Atlantic City Eastbound Strangler 4 Women Found Dead behind Motel Egg Harbor Twp, Nov 2006

[cynical_1]

Complete speculation here but is it possible that Ms. Raffo swiped a few prescription pads from the good doctor?

 

[Rachel1]

Very possible. Or maybe he gave her extra money to go retrieve cocaine and then called several times to see where she was or when she'd be bringing back the drugs to continue the "party".
Obviously most or at least the majority of addicts would've kept the money and not returned with the drugs so they could keep them for themselves. It seems plausible being that the doctor was still awake at 5am making phone calls! Lol!!
But yes I wouldn't be at all surprised if items where taken from the room and that's why he continued to call her.

 

[cynical_1]

Very possible. Or maybe he gave her extra money to go retrieve cocaine and then called several times to see where she was or when she'd be bringing back the drugs to continue the "party".
Obviously most or at least the majority of addicts would've kept the money and not returned with the drugs so they could keep them for themselves. It seems plausible being that the doctor was still awake at 5am making phone calls! Lol!!
But yes I wouldn't be at all surprised if items where taken from the room and that's why he continued to call her.

Yeah, most doctors I know throw coins around like manhole covers. The cocaine angle is interesting. Another possibility is that the doctor was having performance issues. Maybe Ms. Raffo was supposed to head to a pharmacy to get a little blue pill for the doctor.

What is known is that she did get in a car that morning with the killer. If the theory that she headed to a crack house from the Taj is correct then the killer had to be a part of that scene. - Just my opinion.

 

[cynical_1]

The one thing we know for sure is that the killer had a vehicle. That might set him apart from others in the crack house. He probably didn't park right outside the crack house for a variety of reasons.

Just a chance but hopefully investigators have checked for any parking tickets issues on and around Ocean Ave. on the morning of Nov. 19th 2006.

I'd have this guy parking on Tennessee Ave. so that he could watch the coming and goings of “Papa” Joe's Diner where there was a lot of activity.

It's also possible that he may have parked on a lot on S. South Carolina Ave. across from The Resorts casino. What's interesting about the S. South Carolina Ave. location is that the depot for The Ocean Rolling Chairs company is located at 109 S. South Carolina Ave.

I don't know if they have records that go back to 2006 but there has to be some requirement for an individual to check out one of their chairs to work the night. So parking at that location would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

As always, just my opinion.

 

[cynical_1]

The only time I ever took one of those rolling chairs on the boardwalk was when I treated a lady on a date that I was on. The driver pushing the chair kept going on and on about how to win at the casinos.

I finally turned to him and asked him if he could, y'know, like shut up.

 

[AC_Lucky1]

By your username, I take it that you are from the area as well! Hello!
But yes, that place isn't stumbled upon by accident. The killer knew exactly where it was and why it was a good spot to hide remains.

I have to disagree with a statement I read upthread some. The statement said something like " working girls don't party with their dates and wait until after to use any drugs"
That is just so far from the element of an AC Street level working girl. Unfortunately, these girls are so strung out that it would be like dangling a tbone steak in front of a pitbull. That statement is true for the higher end call girls but that isn't what this case is about. These girls where sadly not high end call girls, they where walking the track strolling for Johns. I'm not at all victim bashing, I'm telling it like it is sadly. I'm not going to sugar coat anything just to be PC. So I disagree with the comment stating that girls don't party with dates.

Word on the street for many years here was that there was an African American male, large build, beard with bald head, that all the surviving ladies of the night felt was responsible. Some said that they just had a gut feeling. Obviously that is just opinion so should not be taken as anything but strictly opinion and hearsay. But it does fit rather well with the theory saying that it could've been a Muslim male ( heads facing east) who was the killer. Let's think about this-
We know the victims heads where all facing east.
We also know that several girls who worked the area claim that they felt the killer was an African American male large build beard with bald head. There is a large community of African American males who are Muslim and grow beards with a bald head in AC so clearly we're still searching for a needle in a hay stack even if we did have any proof. But it does give you something to think about.
I will take the word of people who worked those same corners far before I would disregard it.
Again this is just opinion and hearsay.

Hi Rachel,

I didn't live in AC but was there just about every weekend. I was an escort for about 5 years up until early 2007. I only worked the casinos and would never leave there with anyone. I would always see the girls working the streets and felt very bad for them. You could see how drugged out most of them were. It is sad that the drugs probably clouded these women's judgement which probably contributed to their deaths. I am glad I never got into the drug scene and I got out when I did. I also worked through the internet (though never craigslist or backpage) and spent a lot of time with clients in NYC and Long Island. My username is attributed to how lucky I do feel that I made it out!

 

[Rachel1]

A Clucky, I'm so happy you decided to leave. Congratulations on making a new start honey. You where indeed one of the lucky ones and you are likely the other caliper of girls that I was referring to. The girls who worked those streets ( and sometimes where able to sneak thru the casino) are indeed often very strung out and it is very sad. The girls who work through services are usually very pretty, have homes, cars and so on. So there's definitely different classes of working girls. But the danger is still very real no matter which class you happen to be in. I'm so glad that you left that life. Your post made me smile ( and that's not something I do often, my line of work is insanely stressful) what's funny is that I probably know exactly who you are if I saw you ( you don't have to tell me, I'm just saying that I know my fair share of business girls from my work in the area)
the girls that stay in those rooming houses in the city are often very addicted and have it very rough. I wish the AC4 where able to pull themselves out before this happened: ( I have jerimiahs pictures on my desk. I want this solved for him!

 

[Rachel1]

A Clucky, I'm so happy you decided to leave. Congratulations on making a new start honey. You where indeed one of the lucky ones and you are likely the other caliper of girls that I was referring to. The girls who worked those streets ( and sometimes where able to sneak thru the casino) are indeed often very strung out and it is very sad. The girls who work through services are usually very pretty, have homes, cars and so on. So there's definitely different classes of working girls. But the danger is still very real no matter which class you happen to be in. I'm so glad that you left that life. Your post made me smile ( and that's not something I do often, my line of work is insanely stressful) what's funny is that I probably know exactly who you are if I saw you ( you don't have to tell me, I'm just saying that I know my fair share of business girls from my work in the area)
the girls that stay in those rooming houses in the city are often very addicted and have it very rough. I wish the AC4 where able to pull themselves out before this happened: ( I have jerimiahs pictures on my desk. I want this solved for him!

 

[AC_Lucky1]

A Clucky, I'm so happy you decided to leave. Congratulations on making a new start honey. You where indeed one of the lucky ones and you are likely the other caliper of girls that I was referring to. The girls who worked those streets ( and sometimes where able to sneak thru the casino) are indeed often very strung out and it is very sad. The girls who work through services are usually very pretty, have homes, cars and so on. So there's definitely different classes of working girls. But the danger is still very real no matter which class you happen to be in. I'm so glad that you left that life. Your post made me smile ( and that's not something I do often, my line of work is insanely stressful) what's funny is that I probably know exactly who you are if I saw you ( you don't have to tell me, I'm just saying that I know my fair share of business girls from my work in the area)
the girls that stay in those rooming houses in the city are often very addicted and have it very rough. I wish the AC4 where able to pull themselves out before this happened: ( I have jerimiahs pictures on my desk. I want this solved for him!

I worked almost exclusively at Caesar's. I would see young girls get booted out by security all of the time. I guess since I was older (in my 30's) and I got to know the head of security, I was safe. I only had one bad experience there. One guy who creeped me out so bad that I waited until his back was turned and I ran out of the room and didn't stop til I reached the elevator. I could never understand the "streetwalker" life. That would scare the crap out of me jumping in a car with a stranger. I guess the women who worked that way probably would think I was crazy for meeting people (clients) on the internet and going to meet them sight unseen. To me, that was the best way. It worked for me and gave me steady work and regular clientele. I am still friends with all of them til this day. They were really nice guys.
I hate to sound ignorant, but who is Jerimiah?

 

[AC_Lucky1]

Oh, do you mean Molly Dilts' son, Jerimiah?

 

[cynical_1]

In 2006 the profits for Atlantic City's casinos were at an all time high. Jobs were plentiful. There's just one catch. To work at a casino chances are you're going to have to go through The NJ Casino Control Commission.

“To work in a New Jersey casino/hotel, you may be required to obtain a casino key employee license or a casino employee registration. To determine whether you need a license, contact the casino to which you are applying and inquire about the requirements for the position.”
http://www.nj.gov/oag/ge/employee_licensing.htm

The building that houses the Casino Control Commission is located between Tennessee and Ocean Avenues where they meet the boardwalk. A half block walk from any crack house located on Ocean Ave.

The motive for these killings is easy to define: Kill as many sex workers as possible and not get caught. However, pinpointing the trigger that set this guy off will never be known until he's captured. The loss of a job could be a factor. Combine that with a denial of a permit to work at a casino and that might cause an unstable individual to go over the edge. Especially if he's a local.

If Ms. Raffo did go directly from the Taj to a crack house on Ocean Ave. then it would appear that the killer might have moved his hunt off of Pacific Ave. and down Ocean Ave. (towards that building mentioned above).

It's probably just a coincidence that the Casino Control Commission building is located where it is. Then again, it's probably just a coincidence as well that all the bodies where found pointed east.

As always, just my opinion.

 

[sakura.shinra]

i'd also speculate that the vehicle would likely have been a 4x4 on either road, as that is no place to get stuck with a honda civic and 4 dead bodies.

My old car was a tiny '92 two door Honda Civic and now I'm sitting here trying to work out the physics of how to fit four bodies in the back of the damn thing. LOL

 

[sakura.shinra]

Just watched it, not the behavior I was expecting, if he is guilty he is a good actor or has multiple personalities!

This is a little off-topic but I think it's relevant to serial investigations in general because there have been a number of serial killers who, after they were caught, have claimed to have multiple personalities. To name just a few: Kenneth Bianci, one half of the Hillside Stranglers; Thomas Dee Huskey a.k.a The Zoo Man, convicted serial rapist and murderer; Billy Milligan, an Ohio serial rapist who was the first American to ever be aquitted due to multiple personalities. The problem is that multiple personality disorder, called Disociative Identity Disorder or DID for short, is a very controversial diagnosis and a growing number of doctors and specialists in mental health believe that DID may not actually exist.

I am currently working in mental health msyelf (pro tip: A degree in anthropology looks nice but it won't get you a job LOL) and DID is one of those mental illnesses that I've always found fascinating because of the controversy about it. So I when I came into mental health work, I decided to conduct my own, not very scientific survey on the issue. I work with a wide range of people within mental health services; support workers, nurses, GPs, psychiatrists and psychologists, etc, etc, and I asked all of them the same question, "Have you ever come across a patient/service user with multiple personalities?"
So far, I have not had a single yes in response to that question. Not one.

Take from that what you will, and if this post is too off-topic, just let me know and I'll be happy to move it or take it down or whatever the usual protocal is.

Cheers

 

[cynical_1]

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/story/7015003p-6874637c.html

ATLANTIC CITY — A city resident who believed investigators suspected him in the deaths of the four women found last month just beyond the city line is now in jail on minor charges.
Charles Ismail Coles, 40, has been at the Atlantic County jail since Saturday on charges of contempt of court and resisting arrest.

Coles knew Kim Raffo, the first identified victim. Two weeks ago he said investigators had questioned him numerous times since they found the four women's bodies Nov. 20 near the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township's West Atlantic City section.

City police pulled Coles over on a traffic stop Friday and let him go, police said. After researching his name and finding that he had warrants outstanding, one of them dating back to 2003, they went to the Ascot Motel to arrest him.

Coles had been living on the beach block of Tennessee Avenue until Dec. 5, according to building owner Joe Boccino. Boccino evicted him that day, and alleges that Coles had not paid rent since at least September and often had large groups of people in his apartment.

Interesting post from page 7 of this thread from 2006.

Charles Coles has been described as Kim Raffo's boyfriend in news articles that I've researched. “Her current boyfriend, Charles Coles, said Ms. Raffo had returned to Atlantic City in September and worked as a prostitute.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/nyregion/22slay.html

She actually returned on Oct. 14th but let's not let Mr. Coles memory of events get in the way of accuracy. The important point is that it's quite possible that Ms. Raffo actually headed to Tennessee Ave. at 5:00 am after leaving her client at the Taj Mahal. Perhaps that's where the party was that morning.

If she had made it there that morning then surely Mr. Coles would remember her returning. More importantly, he'd have to have remembered if she'd left with anyone shortly after arriving.

I'm not implying that Charles Coles is the killer here, only that he might have known a lot more than he's ever let on about. Because from where I'm sitting, that boarding house is taking on more of a central role in the murder of the last two victims.

As always, just my opinion.

 

[cynical_1]

“But Joe Boccino, the owner of Papa Joe's diner and several apartment buildings on Tennessee Avenue, said that he had thrown Ms. Dilts out of one of his buildings for sleeping in the hallways and bathroom.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/nyregion/new-jersey-officials-identify-4th-body-found-in-ditch.html

Same boarding house?

 

[Rachel1]

I would be willing to bet the area of boarding house played a role. Maybe that's just where SK trolled for his victims, maybe he stayed there and knew them or whatever. But I would not be at all surprised if he found them all in that general vacinity . ( Because that couple block radius is where the strung out Street walkers hang. I mean that in the nicest way possible, I'm not being mean or shaming the victims at all. There's just no other way to say it and no use sugar coating it)

Something else that popped into my head today was this- they had kims cell phone records so surely they would've investigated them thoroughly and interviewed people from there. So maybe there's a chance that SK was not part of their immediate circle and more or less just someone they jumped in the car with for a date? Even If that's true, I still believe he would've had to have cased the area well and spent some time there just to see the eb and Flo of the streets.

 

[cynical_1]

I would be willing to bet the area of boarding house played a role. Maybe that's just where SK trolled for his victims, maybe he stayed there and knew them or whatever. But I would not be at all surprised if he found them all in that general vacinity . ( Because that couple block radius is where the strung out Street walkers hang. I mean that in the nicest way possible, I'm not being mean or shaming the victims at all. There's just no other way to say it and no use sugar coating it)

Something else that popped into my head today was this- they had kims cell phone records so surely they would've investigated them thoroughly and interviewed people from there. So maybe there's a chance that SK was not part of their immediate circle and more or less just someone they jumped in the car with for a date? Even If that's true, I still believe he would've had to have cased the area well and spent some time there just to see the eb and Flo of the streets.

All good points. The key issue to me is: was Ms. Raffo off-duty after leaving the Taj?

Any idea of when a working girl's hours would begin and end?

 

[sakura.shinra]

The important point is that it's quite possible that Ms. Raffo actually headed to Tennessee Ave. at 5:00 am after leaving her client at the Taj Mahal. Perhaps that's where the party was that morning.

If she had made it there that morning then surely Mr. Coles would remember her returning. More importantly, he'd have to have remembered if she'd left with anyone shortly after arriving.

I'm not implying that Charles Coles is the killer here, only that he might have known a lot more than he's ever let on about. Because from where I'm sitting, that boarding house is taking on more of a central role in the murder of the last two victims.

Do you think it likely that, if Coles could be tracked down, that he might be willing to talk to a civilian websleuther about what he might know? Coles lives life on the somewhat less than legal side of the tracks, so it's not surprising that he'd be reluctant to tell much of anything to the cops, but if he's approached by someone who isn't from LE and assured that he's not being accused of anything, he's just a potential source of information, perhaps he'd be willing to talk? Worth looking into surely?

 

[cynical_1]

This is a little off-topic but I think it's relevant to serial investigations in general because there have been a number of serial killers who, after they were caught, have claimed to have multiple personalities. To name just a few: Kenneth Bianci, one half of the Hillside Stranglers; Thomas Dee Huskey a.k.a The Zoo Man, convicted serial rapist and murderer; Billy Milligan, an Ohio serial rapist who was the first American to ever be aquitted due to multiple personalities. The problem is that multiple personality disorder, called Disociative Identity Disorder or DID for short, is a very controversial diagnosis and a growing number of doctors and specialists in mental health believe that DID may not actually exist.

I am currently working in mental health msyelf (pro tip: A degree in anthropology looks nice but it won't get you a job LOL) and DID is one of those mental illnesses that I've always found fascinating because of the controversy about it. So I when I came into mental health work, I decided to conduct my own, not very scientific survey on the issue. I work with a wide range of people within mental health services; support workers, nurses, GPs, psychiatrists and psychologists, etc, etc, and I asked all of them the same question, "Have you ever come across a patient/service user with multiple personalities?"
So far, I have not had a single yes in response to that question. Not one.

Take from that what you will, and if this post is too off-topic, just let me know and I'll be happy to move it or take it down or whatever the usual protocal is.

Cheers

This SK appears to be the very definition of a Mission-Oriented Serial Killer. I don't know if he heard voices or had multiple personalities but he is extremely focused. Initially I thought he was simply picking them up off the street. But now I'm beginning to suspect that he might have been stalking them where they lived. - Just an opinion.

 

[cynical_1]

Do you think it likely that, if Coles could be tracked down, that he might be willing to talk to a civilian websleuther about what he might know? Coles lives life on the somewhat less than legal side of the tracks, so it's not surprising that he'd be reluctant to tell much of anything to the cops, but if he's approached by someone who isn't from LE and assured that he's not being accused of anything, he's just a potential source of information, perhaps he'd be willing to talk? Worth looking into surely?

From what I've researched about him he has talked to a few reporters who covered these crimes. At times he appeared straightforward, at others, evasive. I think he has a lot to fear. But who knows. The authorities probably grilled him extensively already.