FL FL - Jennifer Odom, 12, Blanton, 19 Feb 1993

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Many thoughts:

- Just watched Bern's video (that was great)... it seems like a really, really long way to drive with a kidnapped girl, or even a body. I can't help but think it was not a direct route that the killer took.

- She had to have gotten into the truck willlingly, otherwise the clarinet case would have been dropped at the abduction site. Even at gunpoint, she'd have dropped it.

- The purse is different from the clarinet case and the backpack. She'd have kept the purse on her. So either she separated them (put the items in the bed of the truck), or she left the truck still carrying the purse.

- My guess is that a 12yo girl would not have gotten into a car with one or more migrant workers willingly.

- Could have been someone she knew, but I kinda feel the police would have nabbed that person, or would know who it was but just don't have enough proof. They don't seem to have any suspects though.

- A pickup truck that had a hitch and electrical harness was probably used for carrying something recently. This could be a boat, a trailer, equipment, etc. Most electrical harnesses wouldn't hang down so noticeably unless they had been used.

- The killer dumped the body in a fairly remote area. It seems likely that the killer would have been there before.

- I don't feel like the partial print belongs to the killer, who seemed to leave little evidence of anything else. Isn't it possible someone at school could have left it? 2 years later i doubt they had everyone's prints from the school.

- I don't believe the clarinet case and bookbag were dumped with the intention of being found. It seems too likely they could never have turned up.

- I imagine Jennifer waited for the bus out there in the morning at the same place. It would have been easy for anyone driving by to see her and make a note to come back later.

Theories:
- I've heard the orange grove theory, which I like. It would tie in with many of the locations. From that video Bern made, those groves seem like a great place to hide. It's an all-cash business I'm sure, so there'd be no record of who worked there, including past sexual offenders. It appears there are some thick woods nearby where she might have been taken to be molested, and may have been where she was killed and then the body moved.

- The other theory I have is that the trailer hitch was for a horse trailer, or for something related to horses. They found her body I believe near a horse trail, which might have been known to someone who worked with horses. It would be a natural for a 12yo athletic girl to be tempted by horses, and I could see someone so young assume that a person with gear related to horses was safe.

One mile north of her house was a place now called Ennis Stables, which was bought from Sun Bank in March 1993. In February 1993, the property seems to have been foreclosed on by Sun Bank just before her murder. http://images.pascogov.com/deed.aspx?bp=31171804

You can see the list of defendants on that list. Do we know anything about them?

One additional note... if Jack Mulligan is correct (he's the eyewitness who said he saw the truck and her in Zephyrhills), then the most direct route from that ranch/stables to Zephyrhills would have been south right by where Jennifer's school bus would drop her off. If the killer's home was Zephyrhills, and had work related to those stables, they'd have driven right by her.

Does anyone know the actual site Jack Mulligan says he saw the truck? The news report I see shows 4th st and 4th ave in Zephyrhills, but they don't say whether that was the site. If his lead has any truth to the case, it's invaluable.

This board and site (and all you all) are really great. Let's catch this snake.
 
WELCOME ZAM - :great::great: Great first post, and thank you for joining us here! I would love to catch this snake!!!

We can't sleuth anyone that is not mentioned in the main stream news or named a POI by LE. So I did look at the document, but we can't dig on this forum regarding the people mentioned in the document. I think you are on the right path with your post though.
 
I haven't been here for a while, I have been reading the Holly Bobo case because it reminds me of this case although not related. She was taken from her driveway, as she was leaving for school and some of her things were found, left out it seems for LE to find. We have wondered because she lived in a very rural area, like Jennifer, if it was someone known to her. The person had to know her schedule and when to attack. She went with him it seems, as her brother saw her walking into the woods with the man, in camo. It is weird to me, because I just posted a few weeks before that in this case, I thought the guy may have been a hunter or familiar with hunting. I often wonder if perps read about other cold case and get ideas from what we come up with here, so they don't get caught. Just very strange. In Holly's case, I do think the items were meant to be found and I feel like that is the same with Jennifer's case too. They want to lead a trail off to where they want LE to search, away from the real truth of where he is from.
 
Here is why I don't buy into the Zephyrhills sighting. If you looked at the distance the perp had to travel on that video, (from her home to where she was found), to travel to Zephyrhills and then turn around and go back up to Pasco and pass her home and go north to Hernando with a body is crazy. 45 minutes after she was taken LE where all ready on the scene, so it wasn't long after that they were out looking for that blue truck. He would have taken a really big chance back tracking through Pasco and onto Hernando with all the people searching and LE checking trucks and road blocks. I am not saying it is impossible just improbable. JMO
 
I've removed a couple of posts. Please review our TOS:

Victim Friendly

Websleuths is a victim friendly forum. Attacking or bashing a victim is not allowed. Discussing victim behavior,good or bad is fine, but do so in a civl and constructive way and ONLY IF IT IS RELEVANT TO THE CASE. Additionally,sleuthing family members that are not suspected of being involved in the crime or disappearance is not allowed. Don't make random accusations or post personal information (even if it is public) like parking tickets, address, or first and last names of all their relatives and their neighbors. Also, never "bash" or attack them, or accuse them of involvement. However that does not mean that family members cannot come into discussion as the facts and issues of the case are discussed.
 
After the verdict on Casey Anthony, I can only image how hard it is for Jennifer's family to not have justice for her. We are all so out raged at this outcome and we are not family, yet we cry for the victims. I can't image getting up every day and knowing someone killed my daughter and dumped her off a horse trail and that person lives and breaths free air each day. I hope people will still come here and post. Since we don't have any suspects it is hard to dig and not break TOS, but we can run down time lines, or theories and information we glean from other solved case.

To Jennifer's family,

I do still think about her and all of you and pray that someone who has a slightest bit of information will come forward and help you get Justice for Jennifer.
 
Was thinking about this case today.

Im curious what happened regarding the link between Shara Ferger's murder and Jennifer Odom's. The man convicted of murdering Shara had a step daughter who was friends with bother girls. I found an old archive story
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...29,5809072&dq=jennifer+odom+dale+morris&hl=en

Was he ever ruled out as a suspect? Does anyone know?

I still feel that Jennifer knew this person and that's why she got into the vehicle with him.
 
I know this is a strange question, but I am new to this website, and I don't know if this question has been asked, But when Jennifer clarinet case was found two years later, could the police been able to determine if it was there the same of time when they found her body?
 
Sleuthster said:
Was thinking about this case today.

Im curious what happened regarding the link between Shara Ferger's murder and Jennifer Odom's. The man convicted of murdering Shara had a step daughter who was friends with bother girls. I found an old archive story
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...29,5809072&dq=jennifer+odom+dale+morris&hl=en

Was he ever ruled out as a suspect? Does anyone know?

I still feel that Jennifer knew this person and that's why she got into the vehicle with him.
Click to expand...

thanks for the link, I remember reading about this case and for some reason, I think he was ruled out, but I have to go back and see why. I know we discussed it here somewhere. I was thinking one of the men were in jail at the time of her murder, but I don't know if it was Dale or the other guy. I will have to look it up.
 
EveDallas said:
I know this is a strange question, but I am new to this website, and I don't know if this question has been asked, But when Jennifer clarinet case was found two years later, could the police been able to determine if it was there the same of time when they found her body?
Click to expand...

Welcome EveDallas!!! :seeya:

That is a good question, way back in the thread is a new article with a picture of the case and bookbag and they look like they were placed there only days before someone found them. It doesn't look like they were out side in the elements for 2 years to me. But we didn't discuss it much.

Go to post 286 there is a link and some of my thoughts on it.
 
I think this case is still solvable today. I don’t think the killer kept his mouth shut about what he did, LE just needs to talk to the right person or persons, and they will solve this. I often wonder if this guy offended again, maybe in another state. I wonder if there is a database that compares crimes around the nation.

I am convinced that Jennifer knew her killer, but not sure how long she knew him. Was this a casual friend she just knew from seeing him around or someone who was at one time connected to the family because they had a relationship with a family member and that is how she knew him. If this was a casual acquaintance I would say he was between 18 – 24 years old.
I am convinced she knew him because of the fact there was no struggle, cries for help, and all her belonging she had with her, were weren’t dropped on the road. There was nothing left behind because she dropped it when a struggle occurred. I think he stopped, offered her a ride and she tossed her stuff in the back of the truck and hopped in. She knew him well enough to feel safe with him, even if it was a short ride to the top of the driveway, or a quick trip somewhere.
We know she was not killed where she was found, LE also said that this was a place she was dumped, in one of the articles. We also know she was found partially clothed, and her other belonging including her cloths were not found where she was discovered, so that also leads us to believe this is not the crime scene but a place he dumped her body. Why is that? It doesn’t make sense to move the body to another location unless the crime scene convicts you, it connects you, and so you have to get rid of the body. You must take it somewhere else to be discovered. I say discovered because, it was not hidden, or buried, or put in a lake so it would take months or years , if at all, to be discovered. I also think he was arrogant in the way he left her, he showed his anger in the way she was killed, and left her exposed to be found that way. Was this a case of a young girl tuning down the advances of an older boy and him getting so mad he kills her? I think it may be the case. I also question where and when the advances started. Was he making them as soon as she gets in the truck or did he have a ruse to take her somewhere for only a short time, and return so she could let her sister in the door? I don’t feel she was raped or murdered in the truck. She was found partially clothed, I read somewhere her bra was still on her, but we do know her other cloths are missing, including her boots, because LE has recreated what she had on that day and ask if anyone has seen any of the items missing. It is also on the Hernando Sheriff’s office website. If you are a passenger in a truck, you could jump out the door if the truck was going slow enough. But she didn’t manage this, or wasn’t in danger in her mind yet. Where was he taking her? To his house or to a place she had been before? Was it a place that isn’t open after 3pm, like a school or even a church that he worked at and had keys? It is much easier to get the cloths off your victim if you are not in a small area as a front or back seat of a truck. You have the problem of the victim fighting you, and one arm and one leg is up against the back rest of the seat, making it almost impossible to get cloths off the victim unless they do it for you. A bra is hard to take off if the left arm is pinned against the seat rest. Shoes are another thing that has to be removed in order to get pants over them and off. Usually one shoe is missing and the other still on and clothing dangles off the one shoe that remains. You only need to get one shoe off to gain access. But she had on boots, that tied and tight fitting levis and those would be hard to manage. I think he had to get her inside and have room to maneuver getting her clothes off. That would explain her being separated from them, they were discarded someplace else. I don’t know why he hung onto her case and book bag, unless they were safe at his home. He may have lived alone, or with someone that wouldn’t look in an attic or storage shed. Whatever the reason, he had something change in his life in or around 1995 that forced him to part with them. Perhaps he was getting married and a wife was moving in and he didn’t dare let anyone finds these items, so it was safer to let them go. But he does the same thing with the items he does with the body, he leaves them somewhere they will be found in due time. And feels the place will not be connected to him, like the horse trail. But he knew both places, well enough to know when he went there; no one would see him place a body or the case and book bag. Both places are dark after the sun sets, off the beaten path and they were used by people but not so much he would be seen. But to drive there, you had to know where you were going. Not a random pick in my mind. For some reason I think he worked in Pasco and crossed paths with Jennifer, but lived in Hernando. I also think she was killed not far from where she was found. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he helped with the search.
 
Bumping for Jennifer

February 19 will mark 19 years no one has been arrest for this beautiful girls murder. Surly there is one person that has one piece of this puzzle to get this solved.

Praying for Justice for Jennifer and Family!
 
Bern said:
I am convinced that Jennifer knew her killer, but not sure how long she knew him. Was this a casual friend she just knew from seeing him around or someone who was at one time connected to the family because they had a relationship with a family member and that is how she knew him.
Click to expand...

As I have read about this case, questions keeps coming up for me. Other than the children on the bus, who saw the blue truck? Did the bus driver? How old were the children who saw the truck? Bottom line, are we sure there was a blue truck? It would seem to me this person was local. Was it a woman?
 
Diddy98 said:
As I have read about this case, questions keeps coming up for me. Other than the children on the bus, who saw the blue truck? Did the bus driver? How old were the children who saw the truck? Bottom line, are we sure there was a blue truck? It would seem to me this person was local. Was it a woman?
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I dont believe it would have been a woman as JO was sexually assaulted. I believe it was someone from the area or someone who knew someone who lived in the area at the time and he could have been from Spring Hill area.
 
I didn't grow up here in FL, I didn't even get here until 2000, but this case really upsets me. I agree they had to have lived in Hernando, maybe Spring Hill, but I am trying to figure out how they cross paths with Jennifer. The only thing I come up with is a job. A person who would come into contact with her, enough that she trusts them to go with them. So that is why I thought a person who works at a place kids may go to hang out, or school, or some activity she did. She was in 4H, she was the church secretary, she was in volley ball ? or Soccer? She was into her music.

Did she have lessons? for music or horseback riding, or ski or water sports? These are the kids of things a SO gets into to gain access to a child. We even see people now who teach Sunday school get arrested for sex offending children. This has to be the lowest of low. We still see it in schools. So no one can be ruled out as far as I am concerned.
 
There was a link with Sharra Ferger who was murdered, I believe she was a playmate or knew her in some capacity. Also, I thought there was mention of church but I cant find it now.
 
Sleuthster said:
Some other cases with simular MO's

Angie Housman
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34918&highlight=housman

Brittany Locklear
http://hubpages.com/hub/Brittany-Locklear

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38285&highlight=locklear

Brittany's case is very eerily simular, found naked and truck seen at bus stop which was said to be blue at first.
Click to expand...

Brittany's case is really close to Jennifer's. I posted before that the person may have hunting skills, and this article points out that where she was taken it was well known for hunters. They came from all over to hunt in this area. But reading this article gave me chills as to how close it is to Jennifer's case.
 
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