. The body is then dumped anywhere that cannot be traced to the perpetrator. The advantage of the "3 crime scene" ploy is that the second scene can be somewhere that might otherwise linked to the perpetrator and forensic evidence would not be a problem.

In this case, the only unusual feature is that it appears that they had to walk through water to get to the second scene. There may be another explanation for the wet pants but this is the most likely one.

 

[InQuestion]

I think this was a an example of "3 crime scene" predation where the perpetrator abducts the victim(s) at an opportunistic point, transports the victim to somewhere he feels secure to do whatever it is he wants to do. The body is then dumped anywhere that cannot be traced to the perpetrator. The advantage of the "3 crime scene" ploy is that the second scene can be somewhere that might otherwise linked to the perpetrator and forensic evidence would not be a problem.

In this case, the only unusual feature is that it appears that they had to walk through water to get to the second scene. There may be another explanation for the wet pants but this is the most likely one.

What if the killer lived in a secluded place with a body of water such as a stream. His or her intentions may have been to kill them in the water but when the killer didn't have anything to hold them down in the water, the killer(s) change their minds and put them in the trunk of the car and drove them back to a place where he or she knew illegal things went on near by and was hoping it would look like maybe someone from the neighborhood had killed them.